Saturday, December 29, 2007

Ding Ding Ding...Round 2


Tomorrow morning we leave for round 2 of Holiday travel.
I must first point out that I have turned into an old woman, or someone from a different ethnic group. Please notice to your left the 2007 Chrysler 300. Fully equipped with all the hoopdyness you can handle, enough head room to hold the big old lady hair when you leave the beauty parlor, enough "class" to drive down the road with one arm out the window while the other rest comfortably on the stearing wheel looking as cool as you can be. Enough stereo to bounce the car next to us out of their lane. I think I need to go hang some dice or Mardi Gras beads from the rear view mirror!

To my friend Stacey, please don't be scared when we pull up...it's not the mob coming to get you...it's just us...the Bhamsters! Yo!

Oh my...we have quite the rental car. See its like this...our van is sad. We can't open the back of it. The check engine light is on. The check engine light blinks, and the car sputters when you go up a hill. We are getting horrible gas mileage. We have to put the 93 octane in it, just to upgrade to semi horrible gas mileage.
So hubby suggested to save headaches (which always happen when we travel at the holidays) lets rent a car. He works next to Enterprise (there...I have given them their plug!) so we get a good deal and it's all smooth sailing.
We were supposed to get a small car. He wanted to upgrade for $3 a day to a mid size...they were out of those, so for no extra charge they upgraded us to Hooopdy status!
Boy, I hope this doesn't come back to bite us later when we are mistaken for Tony Soprano, Kanye West, or Elizabeth Taylor!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Adoniram Judson

One of my early New Years resolutions is to read more about Missionaries. My sister is a missionary and I thought it would be good to read about the lives of some older missionaries.
I have started with Adoniram Judson. I have only been reading stuff from the internet, but will try to find a book soon. Anyways. Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma in the early to mid 1800's. What an incredible testimony he has to TRULY believing in and grasping the sovereignty of God. He and his first wife, Ann, lost two children on the mission field. After the loss of their second child his wife Ann said this...


"Our hearts were bound up with this child; we felt he was our earthly all, our
only source of innocent recreation in this heathen land. But God saw it
was necessary to remind us of our error and to strip us of our only little
all. O, may it not be vain that He has done it. May we so improve it
that He will stay His hand and say...'it is enough.'"

There is no need to expound on that statement. My words would be inept.
Adoniram Judson was imprisoned for 21 months. His wife Ann was instrumental in pleading for his release. She also died not to long after his release.
Adoniram married again...suffered the loss of more children...experienced the life of children as well...then bore the pain of losing another wife.
He then married again. He married a writer that he had commissioned to write a book about his second wife. They had two children. The first one lived...the second one died at birth, 3 weeks after Judson died.

I look forward to reading much more about the life and ministry not only of Adoniram, but that of his wives as well. Any woman that can write such a statement while living in Burma and losing two children, I think is someone worth reading about.
John Piper stated on this subject that he preaches to produce mothers like that and that he fears there are too few. Am I a mother like that? I don't know. I've never lost a child. But I don't think I have to lose a child to be the kind of wife and mother that is reaching for God's truth and trying to rest in His sovereignty.

Late in Adoniram Judsons life he said this...


"If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by
infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated
suffering."

That certainly begs the question in my life..."Do I recognize the trials in my life as those from an infinitely loving and merciful God?"
If I don't recognize them as such, then where is my hope? John Piper goes on to say in the same sermon about the Judsons, that he wants to build a fence around the sovereignty of God. So which side of the fence do I fall on?
I have two choices...recognize God's sovereignty in every aspect of my life, or don't. I rejoice in God's sovereignty when I have a good day. I am thankful for his provision for that day. I am thankful when unexpected money arrives to pay an over due bill. On those days it's easy to praise God for his sovereignty. But on the days when I can't pay that over due bill am I still trusting in God's sovereignty.
God is not going to sprinkle me with sovereign dust and suddenly I accept what life is throwing me. I have to choose to believe, as His child, that every trial is from His hand of infinite love and mercy. That is a much better option than to just not know why. I don't have to understand, I just need to know God is loving and merciful. Then I need to praise Him in that.

Well, I am going to enjoy learning more about Adoniram Judson and his wives. I look forward to learning what God will teach me through these studies. If any of you want to study with me, come on! And if you have any ideas on who I should study next, let me know.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Christmas Top Ten

10. I got an MP3 player. Yes, I am cool now!
9. Stacy was suprised by the movie "Tombstone" that I got him. Suprsises are always good.
8. I succesfully made a Red Velvet Cake complete with Cream Cheese Frosting. Yumminess!
7. Lana was very cute singing "Away in a Manger" at church Sunday. She has no stage fright.
6. I am a hero because I spent $8 on a pocket knife for Logan. Hopefully I don't spend $800 at ER.
5. My brother brought his girlfriend to Christmas Eve festivities and she's sweet. I like her!
4. I got to at least see a snowflake mixed with sleet on Christmas day. So it was a wintry mix Christmas.
3. Despite the rain the whole way home, the drive was nice and hubby and I chatted contently! Ah, companionship.
2. We ate Ham, Turkey, and Rib Roast. Can't beat meat!
1. Enjoyed nice time with family. Craziness and all! That's what it's all about.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

I'll be home for Christmas...


Isn't it funny how we say we're going home when we're going to our parents house?
I've never even lived in that house, and yet I say I'm going home.
Oh well...It feels like home anyway!
We definitely enjoy being there.


The presents are wrapped.
The suitcases are packed.
The car is loaded.
We're about to take naps to prepare for our journey tonight.
There is a slight possibility of snow for Christmas.
We are stopping at Starbucks before we leave tonight.
AH, all is right with the world.


Well except the fact that I'm irritated with my husband.
I'm leaving a lot of laundry to deal with when I get home,
and it will most likely be raining when we leave tonight.
All was almost right with the world.

By tonight I will get over my irritation. I have no choice.
That is what you have to do when you are married. Like it or not.
Sometimes you have to do things for the greater good.

Maybe the Laundry Fairies will come down and take care of my laundry while I am gone.
I deserve at least that right?
And we will pray for safe travels and get out ahead of the rain.
So maybe all is at least tolerable with the world.

Merry Christmas all of my fellow bloggers. It has been a joy journeying with you guys over these past few months. I look forward to being blessed by your blog company even more in 2008!

I pray you all know God's love and grace even when all is not right with the world!

Love to all!!!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Glorious Sleep!

Last night I took Tylenol PM.
I was sound asleep at 10:00pm.
I awoke at (gulp) 9:00am.
I know...Crazy...but I had to make up for some sleepless nights!
I feel much better and ready to do laundry, wash dishes, do my typing job, and whatever else comes my way today.
Thank God for Tylenol PM!
Thank you all for your advice.
Now, I must go wash me some dishes.
You know...there just is no exciting way to say that.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Help me please!!!

I have serious sleep issues. I can't sleep at night, therefore I am cranky during the day.
I have to leave the house at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow for work, and yet it is 11:35 and I am still up. I just got through wrapping Christmas presents and I my brain won't stop.
What is a girl to do?
My friend Stacey suggested today that I get some special tea. I will do that tomorrow.
I may have to do the Tylenol PM route a few nights just too get into a sleep groove.
I don't know.

Have any of ya'll gone through this before?
Let me go ahead and rule things out:
I drink little caffeine. None at night.
I don't nap during the day.
I am very active during the day.
I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs.

OK...I am going to go now and try to sleep. 6:00 is going to come early.
Tomorrow will definetly be a Starbucks kind of morning!
MMM...Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappacino is calling my name...
Now if it could just lull me to sleep!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Insomniatic Ramblings

Notice the time. 1:30 am....What is wrong with me? I have been going and going all day and I can't stop. It's like I've been nesting for days and I'm not even pregnant. Good grief. I will be so worthless in the morning. But thats OK...I've decided that this week of school is going to be all about Christmas! Fun stuff huh!

Today was a good day.
We had great church service this morning.
Came home and did some cleaning.
Made homemade pizzas.
Took Lana to do her Christmas shopping.
Organized pictures on the computer.

Went back to church for Choir musical.
It was very good. Filled with worship and very God centered.
I enjoyed it emmensly.
Then we had our friends Ken and Gwendy and our Pastor and his wife over to eat the homemade pizzas.
We had a super fun time chatting with all of them.
We covered a wide variety of theological and life topics.

I was given 3 Christmas gifts today. And they weren't Gold, Francincense, and Myrhh!
What a very nice treat!
I am thankful for those gifts and for those givers.
I am thankful for new friends and friends that over time start to become more like family.
My friend Gwendy and I made arrangments to swap kids this week allowing us both time to wrap presents. Thats a good thing. She's a good friend :)

I can't beleive that we leave Saturday to go to Mom and Dads for Christmas.
I really want a white Christmas.
I REALLY wish Laura and the fam were coming to suprise us for Christmas.
I am going to make some White Trash this week. Oh my yum!
We are going to a Christmas party Monday night ( which I guess is tonight now).
We are playing dirty Santa. I hope I get the last number. I want to be really mean! Bwaa Ha Ha! (Kim Hill evil laugh)
I am going to bring Johnchies Jello. It is the best thing ever.
It is too hot in my house right now. Bald husband needs to get a night cap so he can absorb heat better. Or I should shave my head. HMMMMM.....

Well..it is 1:43 now. I should go to sleep.
If you are an early blog reader, and you actually read this whole blog, please don't call me...I will hopefully, finally, be asleep!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Swirling Thoughts

Do you ever just feel overwhelmed by your own thoughts?
I have been feeling that way for days.
I feel like I can't get enough of reading other peoples encouraging words.
I have been loving reading what God is doing in other peoples lives.
It is so encouraging to know that when I am about to loose it, somebody out there has got some words that are going to point me right back to the Gospel.
It always comes at the right time too.
God is so good to know what I need.
It is not His plan for me to loose my cool...it is my depravity and lack of self control.

This has been part of my crazy thoughts. Brace your self...it's a weird flow.

I love puzzles. I love games like Tetris and Bejeweled and right now my favorite is Jewel Quest.
I love to see things fit together.
I love seeing these shapes or whatever coming down and I have to make sure they get to the right place. When they all fit together, I win.
When I'm lazy and just watch them fall, I loose.
My relationship with God is so much like that. Life is throwing things at me.
I have the choice to either let them fall or make it all fit together.
When I choose to let them fall I choose to leave God out of it.
If I want to make it all fit together I have to do it with Him.
I am fully aware that this is the weekest analogy in the world of what God does in my life everyday.

Yesterday Logan came at me with wanting to know how to get the full armor of God.
I answered him the best that I could, which is usually not enough for him, so we tabled it until Daddy got home.
Stacy is able to explain things to him so much better than me. It was such an encouraging conversation and it did my heart good to hear my son so eagerly want to soak up what the word of God says about really, equipping ourselves for daily sanctification. I loved hearing my husband instruct our kids about filling ourselves with Gods word...memorizing, reading, studying, worshiping, proclaiming the Gospel to others. All of those things that help us to put on the armor of God, that push us a little more towards Gods righteousness.

In Sunday School our pastor has been teaching us out of Eph.4. That we are called to walk worthy of the calling by which we are called. That we are to walk this walk with lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endevoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.

The fruits of the spirit instruct us to love, have joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

We don't pick and choose these things. God didn't say, here Missy...this is part of the puzzle...you pick which part you would like to have. How easy would that be? Anyone could pick one or two attributes to live out. Well maybe for at least a day!
But we are to put it all on. The whole armor...the Whole Fruit...Walk the whole walk.
For me it's all apart of that puzzle. It doesn't just randomly happen. I have to put the pieces in place. God, through the sending of His Son, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit has given me the tools by which to do this. I sometimes am just too lazy to make it work. I would rather watch it all fall apart than just make one little move that will make all the difference.
I get so frustrated with my sinful nature. I get tired of fighting it.

I am thankful for the body of Christ. For the real struggle that you all so freely share. For the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For the Sovereign God that has known from all eternity that I would belong to Him. For the fact that He sacrificed His Son so that He can show mercy on undeserving me.

Wow..this is a long post...I have just had all of these thoughts swirling in my head. It was nice to give them a place to come together. Thanks for listening.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Ornaments and Snowman

Here is the link for the Ornaments. They say to use Pie Plates. I thought you could get more out of Cookie Sheets. The templates are included.
FamilyFun: Pie Plate Ornaments - and More Family Fun

And here is the picture of the snowmen.
The one on the left is Lanas's. She is using it to hold "special" stuff.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Christmas Craft Day

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Thanks to all of you who came out and helped with Craft day.
I think all of the kids had a good time.
It was nice to get together and hang out with everybody.
Plus, we proved that our kids are socialized! ;)
Enjoy some pictures of all your kids having a memorable day.
Oh, and Heather...We really missed you and the boys!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Grace, Grace, God's Grace...

I love that song. I've had it in my head for days now.
A family at our church lost their 22 year old daughter in a car wreck early Friday morning. My heart has been breaking for them. I can't imagine the pain and the sorrow they feel right now.

I've been thinking about a lot of people lately that have lost children.

The O'Neill family lost 16 year old Sarah 11 years ago.

The Pearson family lost their 14 year old daughter and their 16 year old daughter had an extensive stay in ICU after a bad car wreck 2 years ago.

The Hinson's lost 3 year old Madison going on 6 years ago.

The Bookers lost their 3 hour old baby 3 years ago.

We knew a family that lost there 5 year old son on Christmas day in a car wreck.

The loss of a loved one is a terrible hard thing, the loss of a child, I can't even bear to imagine. It seems to be magnified if it happens during the holidays.
I have seen these families that have lost children. Some I have been closer to than others. But all of them, I have seen Gods grace completely cover them. I have seen them morn, but with hope.

I have heard the story of Jeff O'Neill witnessing to two teenage girls at the graveside of his only daughter and leading them to Christ.

I have read accounts of the Pearson family giving all the Glory to God for giving them their daughter for the time they had her.

I watched Mandy Hinson graciously ooh and ahh over my baby daughter, months after her little girl passed away.

I saw Christy Booker live out her faith every day, living in a new place far away from the comfort of old friends, as she prepared to deliver a son she knew would not live.

All of these people have had a dramatic impact on my Christian walk over the years. As I have seen these great children of God persevere through the unimaginable trial of losing a child, I have marveled at the grace that God gives to them to withstand the trial.

My heart breaks for the lost person that loses a child. Where is the hope? Where is the grace? Our pastors have really been driving home the fact that we need to be outward focused. Focusing on sharing the Gospel with the lost. I can feel the Lord burdening me in that area. I recently left a party where we had been with unbelievers. I left sad for them. Sad to see the emptiness in their lives that only God can fill. And not "God" in the way that our society portrays, but God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The God that sacrificed His Son for the purpose of redeeming me, a stupid, sinful, wretch of a person. The God that sacrificed His son, felt that anguish, and therefore has reserved a special kind of Grace for those that lose their own child.

I have seen Gods grace in my life more this year than I think at any time in my life. He gave me grace at a time in my marriage when I couldn't have stood up if not for His grace. He has continued to show Himself to me even when I buck Him and think I can do it on my own. How foolish of me to ever think that I can do anything apart from Him.

I am sometimes gripped with fear of losing a child. And while I pray that God blesses me with raising these 2 beautiful younguns for a long long time, I know that they are not mine alone. It was His grace in the first place that saw fit to entrust me with this responsibility. It is by His grace that I daily strive to raise Godly children and that I fight my flesh to be a Godly mother.
I am heartbroken for the ones I have known that have lost a child. But I am thankful that they allowed God to minister to their souls. I am humbled by their example and I am amazed at God's Grace.
Grace, Grace, God's Grace, Grace that is greater than all my sin.

Friday, December 7, 2007

MISSING

One Chrismtas wreath.
Green with Blue and Silver ribbons and balls.
If you were the person that drove by my house and stole it please return.
I will not press charges.
I will not scream at you.
I will even bake you a batch of "special" Christmas cookies...
You know, to thank you for bringing it back.
Hope to see you, and my special wreath soon!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Special Day


Dec 7th 2007. My husband turns 36. He is such a great & likeable guy. Do you know what I mean? Some people you can just say that about.
I think my husband is like that. He has such a nice personality. It's hard not to like him. He makes me really mad sometimes, but then again, I make him mad sometimes too.
He's what I need though.
He knows how to encourage me.
He knows what I'm thinking.
He knows my quirks and still lives with me.
He makes me feel pretty and desired.
He makes me laugh. One day we were somewhere and he said something funny and I laughed harder than anybody. It made us both feel good that I thought he was so funny!
He thinks I'm funny, even when I'm not. Which is never of course because I am always funny, but if the day comes when I am not funny he will still think so!
He appreciates what I do.
He humors me on things like decorating and silly stuff.
He works so hard for our family, rarely doing much extracurricular stuff for himself.
He cares about my feelings.
He doesn't care if I sleep in or take it easy.
He is a wonderful dad!
He has taught me so much spiritually. More than I know probably.
He respects the Gospel. That sounds weak, but I guess I mean he holds it dear and he points us to it.
He is real. He's not afraid to say he's weak or he's struggling with something. Probably because he can take himself back to the Gospel.

So to sum up...I love him a lot. God has brought us through some pretty rough spots this year in our marriage, but I truly believe it has made us stronger as a couple and in our relationships with Him. I am proud of him in so many ways. I am thankful that the Lord can bring together two fallen people and sustain them through a life that can be hard. I'm thankful that He gives us the grace to not quit sometimes and too love each other more.
Mostly I'm just thankful that God gave me the Godly man that He knew I needed!
So today I will celebrate the birthday of a great husband and try to make him feel like the special man that I think he is!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

It's Been 7 Years...

Actually if you want to be exact, it's been 7 years, 5 months, & 8 days. Since what you ask? Since I have been to the bathroom by myself! Oh yes...that was my thought today when my children, who had been playing quietly in their rooms for an hour, suddently needed me as I sat on the toilet. I sat there and calculated it. 7 years, 5 months, and 8 days. That is 2,715 days with someone either watching or talking to me whilst I do my thing. I figure I use the bathroom at least 5 times a day...so 2,725 x 5....well that makes 13,575 that I have had no peace while peeing, no privacy while pooping. Granted they have outgrown the age of being in there with me. But you'd better believe, someone is knocking on the door, yelling for Mom, or crying because "I didn't know where you were!".
Is it comforting for them to hear me pee? Does it remind them of being in the womb?
The sad fact remains...I'm not half way through. My youngest is only 5 1/2. So I still have 12 1/2 years of this to go. That is 4,565 days more. That is 22,825 more trips to the bathroom with interruption.
Maybe if I just start sitting in my chair and peeing on myself noone would bother me!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Funnies

These are some of the funny things that my children have said this week that have made me laugh.


Lana-
Last night while putting up the Christmas tree:
"We cannot have Monkeys in our Christmas tree because they will break our tree and beat us up!" ( in her typical southern draw)

When things don't go her way:
"This is the worssess day of miiii liife." (more southern draw)

When I tell her to put on some jeans:
"Its just that I don't look pretty in jeans." ( This I must put a stop too. Today she wears jeans!)


Logan-
In regards to the Salvation Army bell ringers:
"Why do they have to ring those bells anyways?" (in a grumpy old man voice)

In regards to our churches "Hanging of the Green" Service:
"Why do the same people have to sing the same songs every year?" (still in grumpy old man voice)


Regarding shopping:
"We got what we came for, can we go now?" (typical grumpy old man out shopping voice.)

And P.S. We did hear back from Buddy Davis. He sent a very nice email and was very encouraging to Logan. Made his day!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Kicking of the Season



Ah...the house is quiet. I finally have time on the new computer. We finished eating Ice Cream, drinking Hot Chocolate and watching "White Christmas." I got my Turkey dinner at Cracker Barrell, and the day was good. When we started watching White Christmas I started giggling, which of course my family thought was crazy, but I just at that moment felt so happy and content to be sitting with my little family, all cozied up in blankets, sipping hot cocoa and kicking off the Christmas season with my favorite Christmas movie of all time!


Today I also started phase 1 of Christmas decorating. Ok, something you should know about me. I like too many styles of Christmas decoration, so I have divided my house into themed zones. Zone 1 is the kitchen. The Kitchen is more bright and vibrant colors. Whimsy if you will. Lana and I had a lot of fun today decorating and listening to Christmas music. I am a little anal though, so I had to come up with something for Lana to "decorate.". I was quite pleased with the idea. I had some clear glass balls that I bought last year and never did anything with. I gave them to her, along with a bowl of sugar, a funnel, and a spoon. She spooned the "snow" into the balls, and then placed a little piece of garland into it to look like a Christmas tree. We then tied them off with pretty ribbon assortments and hung them on the chandalier. At the end of the season I will just dump out the sugar and she can do it again next year. HMMM.... I think I just started a new tradition. Lana is now all about the sugar. She also filled a votive and made one for her room.
So it was a good day. Still missed Laura. But Stacy and I shared with each other and the kids how much this year has meant to us and it really made this day special and full of new moments and memories.
Tomorrow...Phase 2! Any guesses on which room and what style???

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Just Not the Same

(Laura and I reveling in our Thanksgiving success 2005.)

Sunday in church our pastor was giving a Thanksgiving message and I told Stacy that I got overwhelmingly sad thinking about Thursday. Its not that I don't have alot to be thankful for. Believe me, God has done incredible things in my life this year. It's just sad for me without my Sister here. Thanksgiving is our day. We cook, we laugh, we drink Starbucks Mocha Frappacinos, we yell at our kids, then say how thankful we are for them. We laugh at our husbands for playing too much x-box, we watch Marmi, The Pap, Granddada, and Nana, enjoy the grandkids, we talk about getting up really early the next morning for big shopping, but really, we never do. We're always too tired from all the Thanksgiving day prep.
Thanksgiving has always been a day that I REALLY look forward to spending with my sister. We are like minded, so there are never too many "Hens in the kitchen." We understand each other, we laugh at each other (Laura is one of my biggest fans and for that I am appreciative of!), we have known each other for a really long time, which of course always makes things easier. We can appreciate each others desire to cater a bit to our husbands weird eating issues. We love each others kids as much as our own as you can get. We triumph in the finished product at the Thanksgiving table. We enjoy every second of the togetherness that we can.

So this year, while I am thankful that God has been so gracious to me, I am also a little sad. Sad that I'm going to Cracker Barrel and not Atlanta. Sad that I have a new little niece that I can't hold this Thanksgiving day.
BUT...I am thankful. Very thankful that I have a sister that chose to follow the Lord to the ends of the earth. That is sharing the gospel with those around here. That has been blessed with a husband with the same heart, and blessed with 3 beautiful little girls. I am thankful for the time I got to spend with her earlier this year. Thankful for that gift. Thankful for pictures and memories. Thankful for the phone and internet to be able to keep in touch today.

I'm thankful for God's goodness this year. He has blessed me exceedingly and abundantly this year in many ways. So even though I am a little sad, He is still good. He is still gracious. He is still loving. He is after all, still God!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Amusing Logan


I am constantly amused by my 7 year old. Logan is currently obsessed with dinosaurs. When we go to the library he gets only books about dinosaurs. We of course have to be careful about some of that stuff, but he is obsessed. He is consantly drawing, reading, and "building" dinosaurs.
If you've heard of the Creation Museum, or the Answers in Genesis programs, you may be familiar with Buddy Davis. He is paleantoligist/creation expert. Logan has learned alot from his stuff.
Well, yesterday in the car Logan said...
"Mom, can Buddy Davis be my little "g" god?"
I was very tickled by this and then of course explained no, but he could be his mentor. That resulted in a phone call to the Creation Museum today to ask to speak to Buddy Davis. I had it on speaker phone so I could hear the person on the other end. She was very kind and polite and to my suprise did offer his email address.
So Logan painstakingly typed an email to Mr. Davis, were he included our town and zip code as well as my cell phone #. I deleted that part of course, typed a little note on the bottom that this was a parent approved letter and thanked him for his time.
So there we have it,Logans little "g" god has been invted to our home offically to build dinosaurs with a 7 year old. I'm sure he gets emails like this all of the time, but I truly hope he returns this one!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

I'm BAACK

To some of you it may not seem that I have left. But to me, it has been the longest 4 days of my life.
The 7 year old computer finally crashed Thursday evening, leaving me cold and alone.
Dear Gwendy let me come over to her house until after 11:00 to finish my typing job, and ever since then I have been out of touch with the computer. It has made me sad.
Probablly a little more productive, but sad none the less.
Thanfully Friday we went to the T Rex named Sue thing and had a lot of fun with the other Mommas and kids, so that took up one day...then Saturday I worked on very cute Christmas crafts which I cannot show, but I am dying to, but can't since they are gifts for some of you!
Saturday night we went throught the hugest ordeal to try to get the new computer. Long story short, God is in control, knew we needed to wait one more day, and as a result we saved $200! PTL!
So today smart hubby got us up and running on the new computer. YEAH!!!!
Very happy with our awesome deal and to be back in touch with the real world.
Looking forward to not working this week and working on stuff with the kidos!
Toodles friends :)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Updated



OK...So I was at Target again today and bought these little mini cards. 8 for $1.
I cut them and fastened the front part to the front of the popcorn box, and used the other part as a label for the popcorn mix. I just used black marker right now, but I think I will acutally print a cute label and attatch it to the green card.
I got filler for $1 that will probablly last for all the boxes, and then of course tissue at dollar tree.
Oh, and the cool green yarn I got at dollar tree as well.
So, I think this is evolving into a great little gift.
Now lets just hope the actual popcorn recipe turns out good!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Idea # 1



My first submission for Christmas gift idea came to me today while at Target. We were looking for packaging for Awana, SS teacher, church staff gifts, etc...
Found in the dollar bins these hard plastic Popcorn boxes. Found packages of 30 red bags. Packages of 8 tags, and then I had got ribbon at Hobby Lobby last week on 1/2 price day.
Below is a link for Peanut Butter Popcorn Crunch. Will make a big batch of that and put it in the bags. I'm trying to think of a catchy phrase like "You really popped out this year! Thanks for all you do."
I think I will also Cover the front "Popcorn" writing, with handmade name tags.
Let me know if you have a catchy popcorn phrase.


http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Peanut-Butter-Popcorn-Crunch

Idea Swap


I thought it would be fun with Christmas fast approaching, to swap ideas!
I have posted some links to the left of some good websites I found.
If you have any good websites or resources, please comment on them here.
Also, if you have any good ideas for gifts for teachers, neighbors, church staff, etc... post those as well!
We have a great group of very creative people here and I would love to glean from you all as we enter this time of year. Which by the way, can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT week? My goodness, where does the time go? I was just thinking that next Friday I will probablly put up my tree and start decorating for Christmas. WOW!!!
Oh, and on a side note, I am IN LOVE with the white trees with colored lights! I told my Mom that I really want to suprise the Family and get one for the den. I will still do my regular tree upstairs. Well I opened my big mouth the other day when I was at WalMart with Hubbie and he freaked out. He thinks they are hidious and that I am crazy! How dare he???
So do any of you have a Christmas tree desire that is out of the norm?
And don't forget about giving ideas!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Slither



Logan was in the play, "The Great Cross Country Race" over the weekend.
He had the very small part of Slither the Snake, but I think the overall experience of being a part of it was good for him. He got to make some new friends, and enjoy the commoradere of being part of a production. It was a very good production for a homeschool group!
Friday night after the play, we went to Jim and Nicks with my parents.
Logan ordered Riblets and fries and then fell asleep.
He slept the whole entire time we were there and had to be carried out.
Boy, imagine if he would have had a big part!!!!


Lana with Marmi & Pappy
Good times, Yeah!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Photography 101



I post this picture not to brag on my child.
(Altbough she is cute and this picture was taken because of the fact that she was wearing a dress and insisted on wearing the furry boots!)
I post this to brag on my friend Kim, who is one of the most excellent non professional photographers I know. Kim has a great eye for pictures. Her pictures always come out looking professional. I love the angles she chooses and the faces she waits for. So many of the pictures she takes are unique and in angles and expressions that I know I would never think of choosing.
I have two pictures hanging in my living room that Kim took of my kids when they were 1 & 3. They are beautiful and look like I paid a lot of money for them, when in fact, Kim has taken many cute pictures of my kids over the years and never charged me a dime.
I have heard Kim comment that other people are really great photographers and take the best pictures...but I would like to testify that I think that Kim Hill, hands down, rivals any professional out there.
So thanks Kim for giving of yourself in this way to your friends. I know that I am not the only one to benefit from your gift!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Couldn't Resist!



I had to post this picture they sent today.
I just want to eat them up!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Colors

Today I wore Red.
Today I feel pretty.
Today my husband complimented my red and pretty.

What color makes you feel pretty?

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Christmas Spirit




Last night I got to go out with one of my girlfriends. Yes, just me and Gwendy. No kids, no husbands, no saying no, no saying stop, only two trips to the bathroom with no wiping butts. We went to Christmas Village and spent 4 hours there just perusing all of the wonderful merchandise. I did the unpardonable and actually bought something at the first booth I stopped at. I know I know, I shouldn't have done that. It was just 3.50 though, so it's OK.
It was grand to hear Christmas music and I think I was singing out loud once and someone was staring at me. Who cares. I had no kids with me. I can sing out loud if I want to!
I got many fabulous ideas for Christmas. I actually feel like I am behind on my planning this year. One thing I saw, (that I can't tell, because your kids may be the recipient of one) was really cute. I went to Michaels today and got the stuff to make a couple of trial ones with the kids today, and if it works, we will be busy busy busy! ( In a good way!)
Gwnedy bought Lana and her daughter matching jeans with black ribbon belts and black and white fabric trim on the bottom legs. SOOOO cute! Can't wait to give them to Lana for Christmas. The cheap hairbow ladies were there again with the $2.50 bows. I know I can make them myself and do alot, but sometimes you just don't feel like messing with it.

After leaving our 4 hours of blissful shopping, perusing, and chatting, we headed to (drum roll please!) The Cheesecake Factory!
Yummo! We shared appetizers and then I got Cocoa Kalula Cheesecake, of which I just remembered I still have 1/2 a piece in the fridge upstairs. Oh my!
I didn't get home until after 11:00 last night. The sad part was that I was so tired. When did staying out until 11 get to be hard?

OK...well my Christmas Village experience has brought these things to mind:

1. While fun to look at all the pretty stuff and purchase a few small items, I don't want to get wrapped up in the holiday hoopla.
2. I remember last year being so tired all of the time and not feeling like I did a lot of Christmasy type stuff with the kids. This year I want to really make it special.
3. For whatever reason that I don't deserve, God has chosen to give me very caring, giving children. I really want to help nurture that along this year at Christmas time even more. They are really excited to be making things for everyone.
4. I remember one of our old pastors saying that we should by the end of the year give as much to missions as we have spent on Christmas. I have really been thinking about that lately.
5. I used to do the 12 days of Christmas for my husband, but haven't done it in years. I want to start that again this year. I think it will be a nice way to reward him for all his hard work this year.
6. I want to entertain more this holiday season. I love to entertain and because of Stacys schedule don't do it very much. So I would like to maybe just host an open house or something and invite you all over. (unless I don't know you and you are a crazy person that stalks my blog. In that case, you stay home and stalk someone else!)
7. I want to do outside the box Christmas gifts for the ones that I love. Don't really know what that means yet, but I want to put the time and effort into meaningful gifts. I do know that I am taking my Dad to play golf on Friday when they come down, as an early Christmas present. Looking forward to that alot!
8. While I want to make this a fun and meaningful time of year, I want to make sure that I am showing my kids Gods love 24-7-365...not just at Christmas time. I would like for them to grow up remembering Christmas as a time of tradition, creativity, and excitement. But I want them to live everyday with the excitment of showing Gods love to others. Everyday using their gifts of creativity to serve Him. Everyday to be reminded of the gift of Jesus birth who gave us the gift of Salvation.
9. I want to spend a lot more time driving around looking at Christmas lights. We didn't do it enough last year and thats my favorite!
10. I want to watch a holiday movie every night in Decemeber. Not that its going to happen, but just wishing!
11. Since we are going to my parents this year, I REALLY want a white Christmas. Really wishing on that one!

Sorry to ramble on so about Christmas on Nov.3rd. Last night just got me to thinking.
Thanks for the fun Gwendy!

Friday, November 2, 2007

Nieces



I had to post this picture Laura sent of all 3 of her girls. I was looking at the baby bed Savannah is in. Is that not like 1953? I think its the same bed my mom was put in when she was born!
Laura said they didn't even have pillows at the hospital, and you could only take a shower between the hours of 6-8am. The food was horrible and cold, and of course there is no TV in the room. They only stayed about 12 hours after the baby was born and are already at their home in Nairobi!
I have a whole new appreciation for Brookwood Hospital!

Pray for Laura to get some really good rest in these next few days. She needs it!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

An African Citizen!




Savannah Breeze made her grand appearance at 11:30 pm Kenyan time on Nov. 1st.
She is 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 1/2 inches.
She looks alot like Summer, but I think has Sarah in her too.
Laura is doing well, although exhausted from a very long painful
( NO EPIDURAL) labor. It is 1:30 am over there right now, so hopefully she will get a good nights sleep.

So here she is! My 3rd sweet niece. I got to hear her crying a little while ago and it was a sweet sweet sound. It's going to be hard not holding this one!

Thanks to everyone that was praying for Laura and Savannah. She is a true blessing!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

One Little, Two Little...


Indians!!! Yes, in a shocking turn of events for the Lowery household, this year my children were not super heroes and princesses. If you know my kids, you know that this truly is a miracle. They are always a superhero and a princess, and actually up until 2:00 today, I thought that tradition would continue. I was suprised this afternoon by Lana actually stating that she was going to be an Indian, which in turn sparked Logan wanting to do the same. Lucky for me we have Indian shirts that were made in Logans K5 year. We did a last minute headdress for Logan out of a brown paper bag, brown eyelash fringe, and a popcycle stick! Lana did some jewelry, braids, and some eyelash trim tied into the braids to add some flare.
My Indians had apparently already been trading with the white man, as they both wore cowboy boots! Logans black and Lanas red. Logan wore a case with a bow and some handmade arrows fashioned from sticks. He carried another arrow case to put his candy in, which I thought was very ingenious.
When we got to the Fall Festival, Logan got stripes painted on his face and Lana got a sparkly heart of course. We had a good time, until Logan started having diarhea, they ran out of hot dogs and starving Mommy didn't get to eat, and Lana temporarily lost sight of me and had a melt down. Other than that,we had a good time seeing some friends we don't get to see very often.
So that is that. One little, two little, Indians! Never thought I'd see the day!

Logan and his buddy Brant!

Lana and her "special friend", Wyatt!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Reformation Day; What it means to me

I have found it interesting these past few days to uncover some of God's chain of events concerning Christian history. Obviously we can go back to the beginning, but I have kind of parked myself in the 16th century, and more specifically around Martin Luther and Reformation day which is October 31st.

Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben Germany. The son of an ambitious father, who desperately wanted to see his son become a lawyer. Luther was baptized as a catholic in the Holy Roman Empire, and was raised with education being of high priority. In 1505 while experiencing a lighting bolt strike near him, he declared to "Saint Anna", that he would become a monk. Because of his extreme fear of death and judgement he saw this vow as a decision he would never break.
Luther was known for often punishing his body for sin. He spent many hours fasting and in confession. His recognition of his sin put him in a state of deep spiritual despair.

In an effort to distract him from his very introspective self, his superior ordered him to study more academics. After receiving his Doctor of Theology, Luther was giving the position of Doctor in Bible at the University of Wittenburg. He lectured in the Psalms, Hebrews, Romans, and Galatians. Through his studying and lecturing of the N.T books, he was struck by the Biblical teachings of righteousness and justification, salvation through faith. Through his discovery of justification he began studying that Salvation was the gift of Gods grace to be saved, only attainable through His son Jesus, and received through Faith. With his new found acceptance of true salvation came a healing of a soul that had been in deep despair. Luther said of his old life, " I lost hold of Christ the Saviour and comforter and made Him a stock master & hangman over my poor soul."

Obviously Luthers doctrinal stance on justification flew right in the face of that of the Catholic Church that was steeped deeply in the sale of indulgences or basically purchasing for yourself from a priest, absolution from your sin. This was a practice that was seriously abused and obviously anti-gospel.
Luther, in an effort to see the catholic church freed from this practice, wrote what is known as the 95 thesis. These 95 statements were nailed to a wall at the Whittenburg church, which was a traditional way back then of making an announcement. This was not a defiant move, but rather one of deep concern for the state of the church. This sparked the period of Reformation and brought about a case for the true gospel that had been warped and belittled by the Catholic Church of that day.

Luther was passionate about the doctrine of justification by faith, and his writing of the thesis to "correct" the papal abuses accuring within the church. However he stated that he would happily yield every point of dispute to the Pope, if only the Pope would affirm the Gospel. You can hear the concern for the heart of the Pope to change in Thesis # 48..." Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring."
In Thesis # 55 Luthers states " It must be the intention of the Pope, that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies."
His sincere reverence for the true Gospel rang out loud and clear by that statement.
Luther was a true "evangelion", which is the Greek term for Evangelical, that translates.."Return to the true gospel."

So I submit today that whether you are Baptist, Presbyterian, Free Will, Calvinist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Non denominational, whatever, you have to appreciate these facts.
That almost 500 years ago, a man who was overwhelmed with his sin, who saw himself as a wretched sinner uncapable of earning the Love of God, read the inspired words of God and understood for the first time what it meant to be fully justified by faith, to have Christs righteousness imputed to him for his belief on those grounds alone.
That he did not keep this knowledge to himself, but instead urged others to be transformed by the true Gospel.
I believe that Reformation day is not just a day that should be celebrated by those of the quote un quote, reformed faith, but by all those that through God's grace have come to the saving knowledge of salvation by God alone through Faith alone.

Because of movements like Luthers Reformation, other critical periods of Christian History were spawned.
I believe that God used men like Martin Luther to spark a true evangelical movement (in the literal meaning of the word!) that in turn set up a series of events leading to a group of Separatist embarking on a ship some 100 years later, which as we all know, was a search for religious freedom that WE now have.
I wonder,without the Reformation movement, how long the arrival of the first Separatist to the shores of America would have been postponed.
The observance of Reformation day should inspire us all to return to a true protestant movement.
A true declaration that we are praying and seeking a return to true evangelicalism in this country and especially in our own lives.
The true Gospel, that we must daily remind ourselves of, not too earn merit in the eyes of God, but to bestow our deepest gratitude to the God that has fully justified us through His Son. That because of the gospel, we are triumphant, even when we fail.
In the words of Martin Luthers powerful hymn "A Might Fortress is our God"...
"And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear for God hath willed, His truth to triumph through us."
That is what I will be celebrating this Reformation day!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Things I'm Thankful for Today

1. Tasting- My Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frapp light-
MMM good!
2. Feeling- The cool weather-
Love Fall!
3. Relaxing- In my house-
I decorated for fall and it feels nice and cozy :)
4. Smelling- The Pumpkin Spice candle that hubby bought for me-
I light it every day!
5. Looking- At getting a new computer-(or new to us!)
Haven't had a new one in 7 years!
6. Planning- For Christmas-
I love thinking about what goodies and crafts to make!
7. Rearranging- Furniture and accesories-
It's amazing how just changing a few small things makes a big difference!
8. Watching- Logan out in the yard with a bow and arrow-
The arrows have no point and he thinks he is going to shoot a bird or squirrel to sell to a museum as a way to make money!
9. Listening- To Lana pray-
She prays with the most child like faith, sincerity,and intensity. She truly prays, believing! ( I could learn a lot from her!)
10. Seeing- My husband coming up the stairs when he gets home-
It's such a welcome sight to see him at the end of the day and to realize how much I missed him and how much more I have fallen in love with him while he was at work!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Weird!

This has got to be one of the craziest things I have ever seen?
Anybody got 50 grand laying around?

Monday, October 22, 2007

AGHHH!

OK...so I just looked out my kitchen window to the side of my house, and there is a DEAD CAT laying there! I don't know how long it has been dead, but there are flies all over it. I called Animal Control, and they won't pick it up. I called the City maintenance blah blah,and they won't pick it up because its not right off the side of the road. Good grief...what am I to do with a deat cat?
Just another reason for me not to like them.
They curl up in die wherever they please.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Easy as Pie

Saturday nights are family night. So tonight we are having a nice hot bowl of Chilli, crackers or fritos, and some nice cheesy crescents. We're going to watch an old movie called Noahs Ark. It has Rick Schroeder as a child! While we watch that we'll partake of our dessert that Logan made all by himself! I thought I would share with you the step by step so you can see how easy it would be for your little guy to make this delicious pie for your family...

Step #1
Pour milk into a bowl, and dip Chips AHoy, chocolate chip cookies in milk. Place into bottom of Graham Cracker Crust. ( the extra 2 serving size)


Step #2
Spread half a 8 oz tub of Cool Whip over cookies (thawed of course!)



Step #3
Another layer of cookies and Milk



Step #4
Spread the remaining Cool Whip over top

Step #5
Crumble up 3 or 4 cookies and sprinkle over top



Step #6
Place in Fridge 6-8 hours

Step #7

Watch Son beam with pride because he made dessert all by himself.
Know that in the future his wife will thank you for taking the time to teach him how to do stuff in the kitchen!


Thursday, October 18, 2007

How Bizarre!

Kim called today and asked me to be part of a craft bizarre. I was for warned since I had read her blog this morning about how she was in charge of getting people to do booths. Now I have that song going through my brain (how bizarre, doo doo dot do, how bizarre, how bizarre!)
Anyways, I've been sitting here contemplating the whole craft bizarre thing.

The Missy of 3 years ago would have jumped all over this.
The Missy of today is tired and can't keep up with her housework.

The Missy of old would have known exactly what to do and got to work immediately.
The Missy of today feels overwhelmed when she goes to the bathroom and sees that she has to change the roll of toilet paper.

The Missy of old would currently be at Michaels looking for the latest and greatest project to get started on.
The Missy of today looks around her house at all of the unfinished projects and wonders when she will ever get them done.

The Missy of old would not be blogging about these things because the Missy of old wouldn't know what to say.
The Missy of today knows better how to put down her thoughts and would rather work on herself, her marriage, her family, her relationship with God, than work on some other project.

Sometimes I miss the Missy of old. The more creative, hands on productive Missy.
But I like the Missy of today too. I like more and more what I am becoming. A grown woman, a better Mom, a better Wife, a better child of God. I think right now this is what God wants out of me.
The Missy that doesn't try to do it all.
The Missy that is learning to set better boundaries for herself.

I'm sure that the time will come when the old Missy and the Missy of today will be able to work together again. My creativity still comes out now, its just in different ways.

I have to learn to embrace those ways and fit them into my life as it is now, not the way it used to be. I have to learn to let God teach me about balance and priorities. About productivity that is actually productive, and not just time filled to look productive.

So I guess while I am learning these things, I'll have to just wait for the Old Missy too catch up with the Missy of today. I can't wait to see what that looks like!

Monday, October 15, 2007

A Good Day


Sunday was a good day. I woke up happy. I haven't woke up happy on a Sunday in a long time. Last week I resigned my position at the church. It was a mixed feelings kind of decision, but a good one nonetheless. So this Sunday when I woke up, I felt anticipation for the day ahead! I got to go to ADULT Sunday School class. I got to go to Worhsip Service. I got to sit under my pastor for both of those things and let the words of the Lord minister to my soul. My soul that has been wilting away doing other things. It was so refreshing to sit under the word of the Lord. To sing praise songs with others around. To hear others pray. To actually have fellowship with Adults. All things that I have missed during my stint in the preschool dept.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. I do think the Lord has given me certain gifts and abilities and I was able to use those gifts to serve in that way. It's just that people and life got in the way and it made the job, work, instead of service. It is nice to sit back now and let the Lord minister to me through corporate worship again. I am thankful for the time that I served as Preschool Director. I learned alot about others and myself. I did enjoy aspects of the job. But now, I am free!
After Church we grabbed some lunch at Subway, (As part of our new healthy living!) Came home for some rest time, then went out to the Pumpkin Patch. It was so great to spend a beautiful fall day together as a family! We needed that. The weather was perfect and even though the place was busy, I felt kind of like we were in our own little world. The kids had a good time picking pumpkins. Dad not so much! Logan is our anal child and had to go down every row and examine every pumpkin until he could find the perfect one. Lana pretty much picks what she deams is pretty and then goes about her day. Lana is the most laid back and silly child. So it's like she just flitters through life at her own sweet pace. I really love that about her. It reminds me sometimes to just sit back and enjoy.
Stacy was having a hard time letting Logan go through his anal decision making process, but I figured...what the heck...usually I rush him into decision, why not see were this process ends up today. It was fun to watch him. It was refreshing for me. Sometimes I get so frustrated with him taking so long to make decisions, but its just because I'm impatient. I pray that he grows up taking his time. Working things out in his mind like he likes it. Of course I pray that he seeks the Lord in all of his decisions. Logan has such a tender heart and is so sensitive to the things of God. I am convinced that the Lord has amazing things in store for him. He is very unique, just like the not so perfect pumpkin that he wound up picking!
We came home and I made Stacy biscuits and gravy. His favorite. (No, not really a part of the healthy lifestyle, but Sunday is splurge day!). I love my husband. We have grown so much closer over the last few weeks. God has really taken some things in our lives and marriage and is turning them into something aweseome! Where we used to end everyday in seperate rooms, doing our own thing...We are now ending our days together, reading a book together and cuddling. Yes cuddling! Amazing huh?!
But I am so thankful for the work the Lord is doing in our lives and in our marriage. It's a lot of work, but well worth the results.
So thank you God for a good day. A day to worship, relax, and spend time with my sweet famiy.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Weekend Getaway




So last Friday the kids and went to my parents house in the mountains of NC. It is a beautiful place to visit. They live back in the woods and it is very peaceful. So peaceful as a matter of fact, that I almost always get sick while I am there. I guess I just feel so at peace, that my body says, well lets just be sick! Actually this time I was already sick when I went up there and it just got worse. It was the dreaded bladder infection! By Monday, when Mom and I left to take the kids over to the Pigeon Forge TN area for a couple days worth of field trips, I was really miserable. I'm quite sure that I was not alot of fun or of much use. Don't you hate when you sooo look forward to a fun outing and then get to it and it's just not all you want it to be? Thats how I felt. I think my kids still had fun though. We went to Wonder Works on Tuesday, whcih the kids enjoyed. ( I think...again I was miserable!) It was all very hands on and learning stuff. I would like to go back again when I am "normal"!
But on Monday we went to Cades Cove. We love Cades Cove. If you've never been, I highly reccomend it. I wish I could live there. It's so tranquill. We had a picnic in a field, and the kids got to run around and be kids. I also learned something new (and a bit disturbing!) about my mother while we were there. She is (gulp) a stalker! OK...we pull up to a parking lot in Cades Cove. She says, "Lets just sit here for a minute and have a drink." Ok, fine with me, I'm in a crappy mood and feel like my bladder will fall out at any second. Why not just sit. We sit, I drink my Mountain Dew. The kids have a snack, Mom is drinking her water, when suddently I hear this statment..."I don't see how those kids are related. They don't look anything alike."
WHAT?????? Oh my gosh. The poor unsespecting family that is picnicing in front of our car. Do they know they are being watched? Do they know that a crazy mountain woman is sitting in her automobile evaluating there every move? And I do mean every move. Suddenly, I am sucked into this world of "the family", and I start interjecting my own opinions. Good grief, what is happening to me. It must be the pain in my bladder. It has caused me to lose all propriety. I mean, sure it's fun to watch people, but to sit and say from whom they get there big snoz from, or that they have nice legs. This has gone too far! Maybe they suspected that they were under scrutiny, for it wasn't long before they got up to leave. Which of course was the source of more of our peeping.
With "the family" now gone, we had nothing to do but get out of the car and actually do what your supposed to do at Cades Cove. Learn about nature and old times.
How lucky for us that "the family" was doing the same thing. I was able to pose my self as if taking a picture and snapped a little pic of "the family" as they walked by. I'm sure they were not fooled. I'm pretty sure I heard comments like, "what the heck is that stupid girl doing, can she not aim her camera. What kind of freeky family are they?" I'm sure that we are not the only ones that watch people. They could have actually had their eyes on us the whole time. So what are people seeing when they watch me? That day nothing good, just a crabby old mother. Oh well, better luck next time!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The World of Blogging

I have been out of the blog loop for several days now and it has felt like a smoker being without cigarettes. I felt edgy,like I was missing out on something very important, not peering into the lives of my old and new friends for those few days. It was a huge relief this evening when I finally had the time to sit and catch up with you all. I love the community of blogging. Its almost like being our own little world of Amish people. Yes, I am very intriuged by the amish. But seriously, there is a sense of community. A feeling of belonging. A desire to come upon side of another and lift them up in prayer when they've blogged about a bad day. A release of laughter when they share a funny story or antecdote. A moment of encouragment when an insight of how our Great God is offered. A quick walk down memory lane when an old friend post your name and it makes you feel greatful for such wonderful friendships. A sense that you can actually hear the person with whom your reading about, speaking, hearing their voice as you read. A feeling of adventure when you want to just hop in your car and meet all of your fellow bloggers at the local Starbucks, or better yet...road trip!!!! Most of all it is a feeling that I'm not alone in this world with all of these plates of mine. I have my friends out there in blog world. Friends that through their postings and comments have encouraged me during this last month. Friends that I enjoy continually learning more about. But mostly, friends that love our Lord, and are constantly pointing me to Him.
So to all of my fellow bloggers...thanks for being my friends! I love you all!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Gingerbread Day!



Last Friday after co-op, my good friend Kim came up with the brilliant idea of reading the story of the gingerbread man and making one with the kids. So we had about 12 kids and 5 mommy's. The kids had a great time making our big gingerbread man and then finding him after he escaped out of the oven! They all got to make their own smaller ones too. Some made them headless ( one of Kims children!), some made them into monsters, while others tried really hard to make an accurate gingerbread guy. All in all fun was had by all. Thanks for the idea Kimberly Sue!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Facing the Giants

This weekend Stacy and I watched the movie "Facing the Giants." I truly believe that the Lord used that movie to minister to me and to help me through some difficult things this week. I know it sounds strange, but let me take you on my thought train. It's a long train.
Stacy and I have had a pretty rough weak maritaly speaking. It goes beyond, "Stop leaving your clothes on the floor!" type stuff. There was real hurt, real pain, and real emotion. So real, that Sunday I had to just take the day off. So I went to Oak Mountain State Park for the day. Just me, my Bible, a notebook, and a nice cold Mtn Dew! I had issues and feelings that I needed the Lord to help me through. I really went through a type of cleansing process while I was there. Even the weather cooperated with this process. It was raining when I got there, and sunny by the time I left.
While I was there, I kept going back to the movie. There is a seen were the coach is really trying to make a point with his star defensive lineman. Coach wants more out him. Player says he's giving all he's got. Coach says, you've gotta give me more. So they do these things called the death walk. Big player gets down on all 4's and carries smaller player on his back. Only, the big player cannot let his knees touch the ground. They do this for 10 -20 yards.
Well this particular time, coach says "I want 50 yards". Of course the player thinks it can't be done. So the coach blindfolds him. By being blindfolded the player had to fight harder and he HAD to rely on the coach to guide him and cheer him one. The scene is really touching. The poor player is hurting, he's fighting, he's wanting to make it to the 50, but he can't see it. The coach is there the whole time, yelling, screaming, I need more out of you. You can do it. Give me all you've got. You can do this. 20 more steps, 10 more steps, 5 more steps. Now drop your load, you made it! The coach is down on the ground with the player, he's telling him, look you did it. I knew you could do it. I knew you had more in you. Imagine the players surprise to find himself in the end zone. He went not to the 50, but all the way.
I say all of that to say this. I am so guilty of telling the Lord, "I am giving you all I've got. I can't give anymore, I can't do anymore." But He is there, and He knows me, He knows what I am capable of. He's saying, "Thats not true. You have more. Give me more. Take it to the 50." But I fight it, I say it's going to be too hard. So He put me in a situation were He just had to blindfold me and say, "You don't think you can do this, so I'm going to have to slap this thing on you and make you see what I can really do in you." So I carried my load. And it hurt. It hurt like crap. It burned. It made me want to quit. It made me want to scream and yell and say forget this. I don't need to make it to the 50.
But you know what. God, was and always is, right there in my life, cheering me on. Making me go further than I think I can. Making me reach for more. Making me fully dependent on Him and His voice leading me to the 50.
By the end of the day yesterday, I was suprised to find myself not at the 50, but in the end zone. I was suprised to find myself completly wiped out and spent from the battle that I was fighting, only to end up in the end zone, in the arms of my Saviour who had been telling me all along..."Give me more".
Marriage is hard. Sometimes it just plain sucks. But when I am willing to pick up my load, carry it on my back, and let the Lord cheer me on to the end zone, suprisingly, the difficult situation in my marriage is not just dead weight, running around a field with no direction, but it's a load with a purpose and a direction meant to fulfill God's glory in me.
God's word best sums up (as it always does) this picture.
Psalm 66:8-12
" Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
Make the voice of His praise to be heard,
Who keeps our soul among the living,
and does not allow our feet to be moved.
For you, O God, have tested us.
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net.
You laid affliction on our backs!
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
BUT YOU BROUGHT US OUT TO RICH FULLFILLMENT!"

I am excited. I am thankful that the Lord, with our afflictions on our backs, going through the fire, is refining us and bringing us to HIS rich fullfillment.
I pray for His rich fullfillment in my life, in my kids, but mostly right now, in my marriage. That His glory will be shown through the fulfilling of a Godly marriage.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Trade Days



To all of you living in the area, do you remember when we used to have trade parties? Those were awesome...we brought our own junk, and left with somebody elses. What could be more fun? I don't know about all of you, but I could use a fun night of fellowship and junk trading. I was thinking we could do it someplace kind of central. Someone with a big enough house, in particular a downstairs area that has been nicely renovated. Someone that has recently been accused of being an alchoholic. Someone with a new cat. If you know of anyone that fits that description, let me know.
And if you don't let me know, and if you don't want to participate...you'd better look out or Gelissa and Gichelle might get ya!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Mud, Flies, and Comfortable Living



Such adorable little girls my nieces are. This is the kind of picture you would expect to come from missionary children living in Africa doesn't it? They've had a rainy week. My sister is 33 weeks pregnant and on bed rest.(or supposed to be! Rest Laura!) They live in a little tin shack...so you can't really contain them can you? Can you imagine the mess after they came in from playing in the mud?
How about this...when I was in Africa, there were flies everywhere. I'm talking, sitting in the outhouse trying to do my thing, and flies are swarming but butt. Flies are always around the kids. Its like the kids are immune to them. They don't even try to shoos them away. You see them sometimes in their nostrils, on their eyes, on scabs. Always on food.
With this nicer weather here the past few days my kids have been playing outside more, which means more opening and closing the doors, which means more flies in my house. It also means, dirtier kids at the end of the day, which means more sweeping and mopping and laundry, and vacuuming, and scrubbing. More complaining at night when Lana can't sleep because of the fly buzzing around in her room. The night that this happened and daddy was trying to kill the stupid fly, I lay in bed thinking about the ridiculousness of this situation.
Here I have a house with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a washer that I don't have to hand crank, a dryer, a vacuum, a TV, any many other creature comforts. And yet, we are having trauma over a stupid fly buzzing around the room.
Good grief. How pathetic is that. Remember that old Steven Curtis Chapman song, "We will abandon it all for the sake of the call."?
What in the world am I abandoning for the sake of the gospel? I sure do have a lot to abandon and yet here I sit on my butt, that is not being swarmed by flies in my nice bathroom that I complain about cleaning. (not that I am sitting on the toilet currently and typing!!! you get my point right?!)
So here is my challenge, to myself, and to everyone that reads this blog. What can I abandon this week for the sake of the call? What does that mean to me?
I mean, I guess I could let some more flies in and abandon a good night sleep, but what will that prove in the light of eternity?

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Ice Cream and Boo-Boo's


What is up with Ice cream and boo-boo's? Why is it that whenever my child goes through a "tramatic" experience, my answer for a reward is Ice Cream.
Everytime that I've taken Logan to the E.R., we go get Ice Cream after (yes, I said everytime...he's a bit accident prone...although it has been a while!)
After shots, we go get Ice Cream.
And today, after a HUGE, not splinter, more like piece of wood, got stuck in Lana's foot, after the drama and the trauma of getting it out, you guessed it, we got Ice Cream!
Maybe I'm rewarding myself more than I am them. Good job Missy, you made it through another unpleasant part of parenting. Although, I must confess that todays incident, while I know was painful for her and frustrating for me at times, was also very entertaining. I actually had to load her up in the van and take her to Daddy at work because I couldn't even get the dumb thing out. It was huge. And she had these enormous, cute crocodile tears and was sreaming like her foot was being cut off. Thankfully Daddy's work is only 7 miles away, because it just wasn't happening with me.
So I guess thats why we had to get Ice Cream afterwards. I mean, we were already out, and Sonic is right across the street, and I had a whole $7 burning a whole in my wallet, not to mention the fact that someone had been hurt and that REQUIRES Ice Cream.
Come on, someone PLEASE tell me that I am not the only horrible mother that is teaching my children to reward lifes little incovience's with Ice Cream!
Somebody? Anybody?
Oh good grief, I'd better go finish my Ice Cream!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Jazzing it up!

Jazzing up dinner
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I was hoping that this was going to post clear enought to read, but it didn't. So just click on it to see what I am saying!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Pictures from my Africa Trip


This is some of the pictures from my trip to Africa to visit my sister this summer. Hope you enjoy!

Homeschooling 101


In case you don't know, we decided to homeschool this year. We are in our 4th week now. Somedays I think "I am so stupid. I could be free right now!" But all in all I have enjoyed it thus far. It's funny though the plans we make. I decided this week to change up my lesson plans and make things more "hands on and fun". Today I planned this great #s scavenger hunt. I was so proud thinking that this was really going to get Logan motivated at Math. We are learning about counting forwards and backwards with odd and even #s. So I sent him out into the yard to find only even #s. (I had laid numbered cards all over the yard) Frustatingly enough, this seemed to take up half of our school day. I didn't even get to some of our other stuff. He was making it so dadgum hard, that he missed out on the fun of it and the fun that the rest of the day could have been. I guess we're all like that though. God has this great day planned out for us and throws us all of these tidbits, waiting for us to pick them up and run with them. But for some reason, I get hung up on one miniscual thing and miss out on the rest of the lesson. Logan is very analytical, so just picking up "even #s" isn't enough for him. He has to analyize why I put the numbers on the card that way, shouldn't it have been this way. Why didn't you do it like this? Things that don't matter. I really can't blame the kid. I do it everyday...God says "Here you go Missy, here is my lesson for you today." And I say, why is it packaged like that. I can't work with that. Thats not how I would do it.
All I wanted Logan to learn today is how to count in odds and evens. I guess we'll try again tomorrow.
I know I missed out on some lessons today as well. Thanks be to God that I'm a work in progress and he's got lesson's planned for tomorrow too!