Yes, as a Matter of Fact - - I DO Get My Way

I spend a great deal of time explaining to people why (exactly) that I get nearly everything I want in life. They just don't understand why I'm so happy and yet, I'm not really rich in terms of having a bunch of money. My normal response to anyone asking me why I don't meditate and ask God for money is this "I'm OK without it, you should see how great I am working and living on nothing!"

My desires are MY desires. Money, because it is necessary, is something I pray about, I ask for the daily bread and there are times when I ask for a bit of a bigger piece of that loaf. I'm not really money driven. I'm more of the joy-filled type, you know us, we're the ones smiling when the world seems to be crashing down around us. I remember being in the hospital after a complication presented itself during a very routine gall bladder surgery - - the nurses were in stitches too. I kept them that way. It was my healing! When I say, and almost boast, that I get what I want I MEAN IT. I have taken the word of God very seriously at times and when He makes a promise about MY HEART'S DESIRE (not yours) I listen.

I can count at least 5 verses that are dedicated to that one thing - - my answered prayer. It just makes sense to me that either God is or He is NOT real. He either IS or He is NOT making promises, and if He is, then He's either telling the truth...or all of it could be called into question. SO, with that in mind - - I choose to believe in His honesty, in His faithfulness, and His abilities to do whatever He promises me He'll do...and get this: I just have to ask. I don't have to beg. I don't have to keep asking either. I just need to be real and sincere - - OH, and then believe it. I have to believe that the gift, the desire will be delivered.

So yeah, as a matter of FACT I do get what I want! During my meditations I have been known to completely zone out while listening to earth drums, flutes, maybe a few ethnic chants just pouring my mind into a very very spiritual place. I pray with rocks in my hand and that just cracks some people us when they see me rocking out...hahahaa...prayer humor...sorry. I hold rocks for a reason. I don't worship them, no way, I use them to worship. 

See, the same Bible that promised me the desires of my true soul and heart also tells me that if, if, if, I forget to praise Jesus that the rocks themselves will do it for me! I believe that too. I don't ever want those rocks talking because I didn't praise God - - don't get me wrong, they can feel free to join in with me while praising God, but to forget to thank Him, forgetaboutit! Ain't happening! 

What do I want?  God's will of course - - and in the right time, that too will be mine. I'll have to put the rocks down to hold him if God finds me a good one, but he won't mind. Some things just take a little more time that's all. Make NO mistake - - I do get what I want! (Thank you Jesus!)

GROW Baby, Grow!

KING Leonidas. I finally learned how to spell my own dog's name. Actually, to be honest with you, King belongs to Caity, as does Rupert. Rupert is a 10 month old long haired full blooded Dachshund and weighs just under 15 pounds. He's solid, rather squirmy, and quite the jealous one when it comes to being loved on first. With King in the picture there are many bursts and interruptions created by Rupert when he sees that he is not the one being held and hugged on. King continues to tolerate it at this point, but in just over a week of having him he's already surpassed Rupert in height - he still only weighs about 11-12 pounds, but give that a week longer. He eats enough. It's bound to happen. St. Bernard/Mastiff/Huskies aren't known for remaining small - - we're looking forward to it really. We need a big dog to go walking with in the evenings.

I was reading online this afternoon where St. Bernards don't really make good guard dogs. They make good watch dogs. They bark - and that deep roaring bark can ward off the would be playmate and/or thief; however, they are more suitable for rescuing and dragging one around in the snow. Mastiffs on the other hand are fantastic guard dogs and were indeed bred to be so in the early part of the 16th Century. Huskies drag sleds around in the snow. I think our King will have a bit of a good time outdoors but I won't count on him to stop the criminals - - but then again, if they come close enough to steal something he may decide to play with them, trapping them under his massive soon-to-be body and licking them to the point of exhaustion. It could happen.

Rupert on the other hand will bite the leg of anyone coming near the house. Perhaps he can teach King a thing or two about protecting, and King can do the dirty work of holding the fort down with his looks and steely blue eyes. It won't be long before I'm reporting that King is bigger than Matrix, then bigger than Faith, then bigger than Caity, and hopefully since he's going to be 150 pounds he'll even be bigger than me! C'MON King...you can do it! I'll do what I can to dwindle down to 130 so he won't have as far to go. I'm thinking by Christmas he'll be the largest mammal in the house for two weeks and then the boy comes home from Iraq! YES!

Joe and Jane Fiber

The average (Joe and/or Jane) American gets about 10 grams of fiber a day and they need to be eating (or ingesting) upward of 25 grams per day in order to keep their average (Joe and/or Jane) bowels working properly. This is the information I am receiving from several internet medical sites as well as confirming it with my own doctor.

At first I thought eating that much fiber would be hard but now I find myself eating over 25 grams of fiber in one meal at times. Let me show you how easy it is to really get the fiber you need if you're serious about being healthy that is. A slice of double fiber multi-grain bread has 5 grams of fiber, so if you eat a sandwich using two slices you're almost half way there. I made myself a peanut butter and raw honey sandwich today and added flax seed meal to the peanut butter. Flax seed meal has 3 grams of fiber for 1 tablespoon. Mixing it with the peanut butter makes sense taste wise and it's easy to do. Raw honey has no dietary fiber but the liquid fiber I poured into my water does. It's tasteless and odorless -- OK, it's expensive too, but you don't have to buy soft drinks anymore now do you? Couple that with what I save on buying meat since I don't eat it anymore, and there you go - - I'm fibered up and hopefully losing the fat that took me YEARS to accumulate.

Just because I can, I eat a couple of dried plums (prunes) and that adds another 2 fibers. So, let's add it up. 10 for the bread, 6 for the peanut butter, 3 for the flax seal meal, and 4 for the liquid fiber. That's 23, oh, and the prunes makes it 25! WOW....what a meal. Easy to make, easy to clean up, if you just fold over a napkin rather than using a plate you're even able to get away with not washing dishes - - except the knife I guess. You should wash the knife. I forgot to tell you I was drinking bottled water with either green tea or some sort of joint supplement in it - - I'm telling you - - this being healthy isn't the easiest thing, but it's the best thing. My daughter is laying sick on the couch behind me and I think out loud to her that she missed a few fiber days and she missed a lot of vitamin taking days. I don't know the last time I saw her walk a mile - - now, if I could only make my face look like hers, my hips rolls like hers, and my jeans fit like hers and I would be set! (She can keep the flu thing. I don't want it.)

This morning I was juicing a couple of apples, a cup of cranberries and a cup of grapes for breakfast when the thought hit me; there's not much time left before spring is here and then summer - - I have this stupid weight to manage and get under control and here she is eating like a horse, hardly ever exercising, and she doesn't drink nearly the amount of water she should - - Youth is wasted on the YOUNG! I would SO MUCH more appreciate it than she does. Oh well, I played in the sun a little too much in the 80's. I remember. (Thank you Mr. Kodak, and Mr. Eastman)

King Leon!

Welcome the world of Jude Stringfellow.

I was just sitting at my desk the other day, minding my own business; because that is what I do. I mind my own business you know. I was typing, reading, answering phones calls, just being the producer that I am here at Timber Creek Productions in Gainesville, Texas, when my Executive Producer Buck Stienke informed me that he wanted me to attend the Board of Directors meeting for the local animal shelter called Noah's Ark. Buck is on the Board, and he wanted to show me what it was all about - - seems he had a plan. I was of course part of that plan. Buck wants me on the Board - and I can only imagine it would be because I'm such a great producer!

Can you see me laughing? I'm a marketer. I market. I find money for people. I do wish I could spin my wheels and find money for myself from time to time, but I'm so darn busy finding money for everyone else you see. It was decided that I would go to the meeting and after I fell in love with the idea I would be introduced to the group as their new Marketing Director. I think we're holding off until next month to make it official.

The Noah's Ark Animal Center had a birthday celebration on Friday the 13th at the shelter, and of course Faith was invited. Not only was Faith invited, but I was invited and my daughter Caity was invited, and that's the big mistake I made...I brought my daughter Caity to an animal shelter where there are dogs to be adopted. I brought my daughter Caity to an animal shelter where there are dogs to be adopted and I will be named the Marketing Director soon. I brought my daughter Caity to an animal shelter where dogs are being adopted, where I will be on the Board soon, and everyone there knew I couldn't possibly say no to them asking me to adopt a dog or a cat! Given my options I was stuck!

Naturally Caity decided on the largest dog in the facility...correction, in the state of Texas.

Caity picked up this 11 pound dog whose eyes are as blue as the sky. His body screams of being a very very large breed, his face and markings are identical to those of Beethoven the St. Bernard, and the intake papers only confirm my thoughts of him being a mega-mutt...yes, we will have the biggest dog in the county soon. At 8 weeks he is currently 11 pounds and already rather floppy and bumbly, he's incredibly observant and has a mind of his own when it comes to sharing anything that hits the floor that resembles food. Poor Rupert will be stepped on.

We'll be taking our new monster, I mean puppy, who Caity has aptly named for King Leonidas from the movie "300" - - to therapy school, obedience training school, and to PetSmart every single week in order to train him to be polite and courteous. He'll be trained under very strict guidelines soon so that he will become a military therapy dog - - and we'll have him helping injured soldiers to stand up from a sitting position, or to sit from a standing position. Something tells me that plan will be a ways off - - if he starts that practice now the poor soldiers will be on their faces with a big furry dog licking them to death, trying to get to the dinner before they can. We've got plans for this blue eyed beauty!

So, maybe being on the Board wasn't such a bad idea - - I get to do what I do, I can force Caity to volunteer (when I say "force" I'm caught laughing, as if I could stop her. She's out there already - - rolling around in puppies) at the shelter. I can have my pick of all the dogs I want - - please stop me God, please, please, please!

I know when I get to Heaven there will be a big back yard just outside my house. I have no doubt that every unadoptable dog will be waiting for me too. I tell you, God just won't let up! (Thank you, Jesus)

I Love My Job!

You know, sometimes you get up and you get dressed and go to work and nothing cool happens. You just work, or drink your coffee hoping that someone comes into the office to make the day jump. Actually, with my new job I'm the one jumping. I get up earlier and earlier, and I find myself not even putting my makeup on. I just want to get out the door and go to work! I love this place. I love my new job. Not only am I working for and with two of the greatest guys - - they're filmmakers. We're making the movie "FAITH" or "Sgt. Faith" and we're in the middle of the prep work now. We'll start the production in a couple more months.

Denton Blane Everett is our leading man for this film. He's standing in our office in the top shot holding the award given to him by the Trail Dance Film Festival this year for "BEST ACTOR"! The film was another film that my guys made. Timber Creek Production,LLC is the name of our production company. They finished "Rockabilly Baby" before I came into town and took over the Consulting Producer role. Denton played the lead in this film as well, and his character literally POPS on stage. You'll see his fire, you'll feel his compassion in "Rockabilly Baby", then you get to see and feel him in "FAITH" as a wounded American solider. Faith, my dog Faith, plays the leading female role - - as herself of course. Denton's character was created with several men in mind. He's already working out to get his upper body in shape to play the role - - it's hard to roll yourself, lift yourself, and to be without legs for too long. (Think Lt. Dan, then drop that thought and think Monte Miller! Denton has other issues and he is NOT Lt. Dan Taylor.)

As I'm writing this blog Ken and Buck are meeting with a military expert and going over language, terms, situations, scenarios, and weapons we'll be using in the movie. Neither Denton nor I have been in the military, we're learning this from scratch! I can't tell you how much more I appreciate our military when you stop and consider the mental aspect of it as well as the physical requirements and drains. Denton's going to need those extra pounds Ken and I are talking him into...just to provide the muscle to haul the dog around and push himself up the ramps. (I'm bringing my video, I have a feeling there are going to be a few really really good bloopers for the Special Features DVD!) LOL

Check out Denton Blane Everett on www.imdb.com and the trailer with him playing the role of Baby Boy Watkins in "Rockabilly Baby" at www.rockabillybabymovie.com

He's a hottie. I don't mind saying it - - I could look at him all day...can't wait til I get to. Oh, and then there's Todd Farr too! Yes, it is true, I love my job. I love my job, I love my job!!!