"Wizard of Oz" Going Away Party

Saying goodbye - especially to good friends - is never fun, but having a party is ALWAYS fun.  And this party was extra-fun because this couple (especially the wife) happens to be a HUGE "Wizard of Oz" fan!

The only person I knew that had lots of WofOz decor was my friend, so of course I couldn't ask to borrow it. I wanted the party theme to be a surprise, and it was already packed up anyway.

 For the lion's "courage", the guests at the party wrote notes of en"courage"ment to the couple.

 A "Yellow Brick Road" led the way from the entry door to the reception table.  I didn't have time to draw bricks, but my son who helped by taping down the road decided that the folds in the plastic tablecloths were brick shaped, anyway! Works for me!

After Christmas during Walmart's "day after Christmas sales", I bought some neat little plastic appetizer containers.  I used them, plus some other little plastic containers I had to make these "Over the Rainbow" Layered Jello Snacks. It took a while to do, but was totally worth the extra effort!

 I'm not sure how the kids managed to eat this tall ones, but I know they did! Maybe they had long tongues because the spoons wouldn't have gone down the skinny cylinders! Maybe they used the handle of the spoon.

 I found the Oz picture at Kirkland's! I'm so thankful I stopped by there quickly that day! The Dorothy dress is a friend's, and has been worn by many little girls over the years - even by my daughter about 15 years ago!

I saw an idea for "Melted Wicked Witch Punch", so that was really fun. I also had an antique green punch bowl that I didn't even remember I had, but fit perfectly with the punch!

 Toto's Puppy Chow is always a hit.....

 Over the Rainbow cupcakes.....

 Ruby Red Slipper Sugar Cookies....

 Munchkin Snack Mix (recipe is on my recipe blog at www.3cherrycokes.blogspot.com today)...

 The scarecrow needed something named after him so this "If I Only Had a Brain" Toffee Crunch Crockpot Candy was the perfect match....

 And these "Tin Man's Heart - Butter Cream Wafers" are my absolute favorite!

 We're going to miss you, Gray & Teresa! Thanks for your friendship and love for us and others!  May God bless you in this new endeavor!

Gray & Teresa have been houseparents at the Children's Home where my husband works. They will be houseparents at another Home and will continue to do what they do best - love and care for children. This little boy wrote the sweetest note to them. It melted my heart!  :)

Love Makes the Journey Worthwhile

I really like the quote on this new picture I got recently: Life is a Journey and Love makes that journey worthwhile.  That's not a new concept at all. From the beginning of time, love was the premise of all creation.  God loved us from the beginning, and He will love us for eternity.

The Bible has hundreds of scriptures about love.  It tells us what love is, who we are to love, and what not to love.  Here are just a few of the "love" scriptures:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17

LOVE is what makes our life's journey worthwhile. Don't waste time being unloving.  Spend today, and every day, loving God, loving Jesus, loving others, loving yourself, and loving what God loves.  

Trust In The Lord - Even When You Feel Like You're Drowning

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

This is my very favorite scripture, so when I found an app that allowed me to make shapes with words, I thought that this would be a great way to use part of this scripture in a heart shape.  A friend also took the picture to use on Facebook for her page, and she told me an illustration the other day that fit perfectly with this story.

My friend and her family have been going through several trials in their lives for the past several months.  It would have been easy to get down and depressed, but she didn't - they didn't. And they didn't because of their faith in God.  Her older child, now living in another state with a husband and child of her own, asked how she was doing it...how she was surviving with all of these trials in life.  The mother, my friend gave this illustration:

"When you feel like you're surrounded by water and feel like you could drown, keep your faith. Use that time to look around at all you see when you're under the water.  There are different fish and sea creatures under the water that you can't see when you're above. Look at the pretty colors.  Look at all of God's creation that you don't typically get to enjoy.  Finding those things - those good things - will help you get through the times that you feel you might could drown."

Oh, I loved her illustration!  She put into words exactly what this scripture is saying!  She was acknowledging God through her trials and He was/is making her paths....and her families' paths.... straight!  She was finding good through the bad. She was staying positive instead of getting pessimistic.

My friend is finally beginning to come up to the surface, after these three months of being under the water. God has blessed her and her family and she is confident - and I am confident - He will continue to do so.  But things will be changing as a result of this blessing.  My friend and her family will be moving.  That's the part that saddens me because I'm selfish, but the part that shows me that God's plans are higher than our plans.

To further her illustration, I thought about being under the water and resurfacing to find that the land had changed. Where you entered the water may not be where you come up from the water, and sometimes that coming up results in change.  Maybe it's people who have changed, maybe your surroundings changed, maybe the circumstances changed, but maybe, like with my friend, your land has changed.  If so, hold tight to this scripture: Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Repeat it over and over again.  And He will, without a doubt, make your paths straight....even when you feel like you're drowning.

Thick Skin and Shattered Glass

Last week I was cleaning out the refrigerator.  My husband came in while I was getting everything out and started washing the shelves for me. (Wow, that was so nice!!!)  As we were talking and working, Joe was holding one of the glass shelves. It shattered in his hand, into what must have been thousands of pieces!

We were shocked! He hadn't done anything to cause the glass to shake. The temperature of the water wasn't too extreme. The temperature of the air wasn't too extreme.  He wasn't putting any pressure on it at all. He was just holding it and it basically blew up!  We began the clean-up process.

As we were cleaning up the pieces, I thought about the differences in shattered glass. What makes some glass shatter more than others? Why was this one in thousands (it seemed) of pieces? I also thought about how our lives are like that glass. Something comes along in our lives and it may "shatter" us into many pieces, but then other things may come along and seem they would be just as hurtful to us, but we're not shattered to the same extent. What makes the difference? In glass, the thickness of it seems to make the biggest difference. So, is it the thickness of our skin that makes the difference in our lives?

I used to have a boss that thought it was fun to make me cry. I would cry very, very easily. He would tell me I was thin-skinned and he actually delighted in that fact! Another co-worker would say the same thing.  And I think they were right - that I was thin-skinned. I hadn't ever had anyone treat me that way, and I sure wasn't used to it, but, as I got older and matured, those types of things didn't bother me any more. I became more "thick-skinned" and learned to control my response towards others and towards certain situations.  I still wouldn't want to be around someone who took delight in hurting me, but perhaps the thick skin wouldn't allow me to be hurt quiet as easily.

Maybe having thick skin does help when our world is shattered, but I believe it has more to do with our faith. The "thickness" or "deepness" of our faith in God will help us when everything seems like it is falling apart. God will get us through those rough, broken times if we will put our faith - our total faith - in Him.

Take a moment to reflect on this comforting passage:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James 1:2-4

Ask. Seek. Knock.

In our family devotional this morning, the author talked about how we should be led by God's Spirit in everything we do, and not by our own will power, because we can't get by very long on our own will power.  That is so true.  God's Spirit will sustain us long after our own will power has left.

I think of the example of me liking Dr. Pepper.  I knew that I could give it up whenever I wanted to, but I didn't WANT to! I knew if I prayed to God for help in not wanting it, He would help me, but I didn't WANT HIM to help! (Sad, yes, I know.)  But after the first of the year, when the kids went back to school, I did pray about it, and I easily stopped, except for allowing myself one on the weekend.  I didn't crave them. I didn't have headaches from giving them up.  I didn't miss them, for the most part. Every once in a while, I missed having one, if I had eaten something really salty, but it wasn't enough to make me want to get one.  I actually gave up flour and sugar all together, except for one meal on the weekend, so it was more than just about Dr. Peppers, but that was the main thing.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

God will help us when we ask for help, but many times we're stubborn, like I was, and don't want his help. We want to hold on to whatever is keeping us down.  We want to hold on to whatever is setting us back.  We don't want the freedom that He gives.  Why is that?  Because sometimes our sin is enjoyable, and we don't want to let it go, even when we know we need to!  It's as simple as that!

The Holy Spirit will help us, but only when we allow it to.  When we realize and recognize sin, or addictions/habits, in our lives, we must give it up.  Anything that has a hold on us is wrong. Anything we are putting in place of God is wrong. We may not realize it is for a while, but it is. And once we realize it, we must allow the Spirit to help us rid our lives of it, or at least make it less of a habit/addiction.

Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  It's that simple!