Busy Week

Do you ever feel that you are a hampster on an exercise wheel and you just keep running and getting no where? My week has been like that. I have been busy since last Friday and I don't really know when there will be an end. Last Friday my sister-in-law was in town and because she lives in Indiana and I see her around two weeks a year, more if we are lucky, I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. She was staying with my in-laws and so I spent all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at their house only coming home to sleep. Then Monday I didn't have anything going on except that I was staying, over night this tume, at my in-laws house. They went to a conference and since GG (Great Grandma) lives with them they needed a house sitter and a GG sitter. That night I didn't have any plans and then due to rough weather conditions, SNOW, I put my in-laws car (they borrowed mine to go to the conference) 100 feet off the road down a steep embankment. Luckily no one was hurt including the car. The wreacher got the car out of the gully the next day. Tuesday night was Awana, Wednesday night regular youth group and prayer meeting night at church. Tonight due to the fact that my husband is now a deacon and its Pastor Appreciation month the deacons and wives are taking Preacher out for dinner. Tomorrow night we scheduled a teen outing to a corn maze, fun but tiring after the number of events this week. Then Saturday and Sunday we have a conference of seminars at our church, that could be really great, most likelly will be great, but again tiring after the week I've had. Then its back to Monday and I really don't think I will have to do anything but sit and watch monday night football and recover from a hectic last week and a half. My goodness once you see it in writing it really doesn't get better huh! I hope you all have a less exciting week than I am and a more peaceful, enjoyable week.

Car accidents are scary

Last night on my way into Sherman from my home I took my in-laws car off the road 50 feet in the snow down a hill. God protected me from hitting a street sign, and also from hitting trees. I was really blessed to drive the car forward down the hill instead of going in side ways and flipping the car down the hill. My children were in the car, buckeled into their seats thankfully. I know that God is wiht me and protects me daily but I always marvel when His evidence is very clear. It was almost like the Frnak Peretti book, This Present Darkness when the angels wrestle with the demons to keep the van safe. The angels were guiding the car down the hill when it easily could have been flipping or slamming into objects. I do not believe that I have done any damage to the car. The area I went down is more field than anything else and so who knows exactly what I could have run into on the way down but God is good, Amen!?!

Just random thoughts

I had a rough week last week. We spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not we were going to buy a house. Trying to get a loan on a house that is more than you are going to actually pay for the house is harder than it looks or than you might think. We had a hard time figuring out how we would ever pay for a house that needed so many repairs. It wasn't just new carpet, and a good cleaning. It was a dirt floor in the basement and also holes from the basement to the outside. Its the leak in the bathroom its the unexplained leak in the kitchen the falling down ceiling in the kitchen. The mold all over the house, which is most likely from being closed up for a few months. The fact that its in town and we have a big dog that is used to the country and might not do well in a town. The price was right, the location is great but the cons outweigh the pros and so with God's leading and both of us agreeing upon it we decided not to persue the house. The instant relief was proof positive that we had decided the right thing. Now I am going to look into painting the house I live in now and turn it into a home. I'm happier now.

It's been forever

Well its been a long time since I have shared my thoughts with anyone. Yesterday I had a frustrating experience that filtered through my entire day. I had someone get upset with me about the choice of words I used. Instead of saying that I would ask this person to check on something i used the word tell. For those of you who know me you know I am not the type of person to make anyone do something that I might say, "I think it would be a good idea for you to check this out". That to me is telling the person but the end result is them thinking they had the idea in the first place. The frustrating part is that the person who argued with me is supposed to know me and their case wasn't even bery well made. I was so distracted by the confrontation though that it bothered me all afternoon and even into the evening. When I told my husband about it he understood what I was saying and it always helps when someone else understands you. I had to write an apology note to the Lord because I was so out of it during my devotions. I needed to pray about releasing the bitterness that I felt toward the situation. I sometimes hang onto things to long and am trying to work through that depending on the Lord for forgiveness and release. Anyone ever feel they just aren't good at the forget part of forgive? Praise the Lord that he is faithful to forgive and forget so that our sins are not held against us. I am trying to become more like Him daily in that and all areas of my life.

To Unload or Not To Unload

There are times in life where a good unloading of the heart and mind are in order. The first time I realized this I think I was six when I realized that Jesus Christ needed to be my Savior because there is nothing without him. The next time I remember feeling the need to unload was at my mom and dofferent ages and instead of handling myself with dignity and grace I went off on her, most likely about nothing other than what to wear the next day to school, (things were always much bigger for me back then.) Now that I am married and have a spouse to unload upon I realize that I need the grace that God has supplied. I read in a Marriage counseling book that Guys hear through "blue" hearing aids and see through "blue" sunglasses, meaning there is a male tint to everything they hear and see. Meanwhile Ladies hear through "pink" hearing aids and see through "pink" sunglasses, meaning there is a female tint to everything we hear and see. If you don't realize that the hearing aids and sunglasses are in place then unloading can become a weapon of mass destruction. If you do notice that the hearing aids and sunglasses are in place and use a measure of understanding then unloading can release pent up emotion and not destroy the fragile walls of marriage. If only we could instill in our children, teens, and men and women around society that these hearing aids and sunglasses exist even in the form of parental, sibling, spouse, co-worker, boss wouldn't society be a little more calm? Who knows but the fact of the matter is when going to unload be sure that you are using the grace God has given you before doing so. Did you also know that unloading does not always mean fighting. I need to go daily and unload at the cross of Christ. I need to unload the sin that so easily entangles. The things I do not want to do I do, and the things I want to do I do not, thank you Apostle Paul for being so forthright, thank you God for leading Paul to write out your word. I find that if I do not unload my sinful nature it rears its ugly head at all the wrong times. I get irritated about my daughter's potty training and take it out on someone else. I want to be included in things but not overwhelmed by them. I want to have a day where I get to do everything that I want to do, woah selfish ugly monster rearing its ugly head beware,beware. Sometimes unloading can just be random blogging so that you have someone to talk with when its raining out side and the people you most want to see and talk with live in different states. Yes you know who I am talking about, I am talking to you! Sometimes unloading can also be a way to express a happy emotion that your friend whose husband has been in Iraq for the last year has now come home and you can not being to let them know how happy you are for them and that you pray their transition will go smoothly, and hope she found just the right pair of jeans!

We've turned a corner

Sarah is doing great with the potty training now. Last night after dinner she told us she had to go and since then she hasn't had an accident. Even all day at church she didn't go in her pull-up. I had her in a pull-up just in case she had an accident. She did great, we went out to dinner at a friends and she was comfortable enough to tell us she has to go and did while we were there. I can not express how impressed with my little girl I am right now. She is so wonderful. For all of you waiting to potty train, make it through the first 24 hours and it will get better. Perserverance develops character, and character hope and hope does not dissappoint!

Potty Training

What a lot of hard work. I am literally exhausted, its 2:00 in the afternoon we started at 12:30 and every 20 minutes we ride the "Potty Train". Sarah hasn't actually gove in the potty yet but we are trying and that does count. Its hard having to be upbeat all the time and to put on a happy face. Potty is exciting because I will not have to change diapers any more but I am tired of false happy face already and it hasn't even been two hours yet. They are off to rest time now though and so a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy and maybe I will feel more like an adult again!

My Children Are Aspiring Models

I took my children to get their portraits taken today and they had a great time. We have been going to Sears Portrait Studios since the time they were babies, the photographer Laura goes to our church so the kids respond to her really well. Laura is so good at what she does and creative so we got really great pictures today. Neither of them wanted Laura to stop, they just kept posing. They had a great time and I got some great pictures out of the deal! We went for Sarah's second birthdy pictures only a few months late but we made it. Here is a sample... aren't they cute!

DVR its Magic

Just yesterday we got Dish Network satelite TV and already my life is very different. First I watched College football until 11:30 at night and also set the DVR to tape Play With Me Sesame at 7:30 a.m. because I knew no children would be up by then to watch it so I should tape it and watch it later. Not only did we watch it later but I think that I will keep it so that we can watch it any time we would like too. Wow cool. I even taped Gilmore Girls for me to watch during the kids rest time. This has the potential for being a very good thing. Look out digital TV land I am interested and learing.

Book Tag

Okay I understood that I had to copy and paste this book tag from Mego but I had a hard time and it took a few hours of thinking about it before I could really figure out how to do it. This is a great questionnaire because I am such a reader and it will take some thought because I will have to figure out my favorites.

1. One book that changed your life: The Bible - Thank You God for giving us your word so that we may "Know Him" to the extent that we find ourselves.
2. One book that youÂ’ve read more than once - I reread a lot of books because of the fact that I have small children I like to read but I need a book that I can pick up and put back down so some of my favorites are: The Princess (Lori wick), Mrs. Mike (Freedman), Mark of the Lion Series (3 books by Francine Rivers)
3. One book youÂ’d want on a desert island - The Message
4. One book that made you laugh - Sister Chicks (Robin Jones Gunn) all the books in the series.
5. One book that made you cry - Redeeming Love, and Atonement Child (both by Francine Rivers)
6. One book that you wish had been written - An original by Cindy Sears
7. One book that you wish had never been written - Harlequin Romance novels- garbage
8. One book youÂ’re currently reading -The Copper Scroll (Joel C. Rosenberg)
9. One book youÂ’ve been meaning to read - The entire Bible from cover to cover
Now tag five people: I think I will pass on this Mego tagged most of the people I really care to hear from and the others don't blog, yet!

The Nice Thing

The Nice thing about a blog is that when you have something to say and only toddlers to talk to you can write it out and maybe someone will read it and respond to it. Today I painted the benches to our picnic table. We have a square picnic table handed down to us from my husbands mother. Its a nice table but has seen a lot of wear. Its painted in a redwood stain, off I went today to try to make our table and benches look new. My children wanted to help. And so began a training lesson that makes me marvel at the wonder of God's love. I was patient and calm, even when my beloved daughter painted my forehead! I could show them 100 times how to hold the brush, how to paint with the grain of the wood instead of mashing the brush, how to put a little paint of the brush and wipe off the excess. It was a rewarding and profitable time. My children are getting older and I am able to do more things. I used to feel that I had to stay inside shut in and not wander out side of these four walls. I have learned this is not true. How will our children learn things if we are not willing to teach them. This is the second painting project I have done with them, the first being the skirting around my trailer, and I feel it was a good experience. Get out and do things with your kids that you never thought they would enjoy or be old enough to do. My son loves to run the vacuum cleaner it has helped him not to be afraid of it if he can control it. So let them... You never know what you can accomplish until you try.

A New Experience

Well here I am experiencing something new today. Blogging for the first time. I decided it was time that I got with the program and became up to date. I am going to branch out and become a whole new me, won't that be fun. Thanks to my friends who encourage me, eventhough they don't know it. I hope that I find this to be as rewarding and fun as I believe it will be.