Precious

I just stumbled upon this, and it is too sweet not to share.


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Penguins and People

1 Peter 3:3-4

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Apparently, this penguin began suffering from feathers molting about a year ago. Not only did Belle's loss of feathers make her unable to swim and keep warm, but the condition also caused her to be ostracized by the other penguins.  This is interesting to me.  People do the same thing; we tend to ostracize those who look, act, live, differently than we do.  We determine who we think fits into our lives, and we tend to look differently at everyone else.  I have always known that we do this as humans, though it may be wrong.  I would never have thought that birds... let alone penguins... would be guilty of the same thing! 

Finally in April, Singapore's Bird park avian keepers put a wet suit on the penguin.   The wet suit was made especially for Belle, and I think it looks great on her!  It will help her grow feathers again, and in the meantime, it helps her swimming ability!

Full story and photos from here

1 Samuel 16:7

"...Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Man's Best Friend

The following photos are of dogs that have been used in war.  They are incredibly touching, and even though they are so cute, some of the pictures touch me so deeply that they almost make me tear up!

All these pictures are from here

Rain, Rain....

And, this is how I feel today.  Is the rain ever going to stop?!   :)

Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

How I feel right now.

Goodnight!

Fun for your Friday

I don't know whose dog this is, but she is precious!  



Thankfully, it is getting too warm for booties here... finally!  But we may have to get some for Lady before next winter.

Almost FRIDAY

Too Precious Not to Share

Chill Out

Exodus 33:14- The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Photo from here

Saturday Salutes

Here are some favorite posts I stumbled upon throughout the week!

To ring in the new month, head on over to Leelou blogs and download one of her precious desktop themes.  It is what I am using right now, and it makes me feel nice and springy each time I look at it!

I love this homemade key holder, and the designer lays out such detailed instructions on how to make it.  He use items that most people have around their house, so there is no need to buy anything to make the flower.  It makes a great last minute gift too!  You can view Mark Montano's blog for even more fun and easy crafting ideas. 

And if these pictures do not make you smile, you must have had a REALLY bad week.  The smiling pig is just irresistible!  If only one picture is not enough to cheer you up, head over here to see 69 more.

And, I hope you use your Saturday to do exactly this:

I always knew Boston Terriers were smart. 

If you enjoy writing (creative writing, journaling, etc.), this may be a fun site to kill some time on.  At oneword.com, each time you click "go," a new word will appear at the top of the screen, and the site gives you exactly 60 seconds to write about the word, or thoughts it evokes.  It is a fun challenge, and keeps you thinking on your toes!  And outside the box.  

This kitchen is ADORABLE!!!! I want it!  Simple click here for more inspiration galleries. 

And, in your new kitchen, you can try making this strawberry bread.  I made it last night, with a recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.  Strawberry bread is not something I would normally think to make, but I had a lot of strawberries that were almost overripe.  I hated to let them go to waste!  

Strawberry bread, recipe adapted from here

1 1/2 C fresh strawberries

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 C white sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 eggs

***I did not use pecans, simply because I did not have any on hand***

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, slice strawberries, and sprinkle with white sugar.  Set aside.

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.  

Add vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs to the strawberry slices.

Add the strawberry mixture to the flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are moistened.

(If you used pecans, add them now.)

Pour the batter into a loaf pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes.

The bread can be served warm or cold.  It also tastes good with Cool Whip on top!  :) 

It Take Two

These puppies are absolutely adorable.



Almost as adorable as mine!

And while we are on the subject, here is a great article that was in The Tennessean yesterday.  These puppies were brought from Warren County to the State Fairgrounds (literally across the street from where I work)on Tuesday.  Vets and volunteers came to the fairgrounds to treat, feed, and love on the 120 dogs that had been abused and neglected at a puppy mill.  I assume that once the dogs are nursed to health, they will be available for adoption.  Anyone in the market for a puppy that needs a little TLC?

It's a Zoo Out There

Last weekend we had BEAUTIFUL weather here in Middle Tennessee.  B-E-A-UTIFUL!   Andrew and I decided to take a little day trip to Chattanooga to visit the aquarium.  Although I had already been several times, Andrew had never seen it, so it sounded like something fun to do together.

Here are my favorite things at the aquarium, in no particular order:

The big blue birds (macaws?) that always seem to be screaming at each other.

Photo from here

 The butterflies.  Specifically the ones that are black with the pink, yellow, and white on their wings.
The penguins.  They are so unbelievably adorable.  But the aquarium penguins did not have sweaters on. 

Photo from here

The otters.  Unfortunately, they were asleep when we went, so Andrew did not get to watch them play!
The seahorses.  They have to be some of the coolest creatures... ever.

Since the actual aquarium otters were sleeping at the time of our visit, here is a precious little stand- in. 

photo from here

Of course, it goes without saying that my very favorite part of the aquarium was spending the day with Andrew, who also happened to be the cutest thing I saw there... even cuter than the penguins.   

:) 

A Little Birdie Told Me

The coolest thing happened to me today. I got to work early, so I spent a few minutes sitting in my car preparing for my day. Mostly, I was just avoiding getting out of my warm car and stepping out to the freezing morning air. I have a little Bible that I keep in my purse. Honestly, I hardly ever use it, but I felt compelled to read it during my last few minutes of solace before starting my day.

In the middle of reading, I looked up, and a little bird was sitting on the side-view mirror of the passengers' side of my car. Staying very still so that I would not scare him away, I watched him for a moment. He looked straight at me, and I felt sure that he would fly away, frightened. He did not. Instead, he maintained his easy perch on my mirror. I finally pulled out my camera and began to take a few pictures for my mom, who loves birds.

This particular bird was not necessarily pretty. He was just a little, brown bird. A passerby probably would not have taken a second glance at the little guy; however, after watching him for a minute or two, I began to understand how truly beautiful he was. He did not seem concerned, nor did he seem agitated or nervous. On the contrary, he seemed completely content. To look at this bird, one would think that all was right with the world; that there was nothing to worry; that there was nothing to fear or fret; no appointments to schedule; no important places to go or people to see.

This is what I had been reading seconds before the bird made my window his temporary resting place:

Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

If ever I needed affirmation that I serve a God who loves me, who is aware of all of my struggles, who knows the secrets of my heart, who heals the broken places in my life, who supplies all my needs, I received it this morning. I do not remember the last time that God spoke to me as profoundly as He did this morning. I do not remember the last time I felt so loved, cherished, and singled out among all creation as I did this morning.

Here are some pictures of my morning miracle...