Meeting the perfect Father

I can't believe that 20 years ago today, my Uncle Billy lost the battle with pancreatic cancer. It seems like it was just yesterday that Mama & my Papa came home from the hospital to tell us the news that he had passed. It was the first funeral I ever experienced and I remember being broken & so sad. Even at the age of 11, I had a heavy heart for my cousin losing her Daddy, almost 1 week before her 3rd birthday. I, too, had grown up without a daddy and knew that it would be a difficult road. I spent years in school & life feeling left out when there were events that required attendance of two parents. I wanted to be a Daddy's Girl so badly. But, NOW I know that all along I had a PERFECT Father...He resides in Heaven and sits on the Throne & can perfectly meet my every need far better than any humanly father ever could! Oh, how I wish it didn't take me almost 30 years to figure that out. I am a daughter to the King that created the heavens & the earth (Gen 1:1) and later created me, for I am fearfully & wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:4) And, I can do everything through Him who gives me strength! (Phil 4:13) See what I mean by perfection... He is perfection at it's finest.
I am so thankful for His faithfulness to never leave me when I walked away from Him. Praise Him for his discipline, forgiveness, grace & mercy!!

Hebron Baptist Cardboard Confessions

WOW. I was so moved by all the testimonies of several of our members in church this morning. It's so amazing to see how God has moved mountains in their lives. People on the brink of divorce, addicted to substances, anger & depression, suffered the loss of loved ones... all the stories are different but the one thing that remains constant is that God was with them every step of the way & saw them through the various storms in their lives. He is faithful!
To watch and I want to encourage you to do so... it is well worth your time... but let me tell you, have your Kleenex handy! You will have tears of joy streaming down your face when you see the hand of God in these people's lives! PLEASE WATCH!!

Go to http://hebronchurch.org/media/media.htm and scroll down and select "video on demand
To watch past services, click here. "

Go down & select to see September 7th 2008 What's Your Story? Personal Testimony. Be amazed!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame....

..... in the 95 degree heat! Wow... what a day to open the season. Nate, Alex & Seth were all in a fantabulous mood *sense my sarcasm*, it was scorchin' hot and they were all hungry. That combo didn't make for the best day. I had a pretty hard time adjusting to the new rules in Tball. Going from Pre-T to T is a big jump. These coaches are pretty die-hard coaches and it's hard for me to see my baby getting "coached". Granted, he wasn't running his best, but I wanted to say give the kid a break... they had batting practice for an hour BEFORE the actual game! They are tired and HOT. Anyway, I might as well suck it up b/c alot of other moms have told me it gets more intense. We had about 20 minutes in between games to come home, eat a Sonic corndog and get back to the field for Alex's game. Thankfully, today is the only day we have 2 games on the same day. Otherwise I'd be saying Game Over!
Here's a couple of my fave pics from today.

Goooo Yankees & RedSox!!

First Day of Preschool 2008-09

Today was a fabulous day! Nate & Alex started Hebron Weekday Preschool again. We missed Daddy this morning. He had to go into work, so I took as many pics as I could so he wouldn't totally miss out. I made them their initial pancakes. They love them & ice cream sprinkles make them extra special! We just love Hebron Preschool! Their teachers love the LORD and love our boys. You just can't get much better than that! I know they are going to have a fantastic year. They were both so excited to pull into the parking lot & couldn't wait to get out of the van. They both walked right into the school like they owned the place & didn't even look back at me. *SNIFF SNIFF* Our boys are growing up so fast! After dropping them off, Seth & I headed to Community Bible Study where I'll be teaching children with my friend. That is going to be exciting as well. So, all of us started a new year this morning & we're going to be busy, busy!
Here's a few pics of the boys getting ready for their first day of Preschool!

My Poor Neglected Blog

Well, I feel bad. I said forever that I would NOT join facebook. I held out and was strong for about 2-3 months. Then, I joined and because of it, my poor blog has suffered.

What have we been up to?? ... well, let's see...we're getting geared up to start back preschool, we're running around for 2 different Tball practices and about to start Tball games for 2 different teams and I am teaching older 2's in my Community Bible Study which I am super excited about. I think that's about it.

We took the boys to the movies for the first time last Thursday night. It was a lot of fun. We saw Wall-E and treated them to Steak & Shake afterwards.

I've been on my quest for a healthier me since 8/1. So, that meant that last Friday marked 3 weeks. I am on a mission to run 4 miles, 3 days per week. I do have to say I'm a bit bummed I haven't lost any weight. I feel better though, but I am hoping for weightloss to come soon. I have been eating so much better with the exception of a couple indulgences. Maybe I need to run 4 days per week instead of 3.. we'll see what the final weight is this Friday when the month has officially ended. I'm trying to only put "weight" on the end of the month weigh-in instead of going by my daily weigh-ins.

So, for my couple of faithful readers... I will try and do better about posting!

Tagged...

Okay - so Andrea tagged me on a random blog quiz. So I thought I'd be a good sport and participate!! here it goes . . .

3 random facts:
1. I was never a cheerleader, but like Andrea always wanted to be one. Still don't know why!
2. I had 2 of my three children w/ no drugs and would do it again if given the chance!
3. I can write backwards!

3 current obsessions:
1. managing my weight by eating better
2. reading food labels
3. getting the greatest tunes for my iPod for jogging on the treadmill

3 goals:
1. lose weight and take better care of my spirit's tabernacle
2. to be the wife & mother God created me to be
3. to have a set quiet time every morning BEFORE the kids wake up

3 fears:
1. public speaking
2. snakes
3.

3 joys:
1. when the scale is lower than the last time I stepped on it
2. sitting on the back deck drinking coffee chatting w/ my hubby after kids go to bed
3. scoring crazy great grocery deals using my coupons... (it wow's Allan, too)

okay - now I tag Susan Johnson, Billie Beddingfield, and Joy Stallworth. . . have fun!!

Mad Rant...

I am so mad right now. I'm mad that there are people killing and just being down right cruel to children everywhere I turn. Yesterday morning, the first four news stories I read were: 1. Man & wife indicted on charges they nearly starved their 13 month old twin boys. 2. woman's 6 week old baby found dead, later found mom in nearby county-dead. 3. woman in SC shook a newborn baby to death b/c he wouldn't drink his bottle. 4. local man, Boy Scout leader suspected of molesting 10 boys. Then today I read a 25 year old woman left her 6 week old son in the back of a car with the heat index over 100 degrees. The child died. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?? Are they just as stupid as stupid gets or what?? Senseless killing and cruelty. I get aggravated & frustrated b/c I want to help children like this but I have no idea how. These kids needed a voice to help protect them. The people who were charged w/ the starvation thing were hooked on prescription drugs I read. Why are kids in these types of environments?? Where are child protective services?? Where are the other family members who could protect the kids?? Just makes me sad to know there are children everywhere without anyone to help shield them from the stupidness of others. ...SIGH...

Observations

I can't believe I almost forgot to blog about this. We went to Barberitos tonight for dinner. A (ahem) larger sized man walked by. Nate points and blurts in the loudest voice possible...'Daddy, Look at his big ol' belly'!
M.O.R.T.I.F.I.E.D

I just looked at Allan and asked, "Did he just say what I think he said??" And, sadly the answer was "yes". I knew the day was coming when the kids start noticing the differences in people, but I was realllllly hoping it would just bypass our household. Oh well, he was just making an observation, but it was pretty embarrassing.

What would your mosaic look like?

I really liked this RBC devotion today. Wow, makes me think about how I live my life daily. I hope & pray that my daily life is glorifying to my LORD. It's my mission each day to live according to His truth and that others around me can see Him through me.

July 30, 2008

Snapshots Of Time

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. —Psalm 90:12

The designers of an innovative Web site call their creation a “snapshot” of our world. Every hour, computers monitor international news sources, select the most frequently occurring words and pictures, then display them as an interactive image. Over time, these hourly snapshots compose a mosaic of unfolding world events.
If a computer could track our words and actions, what would a snapshot of yesterday reveal? Over the weeks and months, what patterns would emerge? And what theme would dominate the final mosaic of our lives?

Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses the man of God, is a powerfully honest look at the brevity and significance of life. The writer compares an entire lifetime to a dream or a blade of grass, and cries out to God: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v.12). Our days often seem so insignificant, yet they add up to so much. The Message renders verse 12: “Teach us to live wisely and well.” It is a prayer for the snapshots of life with the final image in view.

When all the pictures of our life are laid on the table, they will reveal our recurring words and actions. What story will they tell? It’s worth considering as we make our choices each day. — David C. McCasland

God has given life abundant—Live it fully every day;Though our time on earth is fleeting,He goes with us all the way. —Hess

It’s not how long you live that counts, but how you live.

Out of the mouths of babes...

So sweet.
I took Nate to the doc today b/c he's had a cough now for 3 weeks. Bad mommy waiting it out. But, I really thought it'd clear on it's own. Turns out he was wheezing and is in need of breathing treatments every 4-6 hours. This should earn me the Mom of the Year Award! Ha Ha!
Anyway, while we were there, Nate just got real comfy w/ the doc. He was chattin' her up like they were best buddies. He's taken an obsession to pointing with the finger that's not so great to point with. You know the one I'm talking about. Well, I was so embarrassed. But, he was trying to tell her that he cut his finger on his watergun. That happened to be the finger that was cut. Then she asked if it was feeling better. His response, "Yes, Jesus is making it all better!" That made me smile!! Then as she was listening to his heart, she asks him if he could hear his heart beat. And, he just looks at her and says, "Jesus lives in my heart."
I just melted. Even when I think all my energy is wasted trying to teach him things... it's good to know that some of it- the most important part of it, really is sinking in! I really believe the LORD knew I needed an encouraging moment b/c the past few days have been very trying and I really have felt that I'm just spinning my wheels and they'll never get anything. Thank you LORD for the reminder of Galatians 6:9...Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Front Yard Baseball

The Battle was On

Oh yes, the battle was on! Mix' N Scraper vs. Dishwasher Heating Element!

Guess who won?? Yeah.. and it stinks... literally!

I think they need to add a side note to their description of the utensil on their website. It plainly states 'Handles won't separate from the heads'! BONK... WRONG!

Also says heat safe to 650 degrees... hmm, hope I never accidentally touch that heat element!

Man, I really liked that thing, too. Off to call my dealer.. pampered chef dealer that is!

Kitchenware: Mix 'N Scraper®
#1657 $13.50
Our scrapers are a staple for every kitchen. Heavy-duty silicon heads won’t crack, stain or melt. Handles won’t separate from the heads. **Unless it meets the dishwasher heating element** Heat-safe to 650°F. Tackles thick batters and dough. **but can't tackle the dishwasher heating element** Mix, scoop and scrape with the same tool.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Seth has to do absolutely everything his big brothers do.

Here, he joins the effort to rip my bannister off the wall.

Gusteau

We have been watching Ratatouille like it's going out of style. The boys call it Ratatootie! LOL!!

So, the other day as I'm unloading the dishwasher, Nate grabs a pot & pan, crosses his arms and says "Look at me, Mom! I'm Gusteau"... haha!!

Jumpy Fun

Yesterday, we had the absolute best time ever!!

We had a jump party as a summertime playdate. 16 of the boys closest friends joined us in Athens for a fun time of jumping followed by yummy pizza and cupcakes. But, the party didn't stop there. After that, we hit up McD's for some more fun playtime inside where it was nice & cool!

Again, thanks girls for driving out to Athens & making Nate & Alex's day by seeing all their bestest buds!!