Man-ificent Monday: New Orleans Saints

In honor of the new NFL Superbowl Champs, the New Orlean Saints (whoooooohooooo), I've decided to feature to more Saint cutie pies...ones I just noticed yesterday during the game.

Darren Sharper (#42)

Word(s) to Describe: Absolutely FINE!!!!

Lance Moore (#16)

Word(s) to Describe: Adorable!!!

Interruption

Geaux Saints!!!!!!! WhoDat! WhoDat! I'm so happy for the city of New Orleans! EXCELLENT job, team!

Ok, continue.

Inspirational Sunday

"Wait on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

Rae's Thought: Last week, I realized that I'm currently in a season of waiting: waiting for my Boaz; for my finances to get better; to have kids; to become a successful entrepreneur and a published author; to finally become Dr. Weakly...the list goes on. It seems like all I'm doing at this time is waiting. During my devotionals, God talked to me about waiting and trusting in Him. He brought to mind two examples - one of someone who didn't wait and one who did.

God had promised Sarah that He would bless her so that she will be the mother of nations. He promised that kings of peoples would come from her. Unfortunately, Sarah got impatient and gave Abraham her maidservant, Hagar, so they could have a son through her. The thing is, God promised Sarah that He'd make her mother of nations, not Hagar. Sarah's impatience cause a lot of unnecessary heartache.

David was a young teen when Samuel anointed him as God's replacement of Saul, the king of Israel, but he didn't see that promise come to pass until years later. Those years weren't exactly easy years either - he faced a giant, dealt with Saul's murderous attempts, went against huge armies, lost his best friend, was always on the run from his enemies - but David kept waiting. Even during his reign, he waited on and trusted God, proving that he clearly deserved the title, "man after God's own heart".

Have you ever had to wait on God? Not always an easy thing to do, is it? Sometimes, it seems like doing things for yourself is easier than waiting. I mean, who knows how long God's going to take, right? If you're not careful, Satan will convince you to take matters into your own hands. It is important for us not to entertain Satan and his devious thoughts. Resist him and he'll no other choice but to flee.

I love this quote by Michelle McKinney Hammond, author of Sassy, Single, and Satisfied: "You never know what you are getting if you conjure something up on your own. When we move out of time or out of season, we forfeit the protection of God over our lives as well as our hearts...Perhaps we don't understand why He does what He does or why He takes so long, but He knows best and He is sovereign..." Waiting on God is not always easy, but the alternative - doing things my way - is even worse. God works on His own time, not mine.

The way I see it, I have a choice: I can grow impatient and take matters into my own hands like Sarah, which will more than likely yield disastrous results; or I can wait and trust God like David, which can earn me the title "a woman after God's own heart". I truly believe that, if I wait on God, He will bless my diligence and patience. So, I choose to wait and trust that He knows what He's doing, no matter how long it takes. It could be years before I see His promises come to pass for me, but I'll wait. It may look like God has forgotten about me, but I'll wait. Time may seem like it's running out, but I will wait! How about you?

Book Review: Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani

Genre: Picture Book

In preparing to celebrate her seventh birthday, the little girl in Mama's Saris helps her mom decide which sari to wear. Mama wears her saris for special occasions. As they go through her suitcase, Mama talks about the different occasions she wore each sari. The little girl pleads with her mother to let her wear one. Mama finally concedes since it's the little girl's birthday. After she's dressed in the sari, bangles and a bindi, the little girl happily tells her mother, "I think I look like you."

This books was a heartfelt read that I enjoyed very much. It reminded me of when I was a little girl wanting to wear my mom's clothes. It brought to mind a picture I have of me in my mom's high heels with my hands on my hips. The pictures in Mama's Saris go perfectly with this story - so colorful and expressive. Mama's Saris gives you that warm feeling inside as you take a look at a mother/daughter relationship and a wonderful Indian tradition.

Rating: 5/5

Random Thoughts Thursday

Mayor Goodman/Obama. Ok, so am I the only one who is perturbed at Las Vegas' Mayor Goodman's reaction? I mean, come on! Obama's statement: "You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices. It's time your government did the same." I'm sorry, but I don't see anything wrong with that statement. Is it just me?? I don't see him saying anything negative about Vegas. I can sum up his statement in one word: budget. If I'm trying to save $ for college, will going to Vegas and blowing it really be a smart thing to do? Doesn't Mayor Goodman know that people come to Vegas from all parts of the country - the world - so they can experience the casinos and flashing lights? Does he not know that people do, in fact, go to Vegas to blow a bunch of cash? I can't see people going to Vegas and not spending a dime...not experiencing the casinos. If you have, well, good for you. But I'll probably be right in saying most people don't. They go and they spend. They gamble and they spend some more. So why in the h*ll is Obama's statement so bad? Why did it warrant Mayor Goodman's statement that Obama's a "slow learner"? Looks to me like Goodman's the slow learner here. smh

Blog Awards.
I've received my very first blog award: a Silver Lining Blog Award (for blogs that always help others in some way or focus on the good things in life and uplift others), thanks to my friend, Karen Strong over at Musings of a Novelista. I kinda feel like Betty did last night on Ugly Betty when she won a Blobby award for her blog, lol! So, according to the rules, after thanking Karen (thanks SO much), I can answer the following quiz (no more than two words) and pass the award on to 5 blogs I feel deserve the Silver Lining Award.

Where is your cell phone? Desk

Your hair? Medium

Your mother? Beautiful

Your father? Strong

Your favorite food? Mexican

Your dream last night? None

Your favorite drink? PEPSI!!!

Your dream/goal? Become virtuous

What room are you in? Parents' office

Your hobby? Reading

Your fear? Cockroaches

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Bestselling author

Where were you last night? Home (duh)

Something that you aren’t? Talkative

Muffins? Chocolate chip

Wish list item? Books

Where did you grow up? Alief, TX

Last thing you did? Wrote

What are you wearing? Jeans/Sweatshirt

Your TV? Off

Your pets? Not yet

Friends? Awesome

Your life? Blessed

Your mood? Happy

Missing someone? Deceases grandparents

Vehicle? Ford Mustang

Something you’re not wearing? Shoes

Your favorite store? Barnes & Nobles

Your favorite color? Pink

When was the last time you laughed? Earlier

Last time you cried? Can’t remember

Your best friend? Awesome

One place that I go to over and over? Parents' home

One person who emails me regularly? My family

Favorite place to eat? Applebee's

Now for the 5 blogs that always help others in some way or focus on the good things in life and uplift others: hmm...

• Living Proof Blog
• Books, Boys, Buzz
• Chiklitgurrl
• Living Your Five
• Musings of a Novelista

Tickle-Me Tuesday

Man-ificent Monday: Adam Rodriguez

If you've read my blog before, you'd know that I think this week's cutie pie is absolutely gawgeous, dahling! Adam Rodriguez is the reason why I started watching CSI Miami. Of course, now, even without him on it, I'm hooked on the show, but, years ago, it was all about seeing that dimpled smile and beautiful, brown eyes every week. Fans of CSI Miami (Ahem, me. *raises hand*) knew all about Adam before he was even cast in Tyler Perry's, I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Now that he's done Bad, his fan base has gotten even bigger. I LOVED his character, Sandino, in the movie. Taraji P. Henson was one lucky chica! If you've seen the video for Melanie Fiona's song, It Kills Me (LOVE this song, by the way), you'd notice that he's her love interest. Now that he's leaving CSI Miami, you can only see him every once in a while, but he is on Ugly Betty as Bobby. He has a few movies in the making, including a movie with 50 Cent, called Caught in the Crossfire. I'm not a fan of 50, but I'll go see the movie because AR's in it. I don't mean to sound like a 15 year-old girl, but I SO have a crush on Adam Rodriguez!

Word(s) to describe: Que rico!