Fear

Think about it, we have all faced fear at one time or another, fear of losing a job, fear for a child’s health, fear of change. The Bible is full of stories of men and women like us who had to face many fears. Through these stories the Bible teaches us that 1: we will all have to face fear at one time or another, and 2: God will always be there to pull us through. God tells us and shows in the Bib...le that he loves us and we can trust in him; even when we are facing a Giant. By sharing and praying with someone close when they are going through a difficult situation, or when they are afraid, we can teach and model to them what a trusting God in the middle of our fears looks like; Praying and sharing together about life is a wonderful opportunity to teach our children & others that God is bigger than our fears.

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BFF's

Alicia & Me

Annamaria & My Kids

Jason (my husband), Me, & Alma

Marcella & Me

Amy

My best friends and I have known each other most of my life. Through the years we have had our waves of trials and tribulations as any other relationship would. However, what has remained constant is our loyalty to one another. Our friendship has evolved from childhood playdates to a sisterhood that has us discussing life as mothers and wives.

God puts special people in our path to help shape us into the people He wants us to be. We can pray and encourage our kids to find healthy friendships with others and advise them on how to also be a good friend.

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How Others View Frineship

I saw this and was like OMG this is perfect to describing how at least I think people see me.  I know that I am really quiet at first and just take time to sit back, look around, and get to know someone.  But once I start to let my guard and walls down a bit and we start to become friends and share things people find that I am really cool, fun, outgoing.  I have a big heart.  But it is just the handful of people that I have let really close and call my "best friends" that know more about me.  They know that I can get wild, have lots of fun, and that there is just so much more to me than I ever let anyone know.

I know that we all do this and it is a natural human protection of our selves.  But at times it is hard and sucks when we sit back looking at our own lives wondering what people think of us.  We we can't honestly answer that because look everyone knows different parts and different things.

Just know you are loved!

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Have you ever tried to make a point to someone...

Have you ever tried to make a point to someone... but you can't because they're a complete idiot??? 

Today my good friend just kept texting me about his job.  Now he works in customer service and he was complaining to me about his hours that he is getting and that he is going to have to work 3-11 New Years Eve.  Well after some talking to him about the things he has missed and the schedule that he has I told him that he is the one that is in control of things.  He is the one that hasn't told his company that he would like to work a more regular shift, to have some days off, to not work crazy shifts.  But he said he wants to work the hours to have the money and things.  I said to him then don't complain to me then.  Because you are the one that is in control.  You can change things if you want to. 


I asked him if working for all this extra money and getting all these hours if it is making him happy?  If he has time to use the money on what he wants to.  And he said no.  He said he wants to make money to take a girl out on a date.  And I said well when are you going to do that when you are always working?  He said it won't be for long when he has enough money.  I just wanted to laugh.  Because when does anyone have enough money?

I am just sick of being a therapist and things to people.  I mean come on this isn't rocket science this is easy to figure out.  But this is how my days go.  I spend my extra moments getting messages and things like this to deal with and I can't believe it.  My friends always tell me how busy I am and how busy my family is but yet they find the time to ask me things like this. 

I don't some days have the extra energy to want to be nice to something that is like umm hello wake up and smell the coffee dude. 

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We are not all bad

When we moved into this house we had a great neighborhood.  We started off having great neighboors and friends.  Over the years things have changed a bit as our kids and things have started to grow up.  But of course that isn't everything.  But what to me is really sad is that people just can't be nice.  I mean we all live together and we all wanted to start to get to know each other and do things so our kids would have a sence of tradition and community.  But well because of some people just not clicking together, thinking things about someone (maybe because of a rumor), or something well now we aren't the close community we use to be. 

I feel sad when our kids are in the middle.  This weekend was a good example for us.  One of our neighbors daughters saw us at basketball pictures and asked if we were going to the neighborhood christmas party.  Well we were not invited to the party.  So why call it a neighborhood party when it isn't.  My husband felt so bad telling her that we wern't going. 

See this isn't what we wanted or pictured when we first started this whole thing.  And well I am tired of people thinking they know what goes on in others homes.  Heck just because we have facebook and other things doesn't mean that we know what is going on with everyone and know everyones business.  I know I don't post everything and keep things to myself.  I don't like putting all my dirty laundry for the world to know.  I know that even your good friends and family don't know everything.  It is human nature to keep some things to ourselves.  So I just wish that people would break down the walls and get to know people for who they really are and maybe you will actually find a good friend or a good neighbor.  That is just who I am.

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Are Your Friends Here for a Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime?

Many of us are fortunate enough to have friends who are a consistent part of our lives throughout all our ups and downs. However, sometimes others we consider friends appear to enter, then depart from our lives for reasons we try to, but don't always, understand. This piece nicely explains the flow of people in and out of our lives.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON, b ecause your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

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Book Review: Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends

Book Review: Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends

When I read a book on frugal living, I judge it on how many of its ideas (if any) I hadn't already thought of myself. Cheap Talk With the Frugal Friends, by Texas homemakers Angie Zalewski and Deana Ricks, has enough to impress me.

Mrs. Ricks grabbed my attention in the second paragraph of Chapter 1: "On average I spend 0 a month to feed a family of four. My frugal friend Angie does even better, spending only 5 a month." Even with all the from-scratch cooking I do, I've been spending more than that for years.

(So how do they do it? By cooking from scratch and passing up junk food. I don't know if I'd be able to persuade my family to give up their chips, but it's worth considering that those chips can cost up to .00 a pound.)

Other things I hadn't known: You can make your own quick-mix substitute for good old canned mushroom soup (recipe included), deep condition your hair by leaving regular conditioner on (under a hot towel) for half an hour, and correct the color of makeup.

One of the frugal friends never has to buy soap at the store, but finds plenty at garage sales.

And you should never camp too far from home, in case you get rained out. Motel rooms are expensive.

Of course, there was also stuff I knew already but hadn't been bothering with lately, like making cleaning fluids at home. (Though windshield wiper fluid is even cheaper than homemade glass cleaner, the authors say.)

This gives you an idea how wide-ranging the ideas in this book are. There are chapters on food, clothes, gardening, driving, garage sales, pet care, vacations, entertaining, gifts, and more. There's something for everyone, no matter how much you already save. Read it and see.

Cheap Talk With the Frugal Friends, by Angie Zalewski and Deana Ricks, is published by Starburst Publishers (ISBN: 0-7394-2726-1).

Frugal Living - Book Review: Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends

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after 20+ years

This week I got to meet in person a friend I was in touch with since I was young.  She is a real special woman now in my life and I am just so blessed to know her.  We have for a while now caught up with each other on facebook and other places.  We love keeping up with each other and have just a wonderful relationship.  It is so cool because we have both been through so much in our lives and well we just are there for each other no matter that we are states away.  She has helped me with things I have tried to do to help others.  And I have tried to keep getting the word out to it seems everyone about her gluten free company.  My husband said that when I saw her that it was like we didn't miss a beat and he hadn't seen me so happy in a while. 

I just treasure my friends so much.  And I am so blessed to have her in my life and to have spend some time with her.  I can't wait to see her again but until then I know we will continue to keep in touch. 

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My inner Italian



To me “Living Italian” is a great way to live. I think it is one of the greatest ways to live. But I think that living French and living Spanish and Greek also are incredible. For me, it’s almost about “living Mediterranean,” that-it-as-it comes lifestyle that appreciates the fine things in life, whether it’s food, wine, sensuality, or the scent of the sea.

It is one of the greatest ways to live because no matter where you physically call home-or where you are-it enhances the everyday quality of your life. And that’s a gift we all can give to ourselves.

When did I discover my inner Italian? Well I didn’t discover it til really later really after I got married. Then in life when I started to appreciate tradition and family more. And when I took my first trip to Europe with my husband’s uncle & my mom. That was really when I truly found my heart and myself. I spent time with our family in the hills of Tuscany and we bottled wine, had dinner, went to the local markets, made food. I knew then I was home. Then later I have met a wonderful friend years later here at home from Napoli and we have become good friends for the past 5 years. She is like a sister to me.
What does “living Italian” mean to me?

It means wholeheartedly embracing the simple goodness and sensuality in life.. Taking the extra time, for example, to stop at a specialty market or gourmet grocery store for fine imported cheese or meats rather than dashing into a regular supermarket makes a huge difference. Thinks how special it feels opening these hand-wrapped treasures as opposed to ripping open an industrial-strength package. It’s worth every extra dime I pay. And even when it comes to things that DON’T cost money-valuing quality time spent with family and friends; enjoying the arts and culture just because and not only when out-of-town guests come to visit-this to me also embraces this wonderful way of living and being.

What nurtures my Inner Italian?

Being in Italy of course! But since I am in the United States instead, remembering what made my visiting Italy so pleasurable: good, un-hurried meals with simple yet exquisite ingredients; good wine and conversation; and time spent dining with those I love spending time with. And since I can’t be in Italy I read books, cuisine/wine, magazines that celebrate this wonderful country. I seek out markets, watch cooking shows, read books, friends, cook meals, and more. I also find it by seeking out authentic restaurants.

I hope to pass on the passion of the food, the conversation, the passion of live, the passion to enjoy life, to enjoy the simple things in life. I hope I can show them how simple it is to cook and be passionate about the things you love. I hope that I can show them to enjoy the things around them and to stop and smell, taste, and see everything.

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Why is it that some people think that because you have too little money you can't be friends? Or people who have more money are above all others? Well I dont agree with this at all. I dont care about money when it comes to friendships. I like people for who they are and not their money. I honestly want to know you be your friend and love you. I don't have walls like this and don't think their should be walls like this in a friendship.

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I Want to Be A Super Mom

I want to be a Super Mom.
I want to be the Momma who finds the perfect balance
between being your parent
and being your friend.

I want to be the Momma who says yes

when you ask me to go out and ride bikes, scooters & skateboards
or to build sand castles with you at the beach,
or Ooo and Ahhh over your latest pop shove it trick or amazing art project.

I want to be the Momma whose not afraid to make messes,
get my hands dirty,
or create a bit of chaos
all in the name of having fun with my little ones.

Then when you grow up and tell childhood stories to your own little family,

I hope that you will have fond memories
of my after school goodies,
my knowledge of all your sports, 
and the fridge I made sure was always overflowing snacks for you and your friends.

Because, thanks to this Momma,
I know how much the little things make a difference.

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Bows, Pearls and Gorgeous Girls

Aloha Bloggerinos,

Warning: Picture heavy post. 

This Saturday was my good chum Ceri's 24th Birthday and we all shlepped down to Richmond for a good old fashioned knees up!

I thought I'd show you a few pictures of our jollyness but mostly I thought you might enjoy the hair and makeup side- I hope so anyway, otherwise I shall feel very silly indeed! Tehe!

If you would like info on any of the makeup me, Charly or Ceri are wearing, let me know, I'll be happy to tell! :)

Me being a bit posey and boobiliscious! I have wanted massive pearls like this for ages but never thought I would wear them. I bought some from Primani for £2 and have worn them loads. What are the odds, eh?

The Birthday Girl Ceri sporting a funky wig to mis things up a bit and being a silly billy with my new purse (£2.99 from H&M).

Ceri and her lovely new Boyfriend Daniel, who I know for a fact reads this at work! Naughty Boy! Hello Daniel, do some work!! hahahaha

Me and my longest best Chum Charly. We have been best friends since we were 8 and I love her more than some of my own family! ha!

Even after a few sneaky drinks, my love for the MAC Dazzleglass is strong!

These are the twins- Ceri and Clare and frankly, they are far too cool and pretty for my liking. Hahaha x

This is a group shot that I chopped myself out of but is literally the best gruop shot I have- that says it all.

Nice to see you.....to see you nice! (Google Bruce Forsyth if you have no idea what I'm talking about/posnig about)

Ahh the blessed breakfast run in my PJ's the morning after. Classy. Daniel, you, your car and your knowledge of McDonalds drive through are comparable to none. Hahaha!

Hope you all had a great weekend too. I love it when I see your going out pics on your blogs :)

Toodlepip! xx

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