Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics this morning are universal, I am sure. At 2:55 p.m. yesterday, my den/family room looked like Pictures #1A and B. Pictures #2A and B were taken this morning as everyone was leaving for a busy day of school and work. (Yes, the kids pick up and put away, etc., but it always amazes me how quickly and effortlessly they can "make a room look lived in.") By the way, this isn't the only room they "explode" in day after day. It's just the only one I chose to share!

CHUCK NORRIS - As promised, I have added a little more Chuck Norris to your day. No need to thank me!

4. Practice makes perfect, but unless you're Chuck Norris, you should stop practicing.

5. Chuck Norris can lick his own elbows... at the same time.

6. Chuck Norris is not politically correct. He is just correct. ALWAYS.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - Answered Prayer

Today I will have to admit to once again limiting God. I was praying for a friend and her child yesterday. I was praying for a very specific outcome to a very specific problem at a very specific time.

I later received a message on my machine from my friend in a sing-song voice saying she needed to talk to me. My day had several unexpected twists and turns, so I was not able to immediately call her back, but the tone of her voice reassured me the outcome to her particular prayer request had been favorable... but I had to wait until last night to find out exact details.

God answered our prayers with a resounding "YES!" But wait, there's more. While I was specifically praying for one particular thing, God showed up and answered Specific Prayers #2 and #3.

And do you know what I said when she told me her story? "Unbelievable." The same exact phrase I used two weeks earlier when my friend, Kim, told me about how God had answered not one, but several prayers in their household.

It is not "unbelievable." It is totally and positively "believable."

The only thing about this little story that is "unbelievable," is the fact I once again was surprised at God's answer. Heavy sigh. "'And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.'" Matthew 21:22. (I have GOT to stop saying "unbelievable" when prayers are answered in such a positive way. My new phrase of choice shall now be, "Well, of course!")

Wednesday Wisdom - The Week of LOVE continues, and I will now share some quotes on marriage with you...

"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person you cannot live without." Anonymous. (Very romantic. This would be a great line in a chick flick, don't you think?)

"A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short." Andre Maurois. (Very sweet and very true.)

"Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry." Anonymous.

"The formula for a happy marriage? It's the same as the one for living in California: when you find a fault, don't dwell on it." Jay Trachman. (Good, good advice.)

Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt

I'm getting many ideas out of my February, 2010 Family Fun magazine this week. This idea comes from Ginny Delaney in Louisville, Kentucky and it is under the "My Great Idea" section of the magazine.

The night before Valentine's Day, I hide ten Hershey's Kisses each for my three kids to find. To make it easy, I assign each child a different wrapper color: red, green or silver. The kids usually track down all their Kisses pretty quickly, so I try to make the hunt interesting by hiding the candy in places they wouldn't think to look.

I'm going to add a couple of VARIATIONS to this little tradition.

VARIATION #1 - Hide the candy in the form of a trail leading to the tenth piece. When the last piece of candy is found, make sure it is on top of a Valentine's Day card OR a small box of candy.

VARIATION #2 - If you want to make this a quick morning devotion, when they find the last piece of candy, have it placed on top of a stack of 3" x 5" index cards. One word will be written on each card, and the cards will be mixed up. As the children figure out the correct order of the words, hand them a Valentine's Day card telling them how much you love them. (The verse the children are unscrambling is "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21. Explain the verse to your child in words they can easily understand and repeat it several times for memorization purposes.)

Have a great (but cold) Wednesday. Tell the people in your life how much you love them today... not once, but several times. "I love you" cannot be repeated enough. If you get a minute, go by the Dollar Store, purchase a little card and drop it in a friend's mailbox or on their front doorstep before they get home from work today. You would love something sweet and encouraging waiting for you when you arrived home after a long day. So would your friend!

Tomorrow I have inspiring Blog Linkage AND a great date. Come back and visit if you get the chance.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda