Farewell to the Beat of Eye of the Tiger

Tonight we bid a fond farewell to Sunny. She was gold and had fins and was such a delight. She was not noisy and she minded her own business. She was a delightful little gold fish.

I regretfully had to deliver the news to my daughter who fell out in the floor when I spoke the words "Sunny is no longer with us." It was a very impressive display of grief especially since she had only had Sunny just shy of two weeks. She won Sunny at the Fall Festival at church. Apparently their bond was deeper than I thought.

I suggested that we have a funeral to help ease my daughter's grief. My son escorted my daughter to Sunny's final resting place (a.k.a. the toilet in our hall bathroom) As they walked, he hummed the wedding march. I told him it was a wedding song and not a funeral song, but he just kept on a singin.

I spoke some kinds words on behalf of Sunny and then asked if anyone had anything they would like to say. Mind you we are all gathered around "the sea". My son delivered a very, very moving eulogy. It went something like "So long Sunny, we will miss you even though you weren't very smart. In fact, you were pretty dumb." (He did not understand why she couldn't swim through the treasure chest. She would get right up to the hole in the chest and then swim around it.)

My daughter had very few words. She just say goodbye. At this point her grief had turned to laughter.

I said that we should have a song or something to end the funeral. My son suggested Eye of the Tiger. My daughter loved that suggestion and so we ended the funeral by humming Eye of the Tiger.

My son did the honor of flushing her to the deep blue yonder.

Please let us know if you would like us to handle any of your farewell arrangements. Clearly we know how to do it up right!

Contagious

With so many things going around these days, when you hear the word contagious you usually want to run. I know it makes me want to reach for the antibacterial hand santizer and take a step or two back. However, I ran into someone tonight that had something that I really wanted to catch. I hugged her and even grabbed her hands in hopes that I would catch it.

Have I lost my mind?

Well maybe, but I don't think so.

She was all a glow because God had been doing some really amazing things in her life. She began to share with me what her days had held and how God had spoken to her. It really was contagious and I was really hoping to catch it.

It really got me thinking about what I exude.

Am I a display of His splendor?

Is He what people see when they look at me or do they see me?

I was reminded of what I need to be doing and that is dying to myself, feasting on His Word and listening for His still small voice. When I get myself out of the way, then He can truly shine through!

May the splendor of the Lord shine through us all today!

Before and After

Finally I have finished the make over of our bedroom. It was quite a sight to see me trying to move a king size mattress by self. But I managed and I really love the way the room looks now. So here is the before picture.

Don't adjust your eyes. Yes, you are in fact seeing a Christmas tree laying under the window. And yes, it has been there since we took it down in December. I think I mentioned before that we were not able to find a box to fit the 9 foot beauty. We are hoping to find something this year.

And I just noticed the sock under the bed. We are classy folks I tell ya!

Another view of the before. Our walls are a light blue green color. I don't really know what the color is called but I love it. It is a very soothing color. Our bathroom which is right off our room is painted taupe and the curtains and towels are this green color. The rugs are chocolate brown.

And here comes the after pictures!

I really love it! The comforter is the same color as the walls. The chocolate on the comforter really makes our furniture look rich. I also really like the curtains. I think my curtain rods need to be higher and the rods also need to be heavier. That will be another project for another day.

And now you get a much better view of the Christmas tree. It really adds alot doesn't it! If you look out the window it looks like someone is standing on the deck. It is not really a person, it is just my husband's hunting clothes hanging from the gazebo. Apparently the gazebo doubles as a hunting closet. Who knew it was so versitile! We make a good redneck joke. Classy I tell ya!


Have a great day!

What Have I Been Doing All This Time?

I never intended to be gone this long. It was not a decision I sat down and made, rather it just happened. Life has been happening.

During my absence I celebrated my 17th Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated by going to the Cheesecake Factory and a movie. We had a great time together. We also discussed my desire to celebrate 20 years together by having a second honeymoon. For our first honeymoon, we went to Disney World. We had a great time but I really have this strong desire to sit on a quite beach somewhere in the Carribean. My feet really want to dangle in the crystal blue sea. So we will see if it really happens. Hey a girl can dream and if nothing else drop lots of hints! This picture is from our beach trip this summer with my family. From the looks of my knees and legs, you would think we had been wrestling in the sand. Which is sorta how it felt to get 4 children to behave and convince a total stranger to take family pictures for us.


Also during my absence our church hosted The Real Me conference. This was the reality of a vision that God gave me back in May. It is the first time that I have been a part of anything that I can look back on and say that I would not change a thing. I saw God work in ways that I never have before. The theme or purpose of the conference was for women and teen girls to realize who we are in Christ. It really was an amazing weekend!

I have also done some redecorating around my house during my absence. Right now it mainly looks like piles of junk was the decorating theme, but soon it will look good. We sold my son's bunk beds and bought him new furniture. Last night was the first night that he got to sleep in his new bed. I was a little sad when I tucked him into his bed because I realized how fast he is growing up. We bought him a full size bed and he just looked so big in it. This is the fourth bed that my son has had. First was his baby bed. Then we moved him to a toddler bed which can I just say for the record is a total waste of money. Next was the twin bunk beds and lastly the full size bed. I would also like to state for the record that these past 8 1/2 years have gone by entirely too fast. Hopefully this will be the last bed transition.


Last Monday my husband was off from work and our children had school, so me and hubs did some things around the house. My husband goes through periods of wanting to clean and throw things away. Monday was that kind of a day for him. I really wasn't feeling like it but was not given another choice. We attacked our bedroom. We cleaned under the bed, flipped mattresses, inhaled way too much dust and threw aways lots of junk. As we were wrapping our cleaning project up, I heard a sentence that I had been dreaming of "I hate our comforter and bedding." I asked him to repeat himself because I thought the dust may have caused me to momentarily loose my mind. I do not hate our bedding but I am just a little tired of it. We have had it for a little over 9 years now. He repeated himself and encouraged me to go purchase a new set. Let me just say that it does not take much encouraging to get me to go shopping. My friend calls it retail therapy and I love every minute of it. So I went and purchased a new set. Currently it is in a pile in the floor but I do want to get everything switched out this week. I will do a post with before and after pictures soon. I know you will be on the edge of your seats waiting on that!

Have a great week!

Never The Same

I found a treasure the other night. Since our water heater died several weeks ago, the contents of our attic are in the bonus room. I am waiting for some cooler weather before I put everything back in the attic. Remember I don't really like to sweat and the attic makes me sweat.

Anyway, I was looking through some of my old boxes that I brought with me into my marriage. They were mainly filled with pictures, scrapbooks and several very random things. But I did find a little treasure disguised as a Garfield diary.

The diary was started back when I was in the sixth grade. To this day, I am not much of a journaler (I think I just made up that word) which is apparently the way I have always been. The diary was started in the sixth grade and I continued to write in it on up into high school and I wasn't even half way through the diary. I guess I just reserved it for what I thought were major events.

The diary started off with my feelings for a certain boy in the sixth grade. The entries made me giggle because they were just so innocent and such huge events in the life of a sixth grader. You know who you like and who likes you are life altering events!

I knew it was about to get good when we got to 1986 and the ink color changed. 1986 was a very big year for me. I was 13 years old and I went on my first mission trip that summer. My youth group went to Virginia Beach, Virginia. We did back yard Bible clubs in very poor areas and we also had to stay in the homes of complete strangers. The stranger part was huge to me.

My friend, Heather, and I stayed with this young 20 something woman whose husband was away in the millitary. I just remember she had dogs and she left us alone in her house everyday when she got up and went to work. Here we were just 13 and 11 and a stranger is trusting us in her house. It was a big deal to me.

That was also the summer that Top Gun hit the theaters. We went as a youth group and one of the chaperons (a.k.a. my mother-in-law) got up and walked out of the theater because of the bedroom scene. She then got mad at us because we didn't follow suit.

Today I think back to the movie and the bedroom scene is really nothing, but back in 1986 it was alot to be showing on the big screen.

Well, my life changed at the end of that trip or atleast my heart did. We were on the church bus heading home and this fairly new guy named Cliff was getting all the attention. He and his family were fairly new to our church. I thought he was kinda cute but he was two years older than me and he really didn't seem to notice me. That was until the bus ride home. We were goofing off between our naps and then all the sudden Cliff stops in front of my seat and grabs my hand. He gets down on one knee and begins to sing "Sad Songs". The chorus goes something like this..."They'll be sad songs to make you cry. Love songs often do...They will touch the heart of someone new..." (That last line may or may not be accurate)

Here is what my diary said about this..."It may have meant nothing to him, but MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!"

While reading this the other night, I had to put the diary down because I was laughing so hard. I thought to myself, "Honey, you have no idea!"

One month from today, I will be celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary to that same Cliff that sang Sad Songs to me on the church bus in 1986.

I can tell you that when my little 13 year old heart flip flopped in my chest that day, I knew that one day he would be mine. I honestly knew it. I told my friend Heather as we got off the bus that one day I was going to marry him.

I finished reading the diary and then headed to bed. I curled up next to Cliff and thanked God that he still makes this thirty something heart do flip flops!

Christmas!

Are you a little shocked by the title? It is just a few months away and I have actually already bought two Christmas presents.

I know someone that has all their Christmas shopping completed by Thanksgiving. I am always amazed by her. Every year I strive to get more accomplished early on instead of having to wait until the last minute. So, this year I'm off to a good start.

The reason for my post is to actually encourage you to visit another blog. Teresa visited my blog on the Diptacular tour and invited me to visit her blog. Her blog is called A Baby Changes Everything.

Can you guess what Baby she is talking about? JESUS!

She is having a giveaway right now and will be giving away $100 worth of Christmas ornaments. Believe me, once you take a look at some of the trees she decorates, you will want them.

I really want you to go to a specific post of her's about the Jesus Tree. I love this idea and I am seriously thinking of doing a tree like it this year. I love Christmas ornaments and I can not think of a better way to teach my children about the real meaning of Christmas.

I hope you will go by and visit her blog. Enjoy her pictures and read about the Jesus Tree.

The Dip That Will Make You Slap Your Mama!

I love cream cheese and I love BooMama, who by the way also loves cream cheese, so I wanted to post my current favorite dip. I dedicate this to Suzanne, since it is technically her recipe. (BooMama - you and Suzanne would be instant BFF's because she can do amazing things with a block of cream cheese. It really must be one of her spiritual gifts.)

Here comes the recipe! Warn your mama because I promise you will want to slap her.

Cream Cheese and Olive Dip

1 - 8 oz block of cream cheese softened

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup green olives chopped

3 T olive juice

Dash of pepper (no salt)

Mix everything together and serve with crackers. Serves 4 to 6.

I just thought of another dip. So if you are coming here by way of BooMama, then you are going to get a bonus recipe. Consider it my blog welcoming gift to you.

This one doesn't really have a name so I just made one up.

Chili Cheese Deliciousness

1 - 8 oz block cream cheese softened

1 can Hormel chili (we prefer no beans but that is just our preference)

1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a backing dish. Pour can of chili over cream cheese. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven until cheese melts and sides bubble. Serve with Frito Scoops. Serves 6 to 8.

You can substitude Paul Newman's Black Bean and Corn Salsa for the chili and it is equally delicious. I prefer the salsa over the chili, but my husband prefers the chili. If you make it with salsa, switch out the Frito Scoops for tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

How Beautiful!

God, You out did Yourself today!

The sky is the most beautiful blue with a few fluffy white clouds.

There is a coolness in the air that is just exciting.

The gentle breeze is so refreshing.

Thank you for being the most amazing artist!

Hair Balls

On Friday I called my hair stylist and left a message that said "I hate my hair, I can't do anything with it, it is not you because you did what I asked you to do, but I hate it. I am at your mercy...I think I am going to cut it off. Please call me...I am at your mercy..."

She left me a message telling me when I could come in and guess what happened...

My hair took a turn for the better. It actually started looking better and I began to think that I just might like it. So guess who had to call back and leave another message stating that now I like my hair and no I am not crazy.

Long story short, I did not cut my hair off and I am very thankful for that. And I like my hair now. My mom says that once you get your hair cut it goes in shock and you have to give it a few days to recover. I guess she is right and mine just needed a few extra days to work out it's shock!

Well, guess what I brought home last night...a kitten!

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Clearly I wasn't thinking. I blame my recent hair struggle for my lack of brain power last night. I fell prey to it's cuteness. It's cuteness did not win over my husband. He has not had any recent hair struggles so he was thinking alittle more clearly.

So if you are in the market of a cute kitten, I know where you can find one. Did I mention that he/she (who knows) is cute!

Have a great day!

I Have Made A Decision

Well, the decision is in regarding my hair and pretty much I hate it. You see my heart is tender towards the flip. I love it. I have longed for sometime now for my former hairstyle complete with the flip. However, I also enjoy the straight look that I can now achieve thanks to my flat iron. (I have naturally curly hair) So, this new hairstyle I designed combined both of my loves.

Here is the problem...I can't have both. Once I straighten my hair then it does not want to flip. Yes, I have even curled the ends with a curling iron but they won't stay. If I leave my ends more natural and let the curl come through, then my top is not straight. It also grows wider with the Georgia humidity which is not a good thing. According to the style masters, round faces should not have wide hair at the widest part of their face because it makes the face appear rounder.

So right now I am just praying for fast hair growth!

Moving on to another topic...Have you ever felt like you were not going to survive this parenting thing?

Well, that pretty much sums up my week thus far. Eight is a tough age complete with attitude. I am not really a fan of attitude and it has really gotten to me this week. Also, my daughter has decided that she does not want to go to school anymore. We learned that she cried everyday last week. She doesn't really care that we (her parents) would go to jail if she quit school in the first grade. So it has been tough this week.

My own son even questioned my parenting this week when he said this to me, "What kind of mother would send her child into the gas station alone?!?"

I am not even kidding that he said those exact words to me. Yes, I busted out laughing. I had asked him to go into the gas station and pay for the gas. Obviously, he was appalled! (Now, I need to clarify that this was our neighborhood gas station and we were the only ones there. I could see straight into the store.) I do not want anyone fearing for my children's safety.

So, I am a little glad that today is Friday! Have a great weekend!

Undecided Just Might Equal Regret

I have not posted this week because I have been having my own personal hair crisis. I think I have made a bad decision.

Let me take you back to when the madness first began.

It stated a few weeks ago when I was contemplating if I was still in style or not. So, I go to my trusty computer and google Fall 2009 hairstyles. Now, I have no desire to be a trendsetter but I also don't want people to look at me and think back to the good ole days!

I looked at several sights and then I stumbled across a page that is doing before and after photos or more like now and then photos. I scroll down and see my exact hair cut only it was a "then" picture from 2003.

2003...that was 6 years ago!

So my mind starts thinking of what I need to do to get back on this side of the cutting edge.

Monday I had an appointment with my hair stylist and I told her my concerns. I also told her my thoughts on a new hair style. She thought it would look nice and so we proceeded.

I started to regret my decision when I saw 3 inch pieces of hair falling to the floor.

Then she spun me around and handed me the mirror. And I put on my happy face and acted like it was the best thing I had ever seen. Inside I am questioning what I have just done.

I told myself it would be okay and better once I fixed it myself. So, I come home and fix it. And as I stared in the mirror I was undecided. Do I like it or hate it?

On Monday I was leaning more on the side of hating it.

Tuesday was a new day and so I washed it again. I reasoned that a clean slate will help. I styled it a different way and I thought that I just might like it. But still undecided!

So today I am starting over again and will hopefully style it in a way that makes me fall in love with it. I have hope people! I'll keep you posted!

We Need You God!

Today I am saddened for women.

Today God opened my eyes to the reality of the world that I live in and it breaks my heart.

We are promoting a conference for teen girls and women that is being hosted at my church the end of September. The conference is called The Real Me Conference. We are armed with flyers and we have painted our car windows advertising the conference. I try to always hand out the flyers when I am out in the community.

Today while at Walmart, I eagerly whipped out my flyer and handed it to the cashier. I explained briefly what it was because there were people behind me and I know everyone is always in a hurry. She asked me "What's it about?" and I gave another brief explanation. She asked me again, "What's it about?" I simply said, "it's about God." She got this frustrated look on her face and tossed the flyer beside her cash register.

I wanted to say "You may not want to know God, but He knows you!"

I also wanted to say that I would be praying for her, but I just turned and walked away.

But I will be praying for her. I am also going to be praying that she will not be able to get the conference or that little flyer off her mind. And I am praying that God will draw her to the conference.

I left there and went to the rec center to sign my son up for football. As I was getting back in my car to leave, a man approached my car.

I rolled down the window (other people were around) and he asked me what this Real Me Conference was about. I began to tell him. He seemed interested and then he began to tell me about his girlfriend. He said she spends way too much time drinking and doing drugs. He is worried about her and proceeded to ask me what he should do to help her.

Silently I was praying or more like pleading with God for some sort of an answer to give me. I shared a few things with him but said that God was the only one that could really change her. He told me all the people he had talked with about his situation. It broke my heart. I handed him a flyer and told him to give it to her. I promised that I would pray for her and pray that God would draw her to the conference.

As I drove away, it hit me like a ton of bricks how desperately we need God in our lives.

There are no substitutes, none! Oh, we try everything to fill the God sized void that we all have in our lives but nothing works.

If only we could see our need and run to the only One who can meet it!

Ms. Kelton Would Be So Proud!

I spent most of my day yesterday at my kid's school unloading boxes of books. Our school was remodeled this year and so the library had to be packed up and unpacked. I honestly needed to go lay down.


It wore me out!


All those books made me think about my elementary school Librarian, Ms. Kelton. To be honest, she scared me. I kid you not when I tell you that one of my classmates in 4th grade wet her pants, while standing on the library rug, all because she was too scared to ask Ms. Kelton if she could go to the bathroom.


I kid you not!


Isn't it funny the crazy stuff that you remember.


I guess the smell of all those old books just took me down memory lane. I use to love going to the library at school. I felt so big and important being able to check out a book. And even though Ms. Kelton scared me, I remember she would let me use the date stamp and ink pad. Oh, I felt important alright!


On a totally different note but one that is very funny. Sunday night after church a bird pooped on my face!

Yes, you read the last sentence correctly.

I was standing outside painting on the back of my friends car window (we are advertising of an upcoming conference) and all the sudden I felt something like a wet splat on my face. At first I thought the window paint marker had gotten on me until I saw my reflection in the window. My response was "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!"

There it was, bird poop sitting on my cheek. My mother-in-law's response was "thank goodness you didn't have your mouth open!"

Her wisdom did give me something to be thankful for in that moment because let me tell you that if bird poop got in my mouth...well, I can't even imagine what I would have done aside from spitting and gagging!

I was hoping that the bird poop incident was not a sign of what my week was going to be like and so far it has not been.

My incident gives new meaning to bird watching!

P.S. I have no idea what is up with the weird spacing in this blog post. It was not intentional, unless of course you like it!

Randomness - Part 48

The other night I decided that I might get creative in the kitchen. I read a recipe for sweet and sour chicken. Okay, well it wasn't exactly sweet and sour chicken this is where my creativeness started to kick in. The recipe sounded good as I read it and with a few substitutions, I thought I had everything I needed to make a dish that resembled Chinese take out.



My husband has challenged me to cook more and us eat out less. It had gotten pretty bad. Not my cooking, the eating out part! We were eating out way too much. But can I tell you that since we are not suppose to be eating out much now it is all I want. This is why diets do not work for me because once you tell me I can't have something it is all I think about!



Now back to my supper. I started making the sauce for the chicken and it was smelling good until I made one fatal substitution. In case you were ever wondering...CountryTime lemonade powder is not a good substitute for lemon juice.



I know, I KNOW who would even think that it would be. It was just a moment of weakness in my creativeness. Next time, if there is one, I will atleast make the lemonade and then do the substitution.



I do have to tell you that I was able to salvage my dinner. I poured the sauce down the drain, but I did make delicious fried rice with stir fried chicken. You will never guess what I battered my chicken in...pancake mix.



I can't take the credit for the pancake mix because I got that one from Rachel Ray. She uses it to make chicken nuggets. It really was yummo!



Now on to another topic for your reading pleasure!



I do not know what came over me today. I got into a cleaning mode and even broke out a toothbrush to scrub with. I cleaned out one of the draws in our bathroom that had not been cleaned out in nine years. I have to tell you that it felt really good. Today was only part 1. Unfortunately, I can not clean as fast as I use to. I get so distracted.

Let me just tell you how distracted I get. This morning I started a load of laundry. I like to put the detergent in the water and let it fill up a little. I was washing whites, so I also added my bleach. I come back in about 30 minutes to put that load in the dryer and start another load. Guess what I had forgotten to do?

Yes, I forgot to put the clothes in the washer. And I am ashamed to tell you that it took me a minute to figure out where my clothes went. I knew it was going to be a long day!

Have a great one!

The Mommy Woes!

I was talking to one of my friends last night. I was concerned about her because she did not seem like herself. As I listened to her, it quickly occurred to me that she had the mommy woes. This is a condition that most moms of little ones suffer from but a condition we rarely talk about. I don't know if we are ashamed and feel that no one will understand or if we are just overcome with guilt. Our guilt usually stems from our desire to be a mom and stay home with our little ones and once that happens wishing your life was different because it is so stinking hard. Believe me there is nothing quite as heavy as mommy guilt.

You may be asking what the symptoms of this condition are to determine if you have it or not. I have listed a few below:

• your big accomplishment of the day is getting dressed
• the days of going to the bathroom by yourself are long gone
• you mainly speak babytalk
• you can't remember the last time you had a night out with your girlfriends
• you can distinguish cries and have gotten comfortable ignoring several of them
• on more than one occasion you have been frightened because you sound just like your mother
• getting dressed up is actually wearing a bra and a t-shirt without stains
• your new perfume is spit-up

Well, now that you know what your condition is what do you do. The first thing is to know that even though you feel all alone, you are not. This is a condition that most women suffer from. And the reality is that it will be over all too quickly (even though you think the day will never end) and you will actually look back and miss this time in your life.

I know that sounds crazy and unbelievable but I promise it will happen. I remember having to literally strap my son onto my body just so I could do laundry. There were many days that I thought I was going to loose my mind. Now he is eight and I can't even pick him up anymore. I sure do wish that I could hold him in my lap one more time. I can not even begin to count the number of times that I put my dishes back in the cabinet after my daughter crawled in and pulled everything out. But what I wouldn't give to open the cabinet door and see her chubby little cheeks smiling at me. And don't even get me started on the rocking and singing lullablies. I am going to have to stop this because I am getting teary eyed! I tell you it all passes by way too fast.

Secondly, and the most important thing is to keep pursuing God even though it may be in 1 minute intervals. Read His Word and take it to heart. Apply it to your life. I promise this is your most important life line. It will help you to be a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend.

Lastly, schedule yourself some time with your girlfriends. If you do not have someone that can watch your children then plan a playdate. You will enjoy the fellowship with friends and your children will enjoy playing with someone.

Don't loose heart, this too will pass. You will survive this time in your life despite how you felt when you woke up this morning. You are a great mom! You can do this!

Why Ladies, Why?

I probably shouldn't even include the female gender in my assumption, but I do have a feeling on this one that I am not alone.

I want to take you back to my last week. Just to give you an up close look into the craziness of who I am. My birthday was this past week and so earlier in the week my husband and I had a conversation that went something like this..."I don't really know what to get you for your birthday this year. And you know what I usually do when I don't know what to get." I replied "Yes, you usually buy me Brighton jewerly or a Vera Bradley purse and I do not need either one." To which he replies, "Yes and I usually spend way too much ." I said, "Well, I don't really know what to tell you because I don't have anything on my mind that I have been wanting. I would rather that you did not get me anything than to spend money on something I don't need." And then we start talking about something else.

Well, Saturday came (my birthday) and I have to say that I was lonely. I woke up in my house all alone. My daughter was at my sister's house and my son was at a friend's house and my husband was at a men's conference. My husband came in after I went to bed and then left before I woke up. I will be honest and tell you that I was hoping to walk into the kitchen to see a big bouquet of flowers and a card sitting on the counter. Instead all I saw were dirty dishes in the sink.

I then headed toward our bathroom because I thought surely he had some acknowledgement of my birthday sitting on the counter or something. No, nothing was there. Mid morning he did call me from the conference and wish me a happy birthday. I did think that was very thoughtful and I was appreciative.

Well, our Saturday progressed and we were both headed in different directions accomplishing our tasks.

Finally around 4:00 we are both home together. We walks over to me and hands me a card and a bag from a store. Inside was a costume necklace and earrings in the same color that he gave me for Valentine's Day. And may I add that I only own one thing that color and it is a shirt that I bought after he gave the first necklace on Valentine's Day.

Now let me just pause for a minute because some of you are probably thinking how ungrateful I am and that you would love for your husbands to pick you out a necklace and blah, blah, blah. I know I have already heard this from my sister because her husband is not the gift giving type.

I was not upset over the necklace. I was upset over the fact that I know he did not purchase the necklace until about 30 minutes before he gave it to me. And did he not know that he had already given me a necklace that looked very similar. Did he not know that I don't really wear that color. Did he not know that I saw him writing in my card two minutes before he handed it to me. I just felt forgotten and I was not happy about it. My family celebrated my birthday, but it was just not the same as my husband.

Well, in good ole fashion, I made him pay. He received the silent treatment and the cold shoulder. Finally that night before going to bed we talked about it but I was not through being mad at him because I felt he was not sorry enough for his actions. (Ha, Ha) You can laugh, but you know what I am talking about. He has not suffered enough for how he made me feel.

He honestly did not understand why I was upset and I honestly did not understand why he did not understand why I was upset!

So, I went to bed mad. Yes, I did!

I know the scripture about not letting the sun go down on your wrath. I know, I KNOW!
I did get up this morning and apologize. I was very thankful that the Lord granted me another morning so I could ask for forgiveness. And then, it all became clear to me.

1. The main thing my husband heard from our conversation earlier in the week was "Don't get me anything."
2. He was proud of himself for picking out a necklace and earrings. I mean I told him not to get me anything, so the fact that he got me something was a huge bonus.
3. I vaguely remember saying the words "don't get me anything" but secretly meant read my mind and buy me something that I don't even know I want.
4. My feelings about the conversation earlier in the week were you should know me so well and love me so much that you do not even need to ask. Just surprise me! My thoughts were ... I will not tell you this because you should just figure this out...your gift will not be just a gift but an expression of how much you love and adore me.

With my feelings and secret mind language, how could the man win?

He couldn't because my expectations were unrealistic. He has not been given the gift of mind reading. Even after years of being married, we just do not think alike. And here is the kicker, that is the way God designed us.

So, what did I learn from this whole thing?

Well, I learned that communication is key. I should not say things that I do not mean because my husband never received his secret meaning of my words decoder ring. I was also reminded that my anger hurts me alot worse than the other person. It is really not worth hanging on to.

So, I guess you could say that my birthday present this year was a little wisdom!

Things That Make Me Happy!

Tonight I was treated by my mother and mother-in-law to dinner and window shopping. We had such a great time at dinner. They let me pick the restaurant since my birthday is coming up. I picked Olive Garden since my hubby does not like it and I rarely ever get to go. I tried the new Grilled Chicken Crostata and it was delicious. It was as good as they make it look in the commercial.

We left the restaurant and headed to a nearby shopping center to walk around. We went in this great new store called Charming Charlie. I just love it. It is full of costume jewerly, purses, shoes and basically all things girls love. The best part is that the store is organized by color. All the orange stuff is together and then you move to purple, then black, etc. It is fabulous! I can not believe it, but we left there without buying anything. Oh, I am still thinking about this one necklace set I saw but I am trying to be good.

We then went to Dillards. I am not a huge fan of The Dillards because I just simply can not pay $90 for a shirt. My mother-in-law loves Dillards which was easily confirmed when the sales associate knew her by name. She does not pay $90 for a shirt either but somehow she is able to find things really cheap in Dillards. It really is a gift I am learning.

We walked around looking at clothes and laughing at various crazy things. Then we headed downstairs to leave. Before leaving we headed to look at the pajamas. You are not going to believe what I found in Dillards basically just waiting on me to take them home. Oh yes, I am wearing them right now as I type this. I found a navy capri pajama set regularly priced $70, can you believe someone actually pays that for pajamas. Not me sister because I got them for .........drum role please..........$1.99.

A $1.99!!!!!!

I didn't even know they sold anything for that price. And they are cute. I feel really special sittin here in them. I literally wanted to skip around in the store.

My mother-in-law was checking out and I walked up beyond excited about my bargain. She said "Oh, let me get those for you after all it is your birthday."

The cashier chimmed in "You are such a big spender!" Of course, this cashier also knew my mother-in-law by name and even had her phone number so she could call her when things got marked down again.

We spent the rest of our time giggling and looking for other things marked $1.99. We didn't find anything else but had a great time hunting.

I had such a great time with my mothers. God has truly blessed me beyond measure!

Randomness...

NO I HAVE NOT SHREDDED!

Just thought I needed to get that out of the way.

I am wishing that I had stayed true to my original plan of shredding that started back on May 1st because surely by now I would look a little slimmer and toner.

I am going to have lunch tomorrow with the ladies I use to work with. I have not seen most of them in a year. This makes me wish I had stayed true to atleast one of the fitness goals/plans I started over the past year. Oh well, tonight I am just trying not to get in my car and head to the gas station to pick up one of my best friends, Little Debbie. She and I have been through a lot together!

I just finished a great book tonight. The book is Same Kind of Different As Me. It is a wonderful, fabulous, moving must read. I stayed up until 2:35am last night reading. I could not put it down. My t-shirt became by tissue as I could have cried a river and did cry a small creek. Oh, it was wonderful. I would highly recommend it to you and it is a true story.

This summer has flown by. I can not believe that my children will be back in school in two weeks. I feel pressure to make some really awesome end of summer memories so they will have something really awesome to share when the teacher asks "What did you do over the summer?" I feel pressure, but that does not always equal great ideas.

I am loving the new worship CD by Travis Cottrell entitled Jesus Saves. Basically, it is all I listen to when I am in the car. I decided to give it to my mom for her birthday since she and I went to the live recording of the CD back in January. I gave it to her and told her what it was. Then a couple of days later she called and told me that she loved it and that it sounded a lot like what we went to that church and heard. I started laughing so hard. Obviously, she was totally ignoring me when I gave it to her. Apparently a mother's ability to tune out her children never goes away!

I could continue with more random thoughts, but I will save those for later!

To Shred or Not to Shred...

Or the title could be To Die or Not to Die. They are both pretty much the same. Just in case you are wondering what this Shred stuff is, let me explain.

Back in April I read a post by Vicki Courtney where she shared about a new workout she was doing. I think I have said in earlier posts that I hate to sweat and I hate to exercise.

I mean let me just get real with you!

Her post sparked my curiosity because many people signed up in the comments to be Shred Heads with her. And the beauty of it is the tape just lasts 20 minutes.

So I reasoned with myself that I could do anything for 2o minutes and I went and bought the DVD. It promises visible results in 3o days if you do it daily. I was going to the beach on May 31st so I decided to start on May 1st.

I just knew that by May 31st I would be mistaken for a bathing suit model, but I was willing! Ha, Ha!

Let me take you back to the morning of May 1st. It is forever etched in my brain because it is the nearest I have come to death in quite some time. I was home alone because my children were still in school and my husband was at work. I can not remember all the steps from memory but I do remember yelling at the TV on more than one occasion.

After completing the workout, I collasped and laid with my head hanging off the ottoman. I laid in the position for several minutes. I then made my way to my room where I collasped on the bed. I mustered up the strength to call my husband and tell him goodbye and that I loved him. I kid you not!

Well, I stayed committed to Shred for I think 5 days. Then Grandmaw's knees began to give her trouble and it was real easy to just stop.

Now I have some friends who are doing this and doing great with it and well, they make me sick. They have gotten me thinking about Shredding again. My downfall is lack of discipline to do something that I hate. So, I thought if maybe I gave a little shred update every so often it might help me to stay committed.

I would also love it if you would like to join me. We could help encourage one another. So leave me a comment if you are interested in trying this. Also, you should know that if you do this and it is easy for you, that I probably won't like you very much. Or atleast for my sake act like it is a near death experience.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Well, Look Who Has Decided to Come Back to Blog World!

It appears from the dates of my last posts that I decided to take May and June off. It really wasn't planned out. Life just got a little hectic. I have never been one to wish my life away, but I do have to admit that I was really glad to see June go. For some reason we decided to plan two vacations and add VBS in between them. It was fun by exhausting!

So, what have I been doing lately? My first answer is a lot of laundry. But that is not really fun to talk about. So on the fun front, I went to the movies this week. My hubby and I saw The Proposal. It was really funny. We went on Thursday night because our kids happened to be at their grandparents house. We grabbed a quick burger at Five Guys, which was delicious, and then headed to the movies. We were running a couple of minutes late, but I figured it wouldn't really be that crowded.

Well, I was wrong!

Apparently, everyone wanted to go to the movies on Thursday night. The line to buy tickets took forever, Then the theater was full. I walked up the aisle looking for seats, but there were not two together.

Guess where we ended up sitting...in the handicap aisle. You know the one where you have a seat and then a big empty space for a wheel chair and then another seat. Now let me say that I only sat there because the whole row was empty and I would have gotten up if someone in a wheelchair came in.

The hubs had to stop and get popcorn even though we had just finished eating. It is some rule he has that he can't watch a movie without popcorn. Anyway he just started laughing when I waved him down in the dark.

Through out the movie, he would look my way and wave. If we both stretched our arms out, our fingertips would touch. Now isn't that romantic!

Well, I hope you all have a great 4th!

This Is The Life!

"This is the life" were the words uttered by my son as he floated on the crystal blue sea looking up at the crystal blue sky. And I could not agree with him more! I think I was meant to be a beach bum.

We are at the beach this week and the ocean is as beautiful as I have ever seen it. It is crystal clear for miles. I was told it looked like the Caribbean but I can not tell you that first hand since I have never been to the Caribbean. As I walked along the ocean, I was reminded of the line in one of my favorite praise songs "Waves crash in honor of you." I just kept singing that line over and over. I love the ocean because it reminds me how BIG my God is. You know according to Isaiah, He held it in the hollow of his hand. And you know what else...those big hands are holding you and me today!

Just a side note. I am sitting in Panera Bread because the internet does not work at our beach house. This lady is sitting across from me and she keeps starring at me. She keeps trying to look at my computer screen which makes me want to laugh. I wonder if she thinks I am some sort of secret agent or something? (Can you tell that I have an 8 year old son?)

Anyway, I wanted to tell you something that will make you laugh. I bought some of the tire floats to take with us to the beach. The kids had so much fun floating on the waves and I wanted to float on the waves myself. So, I got one of the floats and slipped it on. It was so much fun. My daughter, my niece and I just giggled and floated on the waves. Well, all was good and well until I needed to slip the float off. If you know me you know that I never will or never have worn a bikini. The general public thanks me for that. Let's just say my love for all things fattening prevents me from looking like a super model. Now,back to the slipping off of the float. I lift my arms and pull the float and suddenly my stomach feels cold. Yes, you guessed it. As I pulled the float up, so came my bathing suit and for a few seconds the only things covering my upper half was the chest lining of the suit.

I snatched my suit down and then starting dying laughing. I couldn't hardly get out of the water for laughing so hard. My husband said he did not see it and he really hated that he didn't. I am hoping the other beach goers were looking away also. We will see if anyone points and laughs today when I go back.

Speaking of going back...the beach is calling my name so I will say goodbye for now. I know it is a hard life, but really someone has to do it!

Enjoy your day!

Breakfast Conversations That Explain It All!

This morning's breakfast conversation went like this:

Me: Do you want cereal, PB&J sandwich or cinnamon toast?

Max and Amelia: Waffles!

Me: We don't have any syrup for waffles. Do you want cereal, PB&J sandwich or cinnamon toast?

Amelia: Cinnamon Toast.

Max: PB&J Sandwich. No, I'll have cinnamon toast, too.

Me: I did not know you liked cinnamon toast.

Max: Well, today I think I do.

Me: Max, what do you want to drink, tea or milk?

Max: Milk.

Me: Really, I didn't think you liked milk.

(I am thinking to myself, do I even know my son. What is this? Everything he use to not like now he likes.)

So I fix him a glass of milk to go with his cinnamon toast. I go to the oven to watch the toast and he picks up the glass to get a drink.

Max: Why did you give me milk? You know I don't like milk!

Me: I asked you if you wanted milk and you said you did.

Max: No I didn't!

Amelia: Yes you did! She asked you and you said yes!

Me: You make me think I am going crazy!

Max: You are going crazy!

Amelia: Well, she is a woman!

Yes, I am a woman and some days I think the van will pull up at any time to cart me off to Loonyville!

Have a great day!

I'm Back!

I am excited to be back to the land of my own computer. We ended up getting a really pretty new laptop. It is this really cool bronze, copper color and in the world of computers color really is all that matters. I mean who understands all that mega stuff and memory stuff anyway. All I know is that I want it to be fast and of course pretty.

Now to more important things. Do you remember back in January when I attended the live taping of Travis Cottrell's new worship CD? Well, it comes out on June 2nd and I hear it is absolutely fabulous. I can not wait to get a copy of it. If you would like to hear a sample of the songs you can go to Travis' website. And BooMama is giving away 20 copies of the CD here. I hope you win one, but if you don't I would highly recommend buying it. I remember thinking several times during the taping that I was going on to Glory Land!

Have a great day!

I'm Alive But ...

Well, I am alive but my computer is not. Last week my home computer's hard drive decided to call it quits. I was very shocked and sad. I will post more when I have a computer again.

Waving Red, White and Blue

Today I am proud to be a resident of the city that I live in. If you drove through our city this morning you would have probably wondered what was going on. Fire trucks were pulled off on the side of the road with their lights flashing. Police cars were waiting at red lights with their lights flashing. And amid the rain and strong winds there stood men and women, boys and girls holding signs and waving flags.

Today our local Army Reserve Unit left our friendly little town headed to Iraq. They left behind wives expecting babies, loved ones fighting cancer, children and other family members all to protect the freedom that we take for granted.

Our church had the priviledge of hosting the Soldiers and their families for a Christmas dinner. We were also priviledged to have some of the Soldiers join us at one of our worship services. The sight of the Soldiers lined up across the altar with our Veterans standing behind them praying is a sight I will not too soon forget.

Please join me today in praying for our Soldiers that are stationed all over the world protecting our United States of America. Please also pray for their families who are also making a huge sacrifice.

Heavenly Father - I thank you for the men and women who are bravely fighting and protecting our freedom today. I pray that they will feel encouraged today and know that they are not forgotten. Please protect them and bring them home safely. Please be with their families that they left behind. Help us as your church to minister to them. Amen

Happy Easter!

I hope that you have had a wonderful day celebrating Christ's resurrection!

It has been one of those days that I just felt the need to shout. Today I celebrate my freedom! It is unfathomable how God could love me enough to sacrifice His one and only Son, Jesus. And equally hard to understand is how Jesus willingly suffered and laid down His life for me. It is a love that I do not understand but I do willingly accept it. And I am so thankful for this gift!

Oh Spring, Where is Your Warmth?

My mind has been on all things fun this week and the lack there of in my own house. It is Spring Break time and since it has been in the 40's outside we are kinda limited on our activities. Our plans are to head to Six Flags tomorrow for some thrills roller coaster style. We are all excited and hoping that the weather man is correct in forecasting some warmer temps.

I will post more later but my time is really consumed with trying to entertain kids with a very outdated bag of tricks.

Happy Spring to You!

The End of the Story

Well, I know that you have all been unable to function wondering what happened to my cat. Did she get down from the tree? Is she still alive?

Miss Cali is safe and sound at home. In fact, she is currently curled up by the front door sleeping.

You see I did not only marry a camo shot gun tot'n man, but he can also tote a ladder! Honestly, once again he was in his dress clothes and shoes. He was really going to come in the woods in those clothes and rescue our cat. Now I love our cat, but I also know those clothes and shoes would not have ever been the same after the rescue and well, I care about that too.

So, I delayed the rescue long enough for him to go change clothes.

The noise of the ladder scared her terribly bad and we were afraid she might jump or fall. So my job was to catch her if either of those things happened. There is a reason I don't play sports and it might have something to do with my inability to catch things. It might also have something to do with my lack of athletic ability and my desire to never sweat. Who knows?

Thank goodness she did not jump or fall and my skills were not put to the test!

The rescue went as planned and I carried her back home. She was exhausted and sleep most of the day. My kids were thrilled to see her when they got home.

On a totally different note, tomorrow is the big day! Proverbs 31 Ministries will be announcing the winner of the 2009 She Speaks scholarship. I believe around 140 people blogged for a chance to win. I was number 31. So, we will see.

Have a great day!

Out On A Limb!

For two days we have been searching for our cat. We have stood outside calling her and shaking her food jar. Usually the shaking of the food jar causes her to sprint toward her food dish. But for the last two days nothing has worked. My husband and I were starting to get worried.

If you know us then you know that we have not had the best luck with pets. We have been through two dogs, a cat and two rabbits. Oh, yes and there were some fish in there but I can't remember how many. Let me clarify that "been through" means they had to go live with other families because they were just not the right fit for us. But then we found Cali and well she was just perfect for us.

She came up to me one Wednesday night at church and she seemed to just be begging for a home. So we brought her home with us. She is an outside cat and is the sweetest thing ever. She sleeps by our front door most days and we just love her.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a fox in our backyard. I was a little alarmed because we live in a subdivision and you usually don't see foxes in your back yard. We do back up to some woods so my husband said he was probably just passing through. Well, the next week our children were outside playing and the fox chases our cat out of the woods into our yard.

You should have seen it. My husband had just gotten in from work and was still in his dress pants and button down shirt. He runs and grabs his shot gun and dashes out into the yard. I started laughing because it is not everyday that you see a man in dress clothes running out tote'n a camo shot gun. The fox got away unharmed.

So when our sweet Cali could not be found for two days we started to wonder if the fox had well, gotten her.

We were sad this morning when we got up for school and turned on the outside lights and Cali was still not there. For some reason, my husband and I had decided that this was the day. Either she would come home or we would have to accept the fact that she was gone.

I get the kids out the door for school and then the phone rings. I figured it was my husband saying one of the kids had forgotten something. It was my husband, but he was telling me to come outside quickly because they had found Cali. She was stuck up in a tree across the street from our house. My son spotted her when they were pulling out of the driveway. My job was to keep an eye on her while my husband took the kids to school. Then he would come back to rescue her.

As I got close to her, I felt so sorry for her. She was shaking and crying and wanting to move but paralyzed with fear. She was stuck out on a tiny little limb alone.

As I stood under the tree looking up at her, God began to speak to my heart. There are so many women out there in a similar situation. They are cold, lonely, scared and paralyzed by fear. We walk past them every day. It may be the woman beside me in the grocery store aisle. Or the woman in front of me in the car pool line. Or the woman behind me in the check out line. Or it may be you.

My prayer is that God will give me eyes today to see them; to hear their cry for help. I know the One that rescues and He stands ready with outstretched arms. May I be His arms and hands today to reach out to those that are crying for help.

Ladies, we all have a kinsman-redeemer and His name is Jesus Christ. He longs to save and rescue you from whatever is holding you captive. I pray that you will pursue Him today. Believe me He will pursue you back!

She Speaks!

I am sitting at my computer trying to be creative and clever while my heart is racing. And unfortunately, the creative cleverness is just not coming. I thought if I could type a great post then maybe I could be picked and I could win the scholarship to attend She Speaks 2009. However, I quickly realized that it is not about my creative cleverness or lack there of because if God wants me there then it will happen in spite of me.

I know you are probably saying "What? What are you talking about?"

Well, it all started on Thursday when I was going through my daily blog reading. I clicked on Lysa Terkeurst's blog and her post was titled "She Speaks Scholarship Contest for Bloggers". I could not read fast enough, but I did not want to read too fast and miss something. She Speaks is a conference that Proverbs 31 Ministries put together for women who feel called to speak, write, blog, lead in women's ministry or reach the next generation for Christ. The conference is packed with practical information designed to help you fulfill the calling God has placed on your life. You can read more about the conference by clicking on She Speaks in the above sentences.

I attended the She Speaks Conference in 2007 and it was a life changing experience for me. I mean LIFE CHANGING! I went hoping to obviously learn something, but more importantly I wanted to hear from God. I was all by myself. I drove to North Carolina by myself, I roomed by myself and I attended the conference by myself. It was a first for me as I am not usually a lone traveler. But what I quickly learned was that I was not by myself at all. There were 400 other women there who felt just as unsure about God's calling on their lives as I did. And I ended up with a roommate after all - God. I had such a sweet time of fellowship with Him that weekend. I had a revival in my soul and a revival in my calling. God gave me direction. God redefined my purpose. It was more than I ever dreamed of.

Earlier this year, I started thinking a lot about the conference. God has done amazing things in my life over the past 2 years since I attended. I have been obedient to Him in the very things that we talked out that weekend. And He has proven Himself faithful to me over and over. I really want to go back.

I mean I REALLY WANT TO GO BACK! But, there is this little thing called money that is standing in my way. So, I committed to just pray about it because I know money is no obstacle to my God.

Now do you understand my excitement when I read Lysa's blog post?

Could it be me?

Could this be God's way of working it all out?

I don't know. But I do know this...whom ever God picks to receive this scholarship is in for a life changing experience and that gets me excited!

Being Content With What You Have

"Marriage should be honored by all,

and the marriage bed kept pure,

for God will judge the adulterer

and all the sexually immoral.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and

be content with what you have,

because God has said, "Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:4-5

I was appalled by something I saw on TV this morning. There is a website where married people can go to have an affair.

Can you believe that?

It appeared to me that it was set up similiar to one of the dating service websites. A man working for the "company" that ownes or runs this website seemed to be bragging about the number of people that have joined. It was a staggering number.

It blew my mind that a company exists that is profiting from adultery. Satan truly will stop at nothing to destroy families.

Satan is the father of lies and he wants us to think that the grass is greener on the other side. Can I tell you that it is not greener. Maybe the patch you see looks a little greener but when you get up close and look at it, it is the same color as the grass you have. It is all lies.

I love verse 5 above where we are told to be content with what we have. The verse goes on to say because God said He would never leave us or forsake us. It is as if the verse is asking "what do you have to not be content with? God has told you He will never leave or forsake you."

I need the reminder to be content. Be content in my marriage, be content with my home, be content with my wardrobe, be content with my vehicle...

What about you, are you content?

Perspective Change

Have you ever needed a perspective change?

I desperately needed one the other day. I was rushing out the door to get my children to school when my car wouldn't start. For some reason the cables going to the battery wiggle loose. I know, doesn't that sound just like your mechanic talking. I have learned how to wiggle them and get the car to start. So we are on our way.

Oh wait! I am in a curve going around 20 mph and my cars decides to quit again. Meaning the power steering doesn't work and did I mention that I drive a suburban. So I get it stopped with out taking out any of the neighborhood mailboxes. I go and wiggle the wires some more and off we go.

I was a little nervous because the car has never stopped on me while I was driving. So I slowed down a bit on our drive to school. And then guess what happens...

...my front left tire blows out! It was not a flat tire, it was a major blow out.

When I finally get back home, I dropped to my knees and confessed to the Lord how desperately I needed Him. I mean one doesn't have to be real bright to figure out that I was dangerous on my own that day.

It was one of those days when I did not even have words to say to my Heavenly Father. I just needed Him desperately. I sat speechless for a few minutes and them I asked Him to speak to me through His Word. I opened my Bible and it fell open to Isaiah 40. Please go read Isaiah 40. My favorite verse is verse 12:

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?"

Isaiah 40:12

"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing."

Isaiah 40:26

Those verses will give you a perspective change real quick!

I was awestruck by how BIG my God is!

Cup your hand, go ahead and do it. Now look at the hollow in your hand. How much water can you hold? Maybe a fourth of a cup.

My God measured the waters in the hollow of his hand! How big is God's hand?

And guess what? Even on that day when I felt nothing could or would go right, God was holding me in His hand. Now that is comforting!

So take comfort today in knowing that God is holding you in His really BIG hands. And that if He knows the starry hosts by name, dear one I know for certain that He knows you and me by name.

Now, go praise Him for His greatness!

Hello Crazy, I'm Home!

I am going CRAZY and the cashier at Publix can vouch for me! Last week I officially lost my mind and the cashier at Publix was so gracious to me. I know that secretly she is just hoping that I never come in the store again while she is working.

Well, I first need to tell you that I am all into coupons right now. I feel that since I do not work full time outside my home anymore that I need to do all I can to save money. You know keep more of what we have. So, I have read a lot of blogs on couponing (is that even a word?) and I think I have a good idea of how it all works. But I will say that I still do not know how they buy $150 worth of groceries for $30. That is my goal.

Now back to me loosing my mind. I knew it was going to be a tough day because I needed to hit 3 grocery stores (with Walmart being one of them) and be in the car pool line by 2:30 to get my children. Oh, I was proud of myself because I even packed a cooler to keep my cold items cold. Yes, game was on! I had my folder with my lists in it and my coupon envelopes for each store.

I'm telling you I was prepared!

Well, I did real good in the first two stores. I felt like I got some good deals and I sure did get a lot of groceries. I even got Gillette men's shampoo for FREE! I am still proud about that. So, it is nearing 1:30 and I head to Publix, my last store.

I am not going to lie, I was tired and my feet were starting to hurt. I wore the wrong shoes. I was going for cute instead of comfort and I paid for it.

I gather my items in Publix and I just need to get one last thing, peanut butter. I had walked for miles in the store and could not find where it was hiding. This was not my normal Publix and so I was not real familiar with where everything was. I stop at the checkout and ask the cashier where the peanut butter was located. She told me to pull my cart in her line and she would take me to it. (Her first mistake) I get my peanut butter and head back to her check out line. Another cashier was already unloading my groceries.

I need to pause right here and tell you that I have a system to stacking my groceries on the conveyer belt. I place them by how I want them bagged. I know you are all shaking your heads in agreement because everyone knows this. Well, the cashier unloading my cart was not aware of this rule and I was starting to get a little miffed by it. I mean I love me some customer service but I was starting to feel rushed and I had already been to two other stores and my feet were hurting and well BACK OFF!

Meanwhile, the cashier that was ringing me up asked if I had any coupons. Oh, yes ma'am I do! Here begins the slippery slope to Craziville. I could not find my coupons. I looked in my folder and the envelope was not there. I looked in my purse and they were not there. I asked the cashier if I could go to my car and look for them. Again, she was so gracious that she said "sure honey." I go to the car praying with every step that they are in the car. But NO!

Where are my beloved coupons?

I need to pause again and tell you that earlier in the week I watched a movie on the Hallmark channel about a homeless woman and a police officer woman. The homeless woman had two dogs, Man and BeBe. She took very good care of her dogs. BeBe got pregnant, not by Man, had puppies and the Officer helped to find them homes. Then BeBe goes missing and the homeless woman runs down the street screaming "BeBe, where are you BeBe, BeBe. Oh my precious BeBe..." You get the idea.

Well, that day in Publix I felt a lot like that homeless woman only I was screaming "Coupons, Oh my precious Coupons, where are you? Come home to mama Coupons..."

After searching my car, I re-enter the store disgusted that I lost my coupons. I mean truthfully I didn't even want the groceries now. They had bagged all my stuff and pushed my cart to the side. I asked the cashier if I could look around the store for them. Again, she graciously agreed. So off I go on my pursuit of my lost coupons.

I start around the perimeter of the store looking down every aisle. I know everyone thought I was some sort of stalker or something. I did not see them anywhere. I pass by the dairy case and finally come to the realization that they are gone. Gone forever. Bye my precious coupons, Goodbye!

Oh but wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Is that my envelope I see?

Oh Yes Ma'am It Is!

They have come home to mama! I run over grab it up and hug it for what seems like minutes. Just kidding I really did not hug the envelope although I wanted to.

I headed back to the cashier with my coupons and proudly handed them over to her. I know she probably thought I was going to be saving hundreds of dollars the way I carried on about my coupons, but I explained to her that it was the principle of it not the dollar amount. I thanked her for being so kind to me and headed to my car looking happily at the You Saved This Much line.

What a day!

Craziville, Mama is home!

Fear or Faith

A good friend of mine did a devotion at my previous job last year titled Fear or Faith. Several times she posed the question, "Are you living by fear or faith?" As I sat in my seat listening it was as if God himself was asking me these questions. I usually would have said faith, but that day I knew God knew the truth and I might as well say it too, FEAR. God used my friends devotion to catapult me into really living by faith. In fact, that day as soon as I got back to my desk I called my boss and asked to come to her office. I resigned from my job that day and stepped out in faith.

I never felt more alive or more scared that day. I was really doing it! I was really going to do this faith thing and walk right into what I thought "our" plans were going to be. It only took a few days before I realized that there was no "our" plans, there was only His plans and they really didn't align all that well with mine.

Shortly after I quit my job this little thing called the economy took a nose dive. I remember thinking "Um God, did you know that the economy isn't really doing all that great and are you sure this was the right time to leave my stable, dependable job?"

"Are you living by fear or by faith?"

See that was one of my biggest fears. What if this whole stepping out in faith doesn't work out and what if we can't survive on one salary, and what if I need to go back to work again. What will everyone think? What if...What if...What if...

"Are you living by fear or by faith?"

It is not easy living by faith, but it is where true freedom resides.

The "what ifs" are suffocating and binding. It is so easy to get tangled up in them. And that is what our enemy, the devil, wants. He wants me bound up and suffocated by my fears because he knows that I am powerless in that state.

But God says in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

I tell you today that you do not have to live a life of fear. It is not what God has planned for you. He desires that we live our lives fully surrendered to Him, walking in His power and truth. It really is where true freedom resides!

Snow Day!

We had fun today playing in the snow and making our new Snowman Friend, who might I just say knows how to wear a scarf! You know they are the big fashion item this season or so I have heard. That just happens to be one of my scarfs from the early 90's. Who says things don't come back in style?

Have a great Monday!

I Did Survive!

I have the song playing in my head, "I will survive" only I changed the lyrics to "I did survive". I give all praise and thanks to God because it was not nearly as bad as I envisioned it to be. If you are just tuning in, my daughter had a tonsillectomy last Friday. I had prayed that it would be very uneventful for her and I praise my Heavenly Father for answering my prayer!

Here are a few things that I learned this week:

1. A tonsillectomy can change your voice. Don't ask me the medical indications of this, but just trust me that it can happen. I miss my daughter's normal voice because what replaced it is very high and squeaky.
2. I need more PATIENCE! I learned this by early Saturday morning after I had fixed every soft item I knew how to concoct. The problem was everything was yucky!
3. Eating a MEGA bag of Almond M&Ms is actually helpful because you need extra energy to get up and down oh at least 100 times per hour.
4. The Doctor calls my daughter secretly because she had some Doctor's orders of her own!
5. There is nothing sweeter than your daughter some how being soothed just by your presence.
6. The cuddling on the couch is totally worth the 100 times per hour that I had to get up and down.

I have been very sentimental this week. I guess because I was needed so much it reminded me of the "baby years". My baby will be six in just a couple of weeks and oh Mr. Time I do wish you would slow down! I know it is hard to enjoy the getting up during the night, bottles, crying and diaper changing but they do pass by so quickly. Unless of course you are going through it right now and you think you will never be able to bathe or go to the bathroom by yourself again. You will and all too soon you will be looking back and wishing you could hug and cuddle them one last time.

My son, who is eight, and I were having a conversation this week on the way home from school. He informed me that one day, when he got rich, he would be moving to San Diego, or maybe Dallas, or maybe Australia, or maybe Europe. He wasn't real sure yet but he thought he might go back home to Texas after all that is where he was born. My mind started to wander off to thoughts of what he might be one day. And then I thought "God, what if his desire to travel is really a passion that you have given him because one day he will be a missionary." Playing in the background was the song Yours by Steven Curtis Chapman which I just love. And it hit me that Max and Amelia aren't really mine to keep forever. They are God's and He was gracious enough to let me be a part of their lives. I got a little misty eyed as I drove home. And a lot convicted that I have got to make these next 10 years really count because all too soon I will be waving goodbye as they head off to college.

Heavenly Father - Thank you for the priviledge of motherhood. Nothing in my life has changed me more or made me realize my need for you more. There are many days that I wonder what I am doing and I thank you for your grace that sees me through those days. Lord, please help me to be the mother that you designed me to be. Please help me be the mother that my two children need me to be. I praise you and thank you for the blessing of my children. ~Amen.

It's T-Day!

We survived the tonsillectomy this morning. Amelia has done well but has not felt very good today. She has been really hungry but not able to really eat anything. It has been hard to watch her not feeling so great today.

Last night as we were tucking her in the bed, she grabbed my hand and with tears in her eyes said she did not want to have her tonsils out. Let me just say that this mama can take alot, but I can not take my baby being scared. It took everything with in me to hold back the floodgate of tears that wanted to break free.

I talked with her and told her that having her tonsils out was really what was best for her. I explained that even though she might not feel very good for a couple of days that she just had to trust us that this was best for her. I was saying all of this while trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

As I walked out of the room, the Lord spoke so softly to my heart. It was as if He was saying to me "that is exactly what I was trying to explain to you over this situation or that circumstance. You have got to trust me that I always know what is best for you." It has never been more clear to me. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to trust the Lord when you know the days ahead are going to be tough and painful.

Here's Hoping We ( I ) Don't Go Crazy!

Today is Tonsillectomy Eve and I am dreading tomorrow like the plague. My sweet Amelia is having her tonsils removed tomorrow morning. All she knows is that it feels a lot like Christmas because she has been getting sick presents all week. All I know is that tomorrow around lunch time she will feel very differently about this whole tonsil ordeal.

I am not one that likes to be house bound so my main concern is for my own sanity. By Monday or Tuesday I may be needing some kind of surgery or shock treatment myself. Just kidding. Of course she is my main concern but my sanity does rank a very high second.

I am excited about all the milkshakes that I am going to be making and I would be lying if I said I was not already planning on enjoying a few myself. You already know that I have eaten a whole MEGA bag of Almond M&M's so why wouldn't I wash it down with a milkshake? Every woman needs lots of calcium! Haven't you seen the commercials?

Now, I would like to share a few random things with you.

My son is not the neatest most organized child in the world and I feel that it is my duty to help him in this area. It is not unusual to find one dirty sock in the dirty clothes hamper and the other sock under the bed or in the closet. I was explaining to my son how important it is that both socks make it to the laundry basket so they can be washed together and then folded together. This was his response "You're the one that matches up all those socks, that must be hard."

Finally someone feels my pain!

I would like to share more random things that have happened this week, but my husband keeps coming and announcing the time to me. So, I better wrap this up and go get some kids in the bed. Tonsillectomy Day starts early!

If Lovin Chocolate is Wrong Then I Don't Want To Be Right!

Lovin chocolate has been my motto for about the past week or so and I think I have probably over done it! I started the week by being my own valentine and treating myself to a bag of M&M's with almonds. The bag may or may not have had the words MEGA written on it. My thoughts were that the nutritional value of the almonds totally make the chocolate part okay. And the more almonds the better hence the necessity for the word MEGA.

Oh, I am so weak when it comes to chocolate. It is my love language. Add some carmel or peanut butter to it and my heart skips a beat.

Well, enough about me and chocolate. We had a lot of fun celebrating our luv for one another this year. On Friday night there was the Daddy/Daughter date night that my sweet little 5 almost 6 year old dreamed about all week. She woke up on Friday morning eager to pick out her clothes for her "date" night before heading to school. Earlier in the week, my husband had asked for my help in finding something really special for him to give our daughter. I thought a ring would be nice. So I was at Walmart and saw a cute little ring with a small diamond in it.

I use the word diamond loosely. It was probably more like a diamel. It was so small that a microscope would have been needed to identify it. But I reasoned she is 5 and since it only cost $28 we would not pass out if she lost it. And I mean really, how sweet it is that your first "real" ring comes from your Daddy.

I am 35 and still very much a Daddy's girl. So I got misty eyed over the sentiment.

Well, not knowing her size I opted for a 1 since she is a little petite thing. My husband was concerned that the moment would be ruined if it did not fit. So how could we know if it fit without her knowing about the ring.

So, I came up with a brilliant idea. I would wait until she was asleep, then I would go in and try the ring on her finger. I tip toed into her room, pulled her hand out from under the covers and slipped the ring on her finger.

I smiled and thought to myself "man, you are so smart." Then I gently pull to slide the ring off, only the ring does not budge. I try again and nothing. I wanted to panic because what was a brilliant plan has gone really wrong.

"WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?"

By this time my daughter is moving her hand and starting to make whinning noises. So I start to pull again. My daughter begins to cry and I try to calmly say "shhh, go to sleep." Finally after much pulling and much crying the ring comes off.

Who came up with this idea anyway?

Well, guess what? The next morning she did not mention one single word about it. Apparently she is multi talented and can cry from having her finger pulled off with out ever waking up. What talent!

So, I ended up returning the ring and my husband found her one all on his own. He got her a silver ring with her birthstone in the shape of a heart.

Before going on their date he gave her his present. The store had wrapped it for him and put it in a really pretty bag complete with a stuffed teddy bear fairy. She was so excited.

She ripped open the package and pulled out the ring box. She was even more excited. I was getting misty eyed all over again. What a moment!

She opened the box and says "I have always wanted one of these...!"

My husband smiled with pride and then she finished her sentence "I have always wanted one of these boxes!"

Oh yes, she was way more thrilled with the little box than the ring. Isn't that how it always goes!

I AM!

You can tell from the date of my last post that I have been absent for a while. I have been in this odd place for about the last week. A place that I don't really enjoy. I guess you could say I have had "the blues". I would like to say it is hormones, but I don't really think that is what it is. I think I have let the world get to me. News of more people I know loosing their jobs, loosing their homes, families in turmoil, businesses closing their doors...honestly I could keep going but I think I have made my point. It has just gotten to me.

The bad thing is I don't even really know how to pray about all of this because it is just too overwhelming. Well, tonight I heard the lyrics to Nicole Nordeman's song I Am and God just spoke to my heart. No matter what is going on in our worlds God is the great I AM! He always has been and He always will be.

God is greater than this world!

Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!

So, I want to tell you today that no matter what is pressing in on you, if you are a child of God's, you have the great I Am on your side. There is nothing that you will face, not today, not tomorrow and not next week that will change this. And do you know what else, He is everything you need Him to be...Encourager, Healer, Comforter, Friend, Dream Keeper, Strong Tower, Faithful Friend, Provider, Daddy, Creator, Peace, Hope, Strength...

Dear One, He tells us in His Word that in our weakness His strength is made perfect. If you are feeling weak and frail today, know that you can rely on the power and strength of Jesus Christ.

Below are the lyrics to I Am. I hope they will speak to your heart like they have to mine.

I Am

Pencil marks on a wall

I wasn't always this tall,

You scattered some monsters from beneath my bed,

You watched my team win, You watched my team lose,

You watched when my bicycle went down again,

CHORUS:

And when I was weak unable to speak,

Still I could call You by name,

And I said “Elbow healer, Superhero,come if You can,”

And You said “I am”

Only 16, life is so mean, what kind of curfew is at ten PM

You saw my mistakes, You watched my heart break

Heard when I swore I’d never love again

CHORUS:

When I was weak, unable to speak,

Still I could call You by name,

And I said “Heart-ache Healer, Secret-keeper,be my Best Friend”

and You said “I am”

You saw me wear white, by pale candlelight,

I said forever to what lies ahead

Two kids and a dream, with kids that can scream

Too much it might seem when it’s two AM

CHORUS:

When I am weak, unable to speak,

Still I will call You by name.

"Oh Shepherd, Savior, Pasture-maker,hold onto my hand,"

and You say “I am.”

The winds of change, and circumstance blow in and all around us

So we find a foothold that’s familiar,

And bless the moments that we feel You nearer

Life had begun, I was woven and spun,

You let the angels dance around the throne,

Who can say when, But they’ll dance again,

When I am free and finally headed home

CHORUS:

I will be weak, unable to speak,

still I will call You by name

"Creator, Maker, Life-sustainer,Comforter, Healer,

My Redeemer,Lord and King, Beginning and the End"

"I Am, Yes, I Am.”