September 1, A Memorable Day...

It was Labor Day weekend on the edge of a warm Texas summer. The year was 2001.

He wanted to go shopping. She wanted to be anywhere he was.

He wanted to "see the latest trends" in menswear at Neiman Marcus. She feared he'd spend too much.

He wanted to meander around the pretentious North Dallas mall. She wanted to be anywhere he was.

He wanted to get an idea of the fall trends and then purchase elsewhere. She sighed with relief at his fiscal sensibilities.

He wanted to invite another friend to join them for dinner. She wanted to be anywhere he was.

He suggested dinner at Houston's, her favorite and a place they frequented together. Saturday night at Houston's certainly meant a wait. She didn't mind; the more time with him, the better. She secretly hoped their friend would not arrive. He knew he wouldn't.

At about 8:15, a quiet booth fortuitously opened in the bar, and they slipped into it. Over a plate of delicious guacamole salad accompanied by a wonderful pinot grigio, they talked of the significance of an upcoming date, October 6. She reminded him that not only would it include the blessing of the ministry's annual fund raiser, but it was also the anniversary of their first kiss!

He said, "Well, how'd I do?"

She smiled and said, "VERY well."

He said, "We've sure learned a lot about each other over the past year and that only leaves one question. Will you marry me? You don't have to answer right away. You can think about it."

"Do I HAVE to think about it? YES!!!!!!!!!!" she exclaimed.

After a sweet, celebratory kiss, they enjoyed dinner and discussed with excitement the plans for their future.

After leaving Houston's, he drove her to Celestial Park. In the center of the enormous sundial, the acoustics change in an amazing way as to drown out all other sound. He led her there, and under the starry sky, he sweetly whispered "I love you" in her ear, the only thing she could hear. Her heart melted... again.

As he drove her home that night, her heart was so full. She thanked the Lord for answering her prayers and bringing this precious man into her life to be her beloved forever.

I love you, Studly Man.

Ahhh.... September.

Dear Samson...

(Edited to add more at the bottom.)

I promise to never, EVER do this to you:
Or this:

You'll also never have one of these mink (yes, mink) day beds, 'cuz Momma ain't got $650.

And you can't have this 'cuz Momma doesn't have $1,400 either.
You lucked out on the hair thing. Deal with the bed thing.

Love, Mom

Works For Me Wednesday - Greatest Hangers EVER!

After a little summer vacation for WFMW, Shannon over at RocksInMyDryer is back at it with the new school year's first Works For Me Wednesday. Yay! I always love seeing the neat tips and ideas other bloggers post, some of which I've adopted immediately.

So without further ado (okay, well, maybe just a LITTLE ado), here's my WFMW tip.

About six months ago I stumbled upon the niftiest hangers I've ever seen. They're called Smart Dry Sweater and Pant Hangers and are made by Tide, the laundry detergent folks, so I was intrigued. 'Cuz who knows laundry better than Tide? They come in pairs and are packaged like this:

What's so great about them, you ask?

I have lots of sweaters and tops that require handwashsing and then being laid flat to dry. Sometimes I run out of room to spread things out, so I've cheated a time or two and hung a few pieces up. We all know what happens when you use a regular hanger to dry something that has been handwashed or even washed on the gentle cycle of the washing machine. The garment ends up with those funny little pooches where the fabric stretched over the hanger. These hangers keep your clothes crease and pooch free. I promise!

The design of the hanger includes extra wide shoulder "bars" to prevent your sweaters and shirts from puckering and loosing their shape. They also dry your clothes quicker because the hanger is perforated to allow more airflow through the garment. The center section works great for pants and leaves them crease free every time. I've tried them with polo shirts, golf shirt, sweaters, jeans, khackis, and even T-shirts with iron-on transfers that will melt in the dryer. They work so well, I went back and bought several more. Especially during the summer time, I'll use the plant hooks on my patio to suspend the hangers. Clothes dry REALLY fast outside in the Texas heat!

Here are a few pictures that show the detail. There's a quarter next to it for scale.

You can see how wide the ends of the hanger are, and they're gently curved so they won't leave pooches in the sleeves of the garment.


See how wide that center bar is? The sides of the pant section are also gently rounded, so no more creases!

LOVE these! They run around $3.99 for two hangers and can be found at Target or Walmart on the laundry accessories aisle, not the detergent aisle.

Get some!! They work for me!

How to Bathe a Little Dog

Step 1: Get a big sink.

Step 2: Set out all the necessary paraphernalia...

... including tearless puppy shampoo

... the most amazing dog treats EVER

... and the tiny syringe used to moisten the icky stuff in the corners of his eyes.

Step 3: Find crusty little dog, likely seeking refuge in Daddy's lap.

Step 4: Proceed with submersion of CrustyLittleDog into big sink now filled with water. Wash behind his ears...

... and under his chin

... and don't forget his beard.

Step 5: Remind mad little dog that Mama loves him.

Step 6: Find a strong Daddy to dry him off and fight off the evil Mommy.

Step 7: Laugh at the formerly crusty pup as he roots around to arrange his 'do.

Step 8: Kiss the cutest little face you ever did see.

The Harvest

I like to blog about funny things. Things like this or this.

Oh, how I wish this post could be fun and lighthearted. It isn't. It can't be.

Studly and I have been blessed beyond measure with the privilege of working with at risk and troubled youth. We've seen the hand of God at work in the lives of these precious kids who just need to be loved and shown the Truth. We've had a front row seat to witness miracles. We've rejoiced when lost kids have come to Christ.

Today, we weep.

Several months ago Studly and I led a team into the county juvenile detention center where we minister most frequently. In our team's briefing that morning, the superintendent mentioned one young girl who had been giving the staff absolute fits. They were perplexed. They were tired. They were out of ideas. This young girl came to them in desperate need. And now they were in desperate need, too. She was taxing their resources in ways they'd never imagined.

Taylor was on "suicide watch," which meant her clothing (and I use that term loosely) was different from the other girls in her pod. She was a wearing a "suicide gown" similar to this one, only shorter. It is very heavy and can't be fashioned into a noose, and no part of it can be turned into a weapon. In other words, she can't hurt herself. Since it fastens with Velcro, it is easy to just rip off at any moment. And she did. Frequently. Running around naked inside a jail where EVERYTHING is on camera? Bad idea.

She tore up a Bible. No one knows why. Then she asked for another one. Denied.

She engaged in some other activities as well, but I won't detail them here.

The guards were at wit's end trying to deal with her. And then they decided they'd try one last thing. They moved her from the "long term" pod to the "short term" pod.

It was as if the old Taylor had disappeared, and a new person appeared in her place. She was cooperative and kind and sweet. There was a light in her eyes again. She was wholly appropriate in her actions and words. She didn't cause any trouble at all.

Two days later, our team showed up to minister in the unit. We were informed of the events so we would understand what we were walking into. She was delightful. She laughed and giggled like any 15-year-old girl. She sat with her peers and listened intently to what we had to say. She asked intelligent questions, and she even thanked us for coming.

Later in the morning, two of our precious - and seasoned - volunteers moved off to the side in order to share with Taylor in a more personal way. Bobbie and Brenda laid out the plan of salvation and asked Taylor if she had ever given her heart to Jesus. She told them she had. They talked with her about reading the Bible and asked her if she had one, knowing from our earlier briefing that she didn't. She told them she was "on restriction" because she had destroyed a Bible, but she wanted another one. Bobbie and Brenda assured her they'd do everything they could to get her another one. And several days later, they did just that.

Eventually Taylor was released from custody and returned home.

Studly Man learned from the superintendent of the prison that earlier this week Taylor took a hunting rifle and shot herself. She did not survive.

She was 15.

Fifteen.

She should have had the world by the tail and been full of excitement and anticipation of what the future would bring. She should've been thinking about getting her driver's license and the first day of the new school year. She should've had her iPod playing her favorites songs while she texted her best friend. She should've known how deeply her parents love her. She should've been secure in the knowledge that God's plan for her life was full of good and NOT evil.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:36-38

Taylor heard the truth. We told her the truth. We believe she knew Jesus. But what if we hadn't gone?

They're out there. They're everywhere. They're right next to you... people who need to be harvested for the Lord. People you know. People who may never see any other representation of Jesus than what they see in you.

The timing is critical. We MUST get to the harvest. A storm is coming...

Milk and Swimming

Studly and I went to our local ice cream and dairy store on Saturday night to get some milk. (Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a happy girl if the milk inventory in the house gets low.) Mike, a young checker at the store whom we see frequently, asked if we didn't want to go over to the other counter and get some ice cream. We told him our plan was to hurry home to watch Michael Phelps go for his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics.

He stared in stunned silence.

Wondering if he'd been living under a rock for the last nine days, I said, "Michael Phelps... the swimmer?"

MikeTheChecker furrowed his brow and shook his head in disapproval.

"You're not gonna watch the Cowboys play?"

Me: "Nah. They'll still be around in a few weeks and even in a few years. We wanna watch Phelps do something no person in history has ever done."

MikeTheChecker: (silence)

Me: "Even though we're watching in time delay, it will be cool to watch history being made."

Studly: "Yeah. Nobody's EVER won eight gold medals in one Olympics before."

MikeTheChecker: (silence)

Me: (silence)

Studly: (silence)

MikeTheChecker: (more silence)

Me (hating the awkwardness of the moment): "But I do want to check in and see how Tony's looking this year. We could flip channels back and forth and..." my voice trailed off as I looked at Studly for approval.

MikeTheChecker: (silence)

Me: "Hopefully they'll be playoff contenders this season."

MikeTheChecker: (silence)

Studly: "Well, have a great night."

MikeTheChecker: (silence)

We left.

MikeTheChecker a) doesn't have a TV; b) has never seen a swimming pool; c) is completely un-American; d) REALLY loves his Cowboys; e) really does live under a rock.

You be the judge.

I'm Going for the Gold

... in coughing.

I have an EXCELLENT chance of winning.

I've been training rigorously for weeks now, and everyone around me is convinced I'll win. Short of a lung flying out of my chest, there shouldn't be a problem. I've got this down pat. I'm GOOD at it.

My family has bought up all available stock in these.

My boss ordered one of these.

My husband just purchased these.

Bob Costas and Matt Lauer have contacted my agent to schedule an interview.

Stayed tuned for the most exciting Olympic event E.V.E.R. I'll make America proud.