Deanna Doss Shrodes

These are my new $3 Walmart sunglasses that I recently purchased on sale. It's the little things, ya know.  A few days ago I needed to run a quick errand. I hopped in my husband's car instead of mine because of where it was parked in the driveway. Traveling down the road headed toward the sun I reached for the place where I normally grab my sunglasses in my car. I realized my husband had no sunglasses in his car. I squinted and held my hand up, lamenting that the sun was in my eyes most of the way there and back.  I was talking to myself and really didn't care if anyone noticed. As I returned from my errand and turned the corner onto our street, I touched my head and suddenly realized that my sunglasses had been there the whole time. I had taken a bike ride that morning and when I came inside the house, I  pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and forgot about them. The point is this. Sometimes we complain about the lack of something and fail to realize, we...

Savanna and I always go shopping very early on black Friday. We don't participate in any door busters. Quite frankly that seems stressful to me. It would be more fun to have dinner with Ann Coulter. It's our tradition to go to a few stores and then out to breakfast together, usually at Waffle House. (I like 'em scattered, smothered and covered.) After we've eaten a gloriously greasy breakfast we head to one or two more stores and go home. One of our favorite places to shop are thrift stores. We enjoy this all the time, black Friday being no exception especially since Salvation Army sells everything including furniture for 50% on that day. This year I was able to get new trees for our Celebration Church cafe for $5 each. I was over-the-moon to find the trees.  So, I also found this serving tray. You can't tell by the photo but it's not a dinner plate, it's a large serving tray. It caught my eye immediately, this little half-off-bargain. It's ce...

1) He doesn't give up. He sticks with things, working hard on them,  long after most people quit.  He stays the course even when he's down emotionally or physically. When things aren't going the way he wants them to, he just keeps moving forward.  2) He  likes me to be beside him. Always wants me in his world. Hates when I'm not, for some reason.  3) He's the most committed "family man" I know. I've never worried that he's going to do something "crazy" in the sense of a mid-life crisis that would include coming home with a sports car or leaving our family to "find himself."  He's really the most stable person I know.  4) He's the most sentimental person I know. One day he told me, "If I had to pick a theme for my life it would be making memories with my family." I don't really know that I recall ever hearing a man say that. 5) He has sweet habits that are long lasting. Like when I say to him,...

Today I am blogging at Lost Daughters.  This month is National Adoption Month as well as NaBloPoMo . Many adoptees are focusing on bringing awareness to adoption reform. They are educating others about what it's like to grow up adopted, and what it's like to live as an adult adoptee in today's world.   This month we also celebrate Thanksgiving. It is particularly meaningful for me this year. It has always been my favorite holiday, and not because of the food. (Although I do love food. This cannot be denied.) I love it for many other reasons, some of which I'll share as the month goes on.  Today I'd like to give thanks for the sisterhood at Lost Daughters. The sisters there have been very instrumental in my life this past year, and I am so grateful to God for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing group. I'm writing posts at Lost Daughters three times this month for the series, but I encourage you to read the entire 30 day blog series because it wi...

This month I'm doing the "30 Days of Thanksgiving" on Facebook ~ giving thanks for something each day. There are so many things I'm thankful for that are not going to make that list. It's hard to limit to 30!  You can't have too much thanks. I thought I'd feature a few things today that won't make the list of 30 but I'm am crazy about them nonetheless, so here goes...  1) I'm thankful for my Keurig   Nope, the novelty hasn't worn off. Even after a year! Some people said it would, but it didn't. I'm still in mad love with this machine every morning. Simply smitten. My favorites are Caribou and Newman's Own Extra Bold. The Keurig is one of those things that now that I've had one, I don't know how I'd not have one again. Sort of like a microwave. But better.   2) I'm thankful for my Kindle. I love the fact that we can now read books instantly that we hear about and have interest i...

It's leap day! What does this have to do with living a blessed life? I'm about to tell you. My husband has been sending facebook messages all throughout the day to different people, thanking them for who they are in his life and what they have done to influence or bless him.  He says that with the extra day we have been given this year, he wants to spend it with an attitude of thanks. What a great idea!  I can't think of a better thing to do. I'm a little behind on the gratitude curve today. The first time I gave thanks was when I woke up this morning and went bike riding. As I was breezing along I thanked God for the moments we shared. I chose to go without music this morning and just let it be him and I in the silence while I rode. The second time was a quick prayer over lunch with my husband as we thanked God for our meal. Aside from that I haven't given a lot of thanks today for anything specific because I have been overwhelmed getting ready to leave on...

Nobody's life is perfect. I know you probably have a few people that you think have near perfect lives, but really, they don't.  There are those who have fulfilling lives, who are happy. But nobody escapes challenges in life. Not the rich, not the well-connected nor the educated. Nobody! We look at people who are granted great responsibilities in life and we think, "Wow. What a privilege it must be to lead this or that." Yes, it's a privilege, and it also comes with a price.  I've learned the more people and things I'm responsible for, the greater my challenges. So what's the key to waking up and having a good day in spite of all that's pressing on you? I can only tell you what I personally do, and that is determine my contribution to the day. Aside from the skills and talents I will use to get various things done it starts with my decision of what the other ingredients I'm going to include. For me, gratitude is the biggest ingredient t...