Bucket List

This year is a pretty big birthday year for me. I won't write the exact number but lets just say I am celebrating the 11 anniversary of my 29th birthday. Now you see why I don't want to say it aloud.
I know its not all that bad, at least that is what people are telling me, but it is just the idea of it that hurts and bothers.  I am praying for the Lord to give me the strength and courage to deal with it.

Any how, I decided that since this year is such a big year I want to live it up! Do some things I have always wanted to do! Really make this year one for the books! Check some of those items off my bucket list!

To start with, my bucket list wasn't all that long, but it has grown over the last few months. Some things are the big, major wants and some things are so small that they only matter to me. Before this year started some things had already been checked off, while others waited patiently.  I know all of the things on my list won't be checked off this year, but I plan (and hope) to check off one a month for all of 2016.

So far the year is looking and going great! It is the end of February and I have checked three things off my list, three all major to me, but one that is only for me.

The only for me:

I love antiquing! I love going to all the little hole in the wall antique shops and looking around at all the stuff. Every time it takes me back to my childhood and all the times I spent with my grandparents. I always leave with a feeling of sadness, but also of happiness at all the memories I made with them. Just seeing all those items again remind me of days spent with them and all the fun we had. Of course some of the things they consider antiques today, make me really feel this birthday. I mean is a rotary phone from the 80's really a antique. Any way, for the last year I have been waiting for my husband to get a Saturday off (he works almost everyone the entire year) and for all other things to align so we could go antiquing together. See I told you it was important to me and no one else. We were out enjoying our day when I got a frantic call from my mother that my dog (she was dog sitting) had been attacked by her neighbors dog. Needless to say that cut our trip short and I headed home to take care of my furbaby. It took her a couple of weeks, but she is doing just fine. That will be a blog topic for later.I still count this as an item checked off my list, but  I told my husband we will be going again, when ever the stars align just right.

The Majors:

Just last month I knocked two things off my BL. I saw a Broadway show(off  Broadway) and that show just happened to be Wicked. Oh my word is all I can say!! It was my first musical of this type. I have been to the opera before, but this was completely different. It was an amazing show and an experience I will never forget. It was only made better by the fact that my daughter and I were celebrating her 16th birthday. We went with several friends and had an absolute blast.  It was by far one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had. The only thing that could top it would be seeing it on Broadway. I don't know if I will ever do that, but seeing a show on Broadway is on my BL and our daughter has asked for a trip to NYC for graduation, so who knows.

The people I know all have things they want to do in life, some are big and some are small.  Not everyone writes them down or creates a physical list, I didn't until last year. No matter if you have a written list or a mental list, I think everyone should take the time to do all those things they want to, no matter how small they seem. 

In a couple of months I hope to be able to update this topic with at least two, maybe more things checked off my list. I am determined that if the Lord supplies the way and the means I am going to live this year to the fullest and celebrate the life he has giving me. 

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

Things I wonder about Disney movies?

We watch a lot of Disney movies, always have.  I guess I am as bad as the kids when it comes to Disney.  I just love snuggling up with the kids and watching a good Disney movie. Over time I noticed a few things about some of these movies, parts of the story lines that I always wondered about.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Why didn't Ariel just write her story down for Prince Eric? It could have saved her an awful lot of heartache. She could have just written that she had lost her voice right after she rescued him, he could have kissed her and bang happily ever after.

Cinderella (1950)

How is it that no one wears the same size shoe as Cinderella? After some research I discovered that the shoe was actually a size 4.5. I personally do not know a grown woman with that size foot, only little girls. I guess Cinderella was just a unique one.

Mulan (1998)

How could the ancestors not tell that there was something wrong with the great stone dragon? I mean come on people, it was pretty obvious something was up.

The Jungle Book (1967) 

What was King Louie's plan once he got fire? An orangutan with fire sounds pretty dangerous to me.

The Lion King (1994)

What was Scar's name before he got the scar?  I bet it was really cool, whatever it was.

Finding Nemo (2003)

After the fish escape from the aquarium how do they get out of the plastic bags? Or do they?

These are just a few of the things I have wondered about. If you know the answers then clue me in.

"That's my 'two-cents worth',what's yours?"

Life is like the mustard on a hotdog!!

I know what a crazy sounding title this is for my first blog of the year. I have actually been thinking on the topic for several weeks, since my husband was the one who said it. We were getting ready for church on day and just talking about things like we always do and he just said it and I just gave him one of those looks. Ladies you know the looks I'm talking about. Anyway I got to thinking about it and decided that he was absolutely right, Life is like the mustard on a hot dog. You might be asking why I think that, then you might not even really care, but I'm going to explain my thinking to you anyway. 

I knew that mustard came in different varieties, but I never really knew just how amazing mustard is. I learned that mustard is one of the oldest condiments, dating back to early Roman cooks and that not much has really changed about it over the centuries. I also learned that mustard is made by mixing the ground seeds of the mustard plant with liquid and that it is the choice of seeds and the type of liquid used that creates the different varieties we have today. 

So, now that you know a little more about the origin of mustard and how it is made, we will take about how it mirrors life. 

1. Yellow Mustard: This mustard is at the bottom of the mustard scale, not too hot or spicy, but just enough to give you the flavor. This reminds me of the times of life when you are just going along, doing your everyday thing and life is just right. Those times when everything is calm and your boat is just sailing along. 

2. Honey Mustard: This mustard is made from mixing yellow mustard and honey, just to add a little sweetness. This reminds me of those life moments that are the sweetest. When you get married, have a baby, buy a new home. All the goals that you accomplish, those are the sweet moments in life. 

3. Spicy Brown Mustard:  This mustard is made with brown mustard seeds which are soaked in less vinegar. This combination of hotter seeds and less acidity make sure the heat is more pronounced. This reminds me of those times in life when things are a little out of whack. You know, when it is all going pretty good, but you have that one thing that disrupts your plans just enough to feel it. Maybe you are late for work because of a traffic jam or bad weather. Maybe your kids couldn't find their shoes or coats and it throws your whole "daily plan" off. All of these add a little acidity to your life making things just a little bit spicy. 

4. Dijon Mustard: This mustard is made with brown mustard seed and the acidic juice made from unripe grapes, instead of vinegar, producing the intensified heat and more pungent flavor. This remind me of those times when things get thrown all out of whack. You wake up sick only to find one or more of the kids are also sick. Perhaps you had a horrible fight with your spouse and neither wants to apologize, so you walk around mad all day. Maybe you got beat out for a promotion at your job, that should have been yours. All these things add even more acid or sour to your life, making it seem as if all the world is weighing on you. 

5. Hot Mustard: This mustard type starts with ground black or brown mustard seeds and just a small amount of cold water, it then gradually gains heat for about fifteen minutes before mellowing out. Even though it mellows out, it will still continue to gain heat unless refrigerated. This is for those times that break you. It might be a divorce that you are going through and those are never pretty. It could be the death of your spouse, loved one or even a child. (Been there, done that). It could be a sickness of yourself, spouse or child (as we faced when our daughter had cancer). That extra acid, the sour, makes these times almost to hot to stand.


As you can see, life really is like mustard. It can be sweet or hot. It can be easy to handle or really difficult. It can be calm and  add just enough flavor to make you happy or enough heat to make you miserable.

In it all just remember that Jesus knew something about mustard too. He knew that although tiny in size one mustard seed could grow into a huge mustard plant. He made a point to tell us that if our faith in him was like a mustard seed, great things can be done.

Matthew 17:20King James Version (KJV) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

A tiny mustard seed can.....

.....grow into this. 

No matter what type of mustard day you are having, try adding a little honey,  so it can be a little sweeter. 

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"