Who's Picking on Chick-Fil-A?

Focus on the Family's Jim Daly posted his latest blog "Did Facebook Boycott Chick-Fil-A?" recently and it caught my eye because, well, Chick-Fil-A is just AMAZING--best chicken sandwich ever AND a soundproof kid's play area (GENIUS!).

Basically Chick-Fil-A has said that they support the biblical definition of a family unit--WHICH HELLO, THAT IS NO SURPRISE--and now social media, politicians, celebrities, and gay rights activists are all up in arms and ready to bring Chick-Fil-A down or acting like the whole food chain has leprosy. Craziness. Geez people! Chick-Fil-A is a WONDERFUL company that gives so much back to the community. Besides, who else says "It's my pleasure to serve you," (with a smile) at a drive through window let alone anywhere else in the world? These Chick-Fil-A boycotters need to wake up and realize that they are boycotting CHICKEN SANDWICHES...it seems a little sad to me...definitely a waste of good time.

Whatever happened to just agreeing to disagree over different perspectives/opinions? Why does Chick-Fil-A have to be punished for sharing their views...ugh, that's so unfair.

I am sorry if our nation feels like Christians hate gay people...that's so not true. Let me say that it should not be true, but some people, Christians or not are just hater kind of people. I'm a Christian and I love gay people; Jesus loves gay people--His whole message is about Love! Love doesn't mean you agree with everything someone does. I totally feel for the the gay community's cause, and if it were not for my faith and belief in God's Word then I would totally be in support of same sex marriage because it's their life, they can do what they want. However, God has a different view on marriage and family, so I'm going to stick with what He says because, well, He created everything so I figure He knows what He is doing.

All that to say:
It's going to take a lot more than a few frenzied public figures to keep my car away from Chick-Fil-A. In fact, I will be there Wed. Aug. 1st for a play date--you are welcome to come! I'm not giving up the children's soundproof play area, lol, and I like knowing that I am supporting a company that stands for something I can build my life around--Good Faith and Good Food.

The Blessings of Being an Army Wife

With yet another deployment lurking around the corner I find myself, now more than ever, focusing on the many positive things in my life--Momma always said to count your blessings...or was that an old hymn we used to sing at church?

I could go on and on and on about the difficulties of military life, especially when it comes to deployment...it's simply not fun to send your hubby away in a war zone and then keep it all together for the sake of your kids and your sanity--it's hard to do.

SO...I'm counting my blessings...all the positive things about being an Army Wife, going through a deployment and whatever else I can come up with that will be a silver lining...I'm going to think positive!

1: This deployment is only 9 months...rumor has it, it could be shorter...
2: Deployment means that I don't have to shave my legs everyday...lol...no judging, this is seriously a perk!
3: Deployment means I can order a veggie pizza (Stephen doesn't like veggies on his pizza).
4: Army Wife Blessing: It's nice to not have to be too concerned with the health care debate/issue...our insurance is pretty nice
5: Army Wife Blessing: I've met some really amazing women, some best friends, and great experiences through moving around
6: Deployment/Army Wife Blessing: I feel like this life gives me an opportunity to live in faith...so much of what happens in the military life requires a great deal of faith, and I have been able to see God do totally cool things when I put my trust in Him.
7: Deployment Blessing: There will be extra pay which means I can finally put my student loans to death ONCE AND FOR ALL (MWWAAAHHAAHAA!), or at least chop them up smaller!
8: Deployment: Absence makes the heart grow fonder...it's true, and I always seems to appreciate Stephen more when he is gone...sad to admit that :(
9: Deployment means there should be a ball coming up soon....I LOVE BALL GOWN SHOPPING....
10: Deployment means I get to be the master of the tv remote for 9 months, lol...you laugh, but this is a nice perk!
11: I live 2 hours from my family...SUCH a blessing, especially during a deployment....if I feel like I'm going crazy, I can just drive up the road and drop the kiddos off with Mom and Dad for the day


I'm sure there will be more blessings and perks to add, but right now I have laundry to do! :) OH,

12: Deployment means less laundry to do! lol :)
13: Deployment means that I will be buying less toilet paper while he is away...not that I use more when he is home, WE use more...this is just embarrassing to talk about...lol
14: While Stephen is away I will be able to fix breakfast for supper! HELLO PANCAKES & OMELETS!

I Stepped in Poo the Other Day...

Motherhood--it brings tears to my eyes for several different reasons. 

On many occasions, I find myself tearing up over the mere thought of my little boy and girl growing up, and on other occasions, I find myself tearing up, hair frazzled and fighting off an anxiety attack because my daughter has colored the carpet with a permanent marker (true story). 

I love making homemade play-dough with my kiddos. I love reading them stories. I love the funny things they say and do--that list is practically infinite. I love how they wrap their little arms around my neck and say "I love you Mommy," (I'm tearing up thinking about it!). I love the fact that my kisses heal any boo boo. I love so many things about being a Mom, but sometimes what I love about being a Mom can be overshadowed by the craziness of motherhood. Take for example, the other day, when I stepped in poo...yes poo.

I had scrubbed the whole house clean--Stephen had been gone for training and was coming home, so I wanted the house looking shipshape for his return. I was getting the last load of clothes in and was about to get my little girl ready for bed when it happened. I opened up the bathroom door--smearing the poo in the process--and then stepped right in a big heaping pile of it!! Yep, it went between my toes and all! Naturally, I accused our dog, screamed at him accordingly, and then banished him to the yard, where he stayed until I noticed that little Miss Willa was the one covered in poo and saying "Shoo, I stink Mommy."

Yes, I shed tears, but they were the "I'm about to lose it" kind of tears. My beautiful clean floor was no longer clean...the hall carpet now sported little poopy footprints, and my freshly bathed daughter was now filthy!  Stephen would be home in just a few hours and my house not only smelled horrible, but it looked like a poo grenade had gone off!!

What did I learn from this experience? Well...I learned a great deal about controlling my anger, and choosing to respond in love--even if it was through gritted teeth. I learned that the smell of baby poop seems to smell more foul, and has this ability stink longer than any other kind of poo. I learned the value of a steam mop (applause for the Shark!). I learned that even covered in poo, my daughter is still beautiful, and I learned that infantrymen are used to smelling smelly smells and don't really notice if a toddler had pooped in the floor--why did I even bother cleaning it up, lol?

Wellness Tip: Liver Cleanse!

So...I will do this if you do it--

Actually I will be doing it regardless, but come on, do it with me. Cleaning my liver sounds terrifying...oh, if only we were made like some assembly toy where we could take a part the limb or organ that needed a good scrubbing, but we are not, thus we must keep our bodies in fine running condition.

Why clean the liver? Well, it does a lot and we--with our American way of eating and drinking--do a lot to it. The liver helps to regulate hormones (including estrogen). It helps metabolize carbs, stores and processes vitamins, helps maintain healthy sugar levels and creates bile which helps break down the fat in the food we eat, among other really great things. The fact that the liver helps to break down fat is enough for me be all gung-ho in making sure it's functioning well.

How do you cleanse your liver? Well...of course we ALWAYS want to drink lots of water. The rule of thumb with water drinking--drink half your body weight in ounces of water, ie. if you were to weigh 100 pounds then you would drink 50 ounces of water.

Here are what my friends from Shaklee Natural Health & Wellness, suggest for a good, solid liver cleanse:


You will need: 6 quarts apple cider
6 teaspoons Epsom salts
½ cup cold-pressed olive oil
½ cup lemon juice
The liver & gallbladder cleanse is an important detoxifying agent. It helps restore normal functional capacity of the liver & gallbladder and if an individual has gallstones
NOTE:
A. This cleanse is NOT recommended for:
1. people under 25 years of age
2. pregnant women, or
3. people with known large gallstones (larger than a dime … this can be determined by an ultrasound). These individuals can still do this cleanse, but MUST FIRST have the large gallstones shattered by sound waves by their doctor.
B. Plan to stay home the evening of the 6th day.
LISTED BELOW ARE THE STEPS TO FOLLOW:
1. Day 1 through 6, drink 1 quart of apple cider DAILY (fresh extracted vegetable juices may be substituted for apple cider).
 It is preferable that you purchase additive-free apple cider.
 Keep your diet vegetarian style (fat free) for a more thorough cleansing. Eat as much as you like of fat free foods.
 Continue with your regular supplements.
2. At noon on Day 6 eat a normal vegetarian lunch.
3. Three hours later, take two teaspoons of epsom salts dissolved in about one ounce of hot water. That taste may be objectionable to some people. If so you may follow Epsom salts with a little citrus juice (fresh squeezed if possible).
4. Two hours later, repeat step three.
5. Four your evening meal on Day 6 you may have only citrus juices or citrus fruits (eg. grapefruits, oranges, etc.)
6. At bedtime, in a blender, whip ½ cup of warm olive oil (cold-pressed) with ½ cup of lemon juice. (It is better to use fresh lemon juice, but bottled juice is permissible.)
 Drink the mixture quickly – do not sip slowly.
 (Some people occasionally reported slight to moderate nausea when taking the olive oil & lemon juice. This nausea will slowing disappear when you go to bed. If the olive oil induces vomiting, you need not repeat the procedure. This occurs only in rare instances.)
7. Following step six, go immediately to bed. Lie on your right side with your right knee pulled up close to your chest for at least 30 minutes.
8. The next morning, one hour before breakfast, take two teaspoons of epsom salts dissolved in two ounces of hot water.
9. Resume your normal diet on Day 7 & continue your normal nutritional supplements.
NOTE:
People who have chronically suffered from gallstones, biliousness, backaches, nausea, etc. occasionally find small gallstone-type objects in the stool on Day 7. These objects are light green in colour. They are very irregular in shape, gelatinous in texture, and vary in size from grape seeds to cherry pits. If there are several of these in the stool, you should repeat the liver cleanse in two weeks.

Purpose, Purpose, Shmurpose: Author Jon Acuff Review

I'm totally loving Jon Acuff's--author and blogger of Stuff Christians Like--post, I want destiny, not a desert. You have to check it out--he cracks me up!

He hits on how we, as Christians, romanticize the idea of our calling...we think when we've been called to do something by God it's going to be this big adventure like you are in the starring role of some karate-chop, kick- action type of movie, but often times God will lead us into a "desert" place that has us totally confused! So true...I mean, I can't tell you how many times I have asked "God, what are you doing--I should be freeing slaves in India by now, what's the hold up?"

Yes, it can trip us up when we aren't where we thought we were going to be, but I think we can get even more tripped up about what our "calling" is. Maybe it's just me, but I hear a lot of church talk about finding our purpose, our calling, and what has God called you to do. No kidding, I spent three years of my life in a constant state of crazy stress because I was trying to find my divine calling, so afraid I would miss that one thing God had planned for my life. I would dare say that Christians everywhere have at some point freaked out about this too...I mean, after all, you have to have a calling, right?

It's funny to me how we have kind of equated our calling with our career too. Think about it... when we are getting ready for college or seeking employment we ask "what career is God calling me into?"   That's great and all because we should be asking God what kind of job we should take. We should be asking Him who to marry, and how to handle our money. We should ask God a lot of things, but I think we are putting a little too much emphasis on the "calling" thing and missing the big picture.

Does God have plans for my life? Yes. Does He let me know there are things He wants me to do? Yes. Does He have one specific calling/plan/purpose for me?  I don't think so or I would have said "Okay God, I married the guy you gave the green light on. Thanks for giving me that one thing you called me to do; I'll chill out now until I get to heaven."

My one and only "calling/purpose" is to love God and love others, and that applies in  every situation that I'm in--which as an Army wife, has been several different situations. It bums me out sometimes that I'm not always excelling at what I was designed to do, but, nevertheless, I keep on truck'n. My calling isn't really wrapped up in my career, but it's wrapped up in my life and how I live. God gives us choices, and we read His word--the Bible--and learn about His character which will enable us to choose wisely like He would choose whether it's a career, a spouse etc., but our calling/purpose is to love God and love others, and as followers of Christ, we are all called to that. So stop freaking out if you can't figure out where to spend your summer mission trip or which charity to give to or if God wants you to be an astronaut or a stay at home Mom...get to know about God and His character and make the wise choice. 

Fifty Shades of Grey Has Nothing to do with Sunglasses....

No, I haven't read the latest book craze, Fifty Shades of Grey-- why does everyone keep asking me? On an outing to the bookstore, I picked up a copy to read the back cover...meh...it didn't catch my attention, so I asked a few of my friends about it and...well...I blushed...well, giggled then blushed.

"Everyone" says the plot is a good one...that's great and all, but I can't get over the fact that it's erotica (that word sounds so eww dirty), which is a nice way of saying pornography, right? I just can't bring myself to read something I would feel uncomfortable with my husband watching--which by the way, I heard it through the google grape vine that there are movie plans in the making. Why is it okay for me to read sexually explicit material and expect my husband to pass on the latest hot-naked-ladies magazines? It's not.

Though I am no expert, and totally the sinner of all sinners, Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts because it is the wellspring of life. Doesn't guarding our hearts include what we watch, listen to and read? Like I said, I'm no expert at guarding my heart, but addiction to pornography is a slippery slope that has been the downfall of many men, women and families.  I feel like Fifty Shades of Grey has the potential to push someone down that slippery slope. My advice is to stay as far away from the slippery slope as possible, don't even toy with the idea of flirting with it. I say this fully understanding that my convictions are not necessarily your convictions, but for me, this is something I feel uneasy about reading. If you feel fine with it, then more power to you. :) 

All that to say, Fifty Shades of Grey is not about the color of my sunglasses and is not on my summer reading list ...and don't call me a prude. Hugs :) 

Teen Hannah's Ultimate Summer Goal

Who hasn't noticed the crazy heat wave sucking the life out of veggie gardens across America? Thanks to an awesome soak hose set on a timer, mine is hanging in there. :) 

Oh those Hot Summer Days....funny how we complain about them when they are here, and look forward to their return when they are gone. There is something almost magical about summer, agree?  It's definitely exciting, and it kind of gives off this lure of romance too--think of all the summer romance novels and movies that readers and movie-goers alike binge on.....hmm....it kind of reminds me of my teen years....travel to the past with me...

Ten years ago my summertime was focused on finding the perfect bikini, squeezing in ten more minutes at the tanning bed, and what flavor of lip gloss I should buy. My ultimate summer goal:  procure a summer fling just like one in Mariah Carey's music video "Always be my baby," (Click to watch and be inspired, lol). You know the one, where girl meets boy at a summer camp, and they sneak off at night to go swing on a tire-swing that overlooks a lake--yeah, that one. To this day I love tire swings! 

No judging my dear viewers, I'm sure, actually I'm positive, most girls have dreamed of a summer romance. So, you ask, did I ever achieve my goal? Well, after spending nearly every week of my summer vacations from 6th through 11th grade at Christian camps--all of which unfortunately had neither a lake nor a tire swing--I never found my summer romance prospect UNTIL, I stopped looking and realized there were better goals in life to pursue. :) 

My, my, how things have changed. My summer goals now are quite different--painting the kids rooms, making homemade play-dough, play-dates and pool parties. Now I'm like, "Ugh, I don't want to get in a bathing suite, who has time for the tanning bed--I don't want skin cancer--and I'll wear lip gloss only if I remember it and if I have a coupon for that."  

BTW, my hubby was my one and only summer fling...we've been summer flinging it for nine years now, well eleven if you count the dating years. :) 

Nerdy Hannah History Moment: The 5th of July

Has anyone ever thought of what July 5th would have been like in 1776?  Most of the colonies probably hadn't even heard that American Independence had been declared on the 4th, and probably not even on the 5th..When they did hear the news, were they shocked? I would dare to say no, however,  the British people were probably somewhat shocked--who knew those yanks would actually have made good on their threats? I mean, the British totally had seen the declaration coming, what, with all the riots and the tarring and feathering of many their troops--what else says "a revolution is coming" like tar and feathers?

Just because we declared independence on July 4, 1776, doesn't mean that's when we received it. Independence actually came in 1781 when we won the war, and then the British didn't really agree to leave America until 1783, which kind of means we--Americans--only thought we were our own country seven years before the Brits declared that we actually were. Hmm.

So anyway, for most Americans during 1776, who had not heard "the news," the 5th of July would have been no different than the 4th, but for those who had heard, I would say they must have walked a little taller than the redcoats on patrol that day.

Just a little nerdy historical rant...

First Kiss

Who remembers their first kiss? I'm not sure my first kiss counts. I was in the first grade, on a school bus, and the boy beside me leaned in, and then kissed my cheek. I punched him and blacked his eye--one of my finer moments, I confess. I'm not ashamed of the fact that I pack a pretty good punch--for a girl. :) So that was my first kiss...though, like I said, I don't think it counts.

There were other kisses, yes, but the one I'm thinking about is the first kiss my husband and I shared. I kind of had this moment of nostalgia the other day while sitting in the backyard at my mom and dad's home watching my kids play in the playhouse my brother and I used to play in as children. This is the same backyard where my hubby and I first kissed. Watching my son and daughter laughing and running struck me as somewhat poetic...I was watching the product of our love in the spot where Stephen and I first fell in love. Isn't that kind of beautiful? :)

I was 17...he was 18, about to leave for college and I was starting my senior year of high school. It was dark outside, nearing curfew and he would have to go home soon--I'm sure mom and dad were keeping an eye on the clock and on our location. :) The stars were out and that's where we were...sitting under them, making plans for our future...after college, after marriage...where we would travel, how many kids we would have, etc. He hadn't dared to kiss me and we had been dating for several months, but this night--I guess the stars and the talk of our future made him bold. Our first kiss was sweet, perfect and under the stars. Does it get any more romantic than that?

So, I'm curious...where was your first kiss or at least the kiss that counts?