Dry Idea

I've heard people say concerning their walk with Jesus, that they are in a "dry spell." In other words, they "don't hear the Lord," or "don't feel anything," or "don't get anything out of the word."

I don't meant to be a party-pooper or disqualify what you might be feeling, but let me offer another suggestion:

Maybe the reason you're feel like you're in a dry spell is because of...you.

Remember the Israelites back in the Old Testament? They had to wander around the desert, not because God wasn't speaking, and not because they didn't hear a word from Him, but because of their unbelief and disobedience.

Fast forward to Jesus. He said, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

The next verse lets us in on the secret to the living water, "By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive." John 7:38, 39

When we feel that we are in a dry spell and can describe our walk with Jesus as quiet, dry, uneventful, unproductive, and simply at a time when we neither learn nor desire to learn, this my friend, is not of the Spirit, but of us.

It is a red flag, a sign for us to check ourselves.

Here are some tips to staying out of the desert!

1. Humble yourself before the Lord and consider what confession you might need to make. Are you meeting with Him? Are you aware of His presence? Are you walking in habitual sin? Are you reading His word?

2. Begin afresh the discipline of quieting yourself with Christ sometime during the day and making it a point to humble yourself to His Spirit within you. He never stops working. We are the ones who gauge His work based on how we feel.

3. Get your face back in the Word and go to it with expectancy and respect. It will judge your thoughts and minds and motives, but will also teach you, encourage you, and give you insight and discernment that you just don't have all by your onesie.

4. Ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit to come again! Ask Him to bring that water regardless of your situation or circumstance. He is LIFE! He is the living water and He will be faithful!

5. Get others involved. Find a friend that will ask you if you have made your relationship with Christ your number one priority. Those friends are priceless, and are fun to shop with.



Now, are you in a "dry place"? I challenge you to take a good look at yourself and realize that our God is never far and certainly never with holds good to those who seek His face. Go back to the living water right now!!

Go Run Around the Blog-o-sphere!

Gooooood day! It's sunny, it's hot, and I can't seem to keep a pace on this blog. Oh well, whatev.


Now, here's the deal. When I'm not being a fun lovin' blogger over here, I'm writing over at The Internet Cafe, which I did yesterday, so hustle over there and see what I had to say! Hey! All that rhymed! (BTW, I think I blogged on this topic over here last week, you know, the shower one?) No? Well, go read it!

Once you get done with that, I need your help over at Stiletto Army. Until I can get my brain on for a new full length study, I have asked my readers to give me Questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I'm asking you to join the conversation today. Just go ask a question and over the next two months I'll answer as many as I can, m'kay?



Great!.... now go!

To Big D

Friday, Kim and I jumped in her car and headed to Big D for another Single Mom's Conference. Before we got out of town, however, we had to swing by and pick up someone we didn't know to ride with us. *Gasp!* What were we going to do!? Girlfriend time cut short by a stranger!

Grumble, grumble.

But, God had something else in store.

We booted Kim's kids out of the car at a friends house, had about 7 minutes to ourselves before picking up the interferer of our three hour trip to Dallas.

Lemme back up.

The lady going with us was apparently a "somebody" in the greater OKC metro area. Over the four or five days prior to Friday we had three people tell us how amazing she was and how blessed we would be to have her ride with us. Yeah, yeah, but what about our gossip, er girl time? Was she going to blow that for us?

By Thursday night, we were both convinced that God wanted this lady to ride with us. We drove up in her drive way and waited in anticipation for her to come out. There she was. Smiling brunette with bright red lipstick carrying her dress bag, a over night bag and a huge purse/briefcase/holds everything, covered in all the silver bling she had in her jewelry box.

We made our introductions and off we went!

By the time we had decided we needed an iced coffee, we liked her. It doesn't take long for Kim and Natalie to size someone up and decide if they are "in". Truth be told, we're not that picky! ;)

Oh, the chatter that ensued. Each of us gave our life story "in a nutshell" and we ooed and awed over God's goodness and all the stuff he had brought us through. We figured out at least five things the other person loves and decided that Kim and I like saying our new friends full name rather than just her first name. Here's why: Cynthia Huffmeyer.

Go ahead, say it out loud. Cynthia Huffmeyer. For some reason we just liked calling her by her full name because that's how cool she was.

She asked us if we were up to stopping anywhere on the way, you know, like shopping? Uh, yes, who isn't? WE HAVE NO BABIES! OF COURSE WE WILL STOP ANYWHERE FOR HOWEVER LONG WE LIKE! YEAH!!!! THANK YOU JESUS!

We found this place called "Cloverleaf" in the rockin' town of Ardmore, OK. Ohmyword. It is the most darling, fun, eccentric store I have ever been in. It took us about 30 minutes just to wander around once. I found out there that neither Kim or Cynthia Huffmeyer like anything to do with owls. Even the cute stitched ones or fun necklaces. Well, I don't care. I still like little hoot owls. So, neah, neah, neah.

Off we go, onward to Dallas. By this time it's about 103 outside and we decided we were getting hungry. We all agreed that the only thing we would not eat together was Indian food. So, Chili's it was.

With all this fun, our three hour trip turned into five. I mean, what can we say, good laughs and good food will slow anyone down.

Just to keep the fun going, we stopped at Sam Moon in Frisco, TX and found that you can kill a good hour and a half looking at necklaces, purses, ear rings, hats, rings, bags, and all things Texas contemplating if you should buy your good friend Cindy Beall anything that has the horns on it and bring back as a souvenir so that she would know she was loved. (was that sentence too long? ohwell)

We left there with our new purses and new necklaces and grabbed a quick bite with my sister in law, Summer and her darling baby boy who I could eat up with some chocolate icing. Mercy, he's cute. Go ahead, click over there to see him.

Ran to the hotel. YEAH HOTEL!! No kids....YEAH HOTEL!!! No hubs....boo. But, a hotel with your BFF is mighty fun. Change clothes, re-apply deodorant, eye make-up, and lips and pile back into the 188 degree car and head to minister for a bit.

Back to the hotel after a late night pizza. Garlic chicken pizza. That will give you some serious bad breath in the morning! Speaking of morning. There I was getting ready. Standing at the sink, I reached for my contacts. I put my contacts in and then, no biggy, had to take the right one out and wash it off again. It was giving me some fits. Felt gooey and both my eyes felt real tired. Figured that I was going to be fighting my contacts all day based on first entry.

Few minutes later I hear Kim say, "Hey, have you seen my contacts."

"Um, no."

slight pause... "Wait"

I walked around back around toward the TV where I had put my contacts the night before.

You see what happened. I was prancing around with Kim's contacts in! No wonder they felt a little 'off'. I told her later that there was a Biblical concept in this story somewhere. I'll find it. Oh... I'll find it.

Fast forward to the trip home. After some fun-lovin' fellowshippin' with Pam Kanaly and Shelley Pulliam of Arise Ministries over some hot brownie and ice cream, the three of us piled in for the ride home. More talking and Cynthia Huffmeyer done pulled out some Bible study on us when I began asking her about speaking in tongues. Oh mercy, that was THE BEST teaching I have ever heard on the topic and I'm not a tongue-speaker, but I might be now that I heard that!

We talked all the way to Oklahoma non-stop. We laughed and, well, I was going to say cried, but no one did, but we could have if we had kept talking about how much I loved Christmas. Oh, December, you are too far away.

We made it home safely and said our good-byes to our new found friend and forced mentor and teacher. I can't wait to get to know her better. Next time we go on a road trip, we might tuck Cynthia Huffmeyer in our little pocket to give us a Word from the Lord when we need her.

*Sigh* It's Hot

I know this blog has been pretty sparse lately, but, well, um, I'm busy. Okay, I'm not that busy, but if feels like when it's summer you're supposed to just watch things to by and that's what I've been doing with this blog.

Don't get me wrong, I love blogging, I just seem to love not blogging more right now. Weird, I know. What I'm going to have to do is write down some of the topics I want to write about and then maybe when I sit down I can just let something flow from my little list of topics.

For example:

Popsicles--How many Popsicles can kids eat this summer?
Heat--How hot can it get before it kills us in mid-walk?
Food--Endless possibilities here.
Sun tanning--why does the top half of my body tan better than the bottom?
Swimming--I'll have to go to get more stories
Family--there's enough right there to fill days!

See, my blogging ideas are being slowed by the heat and lack of activity. Guess I need to get to the pool so I can get some more stories. Oh man, that means I have to get back in to a bathing suit.

eewww

Swimming at 35

I went swimming yesterday, and well, let's just say this body ain't what it used to be.

We arrived to see a four foot pool wrapped up with a nice, high fence. Already I like it. More than that, the pool was tucked away in the woods of Oklahoma on some land that only the airmen from the local air base could see in, that is, if they looked out the AWACS as it flew over.

However, this was no ordinary four foot pool. No, this one came with a 10 foot slide. Do you know how many years it's been since I went down a water slide? Let me rephrase. Do you know how many pounds it's been since I went down a water slide? About 20. Years too. But, I couldn't resist.

First one: by myself, on my butt. wee!!
Second one: I grabbed Monkey, we went down, I flopped the left side of my face on the water as we hit so her face wouldn't go in. But... it did. Sorry Monkey.

Oh, there were more.

This pool belong to my friend Janna's in-laws, so she knows the ropes of this slide. We're bobbin' around in the water, looking like moms, loving on Monkey in her little floaty, when the kids want us to try the "on-your-back-head-first-into-the-water-slide".

"Oh kids, we can't do that!" Well, Janna did.

I watched her climb the stairs, step onto the platform, sit down and begin the yoga moves to, first, get backward, and then second, lie back. A few adjustments with the swimsuit, a few wiggles of the hiney, slowly lie down and...

"AHHHH!!" squeeeeek! ooph! splash!

I laughed so hard watching her come down that slide! Of course, we watch the wee ones slide down gleefully into the water, and our inner spirits, our inner us who doesn't age, figures we can do the same thing.

nar nar

Janna decides I need a turn. "Oh, no. Really. I'm watching the baby."

Up the stairs I go. Sit down. Turn around. Pick a bale of cotton.

The sitting down was the easy part. Luckily, some other older person was thinking because there were some handles on either side of the slide to grip on to. I held tight and leaned back slowly. Seeing as how it was a slide that faced east and the sun was at about 10:45, it was beaming down as to taunt me and to make fun of me and to throw me a curve. Not only was I trying to lie on my back, head first down a slide, I couldn't see a darn thing.

I flattened onto the slide, stretched my arms as far as they could go, craned my neck around to see if I could get one more look. Cutting through the sunlight was a few bobbing heads in the glittering water. Janna yells, "Come on, Nat! You can do it!"

My life, well, more like my day flashed before my eyes. If I got hurt how was I going to get home? What if I busted my back at the end of the slide and bruised? What if I just looked stupid? Well, that was a given.

Another voice, "You have to let go!"

Right.

At this point, my body is practically half way down, so letting go is simply letting gravity take the rest of me into the pool. I do it.

I remember screaming, "Oh, help me Jesus!" as my body skidded a little where the water couldn't quite make it up the side of the slide, then I bounced, er flopped off the end, and went flailing into the water.

Now, here's the thing. Had I done that same thing at, oh 15 or even 18 years of age, I doubt I would have "felt" the entire experience. The body just doesn't really behave like my spirit wants it to. It hurt a little and I'm sure I looked like what I thought I looked like, but hey, what's a little bump and loss of dignity when you're having fun!

Next time, I'll do it again, and then maybe try something crazy like handstands under water.

Little Monkey and Her Words

You'll have to excuse me for a minute. You see, I used to be a scrapbooker, but seein' as how I'm about eight years behind, I thought I'd use my blog to, at least, put something down in writing and attach a picture that has to do with my youngest.

However, there will only be one picture here because this particular post is simply for my own posterity and so I will have this written down for quick reference and moments to go "Ahh."

My Monkey is 18 months old now. She is absolutely the light of this little family. Funny, charming, and full of words. So, you don't have to read all of these, but I wanted to get down what she has already learned. Ready?

Go!

hello, bye, nigh-night, hug, cold, hot, dog, cat, puppy, gorilla, eat, snack, drink, water, coke, more, bite, up, down, spider, swing, drive, keys, door, blankey, passy, cracker, cookie, zip, shoes, socks, bath, teeth, pee pee, daddy, mommy, Paigey, Piper, now, come'ere, walk, bubbles, eew, no-no, yes, mouth, eye, brow, nose, hair, ear, toes, belly, button, outside, cheese, eggs, milk, Lucy, color, book, dad, mom, apple, please, go, birdy, feet, tickle, bonk, jump, granddad, hotdog, trash, ball, pretty, popscicle "pop".

I think that covers it. She can pretty much repeat words we say, but these are the words she knows.

There, I feel better as a mom by keeping up with my little one's achievements and actually putting this down in writing. Does everyone feel better now too?

I'm a Coward

I'm not easily startled. Not like Pastor JT and we all know what it looks like when he gets startled.

But, being startled is not the same as being afraid. And being afraid is not the same as being cowardly.

My oldest daughter is afraid of storms. I'm not. There are things I could work a real good fear up over, but I won't go there. But, being a coward, well, that doesn't sit as easily as being afraid. It's like with the word "afraid" there is something in us that could muster up some resolve, some courage and see ourselves through. Being cowardly, well, that's just spineless and weak.

Webster's says this about "afraid"
1 : filled with fear or apprehension
2 : filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation
3 : having a dislike for something

And this about "coward"
--one who shows disgraceful fear or timidity

Yep, there's a difference. A coward carried disgrace. Being afraid is simply a feeling.

I have been both, but if I take a good look, I have been, and am, a coward when it comes to certain things. I don't want to be that way. I don't like that characteristic, that flaw. It's so not Jesus.

As my fellow bloggers and Christ followers, pray that I would be bold, not cowardly. Pray that I would have dignity and honor, not disgrace. Pray that I do the things Christ calls us to do.

I remind myself...there is no fear in love.

Where We Can Get Our Power!

Whoo! Yesterday's post had some GREAT comments! I so appreciate everyone's wisdom and knowledge and insight concerning what power our words have...or don't have. :)


With that said, I do want to say this:


I totally believe, with all my heart, that the power of the spoken Word of God in my life is an undeniable truth and absolutely necessary in my life as a Christ Follower.

Whether that be a direct quote I use, or when I use it in concept, the Word of God is the most powerful weapon in my life.

I also believe in the power of positive words, regardless if they are scripture or not. Some of you commented about what comes out of your mouth and how it affects you mentally and even into your every day outcomes. I totally agree. If I'm a Debby Downer, there's no way much of what I want to happen will happen. In contrast, if I'm a positive thinker and speak positively, there are real physical and mental affects going on.

What I was getting at yesterday is that many take that last concept too far and think they can will things in their life simply by saying it over and over.

With that being said.... :) I go back to the power and the authority of they Word of God. Speaking it in my life, over the lives of those around me and over my own life will, in turn, have incredible power to alter my life.

Many of you commented on that yesterday too. What awesome power comes from the Word of God! Sheri Y said in her comment that what we speak is about faith not what we actually say, but she went on to say that what we speak must be of the Word of God and what is in our hearts will flow out of our mouths.

We must have our faces in the Word of God and our hearts humbled to the leading of the Spirit to know what to say and when to say it. Our hearts will speak the abundance in it! So, what do you want your heart to say? Just whatever is in it? Or, do you want to speak the Word of God with authority in you life?

The Bible says that the Word is in our mouth and in our heart so that we can obey it. (Romans 10:8) We, however, must take it to our mouths through our time spent with Christ and reading of His Word.

There is the power of what comes out of our mouths to move mountains, get set free from stongholds, defeat the enemy, and rise up in strength in Christ!

Yea Baby!

What Power Do We Have?

There is a theme I hear among followers of Christ. It's more of a belief system that I'm struggling with. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this...well...after I give mine. :)

Okay, I often hear conversations that might go something like this:

"I really would like to find a new house, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. Oh, I shouldn't say that! No, I believe we we'll find a house and I receive it. I don't want to speak against it out loud."

There are a host of other ways I've heard this. When people mention that they would hate it if one of their kids got hurt, but if they say that out loud they believe their words might actually cause it to happen.

And there's the opposite. I've heard many people speak out loud the good things they want from a situation hoping that what they say will influence their reality.

I find this a bit unsettling. As believers we are to speak truth as well as speak well of people, things, and situations. We are also taught to guard our tongue, watch our tone, be careful of our speech, but I am yet to find in the context of the entire Word of God a teaching that substantiates the idea that our words, good or bad, can influence the outcome of our future.

We simply do not hold that kind of power. If we did, then we could take it as far as to say we can create our future.

If someone says, "Man, I hope one my kids doesn't get hurt," and in return someone else says, "Oh, don't say that because you don't want to speak bad things into your life," they are, in essence, telling them that they have the ability to speak forth what they want or don't want even if what they don't want is spoken forth on accident.

This, my friend, is impossible.

I do not have the power to create. Only God does. Can I pray that my children will be protected? Yes. Can I pray that God would provide all that I need and even some of what I want? Yes. Can I read the Word of God, see the promises and claim them in my own life? Yes.

Can I speak these things into existence, or out of existence with my own words? No.

According to the Word of God, controlling our tongue is a mark of wisdom (see James 3). A mark of foolishness then would be an out of control, sinful, and damaging tongue. We are admonished to tame our tongues, control our speech, but not admonished to control our future.

I can believe lots of things and can claim them as the will of God and therefore "speak" it, but unless I have some sort of Biblical foundation for that I believe we should not be so quick to take the reigns of power and assume we control as much.

Romans 4:17 says that God is the one who "gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." We, however, are only granted power of God in and through His Holy Spirit, but we do not hold the power of God to alter what we want or don't want. We do have the honor to take all things before Him who holds the power and pray in His will, but ultimately, He holds the power.

Honestly, I'm glad I don't have such a futuristic influence. I want to share in God's power for the things on earth, but I don't want to think that I can influence things on my word. This, however, does not mean that I get to say whatever I want without repercussions. That's why the Bible teaches that the tongue holds the power to life and death (Proverbs 18:21). What I speak, to people, can bring heartache or hope, pain or pleasure, weakness or strength, ugliness or uplifting.

We must read the Word in it's entire context, watch for the consistency of teaching and then lay claim to what is true and real. In this topic, I believe our tongue can hold the power of life and death in it's affect on others and ourselves, but not the power to create or destroy our future.

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What say you?

I'm Not Really Sure How it Spread

Last week my sweet little Monkey broke out with, what looked like, a couple of canker sores. Poor sugar, didn't want to eat and grabbed at her mouth when she did eat. I tried to get a good look in there, but being one and a half, she didn't really get the whole, "Baby, open your mouth and let me see." She just kept showing me her front teeth.

Well, about the same time, Goose had some sores in her mouth. She's not a complainer, so I had no idea how bad it probably really was. The next day, we're with my mom and she's telling me about a new restaurant she tried. Some sort of foreign food, I can't remember. Well, her mouth starts hurting, you know, like a hot coffee burn on your tongue. Manageable, but still, yowza!

That was, oh, Wednesday.

Thursday, we were back over there doing a project at her house and she starts talking about her mouth and tongue again. She is really hurting. She tells me that the pain is all down the side of her tongue and she can't eat and can hardly talk. She digs out a Loritab, pops that sucker, and decides she better go to one of those stand alone hospital things that helps a poor person with burning tongue issues.

We weren't real keen on her driving after popping the pill so I loaded her up and take her in. While I waited, I enjoyed a few minutes of the movie Eragon and realized that my nails are partially painted. Nice.

She came out with about fourteen different pieces of paper and the news that she has some sort of ulcer break out. eeewww.

Y'all, this was serious pain. Not just "Oh, it feels like a coffee burn. " but more like, "Dang! This hurts like nothin' else!" Oh, I was feeling for her.

Now, as she was talking to me about this after her doctor's visit, I had the strange sensation that my tongue was feeling a bit sorry for her and wanted to "carry the burden." I shook it off as my imagination and just kept going. Funny, my imagination didn't let up...oh no...

I told the hubs that my tongue felt weird, but didn't tell my mom, and we headed home leaving mom to her Loritab and cottage cheese.

Next day, no biggy. Nothing hurt, nothing felt weird, so I went on my merry way to the Single Mom's Conference I was serving at. I had a job to do! I was the Power Point Queen for the Conference. Thankyouverymuch. My mad clickity-click skills kept the worship team from forgetting their words and added spice to the main speaker. I felt so techy.

However...

Sitting there Friday night, all of the sudden, and I mean all. of. the. sudden. my tongue starts to hurt. It feels just like eating something too hot and feeling it the next day. Totally felt like I had burned my tongue, but for the life of me I couldn't remember eating something, wincing and grabbing at my mouth or say, "Dang! That's hot!" Nope, nothing comes to mind.

I kept to my post at the computer and didn't move even though my tongue was protesting my job. I stayed the course!

As soon as I could find I mirror I stuck out my tongue at myself and eeewww, there were three or four little white bumps on my tongue! Gross! Those pencil tip sized bumps hurt like a banchee! I sent my mom a text knowing she could literally "feel my pain." I was even tempted to run to her house, swish down some of her prescriptions and get back to the conference. But, I didn't.

Need less to say, I didn't get it near as bad as my poor mom, but I did get much sympathy and ice cream.

So, for the last couple of days, my whole family has been kissing on the cheek like we're Italians and trying very hard not to share drinks, forks, and spit. Some how, Boog and JT both missed the pain. And that tells you that the Hubs has not been getting any good kisses lately. He's not sad. :)

I think it has run it's course, so we'll all get back to sharing drinks, utensils and kisses. That will be nice, now won't it?

I've Changed

"You take one of my babies and the deal's off!"

A few years ago I stood in my shower and threatened God, or at least I thought I did, that if anything happened to one of my kids I would walk away. I literally thought that if the worst of my fears actually came true, I would blame Him and never talk to Him again. I was that afraid. I lived in a a state of fear; fear that He would take one of my children and if He did, so help me God because no one else would be able to.

I would worry, and sometimes go into sheer panic, if someone else was driving the car with them in it. I just knew that if I wasn't with them, that would be the time something went wrong. I reasoned that even if something did go wrong and I was there, well, at least I was there. I was terrified that something awful would happen.

I had the same experience with Him a few years earlier when it came to my husband. I figured that one way for me to be "forced" into getting closer to God and having the "real me" exposed would be if I faced my worst fears. I cried and cried, again in the shower, to God that I didn't want to get any closer to Him if it meant I would lose someone. I figured the results I heard that come from suffering were not ones I was willing to suffer for.

All in all, it was a twisted thought life stemmed from my grandparents being ripped from our family in a deadly plane crash when I was thirteen. Somehow those emotions were capitalized on and the Enemy had a hay day. Fear set in like cement and put a rock solid belief system in me that took the sledge hammer of truth to set me free from.

Just yesterday, I was on the porch. I had my head leaned back and I was looking up at the clouds. It was a moment, just between me and Him. I remembered my threat in the shower and realized at that moment, I didn't think that way anymore. I could actually play out my worst fear and now He is my first thought. He is the one who would see me through such a terrible thing. I would have it no other way.

I've been set free from fear. I can now say that if the worst happened, I believe, in the end He would still be my God and I would still be His beloved.

There is no fear in love. There may be pain, but there is no fear.

"That's Like a Dollar an Hour!" Napoleon Dynamite

I decided to make a little money. I mean, I have a lot of little nick-nacks and junk that surely other people would want to purchase. Honestly, who doesn't want a little snowman mini-cookie jar that would only fit about four Oreo's?

What about a sweet, nearly new copy of Top Gun on VHS? Come on, that's a good deal! There was also some sort of material I found that I used to cover my piano with once. Old wine glasses, partially used candles, one pair of shoes, used florescent lights (with bulbs!) and a weed eater that doesn't work.

So, I hauled out all this out to my drive way, not my garage, because I don't like people nosing around in my garage when the stuff in there isn't marked with a price tag, for the love....

A couple of tables were all set up in my living room for a quick and easy move outside. Item's marked, coffee brewed, change in pocket, BRING ON THE SHOPPERS!

"chirp, chirp" (crickets, you get the idea)

I seriously think I sat through the lamest garage sale I have ever given. Not only that, but hurricane force winds decided to blow in and blow over and shatter one, count 'em, one of said wine glasses from a wedding gift, twelve years ago, candlesticks included.

Oh, a few people came and bought some stuff. Poor things, when they were riding away, all I wanted to yell as I was waving was, "Sucker!" But, I didn't because that would be rude, and I needed them to keep driving away with their new stuff.

I did get a hug from one lady visit from a near-by city. She was nice. We're best friends now. I forget her name, but she was nice. Visiting her sister, you see. She bought a plastic 3-drawer unit thing. Thanks. That's three dollars.

Hey! There's some people! Dang, they speak Spanish and I feel like a ninny. "Um, sure," I say, so eloquently. "You're baby is lovely." And there they go with toy and baby swing.

More wind, more coffee, no money. Some came by and chit-chatted about the wind and all the other sales around the area. Others didn't say a word and just looked over the items and silently walked back to their cars without a "Hello" or "Have a nice day," but most people were nice enough.

One guy had on a shirt that said, "Bimbo," and I'm not sure if it was an insult or a soccer shirt. Still wondering. Others had on shorts, t-shirts, skirts, flip-flops, hats and still others needed to be on an episode of "What Not to Wear" (myself included).

All in all it was pretty lousy. I made fifty bucks. Yep, fifty. At noon, I loaded all my stuff back up in boxes, drug in the tables and chalked it up as "one of those days" and swore "I'll never do this again." The upside? I made fifty bucks and got a little sun.

Now, what to do with all this junk....