The Power of Prayer!

While on my way home from work this evening, I called my Mom. We talked for a few minutes before she told me to call my Mamaw because she wasn't doing very well.
When I asked her what was wrong, she informed me that my grandmother was up all night with a severe nose bleed and was sick all day to day.
I didn't see how this could be. I had just talked to her last night and she sounded fine.
She happened to call me after I got home this evening and sounded horrible. She said she thought it was the flu, or something like it. She told me about her nose bleeding, and I knew this wasn't good at all for her. She has had multiple heart surgeries and is on blood thinners.
She left out one part of the story that my mom told me this afternoon.
As my mom finished telling me about Mamaw's nose bleed, she said that there was a scripture in the Bible that stopped nose bleeds. She told me that my Uncle Ray came over and read the scripture to her. Mamaw said the bleeding stopped like a faucet that had been turned off.
Wow! Glory to God!
Although I'm not a Bible scholar, I've been in church all if my life and have never heard of this.
This evening I Googled it to see if I could find anything on it. Sure enough, there were multiple posts and comments about Ezekiel 16:6 stopping bleeding. (Bleeding in general, not nose bleeds specifically.)
As written in the King James Version, Ezekiel 16:6 reads "And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live."
Talk about an uplifting affirmation of faith and proof that miracles do still happen for those who live in God!

My Window Paintings

Just wanted to share some of my windows that I have painted :)

The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Although it isn't explained in the movie, the house that Voldemort is seen scheming with Wormtail and Nagini, as well as another one of his Death Eaters isn't only an abandoned manor. It is the Riddle House. This was Voldemort's grandfathers home, and also where his father, Tom Riddle Sr., lived.

The Death Eater with Voldemort in this scene is revealed at the end of the movie to have impersonated Mad-Eye Moody in order to submit Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire and to be chosen as a Tri-Wizard champion. This was all part of Voldemort's plan for one of his many attempts at Harry's demise. The book reveals that the Death Eater is none other than Bartemous Crouch Jr.

Bartemous Crouch Sr. is head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and overseer of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Crouch Sr. sentenced his son to Azkaban for being a Death Eater. As a final wish from his dying wife, Crouch Sr. smuggled their son out of Azkaban, only to be retrieved by Voldemort to be used as a piece in his plan to kill Harry during the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

P.S. The bird bites

Entertaining My Buddy!

This is my dog, Sammy. He is a very loving Maltese that is also very hyper! I have read and read every article I could possible find by searching on the internet to calm down. The biggest factor in a hyper dog seems to be lack of adequate exercise. Since I work Monday through Friday, allowing Sammy to get exercise and interaction is a problem.

One thing that I found to be useful in entertaining dogs and giving them some form of exercise when left alone are toys that dispense or hide treats!

Small Puppy Goody Bone

I recently bought a rubber dog bone that holds two treats on either end of it. When I brought the toy home and loaded it with treats (I chose peanut butter flavored because it would be my favorite if I was a dog), Sammy entertained himself for a good hour to two hours trying to figure out how to dislodge the treats from the dog bone. So at least now, he will be able to entertain himself and exercise while playing with the bone and trying to figure out how to get the peanut butter treat held inside! 

Mobile Mardi Gras

           Unless you are a native Mobilian (Someone born and raised in Mobile, Alabama), you probably think of New Orleans when you think of Mardi Gras. However, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 at Twenty Seven Mile Bluff, which was the first settlement in Mobile, Alabama. This is where it all began.

Mardi Gras occurs on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday every year. The celebrations last for about a month and include various parades, balls, and ceremonies.

Behind the scenes experienced by the general public is a very significant tradition upheld by Mobile every year. I am referring to the Mardi Gras Court, as orchestrated by the Mobile Carnival Association. Every year, there are Ladies of the Court, their Knights, as well as a King and Queen.

This year, I was privileged to be a part of the experience of being in the Mobile Mardi Gras Court when I was asked to be a Knight. It was one of the best times of my life, and it opened my eyes to everything involved beyond seeing the court ride in the parades.

Although the Mardi Gras Celebrations last for a month or so out of the year, the Court’s events begin during the week of Thanksgiving Day with the Camellia Ball. This stretches the Mardi Gras experience over a three month period for members and potential members of the court.

The Camellia Ball is where the initial presentation of the current year’s debutantes by their families occurs. Each debutante is presented by her father to all invitees of this celebration. Escorts are chosen by the debutantes to be their date for the evening. Single gentlemen from Mobile are also invited to be on the “Stag List.” This gives the debutantes numerous options when making the decision of who to request to be their Knight.

From the time of the Camellia Ball to the Friday before Fat Tuesday, there are numerous association balls, cocktails, luncheons, and parties for the debutantes to attend with their chosen dates. I do not exaggerate when I say there was something almost every single weekend. These are times that the debutantes get to know one another, as well as the pool of eligible bachelors that may wind up being their winning choice for their Knight in the Court.

In December, there is the Nutcracker Ball. This event is a major part of the Debutante experience for those ladies not participating in the Fat Tuesday festivities. On New Year’s Eve, the debutantes are presented once more at the Strikers Ball. Other associations also extend invitations to the Ladies of the Court prior to Fat Tuesday weekend.

Beginning on the Friday before Fat Tuesday, the celebrations officially begin full force for members of the Court. That evening, we, The Court, had to rehearse for the Coronation of King Felix and his Queen the following evening.  On that night, the Old Court New Court Party is hosted at the Mobile Carnival Museum. Invitees include the Court for the current and previous year, as well as those members from twenty five and fifty years ago.

On Saturday morning, we were all checked into the Battleship Inn on the Causeway by our parents, where they were to leave us until Tuesday evening. This is where the extreme celebrating begins. The Pineapple Suite of the hotel is rented by the members to be used as a hospitality room, AKA the bar. Once settled into our rooms, it seemed only right to have a drink. That afternoon, dressed in our Coronation outfits, we, The Knights, loaded on a bus and went to retrieve the queen at her home. We then proceeded from the Queen’s home to the Convention Center, where the Coronation took place. The Ladies and Knights of the Court were presented, and the King and Queen were crowned. Following the Coronation was the King’s Supper. The trains were displayed, amazing food and drink was served, followed by dancing and celebration by all who attended.

When Sunday rolled around, we were all again bused downtown to attend the Order of Myths block party for the remainder of the day. Once we returned from the party, we were dressed and ready for the Knight’s Party that night. An open bar tab at Moe’s BBQ and live band made for a very entertaining night for the members of The Court.

Monday morning began with a boat ride to the Isle of Joy for the Knights. Once again, drinks were served. After arriving back at the convention center, King Felix was presented with a key to the city by Mayor Sam Jones. The King and knights then proceeded to load the floats to ride in the King’s parade. There is no other experience that compares to riding in a Mardi Gras parade. Once the parade was over, the Knights made an appearance at the Queen’s Luncheon where we presented our Ladies with large, extravagant stuffed animals.

Once back at the hotel, we got into our Coronation costumes and loaded up again to attend the Infant Mystics ball. Once again the Debutantes were presented by members of the IMs before being escorted out by the Knights.

The morning of Fat Tuesday began with a reception at the Mobile Carnival Museum. Food and drinks were served before we once again loaded up on the floats for the King’s Parade. At the conclusion of the parade, we went to the civic center for the Knights of Revelry reception.

Following the reception, the parents of the Court members checked us out of the hotel to conclude our Mardi Gras experience. Once again, this was one of the best times of my life. Everywhere we went we were escorted and treated like actual royalty. This is an experience that only a limited group of Mobilians are privileged to experience and can only be had in one place… The beautiful Mobile, Alabama, where Mardi Gras was born.

Who likes Oreos?!?

I Love Oreo Cookies! Just saying. A previous boss of mine once gave me this simple recipe for an Oreo treat that will "make you wanna slap yo momma!

What you will need:
- 1 bag of Oreo Cookies
- 1 block of cream cheese
- 1 bag of chocolate chips
- 1 gallon size storage bag
- wax paper
- rolling pin

1. Put your Oreos in the storage bag.
2. Crush with the rolling pin until fine and crumbled.
3. Mix with the block of cream cheese. ( The cream cheese is easier to mix with if you let it sit out for an hour or so.)
4. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove.
5. Mold the Oreo and cream cheese mixture into bite sized balls.
6. Dip balls in chocolate and set on wax paper to harden.
7. Try your hardest to share them :)

Does anyone really think this highly of Hewlitt-Packard?

Miracle for Unclogging Toilets!

A while back, my toilet clogged up and no amount of using a plunger helped. I believe it was from a house guest flushing feminine products, which is apparently a big no-no! After attempting multiple times with a plunger, I decided to try a liquid clog remover. However, most of these are not safe for toilets. (You learn something new everyday!) I read online that baking soda and vinegar might do the trick. Remember using this combination to make model volcanoes in grade school. While this method was entertaining, seeing my toilet turn into a homemade volcano of foam, it did not remove whatever was clogging it.

My next approach was to buy a toilet auger. It was only about $6 at Wal-Mart. After purchasing this useful tool, I was ecstatic that I would finally have a working toilet in my bathroom. This method had to work, after all, this is the type of tool used by plumbers. After using the auger on my toilet for about 30 minutes (as well as being highly disgusted,) no results were to be seen. The toilet was still clogged.

After finally deciding that I would have to break down and call a plumber, I found another article on-line for unclogging toilets. After many unsuccessful attempts, I was very skeptical on trying another. However, since the only thing needed was a bottle of dish detergent (I used Dawn because I am a firm believer in its cleaning ability,) I decided there was close to nothing to lose. I went home, tried this technique, and now have a fully functional toilet that finally flushes!

So, if ever you find yourself with a clogged toilet that a plunger will not quickly fix, try this technique.

Get a bottle of dish detergent. Heat some water up on the stove. Don't boil the water and try not to get it too hot, as high temperatures can crack the porcelain. Pour a good amount of dish detergent into the toilet bowl. I would recommend a quarter of a normal sized bottle. Next, pour the hot water into the bowl. Let this sit for about a day. Letting it sit longer will only help! While the hot water and dish detergent is sitting in the toilet, try plunging the solution a few times during the day to make sure the detergent reaches the clog. Once this process is completed, simply flush and enjoy the fact that you have a flushing toilet once more (And knowing you've escaped paying a couple hundred dollars for a plumber!)

Harry Potter... Read the books!

I just recently finished reading the entire Harry Potter series. One word... Amazing! If you haven't read the books but like the movies, I highly suggest reading the books. You won't want to put them down. The books also are significantly different from the movies, which leave out some CRUCIAL parts and information!

"Do whatever you want"

If you are a married man, I'm sure this bit of information is common knowledge. To those who are not, remember this bit of information and your life will be a lot smother sailing.

When a woman tells you to "Do whatever you want," DON"T TAKE IT LITERALLY!

If you ever hear this come out of a woman's mouth, just remember, it really means "Do what I tell you, or face the consequences!"