Happy Birthday Mary!

Happy birthday wishes (one day late! Sorry!) to our niece, Mary. She is the cutest thing ever!!!

Hope to see you soon Mary!!! Make sure to eat Aunt Stephanie's piece of cake for her, OK?

Treasure Hunt

Check online to see if you have overlooked matured savings bonds and calculate their present value by logging on to www.TreasuryDirect.gov. Click on the Individual box. Next, go to tools and select "Treasury Hunt." Then click the "start search" box. Enter your social security number for results.

HAPPY HUNTING!!!

I didn't find any for me or Ed, but I thought that I would pass along the information to you all. Hopefully one of you will find some money you forgot about!!!

This information was found in the Money Smarts section of the 9/10/2007 issue of "First."

God Made You Special & He Loves You Very Much!

"God didn't have time to make a nobody, only a somebody. I believe that each of us has God-given talents within us waiting to be brought to fruition."– Mary Kay Ash

Make sure to use your God-given gifts and talents today and every day of your life. Let's make a difference for Jesus in this generation. Have a GREAT Labor Day weekend!!!

Who Are You to Judge?

Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

Perhaps the greatest roadblock to loving confrontation is the well-known "log" that seems lodged in your eyes. Such handicapped vision inevitably distorts our relationships, both with God and with each other.

Here are five tips Barbara and I have found useful in keeping judgment out of confrontation:

1. Check your motivation. Are you bringing this up to help or to hurt? Prayer is the best way to check our motives. When we take the situation to God and He shines His light on us and the problem, then we usually see our motivation for what it is.

2. Check your attitude. Loving confrontation says, "I care about you." Don't hop on your bulldozer and bury your mate.

3. Check the circumstance. Pick a suitable time, location and setting. Don't confront your mate the moment he or she walks in the door after a hard day's work, at mealtime or in front of others.

4. Check to see what other pressures may be present. Be sensitive to where others are coming from. What's the context of their lives right now?

5. Be ready to take it as well as dish it out. Sometimes confronting someone can boomerang-he or she may have some stuff saved up for you that will spill out when you bring up an issue. If you expect others to listen, to understand, to hear you out and to accept your point of view, be ready to do the same yourself.

Discuss: Think of an issue or complaint you may want to air with your mate. Ask yourself if you are "projecting"-seeing your own faults in others. Before confronting them, reflect on whether the issue might be solved by "weeding your own garden" first.

Pray: That you can see your marriage relationship objectively, being sure you are willing to be judged by the same standards you hold for your mate.

---Excerpted from "Moments Together for Couples" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Copyright 1995 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. All rights reserved. To purchase the book, visit http://www.familylife.com/1-800-358-6329/detail.asp?id=1170

Subscribe to this newsletter "Moments Together For Couples" by visiting www.familylife.com.

Managing Conflict God's Way

This was a devotional I received the other morning via email, and I wanted to share it with everyone. Be prepared to be touched & changed by the Word of God!!!

The Gentle Art of Confrontation

But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ. Ephesians 4:15

No family is without conflicts, and when we let conflicts simmer without confrontation, they have a habit of boiling over and affecting our spiritual lives. William Wordsworth said: "He who has a good friend needs no mirror." Family members can learn to be each other's best friend by learning the gentle art of confrontation. Blessed is the marriage where both spouses feel the other is a good friend - one who will listen, reflect back, understand and work through whatever needs to be dealt with. Occasionally all this requires loving confrontation.

Of course, we must face the fact that some of us don't want to be confronted. Some people would rather be comfortable than Christlike. Many of Barbara's best statements to me are the ones that hurt a bit, but I need to hear them because they keep me on the right track.

Learning loving confrontation starts with love. As 1 Corinthians 13 points out, love expects the best of others. There's no way to confront someone else productively if you expect the worst or have a chip on your shoulder.

Loving confrontation is not nagging. It states its position without dragging it out for days. Being nagged at is no fun. Someone has said it's like being nibbled to death by a duck. Christian confrontation doesn't accuse; it focuses on "I" language, with my saying plainly how I feel. It avoids "You" language, which inevitably sounds condemning. There's a world of difference between saying, "I really don't like arriving at church late - can I do something to help?" and "You always make us late!"

Also, keep in mind that the people you love, but need to confront, are not your enemies. Your mate is never your enemy. Christian confrontation requires that you speak the truth - but always in love.


Discuss: Areas of agitation you try to suppress in order to keep a smooth relationship. Are you being honest with yourself or those you love? When should you bring up a problem issue?

Pray: For the courage to confront lovingly and also for the wisdom to know how to speak the truth in love.
---
Excerpted from "Moments Together for Couples" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Copyright 1995 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. All rights reserved. To purchase the book, visit http://www.familylife.com/1-800-358-6329/detail.asp?id=1170

Two Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

I was watching Good Morning America this morning because I knew that they would report on Hurricane Katrina's anniversary since Robin is from the Gulf Coast. She reported live from Pass Christian which is her home town. Now don't get me wrong, I know that New Orleans was hit hard. However, there were other areas of the Gulf Coast that did not get the media attention that they deserved.

My parents have told me of all the WONDERFUL people who have been down there to help and how Mississippi residents (at least most of them) are not just waiting around for assistance, but they are helping themselves. In fact, one of the women featured on GMA this morning tried to get a loan from the federal government to rebuild her restaurant. She couldn't get one. Did this stop her? NO! She did it on her own!!! The resiliency of the people on the Gulf Coast is amazing to me.

According to GMA, 98% of the population who lived there pre-Katrina still live there. Robin said that many people wonder how people would want to live in a place where hurricanes are a possibility. Her response was why do people live on the West Coast where there are earthquakes and in the Midwest where there are tornadoes? She said it is because it is home. The publisher of the Sun Herald said, "Buildings do not make communities; people do."

To my family on the Coast and all those affected by Hurricane Katrina, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Know that you are loved and that we will do anything we can do to help the Coast continue to recover.

Product Recall for Toys & Car Seats

Below you will find an article that a friend of mine sent to me. Please read if you have children or grandchildren.

Recalled: Thomas and Friends, Curious George toys

Wed, Aug 22, 2007 (BabyCenter News) — Schylling Associates has announced a recall of about 66,000 spinning tops and 4,700 tin pails in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Surface paints on the wooden handles of the tops and pails contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause serious health effects. The recalled tops and pails are primarily metal and have wooden handles. The tops are painted with Thomas and Friends, Curious George, or a circus scene. The pails are painted with Thomas and Friends, Curious George, or a solid red or yellow color. Tops with plastic handles are not included in this recall. The toys were sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from July 2001 through July 2002. The tops were sold for about $13, and the pails for about $6. They were made in China.

What you can do: Take the recalled tops and pails away from your child immediately and contact Schylling to receive a refund or free replacement toy. For additional information, contact Schylling toll-free at (800) 767-8697 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website. See photos of the recalled toys on the CPSC's website.

Keep abreast of recalls of children's products by checking our recall finder. -- Jenny Des Jarlais, BabyCenter News



Recalled: Graco car seats

Fri, Aug 24, 2007 (BabyCenter News) — Graco has announced a safety alert for the ComfortSport 5-point harness convertible car seat. About 277,000 units are affected. On some ComfortSport car seats, the lower anchorage belt may have been misrouted during factory assembly. In seats that are installed rear-facing and are using the vehicle's LATCH anchors, the misrouted belt may cause the seat back to bend excessively in a crash, potentially increasing the risk of injury. The car seats shouldn't be used in the rear-facing position with LATCH until the belt routing has been inspected and, if necessary, corrected. In the meantime, the seats can be used safely if they're secured with the vehicle seat belt instead of LATCH. Car seats installed forward-facing are not affected by this safety notice.

Car seats that may have misrouted belts include those manufactured from January 2, 2007, through July 31, 2007. They include the following model numbers: 8629TWL, 8630MTR, 8631DFT, 8631DRA, 8632PSO, 8635TAC, 8639COS, 8C00BLG, 8C00DMN, 8C00GRP, 8C00LNW, 8C00MID, 8C00TMB, 8C01SVD, 8C01WTN, 8C02MGI, 8C02MRC, 8C03HAL, 8C03WCF, 8C04FRR, and 8433FOF. The model number and date of manufacture can be found on the label on the back of the car seat. These seats were sold by mass merchandisers and in department stores from January 2007 through August 2007 for $80 to $140. Graco plans to mail or e-mail instructions to correct the misrouting to all known owners of the recalled car seats.

What you can do: View the correct vs. incorrect routings of the lower anchorage belt. See the rerouting instructions (PDF) so you can correct the problem. Visit Graco's website for more information. Contact Graco for help in determining whether your ComfortSport car seat is affected by this recall. Call the company toll-free at (800) 345-4109 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday. When calling, have the model number and date of manufacture of your car seat readily available. -- Jenny Des Jarlais, BabyCenter News