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Showing posts from December, 2008

The longest New Year's Eve ever?

Yes, it just may be the longest New Year's Eve ever. I'll have to tell you why later. Let's just say, I cannot believe that it is only about 9:30 PM. If I were here at home alone, I probably would be laying in bed reading because I think they (whoever they are) have added more than one second to today because it has been a tremendously long day for me. Not a bad day, just a long day. Happy New Year's to all! The next blog I write will be written in 2009!

Prelude to the funny post

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Evidently, I disappointed one of my readers by not making a personal post yesterday. You know, the plethora of readers that I have... Well, the people pleaser that I am... I'll blog for you Penny! I'm going to try my best to write a humorous post tonight, but I have to admit my heart is totally in it. I was in a really lousy mood earlier and then I got downright mad about something else later on. That was about 4 hours ago, and I've cooled off somewhat. Bear with me a minute, and I'll get to the funny. I don't often make plans for myself, but I had been looking forward to tomorrow morning. I was going to get my attitude adjusted in more ways than one since I had been in a pretty crummy mood for several days. The Barnes & Noble and Starbucks gift cards have been burning a hole in my new wallet. Since you have to go a certain distance away from Corsicana in order to use both, I was all ramped up to go buy some books that had been on my list and get a caramel fra

Potato peelers, squirrels and socks

What do the three items named above have in common? Well, this is just a teaser for my next blog post. In fact, the teaser may just be better than the next post itself!

The God I Don't Understand

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This book releases in January - media and bloggers may email me for a review copy at ajennings@tbbmedia.com . “Why does God do that?” Fascinating new book reveals how to find an empowering, sustaining faith in an overwhelming fog of tough times and troubling, unanswerable questions Why is there evil and suffering in creation? Can someone explain what the Cross really means and how what happened there saves me? What are we supposed to believe about the so-called end of the world? There are few who can truthfully say they have never had questions about things God has done and said. Even the most beloved and devoted theological scholars and believers throughout the ages have had questions for which they’ve never found satisfying, understandable answers. So how can you have joyful, fulfilling faith where you find no answers to these and other of life’s most puzzling questions? Dr. Chris Wright’s revealing new book, The God I Don’t Understand (Zondervan, January 2009), tackles those questi

Finding God in the Shack

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This is a book that is releasing in February. We've already had a lot of requests for the book. This one should be quite popular. If you are a media outlet or a blogger and want to review the book, let me know by email ajennings@tbbmedia.com . Finding God in The Shack examines the controversy behind a bestseller A child is brutally murdered. Her father receives an invitation from “Papa” (God) to meet him at the very shack where this horrific event took place. Upon arrival, he is swept up in the embrace of Papa—a large, motherly, African-American woman. This most unlikely of stories, as told in William Young’s The Shack , has become a runaway bestseller, and it is easy to see why. The book brings us on a redemptive journey through the shacks of deepest pain and suffering in our lives, guided by the triune God of Christian faith. But even as lives have been transformed through this book, other readers have sternly denounced it as a hodgepodge of serious theological error, even heres

It's back to work tomorrow

Well, it's back to work tomorrow. After being off for basically a week, it's going to be tough to get up at a normal hour and back into a routine. I'll start posting some new PR and book stuff once I get back to add variety to this blog. I received and B&N gift card for Christmas, so I'm going to load up on some other books and get back to reading now that I've finished some other things I had going on. Wednesday afternoon, I'm planning on taking Paige to The Tale of Despereaux because Bolt is no longer playing in town. Poor Paigey needs some attention as she adjusts to big changes in her young life. Guess she'll be my New Year's Eve date. I've been at home for the past few days and have seen I don't know how many episodes of House and NCIS . I'm not sure if I am thankful for USA Network's marathons or not. Some variety might have been nice. To those of you in Texas... how'd you like that 80 degree weather on Friday? It was a li

Random quotes from Peyton

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My niece Peyton is hilarious. She's four and a half and like any child that age, can say some of the darnedest things. Here are a few of the things she said yesterday: "Hurry up and get your bottoms up here! I'm ready to open presents!" (Actually, she was screaming this. It was taking her daddy too long to help Julie get Layton out of the car.) "Hey Madison, your doll came off TV." (Excitedly, after she asked where Grandma bought their dolls.) "I'm going to pass down." (Instead of pass out while playing Twister. She's evidently not all that coordinated and limber.) "I wish I had my cherries." (Pops gave her a jar of cherries - "the regular kind like you get in drinks." She requires extra cherries when you take her to Sonic.) I asked her if I got her earrings with a cherry on them if she would let me switch them out. (I took her to get them pierced back in August and have yet to convince her to let me change them out for

Nice reaction

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Ok , the gifts have been unwrapped, it is time to dismantle the trees and move on to other things. What kind of rubs me the wrong way is that for the last few days is that I have been crocheting until I got cramps in neck and my fingers were stiff in order to finish the BaqBaq blanket I had been working on for Layton. The obsessive-compulsive in me decided it had to be done last minute. And everyone showed up at my parents house when I was 5 minutes away from having it done. So after everyone got there, the two youngest girls screamed like crazy for the HUGE stuffed horses I got them, I snuck back to finish the last few stitches to complete the blanket. I folded it, took it to the living room, but it under the tree, and Paige pointed it out when Julie walked back in from her car. Paige says, "this is Layton's present from Audra." Julie says, "Oh, that's pretty," literally looking at it maybe two seconds before stuffing it in a sack with some other stuff nex

I've had enough of Four Christmases

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Contrary to what has been said about me before, I do not hate all movies. I just don't go to the movies a lot - it's just not my passion like it is some people's. I maybe go a few times a year. In the past 4 weeks, I've gone twice and seen the same movie twice. The day after Thanksgiving, I met up with my friend Rakia and we saw Four Christmases because it looked funny. It was. The first time. I forgot how utterly annoying Vince Vaughn became by the end of the movie. Well, our somewhat more recent tradition (for my parents and I) is to go watch a movie in Waxahachie and out to eat on Christmas Eve. The choice of movies was slim, and my parents had already decided they wanted to see Four Christmases. They had forgotten that I had already seen it. That was fine, no problem, I would see it again without complaint. Man, I tell you, Vince was annoying from the get go this time. On this Christmas Eve, I am also rushing to crochet what may or may not be a Christmas gift for m

Game Night

I think my competitive nature is coming back a little. I must admit that I didn't like losing last night at the Parkers . I could deal with the Rummicube loss, but the slaughtering in Trivial Pursuit wounded me a bit. Part of me is convinced that I just got all of the hard questions because I couldn't answer one right for the life of me. *sigh* A special thanks to all of the Parkers for making me feel so welcome and making Christmas candles. I burned one of the candles earlier today. Game playing on my dad's side of the family goes back several generations on his mom's side. Dad has always told me about his grandmother always having a jigsaw puzzle out or always playing a game on the card table she had set out. Nanny must have been her mother's daughter. Nanny loved to play games. No telling how young I was when she first taught me to play Chinese Checkers. No telling how many times she beat me by cheating. Actually, I take that back because I only caught her che

Holiday encouragement

Ok, this below is the reminder I needed today. This is actually a pitch that I asked one of our clients to write last year for the holidays (I even contributed part of the ideas), and I just dug it up out of my email because I remembered it. Encouragement for the Holiday Season written by Jeremy Lelek of the Association of Biblical Counselors www.christiancounseling.com The holiday season has emerged from the mundane redundancy of the past twelve months, ushering in a seemingly magical transformation of the social atmosphere. New colors explode in the dark of night as countless houses across the nation are adorned with festive lights. The excitement of children as they await the arrival of one, Santa Claus, permeates the air. Choruses celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ fill small towns as the local church bell provides the all-too-familiar melodies of Silent Night and Away in a Manger. Celebration is the theme of the season, and real life, with all its blemishes and pains, is br

It's Monday alright...

The good news is that our offices are only open today of this week. The bad news is that I received about 100 emails between Friday and today. The follow- thru in me just hates knowing that's waiting for me when I return to work. I know they will be here when I return, and that's the problem. That and I certainly haven't finished off those waaaaayyyy late final report letters that just keep getting pushed down the list. And I really expected that. One of my numerous problems is figuring out how to just let go. The last few days, I've been having a really hard time coming up with funny tidbits to share. I do have a couple of things to say that I think are funny, but I'm pretty sure that someone might want to have me committed if I were to say them. There are times that my honesty these days my have people looking at me a little funny. I am looking forward to tonight though. I'm going over to Matt and Misha's for dinner and games. Matt and Misha have a heart

Just call me the Grinch

In an effort to make sure that I keep my blog going, I've promised myself that I am going to blog about something every day, at least just post something. Well, I'm just not feeling it today. Call me the Grinch. That title would be fitting for any one of several reasons. Does anyone else feel a bit Grinch-ish today? Here is one random question that I'll throw out there: Have you ever watched the Chia pet commericials at Christmas time and actually decided to go purchase one for a loved one's Christmas? (I've never done it, but I've considered it.)

Maybe you just had to be there

I don't have anything profound to blog about today, so I'll tell you about a little adventure I had today. I am totally willing to admit that this might be one of those "you had to be there" stories or at the very least, you just have to hear me tell it out loud and watch me as I tell it. This morning, I was headed up to Lewisville (home of the Fighting Farmers) with my parents to take my Aunt Lois a fruitcake for Christmas. (Yes, some people actually do give and receive fruitcakes for Christmas, especially if you are from Corsicana , home of the world famous Collin Street Bakery fruitcake. Evidently kings and presidents receive these fruitcakes for Christmas.) As I have stated before, Dallas drivers can be maniacs, and this guy almost ran over the car in the lane beside us, swerved in front of us and almost caused us to hit him. After my dad slammed the breaks, my mom says, "I had to go to the bathroom before, but I really need to go now." Evidently, by sa

What's the most off the wall last minute item you've tried to shop for?

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This blog post requires reader participation. Ah, c'mon , it's not like a homework assignment. When I was in jr . high/high school, my parents own a sports store, and part of the annual tradition was working on Christmas Eve until sometime into the afternoon. Every year, we continued to be stumped about the "big ticket" item that customers were looking for in Corsicana , and why on God's green earth they would wait until Christmas Eve to look for it. I'm talking about people looking for snow skis. Uh, Thrill Hill isn't exactly something to ski down, and uh, then there's the whole snow issue. I wish I could remember what some of the other things were, but they were always pretty significant gifts that you really weren't likely to find unless you were in a specialty shop in Dallas or something. So, my question to you is, what have you desparately searched for at the last minute? Or maybe it wasn't even last minute. What is the one gift that you

Random Christmas memories

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Maybe reminiscing about past Christmases will get me in some sort of positive holiday mood, because I'm just not into it right now. There was a point and time when Grandmother would always read a poem or some story before we opened our Christmas gifts. This went on for a few years in a row, and we all were just not into it. So, one year, my mom and ex-Uncle Alan hid the book that Grandmother was going to read from. After they made her cry, we never had a Christmas reading again. Another annual tradition before you get to open presents at Grandmother's house are the family pictures (unfortunately, this is still a tedious tradition because too many people own cameras to be able to hide them all). Grandmother and her children. Grandmother and each of her children. Grandmother and each of her children's families. Each family without Grandmother. Grandmother and the grandchildren. You get the picture. Well, it's not just that we go through all of this, but every year, we sta

Is it a migraine or is God trying to beat me over the head?

I think my headache this afternoon was a little bit of both. Between the Advil, taking out my contacts and turning off the lights in my office, I my headache did start to go away, so a migraine would be the logical answer. However, I do think God is trying to beat a message into my head these days. Evidently, I'm pretty hard headed because I'm getting hit repeatedly. The same topic keeps coming up again and again in my life recently, and I know it's not a coincidence. It's just a matter now of making sure I'm getting the message in the right way and processing it to move forward in the way that I'm supposed to. Is anyone else feeling battered and bruised these days?

Attention firstborns

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Here's a book that I read recently that I recommend to all you firstborn children out there. I can't say that the book fixed all my problems, however, I have come to realize that the obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive, perfectionist, over-worked, overwhelmed, stressed out, too hard on myself tendencies that I have actually have a LOT to do with being the oldest child. I really thought it was just a personal problem, but this book really helped me to see that oh, my goodness, it's not just me! The descriptions hit the nail on the head in my case. The Firstborn Advantage aims to take you from being the discouraged perfectionist the the successful achiever that firstborns were born to be.

Two degrees of separation?

On Facebook, I just went to the "People You May Know Feature" and found three interesting suggestions of potential friends. Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity and Jeremy Camp. It seems that I have several friends who are friends with each of these people. I guess I could be Sean and Jeremy's friends too, but I kind of find it more interesting that I'm only 2 degrees of separation away. So, my question is, am I truly only 6 degrees away from Kevin Bacon? P.S. To two of my avid blog readers out there, when I say Jeremy Camp, what two words come to mind? Actually, more than two words come to mind... Target, eyebrow pencil sharpener, NRB, Charlotte, palm tree fronds up my nose... I think you can figure out what I'm saying here...

Review of Josh Hamilton's Beyond Belief

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I had the honor of reviewing this book for Deena for her blog A Peek at My Bookshelf . Actually, I begged her for the book and she said she'd send it to me if I reviewed it for her. Ok, it was still an honor. As you can tell, I'm quite the wordy person, so here goes my first official guest reviewing job: When I was growing up, my family loved baseball. My dad coached baseball before he was married or had kids. My brother played. I was the scorekeeper sitting in the dugouts throughout high school and junior college. I’m a Texas girl, so that also means going to Rangers games, and watching them on TV. Being a Rangers fan is not easy folks. For those of you not from Texas and don’t realize it, I have to say that it can sometimes be downright painful. However, the 2008 had one bright spot that kept things interesting. It became fun to watch and see what one certain player would do. That player was Josh Hamilton. When I saw that this book was going around to the blogs to be reviewe

Life as the single child

Every post that I write myself cannot and will not have the entertainment value that I know a couple of my early readers enjoy. Sometimes I need to share what's weighing on me. I'm working on some things in my life these days. One of the things I'm really dealing with right now is being the single child. Not the only child, the single child. Admittedly, it's kind of getting to me right now. And it's not really the loneliness of being single that's getting to me at this point. I struggle with that too. What really is eating at me right now is my place in the family as the single child. It's not that it's a new position for me. Officially, I've held that position for about 9 years. The single child is the one who has to go along with whatever the rest of the family does in order to keep the peace. The single child is the one who is told when her birthday will be celebrated because it's what's convenient for everyone else, and when it's whe

Why Texas, sub-freezing weather and precipitation don't mix

For anyone who doesn't live in Texas, and has ever heard the phrase "if you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a few hours and it will change," I assure you this is true. There was a point yesterday when I had to turn on my air conditioner because 78 degrees in the house without air circulating is just too warm. Outside it was 70+ yesterday. Then there was this morning. Let's just say that all day today, the temperature literally barely made it above freezing. Dreaming of a white Christmas is a nice sentiment, but if it is going to snow thick and all of everything better close down. For those of you who have not experienced winter in Texas, let me give you a little lesson (becuase you know people from all over the world are reading this blog). It's not that we never see snow in Texas. We do. We see the flakes all pretty in the air, but when it snows, it never accumulates. You see, when it snows, it's usually not quite cold enough to stick because i

The Sacredness of the Sunday Nap

WARNING: Those of you who really know me will read this understanding my sense of humor, and realize how funny it would be if I were telling it out loud. Those who don't know me as well (because this blog is going to attract so many people, you know), should know that I have a certain amount of sarcasm in my humor. So, on with the story... Anyone who really knows me knows that I set aside 2 hours every Sunday for my Sunday nap. I've done it for so long that my body says, " OK , this is Sunday, it's nap time, I'm shutting down now." I'm a night owl, so this is my time to catch up on sleep that I've missed. So every Sunday, somewhere between morning and evening church services, you will find me on my broken couch in my living room. (The couch isn't great to sit on because it sinks in the middle, but works just right for napping - ask Jenny, she's experienced the couch effect before.) Of course, nothing of this world is actually sacred, but my na

Desire and Deceit by Dr. Albert Mohler

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It is time to play a Wild Card ! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour . Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Albert Mohler and the book: Desire and Deceit Multnomah Books (September 16, 2008) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. In fact, Time.com called him the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.” A theologian and an ordained minister, Dr. Mohler serves as the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary—the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. In addition to his presidential duties, Dr. Mohler hosts a daily live nationw

It's Your Call by Lawrence Powell

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It is time to play a Wild Card ! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour . Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Lawrence Powell and the book: It’s Your Call Yorkshire Publishing; 1st edition (September 5, 2008) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lawrence Powell is Pastor of Agape Family Worship Center in Rahway, New Jersey; a multi-ethnic ministry, that is home to thousands throughout the Tri-state region. In partnership with Oral Roberts University, he is also founder of Pneuma Life School of Ministry, an accredited teaching and training institute, equipping Christian men and women for missions, outreach, and church planting. Powell is a much sought-after speaker and respected Biblical teacher. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree from