Writing for the Lord

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

The Wailing Wall

2010-12-30T10:03:00.013-05:00

For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. . . . But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Revelation 11:9, 11

I knew that TV would make the above possible, but I never thought about live streams online or even iPhone apps.

I just happened to see an article online this week that talks about a new iPhone app that streams live from the Wailing Wall and allows users to email prayers to be placed in the crevices of the wall. Amazing! (You can read the article here.)

Go to The Western Wall Heritage Foundation and you can find out more info about the iPhone app and also watch live streams from the Wall. I find this technology both fascinating and disconcerting at the same time. It just makes me wonder if it's a sign of the (end) times?

Who'd a Thunk It?

2010-12-27T11:23:00.015-05:00

Me? A romantic? Nah! I do like the occasional love story, but we're talking The Notebook or Marley & Me (yes, I know it's about a dog), not like Harlequin romances. And I always ask my husband of 20 years when he's ever going to get around to proposing. Although, I think if he had ever gotten down on one knee, I would have laughed.

I happened to see an article online yesterday about the top 10 most romantic gifts. I decided to read it to see what I was missing. The article was aimed at men and what they should be getting for their significant other. Upon reading, I discovered that I actually got a romantic gift for Eric this year! Among the top 10 gifts, buying tickets for an event that your spouse would enjoy is considered romantic. Hey, I did that!

Let me explain. Eric has always liked Neil Diamond even though he won't claim to have lived through the 1970s because it was such a "tacky" decade as he puts it. He has suffered much teasing from family & friends for enjoying Mr. Diamond's music. In the past, we have given him Neil Diamond Cd's for Christmas. I think last year I gave Eric one of his Christmas Cd's (and have had to suffer through listening to it!). Not that I don't like good old Neil's music; I just don't go out of my way to listen to it. (Wait a minute. I think I may have the 45s of You Don't Bring Me Flowers and Forever in Blue Jeans up in our attic. Don't tell anyone!)

Back in November, I happen to find out that Real Diamond was playing at a local theater the day after Christmas. Real Diamond is a Neil Diamond tribute band. Since the real Neil is off touring in Australia and Africa for the next 8 months, I decided to get tickets for this local show. We've seen a Beatles tribute band, so I figured it couldn't be all that bad. Besides, it would be something different to do together and we could have a nice date. (Plus, the theater serves beer & wine!)

Thankfully, I got tickets for the late afternoon show because I was thinking we could go out to eat afterwards. The snow storm that hit us yesterday cancelled the evening show, but not ours'. So we went and had a really good time! They were actually very good! Our seats were in the second row, and "Neil's" mom was sitting two seats away from me. She went around talking to people in the audience during the intermission, and you could tell she's his biggest fan! After the show, "Neil" and the band came out to the lobby to thank everyone for coming. I was standing about 3 feet away from him while Eric missed it since he had to visit the little boy's room.

We decided against going to dinner since the roads were a mess and because Eric has been doing an elimination diet (for medical reasons under the guidance of a doctor). But, all in all, it was a fun time! AND I discovered that I am romantic after all (at least according to that article)! Perhaps I'll start humming You Don't Bring Me Flowers to give the hubs a hint!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

"O Come Let Us Adore Him"

2010-12-24T06:45:00.000-05:00

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Luke 2:11-12

Seeing the Blessings Despite the Heartache

2010-12-23T06:45:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday night I began making my rounds taking some goodies to my neighbors. Sadly, none of us chat very often with one another because we're always running to our jobs or other commitments. Only one of these neighbors lived here when we first moved in. We've seen families come and go in the other homes.

I went over to drop off the Christmas treats with this long time neighbor first. The youngest daughter answered the door, and I handed her the plate and then saw her dad come up behind her. I wished them a Merry Christmas, we made some short small talk and then I left. I thought it was odd that we didn't speak longer because we usually do at this time of the year.

Yesterday, I visited three other neighbors and as I was walking home, I ran into the dad from the night before. He was walking his son's new puppy. His son is 22 and has been married for a little over a year. His bride was diagnosed with brain cancer about a year before they were married. I stopped to meet the puppy and to ask my neighbor how his daughter-in-law is doing. The cancer is back and she may need surgery again. Then he told me that his wife also has cancer. Breast cancer that has spread to her lymph nodes. I couldn't believe it. The news just really saddens me. The whole family is very private and tends to keep things like this to themselves, so I'm not surprised that I didn't know before now. (Hence, I'm not mentioning even first names.)

We continued with our conversation, and he told me how it has been so amazing because they have been able to share Jesus with so many people on this new journey they're on. I told him about another friend of mine who experienced the same thing with her husband as he battled colon cancer for 4 years. Only with God's help could these couples witness to others during such personal, difficult trials.

My heart is very heavy for this family, but I'm trying to concentrate on the miracles that are playing out as a result of their circumstances. God can do anything! Please say a prayer today for this family, but also thank God for the blessings that are coming out of this!

The Nativity Has Gone to the Dogs!

2010-12-22T06:45:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine sent this picture out in an email to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I thought it was very cute and forwarded it to several friends. Then I decided to post it here too. I don't know who is responsible for this photo, so I can't give the proper credit. Hope it gives you a chuckle!

Are You Ready?

2010-12-20T06:15:00.001-05:00

Is your tree up? Is your house decorated yet? Have you finished your Christmas shopping? If so, are all of the gifts wrapped (and mailed if need be)? Don't forget those stocking stuffers! Have you sent your Christmas cards? How about those Christmas cookies...are they baked and decorated? Have you planned and shopped for your Christmas dinner?

Yes, my tree is up and the house is as decorated as it's going to get. (I chose not to put everything out this year so that packing it all up won't be such an ordeal.) I'm done shopping for the hubby & kids but still have to get some things for the dog. (He gets very excited about gifts!) I haven't wrapped anything other than what needed to be mailed. (And that stuff has been sent.) I do have the stocking stuffers! I actually decided to send Christmas cards this year and have mailed some of them thus far. I've made fudge but haven't gotten to the cookies yet, mainly because I've had a cold recently & didn't want to spread my germs. Christmas dinner? Well, I still have 5 whole days to plan and shop for that! It seems as if I'm in pretty good shape, especially considering that I don't have anywhere that I have to be this week and the kids will be in school through Thursday. I still have plenty of time to get ready!

I wonder if Jesus sees how ready I am to celebrate His birthday? In addition to the above mentioned, I've been in church on most Sundays. I attended the Christmas concert since Cooper had to sing with the Youth Choir and Sam was asked to help with the lighting. And hey, I went to the Youth Group Christmas party with my boys where we ate yummy food and played games. Today, my family did one of the readings and lit the Advent candles during the service! Well, okay, Eric actually did the reading and Cooper lit the candles, but I stood up there with them. Yes, I've been in His Word if my Moms In Touch prayer meetings and watching Joyce Meyer count. I've certainly been charitable with some of my money but not my time by participating in Operation Christmas Child and giving to some less fortunate families and troubled teens in our area.

Oh dear. Maybe I need to rethink how ready I am to celebrate our Lord and Savior's birth. What do you think? Are you ready?

All photos from FreeFoto.com

Musings from Mayhem

2010-12-12T13:44:00.009-05:00

Mayhem is what life has felt like for the past six months. Not that things here are awful or I'm unhappy. I just feel like I'm looking at things while upside down. I quit my job to return to school, and I haven't been able to get into a rhythm yet in my new "normal". My kids love to tell me now that I'm lazy because I don't have a job anymore. In fact, this morning after I told my family once again that I'm not the maid around here, my oldest asked, "Well, if you're not the maid and you don't work, then what do you do?" (He was kidding around, so no, he didn't get into trouble for that comment!)

I feel as if all I do is read text books and write papers. Therefore, reading your blogs and updating my own blogs haven't been a priority or even enticing to be honest. My down time seems to consist of doing mindless things like watching TV or playing solitaire (with actual cards, not on the computer). Sadly, I've even considered doing the dishes as down time because I really don't have to think!!

I'm enjoying my classes, but I really do miss teaching preschool. Preschoolers are just the right anecdote when you're raising teenagers! I still sub occasionally at my old school. I love doing that because I get to play without all the responsibilities of being a head teacher! Still, I do think to myself, "What have I done? Why did I quit a job that I loved and was quite comfortable with? And one that was so family friendly?"

I've been watching Joyce Meyer on TV recently. She's been talking about how she was in a ministry for 5 years and had a difficult time obeying God when He told her it was time to leave and do something else. She liked what she was doing, was comfortable, and was "somebody". I can relate! Joyce says, "If you can't conceive in your mind that God can do something with you then you will never take even the first step toward a better life than what you have right now." Just like a woman cannot become pregnant unless she is able to conceive, we can't move forward in our lives if we can't conceive that God will show us where he wants us to be and what He wants us to do.

FreeFoto.com

I've been mulling this over for the past few days. I know God was calling me to move on, and I'm sure I'm moving in the right direction. It's just hard to leave the old things behind. If you go to Joyce's website, you can watch this series at your convenience. It is entitled What do You Want Out of Life?

Signs of the Times

2010-07-10T15:38:00.004-04:00

Recently, around town, I've spotted some funny (or maybe not so funny) church signs. I always love it when churches have a bit of a sense of humor. As I was driving to the movies with the boys, Sam saw one sign that said Honk if you love Jesus. Text if you want to meet Him real soon! I thought that was pretty clever and was glad that my 15 1/2 year old was the one who read it to me as we drove by!

Today I saw one that said Exposure to the Son will prevent burning. Hhmmm, how true!

Photo from FreeFoto.com.

Thankful Thursday

2010-07-08T09:41:00.004-04:00

I don't have a lot of time to blog today, so I'm just going to get right to my list!

I am thankful that we've been able to pay out of pocket for my first two graduate classes. That means going into less debt!

I am oh so grateful that I got an A- overall in my first class!!! (Makes the tuition worth it!)

I am thankful that my hubby is fine with me quitting my job to return to school. He just left to go interview a bookkeeper for his business. I didn't even know he was looking for one. I asked him if he wanted me to do it, and he said he'd rather me not be stressed out and wants me to just concentrate on school!

My kids are finally learning to clean up the kitchen after they have cooked for themselves!!! (And with not a lot of complaining -- BONUS!)

Otto seems to be past his illness. I'm so very glad that it wasn't anything too serious. I was afraid he had eaten something he shouldn't have and had a blockage. Now if we could just decide on some new carpeting! Too many choices out there!

I should be getting my jeep back soon. Our mechanic has finally figured out what is wrong with it. Not a terribly cheap fix, but at least we'll be a two car family once again! Our jeep is 11 years old and has a few idiosyncrasies but I still love it. I will drive it until it is dead! (But Lord it can't die for at least another 2 years, okay?)

That's it for me this week. Please stop by Greg's General Store to join in on Thankful Thursday!

Am I Now the "Older Woman"?

2010-07-07T15:42:00.003-04:00

A few things have happened recently that are making me question whether I am entering the role of the "older woman" which the Bible talks about in Titus 2.

First, I'm taking graduate courses with girls who were 1 year old when I graduated from college. Listening to their conversations and concerns just make me smile. I remember participating in those same conversations "way back when" I thought the world revolved around me. They have no idea how their views will change as they mature. And they'll be shocked when they hear something and realize it came out of their own mouths and not their mothers'!

The second item is rather silly. Lately I have been receiving emails saying that I can meet "singles who are 50 and over". (I don't open these emails.) Last time I checked I'm not 50 yet and I'm not single! It makes me chuckle on the outside, but on the inside I have this lingering thought that the world of junk mail has moved me from the young and hip demographic to an older one. They didn't even ask me if I wanted to make this transition!

Then yesterday I went to get my hair cut. Last week I had noticed a section of my hair that didn't feel or look right. I asked my hair dresser (a youngster in her 20's) if it looked damaged. After a consultation with her manager, they decided I needed this special treatment done. If it worked, it meant that a product I've used on my hair caused the problem. If not, something else was going on. Thankfully, it worked. As my stylist was cutting my hair, she began telling me about a product that she's learning to use on the hair of older women who are having hair issues due to menopause. She has a client coming in soon whom she's going to use it on and said she'd let me know how it works. The entire time I kept thinking, "Why are you telling me this? I'm only 45!"

This morning the thought crossed my mind that perhaps I am moving on to that new era in life where I'm supposed to mentor other women. Then the battle began in my head. How can this be? My youngest child is only 12! My oldest will only be a sophomore in high school. I have younger friends who have kids older than mine. Both of my boys are impressed about how high I can kick my legs! I just played wiffle ball the other day in our backyard! We even enjoy some of the same music. The dog and I still have big tug of war battles! Heck, I got pregnant just two years ago. I CAN'T BE GETTING "OLD"!!

We all know, however, that God has His own plan for us. So maybe in different, funny ways He's telling me that it's time to begin moving into a new realm of my life. I can still be fun and active but perhaps it's time to begin sharing some of the wisdom that comes (dare I say it) with age. I'm not sure what area my wisdom lies in, but I'm positive that God knows. God please give me the willingness to open my mind and heart to your desires for me and to accept that I am on the cusp of becoming the "older woman"!

Around Here

2010-07-05T05:45:00.001-04:00

Yes, I dropped out of the blogosphere for a while again. I can't believe I didn't lose any followers! Thank you my dear friends for sticking around! As always, just pure busyness has kept me away.

I finished up my school year on June 3rd. It was a bittersweet ending as it was the toughest school year I've ever had as a teacher and because it was the last one at the preschool I've taught at for the past 7 years. I gave my notice back in March so that my boss would know in plenty of time that I won't be returning in the fall. I've decided to try to get my master's in special education. I just completed my first 12 week course and will begin a 6 week course next week. Between these two classes I have to earn 3.0 GPA to officially be accepted into the program. (Because I didn't have a 3.0 when I graduated from college 22 years ago! Boys were more interesting than school was back then. Just being honest! Actually, I earned two degrees simultaneously back then....a BBA and an MRS!) Hence, homework has kept me very busy, especially when being a teacher and a student overlapped for two months!

I know it may seem odd that I quit my teaching job in order to earn a master's in teaching, but I knew I couldn't juggle work, school and my family. Since my kids aren't going anywhere in the near future, work had to go! And I think my whole family is happy about my decision! Even though I have homework, I'm much more relaxed.

Of course, I'm getting little jabs from my boys. My oldest likes to tell me that I'm lazy since I quit my job, and my youngest's comment was, "Good, now you can clean the house!" Nice, huh?! Even one of my classmates said, "So, you're going to do nothing?" Oh to be 23 and naive! Okay, so for the last two weeks I haven't gotten out of bed before 9 AM, but I have been cleaning!! I even took the curtains down in our living room and hand washed them in the bathtub! Come on, give me some credit!

Living on one income again is an adventure. I've definitely been cooking and baking a lot more. However, I have found that it is cheaper to buy a brownie mix than it is to make them from scratch. We didn't join the pool this summer because we didn't feel we got our money's worth the last two summers. Naturally, one of our vehicles has had issues since I stopped working. It sounds like a rocket and will go even if your foot isn't on the gas pedal! And our mechanic can't figure out what's wrong with it. The kids have been good about waiting for movies to hit our local cheap theater. You can't beat $3 matinees and $5 evening shows! Even the snacks are cheap.

Then there's the dog. I've been dreading having to take him to his yearly vet appointment this summer because it's always so expensive. Rather than doing that yet, we've had other vet bills because poor Otto has actually been sick! He's six years old and this is the first time he's been ill like this. Apparently he picked up a parasite from somewhere, and we are now shopping for new carpeting! As they say, when it rains, it pours.

This post kind of sounds like a downer, but I'm actually pretty happy. Like I said, I'm more relaxed now and I'm getting to spend a lot of time with my family. My kids are excited because I'm baking for THEM rather than my students. I even made my very first cheesecake for Father's Day. It was delicious! Thanks to our friends who own a beach house, we will get to take our yearly trip to the Outer Banks this month. We just won't be able to stay as long since I can't miss class.

I hope life is slowing down for all of you this summer so that you can enjoy just being with your families! I'll check back again soon!

The War

2010-07-04T22:39:00.005-04:00

I wouldn't go out there if I was you!

War -- the beginning.

Watch out men!

It was all a blur!

OH THE CARNAGE!

What have my human brothers done?

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T13:29:00.005-04:00

FreeFoto.com

How is Your Posture?

2010-04-17T05:30:00.000-04:00

POSTURE - a mental or spiritual attitude; one's image or policy as perceived by the public; to adopt an attitude or position. (per Dictionary.com)

During the past 2 weeks, I've had six appointments with a chiropractor. This is the first time in my life that I've ever been to a chiropractor. Eric made the first appointment for me in hopes that the doctor would be able to help me with my dizziness and headaches.

So just about every other day for 2 weeks I've been hearing how I need to watch my posture; that I need to pay attention to my posture. Therefore, I've been thinking about the word posture a lot for the past few days. Prior to even looking the word up in the dictionary, I kept thinking, "How is my posture with God? Have I positioned my attitude and my life to honor Him? Am I living on the straight and narrow as they say?"

Speaking of straight and narrow, I decided to look up that saying as well. This is how Dictionary.com put it: The way of proper conduct and moral integrity. [Probably alteration of "Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life" (Matthew 7:14).] INTERESTING!!

To be honest, I'd have to say that my posture regarding God probably isn't as good as I'd like to believe. Do I read from the Bible daily? No. Do I always treat my husband with respect? No. Do I ever gossip? Yes. Do I judge others? Yes. Am I guilty of not always honoring God with my thoughts, words and actions? YES! Hmmm...doesn't sound like a very straight and narrow life.

Following my chiropractor's instructions will give me good physical posture while heeding God's Word will provide me with perfect mental and spiritual posture. The latter is what I desire the most. I realize that only Jesus is perfect, but if we want to spend eternity with Him, then we have to adopt a posture that reflects His. One that is straight and upright. How is your posture?

Thankful Thursday

2010-04-15T07:17:00.002-04:00

It's Thankful Thursday once again! If you decide to write a Thankful Thursday post on your blog today, please visit Greg's General Store and add your post to Mr. Linky!

I am thankful for the beautiful weather we have been having. It does so much to lift my mood!

Despite the inconvenience it caused on Saturday, I'm thankful that the "stand-off" involving a neighbor was a hoax. It could have been a lot worse than it was.

I'm thankful that Sam's foot has healed after a slight break 4 weeks ago! (Especially since he only wore the boot for 2 weeks because he said his foot felt fine!)

I'm grateful that I'm back in school and getting the hang of student life after being out of school for 22 years! I'm slowly finding my way around campus!

I was not in the mood to go to church choir practice last night, but I'm glad I did. It's been a long week, and I felt that yesterday should have been Friday. Choir practice got my mind off of other things and helped me to relax. I'll miss not being in choir next school year. Since I'll be going to school full-time in the fall and my classes will all be held at night, I have to give up singing in the church choir.

I know my list could go on, but I must get to work! Happy Thursday everyone!

I Love a Bargain!

2010-04-13T05:30:00.000-04:00

I love a bargain! I found this Fix-It and Forget-It calendar at our local Christian book store. Since it's April, it was on sale. Rather than paying $14.99 for it, I paid only $1.97! I don't need a calendar, but I do want the recipes! I've gotten the actual cookbook from the library in the past. I would much rather use my crockpot to cook with instead of my oven or stove-top, especially during the summer. My kitchen is very sunny and is the warmest room in the house during the summer. So grilling out or using the microwave or crockpot are my favorite choices when it's warm outside.

This is what it looks like when you open up the box.

There are two recipes on each card. I can either keep the cards in this box or put them in my recipe book. I love this find!!

God n Dog

2010-04-12T18:23:00.001-04:00

It Was All a Story

2010-04-10T22:15:00.004-04:00

Thank you for your prayers concerning the post below, but it turns out to have been a lie. The "victim" made up the whole thing. It sounds as if he may have been under the influence of something. I feel badly for everyone who was affected by his actions. His story worried us all, inconvenienced a lot of people (including interrupting a funeral), and cost a lot of our tax dollars. A SWAT team was called in for Heaven's sake!!! I just pray that this guy gets some help.

Please Pray

2010-04-10T14:56:00.003-04:00

As I was sitting here, home alone, I heard a lot of sirens going off. I always say a prayer for whomever the sirens are for when I hear them. They sounded close but not like they were on my street.

I just went outside to get in my car to go to Cooper's first baseball game of the season, and I saw that my block and the next block up from me are closed off. There are police cars and fire trucks everywhere. People are milling around watching. I saw my neighbor and asked her what was going on.

Apparently, someone was shot in a family dispute in the next block. The victim was able to crawl out of his house, but the gunman and supposedly two other people are still inside. This block of homes consists of all old row homes. The gunman is threatening to burn the house down. These row homes don't have firewalls between them. So everyone in that block has been evacuated.

I can't believe the police are letting people stand outside and watch. I came back inside just to be safe. I had to call Eric to tell him I can't get to Coop's game (Coop is at the field already with Eric) and call Sam who is at the mall with a friend and his family. I could walk to Cooper's game, but I want to be here when Sam gets back.

Please pray!

UPDATE
Everything seems to be over with, but I don't really know what happened. I haven't been able to find much news coverage. HA....I wrote that sentence and the NBC news van just drove by!! I guess I'll tune in at 11 PM.

I went out to my porch as one of the fire trucks was leaving (I thought) and was told to go back in my house. At that point, I noticed the police telling everyone to go inside. Our two blocks proceeded to be closed off for about the next 4 hours. Eric & Coop were able to sneak in the back way, but Sam was stuck at a friend's house for a while.

I heard different things from different neighbors, such as the guy escaped; there were drugs involved; and there were chemicals in the house, possibly a meth lab. Like I said, I have no idea what went on. All I know is that my neighbors and I were pretty much held hostage in our homes all afternoon, while the immediate neighbors of this family were ousted from their homes! Thank you for your prayers!

Play Ball!

2010-04-10T11:18:00.010-04:00

Here we go....the start of another baseball season! Over 600 kids are signed up this year! Cooper is out there somewhere! This will be his last year in this league due to his age.

My hubby, Mr. President, making his speech at the Opening Day Ceremony! Would you ever guess that he & I are actually introverts?

Even the local Chick Fil A cow showed up!

Sitting in the dug out!
We're looking forward to many special MOOments this season!
(C'mon, how could I resist?)

Ultimate Blog Party!

2010-04-09T22:52:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone, 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting the 2010 Ultimate Blog Party! The point of the party is to help us connect with other bloggers. Plus, you have the chance to win a prize! You should see their list of prizes!!! It's pretty long! So head on over and join the fun!

I would like to win the following prizes:
USC25 - $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card from Baba's Farm Life
US96 - A Laundry Prize Pack from Mama's Laundry Talk
US14 - 10 Free Custom Bumper Stickers from Build a Sign
US88
US41

I'll probably add more to my list before the party is over. There's too much to choose from!!

Changes

2010-04-09T20:21:00.006-04:00

Last night I started back to school for the first time since graduating from college 22 years ago! I was surprised to find that I wasn't really nervous about it. Sometimes age is a good thing...it can give you some confidence and helps you put things into perspective. Yes, I'm a student again, but I'm a mom & a wife first. (My nerves were replaced by "mommy guilt", so I made brownies for the boys before I left for the evening!)

Since it's a graduate class, I figured there would be people around my age in attendance. There are only 8 of us taking this course. Two of them seem to be my age and are married and have kids. The others are in their early to mid 20's. Two of the younger girls are preschool teachers like me. My professor and I figured out that Cooper's 5th grade teacher was one of her students!

All in all this first time back was a good experience. The environment is relaxed since it's such a small class, and we all seem to have things in common with one another. I don't think the course will be a breeze, but I'm looking forward to the challenges.

I had to go back over to the campus this afternoon to buy my books ($155...UGH!) The bookstore is located in the University Center, which is basically the student center. Now I did think I'd feel a little weird going in there, but actually I didn't. It was a very nice building; the girl who waited on me was very sweet and wished me luck in my class; and nobody looked at me like, "Who is that old lady?"

It's definitely a very different experience the second time around; especially when you have to hurry home after buying your textbooks because you want to get there before your kids arrive home from school!

I Feel Selfish for Asking

2010-04-07T05:45:00.000-04:00

I need my prayer warriors, but I'm feeling selfish regarding my request. After all, I see so many other people who need prayer much more than I do. People who are in life or death situations.

I think I've mentioned before that we rent our home. We've lived in this house since January 2000. Our landlord has NEVER raised our rent. We pay a ridiculously low amount each month for a single family home with a decent yard.

Recently, our landlord has done some work on the house (for the first time since we've lived here). We're wondering if he is wanting to sell it. We really are not in the financial position to buy a house because my husband is paying off his business loan and we pay for our own health insurance. It's possible that we could cut a deal with our landlord and buy this house; something we may not be able to do with other sellers. However, we're not sure we want to buy this house. It's a little small for us, and it's about 140 years old and needs work done on it.

On Monday, Coop & I were out walking Otto. We walked past a home two blocks from here which is for sale. We fell in love with the house and the property! I promptly came home and looked it up on the internet. It's about 35 years old and looks a little dated inside, but it's nothing I couldn't live with. Plus it has more than 1 bathroom!! The price isn't horrible, but it's more than we can do right now. Eric & I drove by it last night, and he really liked the looks of it, too.

We can't do this on our own, but our God of all miracles can!!! I'm embarrassed for asking you to pray about this, but would you? I am so very grateful for the home we currently have. We just really want something of our own. This house would give us a little more room; the property is lovely and backs up to woods, although we'd still have neighbors; and since it's only 2 blocks from our current house, our kids wouldn't have to change schools.

Your prayers would mean so much to me. Perhaps it's not God's will for our family, but prayer and petition never hurt. I thank you all so very much!

Love and Blessings from me to you, Leslie

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

2010-04-06T22:03:00.005-04:00

I've had a request from Julieanne over at From the Beginning for my peanut butter cup recipe. I got this recipe from the February/March 2008 issue of Taste of Home magazine. Here it is:

1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided

4 1/2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12 oz. bag) semisweet chocolate chips

4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz. each), coarsely chopped (I just got one of the really big Hershey bars)

Colored sprinkles, optional

In small bowl, combine 1/2 peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.

In small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.

Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Top each with a small teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container. Yields 3 dozen.

**I had difficulty dropping the chocolate mixture into the paper muffin cups. It just took a long time. I then tried putting some of the mixture in a baggie and snipping the corner of the baggie so that I could just squeeze the chocolate out. This was kind of messy. If anyone has a better way to do this, please let me know!! Thanks Julieanne for requesting the recipe!

I didn't do my "I Get To Tuesday's" post today because I woke up with a migraine this morning, and I had to go back to work after my nice 5 day weekend. I still have a headache. UGH! Praying you all had a better day than I did!! Blessings!

Peep Sunflower Cake

2010-04-05T05:45:00.004-04:00

Here is the Peep Sunflower Cake that I made! Originally, I was going to take it to church on Easter. At the last minute we decided to have some friends over for dinner on Saturday night, so I served it then. Everyone thought it was cute and yummy!

Some Easter Pics

2010-04-05T05:30:00.000-04:00

Sam & Coop's Easter baskets.

The boys hunting for eggs! It took them forever to find the last two!

The Easter Beagle brought Otto some Snausages and a new frisbee!

Eric and I before church. Not sure what's going on with Eric's hair!

I got my Hyacinths!

The Lily and Poinsettia People

2010-04-04T05:45:00.006-04:00

The lily and poinsettia people. That's what my coworker called them. It took me a brief second to get what she meant. Those people who only attend church on Easter and Christmas. She said that she was hoping they would really hear the gospel this weekend and begin a relationship with Christ.

As I pondered this, the thought came to me that it will probably take more than an interesting sermon to reach this special group of people. It will take us. Those of us who call ourselves Christians. We who are God's sons and daughters. We who are the body of Christ.

We are to be His hands. His feet. His voice. His heart. Jesus' last command before departing for Heaven was: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

I know. This command is difficult for me, too. However, on this day, Easter Sunday, let's try to do what our Lord & Savior has commanded us. It can be as little as shaking hands and genuinely welcoming "Lily" to your church or as big as inviting her over for Easter dinner. Let's just be obedient today of all days!

Lily photo from FreeFoto.com

Update: I'm in our church choir. Today we sang at both services. Our choir pews are on the alter facing the congregation. So during the services I looked at all the faces to see if I saw anyone unfamiliar. It took me a few minutes, but I finally found a few. All of them were in the back pews! I didn't stand a chance in trying to greet them when I was at the front of the church and they were at the back!! Thankfully, Jesus' last commandment is meant for EVERY day! So even though I wasn't successful today, I'm sure I'll have plenty of other chances. I did at least introduce myself to the woman I'm supposed to teach Sunday School with in April & May! She's fairly new to our church, and I hadn't met her beforehand.

Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T09:47:00.009-04:00

I snapped some pictures yesterday as Cooper dyed his Easter eggs. His response to me was, "Really?" Like I'm so uncool for wanting photos of him doing his eggs! Sadly, the teenager (Sam) didn't want to participate this year. Even Coop told me he is too old for the Easter egg hunt happening at our church today. That surprised me because he'll take free candy any day! (He joined the school choir in 4th grade because the teacher promised candy at the end of the school year. She didn't deliver, so he didn't participate in choir in 5th grade! Yeah, that's my kid!)

I believe he is drawing a Spartan on this egg. Don't ask me why!

Now for the dying!

There's that smile!

BEAUTIFUL EGGS!

MMMMMM......

2010-04-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

....Homemade peanut butter cups! SCRUMPTIOUS!! Later this weekend I'll be attempting a Peeps sunflower cake. If it turns out well, I'll post pictures.

Good Friday

2010-04-02T05:45:00.000-04:00

Thankful Thursday

2010-04-01T13:58:00.002-04:00

I have been out of the blogosphere for so long that I didn't realize Greg over at Greg's General Store is now sponsoring Thankful Thursdays. I am glad someone has picked this up! If you have a Thankful Thursday post, please stop by Greg's blog and join us this week.

I am thankful for my Easter break! I had today off and don't go back until Tuesday. Our kids have the same break. Oh, and that we're having actual spring like weather makes it a double blessing!

Eric doesn't have today off. In fact, he's having a stressful busy day. However, I am thankful that he is taking a little time to go over to the baseball field with Cooper and throw the ball around. (Although Lord, please give me the strength to be nice despite his stressed out mood!)

I am thankful that I'm 1/3 of the way done with my student profiles for my upcoming parent/teacher conferences.

I am grateful for the mom of one of my students who brought her month old daughter up to me this week and said, "I thought you might like to hold a baby."

I am especially grateful that my nephew and his girlfriend decided they will have the baby that they are expecting together. They decided against other alternatives. I'm looking forward to having a great-nephew in July!

By the way, I'd be REALLY thankful if someone stopped by to clean out my rabbit's cage. I'd give you a Reese's Easter egg! Yes, I'm resorting to bribery.

And God, thank you that my pizza dough is rising for tonight's dinner!! (He is even in the small things!) Amen!

Hyacinths

2010-04-01T05:45:00.002-04:00

The Hyacinth is my favorite flower! I can look at this photo and imagine the fragrance coming from them.

On Sunday, I was at the grocery store for the first time in weeks (since I hadn't been able to drive). As soon as I walked into the store, I was bombarded by the fragrance and beauty of the Easter flowers...particularly the Hyacinths. I was actually taken aback because I had forgotten that it was the time of year for them. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about something that makes me happy! I was tempted to buy one but didn't because I knew my grocery bill was going to be quite large. Maybe I'll treat myself this weekend.

Thank you God for the beauty and delicious scent of my favorite flower!

Photo from FreeFoto.com

Funny or Sad?!

2010-03-31T05:45:00.001-04:00

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Random Dozen

2010-03-30T23:21:00.015-04:00

This looked fun, so I thought I'd join in!

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps? I loved them as a kid, but they're too sweet for me now. I especially don't like them when a mom sends them in for snack for my preschool class along with donut holes!!! This combo equals 14 3-year-olds bouncing off the wall!

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down? Praying, taking deep breaths, drinking water and picturing Jesus standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders.

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains? Sometimes...like when you wake up on a Saturday morning hearing a soft rain coming down. It's very soothing.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why? Barb because we've had some "Lucy & Ethel" times!

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring? A tattoo in a non-obvious place.

6. Do you have any special plans for Easter? Singing at our Good Friday service and at both Easter services.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs? Oh, definitely Reese. I enjoyed one earlier this evening from my secret stash. At least I'm sharing with my husband this year!

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of? My students in my 3-year-old class just today. I needed their photos for a bulletin board.

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one? Miracle Run

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? Just getting motivated! Cleaning the fans and window air conditioners.

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? 5

12. Which color makes you happiest? My favorite color is red, but I have no idea which color makes me the happiest.

Pop on over to Linda's blog at 2nd Cup of Coffee and following her instructions if you'd like to join in!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2010-03-30T05:45:00.000-04:00

The thought behind this is to list a few things that could come under the category of "Ugh...I have to (you fill in the blank)." However, I want you to look at these "have to's" as blessings of "I get to". We all take for granted such things as our health, jobs, family, friends, etc. and sometimes don't appreciate them or see them as blessings as we should. So here are a few things for me this week.

On Wednesday night, I'll get to go to choir practice. It will be our last one prior to our Good Friday and Easter services. This means it will probably be a long rehearsal. I know I'll be anxious to get out of there because I'll have the next 5 days off from work. Plus, based on the different personalities of our choir members, I won't be surprised if some tension is felt if practice goes on too long. However, I do think that this rehearsal will help me to focus on what this week really means to Christians.

Not only will the choir sing at the 10:30 AM Easter service, we get to be up bright and early to sing at the 8 AM service, too!! I don't do the early service very well! I need to look at this as an opportunity to bless others with our music. Most likely there will be people in attendance who don't go to church on a regular basis. It will be one of the few times they hear the Gospel.

I only have to work three days this week. Since it's the last week of the month, I need to get my classroom changed over from March to April. Due to the short week, I get to do this in 3 afternoons rather than 5. At least it will be all done when I get back from our Easter break!

I get to start going to school next week. I wasn't planning on doing this until the fall, but I found out last week that I need to begin in April. I'm not thrilled with school overlapping with work, but I'm glad I should be able to earn my master's under the current certification requirements. I am also thankful that my husband is being so supportive of me returning to school!

Well, that is my "I Get To" list for this week. Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Something to Ponder

2010-03-29T21:15:00.001-04:00

What does it mean when your husband gives you flowers for your 20th wedding anniversary and there is a sticker on them that says "Freedom"? Hhmmm.....

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2010-03-28T20:09:00.005-04:00

The title for this post just came to me as I clicked on "new post". I think maybe it sums up the past 6 weeks.

First, the good. I've decided to return to school. Something I never imagined I would do at 45. I am going for my masters in special education. Over the years, I have become fascinated with kids who are autistic or have Asperger's Syndrome. I would just love to get inside their minds and figure out how they think and how I can help them adapt to living a "normal" life. (What is normal anyway? I dislike that word!)

This school year I have so many special needs students that I've been drawn into their world even further. So I made the big decision to go back to school. If I'm going to do it, now is the best time. For one thing, I should be done before Sam goes to college. Plus, I feel that the future of our type of preschool is questionable, and therefore, I should prepare now for a new job. Also, if I feel led in the direction of working with special needs kids, then I think I should follow my interests, my heart and most of all, God's calling on my life.

Thankfully, I have Eric's full support in this! Especially since I gave my resignation at work, effective the end of this school year. I know I wouldn't do a good job balancing school, work, and parenting. Something had to go and obviously it had to be my job. I will terribly miss being with the little ones and my coworkers, but I know it's for a good reason.

Next, the bad. Almost a month ago, I was in bed for two days with an awful headache, nausea and dizziness. Since then I have felt off balance and slightly dizzy. Looking at the TV or computer screen bother me sometimes and riding in a car can make me dizzy. In fact, poor Eric had to be my chauffeur for three weeks! After seeing my doctor, an ENT and having a CAT scan of my sinuses done, we think we have a diagnosis. The ENT believes I have Meniere's Disease, which is an inner ear disorder. I have 3 out of the 4 symptoms. You can read about Meniere's here.

It's not a fatal condition, but there isn't a cure. For some people it can become very debilitating. In fact, I could eventually lose my hearing in my right ear. The ENT prescribed something for my dizziness, and he told me to go on a low sodium diet. This will reduce my body's fluid retention and decrease the fluid in my inner ear. I have to see my ENT again in about 3 weeks. If I do have Meniere's Disease, then I can look forward to "attacks" of vertigo for the rest of my life. Swell.

Now, for the ugly. And when I say ugly, I mean UGLY! Just prior to the "bad" I came down with this horrible looking, itchy, scaly rash on my face and one side of my neck. In fact, my neck looked and felt like I had a really bad sunburn. I had to put an ice pack on it one day. I had this for about a week. Then it went away when my doctor prescribed a steroid for me, only to return as soon as I finished the medication. I ended up seeing a dermatologist. He thought that I came into physical contact with something that caused an allergic reaction. What that something was we don't know. I've ended up changing all of my hair and facial products and am now using all allergy free products. Some of them I can't even get in stores and have to order them online instead. Expensive and a pain!

I have pictures of the "ugliness", but I'm not so sure I want to share them. I had to go for days without using makeup or hairspray. I keep wondering if God was trying to humble me for some reason. I'm not a real "girly" girl, but I do like to have my face on and my hair in place. I didn't want to go out looking like I did because I was embarrassed and because I didn't want to creep people out. Thankfully this all happened around the time that we had several snow days, so I didn't have to miss too much work. I did end up taking a couple of days off because I didn't want to scare my students or their parents.

So there you have it...the good, the bad and the ugly of me (minus hideous photos)...or why I've been MIA lately. I'd like to definitely say that I'm back, however, for the next two months work and school will be overlapping. I have to take one class beginning right after Easter in order to finish my master's in time to be considered under the current state certification requirements. (They're getting ready to change them!) I also may have to take a class this summer. So if you see a pile of papers sitting around in the near future, lift it up to see if I'm buried underneath!

A Funny for Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh....His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. Song of Songs 5:13, 16

I hope your Valentine has sweet words for you today...unlike this funny guy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is for Kelly!

2010-02-11T05:30:00.001-05:00

Chatty Kelly had a post that caught my eye last night. It made me chuckle because I could relate, and it also spoke a truth. So I decided to expose our current messy side, too! Praise God for loving us whether we're clean or have a case of the messies!

Eric's desk.

My personal disaster!

Blanket of Rest

2010-02-10T19:29:00.005-05:00

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

If you live on the East coast as I do, you're probably covered in a blanket of snow. Now, I am not a snow lover. I would prefer a warmer climate all year long. However, as I learned that my school and my sons' schools will be closed again tomorrow, I could feel my stress being replaced by comfort, peace and a fuzzy warm happiness. Rather than enjoying a four day weekend, I have ended up with a six day weekend!

I've been on my laptop almost every day this week trying to get something done for work. Something that was due tomorrow. Suddenly I have more time to complete this project. I've mentioned before that one of my classes is particularly challenging this year and that it has been draining me. Now I find myself with an unexpected break.

As I thought about this I realized that within this blanket of snow, God has given me a blanket of rest. Since I have been feeling distanced from him lately, I find it no coincidence that this blanket of rest is pure white. Just a gentle reminder from my Father as to what his Son has done for me.

If you're annoyed by this winter storm and all the closings and delays that it has caused, please know that He sees your weariness and your burdened heart. Find peace in the fact that God is offering you a chance to slow down and rest in Him. Take the time to offer up praise to the only One who can give this to you. Amen.

Scenes from My Front Porch

2010-02-10T14:26:00.008-05:00

BLIZZARD OF 2010

I think I like my jeep better on a sunny beach!!

Tired and Uninspired

2010-02-06T18:57:00.004-05:00

My title to this post says it all. It has been rolling around in my brain for weeks, but I haven't been able to write anything down. First, I just became plain lazy during my 2 week Christmas break. I love having that time off with my family, but having no schedule does more harm than good to me. Second, when I got back to work, I just found it discouraging because I'm unable to give each of my students the time they need. I have a lot of special needs students in one of my classes, and it's taking everything I've got to do what I need to for them and the other kids. Plus, I'm in the middle of preparing student profiles to get ready for conferences. This is taking up a lot of my time. Third, the winter blues have set in. I hate that darn groundhog! Thankfully I don't live as far south as I used to. Y'all really got slammed!!!!

Also, I suppose this wasn't the best time of year to go on a diet for the first time in my life! I began Weight Watchers two weeks ago. I was 3 pounds away from being considered over weight for my height, and I thought I'd better do something about that. So far I've lost 7 pounds. Eleven more to go! Even though that won't put me at the thinnest I've been as an adult, it will be a happy, healthy medium.

Since Christmas, I've also been uninspired in my relationship with God. This happens to me every year. I think the commercialism of Christmas and the busyness of getting ready for it just really turns me off. I prefer celebrating Easter over Christmas. For whatever reason, the Easter story is more significant to me than the story of Christ's birth. I don't know if that's right or wrong, but it's the way I feel.

Thanks to all of you who have checked in on me during the last 6-8 weeks. Oh, and thank you to those who were praying for me regarding my Christmas solo at church. It went just fine!! I've missed you all and appreciate your kindness! I am still alive but have just been struggling to do it "all" lately. Blessings!

That's What Christmas is All About

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Heart for Africa

2009-12-17T17:01:00.003-05:00

Last night I finished reading the book It's Not Okay With Me by Janine Maxwell. It took me 3 nights to read. (Not a long book, I'm just a slow reader.) I LOVED IT!!

Janine Maxwell came to a crossroads in her life when she was stuck in New York City on 9/11. She felt that there was something more that God wanted her to do with her life. She ended up selling her successful marketing company in Canada, and eventually, she and her husband were put in charge of Dream for Africa. This was an organization begun by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson (author of Prayer of Jabez). Janine and her husband changed the organization's name to Heart for Africa.

In the book, Janine mentions (I believe several times) the Bible verse James 1:27. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. I have often read this verse since my miscarriage last year. I keep thinking to myself, "Okay God, if I can't have that baby in my arms, let me have my arms around those little ones who need a mother or just need someone to step in and help them." This is what Janine and her family seem to be doing. I'm praying to find a way to contribute to Hope for Africa.

I just had to share this with you because I loved Janine's book and found this video very moving. I pray that this clip tugs at your heart too.

Amazing Grace and Amazing Lights!

2009-12-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Compassion International

2009-12-12T23:54:00.004-05:00

This a repeat post, but I'm still searching for someone to sponsor this little boy. You could be the primary sponsor but share the joy of sponsoring this precious one with a friend or relative. Please prayerfully consider this.

Many of you know that we sponsor a boy in Brazil through Compassion International. I recently signed up for Compassion's What I want for Christmas program. I am committed to finding a sponsor for one child by December 31.The little boy's name is Andres Fuentes Nunez. He is 7 years old and lives in Peru. Andres lives with his mother and 2 siblings. His mother is only employed some of the time.

Sponsoring a child means a financial commitment of $38 per month, plus you get the pleasure of exchanging letters with them. (I just received a letter from our child today!) If you would like more info about Compassion International, please go to http://www.compassion.com/. My boss recently attended an event where the president of Compassion spoke, and she was lucky enough to go on a tour of their Colorado offices. She was very impressed!

I know we are all facing financial hardships right now, but I still wanted to pass along this information in case any of you would be interested in sponsoring Andres or if you might know of someone else who would be interested. Please keep Andres in your prayers and pray that I can find a sponsor for him. If anyone out there is interested, I can mail you the info you need in order to begin your sponsorship. Thank you!

Christmas Cards? Follow-up

2009-12-12T11:08:00.006-05:00

I do have to say that I agree with Sue J. and Kat about enjoying getting things in the mail besides bills and junk. I also agree that with all of the technology these days, receiving something with a human touch is comforting and more personal. I can be resistant to technology and prefer the "old fashioned" way of doing some things. It took me quite a while to get on board with Facebook. (My husband still refuses to do that.) And I really don't think I'll ever "Twitter".

So will I send Christmas cards this year? The jury is still out. As I've furthered my walk with God, I think I see Easter as the more important holiday. (I don't know if "important" is the correct word, but you know what I mean.) Don't get me wrong...I love Christmas!!! (And, unfortunately, some of the trappings that come with it.) I guess I feel Easter is a better time to remind others of what Christ has done for us.

Christmas Cards?

2009-12-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

I used to love sitting down and writing out Christmas cards. You know, back in the days before email and ecards. I enjoyed picking out boxes of cards and sending them to all of our friends and relatives. There was a time when I had over 100 people on my list! Then we had kids, and I delighted in sending pictures of them along with the cards. (Although, we've never done the traditional Christmas photo.) I always personally signed the cards and wrote personal notes to some of the recipients. And I swore I would NEVER do the Christmas newsletter!!!

Fast forward several years...I now loathe sending out Christmas cards. They take too much time and too much money. I think I did break down one year and do the newsletter just to save time. And my list has been whittled down to less than 50 recipients. The only point I now see in sending these cards is to remind people of the "reason for the season". Really, I actually prefer sending Easter cards to let people know what Jesus did for us.

I have a friend here who is a fantastic artist. She draws her own cards each year and has them printed. They're wonderful! Everyone wants to be on Wendi's Christmas card list! I received mine the other day, and it was hand delivered! Wendi even writes personal notes in her cards.

So far this Christmas season, I've sent out one card. I had a special reason for sending it. As of this moment, I have know idea if I will be sending cards to anyone else.

What are you doing this year? Traditional Christmas cards? A newsletter? Ecards? Let me know. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. Perhaps you'll inspire me to mail more than one!

If you're curious about the history of Christmas cards, go here. You can see a picture of the very first one.

If I decide to not send out any cards, please know that I wish you all the blessings of Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Thankful Thursday

2009-12-10T15:41:00.006-05:00

I haven't written a Thankful Thursday post in a while. I've just been too busy! So let's get to it!

I'm thankful that my family got to spend a splendid long weekend in the Outer Banks for Thanksgiving! It was cold, but sunny. The kids and one brave adult from our group of 16 actually went in the water!

I'm glad that our friends who went with us for the first time got to see lots of dolphins and horses and were able to go to the lighthouse. (My hubby was the "horse charmer". You only saw horses if you drove up the beach with him!)

I'm thankful that God (and Andrea) have encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I've begun sharing my blogs with some people I actually know in person and have received positive feedback from them!

I'm grateful to have our home decorated for Christmas. Although, Sam is disappointed because we have no outside lights up this year. Our porch is going to be ripped apart next week, so there is no point in putting up lights.

I'm thankful that I may be getting 24 hours to myself this weekend while the guys go on a fishing trip! Please pray for safety for them, good weather, and no illnesses. Oh, and lots of fish!

Please join Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey by posting your own Thankful Thursday list!

Living in a 1 Bathroom House in a 2 1/2 Bathroom World

2009-12-09T05:30:00.000-05:00

Until I was 6 years old, I lived in a house with only 1 bathroom. My poor father had to share that bathroom with his wife and four daughters, three of whom were teenagers! Then we moved to a house with 2 1/2 baths. That must have been a dream come true for my dad!

Since then, I have always lived in a home that had at least 2 bathrooms. Even our townhouse in Virginia had 2 1/2 baths. That ended nine years ago when we moved into our current home. One bathroom. Three "men". And me.

My typical weekday morning goes like this: I get up and hop in the shower. While I'm in the shower, my husband comes in and uses the bathroom. Our bathroom happens to have a front door and a back door. As dear husband goes out the back door into our bedroom, my youngest son knocks on the front door so that he can come in to use the bathroom. I'm still in the shower. No one can flush the toilet while I'm showering because I'll either be scalded or frozen to death.

I finally exit the shower and get dressed. By this time, my oldest son is knocking on the front door so that he can come in and take a shower. While he's getting undressed, I'm at the sink with my back to him to ensure his privacy. As he gets in the shower, I open the back door so that the mirror doesn't fog up while I'm trying to do my make-up. (No fan in our bathroom.) As I'm drying my hair, my younger son comes back in to brush his teeth. I step away from the sink & mirror to let him brush, all the while still drying my hair. He leaves. I'm done drying my hair and my older son is done with his shower. Again, I keep my back to him as he dries off and gets dressed, and I work on fixing my hair just right. Then I have to step out of the bathroom to put on my hairspray because he has lots of allergies. Finally, I'm done.

I go downstairs to eat breakfast, have my coffee and take my vitamins. I then go back upstairs to brush my teeth. Now if my dear hubby has an early meeting to go to, he's in the shower by this time. So I go in the back door, leaving it open to combat the steam, and I brush my teeth.

This whole routine can really annoy me at times. I'm actually embarrassed to tell people that I live in a home with only 1 bathroom. After all, we live in America. The land of plenty! How is it possible that I live in a house with fewer than two bathrooms?

Then one morning last week I began thinking about Paulo, the little boy we sponsor through Compassion International, and about Andres, whom I'm still trying to find a sponsor for. What are their bathrooms like? Do they even have indoor plumbing? Do they have toilet paper and clean towels? How about soap and other toiletries that we consider necessities.

These thoughts were very humbling for me. How dare I complain when I am blessed to have hot water and a toilet in my home? (Even when that toilet doesn't stay very clean because my men have bad aim!) I have a shelf in my linen closet stocked with extra soap, shampoo, hairspray, cotton balls, lotions, etc.

My dear friends, remember to thank our Heavenly Father for your blessings. Especially for those things that you take for granted and that actually may irritate you from time to time. As the saying goes, "What's one man's junk is another man's treasure." Remember those who don't have what you do. Pray for them and be grateful for your "junk".

Book Giveaway

2009-12-08T22:55:00.002-05:00

I am giving away copies of Kristie Verret's book, Unforgotten Children: A Testimony of God's Healing Through Miscarriage. I still have 2 books left. Please go to my Angel Baby blog to see what you need to do!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-12-08T05:30:00.002-05:00

Awards, Awards!

2009-12-07T20:12:00.007-05:00

Andrea over at Arise 2 Write has kindly awarded her bloggy friends the following two awards, and I happily accept them! Andrea is a sweet and lovely lady, and if you've never visited her blog, please pop on over there!

For this first award, I'm supposed to tell you 5 things that I love to do.

Spend time at the beach, especially the Outer Banks of NC.

Read and write.

Work with young children.

Spend time with my family.

Play and snuggle with our dog.

The Lemonade Award makes me think of my "I Get To Tuesday" posts. In these posts, I try to find the blessings in unpleasant tasks and events. I turn my "I Have To's" into "I Get To's". In other words, I'm making lemonade out of lemons.

I pray that you all will begin to join me in these posts by posting your own "I Get To Tuesday" list on your blog and then linking to my blog.

Please feel free to take these awards for yourselves! I feel blessed to know each of you through your blogs. Andrea, my dear friend, thank you for passing these awards to me!

Angel Baby Blog

2009-12-07T17:23:00.003-05:00

Please pop on over to my Angel Baby blog and read my review on Kristie Verret's new book, Unforgotten Children: A Testimony of God's Healing Through Miscarriage. Kristie is an online friend of mine and has written a wonderful book!

Blessings to you all!

My Day

2009-12-05T19:06:00.003-05:00

Church choir practice for our Christmas concert, a little bit of Christmas shopping, snow, hot chocolate and reindeer cookies!

As I was removing these from the cookie sheet to the cooling rack, Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry was playing on the radio!

Ah, Home Sweet Home

2009-12-01T07:49:00.003-05:00

Where I always long to be!

Vote for Otto!

2009-11-30T07:51:00.004-05:00

Here's your chance to vote for the Cutest Dog of the Season! Go here for your opportunity to vote for our dog, Otto. You may vote once a day through Dec. 15th. Some of you already know about this through my emails. This is the first chance I've had to put it on my blog. Now, the top dog has over 31,000 votes!! That seems a little fishy to me since the contest only began on November 9th. Otto currently has 33 votes. WE CAN DO IT!!! Feel free to pass this on to your friends and relatives! (I'm silly, I know.)

I probably won't have time to post my "I Get To Tuesday" this week. I have been away since Wednesday and have lots of catching up to do. I'll post about our recent trip to the Outer Banks soon!

Thanks for your votes! Have a blessed week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T05:30:00.000-05:00

I love the very last part of this prayer....thanking God for our freedom and justice. We really need to pray for these two things.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Something to Think About

2009-11-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-11-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

I Must Say.....

2009-11-23T20:28:00.003-05:00

Even though I haven't found a sponsor yet for Andres, I am pleased to hear that many of you already sponsor a child either through Compassion International or another organization. It touches my heart that you all are taking care of the orphans and the needy as God directs us.

I talked to my own kids about the two of them sponsoring Andres together. My youngest was immediately on board with the idea, but my oldest isn't so sure he wants to give up $19 a month. I'm praying that God will work on his heart and move him to be more generous. Please join me in this prayer. Even if he doesn't come around in time to sponsor this little boy, I want him to learn to be and want to be generous with his time and money.

Have a blessed week and please remember Andres in your prayers!

Compassion International

2009-11-21T16:27:00.006-05:00

Some of you may have received an email from me about Andres. I wanted to post the info on my blog as well.

Many of you know that we sponsor a boy in Brazil through Compassion International. I recently signed up for Compassion's What I want for Christmas program. I am committed to finding a sponsor for one child by December 31.

The little boy's name is Andres Fuentes Nunez. He is 7 years old and lives in Peru. Andres lives with his mother and 2 siblings. His mother is only employed some of the time.

Sponsoring a child means a financial commitment of $38 per month, plus you get the pleasure of exchanging letters with them. (I just received a letter from our child today!) If you would like more info about Compassion International, please go to http://www.compassion.com/. My boss recently attended an event where the president of Compassion spoke, and she was lucky enough to go on a tour of their Colorado offices. She was very impressed!

I know we are all facing financial hardships right now, but I still wanted to pass along this information in case any of you would be interested in sponsoring Andres or if you might know of someone else who would be interested. Please keep Andres in your prayers and pray that I can find a sponsor for him. If anyone out there is interested, I can mail you the info you need in order to begin your sponsorship. Thank you!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-11-17T05:30:00.000-05:00

As of yesterday and going through Thursday, I get to be someplace other than home after work. Two doctor's appointments, a dentist appointment, my younger son's parent/teacher conference, a Moms In Touch meeting and choir practice are all keeping me running this week. I'm just thankful that I'm feeling better and should be able to keep all of these appointments. When I was sick last week, it really made me think about how important my health is to me and my family.
This morning I get to be out the door extra early in order to be over at my son's school by 7:15. He made Honor Roll this marking period, and there is an assembly recognizing the students who made this list. I am so thankful that he will be a part of this and is doing so well in school despite his hearing disability!
Last week my husband and I got to sit through 90 minutes of conferences with our older son's teachers. He didn't make Honor Roll, but it was good to be able to have one-on-one time with his teachers. Having a child in high school is new to us! All of his teachers told us what a nice kid he is...and quiet, too, which made us laugh! He talks our ears off at home!
Speaking of talking our ears off....even though Sam drives us nuts with his incessant talking, at least he does still talk to us! He'll be 15 soon, and it's good to hear what is going on in his life. Most teens clam up. Not "Sir Talks a Lot"! We tease him by asking if he has a daily word quota to fill!
Also last week, we got to participate in a fundraiser for our Youth Group at Friendly's restaurant. I really didn't want to go because I still wasn't feeling 100%, and I think Friendly's is expensive considering the quality of the food. The service was awful, and we had to wait forever. My dinner wasn't that great either. However, we got to spend some quality time with our kids, they got the experience of helping with the fundraiser after we ate, and I didn't have to cook that night! So I guess it was worth it!

If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, use Mr. Linky below. Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-12T20:22:00.002-05:00

I am thankful that I'm feeling better and coming out of my funk after being out of circulation for 4 days. I'm also thankful that Eric and Cooper have been spared any illnesses so far.
I'm grateful that the bad weather which has hit the Outer Banks due to Hurricane Ida has occurred now rather than in 2 weeks when we're down there for Thanksgiving! (Just praying for no damage!)
I am thankful for our administrative assistant who served our school for 16 years. She knew everything! I really had to lean on her when I served as the school's Director for 2 years. I pray for success on her new job. We will miss her immensely!
I am thankful that my children have no school tomorrow. Although, I have no idea why they have the day off! I like it when they're home.
I am so glad to have my jeep back! It was in the shop for 6 days. Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious and didn't cost us a horrendous amount of money. I'm also grateful that when the jeep broke down on me, I had just made it to the Target parking lot!

Please join Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey and share your list of thankfulness!

It's My Birthday and I'll Cry If I Want To!

2009-11-08T14:12:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday. I'm halfway to 90! (You do the math!)

It has been a beautiful weekend here, but I've been too sick to go out and enjoy it. This is where the crying part comes in. I've been either in bed or on the couch since Friday night. I'm sick enough that I'm not going into work tomorrow but not so sick that I'm oblivious to what is going on around me. I know what I'm missing which makes me feel even worse! BOO HOO!

I have been trying so hard not to get sick. I got my regular flu shot, I've been taking my vitamins faithfully and have been constantly washing my hands and using hand sanitizer. None of this did any good. I may not have the flu, but I'm very congested and have lost my voice. I'm sick just enough that it has blown my birthday weekend and will mess up my work week. I can't very well hold parent/teacher conferences when I don't have a voice!

All of this reminds me to be thankful for my health. I was lamenting last week because I didn't have time to write my usual two posts due to my schedule. However, at least I was physically able to do all the things I needed to do and had promised I would do. I was able to go to work and to choir practice; I was able to run errands and take care of Sam while he was sick; and I was able to attend a farewell lunch for one our staff members. There were a few things, such as posting on my blog, that I wanted to do but couldn't get to. At least I was healthy enough to do what was important. And I'm thankful for that.

Tomorrow is Monday. When your alarm goes off and you're tempted to hit the snooze button and pull the covers over your head, remember that at least you're blessed enough to be able to get up and do what you need to do tomorrow. We need to remember this every day, even when we're going through trials and our days are hard. At least we have the choice to get up and get moving. I pray that we can each use the days God has given us to do His work and to do what is pleasing to Him.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T09:10:00.003-04:00

You ate HOW much candy?!!!

Comments

2009-10-27T15:00:00.002-04:00

In response to some of your comments today:

I had to cancel my Moms In Touch meeting today due to sick children. (Not mine but those of others in the group.) Kat, I'm so glad you're starting a group! I'll be praying for you!
Parent/teacher conferences went well. Funniest question I was asked: "Do you notice my child with his hands down his pants a lot? He does this at home and then trips and can't get his hands out fast enough to catch himself." No, I hadn't noticed that, but I'll keep an eye on it!
Kelly, I've got so many books to read I don't know which one I'll take to the doc's with me. I still have to finish the one I'm reviewing for Thomas Nelson, plus I told a bloggy friend that I'd review her book as well. I would love to just take my laptop and be able to catch up on everyone's blogs, but I doubt I'll get internet there.
Oh, and GO PHILLIES!!!!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-10-27T05:30:00.000-04:00

Today, I get to conduct parent/teacher conferences for 2 1/2 hours! For some parents, this can be an emotional meeting. Sadly, I sometimes get to hear about difficult issues concerning their family life. I don't mind this, but I feel badly for the family. This time period can be exhausting, but it is also nice to get to know the parents better. (I'll get to continue with conferences on Thursday.)
I get to go to my Moms In Touch meeting right after work today. Normally, I wouldn't mind this, but since I lead the group and will be talking all morning as it is, I'm afraid I'll be a bit worn out. I'm praying I'll have the energy to be an encourager to the other ladies in our group.
We rent our home. On Saturday morning, our landlord called and asked if he could bring a contractor by in a half hour. Not much notice! We got to quickly clean up the house a bit before they arrived. They spent an hour here but never came inside! At least we got some cleaning done, and we're going to get a new front porch, some new windows and a new back door due to their visit!
On Wednesday, I have a doctor's appointment. I'll get to sit and wait for him forever! He's always running a good half hour to an hour behind schedule! Well, I'll get some quiet reading time in! Plus, perhaps he can figure out what is going on with the skin on my cheeks and around my eyes.
Since it rained this past Saturday, I'll get to sit through a double header this Saturday for Coop's baseball team! I'm not good at this unless the weather is perfect. Although, I'm lucky I get to do this. When I think back about my older son's first baseball season, I remember that it seemed as if half the parents had cancer or heart problems. It was like the Dooms Day Bears. One of the moms died the following year. I need to appreciate my time spent rooting for my son's team. This Saturday will be the end of the season anyway.

If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, use Mr. Linky below. Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-22T05:30:00.002-04:00

I am thankful for those of you who have been praying for me and my toilet plumbing issues! No problems for at least the last 72 hours!
I am so thankful that Eric is back from his fishing trip (and that he had a good time). I am spoiled by the fact that he's usually here to help get the kids out the door every morning. Getting up extra early last week to make sure we were all ready on time was killing me.
And because he knew I was tired, Eric let me sleep in past 10:00 on Saturday! Thank you Dear!
Tonight, Eric is taking the boys out, and I'll have the evening to myself!
I am grateful that my Moms In Touch group has been going well thus far. I pray that our group can make a difference and that more women will come out to join us.
THE WORLD CHAMPION PHILLIES ARE GOING TO THE SERIES!!!! Now if the Angels would just knock out the Yankees!

Please join Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey and blog about what you are thankful for today!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-10-20T05:30:00.001-04:00

The thought behind this is to list a few things that could come under the category of "Ugh...I have to (you fill in the blank)". However, I want you to look at these "have to's" as blessings of "I get to". We all take for granted such things as our health, jobs, family, friends, etc. and sometimes don't appreciate them or see them as blessings as we should. So here are a few things for me this week.

I don't even know where to begin with this post today! I'm not even going to number my "I Get To's" this time around.

On Saturday and Sunday I got to spend my time writing up student profiles for my 3-year-old class. We'll be having parent/teacher conferences next week. Doing these profiles and meeting with the parents really does help me get to know my students better.

Let's see....at 4 AM Monday morning my hubby got up to use the restroom. When he came back to bed, I could hear water running. At first I thought it was raining. Then I thought Eric forgot to turn off the faucet after washing his hands. I nudged him and told him to go check the water faucet. He got up with a moan and discovered that our toilet was overflowing once AGAIN! He began grabbing towels and cleaning up the mess. Being the great wife that I am, I stayed in bed because I had to be up in two hours, and it was applesauce day at school. (I'll get to that in a moment.)

Eric went downstairs to get more towels only to discover water coming through our dining room ceiling again...this time through our light fixture! He moved our furniture and put bowls around the room and then went back up to the bathroom to finish sopping up the water. Thankfully, Eric was back from his fishing trip and able to take care of all of this for me!

At 6 AM my alarm went off. I went downstairs to the laundry room to get some clean towels and a clean bath mat. I immediately saw something in the middle of our living room floor. A gift from Otto. I had no idea what it was or which end it came out of! I proceeded to get my towels, headed back upstairs and told Eric that if he could figure out what Otto left for us, then more power to him! Thankfully, Eric cleaned it up for me so that I could get my shower. (We still don't know what it was!) At least Otto has seemed just fine!

By 6:30 Sam was up and having diarrhea. He ended up staying home from school. Again, at least Eric was home all day yesterday.

As I mentioned earlier, my 4-year-old class was scheduled to make applesauce yesterday. It was a crazy morning, but we got it done! I was very grateful to have 3 moms helping us. One of the moms told me that she doesn't know how we do it everyday with the kids. She said she guessed she didn't like kids enough to be a teacher. I chuckled at this a bit because she is pregnant with baby # 3! (And her first two are very sweet!)

After class, my assistant and I got to clean up the applesauce mess. We ended up leaving later than usual. At least this event is over for this school year, and the kids enjoyed the whole process of making the applesauce! And our classroom smelled wonderful!

Then I got to go home and clean up all of the messes from the middle of the night! I washed two loads of towels; washed the bathroom floor; scrubbed the spot where Otto had left his "gift"; vacuumed; unloaded the dishwasher; reloaded it and hand washed all the bowls Eric had used to collect the water dripping from our ceiling. My house looks a little better now.

Oh, I am so looking forward to the rest of my "I Get To's" this week! If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, use Mr. Linky below.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-15T13:44:00.002-04:00

I am thankful that Eric will be returning from his fishing trip soon.
The toilet overflowed AGAIN last night. I'm thankful that the water didn't leak through to the dining room ceiling this time and that I was able to get the toilet unclogged.
I am thankful for the article Chatty Kelly wrote about today being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. You can read it here.
I am very thankful that I don't have to go ANYWHERE tonight. Especially since it's raining and cold outside.
I am grateful that my 3-year-old class this morning went more smoothly than my 4-year-old class did yesterday. I have several special needs kids and just plain stubborn little ones in my MWF class. Yesterday was a hard and exhausting day.

Please stop by Sonya's blog, Truth 4 the Journey, to share what you're thankful for today!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-10-13T15:22:00.003-04:00

I got to clean up the mess of our overflowing toilet! I used just about every bath and beach towel we had to clean up the floor. Then I had to wash them all so we had clean towels for the morning. And, of course, I had to wash the bathroom floor, too! (This all took place around 8:00 Saturday night.) Thankfully, my hubby was home. I am just not strong enough to plunge the toilet, and it's the only one in the house! Our dining room ceiling only suffered minimal damage and none of our furniture was harmed.
I get to be a single parent for a few days! Enough said right there. I sure hope the boys don't have math homework that they need help with. At least my husband gets to have some time away to relax and gets to spend time with his brother. (Just please pray for safety....they're fishing.)
I get to drive my husband's car since he took my jeep. Now his car drives nicely, but there are too many blind spots in it for me. If I have to back up or change lanes, watch out! He left me with a full tank of gas, but as I was driving to work, I noticed that there are messages flashing, such as, "check oil soon" and "wiper fluid is low". Also, I discovered that the turn signals work on the back lights but not on the front lights. At least I have transportation, right?!
I get to go sit in the cold tonight and watch Cooper's baseball game. Eric is the team's head coach, but since he's away, I definitely have to be there. At least I get to see Coop play. I've missed several of his games this season because I've had to be other places.
I got to volunteer my time at work this past Saturday. We had a Fall Festival for our students and their families. It was the first time we have tried something like this. It was a success and the kids seemed to have fun. It was nice to have the time to talk with some of the parents, too.

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

UPDATE: For those of you who thought the conversation between my kids on Sunday was precious, I have another one for you. On Sundays, Eric likes to watch football. That means the kids can't play video games. Well, Coop is our gamer and this kills him. Around 4:00 that afternoon, Sam fell asleep on the floor, and I decided to go upstairs and take a little snooze before dinner. Cooper got this evil smile on his face while looking at Eric, and he said, "Two down, one to go." Yeah, precious, isn't he?!

The Lord's Day

2009-10-11T15:09:00.002-04:00

Okay, here is a brief conversation I just heard between my two sons.

Sam: "Why is the weather always nice on Sunday?"

Cooper: "Because it's the Lord's day and He wants it to be nice!"

My 200th Post!

2009-10-10T20:36:00.005-04:00

Well, I didn't think this is what I'd be posting about on my 200th post!

I was getting ready to sit down and catch up on reading YOUR blogs tonight. I was going to use the restroom, get a drink and start reading. The flush of the toilet changed those plans! Water began pouring out of the commode! I began grabbing towels and then realized that I really needed to turn off the valve to the toilet. I yelled to Coop to go out and get Eric from the garage. By the time he got inside, the water was flowing out into the hallway. (Thankfully, our hallway is not carpeted!)

I then told Cooper to go check the ceilings in our pantry and dining room. Sure enough, water was beginning to seep through our dining room ceiling. So then we had to move the furniture! Eric ended up poking some small holes into the ceiling to let the water drain out. There's a pan under one of the holes collecting the drips of water. We have to keep Otto from trying to drink it....GROSS!

I used just about every towel in the house to clean up the bathroom floor, so now I'm doing laundry! Thankfully, yesterday when I cleaned the bathroom (Did I mention it's our ONLY bathroom in the house?), I skipped washing the floor. I love my Swiffer Wet Jet!

This will definitely make my "I Get To" list this week!

Thomas Nelson Book

2009-10-08T18:18:00.002-04:00

Some of you have asked me what book I am reviewing next for Thomas Nelson. It is Voices of the Faithful, Book 2. It's a devotional with "inspiring stories of courage from Christians serving around the world". It is compiled by Kim P. Davis. The series creator is Beth Moore. She also wrote the introduction. It's a pretty long book, so please be patient with me!

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-08T14:53:00.004-04:00

I am grateful for the lovely weather we've had this week!
I'm thankful that I was able to take Otto to the vet last week. She gave him a cortisone shot which has relieved his itching. He seems more like himself now. I don't think I'll have to continue with the really expensive food because it seems more like a contact allergy rather than a food allergy.
I'm hoping we have finally found a solution to our kids always asking for money and to the allowance dilemma. They haven't asked for money for several days now and are seeing that they need to budget their money.
I'm glad Eric was able to take a day this week to go fishing and just relax. Poor guy didn't catch a thing though! As he said, "Well, it was a beautiful night!"
I'm thankful that my November lesson plans are finished and turned in and that my classroom is finally done for October!
Oh, one more....the book I requested from Thomas Nelson just arrived this very minute! Yay! I can't wait to read it and post a review!

Please join Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey and let everyone know what you're thankful for this week!

Blessings to you all!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-10-06T13:35:00.002-04:00

Last Friday I got to go on a field trip to an apple orchard with my 4-year-old class. This is the 7th year in a row that I've been on this field trip. It was a cold, gloomy day, but the kids and their parents had a good time!
I got to stop on my way home from work today to fill up my car with gas. Just one of those mundane tasks that we all have to do. This particular task usually hurts us in our wallet, too. I was surprised to receive $.40 off per gallon due to my pump perks card from one of our grocery stores! I thought the most I could earn was $.20 off per gallon. I ended up only paying $1.96 per gallon! (Kind of sad to say "only"!)
I got to be "single" mom yesterday because Eric went fishing. That meant going to work, running Sam around, getting Coop's baseball uniform washed, making dinner and being sure everyone's homework got done. The kids weren't thrilled with what I was throwing together for dinner -- a shepherd pie -- and I heard about it! However, Sam ended up loving it. He had 3 helpings! (Coop wasn't a fan.) I had enough left over for my lunch today. (Next week I get to be "single" mom for 4 days straight...another fishing trip.)
I get to make sure Otto gets outside several more times a day than usual. His itching was so bad that I took him to the vet Thursday night. She gave him a shot of cortisone which has made him feel much better. It also makes Otto have to tinkle a lot. Every time we let him outside he just goes and goes and goes!
I get to watch my oldest son go off to school every morning dreading his first period class. He has the toughest and meanest math teacher in the school and has to face him every day at 8 AM. From what I understand from other parents and former students, this man is the best math teacher because his students learn more from him than they do from any of the other math teachers. However, he sounds like a dictator in class. Sam has been waking up with stomach aches in the morning. I try to comfort him by saying that at least he gets his worst class over with by 9 AM. I'm praying that this experience will teach Sam how to deal with difficult people. I've told him that he'll probably have to deal with a pain in the neck boss at some point in his life, so he may as well learn how to handle it now.

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-01T15:40:00.002-04:00

Is it Thursday already? Well, that means the #1 thing I'm thankful for is:

...That this work week has flown by! Hello weekend!
I was able to go to Cooper's baseball game on Saturday. I've only been able to make it to 2 out of his 6 games thus far. Thankfully, Eric is his coach, so at least he's been at every game. And they made a comeback and won on Saturday!
I'm thankful that Eric has been willing and able to make the change to getting up before 6:30 AM during the week. He is NOT a morning person. But now that Cooper has to be out the door so early, I've needed Eric's help making sure Coop gets up and has breakfast while I get my shower.
I'm thankful that I did well and made it through last week, which marked the one year anniversary of my miscarriage.
I think all of us are finally feeling better! Therefore, I'm thankful for the health of my family!

Take the time today to think about what you're thankful for, post it on your blog and then hook with Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey!

Thomas Nelson Book Reviews

2009-09-30T05:30:00.000-04:00

I know that many of you review books for Thomas Nelson. Do you ever find that it takes a long time to receive the book you have requested? I was very surprised at how quickly I received my first book. However, it has been 5 weeks since I requested another book, and I have yet to get it. I checked their website, and it said that they're sending the book to me. Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue? Thanks!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-09-29T18:29:00.004-04:00

Part of the reason I'm late today is because it's the last week of the month. This is the week I get to change over my classroom and get things ready for October. Changing over my room means putting up new bulletin boards, decorating with fall items, and getting out some different toys for my shelves. It's time consuming, but my students really do notice the changes and I love their smiles!
I get to try to put my oldest son on a gluten free diet. He has a lot of allergies, and we feel helping him to make better food choices will help him greatly. My husband is also trying to go gluten free so that Sam isn't alone. Actually, many of the things we've tried so far are pretty tasty! Unfortunately, Sam can be pretty stubborn and moody, so helping him to change his eating habits is not fun for us. We're hoping he'll begin to feel a bit better and realize that what he puts in his mouth does effect how he feels physically.
I'm still getting to vacuum daily because Otto is still itchy and is shedding. But my kids are helping with this task, so at least they're learning some responsibility and how to do household chores.
We got to go to church an hour early this week so that our kids could attend Sunday school. We really haven't had them participate in Sunday school since we began attending this church 3 years ago. The only reason for this is because Eric & I don't want to get up early on Sunday! I know...shame on us! Being there an hour early was nice though because we got to chat with our Pastor and other people. We also got some ideas regarding our kids and a monthly allowance!
I've been getting to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen a lot more lately. However, this is because Eric has had more time to cook recently! He loves to cook, and I don't so I see this as a blessing!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Thank you, Sandy, for joining me this week! You can read Sandy's "I Get To" list on her blog, Daily Learning as a Special Education Teacher. (I know, I really need to sit down and learn how to do Mr. Linky!)

I'm So Excited!

2009-09-27T20:59:00.003-04:00

The Lord certainly works in mysterious ways!

Many of you may recall that I sponsor a 13 year old boy in Brazil through Compassion International. Compassion does organize group trips for sponsors to visit their kids. I would love to do this some time, but truthfully, fear (and the financial cost) stand in my way. Unfortunately, as an American, I am concerned about traveling outside of the US. Flying isn't my favorite thing to do, especially over water. Also, I'm a picky eater and fear having to eat something unusual (or seafood!). The latter is silly, I know.

One of my co-workers has a young daughter and son-in-law who are missionaries. They work through YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Wellington, the son-in-law, is from Brazil. I was so excited to be invited to their wedding a year ago because I knew I was going to get to try some Brazilian food (nothing yucky). I told Paulo about this because I thought he'd find it interesting. Well, the wedding fell the week that I miscarried, and I ended up not being able to go. (Come to think of it, I believe today is their first anniversary!) I was pretty bummed out about this.

In January of this year, Holly and Wellington left for Romania to work in an orphanage. Unfortunately, the government over there is cracking down on having missionaries in the country, so the two were sent back here less than 6 months later.

Recently, Wellington had a dream that they went to Brazil to serve the Lord. Now, through the mysterious workings of God, that's exactly where they are going! The reason I'm excited is because they are going to Recife which is where Paulo is!!! Paulo isn't in an orphanage. Thankfully, he lives with his grandparents. However, we're going to see if there is some way Holly & Wellington can find him and take some things from me to him. They will be leaving in January. Please pray for this young couple and pray that I may be able to connect with Paulo on a more personal basis through them!

God is so AMAZING!!!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-09-22T05:30:00.000-04:00

I didn't get to go to Women of Faith on Saturday. I got to stay home instead. Both my neighbor and I were sick. We realized on Friday night that we were both trying to be brave and suck it up for the other one even though neither of us felt well. We decided it would be best to keep our germs to ourselves and to get some much needed rest.
We got to have a "do over" birthday party for Cooper on Sunday. We had rented a theater back in August so that Coop & his friends could play X-Box 360 on the big screen. Unfortunately, when we got there, they were having issues with their X-Box. So we rescheduled for this past Sunday. (We only had to pay half price and they gave the kids a free popcorn, drink and candy!) The kids and my hubby had a blast doing this! I just watched for the 2 hours, which wasn't very exciting for me, and it was LOUD!!! At least everyone else had a great time!
Poor Otto is itchy. He has allergies. We've tried medicated baths, medicine prescribed by the vet and Benedryl. Nothing has really helped all that much. So I decided to change his food. I got to spend $60.50 on a 15 lb. bag of dry dog food! Even though this is an expensive alternative, I'm praying that it works for him because I feel so badly for him. I discovered that the place I ordered it from isn't too far away from where we live. I emailed them and asked if I could just pick up my orders instead of having to pay for the shipping. They said yes! So at least I'll be able to save some money!
I get to take Sam to the dentist this week. We don't have dental insurance, so I'll be paying out of pocket for his check-up. At least we have the money to do this.
It's football season. Yippee. I could care less about football. I celebrate Super Bowl Sunday because it's the end of the season. I'll get to see a lot of football on our TV between now and the Super Bowl. However, it provides good bonding time for Eric and the boys. And I think the Eagles are supposed to be good this year!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Angel Baby Blog

2009-09-17T23:27:00.004-04:00

I've finally written an updated post on my Angel Baby blog. Please go check it out!

Thankful Thursday

2009-09-17T11:44:00.002-04:00

Time to join Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey for this week's Thankful Thursday!

I am simply thankful to be able to participate in Thankful Thursday this week. I missed last week's post because I was too busy.
I'm thankful that I was able to take the day off to go to the doctor. I finally succumbed to my family's germs and needed some REAL drugs to kick this sinus thing.
My children are all better and I'm thankful for that! Now if my hubby could just feel better. His REAL drugs don't seem to be working as well for him.
I'm thankful that I'll be going to Women of Faith on Saturday to work in the prayer room!
I'm thankful that despite a lot of food allergies in my one class and several special needs kids in my other class, my students have adjusted to school pretty well!

What are you grateful for this week?

Stubbornness

2009-09-13T12:39:00.003-04:00

I have been feeling under the weather this weekend since my three men decided to share their germs with me this week. They are all on the same antibiotic! I've been sleeping, taking vitamins and drinking a lot of water and juice to combat the illness. Therefore, I didn't go to church with them today.

I was a good girl and turned off the ridiculous Lifetime movie I was watching and opened my Bible. It fell open to the Psalms, so that's where I began reading. I was reading Psalm 32 when I got to verse 9 which says, "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you." This verse just stood out to me. It made me think, "What have I been stubborn about lately?"

I know that I still have not gotten over what I wrote about in my September 4th post. I haven't forgiven that person, nor have I asked for forgiveness or truly said I'm sorry. It's still a sore issue with me.

This is kind of silly, but I'm stubbornly clinging to summer! Even though school is in full swing, and I believe football season officially begins today (yippee), I am in denial. I had such a nice, relaxing 3 months, and I don't want to give that up. But I know God wants me to move forward. Verse 8 of Psalm 32 says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." I need to listen to our Father, to not live in the past and to trust Him for a full life despite what season I'm in.

As this week goes on, I will continue to ponder which areas of my life I continue to be stubborn in. I hope each of you will think about this for "...the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him." (Psalm 32:10) We need to discard our stubbornness and trust in Him and in His ways.

Quick Note

2009-09-09T15:45:00.003-04:00

Hi All! Just a quickie note from me. First, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been praying regarding my different prayer requests recently! I very much appreciate it.

Second, with school starting last week for us, I've been up to my ears with doing things for my own kids and preparing for my students who began today. It seems I've been out most evenings doing either school or church related activities. (Choir begins tonight!)

Therefore, I haven't posted much nor have I made it around to your blogs. I have this dream to read at least the most recent post of every blog I follow, but I think this dream is on hold for at least another week (or two)! It's not that I've stopped blogging or am not interested in your blogs...I just haven't had the time! I think a lot of you had your kids return to school this week and are in the same boat because I noticed that comments and hits were down yesterday on my blog.

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm not ignoring you and that I haven't lost interest in doing my blog. It all comes down to a matter of time!!!

I'll be "seeing" you soon! Blessings!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-09-08T05:30:00.001-04:00

If you are a regular reader here, you know that one of our church members committed suicide last week. Our pastor informed everyone that there would be a gathering at our church on Wednesday night if anyone wanted to stop in and just talk and pray. I didn't know the woman who died very well other than we had been in choir together for the past year. However, I felt I needed to go to this gathering and am glad I did. I got to know a little more about her, and I got to pray with members and friends of the church.
On Saturday, I got to go to the memorial service for this woman. I have been to funerals for older people and for a premature baby, but attending one for someone who has taken her own life was really tough. It was just heartbreaking. This whole tragedy has taught me that even if someone doesn't seem to be that open toward you or friendly, keep persisting because it may be that they just have personal issues that cause them to keep to themselves when what they really need is a friend.
On Thursday night last week, I had my Parent/Student Orientation Night for my 4-year-old class. I had a headache and was tired that day and didn't really feel like being all smiles that evening. Thankfully, I was able to get a nap in the afternoon, and everything went smoothly that night.
Tonight I get to do the same thing for my incoming 3-year-old class. This age group can be quite stressful because they tend to cry a lot at first. They are still babies after all! Hopefully, I won't come home with a headache after this evening is over! But I know that as the year progresses, I will be blessed by these little ones.
My Cooper has been sick all weekend. In fact, he got so dizzy Sunday night that he fell face first to the floor. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt and didn't lose consciousness. Scared me though! Sunday was beautiful here, and I would have loved to have sat on my front porch with a good book, but I felt badly for Coop, so I stayed inside with him. I'm glad I did!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here. (If anyone can talk me through setting up Mr. Linky, please do! I've done it once, but had a hard time doing it.)

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Taming My Tongue

2009-09-04T20:46:00.004-04:00

Today I got really mad at someone. Livid in fact. And I let my tongue run loose. Well, actually, my fingers did the talking on my keyboard. It felt really good because this has been building up inside of me for some time now. I just finally got tired of being silent.

All day long, though, I have felt God urging me to pick up my Bible. I figured it was in order to calm me down a bit because I was so agitated. I went grocery shopping this morning and did not have butter on my list because I knew we didn't need any. When I got to the check out counter, I somehow had 3 pounds of butter in my cart. I was THAT distracted!!!

So I sat down tonight and opened my Bible. Of course, it fell open to James 3 -- Taming the Tongue. Our God either really has a sense of humor or knew I needed a lesson in this area today. I decided to go to three different Bibles to read this chapter in James.

I like how the New Century Version words James 3:5b-6: A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of evil among the parts of our bodies. The tongue spreads its evil through the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell, and it starts a fire that influences all of life.

And from the NIV, James 3:9-10 reads: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

Okay God, you've got my attention. However, I'm still human and feel justified in what I said. It's going to take much prayer and some time to calm myself down and repent. Sometimes I just get confused about what is righteous and justified anger and what isn't.

So my friends in Christ, I just wanted to give you a little food for thought for the next time you get to your boiling point and have the urge to spout off. As the commercial says, "When you need a moment, chew it over with Twix." I think I'll go out and buy a whole carton of Twix bars!

The funny thing here is that what led to my angry words was politics!

Yep, I'm Getting Political Again!

2009-09-04T05:30:00.001-04:00

AMEN!!

Thankful Thursday

2009-09-03T15:20:00.002-04:00

I'm a bit late again this week. Work is taking it's toll on my time. So let's get down to business!

I am thankful to all of you for your prayers regarding my request yesterday. I went to church last night for a tearful gathering of prayer, trying to understand why this happened and sharing some memories of this woman who took her own life.
I am very grateful that my own anti-depressant works wonders for me and helped get me out of the pit I was in 7 years ago.
I am thankful that both of my kids seem to be enjoying their new schools. Sam has said that, "High school is way better than middle school!" (Hopefully, Cooper didn't hear him say that since he just started middle school!)
I'm thankful that my classroom is all decorated and put together for the month of September.
Eric had to have an MRI done on his head last week. Thankfully, all came out well.

If you would like to share your blessings this week, please stop by Sonya's at Truth 4 the Journey!

Prayer Request

2009-09-02T13:46:00.007-04:00

I have a sad prayer request today. I have been a member of our church choir for a year now. Eric called me at work today because our Pastor called to let me know that one of our choir members committed suicide last night.

I did not know her very well but knew that she had some health problems and was out of work for a while. I've also just learned that she was diagnosed as being bi-polar. She was not married but did have a boyfriend. Unfortunately, he was the one who found her.

I'm just asking for prayer for her family, our church family and my Pastor. I would think that for a pastor, having something like this happen within your congregation would be really tough personally. I imagine he may feel that he failed one of his parishioners. Although, I know he did keep in contact with her and would check in on her. Sadly, our Pastor and her boyfriend both thought she was doing better lately.

Thank you my mighty prayer warriors!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-09-01T05:30:00.000-04:00

Of course my number one this week is that I got to go back to work yesterday. Enough said right there. Thankfully, I'll be getting a paycheck again!

On Sunday I received a call from someone at church. She asked me if I'd be willing to teach Sunday school this year. I really didn't want to add one more "to do" to my life, but our church is not very big and I feel that I should help out. I won't have to do it every week, and the class is only a 1/2 hour. I requested the preschool aged kids since that's the age group I'm used to working with. I haven't been good about having my own kids attend Sunday school, but now if I'm teaching, we'll be there in time for them to go also.

As of this week, I get to help my kids with their homework again! At least we live in a country where they have the opportunity to go to school.

I also get to fill out the piles of paperwork that the schools require to have on file!

I get to work on Thursday evening because we're having one of our parent orientation nights. This is usually a bit of a stressful evening, however, I'm hoping this will calm my nerves for next week when the students arrive. These are kids that I had as 3-year-olds and will now have in my 4-year-old class. They were a tough crew last school year. I'm praying that I'll find they have matured nicely over the summer!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Back to School

2009-08-31T07:40:00.004-04:00

Cooper looking excited about his first day of middle school!

Sam looking not so thrilled about starting high school!

The Passing of Childhood

2009-08-30T12:22:00.007-04:00

Oh, the silence. My boys are out enjoying this lovely weather on their last day of summer vacation. Their last day of freedom. My last day of freedom too, and although I have a hundred other things I should be doing, I thought I'd take advantage of the quiet and write a post.

We were naughty today and skipped church and went out to breakfast instead. I'm sorry God! The boys wanted to go to dinner tonight to celebrate the end of summer, but I figured breakfast is cheaper. Plus, I really wanted some french toast. We were planning to go to church as usual....really we were. But when that alarm went off, I just wanted one more morning of sleeping in a little. Tomorrow I'll be rising at 6 AM. (I don't know if I'll be shining!)

Sam will be starting high school tomorrow and Coop will be going off to middle school. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was sitting on my front porch while they drew with sidewalk chalk and rode their bikes up and down in front of the house?

I realized the other day that I'm no longer at that stage of life. A new family has moved in across the street from us. They have two preschoolers and a newborn. One day recently the preschoolers were out front from morning until night drawing on the sidewalk and riding their bikes and scooters. I could hear their squeals of delight all day long. That's when it hit me that the next generation of little ones is here and my kids aren't among them.

The neighbors that my boys used to play with are just about grown. One just got married, one has a baby, another one is a senior in high school and her younger sister is starting high school just like Sam. That gang of kids from 10 years ago is no longer the lively bunch on the street. They hardly see each other anymore.

Yes, this all does make me sad. Especially since I should have had a newborn myself this spring. However, I realize that God has provided us with different seasons of life, and I'm determined to enjoy each of them. Even though I miss my babies, my kids are fun to be with. We have lots of laughs together. And everyone is potty trained!! I love to see my kids learn a new skill and become more independent. I'm happy for them, and it shows that my hubby and I are doing our job.

I pray that each of you can enjoy and appreciate your family no matter what season you are in. It all passes much too quickly!

Don't Allow the Government to Make Us Forget Who We Are!

2009-08-28T18:36:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am getting political here. Stand up Americans and take back our country!

Thankful Thursday

2009-08-27T05:30:00.001-04:00

The time has finally come. My last Thankful Thursday for the summer. I will be heading back to work on Monday. I pray that I can continue to keep up on my blogging.

I am so very thankful for the long summer break that I've had. Since Labor Day is so late this year, I've had a full 3 months off. It has been relaxing and a time of trying new things. It has been quite a blessing!
I'm thankful that we got to celebrate Cooper's birthday yesterday! We have a fire pit in our backyard, so per Coop's request, we cooked our dinner outside over the fire. (Otto loves it when we do this!)
I'm thankful that I get to meet my newest great-niece today! (Please say a prayer for our safe travel.)
I am grateful that our heat wave has broken!!!
Eric was supposed to go to New York City yesterday. He ended up getting a flat tire. Thankfully, he hadn't even gotten out of town before it happened. God was watching out for him!

What are you thankful for today? Please stop by Truth 4 the Journey and share your blessings!

Happy Birthday Cooper!

2009-08-26T16:31:00.008-04:00

Today my youngest son turns 12! I can officially say that he is 12 because it is now after 4:05 pm. Coop likes to be exact! He was our 9 pound, 11 ounce, 21 inches long bundle of joy! (His brother was even bigger!)

Here are some pictures from his impromptu birthday party at our house on Sunday. He wanted a big chocolate chip cookie instead of a cake. Worked for me because it was easy!

I found a poem that I wrote about Cooper when he was a baby and thought I'd share it here.

CLAMORING COOPER

Clamoring Cooper is a very loud boy.
He yells and he yells and he yells at his toys!

He squawks and he shrieks at Sam his big brother,
All the while smiling at his almost deaf mother.

He shouts at his father so that he too might hear,
Even though Daddy is sitting quite near.

He screams while he eats, he roars while he plays.
Clamoring Cooper bellows all day!

----------------------

Happy Birthday my little love bug!

"I Get To" Tuesdays

2009-08-25T10:02:00.005-04:00

I got to host Cooper's birthday party here at our house on Sunday. This was not what we had planned! I just didn't want to do the party at our house again this year. Our home is small and the bigger these boys get, the more crowded it feels. (Not to mention the horsing around that goes on which leads to that boy "smell". Then there is the burping and other unmentionable noises and smells!) I decided to rent this small theater where the boys could play X-Box on the big screen. We all arrived at the theater on Sunday afternoon to find that they were having technical difficulties with their system. After about 15 minutes, they told us their X-Box had died. I had 7 sad boys on my hands! On to Plan B. Everybody came back to our house for pizza and the big birthday cookie I had made for Cooper. The people at the theater were really nice. They gave all the kids free popcorn, and we are rescheduling the X-Box party for half price! So the kids will get to play, and we get a price break! Even though we ended up with everyone at our house, it was only for a short period of time and the kids got to hang out together and still have fun.
Yesterday, I got to go shopping for school supplies. Now, I've never really had to do much of this before because our school district has always provided most of the supplies in the past. I usually had to purchase backpacks, paper, pencils/pens, highlighters and a notebook for each of my kids. This year, however, budget cuts have hit! They raised our taxes and took away some things. I spent $242 yesterday on school supplies! This does not include any new clothing or backpacks for my kids! And I know I'm not done yet. The high school only gave us a general list, so I'll have to go out again next week when Sam gets specific lists from his teachers. I did have to buy him a $120 calculator! Somebody please tell me the blessing in all of this!
On Thursday the boys and I get to drive up to my parents' and spend the night. I'm not much for driving long distances, especially without another adult along. But I know this is important to do. My parents are both 81, and we need to try to see them as often as we can. Plus, my niece will be visiting as well, so we'll get to see her new baby girl!
This is a silly one! While I was out buying school supplies, I spied one of those chains that you can attach your eye glasses to and wear around your neck. Since turning 40 four years ago, I haven't been able to read any small print and had to buy some reading glasses. Well, I'm tired of always trying to remember where I last put them down, so I bought one of these chains (it's decorative at least). My husband and kids just shook their heads and told me I'm old!
As I said last week, I got to host our church book club at our house on Saturday night. (It went very well!) I also mentioned that I had to clean up the house and that one of my least favorite chores is dusting. I usually use rags to dust with because I hate the idea of using disposable things to dust with. Well, I broke down and bought one of those Swiffer Dusters. LOVE IT!! It may not make me love the job any more, but at least it won't feel like such a daunting task to me!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!