What does Easter mean to you?

I wanted to get some of your perspectives on "What does Easter mean to you?" Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

To me, Easter is the greatest holiday that we celebrate all year! Christmas is great because that is when God sent His son to be born in human form. Jesus came so that He could understand the same things that we face as humans. But at Easter we celebrate Jesus sacrificing His life so that we may live!! He not only died BUT he also rose again. If He had never rose on that third day then He would be just like any other "god", but that is not the case. We know that Jesus lives and because He lives WE can live also!!
Do you know Jesus as your personal savior? If not, you can. Say this simple prayer: God, please forgive me for I am a sinner. I want you and need you to come into my heart and live within me and guide me forever. Amen
Then have faith and believe that God has done just what you have asked Him to do! Salvation is a gift therefore all we have to do is accept it, but God will not force it upon us.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!! Remember it is not about the Easter bunny, but the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us!

Follow Friday

I have linked up with Midday Escapades
with Friday Follow. This is a way to get more followers on your blog and a way for you to find more blogs to follow as well. If you would like to participate just add your name to the McLinky and then follow the person listed above you.




Happy Friday to all!!

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I am still here

I know I have not been on here lately, but I wanted to let you know that I am still kicking. I have been really busy...my grandmother passed away on January 15th and it all went down hill from there. I know she was a Christian so I know she is in a better place, but she was the only grandparent I had left so it is still kind of hard to deal with. That and the fact that since I never had many grandparents as a child because they all died way too soon, I try really hard to have my children's grandparents a part of their lives. But my father in law will not have anything to do with them anymore. He got re-married (the same day that his divorce was final), and we got into an argument in 2008 right after Christmas. Since that day he has contacted his son (my husband) only once or twice, made promises to get the kids, but has not made any effort to see them at all. For a while there my son blamed me but I reminded him that I encouraged him to use my cell phone and call his grand dad, and I also took both of my kids to see him at work one day. He doesn't have to like me or talk to me, but these are his grand kids and he doesn't seem to care at all. He has his new wife and her children and that seems to be all he cares about. When my grand mother passed, this has bothered me more and more. But I don't' know what else to do.
I apologize for this post, I guess I needed to vent! For all you praying bloggers out there, please pray for my FIL. He is not a christian man and has always criticised me, and I know that is a big part of his problem. I pray for his salvation and that he will realize that he is missing the best years of the lives of his grand children!

A Frugal Friend

Are you a subscriber to A Frugal Friend....well blogger locked her account!! You can find her here http://afrugalfriendtemporary.blogspot.com/ where she has set up a temporary blog until they get her back up and running again.
Share this with your blog readers as well!!

Weight Loss Weekly

Well......my first week did not go well at all!!! I am up 2 lbs....but I am not giving up or giving in. I have to blame it on the fact that my husband cooked steak (and I couldn't resist), I went to a wedding, watch night service on New Year's Eve (Church of God people love to eat!!), and my anniversary was yesterday. So, now it is time to get REALLY focused and lose some weight. I can do this and I will do this....I have to do this because I cannot fit into anything in my closet any more. Reality hit hard when I could not find anything to wear to the wedding on Saturday. I wound up having to wear a jean skirt because nothing else fit....but yet I still enjoyed the wedding food!! Oh well, I am staying positive and starting fresh this week. Wish me luck.

Weight-loss Weekly

OK so here we are at the end of the year and time for the New Year's Resolutions. Most of the time we do not keep our resolutions when we make them. But I have gained 30 lbs just since the summer. I was on a role with losing weight and gained every bit of it back and then some. I am not going to wait until the new year to start though I am going to start today with my new weight loss journey. I did have to wait until after Christmas though!! But 2 weeks after Thanksgiving was the true sign that I needed to lose weight. I work part time at Chick-fil-A. I was on vacation the week of Thanksgiving and then off the week after. When I went back to work I almost could not fit into my pants. Talk about being embarrassed!! I am waiting for the button to pop! I try really hard to not use the bathroom while I am at work because I am so afraid I will not be able to get my pants fastened again.
So this morning I am starting my journey. I weighed in at home in the buff at 178.2 and at work with clothes and shoes on I weighed in at 184.0. I will keep you updated weekly on the progress!!

Merry CHRISTmas

I have been reading through all the many blogs this morning and I am proud of all the ones that still say Merry Christmas rather than just Happy Holiday!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday and continue to be blessed through the new year!! I have only been doing this blogging thing for a few months now but I am getting more in the hang of it (thanks a lot to Midday Escapades!!) and I hope to share some reviews, tips and hopefully some giveaways with you in the new year. I am going to be starting a weight loss weekly post so stay tuned for that. I will be sharing recipes and my personal achievements.

A Military Christmas

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY! COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

This CHRISTmas, take the time to say a prayer for those military men and women that will not be home to celebrate with their families.

Where has the time gone??

Wow...it is almost CHRISTmas!! Where has the time gone this year? I cannot believe it is almost 2010. In 12 days I will celebrate my 12 year anniversary to my wonderful husband! I still cannot believe he has put up with me for so long! I have to admit that I am not always a good person to be around. Unfortunately I let the little things bother me more so than the big things, but that is something that me and Jesus are working on together!!
I want to wish all that read this a wonderful and Merry CHRISTmas!! Remember that without the sacrifice of Jesus coming to Earth in the form of a human, we would not have this holiday to celebrate. I challenge everyone to give some of yourself this holiday and see how much gets returned to you in the end!

Do you believe in Angels?

My pastor shared this story the other night at church and I thought I would share it here. You have the choice to believe it or not, but I believe.
A couple were driving down I95 when they passed a hitch hiker. The man wanted to pick the HH up but was afraid for the safety of his wife so he passed on by. After traveling about 10 miles, the spirit of the Lord had dealt with him so strong that the man turned around and picked the hh up. After going only about 3 - 4 miles the hh told the man to stop and let him out there. The man was confused and told him that there was nothing there. The hh told them that he was only a messanger from God to let them know that Jesus was returning soon. So the man pulled over and as the hh got out of the car he almost instantly disappeared. The man sat there in total shock and amazement and a highway patrolman pulled up behind him to see if everything was OK. The man told the HP the story of the hh and the HP told him that this was th 7th time he had heard this same story in that particular area in just a matter of days!
How awesome is this for so many people to witness a true Angel of God!! Jesus is in fact returning soon so I hope that everyone is ready to meet him!! If not, you can be. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that WHOSOEVER believeth in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life" That means that ANYONE can be saved by believing in Jesus Christ and accepting him as their savior!

It is not just a holiday

It really kind of bugs me at the number of people that want to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Or those that sell Holiday trees rather than Christmas trees. What holiday are they celebrating??? If it is not Christmas then what?? Do these people exchange gifts? If so, why?? The holiday is, and always will be CHRISTMAS!! Whether you believe in Christ and Jesus' birth or not the holiday is the same. If you do not want to celebrate Christmas then do not celebrate...but also do not try to change something to make yourself happy....evidentally these people are not happy people anyway!
If Jesus had not been born there would not be a holiday so get over yourself and celebrate the most amazing day ever!!

Help feed someone

I heard on the radio this morning that Malt-O-Meal is doing a promotion this holiday season to help feed the hungry. For every bag of Malt-O-Meal cereal you buy, they will donate 10 bowls of cereal. They have a goal of 1 million bowls of cereal but they need help.
Here is what you do......buy a bag of malt-o-meal cereal and register online at www.millionbowls.com
Easy as that, you have helped to feed someone in need this season!!