Ephesians 1:4: "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."
Ephesians 1:11: "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."
Out of the billions and billions of human beings that God created, He chose me to be His child. Why would He choose me? What made Him decide to adopt me as His child? Lord, I don't understand your selection process. Why me and not others?
Ephesians 1: 5 tells us, "In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." Not only did he choose me, the Scripture says that it pleased the Father to adopt me as His child.
In my mind, I see a Team Captain picking his team. As he calls out his next selection for a player, he says, "I'll take Brenda!" And then, he's so excited to have me on his team that he hugs me and jumps up and down for joy. What value do I bring to the team that makes Him excitedly choose me? None! It is totally and simply His grace that I'm on the team.
Ephesians 1:6: "...to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
I praise your grace, Lord!
Ephesians 1:7-8: "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us..."
Lavished grace....what a wonderful word picture. There is nothing held back...it's generous....it's overwhelming....it's amazing!!! And, He chose to give it to me!
Words are so inadequate to express the wonder, humility, and thankfulness of my response to God's grace. It is so undeserved...I am so unworthy...why would you choose me?
His answer: "Because I wanted you!"
Next post: Sovereign Lord
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Wanting Attention
Our two oldest grandchildren (along with their mother) spent this past weekend with us. It was interesting to watch the different antics they used in trying to get attention.
The first born used "in your face" techniques to get attention. She danced around the living room, making sure everyone was watching her. She inserted herself in the pictures being taken. She tried to make a grand entrance when she walked into a building, looking around to see if everyone had noticed that she had arrived. She does not understand the art of subtlety at all! She was seeking attention by being dramatic!
The second born is quite the opposite. He understands subtlety very well! You can see the wheels turning as he thinks about what he is supposed to do and then chooses to do the opposite. At the restaurant yesterday, he was sitting next to me. He knew that he was supposed to stay in his chair. Several times, however, he chose to leave his chair. He walked just out of my arm's length so that I couldn't reach him. He was pretty confident that I wouldn't create a public scene by chasing after him. When it was time to leave, he deliberately walked the opposite way from the table, away from the exit. He stopped several tables away and watched to see what the adults would do. He was seeking attention through his deliberate acts of testing the boundaries.
You might think that my grandkids are just children and that they'll grow up. I would like to think that is true; but, unfortunately, I know too many adults who behave the same way. We all know adults who are classified as "drama queens." And, we all know adults who test the boundaries in their quest for attention.
I'm sometimes guilty of changing my behavior because I want attention. I normally classify myself as "shy" and "reticent", but sometimes I find myself being "loud" and "brash," using my behavior to get attention. I wonder what God thinks about this type of behavior. Did He create our yearning for attention? Or is that a consequence of sin's curse? Is it selfishness? Or is a psychological need?
Next post: Chosen by God
The first born used "in your face" techniques to get attention. She danced around the living room, making sure everyone was watching her. She inserted herself in the pictures being taken. She tried to make a grand entrance when she walked into a building, looking around to see if everyone had noticed that she had arrived. She does not understand the art of subtlety at all! She was seeking attention by being dramatic!
The second born is quite the opposite. He understands subtlety very well! You can see the wheels turning as he thinks about what he is supposed to do and then chooses to do the opposite. At the restaurant yesterday, he was sitting next to me. He knew that he was supposed to stay in his chair. Several times, however, he chose to leave his chair. He walked just out of my arm's length so that I couldn't reach him. He was pretty confident that I wouldn't create a public scene by chasing after him. When it was time to leave, he deliberately walked the opposite way from the table, away from the exit. He stopped several tables away and watched to see what the adults would do. He was seeking attention through his deliberate acts of testing the boundaries.
You might think that my grandkids are just children and that they'll grow up. I would like to think that is true; but, unfortunately, I know too many adults who behave the same way. We all know adults who are classified as "drama queens." And, we all know adults who test the boundaries in their quest for attention.
I'm sometimes guilty of changing my behavior because I want attention. I normally classify myself as "shy" and "reticent", but sometimes I find myself being "loud" and "brash," using my behavior to get attention. I wonder what God thinks about this type of behavior. Did He create our yearning for attention? Or is that a consequence of sin's curse? Is it selfishness? Or is a psychological need?
Next post: Chosen by God
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Another Week is Done!
Did you notice that another week of 2012 has come and gone? We're starting the last full week of February....winter is almost gone, and spring is on its way. I look outside and wonder, is it really only February? The sky is a beautiful blue, the snow has almost disappeared from even the shady spots, you can walk on the grass and not get your shoes wet....it looks and feels more like late March or April than the end of February. This has been a remarkable winter...in my opinion, it has been great!!!
Because another week is done, it's time to evaluate how I did on my 2012 goals for the last week.
1. Finances - I'm happy to report that we've had another successful week of keeping our discretionary spending inside our budget. The tally sheet has been posted on the wall in celebration of our success! My daughter commented to me yesterday that she and her husband should use tally sheets to stay within their budget. I told her that it only works if you are required to post how you do on a blog....my husband and I used tally sheets last year, but since there was no accountability, it was a rare week in which we were successful in making our budget. The accountability of this blog is what has made the difference in our success.
I didn't achieve my plan to calculate our State income tax liability during the past week. So, it's on my "to do list" for this week. Also, on my "to do list" is to calculate what amount of debt reduction we can accomplish during the month of March. March is one of those months for us that has extra expenses --we pay our home insurance quarterly so the premium will be due in March. In addition, one of our car insurance policies is due in March. Even with these extra expenses, I expect to accomplish some debt reduction. How much reduction is possible is the answer I need to calculate this week.
2. Spiritual -- I finished my study in Galatians!!! Galatians 6 had lots of practical applications for my life...some of which I wrote about in this blog. Now, it's time to go on to the next book. As you may remember, my plan is to work through the Apostle Paul's epistles, one chapter per week. I will begin Ephesians this week.
I've not done much work on the memory verses for February. Thanks to 2012 being a Leap Year, I've still got 10 days left. Probably should spend some time this week working on the verses so that I don't have to "cram" next week.
3. Personal -- I went to class on Tuesday without having an idea of what news story to write that deals with Black History month. All of us in class seemed to be struggling with ideas. Our professor bailed us out and made some suggestions. One of them was the annual Women of Color Luncheon that was scheduled for the next day. Oh, I thought, I've got a free lunch ticket to attend...that would a good subject to use for my news story. Thank you to our professor! The article is due this coming Friday, and I've got a good portion of it already written. I'm waiting for a couple of sources to respond to my interview questions. And then, I can finalize the article. In case you were wondering how I'm doing with getting to the 8:00 class on time, I was only late on the first day!!! Thankfully, God's been giving us this mild winter so snow hasn't been much of an issue!
In the blogging world, I completed five posts this week....it seems someone was wordy!!! I'm feeling more comfortable with the concept of vulnerability that comes with sharing my thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. on the blog. Well, I'm not sure "comfortable" is the best word choice. It's more that I'm feeling "less fearful." The blogging experience has definitely been good for me in the area of accountability. It has also allowed me to take some small, safe steps of stepping out of my comfort zone. Once in a while, I even consider making my blog more public. When I see on Facebook that one of my friends has announced on her wall that she has completed a post, I sometimes want to reply, "Me, too! I've just posted an entry on my blog." But, the idea of the world (yes, even if they are my Facebook friends) reading my blog scares me. That doesn't feel safe to me. So, I continue to write in relative obscurity -- knowing that my three followers and whoever else stumbles into the blog are the only ones reading my posts.
Good Week? YES!!!
Next post: Wanting Attention
Because another week is done, it's time to evaluate how I did on my 2012 goals for the last week.
1. Finances - I'm happy to report that we've had another successful week of keeping our discretionary spending inside our budget. The tally sheet has been posted on the wall in celebration of our success! My daughter commented to me yesterday that she and her husband should use tally sheets to stay within their budget. I told her that it only works if you are required to post how you do on a blog....my husband and I used tally sheets last year, but since there was no accountability, it was a rare week in which we were successful in making our budget. The accountability of this blog is what has made the difference in our success.
I didn't achieve my plan to calculate our State income tax liability during the past week. So, it's on my "to do list" for this week. Also, on my "to do list" is to calculate what amount of debt reduction we can accomplish during the month of March. March is one of those months for us that has extra expenses --we pay our home insurance quarterly so the premium will be due in March. In addition, one of our car insurance policies is due in March. Even with these extra expenses, I expect to accomplish some debt reduction. How much reduction is possible is the answer I need to calculate this week.
2. Spiritual -- I finished my study in Galatians!!! Galatians 6 had lots of practical applications for my life...some of which I wrote about in this blog. Now, it's time to go on to the next book. As you may remember, my plan is to work through the Apostle Paul's epistles, one chapter per week. I will begin Ephesians this week.
I've not done much work on the memory verses for February. Thanks to 2012 being a Leap Year, I've still got 10 days left. Probably should spend some time this week working on the verses so that I don't have to "cram" next week.
3. Personal -- I went to class on Tuesday without having an idea of what news story to write that deals with Black History month. All of us in class seemed to be struggling with ideas. Our professor bailed us out and made some suggestions. One of them was the annual Women of Color Luncheon that was scheduled for the next day. Oh, I thought, I've got a free lunch ticket to attend...that would a good subject to use for my news story. Thank you to our professor! The article is due this coming Friday, and I've got a good portion of it already written. I'm waiting for a couple of sources to respond to my interview questions. And then, I can finalize the article. In case you were wondering how I'm doing with getting to the 8:00 class on time, I was only late on the first day!!! Thankfully, God's been giving us this mild winter so snow hasn't been much of an issue!
In the blogging world, I completed five posts this week....it seems someone was wordy!!! I'm feeling more comfortable with the concept of vulnerability that comes with sharing my thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. on the blog. Well, I'm not sure "comfortable" is the best word choice. It's more that I'm feeling "less fearful." The blogging experience has definitely been good for me in the area of accountability. It has also allowed me to take some small, safe steps of stepping out of my comfort zone. Once in a while, I even consider making my blog more public. When I see on Facebook that one of my friends has announced on her wall that she has completed a post, I sometimes want to reply, "Me, too! I've just posted an entry on my blog." But, the idea of the world (yes, even if they are my Facebook friends) reading my blog scares me. That doesn't feel safe to me. So, I continue to write in relative obscurity -- knowing that my three followers and whoever else stumbles into the blog are the only ones reading my posts.
Good Week? YES!!!
Next post: Wanting Attention
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The Clock Cheats Us!
Some days I can't wait for eternity! How different our lives will be when we aren't controlled by the clock!
Take, for instance, this morning....I was having a wonderful, casual Saturday morning, enjoying family time with my husband, our two daughters, and three of our grandchildren. We were playing, chatting, laughing, etc., just enjoying life and each other. And then, I noticed the clock. It immediately demanded my attention -- I needed to stop everything that I was doing and start getting ready to go to our daughter's baby shower or we'd be late. So, we hurriedly scrambled around and got out the door. The clock forced us to hurry.
What a nice time we had at the shower! One thing, though, that wasn't so nice -- the clock. A couple of the guests had to leave early....the clock was demanding that they leave in time to get to their next appointment. I felt robbed that they had to leave so soon. Then, at the "conclusion" of the shower, one by one, the guests left. And yet, I thought, it's too early....I didn't get to spend as much time with each of the guests as I would like, and I'm certain, my daughter felt like that as well....and then, my daughter left with her husband's family....and I thought, I didn't get to spend as much time as I would like with you, daughter!!! The clock robbed me again!
What will our lives be like in eternity when time is no more....will the rushing around be forever gone? Will we get to spend as much "time" as we want with each other? I certainly hope so.
Next post: Another Week is Done!
Take, for instance, this morning....I was having a wonderful, casual Saturday morning, enjoying family time with my husband, our two daughters, and three of our grandchildren. We were playing, chatting, laughing, etc., just enjoying life and each other. And then, I noticed the clock. It immediately demanded my attention -- I needed to stop everything that I was doing and start getting ready to go to our daughter's baby shower or we'd be late. So, we hurriedly scrambled around and got out the door. The clock forced us to hurry.
What a nice time we had at the shower! One thing, though, that wasn't so nice -- the clock. A couple of the guests had to leave early....the clock was demanding that they leave in time to get to their next appointment. I felt robbed that they had to leave so soon. Then, at the "conclusion" of the shower, one by one, the guests left. And yet, I thought, it's too early....I didn't get to spend as much time with each of the guests as I would like, and I'm certain, my daughter felt like that as well....and then, my daughter left with her husband's family....and I thought, I didn't get to spend as much time as I would like with you, daughter!!! The clock robbed me again!
What will our lives be like in eternity when time is no more....will the rushing around be forever gone? Will we get to spend as much "time" as we want with each other? I certainly hope so.
Next post: Another Week is Done!
Large Letters by Paul
I used to wonder why Biblical scholars thought that the infirmity that the Apostle Paul's mentions several times throughout his letters was related to his eyes. I think the answer lies in Galatians 6:11: "See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!"
Over the past few years, I've noticed some deterioration in my eyesight when trying to read. If I'm tired or in low lighting when I'm reading or working on the computer, my eyes struggle to make out letters and numbers properly. Yes, this deterioration is attributed to aging eyes.
For awhile, I used a magnifying glass and the "trombone" method to get the correct distance between what I was trying to read and my eyes. It's blurry....move the book or paper up or down....still blurry....move it again....that's perfect -- now I can read it! :)
After being amused by my reading methods, my daughter purchased me a set of three reading glasses -- I keep one at work, one in my purse, and one in our home study -- that have become more convenient to use than a magnifying glass. Basically, the reading glasses are portable magnifying glasses!
When I'm writing notes to myself or signing my name on a check and am not wearing the reading glasses, I've noticed that my handwriting is larger than it used to be. I'm writing in "large letters!" I now understand why the Biblical scholars think that Paul had trouble with his eyes....if reading glasses weren't available for aging eyes, Paul would have a hard time seeing small letters. He would be compensating for poor eyesight by writing in large letters.
Galatians 6:11 may become my new "life verse!" Well, at least for as long as I resist purchasing regular reading glasses!
Next post: The Clock Cheats Us!
Over the past few years, I've noticed some deterioration in my eyesight when trying to read. If I'm tired or in low lighting when I'm reading or working on the computer, my eyes struggle to make out letters and numbers properly. Yes, this deterioration is attributed to aging eyes.
For awhile, I used a magnifying glass and the "trombone" method to get the correct distance between what I was trying to read and my eyes. It's blurry....move the book or paper up or down....still blurry....move it again....that's perfect -- now I can read it! :)
After being amused by my reading methods, my daughter purchased me a set of three reading glasses -- I keep one at work, one in my purse, and one in our home study -- that have become more convenient to use than a magnifying glass. Basically, the reading glasses are portable magnifying glasses!
When I'm writing notes to myself or signing my name on a check and am not wearing the reading glasses, I've noticed that my handwriting is larger than it used to be. I'm writing in "large letters!" I now understand why the Biblical scholars think that Paul had trouble with his eyes....if reading glasses weren't available for aging eyes, Paul would have a hard time seeing small letters. He would be compensating for poor eyesight by writing in large letters.
Galatians 6:11 may become my new "life verse!" Well, at least for as long as I resist purchasing regular reading glasses!
Next post: The Clock Cheats Us!
Supporting Ministries
Do you ever have a Scripture verse that just hits you between the eyes? That happened to me this week in my study of Galatians 6. Verse 6 says "Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor."
Reading that verse caused me to think about the ministries from which I receive instruction in the Word. Obviously, I thought of my Pastor and my church. Do we "share all good things with (our) instructor"? In evaluating our giving, I would say that we are faithful in supporting our church and our Pastor.
Then, I thought about other ministries that are providing me Biblical instruction. When I don't have an audio book playing while I'm driving, the radio is usually tuned in to WSCG, a Christian radio station from Grand Rapids. Is the radio station providing me with instruction in the Word? Definitely -- not only through the few "preachers" on the station that I occasionally hear, but through the many Biblical songs that are played as well as through the "verse of the day" that is read several times a day and also appears on the radio station's website. Should we be supporting this ministry? According to Galatians 6:6, the answer is, "Yes!"
So, now that I know this Scripture and have identified a practical application in my life, I have a choice to obey or to disobey. I choose to obey. I'm going to send a gift to WSCG when I pay bills next week as part of our discretionary spending.
My choice to give or not to give reminded me of another time that we faced a decision on giving. Our student ministries pastor was changing ministries. Instead of a youth pastor, he was going to be a full-time missionary. Our church voted whether or not we wanted to be his "sending church," accepting the responsibilities that accompanied the status of a sending church. I voted, "Yes" on the ballot. The vote passed -- we became the sending church.
A few months later, our church had a pledge drive for our Faith Promise Giving -- the giving program that we use to support our missionaries. My husband and I had a decision to make. Did we want to increase the amount of our weekly giving to our missionaries. We talked about it. My husband wanted to increase our giving by 100%. I wasn't so sure that our budget could handle an increase. Our income hadn't increased while our expenses had. Could we and should we increase our giving? As I debated in my mind what we should do, the Lord reminded me that I had willingly voted to be the sending church to our new missionaries. If I was willing to vote, "Yes" on becoming the sending church, I needed to literally "put my money where my mouth was." I needed to financially support my vote. The Lord's reminder made my decision for me -- we did increase our giving to Faith Promise by the amount that my husband had suggested.
In the world of politics, so many people want their governments to stop spending. They vote for candidates who pledge to balance the budget and reduce the spending. However, the people don't want the reduction in spending to affect them personally. They are not willing to financially support their vote. As a financial aid officer, there is often peer pressure for me to lobby Congress when there are proposed cuts to spending levels for higher education. Cut somewhere else, but keep spending levels for our students at the same level or at an increased level.
I choose not to contact my representatives on this matter. As I'm constantly learning in my personal life with my finances, spending money is easy...staying within your budget is harder....reducing spending to eliminate debt is even harder. Yet, this is what needs to be done to make our finances healthy. The government and the people served by the government need to learn this lesson as well.
Next Post: Large Letters by Paul
Reading that verse caused me to think about the ministries from which I receive instruction in the Word. Obviously, I thought of my Pastor and my church. Do we "share all good things with (our) instructor"? In evaluating our giving, I would say that we are faithful in supporting our church and our Pastor.
Then, I thought about other ministries that are providing me Biblical instruction. When I don't have an audio book playing while I'm driving, the radio is usually tuned in to WSCG, a Christian radio station from Grand Rapids. Is the radio station providing me with instruction in the Word? Definitely -- not only through the few "preachers" on the station that I occasionally hear, but through the many Biblical songs that are played as well as through the "verse of the day" that is read several times a day and also appears on the radio station's website. Should we be supporting this ministry? According to Galatians 6:6, the answer is, "Yes!"
So, now that I know this Scripture and have identified a practical application in my life, I have a choice to obey or to disobey. I choose to obey. I'm going to send a gift to WSCG when I pay bills next week as part of our discretionary spending.
My choice to give or not to give reminded me of another time that we faced a decision on giving. Our student ministries pastor was changing ministries. Instead of a youth pastor, he was going to be a full-time missionary. Our church voted whether or not we wanted to be his "sending church," accepting the responsibilities that accompanied the status of a sending church. I voted, "Yes" on the ballot. The vote passed -- we became the sending church.
A few months later, our church had a pledge drive for our Faith Promise Giving -- the giving program that we use to support our missionaries. My husband and I had a decision to make. Did we want to increase the amount of our weekly giving to our missionaries. We talked about it. My husband wanted to increase our giving by 100%. I wasn't so sure that our budget could handle an increase. Our income hadn't increased while our expenses had. Could we and should we increase our giving? As I debated in my mind what we should do, the Lord reminded me that I had willingly voted to be the sending church to our new missionaries. If I was willing to vote, "Yes" on becoming the sending church, I needed to literally "put my money where my mouth was." I needed to financially support my vote. The Lord's reminder made my decision for me -- we did increase our giving to Faith Promise by the amount that my husband had suggested.
In the world of politics, so many people want their governments to stop spending. They vote for candidates who pledge to balance the budget and reduce the spending. However, the people don't want the reduction in spending to affect them personally. They are not willing to financially support their vote. As a financial aid officer, there is often peer pressure for me to lobby Congress when there are proposed cuts to spending levels for higher education. Cut somewhere else, but keep spending levels for our students at the same level or at an increased level.
I choose not to contact my representatives on this matter. As I'm constantly learning in my personal life with my finances, spending money is easy...staying within your budget is harder....reducing spending to eliminate debt is even harder. Yet, this is what needs to be done to make our finances healthy. The government and the people served by the government need to learn this lesson as well.
Next Post: Large Letters by Paul
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
It seems every year that Valentine's Day sneaks up on me....I know it's coming, but it some how catches me unaware. It's not like Christmas. At Christmas, I feel such pressure to get everything done: send out Christmas cards, purchase gifts, wrap gifts, decorate the house, make cookies, etc. There is so much to do, and I'm intensely aware of the looming deadlines.
Valentine's Day is just not like that for me...and so I'm usually unprepared when February 14th arrives! Take this year as an example. On Sunday (2/12/12), I thought about sending Valentine cards to my kids and grand kids....oops, even if I put them in the mail on Monday (2/13/12), there is no possible way that they would be delivered on time. So...no Valentine cards were mailed.
Yesterday at work, I remembered that I hadn't purchased a gift for my husband for Valentine's Day....oops! And, I didn't even have an idea of what to get him! Double oops....I decided that I could stop at the local grocery store on my way home from work and buy a card and some Snicker Doodle cookie dough. Baking cookies would be a good gift for him.
I arrived at the grocery store about 5:30 p.m. (Remember, it's Feb. 13th---the day before Valentine's day.) The Valentine card selection was quite picked over. I did finally find an appropriate card. Then, I went to the refrigerated section of the store. There was NO Snicker Doodle cookie dough...apparently the store no longer carries it! Rats! The idea of making cookies from scratch entered my mind, and I quickly rejected that idea. I knew my schedule that evening wouldn't allow me to make cookies from scratch! So, Plan B....what is Plan B? I looked over the choices of the cookie dough that the store did carry and found Peanut Butter cookie dough with chunks of miniature peanut-butter cups in it. My husband loves peanut butter cookies so I selected that flavor of cookie dough.
When I got home from the store, I found a lovely bundle of roses and a Valentine's card waiting for me. My husband remembered the holiday!!! What a good guy! :) At least one of us was prepared for the day!!
After I got the cookies into the oven to bake, I set the timer and started supper. Waiting for the cookies to finish baking, I trimmed my roses and put them in a vase with water. The cookies finished baking, and I placed them on the cooling rack.
It dawned on me that I needed to decide how I was going to present my gift. Should I just put the cookies in a bowl? That idea didn't seem very appropriate for a gift. Should I somehow wrap them? Red saran wrap would be a nice way to wrap the cookies....but, of course, I don't have any red saran wrap in the house. I thought maybe I had some red ribbon so I went to the study closet where we keep our gift-wrapping supplies. No red ribbon, but I did have some leftover tissue paper with pink and red hearts on it. That would work nicely!
Cookies wrapped, card signed. Where to put the gift? We don't have a Valentine's Day tree to put the gift under. We don't have a "designated gift area" in our house. I decided to put the gift and card on my husband's bedroom dresser.
Then, I had to figure out what to do about no Valentine cards for my kids and grand kids? I decided to send a text message to them. So this morning before class (yes...before 8:00 a.m.), I texted them a Valentine's Day greeting.
Valentine's Day is now winding down....do I wish I had been more prepared? YES!!! Will I learn my lesson and get it right next year??? Hmm.........Based on previous years' experiences, I highly doubt it.
To all the readers of my blog, Happy Valentine's Day 2012!
Next Post: Supporting Ministries
Valentine's Day is just not like that for me...and so I'm usually unprepared when February 14th arrives! Take this year as an example. On Sunday (2/12/12), I thought about sending Valentine cards to my kids and grand kids....oops, even if I put them in the mail on Monday (2/13/12), there is no possible way that they would be delivered on time. So...no Valentine cards were mailed.
Yesterday at work, I remembered that I hadn't purchased a gift for my husband for Valentine's Day....oops! And, I didn't even have an idea of what to get him! Double oops....I decided that I could stop at the local grocery store on my way home from work and buy a card and some Snicker Doodle cookie dough. Baking cookies would be a good gift for him.
I arrived at the grocery store about 5:30 p.m. (Remember, it's Feb. 13th---the day before Valentine's day.) The Valentine card selection was quite picked over. I did finally find an appropriate card. Then, I went to the refrigerated section of the store. There was NO Snicker Doodle cookie dough...apparently the store no longer carries it! Rats! The idea of making cookies from scratch entered my mind, and I quickly rejected that idea. I knew my schedule that evening wouldn't allow me to make cookies from scratch! So, Plan B....what is Plan B? I looked over the choices of the cookie dough that the store did carry and found Peanut Butter cookie dough with chunks of miniature peanut-butter cups in it. My husband loves peanut butter cookies so I selected that flavor of cookie dough.
When I got home from the store, I found a lovely bundle of roses and a Valentine's card waiting for me. My husband remembered the holiday!!! What a good guy! :) At least one of us was prepared for the day!!
After I got the cookies into the oven to bake, I set the timer and started supper. Waiting for the cookies to finish baking, I trimmed my roses and put them in a vase with water. The cookies finished baking, and I placed them on the cooling rack.
It dawned on me that I needed to decide how I was going to present my gift. Should I just put the cookies in a bowl? That idea didn't seem very appropriate for a gift. Should I somehow wrap them? Red saran wrap would be a nice way to wrap the cookies....but, of course, I don't have any red saran wrap in the house. I thought maybe I had some red ribbon so I went to the study closet where we keep our gift-wrapping supplies. No red ribbon, but I did have some leftover tissue paper with pink and red hearts on it. That would work nicely!
Cookies wrapped, card signed. Where to put the gift? We don't have a Valentine's Day tree to put the gift under. We don't have a "designated gift area" in our house. I decided to put the gift and card on my husband's bedroom dresser.
Then, I had to figure out what to do about no Valentine cards for my kids and grand kids? I decided to send a text message to them. So this morning before class (yes...before 8:00 a.m.), I texted them a Valentine's Day greeting.
Valentine's Day is now winding down....do I wish I had been more prepared? YES!!! Will I learn my lesson and get it right next year??? Hmm.........Based on previous years' experiences, I highly doubt it.
To all the readers of my blog, Happy Valentine's Day 2012!
Next Post: Supporting Ministries
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