Snow, Snow, Snow

Well, here are some pictures of the snow we got yesterday afternoon/evening.

Sing Praises

So, do you know what is wonderful? Having a radio. Really and truly. This afternoon the day got a tad stressful. Two kiddos were at each other for quite awhile and it was getting a bit frustrating. So, I took a few deep breaths and turned on one of the local Christian stations. And you know what? When you are listening to great Christian music and singing along to some of your favorite worship songs, it's pretty hard to be stressed or grumpy.

One of the stations out here, WayFM, can be listened to online here

Two other favorites of mine that sadly aren't out here are
Air 1
and Effect Radio

So, listen and be in a joyful mood!

Oh, real quick here is a new pic of my hair cut.

The Shape of My Faith

I have begun another meme called What's the shape of your faith?
Each week, I will be asked to share a bit about myself, my personality, my passions, my life experiences and then analyze them as far as how those things are affected by my faith or how my faith affects those things. I am starting a tad late in the game. But only by a week. So I will try to do one today and one midweek to catch up.
For the first week, we were asked to share our testimony. I have already done that previously in my blog. You can find my testimony story here.
I apologize I do have some coding issues with my blog I am trying to figure out and so it may look a little funny.

My next assignment was to take a Keirsey Temperament like test to learn about my personality type. I was then to apply it in some or all of these ways....

How does your specific personality affect how you relate to those around you?
How does it affect how you relate to other Christians?
Non-Christians?
How does it affect your ministry?
Did you recognize anyone else’s personality when looking over the types?
How might this affect how you relate to them?
How does you personality affect your relationship to the Lord?

So, first of all...here is a little about me, an ESFJ (Extroverted feeling with introverted sensing)

As an ESFJ, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit in with your personal value system.

ESFJs are people persons - they love people. They are warmly interested in others. They want to like people, and have a special skill at bringing out the best in others. They are extremely good at reading others, and understanding their point of view. The ESFJ's strong desire to be liked and for everything to be pleasant makes them highly supportive of others. People like to be around ESFJs, because the ESFJ has a special gift of invariably making people feel good about themselves. They have a strong need to be liked, and to be in control. They often change their own manner to be more pleasing to whoever they're with at the moment.

The ESFJ takes their responsibilities very seriously, and is very dependable. They value security and stability, and have a strong focus on the details of life. They see before others do what needs to be done, and do whatever it takes to make sure that it gets done. They enjoy these types of tasks, and are extremely good at them.

ESFJs are warm and energetic. They need approval from others to feel good about themselves. They are hurt by indifference and don't understand unkindness. They are very giving people, who get a lot of their personal satisfaction from the happiness of others. They want to be appreciated for who they are, and what they give. They're very sensitive to others, and freely give practical care. ESFJs are such caring individuals, that they sometimes have a hard time seeing or accepting a difficult truth about someone they care about.

All ESFJs have a natural tendency to want to control their environment. Their dominant function demands structure and organization, and seeks closure. ESFJs are most comfortable with structured environments.

ESFJs respect and believe in the laws and rules of authority, and believe that others should do so as well. They're traditional, and prefer to do things in the established way, rather than venturing into unchartered territory. Their need for security drives their ready acceptance and adherence to the policies of the established system. This tendency may cause them to sometimes blindly accept rules without questioning or understanding them.

ESFJs at their best are warm, sympathetic, helpful, cooperative, tactful, down-to-earth, practical, thorough, consistent, organized, enthusiastic, and energetic. They enjoy tradition and security, and will seek stable lives that are rich in contact with friends and family.

ESFJs are easily wounded. And when wounded, their emotions will not be contained. They by nature "wear their hearts on their sleeves," often exuding warmth and bonhomie, but not infrequently boiling over with the vexation of their souls. Some ESFJs channel these vibrant emotions into moving dramatic performances on stage and screen.

An ESFJ at odds with self is a remarkable sight. When a decision must be made, especially one involving the risk of conflict (abhorrent to ESFJs), there ensues an in-house wrestling match between the aforementioned black-and-white Values and the Nemesis of Discord. The contender pits self against self, once firmly deciding with the Right, then switching to Prudence to forestall hostilities, countered by unswerving Values, ad exhaustium, winner take all.


That was all so long, wasn't it? Sorry about that. If you actually read it all, I am impressed. It's funny, if you asked me to describe myself, I may have said a lot of that. I know who I am and what my strengths and weaknesses are. Okay, now for the fun part.

How do I relate to others, Christians and non-Christians? How does this affect my ministry?

Well, I am a good reader of people, I can tell you that. And I am usually able to sense how someone is feeling. I love to serve others and to make others around me comfortable. I do know that that does affect how I interact with non-Christians. I am sometimes very reserved about sharing my faith or trying to bring others to Jesus, because I am concerned about offending others. Not that sharing Christ is an offense, but some may see me as attacking them and their beliefs and I know that it would not only anger them, but it may possibly offend them as well. So, I do know from experience that I will hold back. However, I think if a non-Christian came to me with a problem they were having in their life and I could sense in a way they were asking for guidance or asking to know more about my faith, I would be able to share it with them and explain it with such passion and heart.

With Christians, I sometimes find myself judging of them. I know I shouldn't be and I know I have a huge plank in my own eye. But I do have strong beliefs as to how we should live our lives and interact with others. I get bothered easily when I see a Christian treating another person in a way that I feel is not loving, gentle or kind. I, of course, find it hard to approach the person about how I am bothered though, because of that fear of them not accepting me. But if it is something that bothers me, I may go talk to someone else about it, instead of the person involved. And that usually backfires on me and makes things worse.

Because I am an open person and genuinely interested in the feelings of others, I do know or at least hope that I am a person that Christians and non-Christians could feel they could come to with problems. I love to help.

Other than being held back in evangelism, another way I could see my personality affecting my ministry, is by possibly taking on too much. This has not been an issue as of yet, mainly because I have two young kids, but I could see this as a possible problem in the future. I like to do many things at once, am a hard worker and can't seem to sit still. I could see myself getting involved in too many different activities within the church and end up getting burnt out. This would affect how I interacted with others, in that when that happens I tend to be less social because I am just too focused on all I have to do. People may see that as being stuck up or reserved. But it's just that I have to shut down something, and usually socializing is what I shut down.

How does my personality affect my relationship with the Lord?

First and foremost, I am run by emotions. And sometimes my emotions can be contradictory to what the Lord would have me do in a situation. I can also be impulsive with my emotions and I usually have to tell myself to slow down and wait on the Lord.
Also, at times, I can be brought down easily and I find it hard to want to spend time in the word if I am feeling down or blue.

I like expressing my love to the Lord in worship. I love lifting my head up, with my eyes closed and hand up, singing just to Him. I, in that moment feel like I am in communion with Him.

I enjoy spending quiet time by doing a Bible Study or workbook. I like the structure of it and usually find it difficult to just sit and read the Bible in quiet time. I have to have an assigned reading or questions to ponder. Although at times, I do try to venture out of what's comfy for me to just sporadically read the Word, because I know He may need to speak to me through it.

I can easily be affected by things around me like music, television and the company I keep. Those things can pry on my emotions and I have to be careful as to what I let in or don't let it. When I get down or in a rut, I can be very influenced by music and television. I tend to start listening to music with lyrics that fit how I am feeling, which only brings me down more. In those times, I really need to be focused on God and reading His word. But I instead get lost in the secular music and the television shows that I know I really shouldn't watch. I may let non-Christian friends affect me too, by taking their input into consideration in such a way, that I may listen to it more than I should. I know it comes from a worldly context, but I start listening to it and it begins to sometimes take over what I know God would want me to do.

You know the portion above where it talked about how it is interesting to watch me in a debate with myself, it is so very true. I can have a war going on inside myself, with one part of me wanting to go one way and usually my emotional state wanting another. It is during those times again, where I know I need to turn off the music, unless it's worship music, turn off the TV and stay attuned to God and His Word.

This was all very fun. I hoped you enjoyed learning a bit more about me. I enjoyed looking at myself. Next time I will be talking about my passions.

My Saturday Photo Hunt Story

So, this week's theme is lost. I was half tempted to have my hubby take a picture of me in my car, because when I drive, I get lost A LOT! My friend, Susie, calls me directionally challenged. Instead I thought of a time I got lost and it was quite embarrassing. So, here's the story.......

This is me and my friend, Charity. We met while attending Huntington College, now University, in Indiana.


At least once a week, we would go with our friend, Jen (she would drive), to a

small candy store


in Downtown Huntington


to buy Jones Sodas. We loved them. And the candy store had our favorite flavors, Pink and Happy. We collected the labels and saved them.


One afternoon, I drove Charity and myself downtown for our Jones fix. Downtown had to be only a five minute drive. And we got lost on our way back with all the darn one way streets. We had stopped at the library too, but that was only a few minutes from the candy store. Anyway, It seriously took us an hour to get back to the school. An HOUR! I am not exaggerating. We were so lost and so embarrassed for ourselves. We were so frustrated trying to get back to the school. It was quite sad!

So there you have it!

Thank Goodness It's Friday

This was a long week and I feel that it went very slowly. I am feeling much better..although not 100%. I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night. Hopefully I can sleep in a bit tomorrow. We'll see. Steve found out that he has really bad muscle spasms in his neck. They gave him a shot and then prescriptions for percoset, valium, a steroid and two different muscle relaxers. So hopefully he will feel better soon.

I thought I'd share some pictures I have taken over the past two weeks.















I am going to try to post more ramblings later. For now, I have to run

It's Thursday Thirteen Time but......

I don't have one today. I actually have one I have been working on...I was going to do it, but I will save it for next week. However, my friend, faeryland Mom, has an incredible TT today. We are both doing the Beth Moore Bible Study, Living Beyond Yourself. It is about the fruit of the Spirit. Today, she wrote her TT about the fruit, joy. She shares bits and pieces of the study as well as how it has helped her this week. I really encourage all of you to read it, especially if you feel like you could use some joy right now. Joy's Here

A ground of white

Well, when we awoke this morning, this is what we saw out our window.



The miss was so excited. "Look mommy, snow on ground." I am sure it will all be melted and gone by this afternoon. It is supposed to snow Thursday too. But, this weekend it is forecasted to be sunny and in the 60's.

yawn-stretch-arm around the girl

It's moments like these where I am glad that I am the nut who never leaves home without the digital camera.

Saturday Photo Hunt

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

Okay, so this week's theme is Sleeping. Last night, Audrey fell asleep watching a movie. Do you see her clutching the dvd case for The Little Mermaid? She loves that movie. Steve told me to come look at how cute she looked, and I was like..I have to take a pic for the hunt. The theme is sleeping.



Well, later that night, I fell asleep watching a movie. Steve remembered the photo hunt thing and woke me up when a flash went off. He said that he had to get a pic of me sleeping too. So, here it is.

Videos I urge you to watch

INVISIBLE CHILDREN

THE CAUSE:





THE COMMERCIAL





THE OUTCOME





A WAY YOU CAN HELP
-Please note some may be turned off from this video by how it starts, but please watch.




MORE WAYS TO HELP
MAKE MORE NOISE!

The power of your voice at the Global Night Commute was like nothing we've seen or heard before. After meeting with senators to discuss the effects of the Global Night Commute we realized one thing - we've only just begun. With thousands dying everyday in Uganda, we want you to let your senators know that change needs to happen NOW.

Be a part of the 2006 Northern Uganda Lobby Day and Symposium and make noise to end a war. Sharpie-art your calendar and save the date, because on October 9th-10th, you will be in Washington, D.C. with Invisible Children.

If you live in the area or can catch a ride to the Hill, come join Invisible Children and more than 15 other organizations to make more noise to help the people of Northern Uganda. You will hear from the world's leading experts, including Betty Bigombe and John Prendergast, the filmmakers of Invisible Children, and then meet with your elected representative's staff to urge more effective U.S. involvement in the crisis. You'll go home with the knowledge and tools to keep advocating for the invisible children. It's a field trip worth 20 gold stars.

For more information and to register online, go to: www.ugandalobbyday.com

If you can't play hooky or your car won't make it around the D.C. Beltway, don't fret. Call your senators and representatives on the lobby days to be a voice to the voiceless. Imagine what would happen if all of the phones rang off the hook for the invisible children.

Click here for phone numbers to contact both of your state's senators in Washington, DC: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Click here to connect to your Representative in the House: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml


Official Invisible Children Website Find out here how to order a dvd to host a party. Ask your pastor to show it at your church. Buy the video or a bracelet

Donate

They have a myspace page too

THIS HAS ALL MOVED ME TO TAKE ACTION....what's on your agenda for the evening? laughter over dinner with the family, TV shows to watch and then children to safely and soundly tuck into bed? While you put those covers over your precious children, think about Africa and how you can help. PLEASE!!!!

Quick apology to my readers

Okay, sometimes I read over my blog posts and am embarrassed by my numerous typos....and grammatical errors. Maybe, hopefully you don't notice them, but I do. Like, I write then instead of than. I've even caught myself using to instead of too. Please note, this is not a reflection of my intelligence. I love to blog, but sometimes have to do it quickly in the midst of distractions or late at night or early in the morning when I am very very tired. So, I am sorry for words not flowing well and horrid punctuation errors. I would go back and fix it all, but who has time for such things. Just try to pretend you don't see them..okay?!?

Emma Grace

Please pray for Emma

Quick thought for the day #2-Refine Me

Refine:
1. To make or become clear by the removal of impurities: clarify, clean, cleanse, purify.
2. To bring to perfection or completion

Awhile back while doing my Beth Moore Bible Study, Living Beyond Yourself, I was immersed in the story of Job. Of course it is one we all know very well. Job went through so much. So many horrible things happened to him and his family. Yet look at his attitude in Job 23:10, "He knows the way that I take. When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold."

Even though Job couldn't find God at those times of heartache and pain. Even though he felt like God was a million miles away from him, He knew that God had been there and that God was with him. He was sure that God knew every moment of his agony. And Job held onto the hope that all that he was going through was in place for a reason----to polish him so that he could come forth as gold.

During the process of refining gold, the gold is placed over great heat so that it melts, bringing the impurities to the top. The refiner then scrapes off the impurities and continues the refining process until the gold has been purified. The refiner's job is to bring gold to its point of greatest reflection.

Our hardships, our struggles happen for a reason. It is through them that we learn and grow. It is those times when we lean not on our own understanding, that we emerge with lambency.

Everything we go through prepares us, helps us to get to our greatest point of reflection. So that we can become the reflection of our refiner.

Are you reflecting your father's love today in your actions and words? Are you still holding onto the hope in Him even in the midst of chaos? Are you faithful? Are you letting him refine you? Are you allowing him to bring your impurities to the surface to be dealt with so that you can shine?

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7

Quick thought for the day on patience

Romans 14:13 states...."Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."

We cannot judge others and be patient toward them.

"If we are going to become vessels of God's power toward others, we must also learn to be void of judgment toward others."
-Beth Moore

Wish I could think of creative titles

Hello all....the weekend is over and it's back to the hustle and bustle of the week. We had a pretty nice weekend. All day Friday I told the miss about the paci-fairy. She would get a little sad, but nothing too bad. That evening, we looked all over for her pacifiers, but could only find 2. I think we had lost many along the way. So, we put one on her windowsill and I told her she could sleep that night with the other one...but that I'd take it away after she fell asleep and put it on the windowsill. Then, I ran to Toys R' Us to get the special toy from the fairy. The miss loves the Backyardigans. They do a whole pirate episode and she loves talking like a pirate. She walks around many times saying, "arrrrr...matey." So, they have this one Backyardigan toy that is dressed like a pirate and when you push on her tummy she says various phrases like, "walk the plank." She also sings a really cute song about saying arrrrrrr. So, I wrapped it up in pretty pink paper with ribbon and put it on her bedroom floor. I then went to take the pacifiers. The one on her windowsill had disappeared. My smart cookie must have jumped out of bed the second I left the room to take it and hide it. It was hidden in her bed with her, but I finally found it.

That morning when she woke up, oh my goodness, she was sooooo excited to see her present. And, she loved it....Loved it. In fact she hasn't really parted with it all weekend.

Now, I really was expecting it to be a tough weekend without her pacifier. This girl has always whined and screamed for it in the past. But all weekend long, she'd ask for it every now and then and Steve and I would just remind her that the fairy took them and left her her pirate toy. She would get sad for a second, but then start talking about something else.
And at bedtime, she has gone RIGHT TO SLEEP. Tonight she didn't even mention her pacifier.

Now, yesterday a pacifier turned up. She had found one and was very excited. She saw it on the floor, but hadn't gone over to it yet. So, I distracted her by asking her to get me something from her room. While she was in her room, I took the pacifier and cut the nipple off of it and then put it back where she found it. I know, I'm so mean. So, when she walked over to it and found it broken, she started saying, "Oh no, mommy. Some kid broke my babi(bah-bee)." She has always called her pacifiers babi's. I have no clue why. She then kept saying, "No kid, you don't do that. Don't break my babi." It was cute. We ended up throwing it away since it wasn't useable.

Anyway, I am very proud of my little girl. I thought she was going to scream bloody murder for the first few nights. But, nope...she's been fine.

On Saturday, a toy store out here was having a grand opening. I had received an email about it and decided to take Audrey. There was going to be crafts, toys out to play with, small carnival type games, magicians, face painting and an appearance by Curious George. It was all free. I wanted to take the miss because I knew she'd love seeing Curious George. She had so much fun. They had a bunch of toys out that the kids could play with and she spent the majority of the time playing with the trains. I really need to buy that girl one of those train tables. Too bad they cost a fortune. Anyway, I took some pictures to share on this here blog.




When she first saw George...who she calls, monkey George, she had the biggest smile on her face. She kept looking at him with such awe. It was very cute.






So, that was our weekend. We were going to try to go this afternoon to an amusement park out here sincefaeryland mom gave us free passes to it. But we were lazy bums today. But I enjoyed having a lazy day. It isn't called the day of rest for nothing.

Word Meme

So, I saw this meme on another blog and decided that I wanted to do it. So, here goes.
It's a word association meme where I am to write what the words mean to me.

Buttercup: Buttercup reminds me of two things. First it reminds me of the flower. We had them all over our yard in connecticut and I remember we, as kids, would pick them and rub them under our chins. I remember that if something happened when you did that, it meant something. But I can't remember what it was that it was to do or what it meant. The other thing Buttercup reminds me of, is a book I used to read as a kid with the title Buttercup. It was about a bunny who was scared of the dark and the scary figures she thought she was seeing.

Bookstore: I love going to bookstores, not that I do it a whole lot. But I do love them. I could spend hours in a bookstore and chilling out in the cafe with a book and sipping some coffee. I also enjoy buying books for other people.

Pasta: Pasta makes me think of my family on my mom's side. My grandma came over to the U.S. from Italy as a little girl. When I was a kid, she'd make us her homemade chicken parmagian all of the time. My mom also makes homemade spaghetti sauce. She'd cook it in a huge pot and then fill tons of tupperware containers with it and freeze it. We ate pasta all of the time. I love Italian food.

Inspiration: I like this word. There is just so much power in it. Every day we have an opportunity to lead a life of inspiration. To inspire others. To inspire our children toward their dreams.

Saturday Photo Hunt

This week's theme is Comfy

Is it 6:00 P.M. yet?

Well, today's day care day is a tough one. It's my first real tough day though, so with 5 kids...and having them for the past 2 weeks, it's amazing I made it this far. The miss and R are both super whiney today. And I mean super whiney. R won't stop throwing toys. I have talked to him about it....I have re-directed him. I eventually put him in time out. But what did he do as soon as he was out of time out? He threw toys again. And he isn't just throwing them in the air, he is throwing them AT people. And the miss is just whining and complaining about everything. So, my patience has started to wear thin just a bit. But in an hour my day will be halfway over.

In other news, I have decided that there will be no more pacifiers with the miss starting tomorrow morning. This will make for a tough weekend I am sure. And I know my family who know my stance on Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny will find the method I am going to use a little absurd, but I think it may work. Oh and in case you aren't family, we don't incorporate Santa or The Easter Bunny into the holidays. I can explain that all in another blog on another day. Anyway, we are going to collect all of her pacifiers tonight and leave them in a bag on her window sill. Then tonight while she is asleep, the Paci-fairy will come and take them away and leave her a special toy in their place.
Since I am not sure if the miss knows what a fairy is, I found a picture online and printed it out so that she can see what the Paci-fairy looks like.


I've explained it to her a few times already and she does seem to get a little sad. I know she won't be happy tomorrow...and I know she'll scream for it tomorrow night when she is ready for bed time. Tonight, I will let her go to sleep with her pacifier with the knowledge that when she falls asleep, I will take the pacifier from her and put it with the others.

Last night we sold Luna to a really sweet girl. She recently moved out here with her hubby who is in the Air Force. They have a Great Dane puppy and were looking for another puppy to be her playmate. She and her hubby both grew up with labs. She brought her puppy over last night to see if Luna would get along with her and then she paid us for Luna, we put her in the gal's truck and off she went. I was a tad sad to see Luna go. But I know that we just at this time couldn't give her the attention that she really needed. Also, the weather is getting colder and soon it would be too cold to keep her outside. Keeping her in the house scared me because I knew she'd chew up everything and DH and I just don't have the time right now to train her. We also couldn't keep her in the garage on cold nights because she'd destroy the bowflex.

I am so happy to know that she is going to a loving home and will have another puppy to grow up with. She will love having a playmate and they really did look so cute together. The great dane is only 3 months old, so Luna was a monster in size compared to her, but soon I think the great dane will be bigger, that's for sure. So, Luna better not be too tough on her now.

Well, that's all I can fit in for now...time to round up the troops. More to come this evening or this weekend......

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Positive ways to see children -- Oh and just for the record, I unfortunately can't take credit for these. They are from a handout I received during training for my Family Child Care Home license.

1. The child isn't bossy, he is a natural leader and a good director.

2. The child isn't clingy, she is affectionate.

3. The child isn't naughty, he is independent, assertive and persistent.

4. The child isn't sneaky, she is inventive.

5. The child isn't a tattletale, he seeks justice.

6. The child isn't too talkative, she communicates well.

7. The child isn't timid, he is careful.

8. The child isn't talking back, she is courageous and honest.

9. The child isn't loud, he is expressive.

10. The child isn't goofy, she is creative.

11. The child isn't spoiled, he knows how to get attention when needed.

12. The child isn't stubborn, she is persistent.

13. The child isn't shy, he can entertain himself and is inner directed.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

More Pictures

Here is My blue-eyed Mister



The miss and two day care kiddos

Lovely Crazy Luna



Ro my other day care kiddo



The miss and R playing

Stand In The Rain

I was just recently introduced to the new Superchick song, Stand In The Rain. I wish that I could find an mp3 of it so you could hear it. Anyway, I love...LOVE the song. First of all, here are the lyrics.....

Superchic[k] - Stand In The Rain
From the album Beauty From Pain 1.1

She never slows down
She doesnt know why
But she knows that when shes all alone
It feels like its all coming down

She wont turn around
The shadows are long
And she fears if she cries that first tear
The tears will not stop raining down

Chorus:
So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when its all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You wont drown
And one day whats lost can be found
You stand in the rain

She wont make a sound
Alone in this fight with herself
And the fears whispering
If she stands, shell fall down

She wants to be found
The only way out is through everything
Shes running from
Wants to give up and lie down

Now, awhile back, this was me......standing in the rain. I was hurting a lot. My heart was heavy. I was lost, confused, torn. This wasn't too long ago. But through it all, I held onto the faith, the hope, the knowledge that everything would turn out to be okay...that I would be blessed...that happiness would soon come....that sunshine would break in through the clouds. And right now, today, I can tell you that it is so true. The work that God can do, is amazing....amazing....what was lost was found.....it was!

So, if you are in the rain....continue to stand. The sun is coming. LOL..reminds me of that song..here comes the sun..do do do do..here comes the sun and I say, it's alright.

Lots of Pictures

Okay, G.G. requested some pics, so here are a TON!

This one is from this morning.


Here's the miss yesterday afternoon


Here is the mister yesterday afternoon


This is from last week...


Last Saturday we went to the ASU game at CU. Thankfully they played much better last week, than they did yesterday.

Here's the mister before we left for the game


Here's me, DH and the mister outside of Faeryland Mom's house.


The mister was the hit of our section. He got tons of attention. But after the 2nd quarter he spent the rest of the game sleeping in his sling.


There were tons, TONS of ASU fans at the game and we sat amongst them.


At the end of the game, the team came over to their fans and chanted thank you's to us.


The mister loves his play mat and the miss plays on it with him. These two pics were from a couple of weeks ago

Blessed By A Blogger

I belong to a blog ring, Christian Women Online. What is so wonderful about this particular ring, is it sends me to the blogs of many Christian women so that I may enter their lives for a moment, laugh at their stories, share with them their struggles, learn some lessons and even be encouraged in my walk with God.

On Friday's, Christian Women Online allows us a chance to share one such blogger who had a post that blessed us, made us think, taught us. One of my regular reads is Windscraps. In this blog, written by Shannon Woodward, we are immersed into her life stories by her captivating writing. The best part is she always includes the sacred into her everyday stories. HA! I should have written about her for the Quote that Christian Women online did this past week. She always includes a Bible message into her posts, whether discussing a baby chick left on its own, or a humorous tale about her grandfather. She takes the time to reflect on how it relates to the Bible and in turn her readers are left to reflect.

She has written many blog posts that truly have blessed me. There is one in particular that I have read more than once. I remember the first time I read it, I whispered out loud, "WOW!" It reminds me that we should live our lives placing God first. It is so easy for us to get stuck in the busyness of our days and neglect the one who we love the most and who loves us the most. Not only that, but we should be so on fire for God, that we aspire to be, well what Shannon's son aspires to be, the M word.

Her post is pasted below. But please visit her site with the link above. Believe me, you will be blessed!!


The M Word

He was six, and we were driving through a gray mist, past an unbroken stretch of evergreen trees.

"Mom, when I grow up, you know what I want to be?"

For a long time he'd thought he might like to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle, but since he hadn't mentioned that for awhile, I figured he'd gone on to something else.

"No, Zac. What do you want to be when you grow up?" I glanced into the rear-view mirror and saw his reflection captured there.

"I can't remember what it's called," he began. "It's that m word."

"Musician?" I offered.

"No."

"Medic?"

"Not that either."

"Moose-hunter?" I grinned at him in the mirror. He grinned back, but shook his head.

"Mom, I'm serious. It's that m word that means you go over to other countries and you tell people about Jesus."

His words entered my ears and worked themselves down to my heart, where they settled like a warm blanket. "Really, Zac? You want to be a missionary?"

"No ... not a missionary," he said. "It's that other m word." He scrunched his forehead, trying to think of a way to refine his description. With another glance, I saw his face relax. He'd thought of a way. "It's that m word that means you go over to other countries and tell people about Jesus ... and they kill you."

The blanket around my heart became a tourniquet, twisting and tightening. And I experienced a moment of pure schizophrenia. Two beings awakened in me and fought for dominance. One half -- the She-bear half, roared a silent Never! to the thought of my son being martyred, to the thought of anyone daring to turn their ignorant wrath on my boy. But as quickly as I screamed that noiseless denial, the Sister-in-Christ part of me forced her way to the surface. Yes, Zac. You hold on to that devotion with everything you've got, she whispered.

He let his pronouncement hang in the air, and then he turned those green eyes toward the treeline outside the window. I watched him staring at the blur of gray-green mist, and without the privilege of entering his thoughts, I knew them. He was dreaming of someday.

I drew a breath ... and began to pray.


What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. -James 4:14 NIV

And anyone who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me, shall receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal life. -Matt 19:29 TLB

Grease Babies

Okay, a friend of mine sent me a link to a really cute flash movie called Greaser Babies. You HAVE TO WATCH IT

View it here

Crossroads

So, as a Christian I know that when faced with decisions, big decisions we are to trust in God. We pray about it, he leads us. But does anyone else feel like I do, in that sometimes it is just really hard to do that. And what if it is something that has to be decided quickly? And how do you know if you make the right choice? I know that even if you do or don't, God still is there and holds your hand, but should I feel bad if sometimes knowing that doesn't fully give me the peace that I know it should?
Is this proving that I am not where I should be in my walk with God right now?

And what if this decision is one where you and your spouse have opposing views? As a Christian wife, I know that I am to let my husband lead.....go in his direction. But what if it scares me to do so? Am I doing too much wrong by wanting to debate my hubby on something? Should I just do as he says and desires? Maybe if he sought the Lord in it first, I'd feel better? But then we are back to my questions above.

I know that know matter what, we will be fine. We always are. God provides. But not knowing what lies ahead can be scary.

I have always been good at adapting to change. But it doesn't mean that it doesn't stress me out or worry me.

Well, through it all, my hope is in God. I will try not to worry, because I know He will keep us under His wing.

Busy Busy Busy

Well, we have all been busy and tired this week. I know I haven't posted a whole lot, and I am sorry for that. Monday and Tuesday, I spent most of the day cleaning like a mad woman. Tuesday night I had a lady come interview me for day care for her two kids. So, I was busy getting her paperwork together, picking up the house, and cleaning it very well. She came on Tuesday night and was sooo happy with me, the house, the day care room, and the curriculum that I do. She told me that she had been to 5 other home day cares for interviews before coming to me and just didn't like any of them. But after seeing the day care room, in my basement, and going over the paperwork, she was sold. She put her deposit down and her kids start up on Monday! YAY! She has an adorable four year old boy and a super cute 9 month old girl.

I have been working on their curriculum a lot over the past few days and getting each week prepared. They are going to learn a letter each week. They will learn the sound that the letter makes, different words that start with that letter and the sign for the letter. Then using different words beginning with the letter, I incorporate math, social studies, science, songs, books, arts and crafts and a Bible lesson. It's going to be fun and I have found really neat things for them to do.

Yesterday morning, I was on the computer reading other people's blogs and some of the sites on my sidebar. I visited the Proverbs 31 site and read some articles there that made me realize that I spend too much time during the day on the computer and should instead be taking care of my house. There are some cluttered places that I had been meaning to organize lately. On their site they have printouts to help get organized. One was a pantry inventory list. We don't have an actual pantry in our kitchen, so I use one of our kitchen cabinets to house our food. The biggest drawback to that, is that lots of stuff gets put behind other things and to be honest, half the time I don't know what we do or do not have for food. I try to look before buying groceries, but the majority of the time, I buy things that we don't really need. Steve puts the groceries away and will say, "dear, we have like 10 bags of rice now and 4 boxes of popcorn." So, yesterday using forms on their site, I cleaned out my pantry and completed the inventory form and also prepared my dinner menu for next week. I then used the day care lunch menu, dinner menu and pantry inventory to prepare my shopping list. This way, I buy only what we need. It feels so good to be organized.

We had a junk cabinet in our kitchen too and it was so cluttered and messy, that when you'd open it, stuff would fall on you. So, I got that all organized as well. The top shelf houses all of my recipes and what not. I have some books but then there are also tons of recipes I have ripped out of magazines and what not. So, yesterday, I took a three ring binder and made dividers for appetizers, side items, meals and desserts and then organized all of my recipe pages that way.

I also went and made the bed. Silly, I know. I have never been a bed maker. It is the one thing that has never bothered me. I could care less if my bed is made or not. DH sometimes laughs at me because I'll clean our bedroom up all nice and then leave the bed unmade. I also know that he really likes it made. So, I made the bed.

I really felt like I accomplished a lot yesterday. With all of the rooms in the house being pretty clean, it's nice to now start working on little places and getting them cleaned up and organized. Plus, the menus and pantry forms will really help us save money on groceries. Since, I liked to just go and always buy the same things regardless of whether or not we needed them.

I am also going to try three brand new recipes next week. Two will use my crock-pot. So, I am excited to try the new dinners and I hope they are yummy. Poor Steve...I grew up eating very bland foods and I like my stuff plain. Steve likes flavor and spices and hot stuff. So, I am trying to find some happy mediums. Hopefully, slowly, I will get more into really hot stuff and spicy stuff.....it'll take baby steps.

Oh, if you are interested in any of the home organizing stuff, here are the two sites I used.
1. Virtuous Women Household Notebook
This site has food organizing charts, weekly and daily planners and also cleaning charts and schedules.
2. Organized Home
This site has tons of free printables that you can use to make your own planner if you wanted to. There are phone and birthday lists, calendars, party planning lists, menus, shopping lists, school schedules, homework lists, kids chore charts,
car maintenance schedules, financial organizers, and so forth.

You know you're a mom when....

So, over at Everyday Mommy it was suggested that we write a post on today, the 12th, completing this sentence..... You know you're a mom when....

So, here goes.....

You know you're a mom when you can be completely captivated by two big blue eyes staring up at you with so much awe and wonder.

You know you're a mom when you can be peed on, pooped on and puked on and not even cringe. In fact, you're used to it.

You know you're a mom when you can take one look at your child as soon as they wake up in the morning and know that they are sick.

You know you're a mom when your children are bathed, dressed, fed and entertained and you haven't even changed out of your pajamas or brushed your teeth.

You know you're a mom when going to Walmart, which is usually a stressful thing, becomes a time of relaxation if you get to go without the kiddos. You find yourself relaxed and zoning as you walk around the store. And the long checkout line doesn't bother you, because it allows you time to pick up your favorite magazine and read a big chunk of it in peace. When else do you get time to do that?

You know you're a mom when you can't remember the last time you were able to use the restroom without the kiddos banging on the door or following you in.

You know you're a mom when you know the entire morning cartoon schedule for PBS, Nick and Disney.

You know you're a mom when you find yourself dancing along with your child to the wiggles. And you have actually gone on their website to see if they are coming to your city because you just KNOW that your kiddos would LOVE to see them live.

You know you're a mom when your days and nights are filled with smiles and laughter at the cute and funny things they do and say.

You know you're a mom when you're on the verge of losing it, because your kids have just been pushing the limits, and then they say something that just melts your heart and in an instant all that frustration that had started to build up, disappears.

You know you're a mom when you have to remove the diaper, baggie of wipes, baggie of snacks and small toy from your purse before finding your lipstick that is at the bottom.

You know you're a mom when you get so excited when a new kiddie movie comes out in the theaters, because it means that you can actually go see a movie and maybe your hubby can come along too. It's so nice to sit in the theater and eat popcorn and get out for a bit, even if it means you have to make 3 bathroom trips, clean up spills and try to keep your child from wanting to run loose.

You know you're a mom when you KNOW each and every time your child is doing something they shouldn't even when you are on the other side of the house.

You know you're a mom when sleeping in is 7:30 A.M.

You know you're a mom when everything you want to do for the day is worked around nap times, lunch time, and feedings.

You know you're a mom when the instant the baby is placed in your arms after giving birth, your heart just swells up inside of you, you cry and you can't take your eyes off of the little hands and feet. And each day that you notice your child getting bigger, you are sometimes saddened because you wish they could just stay little forever.

Pictures

So, I know I am overdue for pictures of the kiddos....so let's begin.

Here is the mister with Daddy. He was cuddling and being all smiley with his head resting on DH's shoulder. When I started to take pictures though, he perked up, looked at me, smiled big and began to pose. It was so stinking cute.



I took the miss to a free gymnastics class yesterday. One of her friends is enrolled in it, so we got to try it out for free. Oh my goodness, she LOVED IT! LOVED IT! And she did such a great job. She had a blast. Here are some pics from yesterday.

She loved the balance beam and she walked across it all by herself. At the end of the beam, she put her arms up and yelled, "Tada!"



The next time around, she tried it sideways.



She also loved hanging from the bar. I tried to get a picture of it, but my shutter speed is so slow, but what they'd do, is put the bear on the top of the bar and she'd curl up and try to kick it. She again did a great job. After getting down from the bar, she'd grab the bear and give it a kiss.

A Praise For Peyton

On my sidebar you will notice a section with links, entitled Kiddos To Pray For. One of those kiddos is Peyton. In 2003, she was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma, a rare cancer that strikes around twenty children per year.

Today I ventured onto her site to read her mom's latest journal entries. I was pleased to read the following post......


Thursday, August 17, 2006 9:02 AM CDT


Sometimes the Lord calms the storm;
Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

My friend Dena and I have had this running inside joke we have been doing since Peyton got sick. One of us will call or email the other and say, "God is good, all the time!" and the other will say "All the time, God is good!" I just called Dena to say that again this morning because Dr. Bowers called with wonderful news about Peyton's scans. Not only are the clear of tumors, but the bone loss he was quite concerned with, is non-existent!! Even the place on her ankle is "mysteriously" gone :)

Peyton is now a full-fledged member of the ACE (After Cancer Experience)program and will only be seen in clinic and for follow-up scans....ONCE A YEAR!! We told Peyton last night that she will be 7 years old before she is scanned again. You should have seen her face!! She was just so happy!

Thank you all for the prayers. Thank You, my Lord, for knocking this one out of the park! I know Your Word says You delight in our delight. I was just thankful to hear it wasn't relapse, but to find out You took the bone loss issue away too, blows me away. I've been delighting in the news and in You and I'm so glad You know that!!!


Love,

Marni
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I just wanted to post this for you all to see. Sometimes, I think we can get caught up in all the hurt in this world...all of the prayer requests, that we forget sometimes to shout for joy for all the miracles God performs everyday!

Saturday Photo Hunt

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This week's theme is food.

This is a picture of one of my last nights at Indiana where I was attending college. I went with a bunch of my closest friends from my floor to Joe's Crabshack. It was my first time ever eating there and I loved it. We had the waiter take a picture of us.
I'm the one in white.
The picture has my friends, Carrie, Charity(the one I am leaning on), Julie and Jen.

I sure do miss those girls.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Name 3 things that you are wearing today.

Jeans, a black Underoath tee and flip flops

Soup
Who was the last person you hugged?

My hubby

Salad
What do you like to order from your favorite fast food place?

Favorite Fast Food Place = Taco Bell
I order a taco salad, a side of rice and one caramel apple empanada. Oh, and I dump the rice into my taco salad.

Main Course
What time of day do you usually feel most energized?

Wow, I dunno...I think mid morning and then I get exhausted...I feel ready for bed around 9:30 at night and then around
10:00 - 11:30, I get my second wind and stay up later than I'd like to.

Dessert
Using the letters in your first name, write a sentence. (Example: Sweet unusual spaniels are nice.)

Enjoyment resides in chocolate addicts.

Love Is Worth Saving

Once upon a time there was an island where all forces of personality and feeling lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to all the forces that the island would sink, so all repaired their boats and left. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to preserve until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost sinking, Love decided he needed help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I cant. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!" "I cant help you Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," answered Vanity.

Sadness was close by so again Love asked for help, "Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh.Love, I am so sad that I need to be alone!"
Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an elder. Love felt blessed and overjoyed that he even forgot to ask the elder her name. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way.

Love realizing how much he owed the elder asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how much Love is worth saving."

It's going to be alright

To those who I think need to hear this....

It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

I can tell by your eyes that you're not getting any sleep
And you try to rise above it, but feel you're sinking in too deep
Oh, oh I believe, I believe that

It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

I believe you'll outlive this pain in you heart
And you'll gain such a strength from what is tearing you apart
Oh, oh I believe I believe that

It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

When some time has past us, and the story if retold
It will mirror the strength and the courage in your soul
Oh, oh, I believe I believe,

I believe
I believe

I did not come here to offer you cliches
I will not pretend to know of all your pain
Just when you cannot, then I will hold out faith, for you

It's going to be alright
It's going to be alright

-Sara Groves

In regards to this song, Sara wrote, When my kids get upset, I sing to them. I think adults need lullabies too. It took me a while to get here, but I believe what this song says.

-Sara

In Other Words

"Don't let schooling interfere with
your education."
- Mark Twain -

So, I admit it, this quote scared me and I wasn't going to take part this week. I wasn't sure what to write about at all. So, I then went and read what everyone else who had participated wrote. And sure enough, reading everyone else's got me thinking. It sure did.

I realized that I am already doing that thing parents do. Ya know the thing where parents kind of decide their children's futures. My kiddos are only 2 1/2 and 2 months old, but I have already made up my mind that they will be amazing students. I have decided that they will get A's and B's and go on to attend private Christian universities and earn degrees.

In fact my hubby and I talked about this a couple of months ago. He asked me, what if the miss doesn't want to go to college? And I answered rather matter-of-factly, "Oh, she'll want to and she will!"

In my home growing up, education and schoolwork were very important. And thankfully, for my dad, I loved school. I loved learning. I was an over-achiever and I got great grades. I was even enrolled in a special program in elementary school for gifted children where we could be a little more challenged. I didn't go on to college right away though. I am now working on getting my degree while also working, running a household and caring for two children. But I will eventually have my degree and the main reason being because I feel it is important.
I don't want to expect my children to attend college and earn degrees if I don't even have mine. I feel it is hypocritical of me.

Anyway, as I read over other posts by this week's participants, I realized that God or my children for that matter, may not have the same plan for their lives that I have for them. Or, perhaps my children won't end up being the type of students I envision them to be. I also realized that learning may not end up coming as easily for them as it did for me. In other words, "Mom, let go of your expectations, now."

There were many gals who because of the demands placed on teachers to instruct in certain ways, ended up having their children either behind or too far ahead. They wound up home schooling their children so that they could teach their children at the levels they were at and guide them each step of the way.

Reading over varying experiences with kids and schooling, I realized that I need to allow my children to show me what it is they need. I can't dictate what it is they need. I can't make that decision for them.

But, I still wouldn't mind one bit if they are A students and then get all excited about attending college. Oops, there I go again.

The Way I See It

A couple months back, I came across a blog post written by a Christian gal who was furious with Starbucks. She had mentioned that she read a quote on her Starbucks cup that morning that was completely against God and her religious views. She mentioned that she was no longer going to purchase her coffee there.

I, at the time, was unaware that Starbucks even had quotes on their cups. They began placing these quotes, entitled The Way I See It, on their cups back in 2005. I had their coffee back in 2005, but to be honest, I never once paid attention to the cup. If I did, it was to see if they remembered to mark decaf, since I was pregnant.

So, this morning, I ran to Starbucks for a venti vanilla latte with a pump of almond. YUM. I looked for the quote and it was pretty big. Yep, sure was. And I liked it! I then noticed a website address. I browsed their website and found a bunch of other quotes that I liked.

Here's a few of them. Be sure to at least read the last one, because the rest of my post is in regards to it.

The Way I See It #129
The first person to walk on Mars could be alive today. If so, she's most likely two years old and living in China.
--Andrew Zolli
Futurist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

The Way I See It #139
I recently read about a young woman in another country who was executed because of her religious beliefs; yet, I still complain about traffic.
--Jason Willis
Starbucks customer from Springfield, Oregon.

The Way I See It #148
Great teachers should be paid like doctors or corporate attorneys. I worry about what will happen to our economy and our democracy if we don’t start to take teachers' jobs seriously.
--Nínive Clements Calegari
Co-founder of 826 Valencia and co-author of Teachers Have It Easy.

The Way I See It #153 (On my cup today)
Is art entertainment?
Art teaches us about who we are. Entertainment tells us who to be.
Art is a public service. Entertainment is a private product.
Art opens our minds. Entertainment thinks for you.
Art is publicly offered. Entertainment is publicly traded.
Art is the words we wish to say, but lack the language to say it.
--Justin Dillon
Musician. His band, Tremolo, can be heard on Starbucks Hear Music™ station, XM Satellite Radio Channel 75.

The Way I See It #92
"You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny."
--Dr. Rick Warren
Author of The Purpose-Driven Life.

After reading the quote from Rick Warren, I went searching for the blog that I had come across awhile back. I wanted to bring this quote to her attention. Google didn't find it though, but I did come across a USA Today article concerning the quote.
And I learned some other things about some companies out there that plant Christian messages on their merchandise or in their stores.

In-N-Out Burger places notations for Bible verses on all of their wrappers and cups. Their company spokesperson says that it is so miniscule that many don't even notice it. So, hey, the next time you get an In-N-Out Burger, look for the verse.

Forever 21 stores places John 3:16 on their shopping bags.

Hobby Lobby plays only Christian music in their stores and Alaska Airlines places prayer cards on their meal packaging. Steve and I actually noticed that when we flew Alaska Airlines to our honeymoon. We actually held onto our prayer cards and told many about it.

I originally went onto the Starbucks site in search of the quote that offended the blogger. And while there were quotes that questioned God and even some very VERY liberal quotes, I was happy to see Rick Warren's quote. I mean, not everyone they quote is going to be a believer and while, I can see how a Christian can be bothered by a quote from someone with very strong views against Christianity, when you think about it, it could open doors. I mean, the point of Starbucks placing quotes on their cups, is to spark conversation. And maybe a believer out at Starbucks with a non-believer, could use a quote against God to stir up a conversation regarding God and their beliefs. I guess, we shouldn't be too quick to become offended or to have the expectation that everyone will have our same beliefs or tip-toe around them. Anything can be used to glorify God.

Go Diego Go

So, the miss loves to watch Go Diego Go and Dora The Explorer...and see, good things do come from having your child veg in front of the TV sometimes. Some days, I feel guilty for how much TV my little gal watches. But today, we were in the car, and she kept saying Help, Help and then something that sounded like adudame. So, I looked up Help Me in Spanish and sure enough she is saying Ayudeme. :o)

She's such a smart cookie and she doesn't even know it!