Stumbling Blocks

I have a huge one right now.....can't really "blog" that often because our home computer bit the dust.  It's probably for the best anyway (for me - not the computer!)  I have plenty I could ramble about, but they are really more "rants" than actual blogging.  That's okay tho.  In short, spring break has been amazing, and just makes me want summer to get here even faster!  C'mon summer!  :-)

It's Monday ~ But Friday's Comin'!!!

Yes it is!  Just a few more days!!  (I know...It's supposed to be "It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'"!)  Friday is the start of spring break and not a moment too soon!  I am so ready...ready for sleeping in...catching a movie...going to the library...spending some alone time with the hubby...  Yep, you heard read right - Charles and I are getting away for a few days for some MUCH NEEDED time (just a few days!) to ourselves.  While I am looking forward to all the aformentioned activities, I am already stressing out about them too.  There's the packing...do the kids have the right stuff?  Do WE have the right stuff?  Are all the details worked out?  Will anything happen while we are gone?  The kiddos are going to be with my mom part of the time and with Charles' mom part of the time.  The boys might actually go out of town with her until Thursday, but they haven't made their final decision yet.  I do love that we can all get out and go and have an amazing time, but I am already looking forward to Tuesday and having my chicks under one roof.  When we are scattered about, I panic just a little when my cell phone rings.  I always fear that something might happen while I am away and vice-versa.  Aaaaagh! I don't know what I will do when they go to college.  Zachary is already planning to be 5 hours away.  (Chest pains starting...breathe in - breathe out!)  I can't dwell on that just yet!  I need to stop - breathe - and remember Who is in control of the situation.  I have to do that ALOT!  :-)

So anyway....did you read the status I posted last Thursday?  It was "Hush ~ God is in it..."  I heard that on the way home from work and seemed so appropriate for so many people I know who are going through some devastating situations right now.  It is sometimes hard to remember that God is in the middle of every circumstance - good or bad.  Something bad happens and we start to stress out like the person who goes nuts thinking they have lost their glasses when they have been on top of their head the whole time.  Psalm 46:10.  You know the verse.  "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

For those of you who listen to K-Love...remember how they had their listeners pick a "word" for 2011?  The word I chose was "see".  I have learned that it has a two-fold meaning.  I need to learn to stop ("hush") and "see" that God is in EVERY detail of my day.  When I am having a bad day, He is still in the midst of it.  When I am having a good day, He is still right there.  I have to choose to SEE what He is teaching me or SEE where He is leading me.  You know something?  That is not always an easy task!  Hindsight is 20/20!  The flip side to this is that I need to live my life so that others can SEE Who lives inside of me.  Can they SEE Jesus in my words and in my actions?  Can my kids SEE Him?  I didn't realize until just recently just how powerful that word really is.  Yeah, it really is. 

So - all that being said, go forth and prepare for all your spring break activities!  I think everyone is very much ready for a well-deserved vaca!  Have a great week!  :-)

One More Week!

Actually, only four more days til spring break!  I'm so excited!  Just a taste of summer to come....ahhh bliss!  And of course there is the no-dealing-with-lunches-or-backpacks that goes along with it.  I am so ready for it.  Well - is anyone ever NOT ready for it?  I mean really, c'mon!

So let's see....what's been going on in our house these days.  Josh's play was last weekend.  Well, the rehearsals have consumed our lives for the last 6 weeks, but it all culminated to "production week" last week.  EVERY night rehearsal from 6-9.  That - my friends...is a killer.  It's all good though.  You know what you are getting into when you agree to let them be in it, so it is no surprise - it just makes for a really long week.  My kids are troopers...they enjoy what they do and do it with no complaints.  Even when they miss a few hours of sleep!  :-)  Zachary was there too.  He did lights and discovered he LOVES that!  My kids are pretty awesome.  Don't know if I have mentioned that lately, but they really are ~ even if they are mine!  They are GOOD kids -- you know?  The kind that make you proud....that you actually enjoy having around.  They are making good choices and are starting to make very insightful observations about others.  They know what sets them apart from the rest of the world and are very much okay with that....I just pray it stays that way!  You have to cover them in prayer parents!  :-)

So fresh off the heels of last weekend came Sarah's "Top Banana" week at school.  Daddy put together a fabulous (as always) princess poster for her...made her favorite oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies for snack...and read "How I Became A Pirate" to her class - eye patch, pirate hat and all!  Isn't he a great dad?  Yeah, I think so!  I read to class one day, took Bernie up as a "show-and-tell", made a snack of a few of her favorite fruits...even Josh and Zachary each took one day and read to her class!  I also managed to have "Aunt Tammy" come read too!  I personally think she had a great week.  We made sure she had something special to look forward to every day.  She was very happy, so that really is all that matters!

So, although I had several days off, I was never home and am so far behind on -- well -- everything!  Laundry is an ongoing project at my house, so I am NEVER really caught up.  I do need to clean tho.  But you now what?  I have (ssshhhh!) NO PLANS this weekend...and it is supposed to rain Saturday (which really makes me happy!)...and everyone will be home...which means I have lots of help around the house.  I'm thinking we all take a nap and spend the afternoon cleaning...hehe.  Thinking I will bribe them with baked spaghetti and brownies for supper! 

For Moms Of Itty Bitty Ones...

See this little guy?  So little...he wasn't even 1 year old yet!  He went from having no hair to a head full of it (obviously he did NOT inherit that from me!).  We still have that rocking chair.  The outfit he is wearing was always one of my favs....he's so handsome!

Now, this tiny one is 12 years old and taller than me (but barely),  His booty doesn't quite fit into that rocking chair anymore.  Where does the time go?  I know we all ask that question, but I have ben asking myself that more and more frequently these days!

So back to present day news....

Vaca reservations have been made -- WOO HOO!!!  It can't come soon enough!  I am looking forward to spring break and even more to summer vacation!  I'm going to whine and complain once again express my strong dislike for lunches and backpacks.  I love Thursdays because it is pizza day and I only have to make one lunch.  Ugh...trivial I know...but I have friends who feel the same so I know I am in good company!

This is a three day weekend...again I say WOO HOO!!  Unfortunately I have to work this weekend, but we are ALL going to be home Monday!  We have already made plans to see "Gnomeo and Juliet" and eat at Ichiban Buffet.  Josh is thrilled beyond words!    Next week will be a killer for the boys tho.  Josh has play practice every night and Zachary is working lights, so he will be gone too since it is production week.  Josh is a pirate in the play "How I Became a Pirate" at Harrell Theatre next weekend.   On Saturday night, the author of the book will be at the performance, so everyone is really excited!  If you want to come and want info on tickets, just let me know!  These kids have worked really hard and are so thrilled - plus I personally think the music is really cute!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!  I will especially be loving mine when I get off work Sunday night, but still....  :-)

Word

No - I don't mean "word" as in "Yo, Yo..."  I mean "word" as in I have been thinking about my "word" for 2011.  If you listen to KLOVE, you know what I am talking about.  You are supposed to think of a word to be your "theme" for the year.  One dj has the word "clear"....another one is using "distinct".  I LOVE those words!  Makes me wish I could have thought of them!  That's okay tho....I am deciding between 2.  You are supposed to decide by the end of January, so I guess I only have a few days left - guess I need to crack down!


So anyway, today was like a breath of fresh air.  The sun and warmer temps were glorious!  I am however paying for it now - I can't breathe out of my nose, but it was well worth it!  Ava had ballet - had lunch with a friend - I ran a couple of errands - Target being one of them.  Have I mentioned how I LOVE Target?  Seriously, I think they must have some sort of mind altering drug that flows from the vents.  It doesn't matter how many cars are in the parking lot, as soon as you walk in, it is like you are the only person in the store.  Time comes to a screeching halt...my mind suddenly becomes clear....birds sing and woodland creatures eat out of my hand.  Okay - well - maybe not the last part, but it wouldn't surprise me - haha!  Everything looks so different in Target.  I may have seen it a million times elsewhere, but when I see it in Target, it is as if I am seeing it for the first time.  What is up with that? Right now, it is my favorite place to kill time.  If it had a beach, I would never leave!


My ADD must be kicking in because I can't stay on one track!  I mentioned I have been reading "Choosing To SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman.  Have any of you read it?  It is an incredibly powerful book.  I read the first chapter and was afraid to pick it back up.  As a mom, it was just too close to home for me (if you don't know, in May 2008, her then 5 year-old daughter Maria was accidentally run over by her older brother and was killed.)  I think it was because it sounded like Maria was a perfect combination of my two girls.  She liked to "pinky-promise" like Ava, and she loved it when her whole family was together - just like Sara.  After a couple of days I realized that Satan was trying to use that against me.  He knew that book would be a blessing to me and would try any means possible to keep me from it.  So, I picked it up again and hardly been able to put it down.  The Chapman's are an amazing family.  Their faith is phenomenal.  God has spoken to them and through them in ways you would not believe.  I have so enjoyed that book because Mary Beth has made herself so transparent.  You just have to read it for yourself - I might even read it again!


Well, besides work, shuttling to play practice, laundry, grocery shopping, keeping Ava from destroying something or torturing the dog, laundry, meal planning, balancing life (unsuccessfully usually), LAUNDRY (in case I haven't mentioned it already)....that pretty much sums up my week!  If you have a "word" for 2011, please feel free the mention it - I'd love to know!

***Addendum***

I just started reading "Choosing To See" by Mary Beth Chapman.  The prologue was written by Beth Moore, and in the closing paragraph were these words (bear in mind she is referring to the tragic death of Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman's 5 year-old daughter Maria in May 2008):


"An unbelieving onlooker could reason that, to have a God who cared enough to orchestrate something like the timing of that dream [a dream she had about Mary Beth and Maria, which unbeknownst to her was actually an answer to prayer for Mary Beth], we'd have a God who'd never let such a tragedy happen to start with.  These are places where God exercises His sovereign right to remain a mystery.  We cannot fathom the intricacies of the divine plan.  But make no mistake, when we are in the driest desert, we can receive the manna to make it all the way to the other side where trees bud again and children laugh.  God sometimes delivers us from evils we never see.  Other times He parts raging oceans before our very eyes.  Still other times He says, 'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you....Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west' (Isa. 43:2,5)"


In light of my previous blog (in case you are reading this on facebook and have no idea what I am talking about, click here to go to my blog), I really thought this was too "golden" not to post.  As usual, Beth Moore so eloquently stated the point I was trying to get across - that God can exercise "His sovereign right to remain a mystery".  (Sigh) ---- life gets harder as we get older (in some aspects!)  :-)

Something That Made Me Go Hmmmmm....

So, one day last week I was listening to KLOVE and the were doing the daily news stories.  They started off talking about the tragic shooting in Arizona last weekend and  the death of the nine-year old girl.  (BTW - wasn't she BEAUTIFUL??)  Anyway, the story immediately following was about the year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti and how an infant who had survived 4 days in the rubble without food and water was able to meet her rescuers.  The baby's mom was quoted as saying that "God must have a something very special planned" for her baby.  That really kind of stung me.  I mean, I know it wasn't intended to sound this way, but to hear that on the heels of the story of the tragic shooting, it was almost as if this baby was saved because he/she was more special than the nine-year old who was callously gunned down.  Obviously I know that isn't true, but imagine what that would sound like to a non-believer, or even to this little girl's parents?  


Yet, how many times have we used that phrase in reference to someone else who had a brush with death?  I know I have used it - or thought it at least.  If you really think about it though, it isn't really true.  We ALL have special plans for our lives - given to us by God Himself.  The God I serve is not surprised by what happens here on earth.  He isn't up there scratching His head or wringing His hands wondering what He's going to do with all these rebel children!  :-)  That - my friends - is a huge comfort to know!


When Sarah was born, on her birth announcement, one of the verses we had printed was Psalm 139:16, "Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began."  He knows it all....our beginning...our end...and it isn't our place to try to figure it out.  I mean, you can try, but you really won't be able to.  Trying to figure out the "how's" or "why's" things happen to us or in our world can consume us or even make us bitter if we let them.  Our purpose is spelled out in vs. 14 of Psalm 139.  "I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made."  THAT is our purpose...in the midst of all the tragedy surrounding us, it is our place  to praise Him.  Even on the days you don't feel like, JUST DO IT!  It will change your whole outlook..I promise!  :-)