Madison Sanders Writes

Today's feature post is dedicated to Elissa from 17 and Baking . Elissa studies hard, writes with passion, and finds time to bake some delectable treats. When reading her blog, you'll wonder why no one hasn't invented Taste a Blog capabilities. I know it would be a hit! 1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? It's hard to see myself as a 27 year old, but without a doubt, I'll be writing. It's always been one of my life-long ambitions to write a book, so maybe a novel would be in the works. I'd like to think that I'll be able to use journalism to improve the lives of those around me, writing about issues that are meaningful to me. Of course, in a perfect world, I might also own a little bakery too, so I could bring a little sunshine into the world in another way. 2. Given the opportunity to work with any cook/baker, who would you choose and why? There's far too many talented food bloggers to possibly choose from, but one of the first people who

Gossip. Criticizing. Demeaning others. We've all been guilty of these things. I've been reading a book called 30 Days to Taming your Tongue by Deborah Smith Pegues, which is an excellent book that talks about things that we say that we shouldn't. Some are obvious like lying and gossipping, but others like putting yourself down might not be. I know people who have nothing to talk about unless they are talking about someone else. This book illuminates the problem and gives reasons from scripture as to why it's bad and how to fix it...the right way. When I wake up each day, I have the last night's chapter rolling around in my head. I'm being more mindful of what I say and how I say it. You might be wondering why in the world I chose that title. God wants us to make a difference in the world-to be set apart from others. What better way to do that than to not be like the world? Don't belittle someone just to make you feel better about yourself. When someone aro

Mama had just finished getting me ready for church. I was twirling around the house in my pale pink dress while waiting on everyone else to finish. My hair was pulled back in a little pink bow. Apparently my life didn't have enough excitement, so I went in search of my own. I spotted the bottle of mink oil on the counter. A light bulb went off in my head: Why don't I make my hair even prettier by slathering mink oil in it? Yes, that would give it the shine it needed! I thought. A smile crept across my face at the brilliance of my plan. Mama must have known things were too quiet in there so she came to investigate. I was all in my plan so I never even heard her. I just kept gooping it on by the handfuls. My arms were covered with it. I .... missed the target. :) My mom was horrified. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what Mama was so upset about. I could hear by brother oohing to himself. At that time, I wanted him to hush. Mama's eyes seem to pierce through my ev

Today we'll learn a little more about Trina from XOXO, Trina . She's a stay at full time mom with a flair for all things fashion. She balances family time with fun. If you've never read her blog, you should! She has some great tips on how to make your very own harness necklaces and tells you what makeup products work for her. Oh, she includes some very funny stories about her kids along the way! 1. How did you meet your husband? The short answer is at church. The long answer is we both moved away from home (Alabama) and during a series of events, God brought us both back to Alabama at the same time. We started going to the same church and ended up both working with the youth group there. Two weeks after meeting him, I knew he would one day be my husband. The crazy thing was, we knew a lot of the same people, worked close by each other during high school and never knew each other until we met at church. 2. Who was a style icon that you admired as a young girl? There were

As the music was playing in the background, I was surprised to see a usually shy little boy who I thought never noticed me standing with outstretched arms. I was especially touched when he was careful not to knock my wheel chair. It was almost as if time stood still in that moment. We never exchanged any words; his outpouring of love was enough. It was a love that knew no boundaries. When we hugged, it was like I instantly felt better. As the music was building to the chorus, he was standing there with outstretched arms. He eyes never wandered. He was going to get what he came for, which was a hug. I promptly hugged him back. I'm sure God was a lot like that when He was on the cross. He had love to give and He was waiting for us to accept. While He endured excruciating pain, He never wavered in His purpose. Afterwards, I sat in awe and disbelief at what had just happened. I began to wonder if someone had told him to give me a hug , but quickly realized I was wrong because no on

I heard footsteps and ran to the door. My Paw Paw was making his way up the steps. I clutched my hands around his waist then took his hand to help him up that last step. He slipped something with a shiny red wrapping paper into my hand. I knew what it was but wanted to save it for later. You see, those strawberry candies didn't come around very often. I hurried to find a seat in the house. Pa was talking to Daddy about how things were going. You know man talk. I fingered the wrapper, contemplating whether or not I wanted to eat it then. I couldn't resist that sweet strawberry smell wafting from the paper. I peeled back the first layer to reveal a waxy white paper. That little red morsel was calling my name. I wasn't about to disobey the candy gods. Why that would be atrocious! They might sentence me to live out the rest of my days in a candy shop...that would be so bad. (wink) I slowly lifted it to my mouth, trying to resist the urge to chomp it to bits to reveal that stick

NOTE: I had someone to post today, but they haven't emailed me their answers. I apologize. I'm not perfect. Everyday isn't a "good" day, but it can be if I make a choice to act that way instead of how I feel. I don't always say the right thing, my hair isn't always camera ready. Imperfections are in the eye of the beholder. Something that you can't stand about yourself others may love (within reason of course). One of my childhood friends has red hair with an orange tint. When she was younger, she didn't like it because it reminded her of a clown. To her surprise, people in high school loved it because it was unique. They didn't know many people with red hair. People that I know have worn a lot of makeup at times to cover up freckles. Yep. Some people wear long sleeve shirts because they get made fun of for not being tan. Just because you see something wrong with yourself doesn't mean others do. One of my professors told me that she had h

Mama had to go to pick up a few things at W@l-Mart . I was patient as she picked up some snacks and other things. As we made our way to the back of the store, we passed the snack counter. This wasn't the place for chips or beef jerky. This little hole in the wall tucked in among clothing and groceries had crunchy nachos dripping with cheese, hot dogs and the icee. Even though the kind, elderly woman named Mrs. F. always gave me time to browse over the menu with small red letters, I knew what I wanted, a cherry icee. As I watched the bright red mixture swirl around in the big silver machine, I got excited. When she filled the blue cup with its trademark polar bear logo, I gingerly reached over the gray formica counter to get my treat. I took a taste to make sure it was satisfactory. I took my job as a taste tester very seriously. As we finished our errand, I could feel the wet condensation dripping on my hand. I slowly sipped the icy drink, trying to savor it. I have to confess sa

Today we have Sasha from Saucy's Sprinkles . She's someone who can come up with any excuse to make cupcakes, loves all things vintage, and is a devoted mother and wife. Go check out her blog to learn more about her daughter. Yes, the creative bug has bitten her too! 1. Where did you get your creative gene? I most definitely get that from my father, who goes by the code name “The Secret Weapon” on my blog. He is an artist, a craftsman, a photographer, designer, woodworker and above all, a world famous printmaker. When I was growing up I spent countless hours in his studio with him working on all sorts of projects. All of the children in the family (I have two brothers) learned to be productive from an early age. Allowing kids to be creative also helps them learn to be problem solvers. They learn how to look at things differently – that’s why I think fine arts programs in schools are so important. It doesn’t matter if it’s music, visual art or writing, being creative is pa

My grandparents decided to treat all of the grand kids to a day at Chuck E. Cheese which was supposedly one of the funnest places for kids. Yeah, maybe if the stars are aligned just so and you don't run out of quarters. My brother and I got a few dollars from my Granddaddy and we headed straight for the games with the most serious faces we could muster. My younger cousins played some Skeeball and would occasionally saunter over to see what we were up to. E was at one of the games that doled out the most tickets. Or so they said. He had gotten a taste of victory. The burnt orange tickets with the black dots started spewing out. He couldn't help himself. He fed a few more shiny quarters into the machine, unaware of the other games around him. Laser tag, pac man, and a few larger ones couldn't distract him. He was in the zone. I peered cautiously in his hand. Only a few more quarters left and it would be mine turn. Bing, Bing, Bing! went the machine. The once colorless light a

Image Credit: Simple Field Path © Andreas Krappweis 2010. I look back on 2009 as a survivor. God alone has pulled me through some dismal times and celebrated some great ones. 2010 isn't just a new year because everyone says it is, I feel it, I know it. Someone can try to convince you of something all day long, but unless you know it, it has no meaning for you. I have some decisions to make concerning the next medical step for me. I'm being wise and researching things before I make a decision. I asked Mama when they put my brother and I on the ventilator did she have to do it regardless if she was scared, and she said yes. I guess that I will have to jump in head first as they say. Notice I didn't say jump alone because I'm not alone. I feel the weight of this decision at night. I'm heavily weighing the benefits vs. the risks. This road isn't easy, it's not scattered with rose petals. It's littered with jagged rocks and the footprints of the ones

*Writer's Alcove will be posted as soon as I'm emailed a picture* When when staying with my Granny and Papa, I could always find Granny watching TV and Papa asleep in his chair. I had gotten bored of flipping through 40 channels to no avail, so I set off to see what she was watching. I plopped down on the gray couch with small splotches of green and lavender throughout. Granny was watching the Price is Right with Bob Barker. I settled into the cushion hitting the round black button that promised to recline my feet. I had gotten there just in time. Johnny was calling contests down one by one. Some were wild with excitement while others tried to keep it together because in the back of their mind they knew they were on national television. They didn't want to end up on America's Funniest Home Videos for their crazy antics. They preferred to be in Price is Rights Hall of Fame for their intuition. At least this is how the scene played out in their minds ya know. The lovely m