Liz's World

Brackets & Wires & monthly payments, oh my!

2012-01-28T21:46:00.003-06:00

Back in the Spring of 2010, our dentist mentioned that we ought to take Samuel to visit an orthodontist. We had already figured as much and had begun researching local doctors when he told us that. Samuel and Savannah, unfortunately, got my teeth. Their baby teeth were TINY & really crammed into their mouths, so when they started pulling them & the adult teeth grew back in their place, it quickly became obvious that there wasn't enough room for all their teeth and orthodontics would be necessary. (Sarah, however, seems to have escaped the clutches of that part of my genetic make up!)

At that time, Savannah was in her final year of braces so we asked her orthodontist about taking Samuel as a patient. Sadly, he was planning his retirement & did not want to take any new ortho patients. He gave us a list of 2-3 local doctors he recommended. I got on Facebook & asked local friends for recommendations. I called a girlfriend whose husband is a dentist & asked for his recommendation as well. A few of the same names kept popping up, so I called those doctors for prices. We made our choice of doctors and called for an appointment. Fortunately, they offered free consultations & our with our dental insurance, we get a small discount off their bill.

Upon the first visit (late Spring 2010), the doctor said that it was too soon to consider starting Samuel in any appliances, braces, etc. He said to come back in 6 months & we'd reevaluate things. In the late Fall of 2010, it was pretty much the same story. We returned for a 3rd consultation in the Spring of 2011 to hear the same story again, only this time he felt confident that by the next visit it would indeed be time to get started. Each time, there was still a baby tooth growing in, or a wiggly one coming out or a tooth that wasn't even wiggly yet that we needed to wait on. We filled out a reminder post card last Spring and went home.

Fall 2011 came & went without a reminder post card coming in the mail. Without that post card, I completely forgot about it. Over the Christmas holidays, it struck me that we were probably due to go back in to see him, so I stopped by his office & made the appointment. Apparently the reminder post card got lost in the mail because the office said they sent it in September! Oops!

We went in on Friday afternoon. The orthodontist's office is very interesting in that it's set up in one big exam room with 4 patient chairs. There are no divisions or boundaries between the patient chairs, so you can see all 4 patients at one time from the parent bench on the facing wall. (So much for privacy, huh?) It doesn't really bother me since orthodontic work isn't exactly like getting an OB/Gyn exam...but it still takes some getting used to. Anyway, we went in Friday afternoon & the orthodontist did his exam and declared that "It is time!"

Sidenote: I can't EVER hear someone use the words "It is time" without hearing this voice in my head. (just watch the first 1:10 of the video to hear what I'm talking about) Clearly I watched a little too much of this movie when Savannah was 2 1/2 & demanded to watch it over & over, 2-3x a day for months.

Anyway, the orthodontist feels like Samuel's mouth has matured to the point that he is ready to get things started. At our next appointment, they will take impressions of his teeth & put on the top braces. A couple of months later, they will put on the bottom braces. He is hoping to be able to get him all fixed up without having to pull any teeth, but still says there is a slight possibility that we may have to. His mouth is extremely crowded, so we may not have an option. Crossing my fingers that we don't have to do that, though! My boy is a tad allergic to pain, like his Daddy. Sam is not exactly THRILLED about having to get braces because he knows they will hurt.... but he does want straight teeth & he's resigned to the fact that this is the only way to do it.

Fortunately, we can wait until we get our tax return & use that as a big down payment, so that will help the monthly payment be a little less. It will still be tough to pay for, but it's necessary.

The doctor hopes to have him in & out of braces within about 18-24 months. I like the idea of that, but I'll believe it when I see it. Savannah was in them for 4 years and I had ortho work of some kind for NINE years. Kind of makes 24 months sound like a weekend at the beach, doesn't it?

I'm anxious to get started on this! I think Samuel will be so cute with a little metal mouth.

Driver's Ed

2012-01-28T21:25:00.003-06:00

Back in August, Savannah turned 15. In Texas, that's the magic age for getting your driver's permit, assuming you have taken driver's education class. Savannah had not yet taken it at the time of her birthday, so no permit for her (yet). We called the local driving school back in the summer and checked the price. (Gasp! $375!) We weren't really sure how we would pull that off because last time I checked, we have all of about $70 in our savings account. We put her off through the Fall. Honestly, football season & band practices make her week very full, so adding in 4 days a week for a driver's ed class just didn't seem feasible. Plus there was still that whole money thing. We told her we needed to wait until Spring. She understood & agreed that was best.

Well....the Spring semester of school has arrived. We called the driver's school back to recheck the price & see if it was still the same (it was), so we decided to check the online classes you can take instead. Fortunately, you can take the class online for less than half the price of the regular classroom version so we are going that route! We plan to get her signed up next week and will start the class ASAP after we pay the state their $20 fee for being an at-home student.

Here's the scary part. Savannah will take driver's ed now, then will have about 6 months until her 16th birthday. I believe the state now requires kids to have their instructional permit for 6 months before they can take their driver's license test, so this will work out just about right for her to get her license shortly after her birthday. She's already realizing how many big changes are coming for her in the coming year. A driver's license, getting a job (to pay for a car & contribute to our insurance bill!), her next-to-last year of high school, beginning to consider colleges and possibly dating somewhere in there. Lord, help me! This is happening too fast! I know it's all a rite of passage & part of growing up, but I'm not ready! (But then again, will I ever be?)

Slow down, baby girl. I'm not ready to let you go just yet. But when I do, the world better be ready for something big! They don't know it yet, but you are about to take the world by storm, charging Hell's gates with a water gun and a sweet giggle. I love you sweet thing!

I've been a bad blogger.

2012-01-28T00:01:00.002-06:00

I've gotten into a lull lately & have not blogged much. Admittedly, I spend a lot of time on Facebook & less time focused on writing. I share about day to day stuff over on FB, so I have a hard time remembering to write things here too. Even if it's just a little "diary of what we did today" sort of entry, I want to write more often! I love to write, whether that is something serious, something funny, or just sharing about our life the way I used to here on the blog.

So here is your challenge as a reader of my blog.

What would you like to hear about? Do you have any questions for me? Any topics you're curious about my stance on? (please, no politics. I hate those discussions, we might not agree & honestly I'm an idiot where politics is concerned, so let's not go there!) What would you like to know about my loony family or myself? Anything you've been itching to get off your chest & yell at me about? (Just kidding about that last one. I'm a big wuss. Please be nice.)

Here's what I need you to do:

If you clicked this link from Facebook, you can comment here or there. (Or inbox me on facebook.)
If you are reading this post via email, PLEASE DON'T HIT REPLY & send it to the address that pops up. That will send an email to the gmail account that I never check! If you want to reply by email, send your email to Lizreeves2@aol.com.
If you're here at the site, comment below!

I'd love to hear your questions & will do my best to answer them all! Ready, set, go!!!!

Random Thoughts with Liz

2012-01-21T00:01:00.002-06:00

*Last Thursday, my first column came out in our local town newspaper. Just wanted to update you that no limos have picked me up for work yet. No security detail is following me to the grocery store & monitoring the cashier as she checks out my milk & yogurt. No autographs have been signed. Life's pretty much the same. I guess the fame & fortune will come a little later.

Ha ha! Seriously, I am proud of the work they've printed so far. I'm excited to have this opportunity to share my faith & my life. For however long this season lasts, I'm grateful. It's really cool to be able to share something with the community that I love to do anyway! For those of you who are local & reading it, THANK YOU!

*While I marked off the miles on the treadmill this morning before my workout buddy arrived, I looked out the windows and zoned out a little. God tapped me on the shoulder & brought to mind the memory of walking on this very treadmill a few short months ago. Alone in the workout room, I prayed for the full 30 minutes that I walked. I was BEGGING Him to intervene for us....PLEADING for a financial miracle....DYING for some kind of answer to our never-ending money struggles. I had no idea that he'd already flipped the switch for that light at the end of the tunnel. I had no idea that a matter of days later Larry would get a part-time job. That job, combined with a gift we received in early November, has finally got us moving in the right direction. We are FAR from being debt-free and living in great comfort. But for the first time since Spring 2009, we have a glimmer of hope. I've found myself planning ways to pay off debt and revisiting the Dave Ramsey book we were given last Spring. To even be able to reach this morning is HUGE. To even be able to CONSIDER the idea of using a little extra money now & then to pay "up" on a bill is thrilling. Sure, Larry is working 6-7 days a week and that sucks, but we know it's just for this season. And knowing that a season is short and WILL COME TO AN END makes it bearable. We'll get there, one day.

*As I was typing this, I've had THIS BLOG's playlist going in another window. I love it! (the blog AND the playlist) She has great taste in music!

*Today I posted this to facebook. It's been rolling around my mind for days. I was finally able to get it out on "paper". I have been trying to figure out how to best word it until today.

I appreciate honesty, transparency & people who don't hide behind masks or walls. Being real is more awesome to me than a stack of degrees, piles of money or any other outward sign that you've "got it all together". We are all really screwed up individuals & without God, none of us, or anything we try to do to look perfect, is worth a thing!

*Realizing that I will be getting drug out of bed in about 5 1/2 hours to drive Savannah to the High School for an academic UIL meet, I'm going to cut this short. Good night friends.

My ideal church

2012-01-15T00:54:00.005-06:00

Through the years, Larry and I have tried to define who we are, as far as Christian denominations go, many times. We have never quite nailed it down because we haven't found any denomination that really fits us completely. We feel at home just about anywhere, really. Sure, there are places that feel a little more like home than others, but ultimately if they teach the virgin birth, death on the Cross, the resurrection & the 2nd coming, everything else is just fluff. And fluff can be pushed aside and/or ignored. Fluff we can deal with. Basic theological differences, we can't.

And since attending the Sheila Walsh conference today, I've been thinking about that on a different level. Hearing her talk about how God uses broken people, I was screaming "YES!" in my head. I've been thinking about it ever since. And I've come to a few conclusions about what the 'ideal' church looks like to me. (or at least something like this...)

The senior pastor is a recovering addict. He realized at 21 that he would be dead within the year if he didn't quit. He looked for help & got it. He started walking a sober life and failed. He fell back into old habits and realized how hard this clean life would be. And then someone told him about Jesus.

The associate pastor did time. He made some mistakes in his 20s, but after serving 4 years he got out & decided to turn his life around. Someone gave him a Bible while he was in prison and he read it cover to cover. He trusted God as his savior behind bars. Life on the outside would be hard. He'd have to start over and build new relationships, find a job and start a new life. This time, he would be doing it differently, though. This time, he wouldn't be alone.

The music pastor has a rebellious teenager who is giving he and his wife a lot of heartache. Despite raising her in church and having fed her Scripture all her life, despite all the summers in VBS and youth group meetings, she has never trusted Christ. He's terrified about what the future holds if she doesn't get her head on straight, but he's more fearful about her eternity if something doesn't change soon. After all, if she keeps hanging out with that crowd, she may not be alive in a year.

The youth pastor was a juvenile delinquent. At 16, he was locked up in "juvie". He still can't believe he and his friend robbed 2 stores before they got caught. Sure, he did his time & his record was sealed so that it doesn't haunt him now as an adult, the relationship with his parents has taken years to rebuild. It was so hard to regain their trust and he tries to get that across to the kids every week during youth group meetings. But with God's help, some of them are getting it.

The women's ministry coordinator had an abortion at 17. She thought he loved her, but when she told him she was pregnant, he gave her money for the abortion & disappeared. She really didn't want to do it, but she was too scared to tell her parents. She had a girlfriend drive her to the clinic & walk through the lines of protesters with her. She knew it was wrong, but she was terrified NOT to do it. It wasn't until she was 26 that she learned how deeply God loved her, even on that day. Ever since, her life has been changed and she desperately wants to reach other women for Him.

The children's director was a runaway who grew up in a single parent home. His dad left when he was in 4th grade. His mom always worked 2 jobs to pay the bills and he was home alone a lot. He knew he was just a burden on her, creating more bills, so he packed up his stuff one day when she was at work & hit the road. He lived on the streets for a little over a year before a preacher came to talk to the homeless kids he hung out with under the bridge. He didn't trust him at first, but eventually he learned that God had a plan for his life. It took another year before he went home to his mom. She met him in the yard, crying and cheering all at once, thrilled that he was home. She worried about him all that time he was gone. But when he sat her down on the couch that night & shared about what he'd learned about God, she realized that he wasn't alone all that time that he was gone, and that comforted her.

Why, you ask? Why would I love a church like this?

Because all of these people really know the love of God. These people have experienced grace and people aren't afraid to approach them. These people all recognized God's mercy and fell on their knees for forgiveness. These people all heard the call of God on their lives, educated themselves, fell in love with the Word of God and can teach it with authority and conviction based on personal experience. There are no masks or walls. They don't come with some set of rules about what is "ok" to discuss in church. These people are all 'real'.

I want to go to a church full of 'real' people.

Note: Please don't misunderstand. My current church is amazing, full of people who love God & mentor me all the time. None of the people I described here are leaders in my church (that I know of). I'm just thinking out loud.

Oh how I love Sheila Walsh.

2012-01-14T23:19:00.003-06:00

Several months ago, author and Women of Faith speaker, Sheila Walsh, came to town for a 1 night, 3 hour long women's event. She lives just a few hours from here, so it's not a big stretch for her to make the trip to our little town to bless the lives of the women here. And I'm so glad she did!

On that hot night in July, she shared a little of her personal testimony that I had not previously heard at the many Women of Faith Conferences I have attended over the years. I knew she'd struggled with depression because she had shared that before, but she told "the rest of the story" that night. It was amazing and powerful and moving. She was totally humble & transparent for all of us strangers in sharing her personal & very private journey through life and what she'd learned about God through it all. At the end of the night, she hinted that she'd be coming back to share more at a later date. Sure enough, when the emcees took the stage to release us for the night, they spilled the beans that Sheila would be back in January!

Since that night, I've been looking forward to today!

This morning, I woke up way earlier than I typically do on a Saturday and made my way across town to one of the local churches where Sheila would speak. Girls (sorry, guys, if there are any male readers out there), let me tell you something. Sheila and I may not share a nationality. We may not share the same life story. We may be 19 years apart in age. But honey, Sheila & I share the same Savior! And ladies, that is all we need. I would love to spend a day, hanging out with Sheila, laughing and crying and praying. There is something about the way she talks that makes me feel like we've been next door neighbors for years, someone who I could pop by and see wearing my sweatpants and floppy, stained T-shirt without an ounce of judgement. (Well, ok, maybe not. After all, she is always dressed SO cute. I'd have to at least throw on some heels with my sweatpants before I dropped by to chat.)

Sheila's conference today (and new book by the same title) was "God Loves Broken People". As I listened to her talks, I heard a message that I've been shouting from the hilltops & trying to beat into the heads of my blog readers for several years now, but Sheila spoke it so much more eloquently than I ever have.

The heart of her message was that God loves to take all the broken, screwed up, messed up pieces of our lives and make them something beautiful.... that in the Church, it is us broken people that He uses most. That when an addict walks into the church building, they will feel out of place & like they don't belong & can't possibly be loved by God until another addict says hello & shares his/her story. When a woman who had an abortion walks into the church building, she will feel left out & like she can't be loved by God until another woman who had an abortion says hello & shares her story. When a person struggling with this sin or that sin walks in, it takes someone who has been there/done that/still battling that same issue to make that sinner feel welcome and loved. Just like when a person loses a child, no one really understands what they're going through but another parent who's lost a child. It's the same way in the Church. God uses our messed up lives to help other people, to demonstrate how vast & wide & amazing his love for us is. If we can't be transparent in the Church, then we're lost. The Church is a place for wounded people, not a museum for perfectly put together people to come & be put on display.

Sheila told a story about her native Scotland and how things work with sheep farmers. She said that sometimes, a mama sheep would reject one of her little lambs. The farmers have tried to figure out why that is, but there is no real explanation for it. If they leave the lamb in the pasture with the mother, she will kick it & won't feed it and ultimately, it dies of a broken heart. If the farmer goes into the field & attempts to feed it, it will not accept the food. The only way to help this little bummer lamb, as they are called, is for the farmer to bring it into his house, away from the mother, and nurse it to health. It sleeps by the fireplace to keep warm & cuddles against the farmer's chest to drink from a bottle. It becomes a member of the family, so to speak, living among the farmer's family for a while. Once it is big and strong enough to go back out to the pasture, the farmer returns it to the flock. But even years later, when the farmer comes out to call the sheep to him, the bummer lamb runs to greet him faster than all the other lambs because he/she knows the farmer's voice. The other lambs recognize that this farmer will feed them, but the bummer lamb understands the farmer's love and care on a different level. He really 'gets it'.

It's the same way with God. It takes a season of brokenness for us to really "get" God's love for us. It's when we are battling addiction, depression, struggling through grief & loss, recognizing the loss of a relationship or a dying marriage (or a million other things that break us) that we understand God the most. When we cry out & beg for His mercy, we draw nearer to Him than we do at any other time in our life. It is then that we, the bummer lamb, really "get" our shepherd. We learn to hear His voice above all the other noises & voices of life because we've sat in His lap & curled up against His chest and have felt His arms around us.

I'm telling you, girls.....Sheila is good. I'm so glad that God gave her a story to tell, a testimony of hurt and pain and brokenness all throughout her life. Because it's with those stories of heartache and pain that He gets so much glory. He is gracious, friends. And He is faithful!

On a lighter note, at one point in the day, Sheila stepped away from the stage & the emcees asked that we all write a question for Sheila on the 3x5 cards they had left in our chairs at the start of the day. I didn't really have a question, but was feeling a little silly. After years of Women of Faith conferences and now twice hearing Sheila talk in our town and consuming scores of her books, I've heard many stories about her sweet son, Christian, who is the same age as my Savannah. Today was no different. She shared a story about her son leading a gas station cashier to Christ. What a great kid! So on my card I wrote "I have an amazing 15 year old daughter. How do you feel about arranged marriages?" I included a big smiley face & "ha ha" at the bottom of the card so she would know I was just teasing and that I was not some crazy stalker fan who legitimately wanted to set up her daughter with Christian. (well, ya know....unless she was on board, then maybe you could classify me as such.) I figured that, with the hundreds of other women there today, my card would get tossed after the person who screened the questions got a laugh from it. But alas, when we came back from our break & they began the Q&A time with Sheila, do you want to guess which question they read first? Yep....mine! All the women sitting near me knew what I'd asked and we all burst out into giggles. Fortunately, the rest of the auditorium did too. Sadly, Sheila was on board with the arranged marriage, but said that Christian was already promised to another friend's awesome daughter. ha ha!!! If you change your mind, Sheila, we can meet halfway to introduce the kids.

Friends, seriously though, go out & get Sheila's new book. I promise it will be worth it. Here's the LINK to find it on amazon.

And Sheila, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING TO TOWN! We love you here. Come back soon!

Friday Phone Dump....or not?

2012-01-13T23:45:00.003-06:00

As I uploaded pictures to the computer tonight from my phone, I realized that I forgot to do the Friday Phone Dump post last Friday.

And no one noticed, I suppose. I didn't get any emails or comments asking where it was.

And then I realized that the pictures I was uploading would create my 21st weekly Friday Phone Dump post. When I began the FPD posts, I was hoping to have others play along & share their pictures every week. Maybe someone else is doing it regularly, but I have yet to ever have a comment on any of the FPD posts.

So I'm curious.........should I continue doing it? Comment & let me know what you think. Would you like to continue seeing pictures every Friday? Or should I give up the weekly photo sharing?

Boy this is weird.

2012-01-11T22:18:00.004-06:00

For years & years, I've written for fun.

Kind family members have said "You ought to write a book someday." And while I think I'd really like to do that, the reality is very different. How can I write a book? It requires lots & lots of time, which I don't have. And there's the whole money issue. Or the lack thereof. Needless to say, writing a book has been on the back burner for a while. And I don't see it moving to the front burner anytime soon.

Back in the early Fall, I found a column in our local town's newspaper that I fell in love with. The writing style was very much like a mommy-blogger. The lady's articles were right up my alley. I really enjoyed her writing style and the stories she told about her life, her family, politics, faith and whatever else happened in her life that week. I sent her an email expressing that maybe I could be her fan club president and she was tickled that I'd let her know. We became friends via email and Facebook and she began reading my blog. All the while, I continued reading her column every week.

Right before Christmas, I emailed her again to praise her latest column. She replied that she would be moving away over the holidays and perhaps I should contact the newspaper editor about writing for them. I kind of laughed at the idea at first and then realized that I would LOVE to do it. I mean, I write all the time anyway so I might as well share it with others. Long story short, my first column came out in the paper today.

It's a crazy kind of fun & excitement! I'm proud of the column. I'm proud of this particular article (which happens to be a slightly edited version of THIS post). I feel like I've had a hundred pats on the back from all my facebook family who I shared the article with tonight. I realize this is not the New York Times we're talking about. It's not even a daily newspaper. It's our little town's weekly newspaper. But it's still exciting. But here's the trouble. I don't want it to ever become a column about me.

Please help me remember that this is all about you, Jesus! Please help me keep my focus where it should be & give you all the glory. Help me to find way to weave a little bit of you into every article.

a child will lead them....

2012-01-04T21:36:00.005-06:00

When I was seventeen, the 13 yr old son of a family at our church was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. His name was Chris. He was the first child I had ever known who had cancer, or any other sort of terminal illness for that matter. I'm sure that there were plenty of families I knew who had lost a child in one way or another, but I was just too young to know that happened.

I didn't know Chris well, but I felt drawn to him. I wanted to be his friend, to love on him, to help him and his family somehow. I wanted to make him smile & offer a tiny glimmer of sunshine to his life. I didn't have the slightest clue how to go about that, though. I was terrified to approach his family because I didn't want to intrude on this difficult time of their life or appear like I was just trying to offer a pity friendship. Although I was scared to bug them, I finally called his house & hoped that one of his parents would answer. I don't remember which of them I talked to, but I asked if it would be OK for me to come pick him up & take him to Dairy Queen to get a burger. They were thrilled that I offered & readily agreed. Chris was still able to walk at that time, but was already bald & swollen & a little wobbly on his feet from the effects of the tumor, chemo and steroids. I wasn't sure if he felt self conscious going out in public since people automatically look & give you the pity stare when you're obviously going through chemo treatment. Chris didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, he laughed & smiled and entertained me through most of our lunch date. I was just hoping to brighten his day and he turned the tables on me! Looking back, I realize that Chris was probably feeling like a stud since he was only 13 and he was out on a 'date' with a 17 yr old girl -- ha ha!

Over the course of the next few months, Chris's condition rapidly declined and our time together was mostly spent in his bedroom, sitting on his hospital bed. We talked a lot. Sometimes he told me that he was dying & seemed focused on that. Other times, we talked about TV shows or books he was reading or anything else. When he reached the point that he was asleep most of the time, I would just sit with him so that his parents could take a break from counting his breaths & watching his monitors & listening to the IV pump beep. In the final moments of Chris's life, I was alone in his room with him and had to call his parents in to say "Something's wrong. I don't think he's breathing."

It was my first time to be with a person when they died. I was devastated. I knew that Chris was finally healed and that he was not suffering anymore, but the grief was almost more than I could bear. I stayed with the family for a little while after he passed away and then slipped out their driveway to cry for most of the rest of the night.

Being a part of Chris's life as a friend & prayer warrior forever changed my life. That experience has led me to today.

In 2003, a friend sent me a link to a caringbridge website for a little boy named Luke Ervin. Luke was a 3 yr old who had cancer. He was in his final months of life when I "met" him. His mother, Ivy, blogged about his condition daily and I prayed for him with every new blog post. July 31, 2003 Luke passed away. Ivy is still my friend, all these years later, even though we've never met face to face and both of our lives have gone in different directions since that time. The magic of the internet makes our friendship possible. We may not share family ties or locations, but we are bonded by the hours spent praying for her son.

Last year, a girlfriend forwarded me an email from a friend of hers. It was about a mom whose unborn son had been diagnosed with anencephaly. She knew I had prayed for another friend whose child had the same condition a couple of years ago and she felt led to share the info with me. I was able to get in touch & become friends with that amazing mom. Within days of meeting her (via email), a personal girlfriend from a town where we lived years ago was also given a grim prenatal diagnosis. We (separately) talked about these babies for a couple of months through emails & facebook messages. Both of these sweet babies are now in Heaven, but both women are still a part of my life.

Over the past 10 years, I've been sent somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 links to carepages and caringbridge sites & Praying for ___ Facebook pages of children with various terminal illnesses. I've had personal friends and blog friends who faced fatal prenatal diagnoses. I get phone calls & emails all the time about another child with cancer. I've prayed fervently for each one of them. Sometimes I know the family, sometimes I don't.

Someone asked me recently "How do you hear about all these kids?? It seems like you know a lot of people with sick & dying children." The truth is, I don't even know. People just always seem to send them my way.

Honestly, I wish I had never seen a little boy die before my eyes. I wish that no one would ever have to face tough decisions about their child's lifespan. I wish that no one ever had to place an order for a coffin the size of a throw pillow. I wish that no father had to hold up his sobbing wife as they walked back to their car at a cemetary. I wish that no mother had to sit in her child's room and pack up their belongings after his/her death. It's just not fair for parents to bury their children. But, sadly, it happens all the time.

Most of us are not scientists or doctors who can offer some sort of solution to these children's sufferings. But if I can offer prayers for these kids and their families, then by golly, I'm glad to do it!

It may seem morbid or weird to some, but I am in the brainstorming stages of creating a new ministry. I may do it all by myself or it may grow to many participants. I may create a website/blog for it or I may create a facebook page for it. I'm not really sure how it will look. It will be called Praying for the Kids (P4TK for short). It will be a hub for families & friends who know of a child with a terminal condition (or one who has become gravely ill) to come and ask for prayers, a place for compassion & love & support. I (we?) may never meet the families on the other end of these prayer requests, but it will be a place for families to go and know that someone cares and is lifting up their child. I hope that we will see miracles happen, but I know in many cases we will not.

Not on this side of Heaven anyway.

Today, a 3 year old little girl of a local couple named Haven was healed. It didn't happen the way I hoped. God chose to heal her by escorting her to Heaven this afternoon. She had 5000+ people praying for her because of her facebook page. Just a couple of hours before her death, her grandmother posted this picture on Facebook. That sweet little angel was praying!

Tonight, her family is grieving. Please keep them in your prayers.

And if you would like to join me in this new ministry endeavor, P4TK, please let me know. You can leave a comment here or email me (Lizreeves2@aol.com).

Book Review: The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

2012-01-03T14:21:00.002-06:00

I recently agreed to read & review this book, The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn, for Booksneeze. You can click the button in my sidebar to learn more about the book review program for bloggers.

The Encounter is a sweet story of a wealthy man, Johnathan "Gold" Rush, who is searching for answers about his birth mother. He was given up for adoption by her at age four and though he has a few memories of their years together, he has no idea why she abandoned him. He's become bitter & angry as the years have passed and his pastor encourages him to go back to the town where he was given up by his mother to search for answers.

When Mr. Rush comes into town (Fairbanks, Alaska), the community is abuzz with rumors that he is bringing his Fortune 500 company there to relocate. The media meets him at the airport asking for details. When he refuses to give interviews & insists that he is in town for personal business, one reporter won't "let it go". Little does Mr. Rush know that this reporter will become his personal investigator in finding his mother.

I'd rather not give too much of the story away, but rest assured, Mr. Rush finds peace & resolution in the end. While great detail is given to the character description leading up to the end of the story, I felt like the resolution fell short. It seems like many movies that I've seen where there is a great build up and then the movie just sort of ends. You feel like you've been led to the pinnacle of a mountain & then .... just left there. While things do end well, it seems like there should've been a little more to the story included in the book.

Overall, the book was a quick, easy, lighthearted read that I would recommend. The small paperback book could probably be read all in on sitting if you have the time to devote to it, but I did not. It took me a couple of days. If you're looking for a really 'deep' storyline, this is probably not the book for you since it is so short & sweet, but if you need a quick weekend read, The Encounter would be a great one for you to pick up!

My leaky putter cup

2012-01-01T21:00:00.004-06:00

First of all, this is a putter cup.

I learned this little tidbit of information about 25 years ago when I was helping in a preschool Vacation Bible School class & we used these (communion) cups to make a craft. The box they were in called them putter cups. I don't know a single person who still calls them putter cups these days. In fact, when I googled putter cup to find this image, I could only find golf equipment. But I think the word is cute, so I still use it. It's fun to stump people with. Throw it into conversation this week & see how many funny looks you get.

So anyway, today at church, we had communion. To help you envision how this all went down, let me explain some things.

We were sitting at the front of the church, on the 2nd row. The men who are serving the elements start at the front of the building & carry 2 little trays (one with the bread, one with the cup) and pass them down the rows of people and work their way to the back of the building. It take a few minutes to get it all passed out. Once it is all passed out, they return to the front & Scripture is read & the elements are prayed over. Then we eat the bread and drink the cup.

As communion began, the elements were passed down our row of seats & we each got our bread & cup and sat patiently, holding the two items as the men made their way toward the back. Almost immediately Sarah pointed out to me that her cup was wet on the outside. I figured that some of the juice had dribbled onto the side of the cup when they were filling them, so I traded with her. I wiped away the wetness from the outside of the cup & then relaxed, holding it in my right hand while the bread/wafer thingie rested in my left. Only moments later I realized that my hand was puddled with grape juice. Hmm....that's strange. I wiped it on my pants & then held up the cup to inspect & realized that it was steadily seeping out the bottom of the cup. The cup had a teeny hole in it. I looked up & the men weren't even halfway through the building. I realized then that I would not have anything left in this cup by the time we drank it if it continued to drip. I tried to plug the hole with my fingers but that wasn't working. The family sitting across the aisle from me had realized my dilemma & they were giggling too. I mouthed to the mom of this family "It has a hole in it! They need to hurry up!!" ha ha!

I spotted the little baskets that we use to dispose of the cups after communion under the chair in front of me. It had a napkin in it, so I grabbed that & wrapped it around my cup. It was hilarious to see how quickly that very absorbent white paper napkin turned totally purple. I could've wrung it out in my mouth when it came time to drink the juice.

Sarah sweetly shared some of her juice with me (she poured some into my cup), but it was still pretty empty by the time we all turned up our cups in remembrance of the shed blood.

I had to laugh through the whole thing. What should've been a really quiet, reverent moment was quite comical. And I have to believe that God was laughing too.

Sometimes church is pretty quiet. Today it was funny....and I love that. Laughter is good for all of us. And keeping with the funny day theme, this video was played as a sermon illustration. Smart....but funny!

Friday Phone Dump (one day late)

2012-01-01T00:11:00.005-06:00

Sorry I missed my Friday Phone Dump post last night. Time to catch up for this past week. Join me on your blog by emptying your phone's pictures & show us your week. Link back here & comment so I can check out your pictures.

Last weekend was Christmas. This is how I spent much of Christmas day --- relaxing on the couch or on my bed, napping, hanging out with the family. Perfect!

Sarah got some colored duct tape to make duct tape crafts with & created this pink bow for me. Beautiful isn't it?

On Christmas night, we all went to see a movie (We Bought a Zoo---loved it!!!) and I played around with my hair. I had to take pictures of the back of it & text them to 2 girlfriends for advice on which way to wear it. What do you think? Which way is best? (I'll tell you after these 3 pics which way I wore it.)

#1 Twisted back, held with a ponytail holder:

#2 Braided back, held with a ponytail holder:

#3: 2 twists, sort of interconnected, bottom 1/2 flowing loose:

I ended up going with #3. I was sort of tired of messing with it & decided that I was going to the movie where I'd sit in the dark & no one would see it....so I just quit & went to the theater. ha ha!

On the day after Christmas, Sarah took the money she had been saving for most of the past year and went to Walmart to buy her own Nintendo DS. She & Samuel have been sharing one for a few years now and she's wanted her own, so I told her she'd have to buy it. She was pretty proud of herself when she put down the cost of the DS in cash!

My favorite issue of People all year! I always enjoy reading this one & seeing how people accomplished their weight loss goals! So inspiring!

Today, Sarah was bored & asked if she could do a makeover. She does this every few months. It's funny to see how her skills progress (umm...well, sorta...). ha ha!

First, she put on moisturizer, then foundation/base. She followed this with powder.

Next, it was eyeshadow & mascara time.

And finally, some blush. "Pucker your lips, mama!"

The finished product.

When she was done, I removed my clown face & wow....that washcloth was COVERED in make up. It was super heavy, but doesn't appear quite as dark/heavy in these pics. Felt nice to get back to clean skin......the way I remained the rest of the day.

Hmmm....maybe I should've put some of that make up back on, after all! ha ha!!!

2012 New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-30T22:26:00.004-06:00

It's not quite 2012 yet, but I have been thinking about New Year's Resolutions for a few days. Here are some of my plans for the coming year.

1. (I'm stealing this from my friend, Rachel!!!) Make 2 recipes & 1 craft per month that I've pinned on Pinterest. Feel free to follow my boards here. That is, unless you haven't fallen into the vortex that is Pinterest.com yet. In which case, you may want to run far, far away. And fast. It's such an addictive website. (But at least it's a useful addiction---so many awesome crafts, projects, organization ideas, recipes and MORE!)

2. Continue serving at least 1 meat-free meal per week (think vegetarian). It's healthy and it's money-saving!

3. Continue in my journey to better health --- eat better, exercise more, drink more water, etc.

4. Read more! As of now, these are the books I have on hand that I plan to read or re-read or finish reading. (You may have to click the pictures to blow them up & see the book titles better.)

5. Continue reading my Bible through. (Yes, STILL working on getting totally through the Bible. I suppose it should rank higher on this list than all the other books!!)

6. Scripture memory --- I'm not going to set a particular goal like "1 verse per week", but I most definitely want to do more of this. I love it when the Spirit brings to mind a verse I've memorized in the PAST and I'm able to use it in my life NOW. Anyone have any particular Scripture memory goals/plans that you'd like to share?

7. Take more pictures. I snap lots of pictures with my cell phone & plan to get a new phone in January (when I'm up for an upgrade) so those pictures will be getting clearer & sharper. But I am referring to pictures with my regular camera. I need to get it out more & rely less on my cell phone to take pictures.

8. Take off my make up every night before bed.

9. Begin a year-long journal for Larry, listing reasons I am thankful for him each day. (Yes I know what you're thinking....and trust me, he never reads my blog so he won't see this. And even if he does, I can guarantee he will forget about this by next Christmas! ha ha!)

10. Give more. This year has been extraordinarily difficult financially. We are finally seeing the light at the end of that tunnel. It's not perfect & we won't ever be rich, but I am looking forward to having the ability to bless other people more often.

11. More hugs & kisses. We're a pretty touchy-feely-snuggly-huggy sort of family anyway, but more is better.

12. Send more snail mail. I love getting cards and letters in the mail. This year I'm going to send more of them! Join me! Everyone likes getting mail.

I'm sure I'll think of more goals later, but for now, these are my goals/resolutions for the new year. What are yours?

Christmas 2011 Wrap-up

2011-12-28T22:43:00.005-06:00

Christmas has come & gone. It is truly hard to believe because this year has gone by so fast. I know I say that every year, but it seems like it just gets faster & faster every year!

Here is a quick wrap-up of what our Christmas looked like.

The weekend after Thanksgiving we decorated for Christmas. I take the same few pictures of the kids every year so that I can compare from year to year how much they've grown.

This is 2010:

And this is 2011:

A couple weeks before Christmas, we went to our little town's parade. Larry had to work that day, but the kids & I enjoyed it!

A few days later, Samuel performed in his school choir concert.

On Christmas Eve, we attended the candlelight service at our church. It was beautiful!

These are the Christmas cards we received. I love getting cards any time of year (and I love buying & sending them, too!!!) but I really, really love Christmas cards! Next year I'm going to try to pull off photo cards.

As you may remember from previous years (if you've been around, reading my blog for that long!) we spend our first waking moments on Christmas morning focusing on Jesus. The kids all sleep in one room the night before and we don't allow them to leave the room (because you can see into the living room where all the gifts are) until after we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and have a party for Jesus. We want to make sure that their focus is where it should be (the birth of Jesus) before we let them begin to open gifts & move their focus to that.

Fortunately, they LOVE this tradition & fight over who gets to read the story from the Bible each year. (Sarah won!)

I only took a few pictures of the kids opening their gifts on Christmas morning. I'm not sure why....I just didn't get very many taken. We began a new tradition this year in regard to their gifts and they all liked it. A few months ago, we told the kids that they would each be getting only 3 gifts because that's what Jesus got. The kids were allowed to give us a list of 5-10 things that they'd like to get.....OR.....they could choose to get the money we had budgeted for buying those gifts. Only 1 of the kids chose to get the money instead of having things to open on Christmas morning. (but I'm a big softie & couldn't stand the idea of her having NOTHING to open, so she did get one little Santa gift!) The kids all really enjoyed getting 3 things that they really wanted! No one seemed to "miss" the extra gifts they usually get and for that, I am grateful!

And again, to compare our annual Christmas Eve pictures, here is 2010:

And here is 2011:

I hope your family had a wonderful Christmas!

Oh Night Divine

2011-12-24T21:43:00.002-06:00

Tonight we went to our church's candlelight Christmas Eve service. It was beautiful as those services always are. It's always such a sweet, reverent time of quiet worship. Something struck me tonight that I haven't really ever considered before.

While we were singing "Oh Holy Night" (my very favorite Christmas song, by the way, one I've heard a million times), I had this vivid image of what it would've been like to be alive on the night Jesus was born.

Picture this.

You're 30-something-years old. Literally your whole life, you've heard stories about the Messiah. You learned the prophecies as a child. You've been taught about what it would mean when He came. You've been told that He would be the Savior, the one to redeem us, the one to pay the price for our sins. No more sacrifices to atone for sins. The Savior is coming -- He will be born of a virgin. But it's been so long. You've begun to think that maybe it was all just a story, a legend. After all, you've heard a lot of other stories throughout your life as well. But no... this one is true. There is a sacredness in the voice of each person who has taught you about His coming all your life. Each teacher lent a holiness to the story as you learned about the coming Messiah. It must be real.

Then one night during the census, you hear a murmur in the crowded city streets, something about a baby. The people are bustling about, pressing through the busyness of the evening, running toward the stable.

What is this? A baby? Born in a barn? It's HIM? You mean it's happened? He's HERE? Tonight?

Goosebumps rise on your arms, your heart pounds. You, too, begin to press through the crowd. You've got to SEE Him! As you reach the edge of town and begin to walk across the grassy field, tears begin to trickle down your cheeks and you find that you can't put thoughts together, you simply must SEE Him. You feel such shame that you ever questioned whether or not it would really happen.

You look up & see a huge star, brighter than the rest, shining down on the stable. There are animals & people crowded around the stable where the baby must be. It's then that you realize you're running. Stumbling over twigs and rocks on the ground, you trip & fall, but quickly claw your way back to a standing position & continue to sprint toward the stable. You must SEE Him!

As your heart beats in your throat and your stomach twists into a knot, you get a glimpse over the crowd. It's Him! The most beautiful baby boy is laying in the manger. He's wrapped in strips of cloth and is snuggled down into the hay, sleeping peacefully as the people press in around Him. As you approach, you feel your breath quicken. Your quiet tears turn to wails as you fall on your knees beside Him.

He is here!

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Friday Phone Dump

2011-12-23T21:26:00.006-06:00

It's that time of the week again! Time to empty your phones onto your blog & let us all see your week in pictures. Link back here & leave me a comment so I can come check out your pictures. Here's my week!

Sarah fixed my hair today. Isn't it lovely? (grin)

Remember those 4 canvases I mentioned a few posts back that I was going to paint & hang in my bedroom? This was step one---just getting the 4 colors on them. The red one is not nearly as tomato-red as it appears here and the yellow isn't quite as mustard-yellow as it looks here. They had a 2nd coat added to them after this and I've done a little artwork on each one. I'm not done yet, but I will show you more later as I get them completed. I'm not 100% happy with them, though, so they may end up in the trash. We'll see.

Major accomplishment. Anyone who knows me well & has been in my house (& allowed to peer into my master closet/laundry/bathroom area) will know THIS area is NEVER completely clear like this. To be able to see the floor like this straight through to the back is a miracle of epic proportions. It means that I've folded ALL of the laundry! (It usually sits in baskets right here until I can get it folded!)

Looking forward to making this & letting the kids decorate it tomorrow! It's that time of year. Time to get our party on for Jesus!

A couple of days ago, we hit Sonic during happy hour. While we waited for our 1/2 price drinks, I opened the sunroof. Before I could blink, Samuel was climbing up & out of it!

After the girls' annual eye exam (dilated eyes & everything---pics below!) we stopped at a new frozen yogurt place in town to try it out. It was yummy (but a little expensive like every other froyo place!)

This is Savannah's yogurt. She's such a simple girl. Cheesecake flavored yogurt with some cheesecake bites on top.

This is Sarah's. She's still pretty easy to please but has a hard time narrowing down her choices of toppings. It took her 10 minutes to decide which flavor of yogurt to get. She ended up getting cookies & cream flavored yogurt with cheesecake bites & Reese's PB cup bits.

This is mine. I have no issues picking my yogurt flavor or toppings, obviously. Cheesecake flavored yogurt with cheesecake & brownie bites, white chocolate chips & a tiny drizzle of caramel.

And then THIS is Samuel's. You never would've guessed would you? ha ha!!! (It includes 3 flavors of yogurt, Reese's PB bits, M&Ms, Gummy bears, Gummy Worms, chocolate chips & chocolate syrup.) The boy is serious about his sugar!

Sarah after having her eyes dilated.

Savannah after having her eyes dilated.

Sarah is so cool. She took this pic herself & texted it to Larry while he was at work asking "How cool am I?"

Earlier this week, the girls & I rang bells for the Salvation Army. So much fun!

Once a year is all I can stand it. So good but SOOOO rick & soooo high in fat & calories.

While we waited at the car wash (Larry was vacuuming out the van), the kids explored the bars at the back of the property. And just so ya know, Samuel was about 6-8 feet behind Sarah. The angle of this pic makes it look like he's TEENY TINY. He is shorter than her, but not by as much as it appears here!

The beautiful drive on the way to Larry's side of the family Christmas get together.

Sorry folks....no self portrait again this week.

Favorite posts of 2011

2011-12-22T22:20:00.002-06:00

I know the year is not over yet, but I was looking back at a few "big" posts from this past year & wanted to share them with you. A recap of the year, if you will. Join me on this walk down memory lane.

January: I was completely stunned & trying to take in just how faithful He is when I wrote THIS. (Thank you for an amazing song, Todd Wright! Not sure how all the copyright stuff goes, so I definitely want to give him credit.)

February: Samuel bridged over into Boy Scouts (from Cub Scouts) & I wrote THIS post (complete with a video) of the ceremony.

March: I was blessed beyond measure by my sweet 4 & 5 year old Sunday School class the day before I wrote THIS post. Their faith & prayers amaze me. And I walked through the incredibly difficult anniversary of losing our 2 extra kiddos when I wrote THIS post.

April: My eyes were opened to some things that I thought were pretty black & white when I wrote THIS post. And I shared my convictions & feelings about how Easter is celebrated by the Church in THIS post.

May: I wrote THIS post after becoming involved in a local ministry to help hungry kids in America. It was eye-opening & wonderful to be a part of it!

June: We made a quick little trip to Dallas for a little mini-vacation. THIS post is about that trip.

July: I wrote what was probably my most read post all year long in July. THIS is that post.

August: Larry & I celebrated our 17th anniversary in August. I wrote THIS post about the 17 reasons I'm glad I married him.

September: Savannah & Samuel were baptized in September. THIS post includes a video.

October: God really used some 'stuff' to encourage me in October. THIS post is about all that stuff.

November: I learned that gratitude turns what we have into enough...and I wrote THIS post about it.

December: In thinking about how Christmas is a hard time of year for a lot of people, I wrote THIS.

Pinterest Project #2

2011-12-21T23:13:00.003-06:00

I have to say this is my Pinterest project #2 because I didn't post about #1. (It was a recipe for some candy that I made for Christmas goodie trays that I shared with friends & family. You can see the recipe for that project HERE.) So anyway, this post is about project #2.

But I guess I can't really call it a 'project' if it required no real effort or action on my part, though, right? Perhaps it's Pinterest-inspired? Or just a Pinterest idea? Sigh...whatever! Look what we did tonight!

I saw THIS posted on Pinterest & loved the idea. (Go click on THIS over <---there.) It seemed pretty simple & straight forward. But today I looked for similar hooks at Target and there just weren't any. Sure, they had hooks of all shapes & sizes, but nothing that looked like it would work for this project. And I didn't have a board to screw them into. So I left Target empty handed.

And then I got home & found a little decorative knob/hook board thingie. My mom used to have it in her bathroom. When she redecorated, she asked me if I'd like to have it & I said yes. But it's been sitting around ever since waiting for a use. Today was the day!

My ironing board gets used almost every single day. So it's kind of a pain to set up & take down the ironing board over & over. (I'm also kind of lazy, so it's just easier to leave it up all the time.) But even though I'm lazy, it still bugs me that it's sitting out all the time. Like this.

So tonight when I found this little hook/knob board...

I knew it had to become my version of the project on the link above! When Larry got home, I pointed to this blank wall in my laundry room...

and said "Please put this on that wall."

And he did!

See? pretty!
Now if I can just find a PRETTY ironing board cover to hide this ugly thing!

That's my master bathroom through the door to the right. Freezer & laundry is to the left. Giant mounds of clean, but yet to be folded laundry, is directly behind & to the side of where I was standing to take this picture. Nice huh?

Random Thoughts with Liz

2011-12-19T22:08:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I did one of these posts, but tonight it just seems to 'fit'. I've been in a bit of a blog-writing slump here recently. But as much of a dry spell as it's been, I've had a million things bouncing around my brain. I guess I just can't narrow it down so I haven't posted a whole lot. And so...a stream of consciousness post, a random bunch of things. Enjoy your tour of my crazy, loopy, maze-like brain.

*Random thought #1 -- Worship
This song totally rocked my socks off Sunday morning. Aside from the really COOL dulcimer action that our guest band member added, it was just really good. The lyrics, the music, the feeling it evoked. Thank you Todd & all the other band members for the time you put in every week to lead our church family into the presence of God.

*Random thought #2 -- architecture
See the cool cross in the windows of the video above? I love it. Here's the crazy thing. We attended this same church from late '97 to late '04 and I NEVER noticed that cross. The thing was, the chairs faced the left side of the (above) screen at that time & the stage was in a different place. I sat in that same auditorium & listened to 7 years worth of sermons and attended a hundred other events in that room (it was more of a multi-purpose room back then, so we often had other events in the same room during the week). I know I looked at those windows during that time, but I never noticed that the center crossbeams were in the shape of a cross until we came back to this church in the Spring of '09 and the stage/chairs had been moved. I LOVE that it's such a cool focal point to our services now!

*Random thought #3 - Website addiction
I am in love. With Pinterest. There are a thousand pictures on my pinboards already. I'll probably never create 75% of crafts I've pinned. I'll probably never cook 75% of the foods I've pinned. But I love that it inspires me & makes me want to at least attempt to peel back the edges of craftiness. I am probably one of the least crafty women in Texas (aside from the kind of crafts I do with the kids in preschool....THOSE I totally rock at!), but I'd like to be more crafty if I could just figure it out. Today we visited Hobby Lobby to kill some time and I actually purchased 4 8x10 canvases & some acrylic paint and brushes to give it a shot. I'm going to attempt to create a little artwork for our bedroom. We'll see how it turns out. In my head, it looks something like this (minus the goofy flower pictures---I'm doing something different).

In reality, it may turn out looking a little more like this.

*Random thought #4 - holidays
Today the girls and I rang the bell for the Salvation Army. We got off to a rocky start --- the kettle & bell & previous shift ringer were missing --- but we tracked it down & got things jinga-linging along pretty quickly and enjoyed our hour of work. (if you can call it work to stand totally still & ring a bell & smile a lot) Seriously, we had a lot of fun talking to the people as they came by and wishing people a Merry Christmas. I know there are plenty of folks who attempt to avoid eye contact with the bell ringers in front of many stores, but it was such a sweet time to chat with those who obviously just came by to have a conversation with someone.

*Random thought #5 - giving
I keep holding my breath & clenching my teeth this month. I'm not sure how to behave. This is the first month in nearly 3 years that we have made it to the 19th of the month without being overdrawn in our bank account. It's such a weird feeling. I've found that I'm LOOKING for ways to help other people. We've been on the other end of those blessings for nearly 3 years now. I want to give it back to other people. I want to give it back to HIM. I am having to restrain myself from writing checks to all the mission groups we love to hear about & have wanted to support for a long time. We don't have it to spare, though. Not yet. I am soooo excited about the future and soooo looking forward to the day when we can write a check to help fill needs in other places. (Please understand, I'm not saying this to toot my horn & point to myself. I am sharing my heart. I am giddy from the way God's blessed me and I want to bless someone else. Or a lot of someone elses. I want to share how good He is!) After all, it's all HIS to begin with!

*Random thought #6 - reading
I am quickly building a 2012 reading list. I am super excited about reading everything I've got waiting on me! I will be making a post about all those books later.

*Random thought #7 - camera accesories
I really wish I could find a memory card for my camera. The one I've been using for several years died on me a few days ago. The only other one I have only holds about 16-20 pics, so it's very much a TEMPORARY fix! The trouble is, my camera is older & while I LOVE it, the memory cards are a little hard to come by. I've got a bid placed for one on eBay right now. I hope I win!

*Random thought #8 - working out
Since Thanksgiving, I haven't been totally consistent about going to the gym. I "let go" a little after Thanksgiving and just haven't been able to get back on track. I do this every year at about this time and I kick myself at the beginning of January. It's so much EASIER to stay home & sleep late & just hang out with the kids when they're off school for the holidays, but I decided this morning to break that little habit! When the scale was up SEVEN pounds I knew it was time to get off my lazy rump and get back to the gym! I went for about 40 minutes this morning. I had to get home so we could get ready to head out on a day's worth of errands (& ringing the bell) but I did it! Tomorrow will be a little trickier, but I WILL GO TO THE GYM at some point! I must force myself to break the routine of using the holidays as an excuse to relax & let go completely.

*Random thought #9 - thankfulness
I'm so thankful. There are so many little things (and big things!) in my life that I take for granted. So much that so many others don't have. It overwhelms me to even consider the enormity of what I am blessed with. Good health, happy family, amazing friends, incredible church, running vehicles, electricity, running water, yummy food, clothing, appliances, jobs we enjoy, laughter, love........the list could go on & on & on. Thank you, Lord.

*Random thought #10 - I live in a time warp.
My oldest child will be 16 in the Fall. Where has the time gone? Am I living in some sort of crazy time warp where things speed up in relation to my kids? I found myself passing on sage wisdom to my cousin on Saturday about the fact that she's in a stage of life where she's got 4 small children and every minute of the day is HARD. But I told her 'the days are long but the years are short' and I realized that I've somehow reached that stage of my life where I can hand out those little nuggets of wisdom with honesty. They're not just nice-sounding pat answers to life's hard times. They are truth that I have LIVED and I am astounded that I am here now....another reminder of that weird parenting time warp. Seriously folks, if you have babies in your house, DON'T BLINK. Before you know it, it will be over. Savor every moment. Roll it around in your mouth like a good chocolate that you don't want to eat too quickly. Breathe in deeply. It goes by so fast. Don't wish for the next phase of your toddler's development. Don't make them go back to their bed in the middle of the night. Enjoy those snuggles and even the tantrums. It's all over far too quickly.

*Random thought #11 - Christmas
Christmas is almost here. Betcha didn't realize that. ha ha! Seriously, it amazes me that this day sneaks up on us with such speed every year. It is hard for me to believe that it's only a week away. In fact, it is a week from yesterday! Wow. The countdown begins.

This year, we gave our kids the option of receiving only 3 gifts (like what Jesus received at His birth) or the money we had budgeted to spend on each child. Only 1 of the kids requested the money. {But this mama is far too much of a sap to let her get by without ANYTHING to open on Christmas morning. Shhhh! She doesn't know that yet.} I am excited about what our Christmas morning will look like this year.

*Random thought #12 - Newspaper Job for me?
A few months ago, I began reading a column in our local small town newspaper. It was just a short little article by a local mom, usually things about her family or kids or observations on life & things happening in the world around her. (You know...mommy blogger sort of things!) I really enjoyed reading the column so I emailed to share my praise with the author of the articles. She wrote back, happy to find that she had a 'fan'. We planned to meet sometime for a Coke or a burger, but time slipped by quickly and we only talked a few times through email or on Facebook. She began following my blog (Hi Lisa!) and poking her head in with a comment once in a while. Last week, I emailed her to tell her that I enjoyed her article that day. She responded that she would be moving soon and would miss her column-writing for the paper. I was sad to hear that news. But then she surprised me by saying that maybe *I* should contact the newspaper editor about writing for them....essentially to replace her since they'd now have an opening. I was surprised about that, but decided to email the guy & just see what he thought. I wasn't sure if he would want to fill the spot or not, or if he already had plans for what he'd use in place of her column. I sent him a message & included my blog link so he could get a 'taste' for how I write. Within a couple of hours he wrote back & said he wanted to talk to me! We tried to get together on Thursday, but it didn't work out. Hopefully I will be able to talk to him this week. I have no idea what the pay is, how much time it would require of me, whether or not it's something I can do.....really, I have no details at all. But if it works out, how fun would that be?! Who'd have ever thought? Me--a newspaper columnist! What a blast!

I guess that's all the random thoughts for now. I'm getting sleepy & want to go take a bubble bath. I'll share some more random thoughts tomorrow.

Friday Phone Dump (oops...it's Saturday)

2011-12-17T21:25:00.005-06:00

It's time to empty all the pictures off your cell phone & share them with the world! (well, it was actually time for that yesterday, but I'm running behind....sorry!) When you post yours, link back here & leave me a comment so I can come check out your pictures. Here's my week in pictures.

One day this week, I decorated Christmas cookies with a student. I made this one. Pretty sad, huh? There's a reason why I'm not a baker or cake decorator.

I created an account on this website that everyone was telling me about a few months ago, but I never got "into" it. I didn't spend much time looking at it and just didn't grasp what the big deal was, even though many of my friends were raving about the site. A few weeks ago, Savannah started telling me about things she'd found (crafts & funny pictures) on Pinterest so I decided I better go back & check it out again to make sure it was safe. And whoa....it's like a vortex. How quickly you are sucked in! (or at least I was!!!) Apparently I'm not alone. When I mentioned it being addictive on Facebook, I had about 45 "amen" responses. Have you discovered it yet?

I'm really looking forward to reading this book! It came in the mail this week after I found it for .02 on Amazon! I love cheap books! I've been hearing about this one for a while now. It sounds fabulous! Can't wait to get started on it! (But I must finish the 3 I'm in the middle of now first!)

Savannah had a National Honor Society dinner at a local Italian place this week. Since it was a 20+ minute drive to the place and she only planned to stay about an hour, I couldn't justify driving over there and back home only to turn around & go right back 20 minutes after getting home! So Sarah & I stayed and shared a salad and sandwich.

Remember the Christmas Cookie Swap I organized here on the blog? I got my cookies this week! We're all up to our eyeballs in sugar & yumminess right now! How cute is this box that she delivered the cookies in???

One of my favorite Christmas movies....

Fun Christmas craft with my preschool kiddos at a local church. It's a wreath! Cut the center out of a paper plate & glue on little pieces of multi-colored wrapping paper and tissue paper.

My sweet Sarah, waiting for the Christmas parade to begin last Saturday. (No, we didn't give her that bruise on her cheek! She actually did it to herself. Silly girl. Long story.......)

I'm both a little grossed out and fascinated with watching things decompose in our compost pile. Check out the flattened pumpkins that are residing there now! Pretty freaky, huh?

Sarah's weekly silliness with mom's phone. ha ha! I never know what I'm going to find when I scroll through the pictures at the end of the week.

Sorry. No self-portrait this week. I know you're all horribly sad about that. (grin)

Christmas is a very hard time of year.

2011-12-14T23:19:00.003-06:00

You hear it every year. Christmas is a hard time for so many people. It's true. Think about it. How many people are facing the unthinkable tonight?

A cancer diagnosis.
The husband who says he has been seeing someone else and wants a divorce.
The child who is dying.
The mother who is trapped inside her mind & body after a major stroke.
A prenatal diagnosis that says the baby's condition will mean lifelong care and ongoing therapies, treatments, surgeries and medicine, assuming they survive at all.
Realizing you're addicted and that it's time to get help.
The devastation of a lost job and facing the holidays (and beyond) with no income.
The first anniversary of burying a newborn.
The child who took her own life because life was just too overwhelming.
The teenager who has stumbled down the wrong path & is using drugs.
The wife who is facing life without her soldier husband after the funeral.
The girl who was raped & is too scared to tell anyone. And now she's pregnant.

And yet, all the while the rest of the world is moving around these people, singing & laughing. Somehow when you're faced with things like this, you just can't get into the spirit and smile much. And people just don't 'get it'.

I heard the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" a few days ago and I have this vivid mental image that has plagued me ever since. It was sort of like a music video that played in my head to that song. All I could think of was a man, bundled up in a thick coat & gloves, trudging down a busy sidewalk with people shoving & hurrying on either side of him, wondering why he's walking so slowly. He's doing all he can to just put one foot in front of the other. The grief and loss he's feeling are overwhelming but the rest of the world seems to still be moving, bustling in & out of stores even though his world seems to be standing still. It's everything he can do to contain the emotions welled up inside himself. Why can't all these people see how hard life is for him right now? Why can't they just slow down and pat him on the back or hold his hand for a minute & give him that little squeeze that says "It'll be ok"? How can they all keep moving along when his world is falling apart? For him, it is most definitely NOT 'the most wonderful time of the year'. In fact, if he hears one more Christmas carol, he may punch someone.

I wonder how many people like this we work with every day. I wonder how many of them share a pew with us at church or drive next to us in the school driveway every morning. I wonder how many of them would never dare to talk about the horrors of their private life so they're bearing these burdens alone.

Please, open your eyes. Look around you. People are hurting. Take the time to show them the love of Jesus this Christmas. A little kindness & compassion go a long way. Pay for their meal, open the door for them, hand them a gift card to get groceries, leave a special treat on their doorstep, stop and pray with them, offer to watch their kids so they can get a little time alone to process what's going on. Wrap their Christmas gifts for them. Wash their car, mow their yard, fold their laundry. Give them a hug. Pat them on the back & make eye contact when you tell them how much they mean to you.

Do something.

After all, Christmas is a very hard time for a lot of people.

Friday Phone Dump

2011-12-09T22:12:00.006-06:00

Friday Phone Dump, the time when bloggers everywhere (well, at least the one writing THIS blog!) empty their phones of the week's pictures & take their readers through the week in pictures. Join me! Link back here & then comment so I can go to your site & peek at your pictures. Here's my week!

Last Saturday, Savannah babysat my girlfriend's kids. While they were out playing in the yard, I got a few pictures. It was pretty sweet to see all those silly girls (my own 2 girls included) digging in the dirt, riding in the wheelbarrow and swinging on our swingset. Just about the time your children have outgrown something childlike (digging with spoons & plastic cups), they surprise you by spending half the afternoon doing just that! Perhaps no one ever really outgrows playing in the dirt?

While I watched them play, this little girl came up to visit with me. Really folks, who could possibly say no to this sweet face?

Speaking of girls with sweet faces, this one took a picture or two of herself again this week. ha ha!

On Saturday, while the girls all played on the ground, Samuel climbed the only tree in our yard that has branches low enough to scale them. When I came outside, this was the way I found him standing in the tree. I could hear him thinking "I am the king of the world!" I love my sweet boy!

On Sunday morning, I subbed in the Sunday School class of the Kindergarten kiddos who I co-taught last year when they were 4-5 year olds. Oh how I've missed that crazy bunch of kids! When I first arrived, there was only 1 little girl there yet. She ran over & gave me a big hug & told me how excited she was that I was teaching. (Way to go, sweet girl....you sure made this old lady feel welcomed!!!!) She told me she was my best friend and that she was going to teach with me that day. And then she pulled a quarter out of her purse to pay me for teaching! ha ha! Silly goose! When she said she was my best friend, I got out my phone to take our picture. I really didn't have any intention of doing anything with the picture other than texting it to her parents. Instead, she said "No!!! Put it on Facebook!" ha ha!! I complied with her wishes, and now I'm sharing it with you. I love this kiddo!

It sure has been weird to see these things on my hands this week. I haven't had to wear them much & even on the days I did, the need for them wore off quickly. But it is such a novelty to need gloves in Texas, I figured I better document it.

A friend of mine told me about how she'd discovered this Hazelnut creamer for her coffee this week. She was not a coffee drinker at all, but this creamer had made her want to try coffee just to get to use the creamer....and she described it as tasting like "Christmas in a cup". I don't like coffee, but I knew I'd like the hazelnut flavor since I love the scent and have enjoyed some hazelnut hot chocolate before. So I bought some. And ya know what? Making my own hazelnut hot chocolate at home tonight was heavenly! Thank you for the suggestion, Tara!!

THIS, however was not a suggestion of Tara's. It's my once a year indulgence. I love this stuff on a sandwich with peanut butter! YUM!

This next picture really deserves to be at the top of the page! It's one of my most prized posessions! Yes, I know the cover is falling off of my Bible, but there is a reason I'm sticking with this particular Bible for a little while longer.

Larry gave me this Bible as a gift in 2001. I decided then that it was high time for me to read the Bible straight through, cover to cover. I had heard a sermon by our then pastor that was very convicting and reminded me of the importance of finally making this journey through the Word from Genesis to Revelation. And so it began, reading through the Bible 1-2 chapters at a time. Unfortunately over the years, I have read other books, worked through numerous Bible studies with various friends & church groups and otherwise got distracted from my goal. I've never finished reading STRAIGHT THROUGH. Although I can tell you I've read the majority of my Bible in bits & pieces, here & there through different studies & sermons & seasons when I felt led to read one book or another...but I've never completed a read straight through from beginning to end without stopping or bouncing around. So I'm still plugging away at that goal.

See the maroon ribbon bookmark hanging out at the bottom? THAT is where I am right now. Today I finished Isaiah 48. I know it seems silly. "Just stick with it til you're done!" It's easier said than done. I am such a book hog & lover of other literature that I have a hard time focusing. Probably a little bit of my undiagnosed ADD, but I am DETERMINED. And I want to finish the whole Bible with THIS copy. I already have a new ESV Bible waiting for me to move all my favorite bookmarks over into. And I will! But this one is going to be the one I work through start to finish. And I've picked up speed lately, so I know I WILL finish it!

What? Don't you have a lion sitting in your bathroom windowsill, too?
...and don't you also stare at the back of Santa's head all day at work?

I got a haircut mid-week. It was a long time coming. I took this picture that morning as my "before" shot. No great change...just needed to re-cut my layers that had grown out months ago!

And here's the "after" shot taken the next day.

The Announcement

2011-12-09T12:14:00.002-06:00

Every year, I re-run this post that I wrote in 2003. It sums up my ideas & thoughts about the way Christmas is celebrated in most of the world these days. It's a good reminder (for myself) to focus where I should. I hope you enjoy it.

The Announcement
12/21/03

Eight pounds, one ounce. 19" long. 7:53pm. Born in the manger behind the Inn. Mary & Joseph joyfully welcome baby Jesus into their lives. Please join us in celebrating the newborn babe.

Being a mom, I have always wondered about those birth statistics of the Christ child. Was He an easy baby? Did He eat well? Did He sleep through the night from day one or was He up during the night well into His toddler years? Just what would the birth announcement say if that had been customary in His day? I suspect it would've been a hard one to write. How exactly do you word a card proclaiming that GOD is in the cradle in the bedroom? Can you tell the Son of God that He has to "cry it out"? Is it even feasible to try to feed the Prince of Peace on a schedule? How did He react to His first tooth? Did He potty train early? There are so many questions I'd love to ask Mary when I meet her someday!

Surely raising the One who would bear the sins of the world on the cross was a challenge...or was it? With Christmastime arriving soon, I wonder how Joseph and Mary celebrated Jesus's birthday each year? Did they put up a tree & drape it with lights & tinsel? Did they have a guy dress up in a red suit & bring Him gifts every year? Did they shower Jesus with gifts at all? Did they eat turkey, ham, potatoes & pie? How does Jesus feel when He watches us do this? Whose birthday are we celebrating anyway? Why do we feel the need to write a different birth announcement every year?

What if the story in the gospels read something more like this "Come & celebrate the birth of Jesus with 15 gifts per child. Watch preschoolers throw a tantrum in the line at the mall while waiting to see a fat guy in a red suit. Endure lines with a dozen shoppers waiting impatiently, trampling mobs seeking the very last Hokey Pokey Elmo... binge eat turkey, ham, pumpkin pie & assemble 1/2 a dozen toys at 10:30pm on Christmas Eve so that Junior will be pleased on Christmas morning. Oh and by the way, put a little nativity scene in the corner of the living room if you have time."

Whose birthday is this? This year, let's try & imagine the birth of the man who would shed His blood for us.... let's feel the labor pains of a teenager giving birth in a barn, surrounded by cattle & chickens...let's ponder the birth weight & length of our Savior...let's consider the weight of raising GOD and let's celebrate in a way that honors Him.

Make sure that He is the guest of honor at your birthday celebration this year.

Josh & Amber

2011-12-08T21:48:00.002-06:00

Somewhere back in 2008 (I think?), I ran across a blog by a fellow pastor's wife. I can't remember now how I found it, but I knew right away that I had to get to know this girl. At the time I was a pastor's wife, too. And while many other aspects of our lives were different, something about her 'clicked' with me.

We got to know each other by reading our blogs & commenting & emailing and eventually facebooking. Sooner or later we talked on the phone. We've only done that a few times, but in the past 3-ish years, I've come to love Amber dearly! And her little family blesses my spirit every time I read a blog post about them...or when I see a video of her cute kids singing & dancing....or when I hear her talk about her sweet husband. She's such a kindred spirit in so many ways! We have shared a lot of life. Both of us have felt 'safe' sharing some of the nitty gritty stuff that would be hard to talk to local people about --- those details that you need to tell someone to get an outside opinion on, but you don't want it to get back to anyone. Since we live halfway across the country from each other, that works out perfectly!

A little while back, Josh (Amber's husband) started having some health problems and it was discovered that he has a genetic heart problem that could potentially be fatal. It was serious enough that they warned him, without treatment, he could literally fall over dead one day without any warning. It scared them to death! While I couldn't be there in person, Amber & I "prayed together" via email. The cardiologist & specialists they saw wanted to first try treating Josh with medicines only, but told them he might end up needing surgery to correct the problem later. Well, here we are later. In the past couple of weeks, his heart condition worsened to the point where the doctors said "Come to Cleveland now. You need surgery right away!"

After getting their two young children settled with relatives, they got on a plane & made the trip to Cleveland where they have been since this weekend. Yesterday, Josh (29 years old) was wheeled into open heart surgery. Amber was left to wait & wonder, hope & pray that her beloved would make it safely through surgery. Fortunately, there were prayer warriors lifting them up nationwide and they both felt the comfort of all those warriors hitting their knees to do battle with them.

Josh's surgery was a success! The surgeon told Amber that he ought to see some relief from the problems he was having immediately, but of course he still has to recover from major heart open heart surgery! Fighting to regain his strength, control the pain, cough effectively to clear fluid from his lungs, walk on command when he is hurting & so weak....all those things that go along with a major surgery like this are nearly as tough as going through the surgery itself!

If you'd like to follow their journey as Josh recovers from surgery, feel free to check out Amber's blog HERE. I know she'd be happy to know that more prayer warriors have joined their army. (So please leave her some comment love & let her know you're praying, too!)

Oh Happy Day!

2011-12-05T23:54:00.003-06:00

I've been trying to wrap my brain around something & figure out how to type it here for a few days now. I guess I'm just not sure how to approach it because the last time we had something like this happen, I followed my gut and ended up offending some people & had to remove & edit a post because of it. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I didn't care what those people thought...but I DO care and it bothered me to upset them. So I'm tip-toeing a little bit here and I hope that I handle this better.

If you've been reading here for any length of time at all, you'll know that I have been pretty open about our financial struggles. I try to be transparent here without necessarily giving away any information that could put our safety in jeopardy. Like I've said here (about a million times), I love it when people are real. I hate to see plastic smiles & fakeness. If you're having a crappy day & I ask you how you're doing, please don't say "I'm fine". Tell me what's going on. Let's sit & talk about it. Let's pray together. Let's cry together. Let me be a shoulder for you to lean on. I would much prefer you take up my time and share your reality with me than to walk away carrying your pain & struggles all by yourself. And I guess I just assume that everyone else feels the same way. So I unload a little bit on this blog. If you don't like that, I'm sure you've exited my posts before or you're just not reading here at all. And if that's the case, it's OK. We all have our comfort zones.

But since I know there are some people who have read about our struggles and care about our family, I wanted to update you. This is for those of you who have emailed me or found me on Facebook & sent me inbox messages....those of you who've tiptoed up to my doorstep & left grocery bags full of food or called & said "Are you out of milk? I'm at the store & it's on sale. I'll get you a gallon." ....those of you who've pulled off other sorts of sneakiness to bless our family... and especially for those of you who've been on your knees for us. You know who you are.

It brings me to my knees to even attempt to put all the very hard lessons we've learned in the past 8-9 months into words. They have been deep and amazing and powerful. Struggling, begging for God's help month after month, waiting on Him. Finding myself in His presence, soaking in His word, being pressed by Him to take leaps of faith here & there. There are no words to adequately explain what it means to be that deeply grasped in His hands....held tightly & having my forehead kissed by my Savior...wow.

But God showed up last week & said "Watch this!" Without going into details, we were blessed. God met our needs in a way we never expected. Before I go any further, take a moment to hit "play" on this video, and then scroll down so that you can hear the music...but keep reading.

I can't even express my gratitude at this point -- it's too big. I drove to the grocery store on the night we received this blessing & kept trying to pray but found myself speechless. Being overwhelmed is what the Spirit does best, though. I listened to worship songs, I wiped tears from my cheeks and I said 'thank you' about a thousand times. Truly, I feel like I'm ALIVE AGAIN.

Freedom!

I know that finally getting ahead of the game doesn't mean that life will be easy from here on out. I am finding myself on my face, praising Him, over & over again. I am so excited to be in a position where we can give & help others! THAT is truly what this season is about and we are giddy to be able to do that a little this year instead of worrying about what we'll feed the kids on Christmas Day. To be able to put a little money into savings instead of worrying about whether or not the account is "too overdrawn" to put gas in the van. I am thrilled & stand in awe of Him today. How great is our God?

Isaiah 43:9 says "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

Oh those streams in the desert wasteland! My parched soul is quenched....my heart is fluttering...God is doing a new thing in me! Oh happy day!

Friday Phone Dump

2011-12-02T23:28:00.004-06:00

Time to dump out your cell phone on your blog & show us all your pictures! Link back here & leave me a comment so I can come see all your pictures. Here's my week.

Awww...the love between them melts my heart.

Oh how I love my sweet "street children" (all the kids who live on my street). I posted on Facebook something silly earlier this week. I said "Here's a fun game. Whoever brings me a Dr. Pepper first wins!" And one of my sweet teen friends from our street showed up at my door with this & a big hug! Awwwwwwww!!!

While waiting in the high school driveway to pick up Savannah one day this week, we spotted a truck with a dog's head poked out the window. I guess Samuel thought it was funny or maybe he was trying to communicate with the dog?

Oh yes, I did drive the kids to school like this. Those are my Betty Boop PJ pants & my black dress shoes. I'm such a fashionista.

With this nice balmy Spring weather that we're having every day by 10:00am, you'd never know that our mornings start like this.

And for this week's self portrait.... sometimes you've just got to capture the good hair day in a picture. Even if you're wearing your pajamas.

What are you into?

2011-12-01T22:38:00.002-06:00

I'm copying something Missy at It's Almost Naptime did today, called, "What I'm Into". I love these kind of mindless, fun, "survey" sort of blog memes. (Does anyone really know what a meme is? I had never heard that word before I entered the blogosphere!)

On my nightstand:
Books, books & more books! At the moment I have an awesome ESV Bible, a couple of Sudoku & Logic puzzle books, The Resolution for women, Captivating, If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat, some Burt's Bees, some vanilla scented beeswax, 3 things of lotion...no, make that 4, a framed picture of Larry, a lamp & my gratefulness journal. (and there are 2 more books in my van that I take to the gym)

Hmm...looking at it like that, maybe it's time to clean off the ol' nightstand. ha ha!

Movies I've Seen:
Nothing recently. But I'm getting excited about our annual Christmas day family movie trip! We always see something together on Christmas. I have no idea what we'll see this year.

TV:
About the only thing I really like to watch for myself is HGTV real estate programs. I love House Hunters & Property Virgins best. In my next life, I'm gonna be a realtor. It seems like such a fun job.

In my ears:
Nothing right this moment. It's quiet in the house. I love this time of the day when I'm the only one awake.

But earlier tonight, I had some serious worship/revival service going on in the van while I listened to Matt Maher's CD. This song had me singing loud before I even got to the edge of town!

and this one sure made me squeal & dance (yeah...while driving. It's an artform.)

In my kitchen:
A table...which is almost always covered in stuff. Our kitchen is layed out weird & we aren't able to all sit around the table for meals, so it's really more of a workspace/desktop. I hate that. One day when I'm rich, I'm going to buy/build a house with either a big kitchen or a dining room so that we can eat meals together!
A fridge...full of a week's worth of groceries! I just went shopping tonight!
An oven, stovetop, sink, dishwasher, microwave & all the other usual stuff.

Looking forward to:
Christmas break! I know we just got off the Thanksgiving break, but it just makes me look forward to the next break! I know...I'm spoiled.

What about you, folks? What are you into?

It's not too late to join in!

2011-11-29T21:11:00.001-06:00

If you were thinking about joining us for the Christmas Cookie Swap, but haven't signed up yet, it's not too late! I'll be pairing up swap buddies on Thursday, so check out THIS post & follow the instructions to join in! And feel free to share it on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc.

Friday Phone Dump...one day late

2011-11-26T23:40:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was crazy & I never had a chance to do my Friday Phone Dump post, so here goes! When you're done looking at my pictures, go over to your own blog & dump all your pictures from your phone for the past week & let us see them. Link back here & comment so I can go look at your pictures, too! Here's my week in pictures.

Sometimes we all need a reminder.

Last weekend, Sarah went to a sleepover at a friend's house. She came home mid-morning, ate lunch and then sat down to watch some TV. It dawned on me about 1/2 an hour later that she was watching some reality show about women in prison. So I went to check on her & found her like this in Larry's recliner. Even at nearly 11 years old, I love to watch her sleep. So sweet!

Samuel was on a campout with his Scout troop last weekend. When I went into his room & looked in his backpack for papers he needed to complete for school, I opened his binder & found these papers. They were all neatly written (his handwriting is usually very poor---thank you, Concerta!) and the words were so sweet. I had my phone in the room with me, so I pulled it out & snapped some pictures. You may want to click on each one & make it bigger so you can read it all.

"The lords Greatest creation is you all of us every last human on earth."

"The only opinon that matters is His. Lord God"

"The Lord will always love you for he made you. His opinyon is the only one that matters."

"For god is first And I am last I do all Things through him. King of Kinds, lord of lords, Chist, Jesus, Savor, King, Mesya, Creator, Unseen, lord all mighty"

"Jesus Is my super Hero"

There are times when Samuel makes me wonder if he's not going to be our boundary-pusher as a teenager, the one we will have to really watch & worry about him hanging out with a 'bad crowd'. And then there are days when I find things like this in his binder. He wrote this all by himself at school one day, with no provocation from Larry & I or his teachers at church. And when I see things like this, I think to myself, he's going to be alright. So proud of him!

Wipe your tears & get back to the rest of the pictures with me.

Getting ready for work (hair & make up) in the dark when the power goes out is so much fun. Putting on make up with a tiny hand mirror by the window is a real treat. HA! Of course, I tried to avoid mirrors once I arrived at work where the power was on. There's no telling how clown-y I looked that day! ha ha!

On the way home from Larry's family Thanksgiving get together this week, we stopped at the same gas station we always do. I have teased Larry about taking me to the "classy" gas station so I had to take a picture of this to show him. In the ladies' bathroom, this mirror is over the sink. Mind you, the sink is on the left side of this mirror, so there's no way you could see yourself in the mirror while standing at the sink, thanks to the 2 foot tall Coors can. And to add to the class, the same mirror is cracked all the way down the right end. I'm telling you....it's a fine establishment. (giggle!) And I didn't even get a picture of the (ahem) bubble gum machine on the wall to the right of the mirror. Oh yes, there really is...in the ladies' bathroom.

As soon as Thanksgiving was over, the tree went up! It's Christmas at my house now!

And for the weekly self-portrait, here ya go!

Have a great week!

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

2011-11-25T21:30:00.010-06:00

Years ago when I first became a full time stay at home mom, my husband admitted to me that he was struggling with a little jealousy at his workplace. Many of the other men were getting new trucks. One guy got one & then the chain reaction started. One by one, nearly every guy on staff got a new truck! With us living on just one income, it wasn't possible for us. And to be honest, the truck he had was perfectly fine. But seeing all those shiny new trucks made him want one!

Many years & lots of maturity later, we are both so glad that he didn't get a new truck back then. We understand now that a new truck would have meant a higher payment, higher insurance premiums, and in that situation, a higher gas bill because those trucks were larger & had bigger engines & bigger gas tanks!

All these years later, I've found myself struggling with a touch of the green-eyed monster lately. I am not typically a jealous person. I find great pleasure in seeking out ways to save money and have not ever spent a great deal of time sitting around, feeling sorry for myself about things we don't have. The truth is, we have plenty. Everyone is clothed & fed and we have a roof over our heads. What more do we need? (nothing!)
But lately, I've found myself rolling around in some miry muck at the bottom of a nasty pit of envy & jealousy.

You know the "one up" game? The one where you compare your life or accomplishments with another person's & try to "one up" them by listing your 1-step-better-than-theirs achievements? I've been doing that. But it's like a twisted reverse version ... more like "Are you as poor as I am?". Someone will mention being broke & I find myself rolling my eyes & thinking "I bet I'm more broke than you are. I bet I have fewer dollars in my bank account than you. I bet I have to make do with less gas, less food, less clothing, less whatever than you. You don't have it as bad as me."

When friends talked about going to Black Friday sales this morning, buying electronics and other items, I couldn't help but think poorly of them. As if their savings, their good spending habits, their higher incomes (& good deals!) were meant to hurt & offend me.

A friend privately mentioned her husband's annual income recently & I secretly got mad about it. This is a girlfriend who has shared before how little they make and their struggle to make ends meet. And now this? Her husband's salary alone is more than Larry & I make combined! But they live in a different part of the country where the cost of living is different, so they may very well feel just as strapped as we do based on their cost of living.

What in the world is wrong with me?? Why am I so concerned with how broke I am & how much everyone else (at least in my mind) has? Geez Louise! I've spent much of my day rolling that around in my head & wondering why I have felt this way lately & it all comes down to one thing.

Envy. Greed. Selfishness.

I realize those are buzz words at this time of year when so many people have a bad case of the "gimmes". The truth is, I can't name ONE SINGLE ITEM that I want (or need) for Christmas. In fact, my only woe this year is the fact that I can't afford to GIVE more. Not to fill stockings or pile presents under our own tree, but to help other people. I would love to be able to hand out cash to every Salvation Army bell ringer... and to give to every love offering, every charity, every missionary I would like to support.... to begin sponsoring a child in several countries... to get a handful of angels off the angel trees we see locally & send them gifts... to be able to help a single mom or a poor family. Not having money to spare to help other people bums me out far more than not having extra money to pile more crap into my kids' closets.

But somehow hearing how much other people are spending on their children's Christmas gifts or their Black Friday purchases has bothered me today. Maybe on some level, it's noble in some weird, screwed up way because I see such waste in those 3 AM purchases. How many children could've been sponsored for the cost of that Playstation? How many Bibles could we have sent to the mission field with the cost of that TV? But really...it's just selfishness. I want to have some money to waste, too!

Or I THINK I do anyway.

The truth is, God has been showering me with Scriptures and reminders of what He really wants for me all day. They've shown up in the craziest places. But isn't that just like God to make sure I see them by placing them strategically throughout my day? Early this morning, a friend posted this one as her status on Facebook.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

And that one reminded me of this Scripture by Paul in Philippians chapter 4.

¹⁰ How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. ¹⁵ As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. ¹⁶ Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. ¹⁷ I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. ¹⁸ At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

²⁰ Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.

A website I was looking at had this picture.

While driving to the grocery store tonight, I passed a neighborhood where a girlfriend lives & something she said 3-4 years ago replayed in my mind. She was telling me how convicted she was about complaining about her awful job at the time. She said,

"God has told me that He's not going to give me something better until I'm thankful for what I have! Until I can drop to my knees every morning & praise Him for giving me this horrible job, and truly mean it!, He is not going to move mountains or change the tides on my behalf!"

While sitting here writing this post, the Casting Crowns song "Praise You in this Storm" has played through my mind over & over. Especially this part.

I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining As the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you" And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away
[Chorus] And I'll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm

Tonight I can't help but fall on my face before Him. To ask forgiveness. To praise Him.

To thank Him for my very life, for my family, for my friends, for Scripture, for provision of our every need, for reminders all around me to focus on Him & be content with what I have. And for this struggle.

Lord, help me thank you for the fight to survive each month. For the negative numbers on the bank website. For the tough, hard stuff. For every lesson You're teaching me the hard way, because I obviously don't listen when You try to show me any other way.

Jesus, make me hungry....but ONLY for you! Remind me that you, ONLY you, can truly satisfy me. Drop me to my knees again & again. It's only there that I can truly see the things I have & there that I lose sight of what others have. It's there that you show me you are ALL I need.

He's good.

2011-11-22T21:22:00.002-06:00

It's near the end of the month & as some of you know, that means it's crunch time for us financially. And I don't just mean we might bounce a check or two (or ten). Sigh.

Last night, when I crawled into bed, I had just checked the bank account online. I was frustrated. But I talked to God about it & determined that worry and sitting around thinking about it would do me *no good*, so I just let it go & tried to put it into the hands of God for the night. I started thinking of Scriptures in relation to our situation, mostly trying to think of ones about worry & trusting God. The old stand-by (Proverbs 3:5-6) came to mind. It says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." In other words, don't try to figure it out yourself, lean on Him for guidance & let Him handle it. But beyond that verse, I couldn't think of anything else. I was tired, so I went to sleep.

All throughout the night, literally every 45 minutes to an hour, I was awakened. I needed to go potty a few times, but some of the times I just woke up for no apparent reason. And funny thing...every single time, God put a particular Bible verse in my mind. I couldn't think of where it was located exactly or even all of the words! All I could remember was "God will give exceedingly & abundantly..." I took great comfort in feeling like He was trying to convey to me that He was going to go over & above our needs, that He would provide abundantly & to rest in that.

This morning I decided that I'd look it up today & figure out the rest of the verse to see what it was really about. Tonight I looked it up & the whole second half of the chapter really has to be read to get the full effect. Here it is, from Ephesians 3.

¹⁴For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

¹⁶That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

²⁰Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

²¹Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

Amen.

Gonna keep the list going...

2011-11-19T23:11:00.003-06:00

In the spring of this year, I discovered this book, along with about 5 million other people. At the time, it was almost like every single woman I knew was reading it. One of my BFFs began a book club at her house for some friends to get together & discuss the book weekly. I joined in because I love to read & I love her.
But, I will be honest. It was hard to read. Not because the topic was 'hard to swallow' but because the author's writing style was very, very difficult for me. It was sort of like asking a 1st grader to read Shakespeare. In the dark. Written in Latin. While doing jumping jacks. On a bed of nails. While dodging flaming arrows. While blindfolded.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was very hard for me. Her fancy writing style made it hard for me to enjoy reading the book. After about 4 or 5 chapters, I gave up on reading the book because it became a chore. To sit down & do mental gymnastics to get through each chapter about the beauty of the soap bubbles in her sink and photography of plates full of grated cheese just wasn't on my agenda at the time. It was a very busy season of the year and I just couldn't stick with it.

But somehow, I loved the book anyway.

Although her style was hard for me, there are so many gems throughout the book. Amazing quotes, deep thoughts, heart-pounding visions of what a life filled with thankfulness really looks like. There are so many things I underlined & highlighted in those first several chapters that even now, all these months later, I'm still digesting them.

The point of the entire book is living a life of gratitude. Seeking out things that you can thank God for, looking for reasons to be grateful even in the most awful circumstances in life. The author encourages readers to get a little pad of paper, a small notebook, a blank journal... whatever....and begin making a list of the blessings in life. When you know that your goal is to reach 1000 items on your list, you start seeing things in a different light. All the sudden, you realize how amazing the lightbulbs that haven't burnt out are....how fascinating the sunbeams coming through the windows can be....how happy you are to have electricity & running water & a roof over your head. Every little thing becomes an object of beauty.

While reading the book, I bought a little spiral notebook & began my list. I reached #307 before I ~~lost the notebook in the piles of crap on my desk~~ filed it away to pick up & work on later.

Over the course of the past month, most of the Facebook world has participated in an annual ritual where we post once a day about something we're thankful for. And then I recently re-discovered a friend's blog where she has kept a running list of things she's grateful for since reading this book. She's long past 1000 items on her list.

I've realized how much joy it brings me to find those little things to be thankful for because, let's just be honest, I've had a lot to cry & whine about in the past year of very hard financial times. I could gripe about having to hold down 5 jobs right now, or I could thank God for providing the opportunities to work & provide for my family when so many are without work. It's all in how you look at things, ya know. Intentionally refocusing my heart & mind on things I can be thankful for has been a chore at times, but when I get my eyes in the right place (on Him!) the peace & comfort He gives astounds me.

Today I ~~cleaned off my desk for the first time in months~~ removed the little notebook from where I had filed it and flipped through the pages. It warms my heart to see all the things I thanked God for a few months ago -- things that I have since taken forgranted. I am anxious to get back to keeping my list. My hope is to go far beyond 1000 items like my friend has.

Just a random sampling of items from my list:

#2 ice cold Coke
#17 air conditioning & heat
#18 ceiling fans for my hot-natured family members
#20 dancing--watching with amazement
#24 the scent of Gain laundry detergent
#40 the scent baking apple bread
#46 bookshelves full of books
#53 a free TV that has lasted for years
#60 bubble baths
#66 quilts falling apart from years of wear
#88 the USPS
#91 honesty in our LIFE group
#103 soft pillows on my bed
#110 rain
#116 singing along with the radio & messing up the lyrics
#121 lifelong friends
#133 open conversations with my kids
#147 footrubs from the kids
#156 workout buddy that keeps me accountable
#161 watching friends fall in love & grow
#166 Sarah sitting on the porch, watching the rain
#186 Tim Hawkins comedy
#201 "sticky" babies in our family
#207 Immodium A.D. (ha ha....I wonder if anyone's gotten this far on reading my list)
#219 Larry's chances to fill the pulpit again
#245 clean dishes
#253 Sudoku
#267 school provided band instruments
#273 wheelchairs & happy smiles from the little boy riding in it
#299 pictures (memories!)
#302 watching Tara take pictures -- such a sweet blessing
#304 Activia yogurt

Friday Phone Dump

2011-11-18T22:42:00.006-06:00

It's that time of the week again: time to dump out all your cell phone pictures on your blog. Link back here & let me know in the comments so I can come peek at your pictures. Here's my week!

On Wednesday night, one of the kiddos I was watching got a little crazy with the Cross cookie cutter. I think we had about a dozen purple crosses lined up on the table before he was done.

I will never understand boy brains. One night last week after Samuel's shower, I went into the bathroom & found an empty applesauce cup in the trash next to the toilet. Nice huh? Everyone eats a snack on the toilet, right?

Speaking of snacks, I saw this in the grocery store tonight. Digestive Wheat Biscuits. Doesn't that sound tasty? (gag)

We've had rain several times this week, so I've been burning my candles a lot. I love to burn them for the scent, but when it's rainy, I'm always wondering if my electricity will go out & I will need the candle for light. I am SO happy to support a ministry of my girlfriend, Mandy. She makes these candles & the profits go to for the silent. Don't know what that is? Click HERE to find out. Like the candle? Go to Facebook & search for Shine Your Light candles.

See? I told you it rained! (I'm a little obsessed with cool-looking clouds.)

Some of Sarah's weekly photography practice. (These are her favorite shoes!)

...and this is her goofy attempt at looking like a hippie by using her headband & making a 70s look. ha ha!

Pumpkin oatmeal. Plain oatmeal + a couple spoonfuls of canned pumpkin + a little butter & raw sugar = YUM!!!

One of the highlights of my week! One of my very bestest girlfriends gave me this Bible for my birthday! I was totally WOWed by it! It's my first ESV!!! I haven't had a chance to really delve into it yet, but I know it will be awesome. I may still carry my NIV Life Applications Study Bible to church, but this one will be my word study/compare versions/cross-reference tool. No doubt it time, it will become my go-to-church & use-it-all-the-time Bible as well because my NIV is quickly falling apart!

Remember how I told you last week that we had started Samuel on ADHD medicine? I had to brag on him. This is the cleanest I've seen his room in a couple of years! Wow! Way to go, buddy! Seriously, I don't think I've been able to see this much of his carpet since we moved into this house in 2005!!

And for this week's self-portrait....you know those women who can roll right out of bed & without doing their hair or make up, they look amazing?

Yeah....I'm not one of them.

What a difference 10 minutes, a little make up & a curling iron can make. Thank goodness for modern inventions.

Lead me home.

2011-11-14T22:21:00.002-06:00

This morning before we left to get everyone to school, the kids ran out of time & no one had a chance to go out & feed and water Daisy, our basset hound. This happens frequently and when it does, I know the job is mine when I get back home from driving them. This morning, however, I went to clean a coworker's home before I came back home.

Upon arriving back home a little more than an hour later, I walked to the front door prepared to grab the keys to the shed (where the dog food is stored) and head to the backyard. But before I made it to the front door, my very frightened, nervous & shaken looking Daisy ran up to greet me on our porch. She was obviously very antsy. I knew something was up & she was scared. Immediately, I wondered HOW she got out of our fence in the backyard. She's NEVER been outside the fence by herself. My mind immediately whirled with thoughts of "How did she get out? How long has she been out? Is she hurt? Did someone bring her back home?"

I went to the backyard with her & found that one of the gates to the yard was opened just a tiny bit --- just wide enough for her to get out. I realized then that it must've been left ajar last night. And since no one went out to check on Daisy this morning, I worried that perhaps she got out sometime last night and could've been wandering all night long! Or maybe she got out just minutes before I got home and had not gone far? Our next door neighbor said that he had seen Daisy in his backyard this morning, so perhaps she only made it that far & then panicked because she couldn't figure out how to get back INTO our yard. Once she found her mommy on the front porch & was safely returned to her yard, she curled up in her doghouse & went to sleep....I'm sure exhausted from her scary little adventure, whether it lasted 15 minutes or 8 hours!

Later today, as I thought about her whirlwind morning, I realized how much I desire to be like Daisy. She realized she was in trouble & ran to me for help. And it was only after everything was back to normal, when she was returned to the place she knew was safe, that she was able to rest. I want to always remember to run to God, frantic for the safety of His shelter. How often do we seek Him with a sense of urgency, a worried look on our face as we RUN to His arms? Do we hunger for His word & run to the foot of the Cross?

Lord, lead me to the Cross again & again.

Lyrics:
Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

Chorus
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
Te word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

chorus

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Friday Phone Dump (oops...it's Saturday)

2011-11-12T21:31:00.005-06:00

Last night I was soooo sleepy I couldn't stay awake long enough to do my usual Friday Phone Dump post. So even though this is technically a Saturday phone dump, here we go!

If you choose to participate on your blog, link back here & let me know in the comments so I can take a peek at your pictures! Here is my week in pictures from my cell phone.

Several days ago on Facebook, a girlfriend posted that she was reading a book that sounded really good. I commented that I should add it to my reading list & asked about borrowing her copy. A couple of our friends commented about it as well & I was certain it would be a good one. Guess what? Wednesday was my birthday & that very same book showed up on my doorstep with an anonymous card. I know it must've been one of those sweet ladies I was discussing the book with, but I don't know which one. And I love that!!!! Sweet girlfriend surprises are the BEST! Thank you girls!!

And speaking of Wednesday being my birthday....I don't count calories on my birthday!

Larry brought me this AMAZING burger from Burger King for lunch. Maybe it's because I don't eat fast food burgers very often, but this thing was soooo good. It was one of their new Chef's Choice bacon cheeseburgers. I sat there eating it at work, wondering how long it would be before my boss asked me to leave the building because I think I Mmmmmmmm'd a few hundred times while I was eating it. Wow. I totally recommend you try one!

And I don't buy Ben & Jerry's very often (too expensive!!) but my birthday was a special occasion. This stuff was fabulous!

Wednesday night when I picked up Samuel from youth group, this is where I found him. I love that he looks forward to going every week. He enjoys hanging out & getting to know the older kids. And hey, what 11 yr old boy wouldn't love getting to play foosball at church? (I have no idea if I spelled foosball right.)

After a day of not counting calories I was back at the gym first thing Thursday morning. I tried this bike that day. It's a seated bike where you pedal out in front of you rather than a regular style stationary bike. I had to laugh at these handle bars, though. If you were to lean forward & hold onto them, you'd hit your wrists with your knees every time you pedal. I'm a short-legged girl (I'm only 5' 3.5") and look at how close my knees came to those handle bars. What on earth would a 6ft man do if he wanted to hold those handles?

On Thursday, Savannah was doing a little work at the church office for one of the pastors & was only going to be there for about an hour. We had to kill some time, because it didn't make sense to drive home & then turn around & come right back, so Samuel, Sarah & I went to get a snack at Smashburger. (Their fried pickles are the BEST anywhere!)

Of course, Sarah grabbed my phone & instructed me to lean in toward her. She then told me how to pose in each picture. First we have the happy picture. Just your usual smiles...

...then the silly face one....

...and then the mug shot. ha ha ha ha! (Don't we look menacing?)

And then we noticed how bright the sun was & shadow pictures followed. But this is the only one that turned out. Sarah wanted me to get a picture of her tongue's shadow. HA! Do you see it? She's sticking it out!

On Friday, I was able to go to Sarah's school after I got off work. They were having their annual American Diabetes Association walk. I walked with Sarah & her buddy Madison. Those are two very silly little girls. They kept me giggling the whole time.

See? I really was there. Of course, the sun was SO bright I couldn't really look at the camera.

I found it interesting that suddenly in the last few days, we have lots of these strange things on our ground. I hear people saying that they're leaves. Hmm....hard to believe that when it's still as warm as it is 5 out of every 7 days! I thought that leaves only fell from the trees during the season of Fall. Does this mean that Fall weather is coming soon? My fingers are crossed!

I love my new background on my computer!

Give me a cold Dr. Pepper, a package of sharpened pencils & one of these books and leave me alone a few hours. I love these things!

And it wouldn't be a Friday Phone Dump post without a few embarrassing self portraits.

First we have the kissy face....taken for a friend who was having a bad day. I sent her some hugs & kisses via text message. It worked. She got a smile out of it.

Then we have the driving myself to work self portrait. Don't worry. I wasn't moving when I took this. I was trying to get a picture of me in my glasses for a friend who wanted to see them. Yes, I wear glasses when I drive. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see the stop sign I was stopped at when I took this picture. I'm terribly near-sighted.

And last but certainly not any less embarassing, we have the no make up, haven't had enough sleep in days, end of the day of sitting in my yard running a yard sale look. So delightful.

Christmas Cookie Swap

2011-11-11T08:52:00.003-06:00

I'm hosting a Christmas Cookie swap this year & it's time for you to sign up! Who doesn't love Christmas cookies?

Here's how it works:
*Follow the directions below about where to email me & what info I need from you.
*I will draw names & match up swap partners on December 1st.
*You bake or buy cookies to fit what your swap partner likes & mail the cookies by December 10th. Get the kids involved & have fun being creative! (You can pack them in ziploc bags or containers & bubble-wrap or use shipping peanuts.)
*If you choose to throw in some extra holiday cheer (a card, an ornament, whatever!) that's up to you, but totally optional.

It's a lot of fun! Spread the word --- post on your blog, post to Facebook, link back here on Twitter, email the info to your friends! The more people participating, the more fun this will be!

Send the following information to me at Lizreeves2@aol.com with the subject line "Christmas Cookie Swap".

Name:
Mailing address:
Email address:
Allergies or types of cookies you DON'T like:
Favorite kind of Christmas cookie (or just any kind of cookie):
Any info you would like your swap partner to know:

Five Question Friday

2011-11-11T08:12:00.002-06:00

1. What's the last thing you spent too much money on?
I can't think of anything at the moment. We've been in a super-conservative mode for a long while, so we haven't had many splurges in a while.

2. What celeb chef would you want to make you dinner?
I'm gonna go with Rachel Ray. But does she could as a "chef"?

3. Where do you hide things when visitors pop over or do you let them see the real deal?
First, I'm giggling. I can tell the author of these questions is not from the south. We'd never say something "popped over". I think of popcorn & things popping out of the toaster when I read that. LOL!

Second, it depends who the visitor is. Some of my friends/family see the truth....and love me anyway. If it's someone who I don't want to see things, I usually meet them in the yard & talk in the sunshine vs inviting them in.

4. Who is your oldest living family member?
Larry's Aunt Edna

5. What is your favorite DQ treat and/or Sonic drink combo (ie: cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper)?
During the summer, I love to order a coconut lime slush from Sonic. It's like summer in a cup! Yum!
Samuel, on the other hand, loves to weird me out by ordering a coke with 4 or 5 flavors in it. I've had to limit him to only 3 flavors and he MUST drink it --- no matter how gross it tastes! His weirdest one was a Chocolate Lemon Coke. :::shudders:::

Updates on Us

2011-11-10T22:32:00.000-06:00

Let's see....where to begin?

Larry has taken a 2nd job (God bless that man!) to help make ends meet. He's doing part-time security work for the police department at a college about 30 miles away. While we had never hoped or expected to have him get a job that required wearing his bullet-proof vest, handcuffs & gun belt again, life sometimes requires us to do things we never expected. Going back to patrol duty was not even on our radar, but about 3 weeks ago a friend of his mentioned that they might be hiring. Since he was looking for a part-time job to bring in some extra moo-la, he checked it out & voila...he's got a 2nd job. It will mean missing some family things now and then, but we take comfort in knowing that it's just for a season.

Savannah (15, 10th grade) is reaching an age where she is being forced realize that she is different from many of her friends. She's always been very intelligent & more mature in some ways than many of her friends. These, unfortunately, are not necessarily traits that high schoolers admire & respect. She is her own brand of quirky & sweet, hyper-focused on schoolwork, reading, writing, her walk with Christ and other pretty 'grown up' things. She's becoming more & more aware that just about everyone else is more concerned with looks, boyfriends/girlfriends, parties, fitting in, fashion and other typical high school things. We talked about it at length last week. I reminded her that high school is a difficult time for most kids. Kids like her don't have lots of friends sometimes, but as high school ends & college begins, the focus shifts & kids grow up. They'll realize that they must buckle down & get to work on grades and thinking about the future. Savannah will be a step ahead of those kids when that time comes. Mr. Wonderful (and all the friends she would love to have now) will show up in her life and things will change. {Don't get me wrong. She has some friends now, but feels like many of them think she is weird or odd or whatever. Thank you, God, for those who are true friends and love her for who she is right now -- beautiful & wonderful & quirky & silly!}

After many years of wondering whether Samuel has ADD/ADHD, we had him tested last month. We were right! It was determined that he has ADHD-Inattentive Type. He began taking a super low dose of Concerta last weekend. So far, he's having no side effects, but we're not really seeing any effects of the medicine yet either. The doctor started him out on a dosage about 2 levels too low for his weight just to watch him & make sure he didn't have side effects. He was clear that we would very likely bump his dosage up a little bit after we determined whether or not he would have any side effects, so next week when we go back to the doctor, I fully suspect we will leave with a new prescription. Otherwise, Samuel is doing great! He's on the verge of moving up another rank in Boy Scouts & that tickles him to death!

Sarah is continuing to grow like a weed. She's a busy 5th grader these days. Tomorrow morning Larry will go to her school for their annual Veteran's Day program while I'm at work. Then in the afternoon, I will go to her school for an hour of walking with her during her PE class for their American Diabetes Association walk. She has announced to us that she wants to be in band next year when she's in 6th grade. We are crossing our fingers that she can play the French Horn like Savannah. Wouldn't it be fun to have 2 French Horn players in the family? (Do you hear Christmas concerts in your head, too??!!)

And lastly, there's me. As the holiday season fast approaches, I have begun my annual Christmas shopping & budgeting. We took our our annual loan to buy all the gifts last week & I've already made a couple of online purchases for FAR less money than I expected to spend. Yay me! I'm considering doing photo cards this year if I can budget my gift-buying money well. I've always wanted to do those, but we can never seem to get it together & find ones that we can afford --- or rather that I'm willing to pay the price they want for. Maybe I can find a template online & create our own this year? Hmm.....

It's 10:30pm and my eyeballs are drifting south, so it's time for this blogger to say goodnight.

36 Facts for my 36th Birthday

2011-11-09T21:20:00.005-06:00

Every year on my birthday I write a post with random facts about me, according to the number of years old I am. Tonight I'm switching that around a little and will still share with you 36 random things. They will be facts about me, my favorite Scriptures, some favorite videos, links to sites I love and more. Come, sit back & waste some time with me. Consider it your birthday gift to me.

#1 Someone recently sent me this link. It's a goofy game that I thought I'd hate, but it's soooo addictive. Yeah....you'll hate me later.

#2 Considering #1, you probably already know this, but I love logic puzzles & sudoku. At work, I have books like this that I work on every single day during lunch.

#3 My all time favorite movie is Grease. This is my favorite scene. You know, it all it's slutty, promiscuous glory. Sorry folks....cover your kids' eyes.

...and here's something fun. They did a reunion concert in 2002 & how cute is this?

#4 My all time favorite TV show is Friends. Here are a couple of my favorite scenes.

These won't embed for some reason, but you can go to these links to watch them: http://youtu.be/87z7YiNWUBU
and
http://youtu.be/iGoC8FTLKSI

#5 I love romantic comedies but in the past few years, I've come to love all the faith-based movies. Facing the Giants, Fireproof, The Grace Card, etc. I cry all the way through this movie every time I see it! (and I'm not even a football fan)

#6 Nearly 2 years ago, someone shared this blog with me. The mom who writes the blog had just delivered a 'surprise' baby. She knew she was pregnant, but the baby's diagnosis was a surprise. Her blog is a breath of fresh air every single time I read it. You can't help but fall in love with Kelle's family!

#7 I love Facebook. It's so much fun!

#8 I actually watch Good Luck Charlie when my kids aren't home. It's sort of Disney channel's 2011 version of the Cosby show -- funny, 'safe', good lessons, family show.

#9 My favorite hymn is "It is Well". A couple of years ago, Jars of Clay did a contemporary version of it. I love it!

#10 Savannah's middle name was taken from a Jimmy Buffett song.

#11 Samuel's middle name came from the Bible.

#12 Sarah's middle name was chosen to keep with the initials we had chosen for the older 2 kids. We wanted to keep the pattern going. Funny how different the process was for choosing their names.

#13 I am not the least bit superstitious.

#14 Today one of my students at work made me a card out of construction paper & scissors & markers. I couldn't love her more. I melt at the sight of crayons & construction paper....especially when it's used to show me your love.

#15 I think every married couple should read this book. Early in their marriage, before troublesome times come. I can't tell you how many copies I've given out & how many times I've recommended it. (Seriously, if you're married & haven't read it, go buy it NOW!)

#16 And THIS is my parenting Bible.

#17 This is the book that made me start enjoying fiction again. And I am forever grateful that I read it. It's my all-time favorite book!

#18 If I am looking for warm, gooey comfort food, I will reach for Stouffer's frozen mac & cheese every time. OH MY GOSH. It's soooooooo good. It has about 650 bazillion calories & is VERY fattening. But Lord, have mercy. Drool!

#19 My favorite Scripture changes from day to day, but a few of my favorites are Gal. 6:9, Isaiah 40:31, Romans 8:28-39, Gen. 15:1, Prov. 3:5-6. There are a million others, but those come to mind most readily.

#20 I am currently part way through Angie Smith's book "What Women Fear" and I'm part-way through this week's People magazine. That's balanced reading, right? (grin)

#21 Speaking of Angie Smith, if you don't know who she is, you should. Get to know her on her blog.

#22 Savannah was born with a birth defect. We didn't know it until she was about 18 months old & her eyes began to cross uncontrollably. She was diagnosed with a pretty serious case of Strabismus. She went through 4 surgeries to correct it & wore bifocals for 5 years before she was declared 'healed'. These days, you'd never know she ever had a problem and unless you're an eye doctor (or her mama!) you can't tell by looking at her eyes that she ever had surgery. We are forever grateful to her amazing opthamologist.

#23 I use this website pretty often to create graphics for this blog.

#24 Some of my favorite speakers include Beth Moore, Louie Giglio, Patsy Clairmont, Francis Chan, Marilyn Meberg, Sheila Walsh, Terry Cadwell, my sweet husband and so many others!

****I am getting sleepy, so this list is going to quickly get finished up!****

#25 If I had a super power, it would be to fly.

#26 I don't care one way or the other about Pinterest. I know that's not exactly the coolest or most girlie opinion these days, but there ya go. (Of course, I've never claimed to be the coolest or most girlie!) I've tried it. It just doesn't reel me in like all my friends are saying happens every time they look at the site.

#27 If anyone ever invents the magic pill that makes me skinny, healthy & buff, I will totally sell my left arm to get it.

#28 I can never get enough of listening to Paul Baloche, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin & Nichole Nordeman.

#29 I was the yearbook editor in High School. And I loved it. No matter how nerdy that made me.

#30 But I thought band kids were geeks. Then I married one.

#31 When I first wrote this, I somehow missed typing #31. I'm not sure how, but thank you to Chris L. who pointed it out to me. Now, there's no random fact here, but I do indeed have all 36 points now. :)

#32 I drink tons of water every day. Except for about 1 day a week when I guzzle Dr. Peppers one after another all day.

#33 Yeah, add me to the list of nearly 14 million people who made this video go viral last week.

#34 I will never agree to living in a house that doesn't have a big tub for bubble baths. Unless we get filthy rich & buy a house without it, in which case we'll have enough money to add it on!

#35 Several annoying videos that will get stuck in your head....but I love them anyway!

#36 I am amazed by my life every day. Thank you God, for giving me these 36 years. And thank you, blog readers, for actually making it to #36!

Friday Phone Dump

2011-11-04T23:37:00.005-05:00

It's that time again! Get out your iPhone, your Android, your Blackberry, your.....whatever.....and dump out your pictures from the past week. It's Friday Phone Dump day! Post the pictures on your blog so we can follow you through your week (and don't forget your weekly self portrait). Link back here & comment so I can come see your pictures. Here are mine!
Last weekend, while doing childcare at a local church, we reached a point in the evening when all the toys were picked up & we just had a few minutes to kill until the parents began showing up to pick up the kids. I knew if I didn't come up with something quick, the kids would get rowdy and/or they'd start pulling all the toys out again. So I pulled a preschool teacher trick. Shaving cream on the tables! Six kids were immediately mesmerized...from 2 yr olds to 10 yr olds! Works like a charm every time. (Sarah was there, so I only took pictures of her.)

On Wednesday night during childcare at my church, we were drawing on a big piece of paper on the table & I made this. The kids thought it was cool, so I took a picture.

While we were outside that same night. The clouds were so pretty!

The last lonely chicken nugget. There are never enough of them. Yes, I know they're horrible for you. Yes, I know I've lost 16 lbs & still have a long way to go. But sometimes a girl's just gotta have some McNuggets with Ranch dipping sauce.

I saw this at Walmart on Thursday night. I've known it was coming, but this is the first big glaring sign I've seen so far. Kinda made me want to hurl a cheap $4 little girl's bubble bath & lip balm from the gift aisle at the ceiling. Can we just focus on being thankful for 5.2 minutes before we start putting giant pictures of Santa up EVERYWHERE?

You'll have to forgive my lack of a self portrait this week. I've been too busy pricing this stuff. And all the rest that is out on tables in my front yard as we speak. Covered in tarps. I'm praying that none of it is missing by morning. I'm also praying that if someone decides to take something before 6:30am (when I plan to be out there putting out all of THIS stuff!), they will get flat tires on the way out of the neighborhood and the AAA folks won't fix their flats until they return the stolen merchandise!

Field trip, anyone?

2011-11-04T23:26:00.004-05:00

First, before you do anything else, I need to tell you something & I want you to take a quick field trip from here for just a minute. (But come back & check out the Friday Phone Dump afterward! I'm posting it in a second.)

If you've ever read Shaun Groves's (or is it Groves'?) blog and been inspired.... if you've never considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International, or if you have considered it but you're still thinking about it....read this blog post.

Maybe it's the PMS.
Maybe it's the mom in me.
Maybe it's just because I'm a girl.
Or maybe it's the Holy Spirit.

Whatever it is, I'm talking to Larry tomorrow about sponsoring a child. I can't do much, but maybe I can use part of our tithe each month to help a child. If you are able, I'd suggest you consider it too.

(And if you're not sure how to find Compassion, click the link at the bottom of this page. It's always been there, but maybe you didn't click it before. Today's the day.)

They may turn me in to "Hoarders".....

2011-11-03T22:09:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, our little town is having a city-wide garage sale day. On the website where they are listed, there are at least 50 sales with a wide variety of items. If I wasn't having a sale myself, I would love to go bargain hunting. (ya know...if I had some spare money to spend!) This year, however, I have decided to become a character on the TV show 'Hoarders'. Or at least that's what my living room is beginning to look like. ha ha! All of the garage sale items are being sorted & priced there. It's piled almost chest-high in places and is taking up half of the room. I love seeing this huge pile, though. I means I might make more than $20 Saturday! ha ha!

This is the stuff...

2011-10-29T23:08:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, I heard this song for the first time & thought it was "cute" at best, but not exactly highly 'spiritual'.

And then October 2011 happened..........

I spent the last half of September feeling compelled, urged, nudged, convicted (whatever you want to call it) to tithe when October 1st rolled around. I argued with God & tried to ignore Him. I explained to Him why we couldn't afford to tithe. I attempted to point out the balance in our checkbook because I figured He was busy & hadn't had a chance to look at those numbers. (ha ha) But He kept tapping my shoulder with an outstretched palm, asking me to give Him what is His. So when October 1st came, I wrote the check & ran to the mailbox to get it out of my hands as quick as possible. After all, if I kept it in my hands for very long I'd get nervous about it & change my mind.

So we tithed this month. For the first time in a couple of years. And then life happened.

I was all into the cool things God was doing for us at the beginning of the month. I was happy to point out each little blessing that went our way to my "team" of girlfriends who were praying me through this leap of faith (tithing). I shared with them every time I found a nickel on the ground or got an unexpected refund in the mail. I was all about the silver linings & rainbows & unicorns & warm fuzzies early in the month. And then we ran out of money in the bank by the 15th. Our tithe check hit the bank & overdrew the account. Ouch. And while I could explain further, I'll just say that God showed up & provided. We haven't had one single need this month that went unmet. (Why does this always amaze me?)

And somehow, we've made it to the end of the month with peace about our finances. We're still overdrawn and we will still go into November with a deficit but despite that, I am hearing Larry & I both echo the same sentiment over & over "It's okay....God's going to take care of us." Mid-month, you would've heard both of us express much different feelings.

And then life happened some more.

In the past six months or so, my sweet husband has commented several times about feeling disconnected from our church body & leadership. No one has done ANYTHING wrong or treated him poorly, he just hasn't been able to bond with anyone. Of course, he was only attending on Sunday mornings & going home. If you aren't plugged in to a ministry or a Bible study group, it's really hard to feel "at home" in a church. I convinced him to try to get involved with the men's group he was a part of years ago when we were at this same church the 1st time. I felt like if he would find a core group of friends/men that he really connected with, it would make him feel a lot more connected to the church. He tracked down one of the members, found out what book they're studying right now & jumped back in. It means getting up way before dawn once a week to meet with them, but he loved it all those years ago and in the past 2-3 weeks that he's gone, he has fallen in love with this group again. He told me last night that he wishes he'd done this a long time ago.

On Thursday when he got sick, he had been to that Bible study group early in the morning. 8 hours later, he was in the hospital. The leader of the group called my cell phone that night & prayed for Larry with me. On Friday, EVERY SINGLE MAN in that group came to visit Larry at the hospital or called to check on him. On Friday, the pastors called & visited. Church members called, emailed & came by to check on him. Not because they had to, but because they love him & wanted to see if he was OK or if they could do anything for us. On Friday, my precious husband felt more loved & cared for by our church than he has in the 2 1/2 years we've been going there.

I heard this song again last night & it struck me in a whole new way. Then today a girlfriend of mine commented about the difficult past year she's had & said she sure wouldn't have ever chosen the path she's walked, but God has walked through it with her and she's learned lessons she would've never learned any other way. How true that is for us as well. Her statement reminded me of the chorus of this song. "It might not be what I would choose, but this is the stuff you use!"

Oh my, how He's used some "stuff" this month.

"This is the Stuff" by Francesca Batistelli
I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'Cuz I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I'm running behind
Whoa

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation

It's not the end of the world

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Oh Oh Oh Oh
This is the stuff You use

Five Question Friday (on Saturday)

2011-10-29T22:42:00.003-05:00

1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?
Cotton only, please. Silk or flannel would make me sweat.

2. What time zone are you in?
Central

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?
As if I could narrow it down to JUST ONE thing! That's craziness.

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!)
Egg Nog. But I've learned my lesson. I can only buy it one time per season. One bottle/carton is way more than enough. It's SO rich & sweet and SOOOO full of calories & fat. ONE egg nog is plenty....but I have to have it at least ONCE.

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?
I could not & will not ever work with dead bodies. I have a morbid fascination with documentaries, pictures & videos of how things work in a funeral home, even autopsies sort of fascinate me. But when it comes down to me actually being near a body, it freaks me out. I've had friends and relatives who I dearly loved pass away & I found it hard to stand next to the casket, let alone touch them. It creeps me out for some reason. So if you ever see me homeless & begging for money on the street, you'll know it's because I lost my job & the only thing available was a mortician position at the local funeral parlor. :::shudder:::

My husband, however, thinks it would be cool to run a funeral home.

Friday Phone Dump...one day late

2011-10-29T22:12:00.005-05:00

My Thursday & Friday were a little out of whack, so forgive me for being a day late on this. Join me in dumping out all your cell phone pictures into a post on your blog --- a Friday Phone Dump! Link back here & comment so I can come see your pictures! Here is my week in pictures.

I love Sudoku!
While babysitting a friend's kids last weekend, I played Tiddlywinks with one of them. Without even thinking about what I was doing, I was given a reminder of how OCD I really am.

We made a house!

When little sisters get bored at marching band contest, they take pictures of themselves like this one.

and this one...
Samuel was in a choir performance this week where he had to dress like a 50s/60s kid. He did the white Tshirt & jeans with his hair greased back look. After the concert, we went to Dairy Queen for a treat. (The gel had dried & his hair didn't look so greased back anymore by this time!)

Larry wouldn't let me take a picture of him in his pretty hospital gown (I tried!), but I did get a picture of the sun making this part of the hospital almost glow as it set. We were on a walk around the floor & came to this window where the view was just beautiful.

While Larry was in the hospital, I was feeding Daisy & took a picture of her looking up at me. I sent it to Larry & said "Daisy says hi". She is such a sweet dog!! It's easy to fall in love with this angel face.

Tonight I did childcare at a local church. I had to giggle when all of the kids wanted to play in the sandbox at one time. How many kids can you fit around a 3'x3' sandbox? Apparently, at least 6...maybe more!

I used to love swinging as a kid. Tonight, I tried again. Yep...still enjoy it!

I know I still have a longgggggg way to go, but here's what my bicep looks like after losing 16 lbs. If you squint your eyes & tilt your head just right, you can almost see the muscle!

My weekly self portrait. What do you think? Should I go blonde? (ha ha!)

Update on Larry

2011-10-29T22:08:00.003-05:00

I know the majority of you follow me on Facebook, so you've already heard this. But just in case:

Larry entered the hospital about 4:00 on Thursday for the bowel obstruction. At that point, I sent a text to Facebook to start up the prayers from my 1000+ friends. The doctor told us that Larry would be in the hospital for 3-5 days minimum.

About 27 hours later, I walked out the front door of the hospital with my husband. The obstruction that should've taken 3 times that to 'clear' was GONE already!

If you don't believe in the healing power of prayers, you should.

Larry is home, feeling fine. He's a little weaker than before & a little tired. He'll have to eat liquid/soft foods for a few days. But outside of that, he's great!

THANK YOU for the prayers & emails & texts & inbox messages on Facebook and wall posts on Facebook, etc. I love my sweet online family!

Pray for Larry, please!

2011-10-28T01:05:00.001-05:00

Larry had a Bible study to attend at 6:30 this morning. Before he left, he told me that his stomach hurt really bad & he made several trips to the potty (sorry...I know that's TMI, but ya know....kinda goes with this territory). He texted me after the study & told me he was feeling horrible & was going to come home instead of work.

I was getting ready for work myself when he got to the house & I could see that he was in a lot of pain. He was in the fetal position on our bed for a while, feeling awful. I told him to call me & let me know how he was later and I left for work. It didn't appear that I could really help him & we both thought he was getting a stomach virus or something. He texted later that he was going to the doctor at 1:30 because it was getting worse by the hour. He came by the school where I work to get cash to pay the doc on his way & he was obviously hurting a lot, sweating & flushed.

An hour later, he texted that the Xrays revealed a bowel obstruction. He said the doc was admitting him to the hospital immediately for surgery & I needed to come get him ASAP to drive him to the hospital.

By the time I picked up the kids & went to the doc's office where he was, an ambulance was pulling up to get him instead. The doc changed her mind & felt it was important for him to be transported that way because he was having a reaction to the pain medicine & she wanted him monitored on the way to the hospital.

We got into a room at the hospital about 4:00. The doctor stopped by to see him shortly after we arrived & said that 90% of all bowel obstructions will clear on their own, so there was only a 10% chance he'd need surgery. (Whew!) However, that means laying in the hospital bed for 3-5 days with nothing by mouth to allow his intestines to 'rest' & do the work of wiggling & moving (like all of our intestines do!) to move the obstruction through.

They ordered an NG tube (tube down the nose) to suction out all his stomach contents and a cat scan so that they could get a better idea of what sort of obstruction they're dealing with. To do the CT, he'd have to drink some contrast stuff, but that pretty much immediately came back UP pretty violently....so needless to say, they did the CT without contrast after all! (When that happened, they decided that the NG tube wasn't really doing any good so they took it out. Larry was THRILLED with that decision because it was driving him crazy!)

The surgeon said that he's almost 100% sure that the obstruction is scar tissue from his gall bladder surgery (15 yrs ago) and unless the CT results showed something drastically different, they will just watch him for the next few days & do daily Xrays/scans to confirm that it's not getting worse or wait for it to clear on its own. If, after 3 or 4 days he's not progressively getting better, they will THEN discuss surgery, but chances are great that they will not have to do that!

I decided to go ahead & come home tonight since he's not in a private room & sleep here rather than that oh-so-comfortable chair in the hospital room. In the morning I will take the kids to school & go onto work from 10-2 and then pick up the kids & go back to the hospital so they can see him. The girls took things pretty well today, but Samuel was quite upset about his dad, so it'll do him good to see him & figure out that he's ok. I figured if he's going to be there for several days & I might need to take off work on Monday to bring him home, it's better for me to go on to work tomorrow & let the docs/nurses take care of him for the day. (Of course if something changes drastically I will be back at the hospital in a heartbeat!)

I left the hospital about 10:45 tonight & at that point, they had not gotten the CT results back, but unless they find something very different than what the doctor expects, it looks like he'll just be hanging out in the hospital bed for a few days.

If things change, I'll update.

P.S. I'm having a donut from the donut shop in the morning & then I'm going to come home & take a nap before work. And I'm not going to feel guilty about either thing! :)

10/26 Today I'm grateful for.......

2011-10-26T22:23:00.002-05:00

Today I am thankful I have a job. Actually I have several jobs....and fortunately, I enjoy all of them! I'm also thankful that Larry has a job he enjoys! (He's also recently applied for some part time "side" jobs & if he gets those, he will enjoy them, too!)

Sure, it stinks to have to work 4-5 jobs to make ends meet, but you know what? It could be worse. I feel like I've got pretty "cushy" jobs actually. My hours are great. I'm home with the kids when they are home at least 98% of the time. I am available to take them to & from school and attend all their special events. I am off on Sundays so I can attend church with my family.

Seriously, I am blessed. With so many people around the world on the job hunt, I am thankful I have a job at all.

10/25 Today I am grateful for........

2011-10-25T22:44:00.004-05:00

Today I am grateful for my son, Samuel.

In March of 2000, my world changed. After living as a girl my whole life & having given birth to a little girl 3 1/2 years before, all the sudden I needed to take care of a little boy. While I had been given the gift of many years with only nephews born from 1987-1994, they had never lived with me 24 hours a day.

While I still don't always understand him (after all, who really understands boys?!), I can't imagine my life without him. He is a sweet boy, but he's messy & loud & stinky & sticky. Lucky for me, I hear that's how all little boys are, so obviously I'm not the only one who cringes at the dirty fingernails & the sweaty hugs & sticky countertops. I'm not the only mom picking sticks & rocks & dirt out of pockets when I do laundry or reading "Will you be my girlfriend? Check yes or no" notes with a melting heart.

Sam is a funny kid. He has been since birth. As a toddler, he had us in stitches all the time and continues to crack us up on a regular basis.

Thank goodness for little boys! I love you my Snuggleboy!

P.S. We got the results of his testing back today. He does indeed have ADHD-inattentive type.

10/24 Today I am grateful for.......

2011-10-24T21:28:00.003-05:00

In the late 90's, I was in an email group for moms called Just4Moms. We were divided into sub-groups (infants, toddlers, preschoolers, moms who were trying to conceive, Christian moms, Jewish moms, moms of teens, etc, etc). When the larger organization decided to move to a web-based message board system, one of the groups I was a part of (the trying to conceive group) decided to stick together & create our own email group to stay in touch because, at the time, none of us wanted to move to the message board system. We had created such a sweet little tight knit community that we didn't want to get "lost" on the message boards.

And so, Just-us-Moms (aka: JUMs) was formed. We had our own email group for a long, long time. The group technically still exists, but most of us are on Facebook now & keep in touch that way instead.

From that group of moms, many friendships were formed that I will forever be thankful for. But one of them in particular became especially sweet for me. I met my best friend through that group & after all these years, we've only actually seen each other in person 1 time, but the distance only makes the friendship sweeter. (Plus I'm convinced that one day I'll persuade her to move to Texas!)

Bethany gets me. She knows how passionate I am about Jesus & worship. She knows how deeply seated my faith is & how that affects everything in my life.

But she also knows that I'm a bit of a grammar and spelling nazi. She knows how screwed up my sense of humor is. She knows about my health, my family, my marriage, my finances. We share lots of texts & emails every single day, despite the hundreds of miles between us. She knows about all my idiosyncrasies & loves me anyway.

I can't put into words the privilege it is to have Bethany in my life. We joke that we share some crazy DNA link, because over the years we have found so many things about our lives that are similar. (Even though I can't convince her that my Texan habit of putting butter in my hot sauce at Mexican restaurants is yummy!)

We've shared births, deaths, hurts, marital highs & lows (including a divorce), losses & loves. We've watched each others' children grow up, shared stories of diapers, potty training, puberty, and everything in between.

As the years of our lives go by, we've gone from young 20s to nearing our 40s. We've talked about our changing metabolisms, hormonal craziness, menopause, night sweats, weird facial hairs and all the other strange things female bodies do as they age.

I look forward to the years when we discuss our children's college choices, their spouses, the grandbabies we will rock to sleep while we babysit. I look forward to the years we can compare notes as we buy burial plans and long-term nursing home vs. assisted living issues.

Thank you, God, for Bethany.

I love you, girl!

In case you missed it!

2011-10-23T22:30:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow begins the 1 month countdown to Thanksgiving. Aside from being amazed that it's this close to the end of the year, I am SUPER excited about heading into the season of giving & being thankful. If you missed my post about how I'd love for you to join in, please check it out HERE. If you have a blog, please join in!!! And if you don't have a blog, join me in giving & being thankful by email, on Facebook, however you can!

Five Question Friday

2011-10-21T23:09:00.004-05:00

1. Where do you escape to when you've had enough?

I assume this is not asking for something like Cozumel or Bermuda. 'Cause while those places would be amazing, my usual escape is the bathtub full of bubbles...or sitting right here in front of my computer....or curled up on my pillows taking a nap. Usually "escape" for me means that I am still in the house, just away from everyone else.

2. What shows are you watching this fall?
Umm...nothing in particular. Whatever is on when I walk through the living room. Honestly, I'm more invested in Good Luck Charlie and Shake It Up Chicago than any "grown up" shows right now.

3. What was the longest roadtrip you've ever taken and where did you go?
I THINK the longest road trip I've ever been on was the 1500+ miles (one way) trip home from Los Angeles in 2007.

4. Do you plan on taking your kids to Disney World?
I took them to Disneyland on that trip in '07. Maybe one day we'll go to Orlando for them to see the "other" Disney park.

5. What is something people would surprised to know about you?
I'm pretty much as "what you see is what you get" sort of gal. Not too many secrets with me. If you're curious about something, ask me.

Friday Phone Dump

2011-10-21T22:23:00.004-05:00

What did you do this week? Show me in pictures on your blog! Link back here & post a comment so I can come over to your blog and take a peek at your Friday Phone Dump! Here's my week in pictures.

Last Saturday morning, our town's local annual festival culminated with a big parade. The high school band marched in it, so we were seated on the roadside nearly an hour before it was planned to start, waiting to cheer for Savannah. I took this picture & posted it to Facebook with the caption "Good morning, Mr. Sun. Where is your dimmer switch?" Gosh it was bright!

After the parade, I took off my shoes & found this. I think it's the only tan line I've had all year long. Even after the blazing 110+ degree summer we had. And here we are in mid-October & I spent a few hours at a parade & get this! ha ha!

Sarah decided we need some Halloween/Fall decorations and created this earlier this week. It's hanging on the outside of our front door. I've since put up the "real" Fall decorations, but I couldn't take this down! It's on the door just below the Fall wreath.

On Wednesday nights, I do childcare at my church. This week, these were two of the sweeties I got to hang out with.

On Wednesday afternoon when I got home from work, I found a stack of hand me down pants for Samuel on the porch with an embroidered kitchen towel with our family's last initial on it. I figured my mom, the avid garage saler had left them for us. That's not an uncommon thing for her to do. So I called & asked. Nope...it wasn't her. I texted a neighbor with a son who is Samuel's age & asked if she'd left the pants. Nope, it wasn't her either. I have no idea where the pants came from, so I posted to my Facebook page that I was thankful for the Magical Fairy who left pants on our porch. ha ha!

On Thursday I got home from work & had been here a little while before a friend texted me & told me to go look on my porch. I went and looked & found all of this (picture below). I wrote & asked her who it was from & she told me she couldn't tell. (I don't think it was the same person who left the pants the previous day.) So I posted to facebook again & thanked my "porch fairy". Pretty overwhelmed with gratitude this week.

A few weeks ago, I started noticing something sweet when I went to pick up the kids from school. At Savannah's school, there is a boy who stands off to himself, away from the crowd of kids. At first I thought it was kind of sad that no one was standing with him. But after a few days of seeing him standing under the trees that line the driveway, I realized how cool he really is. He always has in his earbuds & is listening to music. He's a loner type for sure. After a week or so of watching him, I noticed that he stands still & watches for his ride most of the time, but if you're watching at just the right time, you'll see him start to dance. A little head bob, some footwork now & then, a sway or maybe some hand motions. Now and then his eyes close as he really takes in the music. It tickles me to see him do this because he has no idea I'm watching him.

Dear Loner Kid at the HS, keep being yourself. I love to watch you.

See him under the tree?
This is what happens when you're holding your phone with the camera turned on, zoomed in & ready while you wait to take the pic just above this. You get the symbol on the steering wheel if you're not careful! ha ha!

Speaking of our van, I love it. I really, really do. But it's got the goofiest electrical system. For a while, the "ESC Off" light came on at random times & would stay on for a while, then shut back off. (It's currently off.) A week or so after we bought the van, the airbag light would come on now & then & then go back off on its own. This week, the tire pressure sensor light came on for the left front tire. I panicked & had Larry come meet me to check my tires & see if I had one that had suddenly gone flat. He checked it. It was perfectly fine & the air pressure exactly matched the other 3 tires. Within a few hours, it looked like this. And today, it's not showing the right front tire anymore. You really just never know with this van. ha ha!

Sometimes I just can't help but snap a picture. The sky & these clouds looked so pretty to me! Like puffy cotton balls hanging in the sky!

A couple of nights ago, I couldn't get to sleep. It was after 1:00am when I took these next 2 pictures. I was laying in bed playing with my phone & took this first picture of my view from under the covers. My bedside lamp was lighting the room, so that's why it's grainy & dim looking.

And hmm....I wonder if Larry will kill me for taking a picture of him while he was asleep & then posting it to my blog. Only one way to find out! (giggle) I love you, sweetie!

And this week's self-portrait, taken at 1:00am on the same night as the insomniac pictures above. Don't ya love my bedtime hairdo? I always yank it up on the top of my head at bedtime. So pretty. (ha ha!)

Giving up the blog memes

2011-10-21T09:20:00.002-05:00

As much as I enjoy the "Ten on Tuesday" and "We Want to Know Wednesdays", I am giving them up. I've been in a funk lately & haven't had the energy to put into REALLY writing. But I find that when I do put in the effort, I love the outcome. I'm not referring to the comments & "likes" on facebook (although I do love those, too!). I'm talking about the way writing makes me feel. Some people sing, some people create something, some people watch TV or partake in some other hobby.....for me it's writing. I love to write and I love the finished 'product', even if it's just rambling sentences about whatever crazy thing I did that day.

So you can expect to continue seeing the Friday Five (at least for a little while longer) and my Friday Phone Dump, but the rest of the week, it's gonna be all me baby. Whether you like it or not! ha ha!

If you have any questions you've been dying to ask me, email me (see the sidebar for my email address) or comment here. I may do a Q&A post in the near future!

Want to Know Wednesday (on Thursday!)

2011-10-20T21:12:00.002-05:00

{1} When was the last time you lost your temper?
To some degree, probably every day. Usually with one of the kids when they are disobeying. But I don't lose my temper in a yelling & screaming sort of way.

{2} What 3 words best describe you?
Hmmm.....you tell me!

{3} What movie could you watch over and over again and never get tired of?
Grease

{4} If you could do something dangerous, just once, with no risk, what would you do?
Skydive

{5} Which is more important intelligence or common sense?
A balance of the two is preferable, but I guess if I must choose, I'll go with common sense.

I am such a hypocrite.

2011-10-20T00:13:00.007-05:00

Sometimes I feel like such a hypocrite, like I'm lost in a cycle of bragging on God, praising Him, pointing out His goodness......and then falling into a pit of despair where I spend days & days whining and crying, feeling helpless & lost.

"Wow! Look at what God did!"
then
"Why have you forgotten me Lord? Help!!!"

"Praise Him!!! He is GOOD."
then
"I don't know how we're going to make it. What will we do????"

"Hallelujah! Our Lord reigns!"
then
"wah wah wah wah.....woe is me"

"I have such great faith. Look at me & all the things God has done for me! He loves me more than you and practically waves His magic wand when I ask Him to."
then
"Oh *&$%. What the heck is going on here? I need some help, God. Hello? You up there? Are you listening at all, Lord???"

Ok, so maybe I've never said that last one. Out loud. But you get the idea. That last part is how I feel like I look to others who read this blog some days since it tends to be my own personal therapy couch and I spill my heart & brain on this page. (What? You didn't know you were my therapists? Sorry about that. The copay's in the mail, I promise.)

Seriously, 99% of the time, I have no problem trusting in God. 99% of the time, I can relax & trust Him and follow whatever He leads me to do. But that other 1% of the time?

I'm 100% confident that I can trust Him when things are going good in life.
I'm still pretty confident I can trust Him when things get tough.
I'm still hanging in there & trusting Him when things get really hard.

But when the rubber meets the road? When I have to take all my 700 levels of control & place them in His hands because there is NO WAY I can take care of my own situation? Ouch. That's when I start biting my nails & manufacturing ways to fix my own problems because, ya know, if God was REALLY in charge, He would've saved the day already, right?

Ummm...no.

What was that verse in Proverbs 3:5-6? Doesn't it say something like "....in most of your ways, acknowledge Him...."? Oh wait, you're right. It says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding. In ALL YOUR WAYS acknowledge Him & He will direct your paths."

ALL my ways? In EVERY single situation? Even the really dirty, messy, ugly, scary ones? ALL of them?

I want to believe that I DO acknowledge Him. Not just in a passing glance, wave as you walk by sort of way. I want to believe that I DO trust in the Lord with ALL my heart....and that I DO lean on Him. I don't want to be a window shopper where faith is concerned. I want to believe that I am sitting in that window, snuggled into the lap of my Jesus, happy to tell others about the difference He makes in my life.

But my actions speak louder. My actions speak of a heart that doubts, fears & frets.

And over what? MONEY. I realize that it's crazy to say "it's JUST money", because Heaven knows that it takes money to run the world. Everything costs something. Everything takes money to participate. The kids come home with a new permission slip requiring $5 here & $3 there nearly every day. Money leads to more marital arguments & divorces, I would speculate, than nearly anything else. We all bank online these days & watch our accounts like hawks, ready to jump into action when the numbers don't look the way we think they should.

But really? It's just money.

Every problem in my life could be solved with money. I could easily pay all my bills. I could pay someone to clean my house. I could pay a doctor to do some crazy surgery to make me skinny. I could pay someone to help my kids with their homework in the afternoons. I could buy a new house, a new car, a new computer, a fancy camera (oh...the list is endless!). Money would solve all those things.

But really? It's just money.

I don't have cancer. I'm not laying in a hospital bed in my living room with family gathered 'round to say their goodbyes.

I'm not starving in a third world country with no hope of feeding my family & having to stand by and watch my children die.

We live in a peaceful place, no wars, no torture, no gunshots in the street at night.

We're not in & out of drug rehab.

We have jobs.

My husband is alive. I'm not parenting by myself.

I have a home.

My children are healthy.

We have family nearby who love us.

The truth is, we really are very lucky. We are richer than so many others in the world. So many don't have all those things. And those problems can't be solved by money. They require so much more.

My problems? In the grand scope of things, they're nothing. I have trouble paying my bills every month & that hurts. But that's no big deal in comparison to the evil & the pain going on in the lives of so many others.

If it means drawing me closer to the heart of Jesus, I'll take an empty checkbook.
If it means making me depend on Him more, I'll take the overdraft fees.
If it means pointing to Him and saying "I don't know how, but we made it through", I'll watch the checks bounce.
If it means crying out to God and burying my face in the pillow while I sob & pray every few weeks, begging for provision and for Him to somehow get us to the 31st with all we need, I'll take it.

Because in reality, it's just money. My problems could be so much worse.

"Fear not, for I am with you says the Lord. I have redeemed you, I have called you by name. Child, you are mine. When you walk through the waters, I will be there. And through the flames. You'll not be drowned. You'll not be burned. For I am with you." (paraphrase Isaiah 41)

Who else needs to hear this tonight?

2011-10-18T22:16:00.001-05:00

I know I do!

Five Question Friday

2011-10-15T00:06:00.003-05:00

1. Do you prefer your ice cream in a bowl or in a cone?
I really don't care. Just hand me the ice cream & get out of the way!

2. What three things do you love the smell of?
Vanilla, fresh cut grass, burning leaves

3. Gift cards or no? (In regards to gift giving...)
Yes!

4. What sports did you play in high school if any and do you still play them?
I didn't play any sports in junior high or high school. But I workout now!

5. Were you in band in high school? What instrument did you play?
No, but I wish I was. I thought band kids were nerds when I had the chance to join. But by the time I graduated HS, I realized that it would've been really cool to learn how to play an instrument.

Friday Phone Dump

2011-10-14T23:51:00.006-05:00

It's that time of the week again! Dump all those pictures out of your phone & let us see 'em! If you do a phone dump on your blog, link back here and comment so I can see your pictures! And now....here's what I did this week!

Last weekend's football game --- Sarah took this picture of the cheerleaders doing their stunts

Last Sunday night I did childcare at a local church. It was a busy, busy night! Nine kids on a rainy night = no playground time = tired babysitter! :) At the very end, I let them watch a movie. They were all pretty entranced by Veggie Tales at this moment!

One of our sweet girlies ended up in Sarah's lap for most of the movie.

Earlier this week, Sarah & a friend did the pledges for the school over the intercom. My girlfriend Becky who works there sent me this picture. (and yes, I intentionally blurred the other little girl's face and the lady in the background since I don't have their permission to post their picture online!)

Wednesday night childcare at my church. These two sweet girls were big fans of the swings---even the "baby swings" which they are really much too old/big for. Gena & Laci, do you recognize your girls? ha ha! It's blurred, but you can still see their giggles!

On my way home from the church that night, the moon was SO pretty. I tried to take a picture, but I'm afraid I ended up with something a little more Blair Witch Project than artsy & pretty.

Stuck in traffic on the way to the football game tonight. I was holding my phone when Sarah said "take my picture". I only pointed it over my shoulder & hit the button. I wasn't sure what she was doing until after I took the picture. ha ha! Silly girl!

She's so funny when she gets a hold of my phone. She always poses & takes a hundred pictures of herself. This was her "bored face" during the game.

And I suppose this is her happy face. ha ha! Such a pretty girl!

Samuel had a blue raspberry ring pop tonight. Can you tell?

Sarah's was green. She was determined that her tongue was as green as Samuel's was blue. Hmm...maybe a little.

This week's awkward self portrait, complete with one half-crossed eye. ha ha!

Want to Know Wednesday (on Thursday!)

2011-10-13T14:53:00.002-05:00

{1} What is your feel better remedy when you are sick?
It depends on what kind of sickness I'm suffering from.

{2} When illness strikes, what is your policy on staying home from work, school or church with yourself and the family?
We try to stick to the 24 hour rule. If one of the kids has fever, diarrhea or vomitting, they have to wait 24 hours after the last episode before going out & being around people again. If they don't have those sort of symptoms, we go on a case by case basis.

{3} What do you think is worse? Flu or cold?
They can both be yucky for different reasons. The flu lasts longer & usually carries worse symptoms. A little cold can be medicated & dealt with at work/school/home.

{4} Flu shots? Do you get them? Have you yet?
I don't really want to open that GIGANTIC can of worms here, but no....I don't get a flu shot. Actually, the only one in our house who does is Sarah and that's only because she's young & has asthma and the flu can make her really, really sick so we try to prevent her from getting it.

{5} When are are feeling down, what is your usual, go-to therapy? (retail therapy, exercise, comfort food, etc).
Sleep, laying around, reading, writing.

Bags full of God's love

2011-10-12T21:50:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, I posted about our experience with tithing. Or rather, with beginning to tithe again. God has been SO good, SO amazing, SO sweet to us. It's only October 12th so I know the month is far from over, but I'm finding my perspective changed daily.

I have been looking at things in a new light since October 1st when that tithe check went into the mailbox. It's hard to explain.

I've seen a tank of gas last me from September 29th to October 12th and recognized "there's God, giving me a widow's oil sort of blessing". (actually it would've lasted another day or so but I chose to fill up today) Honestly, I've NEVER had a single tank of gas last me 2 full weeks without running out. It doesn't make logical, mathematical sense. But that's just how God rolls.

Day in & day out, I see more things like this. A gallon of milk stretching to nearly a week's supply. (We usually go through a gallon of milk about every other day.) The last 2 rolls of toilet paper lasted farrrrr longer than usual. (I think they were growing extra sheets during the night or something!) Finding an ingredient tucked away in the back of the pantry that I forgot we had but it's there when we need it. Over & over, sweet little reminders from God that we can survive on the 90% when we give Him the 10% He requests of us. Over & over, sweet reminders from God to show us how much He loves us.

Yesterday our church secretary, who saves me her Sunday paper coupons every week, reminded me to stop by her desk & pick them up tonight when I was at the church. I told her I would. Then she said "...and when you come, pick up these sacks in the office with your name on them." I couldn't figure out what sacks she was referring to. Thinking that it might be hand me downs that a church friend had offered I texted her asking if she'd left those clothes at the church office. Nope...it wasn't her. The secretary said it was bags of food!

When I was leaving the church office tonight carrying the bags, Samuel asked me what the bags were full of. I just giggled & said "God's love!" The reality is this food is from God and He used the hands of some sweet person to deliver them.

It's just another way of forcing me to bow my will to His and say with confidence....

"I trust you, God!"

I know He will cover every tithe check I write. I know He honors our obedience. I count it my privilege to point to Him & say "Look at how great my God is! Look at what He's done!"

Truly Father, you amaze me. Every day. I am breathing. I have a home. I have a healthy family. I have food on the table every day (and then some!). I have a vehicle that runs well. I have a job I enjoy. Larry has a job he loves. I have an amazing church family and a massive number of awesome friends who love me. I am blessed beyond measure.

Spread the word & join in!

2011-10-11T17:23:00.004-05:00

Hey friends!!! Here at Liz's World, I try to make sure & honor Thanksgiving in a big way every year. I do this because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! Every other holiday seems to be messed up in some way. There is some fictional mascot or the focus is about presents & candy or selfishness is glorified in some other way. But no one has messed up Thanksgiving yet. So this year, I'll be focusing on thankfulness & giving here at the blog and I would LOVE for you to join in! Here's what is going to happen.

#1 The big GIVE
While Thanksgiving is about being THANKFUL, it's also about GIVING. Starting 1 month prior to Thanksgiving (October 24th), I'm going to give away 1 thing every day. I realize that with the economy like it is, many of us don't have the funds to go buy new things to give away. (But by all means, if you do, feel free to do that!!) I'd be willing to bet that ALL of us have at least 30 items around the house that we need to get rid of. Books, office supplies, dishes, bedding, old towels & rags, even those groceries at the back of the pantry that you're never going to use! Whether it means handing them to a friend who needs them or packing them up & delivering them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or a local church to share with a family in need. Whatever way you go about it is up to you! So come on, GIVE!!!!!! Consider the impact a community of friends, neighbors & bloggers can have in the month leading up to Thanksgiving if we all share the blessings in our lives with others!

NOTE: The spirit of giving is NOT to gain fame or praise for it. If you choose to give anonymously, please do not post about it on your blog, facebook, emails, etc!

#2 Today I'm grateful for.......

Also starting 1 month before Thanksgiving, I am going to post daily about 1 thing I am thankful for. We (all) have a habit of whining about what we don't like or what we don't have, but how often do you slow down & just say THANK YOU? Now is your chance.

PLEASE spread the word about our Thanksgiving "projects" & join me on your blog! If you don't have a blog, share about it on Facebook or just by emails to your friends. You can link this blog post if you'd like to. If you're going to do either of the above (The Big Give or Today I'm Grateful for...) on your blog, let me know. I'd love to hear how you're blessing others and what you're thankful for.

Feel free to 'steal' either of my pictures above for use on your blog/facebook/emails, etc.

What are you hiding under your bed?

2011-10-08T01:44:00.008-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we determined that it was in Samuel's best interest to have him tested for ADD. We've suspected it for several years, but it's getting worse. When we called to set up the appointment at the psychologist's office, the receptionist wanted to give me the 'heads up' on the possible costs involved. She wouldn't know until she contacted our insurance company for specifics, but her 'worst case scenario' had us shelling out $500 on the day of the tests. Knowing that we don't have that in our checking account or our savings account (or between the 2 accounts combined for that matter!), we quickly did what every good parent would do.

We panicked.

I would love to laugh here & say "just kidding" here but really, we panicked. We absolutely NEED to get him tested. He's suffering in school. I would not be able to live with myself if I knew that my child has a very easily diagnosed & treated problem, but I left it untested & untreated and watched him flunk out of school this year. His lack of self-confidence is bad enough as it is. I can't do that to him. We are sort of praying that we'll get him tested, figure out he has ADD, get him on some medicine and then salvage this school year & his grades---and self confidence. Hearing him tell me that he feels stupid is heartbreaking. He really is a smart boy, but he can't focus to save his life and he's so disorganized that it's killing him academically! He's been able to pull off passing grades (sometimes, just barely passing) for the last few years. But this year, the work is getting harder and it will only continue to get harder throughout junior high & high school. So it's time to DO SOMETHING.

We started trying to figure out how we'd pay for his tests, racking our brains, trying to come up with some creative way to make some money quickly. He has a set of captain's beds in his bedroom that he's been on me forever to replace with a single bed. He doesn't like having to put sheets on 2 beds, make up 2 beds, keep the headboards clean on two beds. Yes, he only sleeps in 1 of the beds, but somehow my tornado child wrecks both beds on a daily basis. So on a complete whim after he was in bed one night, I listed them on Craigslist. I had no idea if they'd sell, but they did!!! And whammo---half the price of his tests was in the bank! We had plans to pay down the bill with that money & then 'pay out' the rest over the next couple of months.

Samuel was gone to a Boy Scout campout when the beds were picked up by the new owners. I sat in his floor the morning before with a giant trash bag, picking up handfuls of trash -- little bits of cardboard, pieces of plastic from broken toys, crumbs from forbidden-from-his-bedroom-but-eaten-in-there-anyway snacks, wadded papers & the like from around his beds. I gathered up a lot of stuff & thought I'd gotten every speck. I brought in the vacuum cleaner & sucked up all the teeny bits with the extension hose thingie. I was satisfied with my work. The carpet was clean & the beds were tidy & ready to go! The men showed up the next day in a big truck & went to work hauling off the pieces of the two beds. With each piece they picked up, junk fell out. Larry & I stood, looking at the piles of stuff that were hidden beneath, behind, under and inside the beds and just laughed. If you have children & have ever moved furniture in their room, you know what I'm talking about.

There were at least 15 pencils that Samuel has karate chopped in half over the past several years. There was a big pecan. There were cards, letters and other pieces of paper. There were matchbox cars and beads and markers and photographs and rubber bands. There were pocketknives and pens. There were folders and bookmarks and a few books. There were cords and pieces to games we no longer own. There were flattened pieces of candy. There were broken CD cases. There were old socks. We found coins, bills and pesos! Larry's last trip to Mexico where he brought home money for the kids to look at was about 5 years ago! The list goes on & on.

As I sat down in the floor with another trash bag to sort through all these treasures that afternoon, I couldn't help but think of the spiritual application of all these things my son had tucked away & hidden (or that fell off the back side of his bed & were forgotten) so long ago.

How often do I clean up the outside of myself to be presentable to the people in my life but know that there are still things hidden behind my mask? Tucked away & forgotten until someone tears me apart & removes all my barriers and forces me to face the junk. What is it about us that makes us think that stuffing things away & not facing them will make them just 'go away'? Or that if we hide them, people will still see us as holy or well put together or good or whatever? What is under your bed tonight? What's hidden behind the frame, under the mattress, in those nooks & crannies no one sees?

It's different for everyone. An addiction, some hidden sin, a 'dirty' secret, a lack of obedience to God in one area or another, those whispers of the past hiding in the back of our souls that we try to stuff down & cover up.

Until recently for me, it was tithing. Or rather, a lack thereof.

For 15 or so years Larry & I tithed regularly. We never questioned it. We wrote a check at the beginning of the month without even considering doing otherwise. Admittedly, it began early in our marriage because it was all we knew. We had been taught to give God 10% off the top of our income before paying our other bills. So we did. Period. No questions asked.

But then life got hard.

We left the church where we were serving. We knew it was the right choice, but it meant taking a huge pay cut. All of the sudden, our money troubles took on a whole new level of trouble. We had never had loads of money & bills have followed us all the days of our marriage, but things were more tight, more difficult, more impossible to manage with this pay cut. And like so many couples, tithing was the first thing to go. It freed up some money to pay bills each month. And without even thinking much about it, poof, it disappeared from the radar.

Honestly, we never discussed it. It didn't come up. We were just fighting to claw our way out of financial disaster every single month. Just making ends meet has been an unattainable goal for a while. I probably wouldn't have argued for us to tithe if Larry had told me we weren't (I didn't know) because I would've understood the logical argument against it. I'm such a logical, concrete thinker type of person that I would've asked him to show me our budget (on paper of course!) and when tithing didn't fit in, I would've shrugged, wished we could do it, and then moved on. So in late April when Larry asked me to take over the checkbook, I noticed for the first time that there were no records of tithe checks being written. And I continued with that habit for May, June, July, August & September.

Part way through September I found myself asking God what was going on. Would we have to continue on this path of financial struggles forever? Because as it stands right now, unless one of us gets a promotion or a raise (and I don't see that happening for either of us anytime soon), there is no end in sight to the cycle of barely being able to pay our bills each month.

And that's when He whispered to me "Give me what's mine."

What?? How can I afford to tithe God? I can hardly afford to pay the water bill. How on earth can I shovel out another couple hundred dollars a month to tithe?? It doesn't make SENSE. It doesn't fit into the budget. But as September moved on, I was struck with conviction to just do it. Just write the check & TRUST HIM.

A Sunday School lesson about trusting Him....a friend's forwarded email about giving....a blog article about faith & how we sometimes can't trust logic, we just have to take a leap of faith & trust Him....over & over, through one means or another, He peppered me with reasons to TRUST HIM & tithe. I found myself on this blog, looking up all the many, many, many old posts where I praised Him for provision -- all those times that I've pointed to the Heavens & said "Look what He's done!". And it struck me that He's been taking care of our every need all this time. How much more of a blessing would it be if I submitted & gave Him what's already His? And you know, obviously what we are doing isn't working, so why not trust HIM?!

I am convinced that He loves me and cares for my needs. I am convinced that He has my best interests at heart. I am convinced that He will take care of me.

But I'm scared. Tithing when I can hardly pay my bills doesn't MAKE SENSE.

I emailed some girlfriends & asked for their stories about tithing. How has God shown His faithfulness in their lives where tithing is concerned? How have they been blessed for their obedience where giving is concerned? What does that "look like" in their life? A few of them wrote back, but ultimately the decision (in my heart) had already been made. When October 1st rolled around (pay day), the check would get written.

A sweet friend wrote to me & said she was thinking about my email about tithing during church last Sunday morning. She had such a sweet analogy for me! She said she was thinking about how God sees tithing & wants to bless us for our obedience & trust in Him. She likened it to telling her kids to clean their rooms before going out to run some errands. She said "What if I came home & found that they had baked me a cake & cleaned up the kitchen & made cards for me? While all of those things are great & I would love them & would be grateful for the gesture, I had told them to CLEAN THEIR ROOMS. And I was going to take them out for icecream to reward them for cleaning their rooms." By not cleaning their rooms, they weren't doing the 1 simple thing she'd asked. All of those other things they did were nice, but not what she'd asked. And she couldn't reward them for their obedience because they didn't do it. She said it struck her that this was like the way we go to church & worship Him & serve in various ways & teach our children about Him and yet don't tithe. He wants to bless us & take care of our needs, but without following His command to give, He can't.

Ouch.

In the days leading up to October 1st, Satan pulled out all the stops. Knowing that the ADD tests were coming up (to the tune of $500) scared the bejeebers out of me. I realized that this month was when we'd have our dog's annual check up & that costs money. The water bill arrived & the city's rate increased shocked me. Seeing all these upcoming October bills almost convinced me to skip tithing. But as the day drew near, God kept grabbing my shoulders & shaking me saying "Just trust me. Do this. Have faith in me. I will cover the check!"

All the sudden my prayers moved from "Please give me the courage to write that check & trust you." to "God, please give us what we need to pay our bills this month. Nothing extra, just enough. Help us to spend wisely & save money when we can."

On October 1st, I put a check in the mailbox to our church before I could chicken out. Just walking to the mailbox with that envelope was an exercise in faith. My feet hitting the sidewalk seemed to tap out the rhythm of the old hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness". I had to run back into the house before I pulled the envelope back out & tore it up.

When I got the mail that day, we had a check from our insurance company for being safe drivers. It wasn't a huge amount, but every little bit helps!

The same day, the men arrived to take Samuel's beds away. More money in the bank.

The next day, a text came asking me to do childcare 2x/month at a local church for the rest of the year.

A couple of days later, we found out about the ADD testing price not being as much as we'd thought it would be---in fact, it would be significantly less!

I filled up my gas tank last weekend. There is no way to logically explain how that tank of gas has lasted me a full week & I'm still at the 1/2 full mark.

Yesterday, another friend from a different church texted me with another childcare offer.

No big dollar figure has magically dropped into our bank account & I don't suspect it will, but little by little, He has provided. We might still end the month with a negative balance but that's not the point.

The reward is in obeying Him, trusting Him, allowing Him to control my checkbook. The reward is in praising Him & squealing a little louder every time He hands me another blessing & says "Look! You can trust me! I've got this!" The excitement in watching Him work makes me a little bit giddy. I will admit, I'm still nervous about what the bank account will look like at the end of the month, but every time those thoughts wander through my head, He does a little tap dance on my heart and squeezes my hands and says "Focus! Put your eyes RIGHT HERE on me! Trust me!"

You would think I would've learned this lesson by now. Perhaps it's ME who needs the ADD testing.

Five Question Friday

2011-10-08T01:07:00.003-05:00

1. What is your go to comfort food or sweet?
Stouffer's frozen mac & cheese. Oh my word.

2. What is the most romantic place you've ever been to?
Every single time that Larry & I take a weekend & go somewhere alone, it's the most romantic place I've ever been. Seriously, I am not a real picky girl. No high maintenance stuff here. Just take me somewhere, spend time with me, treat me like a queen for a couple days and I'm yours forever.

3. What is your favorite thing about fall/Halloween?
You know, 10 years ago my answer to this question would've been totally different. I would've told you all the reasons that I was anti-Halloween. And to be honest, I still am not a fan of the creepy, scary, bloody, gorey stuff. I still won't let my kids dress up like freaky-looking stuff. No eyeballs danging from a mask or costumes that would frighten little children! THAT is the stuff I was always "anti-Halloween" for!

But as the kids have gotten older, I've come to enjoy it. I like giving them 1 night a year to be silly & dress up in funny costumes for the sake of begging for candy. Whether we go trick or treating through a neighborhood or to a church carnival, it's a hoot to see them create costumes just for the sake of candy!

And the older I get, the more I become my mom! ha ha! When I was little, she was a dental assistant, so that means there were lots of candies I was never allowed to eat. Mom's basic rule was if you can't just chew it up & swallow it, it's bad for your teeth & you need to get rid of it. And I tend to cull out those same sorts of candies when the kids come home on Halloween night. We only save a few suckers, gummy things and hard candies.

4. How would you spend 24 hours alone?
I'd nap, get a massage (at least 2 hours!), get a pedicure, take another nap, eat all the things that I normally can't or won't cook because my family won't eat it, and spend a whole lot of time with Jesus!

5. Does you husband bring you flowers? Are you the bring-me-flowers type of girl?
We both enjoy getting gifts, but we are usually too broke for costly things like flowers. So I am happy when he comes home with a Dr. Pepper for me. :) But yes, I would love flowers any day!

Friday Phone Dump

2011-10-07T16:01:00.005-05:00

It's Friday Phone Dump time! It's that time of the week when you can follow my through my week in pictures. If you'd like to join in on your blog, comment & link back here!

Last weekend, our family was hit with a stomach virus. After Sarah & I had it, we thought we were ALL done with it, so I began the process of washing everything in the house....bedding, stuffed animals, etc.....

And then it hit the boys!
After Sarah got better, she was looking through my People magazine & she thought I needed a picture of a sweet young thing. ha ha! Hello, Joe Jonas!

Four mornings a week, this is my view at about 7:40am. Well, ya know...if I look DOWN. It's sloooowwwwwlllllyyyyy paying off. I'm down 13 lbs since January. I'd love to see the scale move more quickly, but I will take it. It's 13 lbs better than it was a few months ago.

I started reading another "bad" book this week (my last book had the same "bad" word in the title & my family teased me about reading dirty books). I thought I was going to like it, but I've gotta say it's boringgggggg. I'm only about 4 chapters into it, but it's just way too dry & slow-moving to keep my attention. It'll be on my half.com site for sale by tomorrow.

I LOVE seeing this coupon. See the red bottle? That's CRANBERRY flavored Sierra Mist. And do you know what CRANBERRY flavored Sierra Mist means? It means cooler weather & Fall/Winter are just around the corner!!! I'm going to buy some of this tomorrow!!

My mom went dress shopping for Sarah this week & found her a few to try on at home. They came in a big plastic garment bag, which Sarah 'tried on' & announced "Mom! A body could fit in there!" ha ha!
So which is it? REAL cheese or pasteurized processed cheese?

There is only ONE reason that this tank of gas has lasted nearly a full week. And it's NOT because I haven't driven a lot. He is GOOD.

Moments before this, Sarah was screaming & arguing with her brother. I snuck up behind her with my phone camera turned on & squatted down beside her for a picture. She immediately posed for the picture. ha ha!!!! Sometimes a mama's gotta figure out a new way to break up fights. A camera or new shoes tend to work with this girl!

And for your last picture of the week, here's the weekly self-portrait. I was feeling a little silly when I took it.

Want to Know Wednesday

2011-10-05T23:16:00.003-05:00

{1} If you had an extra hour to do ANYTHING for yourself each day what would you do?
And I assume this extra hour also includes money....because if we're adding an imaginary hour to the day, we might as well throw in imaginary money, right?

If so, I'd have a massage. Or take a nap. Or read. Or (grin) blog.

{2} Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I have to sort of be both.
I am a night owl by nature. I love that quiet, peaceful, sleepy time when everyone in the house is in bed, already asleep. It's like my little piece of serenity. I may be yawning, but it's my favorite time of the day to write, take a bubble bath, read a book, whatever....

But I am also the alarm setter, the wake up the children & cook everyone breakfast-er, the drag my husband out of bed & push him toward the shower-er, so I don't get the privilege of being one or the other. I am both the night owl & the morning person.

{3} How much sleep do you get on an average night?
Ha ha! Did you read my answer to question 2?
Seriously, during the week, I am usually in the bed, turning off my lamp by 11:30. (umm...it's 11:20 right now....might not make it tonight) And I get up at 6:05-6:10. But on the weekend, I almost always go to bed later and I always sleep later!

So I guess during the week it's about 6 1/2-7 hours on average. And on the weekend it's more like 8-9.

{4} When do you find the time to blog/surf the ol' interweb?
Scroll up to #2.

{5} What is the ONE thing you're never too busy for?
Going potty. :)
I think we're all 'too busy' for just about anything in our lives from time to time. Obviously if I'm too busy to spend time with my kids, I see that & make adjustments the next day. If I find that I'm too busy for some quiet time with my husband, I fix that. But there's always SOMETHING that has to be pushed aside every day and you adjust & fix that the next day.
But pottying? Yeah....I always make time for that. :)

Ten on Tuesday (oops...on Wednesday!)

2011-10-05T23:04:00.002-05:00

1. How do you take your coffee?
In the most non-existent way possible!

2. Do you prefer soft or crispy chocolate chip cookies?
soft!

3. Do you wear a belt everyday?
No, but I did wear a belt for the first time in years a few weeks ago!

4. What is your favorite color combination?
red/navy, red/black, brown/pink, brown/blue

5. Do you like sour candy?
yes

6. How often do you do laundry?
I do a little bit every day---well, the washing/drying part anyway. This week I've tried a new system of folding everything but the towels/rags/socks as it comes out of the dryer. It's been OK. Usually I don't have time to deal with it & I just let it stack up til the weekend when I fold it all at one time.

7. Did you ever wear braces?
Oh yes. When I was 9, I started orthodontics, but it wasn't braces right away. I got to "enjoy" many years of appliances of one variety or another. My least favorite was the one you had to bite down into to keep it in place. It sat between my upper & lower teeth & was created to work on my bite because my lower jaw & upper jaw weren't lining up correctly. You couldn't talk (at all) with it in your mouth because it would flop between your teeth & string spit. Oh yeah, it was pretty.

Because a previous ortho had me get 8 baby teeth pulled, those "holes" were closing up with the remaining baby teeth and we had to deal with getting all THOSE teeth moved back into the right positions so that my adult teeth would have a place to come in at all. And then when they were all finally in, we could start with braces. I was in 6th or 7th grade (can't remember which) when I got my upper braces. The following year I got lower braces. I had the lower ones until I was 18!

Seriously, NINE years of orthodontic work in one form or fashion. So when my oldest child whined about 4 years in braces, I may or may not have played the world's tiniest violin for her.

8. Are you good at Roman Numerals?
Yes & no. I can do all of them up to 50, but then I start forgetting which numbers are represented by which letters. If you give me a cheat sheet for that, I can rock the roman numerals.

9. What is your favorite form of social media?
Facebook & blogging

10. How do you feel about chin dimples?
I just see John Travolta in Grease in my head when I think of chin dimples....and I loved him in that movie!

Stomach viruses suck.

2011-10-01T22:58:00.003-05:00

They really do!

Yesterday I went to work like normal. All the kids went to school. No problems there....just the usual events of the day. After eating lunch, I felt like I had overeaten---like my tummy was way full! But I knew that wasn't the case. I ate a normal lunch. Since I have such a sensitive system anyway, I thought maybe something just didn't agree with me and umm....I'd know soon enough. It's not at all uncommon for me to have issues after eating, so I didn't think too much of it. But about 4:00, it hit. I had gotten the kids picked up for school & while I was still driving home from that, I started feeling nauseous. I was still feeling a little funky since lunch & began to feel like maybe something in the broccoli salad I had eaten was spoiled. Little did I know that was NOT the case.

By the time I took Samuel to his Boy Scout campout meeting location and Savannah to the school for her ride over to the football stadium with the band at 5:15, I was sick. I carried a trashcan with me in the car for that drive. I texted Larry & told him I would not be going to the football game... I was too sick! I curled up on the couch under a blanket & alternated between shivering and sweating while holding my stomach & my trash can all night. About 9:00, I went to bed. I woke up when they got home from the game & took my temperature. I had a low grade fever. I slept restlessly all night, sleeping off the fever, I believe. But I did sleep. This morning, I felt tired & weak, a little achy & my stomach wasn't totally perfect, but I felt more like myself. Whew! Another stomach virus over & done with.

And then.... about 6:45 am, Sarah yelled for me. She had just thrown up. And she's continued to have nausea/vomitting/diarrhea all day. She ended up with a little fever this evening, too. Sure enough...it's a virus, not just a spoiled broccoli salad! My poor baby girl has felt horrible all day long, but she was able to eat a little tonight. Hopefully she's on the mend now.

My 2 boys (the big one and the little one) are at a Scout camp out (Larry went & joined him today). Larry texted me tonight that Samuel had thrown up. Oh boy. I asked if they were heading home. He said no, that he'd just watch him & see if it was a fluke or if he was 'really' sick. I'm afraid I will see some weary scouts wandering in in the middle of the night when reality hits that he's SICK and they head home. From 50 miles away. That should be a fun drive home. (especially since Larry was beginning to have some symptoms, too!)

At this point, Savannah is still ok, but it will be a miracle if she doesn't get it. She helped me with Sarah today. I had to go to the grocery store to get some food for the week and to pick up more Gatorade & Immodium. She's such a good big sister. She even told me today that it really doesn't gross her out 'much'. She's going to be such a good mama one day!

So, pray for my family --- to stay healthy, to keep from choking on the Lysol.

I have found out today that this stomach virus is going around our little town like crazy....so we're certainly not alone. At least we're not the only miserable ones this weekend.

Friday Phone Dump...one day late

2011-10-01T18:27:00.005-05:00

I got a stomach virus last night & went to bed at 9:15. So I'm a day late on the Friday Phone Dump. This is the time of the week that you can follow me through my week in pictures. I don't have many to share this time. I guess I wasn't doing a lot of picture taking this week! Join me over on your blog & link back here. If you do, comment so I can come check out your Friday Phone Dump post!

I've learned that with the boy child, it's often not worth asking 'why?'. I found this after he got out of the shower earlier this week. Do any of you drink a bottle of water while you shower?

I love how God so quickly provides. This morning we took a giant leap of faith & this afternoon in the mail, we got a 'safe driver check' from our insurance company! It's just a drop in the bucket, but I am excited by it! He amazes me every day!

This is the lunchbox Larry carries to work when he forgets to bring his lunchbox home. I'm kinda mean like that. (grin)

Will Fall ever come to Texas?

Do you recognize this perfume bottle? A few years ago, Sarah got a gift box full of little sample-sized bottles of perfumes from a lady at church. She's finished all the bottles off but this one smells SO good even now. I would love to figure out what kind of perfume this is & buy a bottle. Anyone know?

And this week's self portrait for ya!

Five Question Friday (on Saturday)

2011-10-01T18:12:00.003-05:00

1. Do you apologize to your kids if you're wrong?
Yes. Even if it means swallowing my pride, I want them to know that it's important to admit when you're wrong, apologize for it & make things right.

2. Do you have a class ring, Letterman's jacket, or similar obscenely priced high school "must have"?
I had a letter jacket & a class ring & the big senior scrapbook thing when I was a senior. But I'm going to try to talk my kids out of buying a class ring. It's just silly to spend a ton of money on a ring you'll wear until the day you graduate & then put it into your jewelry box to sit for the rest of your life!

3. If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what age would you choose?
Too hard to pick! Every year I would say "this year!" or "this age!". Life just keeps on getting better.

4. What is your favorite (unused) baby name?
I assume the "unused" part means I can't select the names we chose for our kids. If so, I have lots of favorites. Since we went with all S names, I have quite a few other S names and other letter names that I like.

For a boy, I like Owen, Simon (that would've been our adopted boy's name if we'd adopted an infant!), Stephen/Steven (would've been Sarah's name if she was a boy), Luke (which would've been my name if I was a boy!) and Graham.

For a girl, I like Shaylee (tried to convince Larry of this one for Sarah), Molly, Claire, Audrey & Katherine.

5. If you could make your child(ren) like something what would it be?
Getting along with their siblings 24/7!

Want to Know Wednesday

2011-09-28T22:36:00.003-05:00

{1} What is one thing (food or drink) that you MUST have everyday?
Water. I know, it sounds like a pretty basic answer, but I really do like to drink water, so it's a daily thing!

{2} What is your "go to" food when you don't feel well/need comfort?
Gatorade is my sickness thing. Gotta have bottles & bottles of it when I'm sick. Sometimes that's ALL I eat/drink when I'm sick.
But my favorite comfort food is Stouffer's frozen entree Mac & Cheese. Oh my heavens. Bliss.

{3} Is there a dish that you make that people request when they visit your home/a family favorite?
I THINK that I'm a pretty good cook, so most things are pretty yummy. I try to keep the family guessing, though....so they never know what I'm gonna serve them from week to week (unless they read the menu on my fridge door of course!). I can't think of a specific thing they request over & over, though.

{4} What are 3 foods you have TRIED, do not like and will NEVER eat again?
Squid. Blech.

{5} What's one thing that you love to eat that most people would think is weird and/or gross??
I love yogurt. I literally eat it EVERY day. That's mostly to help w/ my tummy issues, but I also just really like it. And it's good for you! BUT I know lots of people who think it's gross.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

1. What is your dream vacation?

For many, many years I always answered this question with "I'd love to take my family to Disneyworld." I had gone when I was a kid & dreamed of taking my kiddos one day. In 2007, our very sweet & generous friends in CA flew us out there to be a part of their son's Bar Mitzvah so while we were there, we went to Disneyland. And since then, Savannah has been to Disneyworld w/ the HS band. So... I'm not sure what the dream destination is now. Honestly, I love to go just about anywhere with my crew, so I'll take a vacation anywhere!

2. What has been your favorite trip so far in your life?
That's hard to say. I'm very blessed in that I travelled a lot as a kid/teen. Our family took a summer vacation SOMEWHERE every single year as I grew up. And as a teen, I went to a lot of amazing places on mission trips. And then since marriage/kids entered my life about 20 years ago, I've been to a few cool places, but those trips were just awesome because I had my family with me. I've been to a lot of great places over the years. Too many to choose one place!

3. If you and one of your best friends could go anywhere in the world for one week, where would it be and why?
Larry & I would take a few days & stay in a tropical, beautiful place.....then the other days we'd go stay in a mountain cabin. (See? I can't pick where travelling is concerned!)

4. Have you ever booked a trip using an online deal? How did it go?

We've planned trips using online reservations/ticket purchases, etc....but not a "deal" per se. No travel agent site sort of things.

5. What’s your favorite thing to do while you’re on vacation?

Relax. Eat the food there (because it's calorie-free when you're on vacation, ya know?!). Sleep. Go swimming (beach or a hotel pool...whatever!). Just hang out.

6. Have you ever missed an opportunity to take a trip that you regret?

Yes. There were mission trips I didn't go on as a teen.

7. You travel far away from home and get stranded with no way to buy anything, what’s the one thing you can’t live without?

a pillow

8. What’s one of your favorite traveling memories?

Laughter. Lots & lots of laughter on EVERY trip. It's always way up at the top of the list, no matter how many scenic views we see & no matter how many touristy-locations we visit. The joy on each trip is all that matters.

9. All included resort or backpacking? Why?

Duh. I'm a hotel kind of girl, so the all inclusive resort!

10. Are you more of a lie on the beach kind of person on vacation, or do you prefer to see the sights?

a little of both