Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Do you feel like a disciple?

If David is a man after God's own heart then Peter is a man after mine! Peter reminds me we all fail and make mistakes. I'm feel like a Peter most days. Are you a Peter too?

In Matthew 22, here comes Jesus walking on the water. The disciples in the boat thought he was a spirit and were afraid. Peter pipes up "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Jesus said "Come." Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. Peter paid more attention to the wind around him than the Savior in front of him! He began to sink and cried for Jesus to save him. Jesus caught him saying "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" When they were back in the boat, the winds ceased.

Yep, I'm definitely feeling like Peter. I get distracted by things Jesus has full control of, cry out to him when my faith should believe his promises and then, I wonder why I ever doubted when He calms my storm. Poor Peter. He told Jesus he would never forsake him and later denied he even knew who he was, not once but three times. Jesus knew all these things about Peter and still changed his name from Simon to Peter which means "rock". Peter made a lot of messes but he was still instrumental in starting the church of the living God.

Peter's life shows us God is faithful to forgive. He sees our potential more than our faults.  Peter reminds us Jesus' disciples were humans, just like us, who put their trust in a Savior.  Peter was a friend, follower and disciple of Jesus. Am I a Peter? Are you a Peter? I sure hope so!

Can't walk on water,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

How to Decorate Cookies for Halloween


I started my own business with The Pampered Chef in August 2014. I'm so excited to be with this awesome company. I have known my Director for years. She's such a sweet person. I love working with her. My first month my commission check was $600 (for maybe 10-12 hours of work), I won the Stir Fry Set ($169), got $200 Pampered Chef Dollars to spend on products, a necklace and charm, numerous recognition and made new friends! I've never been happier working. I can show you how to have this much fun too! Start your own business today for $99. Join my team here.

I digress. That had nothing to do with decorating cookies! Here's the info you're looking for...
CREEPY CRAWLY COOKIES

Get caught in a web of delicious decorating with a technique that’s perfect to use on the All-Occasion Cookie. Just frost the cookies with white icing then draw a swirl pattern on top with black-tinted icing, starting in the center and working outward. Using the tester end of the Cake Tester & ReleasingTool, start at the center point and drag it outward through the icing to the edge of the cookie. Repeat this process around the entire cookie until you weave your web.

The perfect cookie icing technique (this makes enough for about 3 dozen cookies): Whisk ¾ cup milk, ½ cup plus 1 tbsp light corn syrup and 1 tsp Double-StrengthVanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add 10 cups powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time if icing is too thick or too thin. Place ½ cup of icing in a separate bowl and mix in ½ tsp black food coloring. Transfer tinted icing to the Decorator Bottle with writing tip.
Place cookies on a Stackable Cooling Rack with waxed paper underneath to catch drippings. Dollop a Medium Scoop-sized amount of white icing onto each cookie and allow it to spread. Immediately create the web with black icing using the technique described above.



For more than a dozen more Halloween treat ideas, visit my Pinterest page "Pampered Chef Halloween Ideas".

Have fun my little pretties,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

How Disney's FROZEN Teaches Us to Love Each Other

disney's frozen
We took four generations to see Disney's Frozen on Ice this past weekend in Nashville, TN.

The show was great! The music was awesome and an ice rink really sets the mood! Before we left, we were frozen. The trip was well worth the minimal discomfort though. The sweet ending just makes you feel good. Kudos to my mom for bringing a fleece wrap.

If you've seen the movie, you'll understand that "Everyone is a bit of a fixer upper..." If you haven't seen the movie, watch this video.  I missed the powerful message of the song "Fixer Upper" the first and second time I watched the movie. The song sank in this weekend.

Jesus sings this song to everyone of us. "You can fix this fixer upper with a little bit of love." It's so true. We all have flaws, shortcomings and imperfections; sinners. The only thing that can bring us together is love. We all make bad choices. We all need each other. Love brings out our best!

I John 4:8 says "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Jesus is our fixer upper. Psalm 57:7 says "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." If you're thinking about giving up on someone, DON'T! Simply love them more! Jesus doesn't give up on us. He understands we need a little fixing up. Because ......

The only fixer upper fixer
that can fix a fixer upper is
True
True
True
True
Love!

Everyone is worth melting for!
With a warm heart,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Diet or Lifestyle?

So many people in my hometown have been on a diet craze or a lifestyle" change with a certain program. I'll admit I'm a member of the program too but haven't been a loyal follower. Does this sound familiar in our walk with God too? I belong to Him but I'm not a faithful follower?

Here's some brief comparisons between a diet for the body and a diet for the soul/spirit:

Overweight is bad for the body. Overweight or weighted down with burden and care are also bad for the soul.

Excessive fat and sugar are bad for our bodies. They cause diabetes, weight gain, heart disease and high blood pressure.  Eating unhealthy, sinful, spiritual food causes strife, envy, discord and separation from God.
  • Eating bad food for the body adds weight and manifests in your appearance. Do you get pimples when you eat chocolate or dark circles under your eyes when you drink cola?
  • Same thing happens to our spirit when we continue to sin.  Smiles turn into frowns, politeness turns to rudeness and your spirit dries up or dehydrates from the lack of Living Water.

Body mass index (BMI) measures height and weight to calculate an optimum state for our body.  I think someone should create an SMI or soul mass index which measures how our spirits measure up.  We could use Galatians 5:22-23 as our measuring stick.

 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,   23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We can’t look in the mirror and see our health statistics.  A doctor has to measure our blood pressure, glucose, iron levels, cholesterol and so on. But I'll guarantee a bad SMI is written all over our faces. People can see if Christ is living in us by our fruits.  Do you display love, joy and peace?  Do you offer longsuffering, gentleness and goodness?

We know when we should visit a doctor. Why do we put it off? We put it off doing because it will cost us something.  It’s the same way with our Christian lives, it costs us some discomfort to live for Christ.  It’s easier to say yes and eat the poison!

Doesn't It feel good to step on the scale and be rewarded for a job well done.  "You lost 3 lbs" is sweet to the ear and encouraging to the organs.  Your heart smiles, your liver says whew and your kidneys thank you for keeping them wet!  All of a sudden, we are glad we didn't eat the Oreos or the ice cream.  God pats us on the back too when we follow him and his ways. I love it when I get blessed by God.  It’s better than weight loss!  

Remember this:  Christianity is not a diet! It is not something that is just followed when you need to see results.  Christianity is a lifestyle. It must be lived every day because you are the result!

Do you feel weighted down? Let Jesus lighten your load!

Overweight but not weighted down,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Saturday, September 27, 2014

An "Allergy" Word from our Family

made up language
Welcome to fall allergy season! I'm not sure what is in the air but my sinus holes feel like they've had a wedge driven into them. How are you feeling?. My granddaughter had her first unwell baby doctor visit Monday. Ten months without an ear infection or runny nose. That's impressive. I'm hoping that means her immune system is a good one. Her mom, my husband and my daughter are sick with it too. I worry most about my husband with his already compromised respiratory problems. Please say a pray for him.

Allergies even affect poor ole Herm dog. Steve gave him a steroid shot this week. Seems like every spring and fall he scratches off the hair from his eyebrows after a few hour-long romps in the hay field. See the white patches on his eyes and nose where his hair is coming out. Such a sweet puppy!
dog scratching out hair
My dad's side of our family has respiratory issues. We call it the Parker Curse. My grandfather and two uncles passed with respiratory failure and my aunt passed with lung cancer, all on my dad's side. I've always had severe allergies myself along with many other cousins that suffer like me.
allergy season
I came across our word of the week when visiting with my dad's brother Leonard or Lent as we called him. It's pronounced the way it is written "As-Me". I stopped by his house and ask him how he's feeling and he always replied "My asme's killing me!" Asthma is no laughing matter for folks who have it. Lent was right. His asme took him to the pearly gates almost five years ago. So now, I affectionately refer to asthma as asme in honor of my Uncle Lent. May you rest in peace sweet soul.

If you or your family members suffer from asthma, here are 14 tips to prevent asthma attacks that may help prevent a life-threatening event. Leave me a comment and let me and others know what helps your allergies or things to do to prevent serious effects of asthma.

Breathe freely,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap