Six Word Saturday

I SURVIVED NATIONAL BLOG POSTING MONTH!

I got this meme from Ryan Ashley at Optimistic Cynicism. Go check her out!

~Joan

Read more...

Freebie Friday: $10 Coupon

This Week's Friday Freebie:

The first person who leaves a comment expressing interest wins a $10 off coupon for any editing service . This coupon will expire January 30, 2010.

Don't forget to tell your friends and stop by next Friday for another freebie!

~Joan

Read more...

Thankful Thursday: Dear Oprah

Here is an abridged version of a letter I wrote to Oprah a couple of years ago about my sister who I am very very thankful for:

Dear Oprah,

I am writing to tell you about my phenomenal sister. My sister has always been an angel looking after me. When I went off to college in 1997, she wrote a survival manual to help guide me through college life. It had everything I needed to know in order to graduate safely and successfully. Unfortunately, I didn't read the whole thing and it collected dust until I graduated in 2001. I ended up making so many mistakes that her manual could have prevented me from making. My sister is truly an expert on life, and whenever any of her friends or family members want to do something life changing, they always go to her for advice.

In 2006, I got engaged on Valentine's Day and immediately began to enthusiastically plan my wedding. Unfortunately, a few months after I got engaged, I fell on some hard times. I was ready to give up on my wedding plans completely. For the next few months my sister stopped working and engaging in her daily routines so that she could almost single-handedly plan and give me the wedding of my dreams. I got married on June 3, 2006. If it weren't for my sister, I still probably would not be married, or I would have just settled for a justice of the peace wedding.

After the wedding, I stayed home for the summer, and she began to rewrite the college survival manual for publishing. I could never repay my sister for giving me such a fabulous wedding. However, I was able to spend the summer editing and writing the introduction for her book.

Shortly after publishing her book, Your Big Sister’s Guide to Surviving College, she decided to dissolve her office relocation business and start a new business doing what she does best—inspiring! She is now a certified life coach and has transformed CGC Consultant Group into CGC Connections: A Life Enrichment Company. She is truly the best “Big Sister” a girl could ever have.

Please excuse the fuzzy picture. I had to do some editing to cut people out. Can you believe I don't have any recent pictures of just me and my sister? (This is an old picture.)

~Joan

Read more...

Wii Wednesday: Unfit Parent

So yesterday I decided to do my Wii Fit test and a little Wii fit training (BTW my Wii fit age is 31--yay!). As I've said before, the Wii is very smart.......it talks to you and gives you advice--sometimes too much. The Wii always remembers the last person who used it, so if you're the next person to use it, it will tell you a little about the previous person (ie: Sean had a good workout yesterday. Glad to see you're trying to catch up with him. Have you eaten breakfast this morning? You know, normal Wii talk.). Anyhoo, my 4 year old niece was the last person to use the Wii fit. So when I got on yesterday morning, the Wii started talking trash! It was like, "Kennedy's [my niece] balance was a hot mess last time. Have you noticed her falling over? Has her balance improved any?" So I just picked any answer and said no her balance has not changed. I was quickly clicking through the annoying prompts so the darn thing would shut up about my niece and focus on me and then this screen pops up:

What tha...?! Okay Mr. Wii fit, you've gone too far! I guess the Wii looked at our ages and assumed I was Kennedy's mother. I could be acting a little paranoid, but did the Wii just call me an unfit parent? Can you believe the nerve? I mean it used red font color and ended the statement with an exclamation point! I actually think it has an attitude with me. I must say, I still love the Wii, but dang it can get all up in your bizness! Has anybody else experienced this or is it just me?
~Joan

Read more...

Timeout Tuesday: Quiche?

So last night I made quiche for dinner. Timeout! I don't cook. My hubby cooks, not me. Now I will admit, I do know how to make 3 or 4 things--quiche not being one of them. My original plan was to make Eggplant Parmesan, but when I cut into the eggplant it was all brown and squishy. Consequently, I had to look for something else.......let's see.........egg beaters, whipping cream, frozen spinach, pie shell, a barrage of cheeses, tomatoes, and onions--quiche it is! I've never made quiche before, but my husband and my mother-in-law make it all the time. I could have easily called either one of them to ask how to make it, but they make me nervous because they are such great cooks. They're always like, "all you have to do is..." and 10 hours later I'm crying in the kitchen without an edible morsel of food. I decided to go online, and I found the following recipe from Chef Mike:

*9 inch deep dish pie crust

*1 cup of heavy cream
*1 cup or 5 large eggs
*about 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese
*1 1/2 cups of whatever your heart desires:
roasted vegetables, chopped up
ham and mushrooms
bacon and grilled onions
crab
you name it
Mix the eggs and cream together, season with salt and pepper, and then use the herbs that will compliment your filling. I almost always like a bit of grated nutmeg. Spread the cheese in the bottom of the pie first, then put the cooled ingredients over the cheese. Pour the egg and cream mixture over the top. Make sure that the liquid pretty much covers all the ingredients. If a little of the ingredients are showing, that's ok.Bake in a preheated oven at 325F for about 25 minutes or until the eggs have set. And VOILA, Quiche.

Considering the fact that half my ingredients were substitutes (egg beaters instead of eggs, whipping cream was expired so I used evaporated milk, I used mozzarella cheese and was informed later by my hubby that "you're supposed to use Swiss cheese in quiche"--who knew?), it actually wasn't half bad. It was kind of tasty and hubby liked it too. Maybe I'm not such a disaster in the kitchen after all.

~Joan

Read more...

Motivational Monday: Who's in your Fave 5?

Here's a slight twist that I'm going to add to my Motivational Mondays. I am going to "borrow" T-Mobile's Who's in Your Fave 5 concept, and post my top 5 motivators in different aspects of my life. So I'll start right here with my motivators on the World Wide Web. Today's motivation is dedicated to my current Fave 5 bloggy buddies who motivate me to continue my journey through cyberspace (I have lots of wonderful bloggy buddies, so please don't be offended if you are not on the list. This is meant to be a shout out, not down. I love you ALL!) So here is some linky love for my Fave 5 (in no particular order):

1. Christie at My Life-A Work in Progress
2. Stesha at Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha
3. Denise at Motivation Mama
4. Denene at My Brown Baby
5. Renee at Cutie Booty Cakes

These ladies truly make you want to step up your game. Thanks for being awesome, inspirational women and mothers.......and thanks for motivating me!

Check out what these ladies have to say, and show them some comment love. Who's in your Fave 5? Make sure you show them some linky love in your comment.

~Joan

Read more...

Spiritual Sunday: This Too Shall Pass

If you don't do anything else, play the beautiful song below.

Today's Scripture Luke 7: 11-16
11Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."

Today's Sermon Title
After the Funeral

Today's Message (talking points from Impact Church's pastor Olu Brown are in bold)
Mourning the death of a loved one is one of the hardest things we go through in life. We often find ourselves asking God, "Why me?" In addition to death, there are other hopeless situations we might find ourselves in--a painful divorce, abuse, addiction, life threatening diseases, etc. We struggle through these painful times and eventually come to the end of a journey. We mourn the relationship we lost or the old life we left behind. The old self dies and a new self is reborn. In that rebirth, God always offers us a new opportunity. An opportunity to love again...an opportunity to come clean...an opportunity to heal...an opportunity to reconile...an opportunity to live again and a chance to believe again. No matter what struggles you face in your daily life, God always has a plan for you to live again. So when you are down and out and feeling all alone, remember "this too shall pass."

Even the day after tomorrow will one day be yesterday. ~India Arie


india arie - this too shall pass
by doo-


God Bless!

~Joan

Read more...

That One!

Excerpt from The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines copyright 1971

People’s always looking for somebody to come lead them. Go to the Old Testament; go to the New. They did it in slavery; after the war they did it; they did it in the hard times that people want to call Reconstruction; they did it in the Depression—another hard times; and they doing it now. They have always done it—and the Lord has always obliged in some way or another.

Anytime a child is born, the old people look in his face and ask him if he’s the One. No, they don’t say it out loud like I’m saying it to you now. Maybe they don’t say it at all; maybe they just feel it—but feel it they do. “You the One?” I’m sure Lena asked Jimmy that when she first held him in her arms. “You the One Jimmy? You the One?”

This passage from the book takes place in the late 1930's. Do you think President Obama's mother knew he was The One the first time she held him in her arms? Maybe she knew he was special, but how could she have known he was going to become That One? Here's to all of our elders and ancestors who kept hope alive and dreamt big. Thank you for pavinig the way for new leaders and believing in them before they were even born.

What an awesome week in history! Thank you for letting me share my joy with you every day!

~Joan

Read more...

Freebie Friday: Buy 1 Get 1 Free

This Week's Friday Freebie:

Buy 1 get 1 free (of equal or lesser value) when you purchase my blog/webpage editing services. The first 2 people to comment on this post win! Offer ends January 30, 2009.

*Note: This offer excludes the Platinum Plan.

***Presidential Bonus Freebie***

Since this week is all about President Obama, the first person who leaves a comment telling me President Obama's matriarchial grandmother's nickname and why they called her that name wins a $10 off coupon for any editing service (the more detailed the better--no half answers accepted). This coupon will expire January 23, 2010.

Don't forget to stop by next week for another freebie!

BTW--Alicia at More Than Words is doing a fab blog makeover giveaway on her blog in honor of her 250th post, so hop on over there and check her out!
~Joan

Read more...

Thankful Thursday: What this inauguration means to me...

The inauguration means that I can look my children in the face and believe that they can be anything they want to be. It means that I have seen something in my lifetime that my ancestors dreamed of and I never thought I would see. It means that we are more alike than unalike, and we are realizing that we are one human race. It means that the system can work, and the most qualified person for the job was chosen regardless of gender, race, age or religion. It means that hope and change are on the horizon. It means for the first time in my life, "I am REALLY proud to be an American" and part of the democratic process. It means that God answers prayers. To the Obama family and team, thank you for being an inspiration to the world. I pray for you every day. God bless!

~Joan

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday: Wow

Well, almost wordless....I must say that the President and the First Lady are just awesome! And Mrs. Obama, shake those haters off. You are stunning! Isn't she lovely... (in my best Stevie Wonder impression)?

~Joan

Read more...

It's Not a Dream: America's First Family

It's a reality! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Let's keep our new first family and administration in our prayers.

~Joan

Read more...

Motivational Monday: My Tribute to Barack Obama

Enjoy!

~Joan

Read more...

Spiritual Sunday: A Week of Obama

I am dedicating this week's posts to the 44th President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama!

Last week Reverend Kimbrough honored Barack Obama in his sermon entitled Yes We Can, and this week Pastor Brown continued the message of hope and change.

Today's Scripture

12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

Today's Sermon Title
Such A Time As This

Today's Message (talking points from Impact Church's pastor Olu Brown are in bold)

Like Esther, Barack Obama has been called to risk his life to lead his people--that's the dilemma. God calls us to lead, and we can choose fear or we can choose hope. We all know that our soon to be 44th President chose hope over fear. Thanks be to God that we have nothing to fear because He has already given us the solution and claimed the victory for us. All we need is for one person with a little bit of hope to decide to take a stand and the rest will follow. Think about how God wishes for us all to be like Esther. When God calls us, we must take action regardless of the risks involved. Esther proclaims, "if I perish, I perish." Today Olu said, "if we must die, let us die nobly... because what God is calling us to is greater than what we are leaving behind." As we enter into to this critical and joyous time of change in our country, let us not look back, but look forward and see who we can bless with the gifts and talents that God has given us. Amen!

God Bless,

~Joan

Read more...

Simple Obsession Saturday: Awards and Word Verification Pt. II

Thanks to Alicia at More Than Words, I have been given another blog award. Alicia has also introduced me to a cool way of displaying my blog awards--in a slideshow (see sidebar). Make sure you stop by Alicia's blog and show her some love. She gave this award to her new bloggy buddies, so I will do the same.

And the winners are...

Ryan Ashley Scott at Optimistic Cynicism

Pam at Aunt Pam's Closet

Felicia at All Women: Can I Really Have It All?

3 Baby Chicks

Kel at Girl in the Glasses

Thanks for being my new bloggy buddies!

Now on to more obsessive things. Last Saturday I told you about my simple obsession with Word Verification (WV). Well sad to say, it gets deeper. I've started up my own dictionary, and I'd like for you to humor me and play along. Below are the WV non-words and my proposed definitions. Just for sheer laughs, I'm asking all of you to either use one of the non-words in a sentence or come up with a better definition for one of the words, or you can do both if you're feeling extra jolly.

WV Non-Word Dictionary

Flations—big boobs that can be used as floatation devices
Calisms—phrases that are only known and spoken by Californians
Minesses--something that belongs to you
Pregi--nickname for a pregnant woman
Aminkeg--drunken frat boy utterance

Stater--one who states something--duh! (according to dictionary.com, this is a word, but this is not the "correct" definition)

~Joan

Read more...

Freebie Friday: Editing Services

This Week's Friday Freebie:



Receive the first 10 edited pages of your e-book for free when you purchase my e-book editing services.



The first 2 people who comment on this post are eligible to win. Offer ends January 23, 2009. Stop by next week for another freebie!



~Joan

Read more...

Thankful Thursday: My Husband

If it ain't broke don't fix it! That's one of my mottos in life. My mother says I'm cursed with practicality. My husband is all about change. Change is good right? I'm cool with change if it's necessary, but again, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Sprint has been my cell phone service provider since 1998. I've been overall happy with the service and have never wanted to switch providers. My husband...my sweet sweet husband decides he wants to switch to T Mobile (former Nextel customer) because he likes their plans better. I was fine with that until he wanted me to jump on the bandwagon. I said absolutely not because I am perfectly content with my Sprint Simply Everything plan (if you have Sprint I highly recommend it). I get everything for $100--no extra charges, no hidden fees. Anyhoo, he left me alone and went over to T Mobile.

Here is the conversation between me and my husband last week while he was at the T Mobile store:
Hubby: T Mobile is offering $10/month home phone service when you open up a new cell phone account.

Me: (Remembering the nightmare it was when we switched our phone service from Comcast to AT&T because he just had to have Direct TV so that he could watch the Redskins on the NFL Ticket and also remembering the fact that the whole fiasco resulted in us changing our home phone number)

No. I don't think that's a good idea because I don't want our number to change again and I don't want the internet to get messed up because I need it for work.

Hubby: It'll be fine. They said we can keep our number and you don't have to worry about the internet because that won't change....we'll still get it through AT&T.

Me: I still don't think it is a good idea. I'll pay the extra money not to go through the hassle. But okay. Whatever....

Here's the saga that began a few days later:

Day 1: Internet goes down.

Day 2: Phone goes down/internet goes up.

Day 3: Both internet and phone go down.

Days 4-6: My husband spend 24 hours a day on the phone with T Mobile and AT&T tech support, and I spend 3 days at my sister's because she has internet.

Day 7: Internet is back up and phone is still down. AT&T truck pulls up in front of the house. AT&T man bangs and digs on the side of my house.

Day 8: My husband takes the little black box back to T Mobile and tells me we have a new phone number.

And guess who it's with? AT& FRICKEN T! So 8 days of drama and we're right back at square one, only with a different phone number. Through this whole ordeal I've resisted the urge to say "I told you so," and I've just nodded my head patiently. Today I wanted to scream! Here is the conversation after my DH told me our phone number has changed AGAIN:

Hubby: I'm taking the T Mobile box back and we have a new number (remorseful sigh).

Me: Why aren't we going with T Mobile so we can keep the number like they said.

Hubby: Because we wouldn't get service for 2 more weeks (yada yada... something about terms and conditions of his plan...yada yada).

Me: I just wish you would listen to me more.

Hubby: Gee, you really know how to kick a man when he's down. I already feel bad enough and now you have to say, 'I told you so.'

Me: I didn't say I told you so. I just said I wish you would listen to me more.

Hubby: Well, I told you so was implied.

Okay, so maybe it was implied. But don't I have the right to be a little upset? Had he listened to me, he wouldn't have gone through 8 days of hell and we would still have the same phone number. Now I've got to send out the quarterly email to family and friends saying, "BTW our phone number has changed AGAIN." People are going to think we're running from bill collectors or something.

Anyway, I know you're waiting for me to get to the point, so I will. Hubbies and significant others do all types of crazy things to annoy us. My mom made a good point when she said, "look at all the things you do to annoy him." The fact of the matter is that he made a mistake and he tried really really hard to fix it. Some people would have just been like, "oh we deal with it." Not my hubby. He worked day and night to try to fix the problem because he knew how important it was to me. My husband is all about change, so why try and change him? If he ain't broke, don't fix him. I thank God for my husband every day!

Who are you thankful for and why?

~Joan

Read more...

Wii Wednesday: Fitness Age--What a crock!

Okay. So I know in my first Wii Wednesday post

I said I was going to report my Wii fitness age once a month. However, I just have to share this ridiculousness. Do you see that number over there in the picture? That's my Wii fitness age. Yes, I know you are asking yourself, "Wasn't she 60 last week?" Yes I was, and I am discounting the Wii Fitness Age test. Apparently the Wii Fit Age (this is different because you need a Wii Fit board to determine your Wii Fit Age) is more accurate because it takes into account your current age, weight, and BMI.

I've done the Wii Fit body test 3 times and my age has gone down each time:

1st time: 46

2nd time: 36

3rd time: 30

If you have a Wii, save your self-esteem by doing the Wii Fit body test instead of the Wii Fitness test on Wii Sports. I still love my Wii, but I'm so sore! I did the push-ups on the Wii Fit Strength Training, and I thought I was going to die! Anybody else having wiiing pains?

~Joan

Read more...

Timeout Tuesday: Tagged Again!

Timeout! I've been tagged again?! Thanks to Stesha at Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha this time, I've received The Fabulous Blog award. Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which you think are fabulous.

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. (I actually have 10 this time!)

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

And the nominees are...

1. Funeral for My Fat Pants

2. How Full Is Your Bucket?

3. Penny Pinching Diva

4. My Brown Baby

5. The Broke Socialite

6. The Classy Closet

7. The Sweet Spot Journey

8. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl

9. I Am Shopgirl

10. Pink and Green Mama

Congratulations on your fabulous blogs ladies!

~Joan

Read more...

Motivational Monday: Editing Trade

I normally don't toot my own horn, but "aww toot toot, yeah beep, beep." One of my many trades is editing. I've been called the "grammar police" on more than one occasion, and I'm proud of it. I have officially launched my editing services on my blog. Please click here or on the Editing Services tab on my menu bar to see what I'm serving up. THANK YOU Christie at My Life-A Work in Progress for allowing me to edit your beautiful writing, for your testimonial, and your motivation. A BIG THANKS also goes out to Stesha at Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha for your motivation and support. It's bloggy buddies like you ladies who make it all worthwhile. Don't forget to check back on Fridays for editing service freebies.

~Joan

Read more...

Spiritual Sunday

Impact Church--Doing Church Differently

Today's Scripture
Numbers 13:25-30

25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. Report on the Exploration 26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Today's Sermon Title
Yes We Can!

Today's Message (talking points from Impact Church's guest speaker Rev. Walter Kimbrough are in bold)
Call to order--God calls us to serve.
Plan of Action--Make a commitment to move and persevere.
Declaration of Faith--We are able to overcome any and every obstacle because God has already claimed the victory for us! Yes We Can!

Life is full of unlikely situations and circumstances that we some how overcome without our full understanding. How unlikely is our new first family? Barack Obama was called by God for his position. He never wavered or questioned. He made a commitment to follow God's call. Obama did above and beyond his very best, and God did what? HE claimed the victory and took care of the rest! AMEN!

God Bless,

~Joan

Read more...

Simple Obsession Saturday: Word Verification

If you're anything like me, you absolutely loathe the stupid word verification (WV) on blogs and other places on the web. For your pleasure, I've turned mine off on my blog (you're welcome). Even in my current state of annoyance with the WV, I have found myself obsessing over the non-words. I secretly hope that I can catch the WV off guard and it gives me a real word. At times I stare at the non-words and make up my own definitions for them in my head. Yeah, I know.....I definitely need to seek out some real hobbies. What can I say? It's one of my simple obsessions. What simple obsessions do you have?

~Joan

Read more...

Freebie Friday: Book Giveaway

In case you missed it yesterday, Suze Orman is offering her book, Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan, for FREE on Oprah.com! Yes, that's right. There's no catch and no obligations. You can download all 227 pages for free with one click, but it's only available for one week. We can all use a little help in these rough economic times. Thanks Suze and Oprah! Happy Friday!

~Joan

Read more...

Thankful Thursday: Teeth

I'm not crazy (well not certifiable at least); I'm just thankful for my teeth. If you watch The View on ABC, you know that Whoopi Goldberg has had some extensive dental work done lately, and she has now become a spokesperson for going to the dentist. Her teeth were terrible, and it's been months since she had work done, and she's still talking funny. Watching her on TV scared me to death, and it's been in the back of my mind that I need to get my behind to the dentist.

Yesterday I actually went to the dentist because I had a sore tooth that felt loose. Now it's been about mumble years since I've been to the dentist, and I must say I am ashamed at the neglect I've shown my teeth. My teeth and I have a lot of history. When I was a kid, my teeth were JACKED UP--I mean jacked! I was teased, harassed, and called everything in the book from "buck-toothed beaver" to "Bugs Bunny". My parents were gracious enough to allow me to get braces, and from 5th to 12th grade I had ongoing dental work. I have had at least 8 teeth extracted (including wisdom teeth), 4 years of braces, and 4 years of retainers. So I feel like I've paid my dues at the dentist.

I actually had a great experience at the dentist yesterday thanks to Dr. Larsen and his crew over at the Vinings Dental Group. He assured me that I just need a few fillings, my teeth aren't falling out and that I'm going to be okay. Yippee! I'm not going to look like snaggle tooth! Thank God for my teeth! Watch the video below to hear Whoopi talk about the consequences of not going to the dentist.

~Joan

Read more...

Wii Wednesday: Wii Fitness Age

OMG! My Wii fitness age is 60! This is extremely embarassing since I'm only turning 30 this year. If this is not motivation for me to exercise more, I don't know what is. I'm going to take the Wii Fitness test every month and update you on my age progression or should I say regression.

~Joan

Read more...

Timeout Tuesday

Timeout! I've been tagged again! This time it's by Christie at My Life: A Work in Progress.

Rules:

1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!

2) DON’T change your clothes, DON’T fix your hair… Just take a picture.

3) Post that picture with NO editing.

4) Post these instructions with your picture.

5) Tag 10 people to do this.

I'm breaking rule #5 because I'm new to the blogging world, and Christie already tagged everyone I know. So I know all of you serial bloggers are going to call me a cheater, but I don't want to hear it. I did actually take the picture as soon as I was tagged. I'm just posting it a little late. No more embarrassing tags people--payback is real!

~Joan

Read more...

Motivational Monday

I think starting my Mondays out with a motivational post will motivate me to be productive during the week. My motivation every day comes from God. Of course there are other earthly things that motivate us. What motivates you to start out a new work week and keep going strong?

~Joan

Read more...

Spiritual Sunday: Impact Church

I would like to devote my Sunday posts to my interpretation of the sermons at Impact Church. Impact has really helped me grow closer to God, and what better way to honor the church publicly than by giving them a shout on my blog every Sunday.

Today's Scripture

Proverbs 4:20-27 My son, pay attention closely to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Today's Sermon Title

Focus

Today's Message (talking points from Impact Church's pastor Olu Brown are in bold)

We have many opportunities that present themselves to us in our everyday lives. Once we make the decision to take advantage of an opportunity, it is important that we stay focused on that particular opportunity. Sometimes when we are afforded an opportunity we have competing interests or distractions that get in the way of us achieving our goals. Those competing interests are the things that seem really attractive at the time, but really are only there to draw our attention away from our purpose. It is up to us to look at opportunity, make a choice, focus on that choice, and allow nothing to stand in the way of that choice. Our choice becomes our destiny. Remain focused. Do your best, and trust God to take care of the rest. Have a blessed week!

~Joan

Read more...

My First Blog Award

Thanks to Stesha of Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha, I have been tagged as a recipient of the 2009 New Year's Spirit Award! I was pleasantly surprised when I read Stesha's post on New Year's Day and saw that she had picked me as a winner. She has such a wonderful blog and has really been supportive of my new blog, so cheers to you Stesha! It is now my duty to pass the award onto other worthy bloggers.

Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award. The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.

2. List 5 things that you love about the New Year. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space.

3. Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But keep the New Year cheer going.

4. Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award.

5 Things I Love About the New Year (in no particular order):

1. I have a husband who loves me unconditionally.

2. God continues to bless me daily with a wonderful life, family, and friends.

3. 2008 is over!

4. I WILL GO ON A VACATION THIS YEAR!

5. I have a whole year to get pregnant.

Drumroll Please...........I proudly pass on the 2009 New Year's Spirit Award to:

My Life A Work in Progress

How Full Is Your Bucket

Funeral for My Fat Pants

My Brown Baby

The Chatterbox Reviews

Motivation Mama!
and of course...Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha

~Joan

Read more...

Freestyle Friday: Change

In light of January's NaBloPoMo theme of change, I've decided to reflect on what I want change to mean for me in 2009.

Choosing to be different


Having faith in my choices


Allowing myself to fall and get back up again


Never giving up on my dreams


Going the extra mile


Expecting great things to happen


~Joan

Read more...

Thankful Thursday

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year! I want to dedicate Thursdays to being thankful. And what better day to start than today--the first day of 2009 and the first day of NaBloPoMo. Today I am especially thankful for the new year. I am thankful for being able to bring in the New Year with family and friends. I am thankful that I have no regrets coming into the new year. Most of all I am thankful that God continues to bless me with his love each and every day. I wish you all a very blessed and prosperous New Year!

~Joan

Read more...