Today's Grab Bag of Thoughts

 Over the last few months I have worked almost nightly on making my wedding dress.  I did this so that I could get married  a dress prayed  over, made with love and that included just a bit of those we've lost over the years.  It seemed to me that I could not get married without my little sister and grandparents there.  So I came up with this great way to include them. My Grandma Perkins loved silk pajamas.  I am pretty sure she wore them daily.  When she passed away in 2007, many of us asked for a pair of her Pjs.  I have kept mine with me since then.  When I was thinking about the best way to include her in my wedding dress (apart from using her sewing machine) I decided that I would line the bodice of the dress with her Pjs.  It was hard at first, but then a feeling of love came over me.  It was so great to have her so close to me on that special day. My Grandma Dominguez loved to sew and make things.  She used to...

As I sit here 5 days before my wedding day, my mind wanders to the past.  To the days of little girls playing wedding day.  To teenager planning their wedding days years in advance.  Funny, I don't remember ever doing any of that. I don't remember dreaming of the man I would marry or how it would be.  I've been engaged before and it obviously never worked out, so I honestly never thought it would happen.  I have always known that God had a great plan for me, but I was never sure it would include a husband.  Now, I look back less than a year and I can't imagine him not being in my life.  God is good.  He provides exactly what you need.  BUT, he will provide it to you in his time, not yours. Can't wait to stand on that stage Saturday and say I do.

Since I got engaged in September of last year, I knew that I wanted to make my own wedding dress even though I had only been sewing for a year.  Crazy?  Yeah I am sure many people believe that I am.   Why would you do that?   Aren't you scared?   Are you just trying to save money? My answers, Why not?  Yes, I am scared and no I am not trying to save any money.  In fact if you add up all the time it will take me to do it, it would probably cost more.  But honestly, why am I sewing my own wedding dress??? As I sit here trying to put my whole thought process into words, it is a bit harder that I thought.  To me the wedding dress is a very personal thing.  You'll wear the dress once and it will be a day of big celebration but also one of serious commitment.  This day changes your life.  You can't get a do over on your wedding day.  So why would I put that pressure on myself on purpose?  L...

Let's remember the heart behind Christmas is not about going out and putting yourself in debt to give you children everything they want in life.  It isn't about that popular toy or piece of clothing. The spirit of Christmas, is fast becoming an endangered species in our culture today. We slash at it unintentionally with questions like, “What do you want for Christmas?”  Christmas is the selected date that we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the start of his path to the cross where he will ultimately die for our sins.  Jesus bought us forgiveness and gives us new life  Christmas to me is a way of life.  Christmas symbolized God's sacrifice, love, grace and generosity for us all. It is a time to reach out to one another and be God in each other's lives.  Show love.  Be generous.  Sacrifice for those that are in need.  Give grace where needed.  I truly believe that we should live everyday of our lives this way, but of course life get...

Attn: Self-Employed, contractors, freelancers etc, take note: The 2018 ACA (Affordable Care) enrollment period has been shortened from 90 days to 45 days (November 1-December 15, 2017).   Someone you know may desperately need health care. Many of your friends may still not have employer-based healthcare so this is relevant to EVERYONE'S interests. Remember, Under current law, health insurance companies can’t refuse to cover you or charge you more just because you have a “pre-existing condition” — that is, a health problem you had before the date that new health coverage starts. https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/dates-and-deadlines/ https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/

HI Stacy! Hope Heaven is treating you well.  We sure miss you here on earth.  I am sure you are watching us daily, but just in case you are missing the finer details let me fill you in on your kids.  They, just like me, miss you.  We all wish that tomorrow was a day of celebration not a day of remembrance.  But I guess we should celebrate that you are not in pain anymore and that all three of yours children are being well taken care of. Hey did you hear that I am FINALLY getting married?  You would totally like the guy.  He's so great.  He's a big goofball like me but very loyal, caring and helpful.  He treats us all with respect and has only the best intentions when it comes to the kids.  We will rock this parenting thing together.  These kids will have an additional person to fill them up with love. So what have you missed in the last 5 years?  Unfortunately a lot.  It makes me sad sometimes to remember what t...

This morning I woke up to a lot of people with the Facebook status of #MeToo.  I didn't get it at first, until I started reading more into it.  Sometime Hollywood can do something good.  Actress Alyssa Milano, known for her roles in "Who's the Boss", "Charmed" has started a twitter trend.  She is asking that "If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem."  I bet if you log on to your social media account right now you will be saddened.  Many of your friends will have this on their status.  BUT it's not just women, some of my male friends have also had this happened.  I am so disheartened by what I see. #MeToo is everywhere.  No more laughing it off as nothing.  No more feeling to blame for it.  I will teach my daughter to stand up, speak up and not stand by.  I will teach my son that women are equal to men and they...