The Winner Is....Mother's day magazine subscription giveaway

Rona from BerryMorins Bits and Pieces.

I adore Rona. Her and I have been blog friends for quite a few years. I remember being so in awe of her decorative skills and her desire to make great menus for the upcoming week and share tidbits that have helped me learn things that I never knew before.

Please email me your name and address, Rona and I will be sure to pass it along to magazines.com's representative who will be in touch with you shortly.

Thanks everyone for entering!

Mother's Day - Giveaway

With Mother's day being only a few days away, I have been thinking about the gift of having a mom and of course, being a mom. It really is a gift. I adore being able to cherish every special memory that I have made with mom. I have walked many times in her high heels when I was growing up, envisioning what it would be like to be grown up just like her.

Then, when I became a mom, I wondered if I was really cut out to meet the challenges of motherhood. It was through my mom's teaching that I learned to be the best mom that I could be.

I have been giving the opportunity by magazines.com to give one of my readers an opportunity to win a free magazine subscription valued up to $10.00 for you or for your mom or someone that you know would love to be given the gift subscription.

I first discovered the love of reading magazines when I was a teen. I found not only fashion tips but advice, recipes and more! Now, there are magazines for every love...scrapbooking, hiking, fashion, new moms, cardmaking, weight loss and so many other topics.

To enter, leave a comment with your email address (if it isn't linked through your comment) and I will choose one reader on Saturday, 9:00 am, pacific time. You will be notified by email.

Please spread the word!!

Four More Days Until "I do"

From the moment our kids are born, we pray for them - for their hopes, dreams, health and of course, their faith. As parents, our kids look to us for direction and to walk in our shoes. There are times when I can honestly admit that I sure didn't want my girls to walk in my shoes because my shoes were dirty and less than I'd want for them to walk in.

Many nights, I lie awake, rocking my youngest who seemed to never sleep. I'd pray for her to be loved and cherished the way a mom's heart cherishes her. I would pray that she would eventually get potty trained, telling her that if she didn't "get it" one day, her husband would be the one to change her diapers.

Oh, and marriage....As she grew old enough to know a little of the concept of marriage as a three year old, her honest plea was, "I'm going to mawwy Stevie Wonder". Such certainty! Just as sure as she knew that her eyes were "bwack".

The day, in her teens, when she was 14, she brought over Orlando to watch movies and introduced him to me. Something about him, I instantly liked which eventually turned into a mom's love. Jokingly, I would say, "Oly is like a fixture in our home." But, he was more than that, he was a good friend to Jarani especially when her bottom fell out and my divorce happened. He brought me flowers on Mother's day, always giving me a hug and being there.

Even though they were "just friends", I saw the love and determination in Oly. His parents told me that when Oly was in kindergarten, he would cry out that all he wanted was to "get married". I hoped that one day, Jarani would see the deep love that Oly had for her and her alone.

Then, it happened. They fell in love. Their friendship turned into a beautiful, romantic love story. The very moment that he asked her to be his girlfriend, on May 1st was a day where Jarani smiled bigger than I've ever seen her smile.

And on May 1st, 4 days from now, they will say, "I do". A mom's heart always dreams that their children will find true love as they spread their wings and soar. This mommy's heart is bursting.

Four more days...I will stand by her side as she steps into a new beginning filled with wonder, of course, challenges but with the love that they share I know they will get through it with God's help.

I love you guys so very much!!!

Falling Upstairs

One day, while at a huge convention center, going upstairs, I tripped. No explained reason why...I just tripped and hit the stairs. I said to myself, "Simone, only YOU can trip going upstairs." I don't know if that was prophetic but that has been my life lately.

I feel like a modern day Job in the female form. Since the beginning of this year, I have:

a messed up knee (tripping and falling on the sidewalk)

chest pains (undetermined but pointing to a few possibilities that have landed me in the ER or hospital 3.5 times this year alone) (5 specialists trying to determine the exact cause at the moment)

macular pucker (yes, there is a known anomalie) in my right eye which resembles an amoeba continuously floating across my vision

undiagnosed food allergies which has caused anaphylactic reactions approximately 15 times this year alone

obstructive apnea which has caused me to stop breathing during two procedures in the hospital

and the latest, infections in my jaw bone, sinus cavity, eye socket and chin, stemming from a missing filling in my tooth. My face on the right side has been so painful to the touch and I resemble an Oompah Loompah

I also came down with a cold on top of all of those things.

I'm now wondering quite loudly, "Why me????"

Then I hear a calm, quiet voice..."Why not you?"

Humbling. "Why not me???"

I have fallen into the pity party mode. I can't seem to understand why and when this will all come to an end.

I long for my life to be normal again.

I long to belly laugh and really laugh until tears run down my face.

I want to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and not wondering how many pain medication it will take for me to get through the day.

I long to plan something and follow through, not doubting whether I will be there or not.

I also want to smile on the outside and also on the inside. That's the key, I do the smiling on the outside really well but I don't do a very good job of smiling on the inside.

The simple truth is that I have fallen upstairs again. I just don't know how to get up this time. I'm embarrassed that others have seen me fall. This time, there is no pretending to be dancing, it is what it is....I've fallen and I feel like I can't get back up.

But I will. I have a track record of tripping over air and then finding my footsteps again. In the meantime...

I'm here. I may not respond to your blog posts immediately but I'm reading. I'm cheering you on, laughing with you, crying with you, thinking of you.

That's what friends are for.

It's Not All About Me - UBP13

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party stop! I'm so glad that you came by to visit and I hope you'll stay! I'm Simone. I'm a lover of exclamation points. A lover of God and my sweetheart, J also known as Pastor J. We are newlyweds and getting ready to celebrate our second year of marriage. I'm also a speaker and writer and love speaking for women's and youth ministries. I like to make things, dig in the dirt and create music, messes and yummy meals.

Life has been filled with surprises for me in the last year or so. I call them Peek A Boo surprises because God and only He can allow some of the excitement that has happened in my life.

I'm a mommy to two grown up beauties - Ev'Yan and Jarani. I have a wonderful son in law, Jonathan Mead - who is successfully blowing up the internet with ways to create your own niche and become your own boss at Paid to Exist. I also have another son in law who is just equally creative and wonderful, Orlando (who will make this mama's heart smile when he married my Jarani on May 1st) who in the future will be opening up their very first bakery and cafe'. (Can we say, "Free cookies for this mommy for life???) :)

I have 4 bonus kids by way of my J - Brittney, Jeffrey, Michelle and Ashley. They are all very unique and there is certainly no dull moment when they are here with us. They bring us joy.

I'm a twin to Nay Nay who has been my best friend since we were wombmates. There's not a dull moment when we get together. In fact, last night, thanks to her, she MADE me eat dog food with her so she wouldn't be alone in her quirkiness. (It wasn't all that bad.)

Then of course, life wouldn't be fun unless there were two four legged babies to add to the mix - Mooshu and Selah, shih tzus that think that they are kids, very hairy kids.

I hope that you'll find a place to call home here at chocolatecovereddaydreams. I'm anxious to visit with you and meet some new blog friends.

Nice meeting you! :)

My Bucket List

My twin sis and I have bucket lists. The funny thing is that they aren't literally on paper. They are in our heads.

For instance, my Nay Nay called me and said, "You won 't believe what I did!  I got big girl shoes…for my bucket list."

"Really? Big girl shoes?" I asked. I knew exactly what she meant. When we were born, and back in the day when braces could or should be recommended for feet that in-toed, we weren't given that joy. As a result, walking in high heels can often be a challenge. My Nay Nay decided that she was going to cross off one thing on that bucket list and found a deal of 10 pairs of heels. (Not one but 10. She went for the gusto.) Each day, she practiced walking in her big girl shoes until the moment finally came and she ROCKED those heels!

Together we have decided that we WILL cross off stuff on our growing bucket lists. Some of those things are on both of our lists while others are our very own "personal" bucket lists.

Some of mine are a bit on the outlandish side. But, in my own defense, I like to think BIG!!

Here are a few glimpses into my growing list…

1) Going on an African safari. This will have to be one that I do on my own OR my sis would have to go with me. J says that he refuses to be a lion's meal.

2) Doing a stand-up comedy act. (I think I'm funny. So maybe I'll discover a new hidden talent.)

3) Going to Uganda or China and adopting one or two or maybe three kids. (J is keeping his mouth closed on this one. He says that unless he is "called" to go, he's not going. I just hope God wakes him up with a LOUD voice.)

4) Working in the assembly line at See's Candy.

5) Write a few books…not one or two but a few.

6) Go to the top of a mountain and camp out while listening to God speak

7) Go barn chasing a la taking pictures of as many barns as I can.

8) Pet a newborn sheep

9) Play a character on Grey's Anatomy.

10) Take a cruise to Alaska. (Hopefully, with all you can eat crab legs.)

Told you some of them don't make sense! :)

What are some things you would add to your bucket list?

Why I Married J

When I first started blogging, I was "happily" married for 21 years. Then divorce happened. The ugliness of unfaithfulness sent me spinning into a life I hadn't anticipated. Being real here...divorce is ugly. PERIOD. 

Flash forward a few years...I was at a place in my life where I discovered the Simone that I had never known. I found my voice and a place where I could finally smile again but I was lonely. I wanted to share my life with someone but not just any "someone" a God's gift to me "someone". 

In all honesty, I kissed a few toads before I found my handsome prince. I became disillusioned and distrustful, thinking that there were no more good guys. The guys that I dated really had no clue who "Simone" was. They didn't know what put a smile on my face or what made me laugh or the silly side of me. They didn't really know how much I loved the feeling of holding hands and being told that I was beautiful.

My J was that gift to me. He showed me what true love was and is all about. He brought out the innocence once more, in me. I see the world differently because of him. 

When we first met, the very first thing that attracted me to J was his faith. He lived his faith out loud. He was honest, loving, and caring. But he was "quiet". The Simone that I am, isn't necessarily quiet all the time. I have an ornery streak a mile long and when something says, "Do not touch", you bet, I will touch. But J understands me and he reminds me to take life slower and cherish the crashing of the waves on the seashore.

The very first time we were walking hand in hand, I tripped going up the stairs (no surprise there) and his reaction was to firmly grasp my hand to keep me from falling. He didn't realize just how much that little gesture showed me that he would be my protector, my faithful friend, my greatest cheerleader.

Our marriage has been less than perfect. We have had many, many challenges to deal with...one of those being my health. I will never forget that when I flatlined, the very first person who's face I saw was my J's. I cry even now remembering it. 

I married J because his love is REAL. He gets me. He is loving, faithful and values me more than his very own life. His is a listener, a lover, an encourager, a teacher. He has brought about the passion of knowing God...REALLY knowing God.

I look forward to spending the rest of my life with a man that finally gets me and loves me just the way I am....imperfections and all.

That's why I married J. I would do it over and over again.