What To Write?!?!

Todd finally caught up to me in years.  Finally.  Now he won't make fun of me anymore by calling me "old".  Hmmmph.  Can't you just hear me saying that, Honey?  Muahaha. 

Yes, I happen to be very mature and wise for my age. 

So.  I haven't been writing because nothing fun has been happening.  Well, unless you count laundry.  And if you count that as fun, you are insane and should come do all mine. 

Today the boys have had friends over all day.  Our little neighbor friend might think that this is his new house.  Might.  I'm really not sure, but it's just a thought.  He's sweet, so I don't mind.  He's been here for the past couple of days.  It's kinda been nice~because for some crazy reason, 5 kids is easier than 4.  Who would have thought?

Jonah and Noah have a friend spending the night~Andy.  NOT the WonderDog Andy, their friend Andy.  Because Andy the WonderDog lives with us.  Graham and Drew have a friend over, too.  Brayden.  He's a great kid.  He asked me what he should call "Mr. Goodwin" earlier.  After calling me "Mrs. Goodwin" all day. 

It's been a fun day.  Well, aside from the 1,327 loads of laundry I've done.  All those socks.  Jesus help me, all those socks.  I'm going to be dreaming of little white socks.  Ankle length.  No show.  Crew.  Black.  White.  Red stripes.  Snuggie socks.  Blue socks.  OH MY GOODNESS, all the socks. 

I sound like Dr. Seuss, don't I?  Hmmmm.  You would think I've read it a thousand or so times, huh?

Tomorrow we're going to our church to UNdecorate the trees.  Actually, the trees have been undecorated.  We're going to sort and pack the ornaments.  Sounds like fun, huh?  If you attend church with me and have nothing better to be doing, you're welcome to come and join me.  The more, the merrier.  Because sometimes people that attend a church should actually do something to help out in the church. 

Oh mercy.  I'm stopping right there.  That's a whole other can of worms. 

So me and my beautiful mother in love and 4 precious sons and amazing friend Becky are going and doing this tomorrow.  8) 

Tomorrow night we're going to Nana's and Big Daddy's.  To have some really good food.  I don't know what we're having yet.  But it'll be delicious because I'm not cooking it. 

So, that's what's been going on in my world.  What's been happening in yours?  Feel free to comment.  I'm thinking y'all don't love me as much as you used to because nobody ever comments anymore. 

So feel free.  I don't hate comments. 

Lurve to all on this blustery, cold night.  Isn't it grand?  The only thing that would make my night more heavenly would be if my hubby would build a fire.  Which is pretty hard without firewood.  Whatever.  Sometimes he's so difficult. 

A Very Merry Christmas

Wow.  What an amazing day we had yesterday.  And the day before.  And two days before that. 

We celebrated with Todd's part of the family on Tuesday.  Kinda weird, but I liked it.  It put us at his parents house all day and we were not rushed at all.  His brother and sister in law wanted to be back in Nashville by Christmas, and I don't blame them.  I don't think they have EVER spent Christmas at their own house. 

So that was Tuesday.  We celebrated with my dad on Christmas Eve and my mom yesterday. 

The boys love all their gifts {so do Todd and I!!} and we feel amazingly blessed.  It was a wonderful Christmas.  I have enjoyed every single crazy, chaotic moment that I've shared with my family this year. 

But now that the day is gone~I'm ready to tear down all my decorations.  My house feels all jumbled up and cluttered.  And dusty, but that's for another day.

Do you do this after Christmas?  As much as I love it, I am always ready to take it all down the day after.  I think it was the first year Todd and I shared Christmas as a married couple that this happened, but he came home from work one day after Christmas, and I had taken down all the decorations.  Including the REAL tree~and had propped it up on the wall outside our apartment door.  That was the first time he ever realized how efficient I can be.  :)

So, I'm thinking about doing some of that today.  I have a very effective method of doing this~I walk all through my house and as I find Christmas decorations, I put them on the dining room table.  Then when I'm finished, I pack it all up and haul it all back up the stairs. 

So.  I'm going to go do some of THAT now.  Now that I'm in the mood and all.  Love to all!

FuN tImEs & ChRiStMaS

It is Christmas this week.  Holy cow.  Does anyone else have a million things to do before the big day arrives on Friday?! 

I do.  Our first big day is tomorrow~we're celebrating Christmas early with Todd's family.  I volunteered to make the dressing.  Tomorrow.  And I don't even have the ingredients.  AND I'm sitting her blogging about it instead of actually doing something about it.  I also have a couple things left to buy and gifts to wrap.  Although, I cannot wrap those gifts until tonight when Todd and I are without kids. 

I had a friend ask me if I wanted to come over today and bake.  SURE!!!  Because baking is always SOOOOO much more fun when done with a friend!  I've been told asked to make some more chex mix.  I think we're making chocolate covered peanut butter ritz crackers, too.  :)  And something else, but I don't know what it is yet.  

Wow.  I really need to get off here and get to the store for the ingredients.  We're having a lazy day at home at the moment.  The older boys had a friend over last night, so they'll be hanging around playing until we leave at noon. 

What fun things are YOU doing this week?  I hope to be fun AND productive.  That's my goal.  We'll see how close I get to it. 

As I am writing this, my kids are in the kitchen eating waffles and chicken tenders with ranch.  I wonder what is wrong with them that they don't like breakfast food?  Saturday Drew gave me a preview of his upcoming teenage years and had pizza for breakfast.  Why they can't enjoy a simple bowl of cereal is beyond me.  Oh, my heart.  I'm sure this will only get progressively worse.  Times 4. 

Ok.  Well I need to get off this laptop and onto my "things to do" list. 

Love to all. 

Happy Tears

God is so good. He is too much sometimes~meaning I cannot wrap my mind around how good He is and how much He loves us. Even those that don't know Him. He still loves them and longs for them. Even those serving gods that don't exist and those who are wrapped up in other religions~such as the ones that claim there is another "book" or "bible" to add to His one true Word.

I am moved to tears by my favorite Bible teacher, Beth Moore. I am seriously about to bawl my eyes out over her story and would be now if my dear hubby weren't sitting in the same room with me. I don't want him to think I'm a freak. Because I don't personally know Beth, but I'm crying over her story.

But I do know her. She is my mentor, my favorite Bible teacher and my sister in Christ. And one day in Heaven, we'll be in the angel choir together.

Just go with me here.

Click HERE to read her story. It's long, but stick with it because it's worth it.

Grace.

Mercy.

He abounds in both.

Up To Date...

Where have I been, you wonder? Or not. But even if you don't, I'll still tell you.

A couple weeks ago, we took the kids out of school on Friday and headed to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I thought it was only about a 4 hour drive~I was sadly mistaken. It turned into an 8 hour event. That included the drive, the little~boy stops, and the eating stops. Whew. It makes me tired just thinking about it all.

So, we had a fun and fabulous weekend in the mountains. Seriously, it was fabulous. The only problem? It was F.R.E.E.Z.I.N.G. And I do mean FREEZING. Did you catch that? Do you need me to reiterate it?

{Main Entry: re·it·er·ate

Pronunciation: \rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt\

Function: transitive verb

Inflected Form(s): re·it·er·at·ed; re·it·er·at·ing

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin reiteratus, past participle of reiterare to repeat, from re- + iterare to iterate

Date: 15th century}

Just in case you didn't catch that word. It was one of those million dollar ones elementary teachers are so dearly fond of.

Anyway. Although I did think ahead to look at the weather for the weekend, I couldn't actually get the weather for the town Eureka Springs. The closest town I could get the weather for was Rogers. Which, I now know, is not in the Ozark Mountains. Which, it turns out, is a good 20 degrees WARMER than the actual said town we were in.

So, let me clarify. The weather said the high for the weekend would be around 50 degrees. Well, in the mountains, it is probably a good 20 degrees colder. So that would make the high...

Ummmm....let me think....

30 degrees. A whopping, blustery, frigid 30 degrees. And we, being from Memphica and all, are not used to mountain temperatures, and were not at all equipped for that kind of cold.

Now, this is coming from the hottest woman you will ever meet.

And I don't mean hottest in the terms of looks.

I mean hottest as in~the hottest, I'm havin' a hot flash~ kind of hottest woman. That kind of hot.

I am not a complainer~or a whiner~but some thicker pants and some layers would have been a grand thing.

Can I get an amen? Debi~that one was for you.

So. It was fun. And cold. And nowhere NEAR long enough to my liking. All too soon it was time to pack it all up and head back home.

Some fun things happened on the trip: first, we went with Nana and Big Daddy to see Trey and Sierra get married. Weddings are always fun, and this was our first trip with this set of grands. It was a great time, and nobody killed each other. Which we wouldn't because we are not THAT kind of family. {heeheeheeheehee!} The kids got along and nobody was hurt.

Although Drew tried his darnedest to make that a false statement. What did Drew do, you wonder? Oh, not much. Just almost fell off a mountain ledge.

Do not freak out, he would have eventually been stopped by all the shrubbery he would have hit on the way down. Eventually.

I was able to laugh about this later~but at the moment, something weird~probably HORROR~came into my voice and I screamed bloody murder at poor Todd, probably almost resulting in HIM falling off the same ledge. I think Todd might have actually yelled at me to shut up. Hmmmmm.

Can't say that I blame him.

Anyway. The reason I laughed is because Drew later told me that he tripped over a root on the ground and couldn't stop. And then I remembered the whole time he was stumbling to stop he was saying, "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh"! Which struck me as funny and I had a good belly laugh over it at eleven o'clock that same night.

My boys all danced with me. Well, not Graham and not Todd. They would have been in the hotel room at that time watching the SEC championship game. Which Bama won, in case you were in a bubble that day and didn't see or hear.

Drew line danced with Uncle Trey. And Aunt Sierra. Jonah and Noah whirled and twirled me.

Drew caught the garter, then proceeded to wear it on his head the rest of the night.

I cried over the fact that Big Daddy got all sentimental on us.

We celebrated Big Daddy's birthday.

The kids all ate Mickey D's at eleven o'clock at night, thanks to Nana, Aunt Marti and Uncle Larry.

And I laughed until I almost...

Well. Nevermind.

So. The trip was fantabulous. We came back home to a normal, boring world. Fast forward to this week.

My birthday was Monday. Happy birthday to me!!! It was the greatest day EVER. Todd and the boys made me feel like the luckiest wife/mom alive. I woke up as usual, but when I went upstairs to start getting dressed, Todd handed me THE GIFT he'd been hanging onto for the past 2 weeks.

My man does NOT like to shop. And when he does, he insists that I give him a very detailed list of what all I want. He did not do that this year. I was a little worried, I admit. Okay, okay, a lot worried.

I actually thought he was buying me one of those mini Dell laptops. Which I would have been SO thankful for~but was concerned that we didn't need a third computer.

I was very pleasantly surprised~SHOCKED~when he handed me a bag that said "Chamilia" on the front.

What is Chamilia, you want to know?

It is a version of Pandora~as in the bracelets. !!! Several months ago~like as in July~I was admiring a friend's bracelet in choir practice. And Todd, being in the video room at church and all, panned the camera in on Sherry and me and wanted to know what we were so engrossed in. So Sherry, being the dear woman she is, told him. Then hinted that it would make a great gift for moi.

You gotta love a gal like that, ya know?!

So Todd remembered all these months and took the boys out a couple weeks ago to buy me one. Chamilia is the same as Pandora~the charms are all interchangeable, but Chamilia is made in the USA. GO U.S.A.!! He let the boys pick out 4 charms, then he had them narrow them down to 2. And that is what my dear man bought me.

Not only did he shop without a list. He shopped without a list in ADVANCE. Not only did he shop without a list in advance, he bought me JEWELRY. That actually cost a significant amount of money.

Never in my life have I been so proud. So the charms I got are a brothers charm, and a captured hearts charm. {As in "my precious husband and kids have captured my heart!"} My dad gave me money for my birthday, so I bought 2 more. I decided to stick with the family theme, and bought a Mickey Mouse head {to forever remember our fabulous, magical time there last summer}, and a dangling cross. Because even more than I love my family, I love my Jesus. Mmmmhmmmm. He is so good, y'all.

Anyway.

To make my day more amazing, I had like 500 kids wishing me happy birthday by hugging me, smiling at me, or singing to me~never have I loved my job so much~and I got to spend the entire day with my beloved family.

I even thought that everyone on earth should be so privileged to work with kids on their birthday. Because, MAN, can they make you feel like a rock star.

I had some surprise gifts come from some precious friends, and one of my besties is celebrating with me tomorrow night. !!! AND we're BAKING!!!!!

Hallelujah!!!

I am a blessed woman.

That was why I posted what I did on Monday. It was almost overwhelming. All I could think of all day was that Bible verse that I posted, and the word IMMEASURABLY. As in, "God has blessed me immeasurably." That is the understatement of the year.

Did I deserve all that? No way.

But it sure is awesome to feel so treasured.

It's amazing how far a smile can go~but it can travel to the farthest corners of your mind. I will never forget my amazingly brilliant...

...33rd birthday.

SIGH.

It was so good, I don't even mind that I'm older than Todd for the next 13 days.

To all that were involved, or are GOING to be involved~thank you. I love you dearly. Y'all are my gifts in life.

Quiet, Please

"He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love." Zephaniah 3:17

I think I need to be reminded of this daily. In all the busyness of the Christmas season, God longs for us to be still and spend time with Him.


"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10


He wants us to stay focused on Him~He wants us to commune with Him through daily conversations.


"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have the chance to eat, He said to them: "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31


I have not been quiet, and I have not had great conversations with Him lately. I've been busy and hurried and rushing around to get things on all my lists done.


Not that any of these things are excuses. But maybe they're explanations as to why I've had a short fuse lately. When I slow down and take that time to be quiet before Him, all is well in my world. When I neglect Him, craziness abounds all around me.


I am thankful for a God who loves me in spite of all my faults. I am thankful that He will take me anytime, anyway that He can get me~whether that be in long, drawn out sessions or in shorter segments of time throughout the day. I am thankful that He hears me in the quietness and in the loudness of my day.


I adore Him.


Just like my favorite Christmas song says.

Blessed

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!" Ephesians 3:20, 21

Blessed.

Blessed
Loved
Enthusiastically hugged
Saved
Surrounded
forEver and ever and ever will I always remember the ways I was loved today
Delightfully treasured

These are all words that described my day. Thirty~three has never looked so good.

My husband has never made me feel so treasured, as he did today.

My boys delighted me with their expressions of love and affection.

Elementary kids sang to me all day.

Friends blessed me with their words.

Undeservedly so.

Humbled.

Quieted by His love.

Rejoiced over by His singing to me.

Hidden in His everlasting arms.

Sheltered by His adoration.

Made in His image.

Chosen as His treasured possession.

Unconditionally loved by my Creator~no strings attached.

It's His gift to me on this thirty~third birthday, this Christmas season. What will I do with it?

It's up to me.

What will you do with His gift to you this season?

It's up to you.

He made us to worship Him, to love Him, to adore Him, to exalt His name, to praise Him with all that is within us.

Will you?

Weekend Road Trip

Remember this? It's that time again. Although this time we'll be spread out in 2 vehicles, Todd's car and Nana's little SUV.

I've officially run out of steam. I've packed 4 boys and 1 husband {I almost wrote 2 there!} and now I don't want to pack myself.

I am resting for a few minutes while I wait on the last load to come out of the dryer.

So. That's all for now. I can't wait to share some pics from this weekend.

Love to all.