REDRUM

Sometime in the late 90's, "The Shining" came out on TV.  If you've ever watched it, you'll know what "redrum" means. 

My mom decided to put wallpaper in one of the bathrooms, so I took advantage of signing my name on the wall, and then writing redrum.  The wall I wrote this on is directly across the mirror, if you look in the mirror, you can clearly see what I meant by "redrum". 

Fast forward to now, we'll say roughly 17 years later, and my mom decides to re-do  her bathroom. She rips all of the wallpaper out, and sees my non-sense. Redrum? what the heck is that? when she was walking off, she glanced in the mirror and figured it out, then sent me pictures.

Escape Artist Dakota

this dang dog. She has escaped several times from my house, but I've found her each time. This time, she got out Wednesday morning sometime, and it's now Saturday. I've put up flyers. I've scoured the internet. I have friends looking out for her.  It's been such a lonely week without my baby. It takes all I have not to just cry all day. 

This just makes me wonder how parents can handle the loss of one of their children who are kidnapped and possibly never found. OMG I would die. like, seriously. This is awful.

Tonight is my mom's birthday. We are sitting around their kitchen table after eating dinner, and just starting to eat cake. I don't have my phone on me during dinner, but I grabbed it to take some pics and I noticed I had several facebook notifications. I check it quickly and, someone had tagged my name on a "found dog" post.  and i search, and lo and behold, Dakota was found in where? In a neighboring city. That's 22 miles from my house.  I immediately leave and race over to pick her up. She saw me and jumped straight in my car, but wouldn't 'talk' to me or anything. She was unsure of what was going on and leary.  Her feet were not beat up from the long walk, and she wasn't hungry.  I can only assume someone picked her up, drove her home, and she escaped their yard. 

And the kicker? The people who found her, are friends with Cody and his brother. They were actually on their way to his brother's house when I showed up.  And their house was about 1/4 of a mile from Cody's.  Maybe she smelled my scent there and was searching for me? 

Moments after she jumped in my car. See the fear in her face?

20 minutes later, cuddling with Austynn

She recognizes this bed

Just how I woke up the next morning with my baby

Mystery Shopper - MIS (Trendsource)

I’m one of those people that always see the ‘great online job’ deals and want to know more about it.  I’ve tested a lot of deals within the last 10 years, and a few I have stuck with and want to share them with you. I like to test out different options, and am pretty good at figuring out if it is legit or a scam.  

I signed up back in 2004 with my first company when I first heard this word on my college campus - MYSTERY SHOPPER. I found a site that you paid a minimal fee to and it gave you a HUGE list of all the websites to join to become a mystery shopper. I don’t remember that original website now, nor would I share it anyway.  Why??  Because I don’t think ANYone should pay money for a  ‘job’ where you want to earn money.  If you find a mystery shopping website that offers a fee to become a member, but the reward is big, RUN. Run far far away, Forrest.  Don’t pay money to become a mystery shopper. Although I know that fee I paid was not a scam, and it definitely got me started in the right direction since I was a newbie; I have learned that the internet is full of websites that do NOT cost a penny to join.  

One of my favorite places to perform mystery shops for:

If you do go to any of these links, please be sure to use me as a referral.  Email: JSlawson83@gmail.om

MSI (trendSource) 

This company sends me grocery shopping once a week and reimburses part of my expenses.  Who doesn’t want free groceries?!  I typically do Kroger shops, but occasionally I also visit Office Depot and Walgreens.  They offer other locations but nothing in my area. 

Come back and follow me for more posts of other companies I perform work for :) 

I Will Grow Together With Others

Another beautiful day for church!  I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of rain hitting my window.  I love rainy days.  I love them even more when I can lay in bed under the blanket and cuddle with my sweet doggies (and kitty).  But, never-the-less, It's Sunday. I will love this rainy day even more by sitting with my family and listening to another great message at church.  My poor pups refused to go outside in the yard in the rain, so one by one, I put a leash on them, I stood on the front porch, and let them roam the front yard. They don't seem to mind getting wet if they are getting a treat.  Being in the front yard is always a treat for them. Spoiled babies!! 

This week's lesson was about growing in Christ with others.  Humans are made to have relationships with other humans. We aren't supposed to be alone. 

Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
      Acts 2:46-47.  "Everyday they continued to meet together... They broke bread in their homes and ate together..." 

We must connect through RELATIONSHIPS.  The life of faith is lived individually, but it is not lived out alone.  You need people as you walk and grow in Christ.  You need those that sharpen you and help you group.  We are not called to grow in isolation.  1 out of 5 people who do not join a church group will leave the church within 5 years.  Those are serious statistics, people!  If you don't get involved, if you don't find friends that are like-minded and can hold you accountable, what is going to keep you coming back for more, week after week?  If you don't build relationships with the very people you are worshiping with on Sunday, what is keeping you coming back every week? It makes it easier to slip and miss one week, then two, and before you know it, half a year has passed by without you stepping foot inside the church.  No one from the church has called to check on you, because you chose not to get involved so no one knows your name.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.  The Power of relationships.

We must connect through MINISTRY. Know -> Go -> Grow.  There are many people in our lives in today's world (thanks to social media and the power of the internet in our hands), but we are having less contact with them.  our quantity is greater than our quality.  But it should be the other way around.  It should be: Quality > Quantity.  Change this!
2 Timothy 4:2-3 and Galations 5: 13-14

We must connect through TEACHING. Everyone is called to serve one another (server, waiter, roofer, etc).  We need to work together in a ministry for God.  Something great will happen when you come together and minister.  Join a small group; you can get lost in a large group.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 1 Timothy 4:12-13.  All Scripture is God-Breathed. 

An example of working together is the Golden-Plover.  This bird flies from Alaska to Hawaii every year in groups.  There is no where to stop along the route, so when the leader gets tired and winded, they will fly to the back of the group and a new leader will take over.  They are working together as a small group to get to their destination.  Power of relationships. It can save your life.  

 This week's challenge: Allow yourself to connect and build strong, connected relationships in small groups.  I WILL. 


Lord,
Help me to become a part of a christian group to grow an learn in you.  To develop relationships with like-minded Christians who all have one goal in mind- you.  Give me the strength and courage to join.  -Amen

Why don't you eat the crawfish?

My niece loves loves crawfish. The other night we were out eating at a Mexican restaurant on town and they were serving crawfish. I asked Austynn if she was getting any and she said no. I asked why and she said "because! They are Mexicans, and everyone knows Mexicans make all their food hot!"

No. We aren't racist. But I laughed and laughed. And agreed. Their hot sauce was too hot for me even, I can only imagine how hot the crawfish are (if I liked that sort of thing). 

It’s a Tough Job But…

…someone has to do it.  This week’s lesson was about working.  It was directed to employees and employers alike. 

Exodus 21 – you should be put to death if you own slaves.

Philemon 6

*Matthew 22:37

Colossians 3:22-25 “²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.”

Follow Christ as your first priority in life.  Don’t make it A priority, but make it the FIRST. 

Matthew 22:37 “³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Focus on eternity rather than the here and now.  Do not live by moments.  Plan. Think ahead. 

Colossians 3:1-2.  Your wants are NOT your needs.  Prepare yourself for the day you meet Jesus.

You know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord; but maybe not in the present.  By focusing on eternity and not just to live in the moment, You cannot focus on today only or the reward of just today.

Remember: You aren’t home yet.  Heaven is home.  Focus on that.

Allow who you’re following and on what you’re focusing o make you the best employee or employer on the job.  In your job; do it full-heartedly.  Give it your best, even if your employer does not reward you what you think you deserve.  Be genuine in your service, work hard, giving your best effort.  It is not about here and now, it is about the future and eternity. 

Earn our living.  Do not depend on others.  Do not take a short cut or find the easy way out.  EARN it.  WORK for it.  Work hard and give God praises for your hard work. 

How should you treat your employer/employee? Allow Jesus to lead you. 

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12

Colossians 3:17

Ephesians 6:9.  Bosses are equal to employees in God’s eye.

Lord God,

Help me to know you and to daily work to be more like you.  Guide me to work hard daily regardless of my immediate reward at work; but to know I will be rewarded in you in eternity.  Give me the patience to do 100% all the time in all I do and give you the glory.  -Amen

And sweet Austynn drew/colored this for me while in church. 

Last Breath

A post un-like many of my normal up-beat posts... For-warning.  

 I want to tell the story of family, love, life, and death.

Who we are.  We are a family that loves and supports one another. We are there at our strongest and we are there at our weakest.  Through everything, we come together for one another. We team up and battle life together.  We hug and cry together.  We laugh and play together. I love my family and our great support system we have for each other. 

My grandpa has not been in very good condition for a couple of years; He lived with my mom for 2 years while she was his sole care-taker for one of those two years. She finally hired help to take care of him during the day while she could work.  I lived with her for 3 months out of those 19 months Papaw lived with her.  Daily while I was there, I helped change his diapers. Feed him.  Clean his sheets. Get him to bed.  He was unable to ANYthing himself, totally dependent on someone else to sustain life. On occasion, my mom would go out of town for a day or two and would ask me to come over and take care of him after I moved out.  But for the most part, she handled everything for 19 months; I only had a few small glance into how difficult her life was with him being there. We are not educated in being a care-giver for someone who completely relies on someone else.  It is definitely a struggle and takes an emotional toll on everyone involved.  But also, that is when I really began to have an attachment toward my grandpa.  Seeing him at his worst moments, taking care of him how a mother would take care of a newborn; keeping him warm, safe, fed, and clean.  Giving him stimulation to keep the brain active.  Encouraging him. 

We knew he was declining rapidly over the summer.  That is why we made the decision to have him somewhere else with professional around the clock care to suit his needs better.  But you can still never be fully prepared for when God decides he wants someone back home with him, instead of on this earth.

One day, we got a phone call that said to come see him right away, he only has a few short days left, if at all, on Earth.  We made arrangements to get up to see him the very next day. That next day was August 26, 2015.  I remember everything.  I think I was taking it slow and taking it all in.

He was completely unresponsive to us. He couldn't blink his eyes, move a finger, or anything.  It was almost like he was in a coma with his eyes wide open.  He wasn't. I believe he was alert inside and heard us, felt us.  

We were with him for about 4 hours that afternoon and evening; visiting with each other, but loud enough that he would be able to hear us and know we were there beside him.  Then I got this bad feeling and went to talk to him again. I put my hand on his and asked him if he could feel it.  He can’t give any kind of movement or signal, but I still asked. I saw his right lip twitch upward a little bit for only a second.  And I told him “ah! I see that big smile!!” Can you smile again like that? Let me know you can feel me and hear me papaw.”  And he did it one more time.  I know it was barely a movement at all, but it was a huge thing for me.  I got really excited knowing he could feel and hear me. He was trying to communicate but his body was just frozen in place.

Shortly after that, his breathing slowed way down, almost non-existent.  We got a nurse to check his heart rate and she barely heard a flutter.  Then she moved to check his chest, and heard nothing.  He had just taken his last breath while we were standing beside him. I was holding his hand, and talking to him. Telling him what the nurse was doing; asking him questions.   And then he was no more. 

A couple minutes later I realized what had really happened, and it’s amazing.  It’s sad, but it’s amazing and powerful.  To be present and watch someone take in a breath, and then just stop.  Knowing that they were comforted with you holding their hand. Knowing that they were not alone.  And looking back, I’m thinking that the smile I saw may have been when he was beginning to see the light, and may have seen my grandma standing there waiting for him to come back to her in Heaven.  (or my other grandma. I used to joke about fixing him up with my mom’s mom for years, maybe she was there waiting for him too.)  He was comforted with me touching him and talking to him, and it helped ease him into transition to another life. 


Believe what you want, I will believe in God and Heaven and faith and strength and peace and kindness and the afterlife.

Comforting him (and me)

This was within his final moments