tonight

I had such a nice evening tonight.  I was honored to be able to go out and eat dinner with two beautiful, Godly friends from my old church.  I love them so much...and miss them terribly.  I'm fortunate that my sweet husband doesn't mind if I go out with them every month or so. 

We're aiming for that...dinner out once a month. 

One of the ladies is my accountability partner.  I cherish her friendship and her honesty with me.  I love that we can pray for each other and hold each other accountable to staying in God's word.  We might not talk on the phone much (hardly ever, actually), but we do email and text.  A lot. 

I love the 'seasoned' friends God has given me.  By that I mean the kind of women who have lived a little bit longer than I have and can help keep me on track.  I love that we're so very different...but so very much alike, living our lives for one purpose: to serve and glorify HIM. 

I'm so blessed by my precious friends.  Dinner was heavenly.  We had Japanese and I tried sushi for the second time.  And liked it so much more than my first attempt at it. 

Thank You, Lord, for Your many blessings.  I don't know why I'm blessed...but I am.  All praise and honor and glory to You.  Forever and ever. 

Psalm 145

1 I will exalt You, my God and King, and praise Your name forever and ever.

2 I will praise You every day; yes, I will praise You forever. 

3 Great is the LORD!  He is most worthy of praise!  No one can measure His greatness.

4 Let each generation tell its children of Your mighty acts; let them proclaim Your power.

5 I will meditate on Your majestic, glorious splendor and Your wonderful miracles.

6 Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim Your greatness.

7 Everyone will share the story of Your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about Your righteousness.

8 The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

9 The LORD is good to everyone.  He showers compassion on all His creation.

10 All of Your works will thank You, LORD, and Your faithful followers will praise You.

11 They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom; they will give examples of Your power.

12 They will tell about Your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of Your reign.

13 For Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.  You rule throughout all generations.  The LORD always keeps His promises; He is gracious in all He does.

14 The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

15 The eyes of all look to You in hope; You give them their food as they need it.

16 When You open Your hand, You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness.

18 The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth.

19 He grants the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them.

20 The LORD protects all those who love Him, but He destroys the wicked.

21 I will praise the LORD, and may everyone on earth bless His holy name forever and ever.

Happy Thursday!

It's a gorgeous day outside...the temp is only *78 for the moment and the sun is shining.  It's another day that we are all alive and well.  And I am thankful.  And blessed. 

I love what the pastor at our old church used to say~"Your attitude is the most important thing you will put on everyday."

What kind of attitude are you putting on? 

I am speaking to myself, here, so just bear with me.  If you wake up thinking it's going to be a bad day...then it is.  If you wake up thankful for the new day God has blessed you with...well, it's hard to have a bad day with that mentality. 

I was hit with these thoughts on my way home from Walmart this morning.  I was listening to Klove when I got the thought.  I also heard a really amazing quote that I shared on facebook:

"Don't tell God how big your problems are.  Tell your problems how big your God is."

He is...there is nothing too great, nothing too small. 

He loves us and He cares for us.  Every single little detail in our lives.

Just thought I'd share some of my thoughts with you.  I hope you all have a wonderfully, blessed day.  Love to all. 

What are you called to be?

Nehemiah was called to be a builder.  (He's the one that was responsible for rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.)

Esther was called to be queen "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

Daniel was called to be a man of integrity and a prophet. 

Noah was called to build the ark.

What are you called to be?

For this time in my life I am called to be a child of God, a Godly (submissive) wife and mom to my boys, and a friendly face in the cafeteria at our elementary school. 

I am called to be an attentive ear, a lady that gives hugs to kids that hold their arms out to me, a friend they can talk to, a glimpse of my sweet Jesus.  In fact, I might be the only glimpse of Jesus they ever see.  Am I always happy?  No.  But I try to put a smile on my face just for them. 

I am called to be a daughter that honors my mother and father, a praying friend, a loving sister, an ever-praying aunt.  

No matter where you are in life, there is nothing that is unimportant.  We're called to do our best at all that we do.  I love this verse and pray it over my kids every single day:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all  your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."  Colossians 3:23

I don't care if you're a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, a sanitation worker, a maintenance person, or a mom of wee ones. 

Whatever you do...work at it with all your heart. 

I remember feeling so useless when my kids were all under the school age.  I felt like the only thing I did day after day was sit in my house, stare at the same walls, clean the kitchen and any other mess, and clean them up.  I was sad that I didn't have friends that were walking through the same thing.  This was during a time that we were not faithful in attending church.  You see the dilemma I faced. 

Looking back, I see the root of my problem...it was that we were not being faithful to God.  We had Him kind of on the side line...there when we needed Him, but forgetting about Him when things were going great.  We prayed only when we remembered and we were not involved in church.  We went one time a week.  On Sunday mornings, and we didn't even stay for Sunday school. 

If only I had those days to do over...I would have mothered with much more love and kindness.  I would have played outside with them more, I wouldn't have made them ask me to go to the park for a picnic. 

But I don't have those days to do over.  The only thing I can do now to make up for all that I lacked back then is to move forward.  To give my husband and my boys my very best.  To cover them in prayer any and every chance I get, to love them with my entire being. 

And (even more importantly) to love God first. 

Because when I love Him first, everything else just falls into place.  When I take the time to pray and spend time reading in His written word, I am communicating with Him.  I'm letting Him guide me through life.  And He speaks to me during this time.  Through His holy word.  He and His word are the foundations of my life. 


I am called to be His daughter.  His treasured possession.  His bride.  A Godly wife.  A Godly mom.  A taxi driver that hauls kids to and from school, who is known to read devotions and to pray over a whole slew of kids that don't belong to me, all done while in the car.  A praying friend.  A respectable daughter.  A holy example of what my Savior looks like. 

What are you called to be?

"And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands."  Deuteronomy 26:18


Spend some time with Him today.  Determine what you're called to be. 

Love to all.

It's Almost Friday...With A Little Bit of Random Thrown In

It's been a great week, so don't get me wrong...for that I am thankful.  I'm just always ready for Friday.  This week will be a little different because my dad won't be coming over when I get off work.  Him and my stepmom left for a two week vacay in and all around Montana.  I think they're starting in Chicago, going into Montana and up into Canada.  And get this...it's an Amtrak trip.  :)

I live vicariously through my dad's vacations.  I want to be just like him when I grow up. 

Anyway, it's probably going to be a busy weekend.  My hubby and I have a date night tomorrow night.  It's been a while, so I'm excited.  We're going to Bonefish and after that...who knows?  Todd's parents are taking the boys to the Orpheum to see the Wizard of Oz.  They're excited about that...they've all seen the movie and love it.  Saturday night our best couple friends are coming over to eat and play cards...it's been way too long, and we're always so excited to get together with them.  These sweet friends would be the parents of Graham's and Drew's best friend in the world, DC. 

My sweet little kindergarten friends have been with us in school all week.  Each day is getting a little bit better.  But God love their little hearts, some of them come into the cafeteria crying everyday.  Some even get out of their cars in the morning crying!  It's enough to make me want to sit down beside them and cry right alongside them.  I just keep praying for them...I almost can't bear to hear them cry like that.  I'm so thankful that I'm able to pray for them while I'm there...I hope all their mom's know how much each of those kids is loved.  By their teachers, by the sweet assistants we have, by me...we're blessed to be able to work with such precious angels!

Precious and wonderful...in the words of the infamous Mrs. Miles...how I miss that sweet lady!  She was Jonah's kindergarten teacher who moved to Florida last year...I always think of how much she LOVED kindergarten!  Moving on now...

I almost couldn't get out of bed this morning.  I even went to bed at 9:30.  :(  I don't know why, but I couldn't seem to wake up.  This is one of the days that I couldn't get to my coffee fast enough!  Thank the Lord for coffee, right??

Well, I need to get the littles up and moving about.  I hope all of you have a wonderfully blessed Thursday! Love to all!

Friends

They're a blessing from God.  I know you probably get tired of reading that...but they are.  I haven't always made friends easily.  I was always shy in high school and I didn't like most of the girls.  (I said "most", not "all".)  I don't really know when that changed, but my shyness disappeared, and all of a sudden I was outgoing. 

Not crazy outgoing, but a lot more than I used to be.  :)  I still hate to stand in front of a group, and I still consider myself to be on the reserved side of things, but I'm not shy anymore. 

Back to friends...I love the ones that God has placed in my life.  They're the "iron sharpens iron" kind of friends.  I'm fortunate to be able to either see them or at least talk to them on a regular basis.  I know this is something a lot of women struggle with...finding a special friend you can be yourself with.  Trust me when I say that I do not take them for granted.  I always thank God for them...and for the reasons he brought them into my life.

That being said...I'm looking forward to this morning when my best friend comes and haves breakfast with me.  I've known this sweet girl since we were in 7th or 8th grade.  I love the time we have together...and it might not be all too often that we see each other, but we always pick right back up where we left off.  And the hour and a half we have together feels more like 5 minutes.  I could talk to her all day.

If you're reading this and you've got some special women in your life, thank God for them.  And remember:

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13

Apples of Gold

My kids have had some amazing teachers over the years.  That still rings true this new school year.  We are so blessed to have had so many God-loving teachers. 

I love, especially, the beginning of a school year.  I love when the teachers make themselves "real" to our kids...and talk about their families, their furry children, their careers, their hobbies...and I love the enthusiasm that my kids have to learn about them. 

I'm blessed to have children that love school and do well.  They love getting to know new teachers, and I hope their teachers enjoy getting to know them.  For instance, Jonah's and Noah's teacher had her daughter come up to the school one day last week to help out in the classroom.  She's a junior in high school, so this was a pretty cool thing in the eyes of third graders.  Jonah came home that afternoon and told me that "she was beautiful".  His words, not mine. 

I'm so thankful for our teachers this morning...and in light of Mom's In Touch being this morning and saying special prayers over them for this week, I thought I would share this word.

"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."  Proverbs 25:11

For all my sweet teacher friends: thank you for what you do.  I'm praying for you today.

Love to all.

a few of my favorite things (Sunday edition)

Sunday mornings...and quieting my heart before we go to church
The first cup of coffee in the morning
A quiet house first thing in the morning
Reading my Bible early, when there are no other sounds anywhere
Church
Singing and worshiping the Lord...He is so worthy of all our praise!
Sitting next to my husband and older 2 boys in church
Taking notes on the pastor's sermon
Flipping through the pages of my Bible and reading what God has done through His word (yes, my Bible is all marked up!)
When Brother Chuck tells us to turn our Bibles to a certain place, there are a few moments when the only sounds are the pages being turned. 
Sunday naps :)

I love everything about Sunday.  The best part of the whole day is that it's the day we focus on God.  You don't have to go to church to get into Heaven, but God meant for us to have fellowship with a body of believers.  I love church family...and cannot imagine my life without them.  I am a much nicer person when I'm faithful in church. 

If you're thinking about not going today, I encourage you to go anyway.  You will be blessed, I assure you.  I'll be at Collierville First Baptist...why not join us (if you're local and looking for one?)?  I hope you all have a blessed day in the Lord!  Love to all. 

Sweet Family Time

It's priceless, don't you think? 

We were on our way home from Nana's and Big Daddy's tonight, when I heard Graham say, "Hey, remember that time we were downtown at the Veteran's day parade?  And Noah saw the homeless man and said, 'hey there's a hobo!'?" 

It made my heart so happy to hear my kids talk about a memory like that.  Not that that was a great moment, but it was pretty funny.  And Noah was only five, so he really didn't know better yet.  Luckily, the poor man (not literally) was across the street and didn't hear us. 

We experience sweet family time tonight.  We are so richly blessed, my friend.  All of us.

Love to all. 

August 13 of Jesus Calling

I loved this morning's devotion from Jesus Calling, so I thought it would share it with you.  All of the below is written by Sarah Young. 

***************

Learn to enjoy life more.  Relax, remembering that I am God with you.  I crafted you with enormous capacity to know Me and enjoy My Presence.  When My people wear sour faces and walk through their lives with resigned rigidity, I am displeased.  When you walk through a day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in Me, your ever-present Shepherd.  The more you focus on My Presence with you, the more fully you can enjoy life.  Glorify Me through your pleasure in Me.  Thus you proclaim My Presence to the watching world.  

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us."

John 10:10, 11 "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep."

***************

That spoke volumes to me today.  I am always super aware of people's faces.  I try to be aware of mine, too.  In working with kids, I try to keep my face "open" and friendly.  I try to put myself in their shoes and think whether or not my face reflects my personality.  If I have a frown, then I'm going to come across as un-friendly.  If I have a pleasant expression, I am showing to them that I am nice and that I care about them.  

Now, trust me, there are plenty of days when I frown.  But for the most part, I try my best to smile.  

Have you ever met someone who frowned all the time?  Our faces reflect our words.  And our words have the power to tear down or build up.  I choose to build up.  

I also love the part in the devotion that says in walking through our day with childlike delight, we are reflecting our trust in the Lord.  

My challenge for all of us today is to be aware of ourselves...our facial expressions, our words and our behavior.  For most of us, there are little eyes and ears that follow us wherever we go.  

Happy Saturday and love to all.  :)

Happy Friday!

The first weekend of the school year!  We made it!!  The first week is always the hardest.  I always feel if we can make it through the first week, that we're good to go.  We've done some changing around and some modifying with transportation, but other than that, we are good to go!

So last night, I totally went to bed at 8:30.  I told you I was beat.  I fell asleep by 9:15.  :)  I think this week has officially gotten to me.

I have no clue what we're doing tonight...but whatever it is, I am just glad we will all be together. 

I'm praying Drew remembers his new schedule today.  I'm sure he'll be fine.  They're both super excited because they're walking home with friends today.  Our bus has been so late everyday that I changed them to 'walkers'.  I'm meeting Graham at his friend's house, and Drew is going home with his friend to hang out for a little while.

Big boys.  So fun, but so sad for their momma. 

I hope you all have an incredibly wonderful, blessed Friday.  Love to all!

Blessed

I feel so blessed.  Today was a great day.  (And before you question, even on bad days, I am still blessed.) 

Drew had an issue with his schedule that Todd was able to resolve today.  The administration at middle school is great about that...jumping on things quickly.  Mr. McCain was very nice about the whole thing, and when Todd walked out, he had a copy of it in his hand. 

With the schedule change came 2 changes: his math and social studies teachers.  He now has the awesome Mr. Zoska and the sweet Ms. Zanone for math.  He is one happy camper. 

On top of all that, we completed the night with Jonah's and Noah's third grade parent meeting.  I (we all) absolutely adore his teacher.  She's also a friend of Todd's and his brother's from high school.  She's young, fun, and brilliant.  She also has a "smart board" that we were amazed at.  She lets the kids go up to it and write on it.  (Think giant iPad.)  It's the coolest thing ever...it's called a premethean, and she's the only teacher in third grade to have it. 

And...to make the day even better, we visited my sweet friend and chiropractor, Tammy.  She is making my back feel better and better.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be (at least close to) pain free. 

Well...I'm about to hit the sack.  Yup.  At 8:11, I am completely and totally exhausted.  Happy almost Friday!  Love to all. 

Conversations

It's been interesting finding our way back into a schedule.  Along with that comes the need to find time for conversations.  For instance, last year when Graham got home, he would come in and get a small snack and drink, then we would head up to the elementary school to get in car line.  We had a good, uninterrupted 25 minutes every single day.  Unless he wanted to stay home, which only rarely happened.

This year, neither Graham nor Drew has wanted to come with me yet. 

So we're finding time to talk at random times...like in the mornings.  This morning we just sat and talked while they waited to go to the bus stop.  I've also been hanging out in their rooms at night, reading stories, praying and talking to them. 

It's important that we take the time and have these conversations with our kids.  Not just talking AT them, but talking WITH them. 

There's a huge difference in those two words.  Don't get me wrong...sometimes as parents, we have to talk "at" them.  But the times when we don't have to do that...and we have the opportunity for a good conversation, we need to jump all over it.  I know the older they get the less this might happen, but if we form good habits early enough, they're more likely to continue them as the teen years approach. 

Our time with them goes all too quickly.  I personally think my kids are pretty cool little guys.  I love getting to know more about what they do and what they love at school.  It's a neat opportunity to see them from a different angle.  My friend made a great point at camp...she said that if parents could only see their kids away at camp, they might be shocked.  I don't know if she meant "shocked" in a good way or a bad way, but she was right.

It's our job to help mold them into people.  I don't want to take a single moment for granted. 

Love to all. 

Today I Am Thankful For:

My friend, Tammy.  Not only am I thankful for her friendship, I am also thankful that she is my chiropractor.  My back is thankful for her, too.

My tennis shoes.  Without them, my ankles throb.  Ah, the joys of walking concrete floors for hours a day.

The friends I sat and talked with tonight at church.  I skipped choir because of my back, and while I waited on the kids to get out, several stopped and talked with me.  It passed the time quickly.

Help in the cafeteria.  :)  I have had lots the past few days.  It's been nice.

Friendly faces.  We have some new faces at school this year, and they are so friendly and sweet.  I love, it especially, when they smile a lot and seem like they enjoy what they do.

Hugs.  I've had lots of them over the past few days from my sweet little friends.

My praying friends.  :) 


Love to all! 

When Mornings Go Awry

I started off having a great morning.  I even had plenty of time to read my Bible before I made lunches.  (And I do most of that the night before.)  I love when time goes so smoothly, and when I actually wake up on time. 

The part that started to go 'awry' was when Graham gave me attitude over feeding Andy the Wonder Dog. 

I know he's almost to the teen years...but really??  My back is killing me, and today I plan on going to see my sweet chiropractor/friend Tammy about it.  But until then...I really can't bend over.  Or stand completely straight.  And I don't need him slamming doors to tell me that he's miffed about doing something he should NOT be miffed about. 

I told him that was okay...that the next time he eats a meal, he can make it himself. 

And when they forget to give Andy water, that's okay, too...they can skip their drink at dinner. 

And when (Lord, help me here) something sad happens to Andy the Wonder Dog that we don't have to replace him.  We can be an animal-free home.  (Which would really be punishing me instead, because I love animals so much.)

It really does something to you, doesn't it?  When kids act like that?  But then I was on facebook and saw my friend Carla's status: "I'm so thankful for God's new mercies every morning."

And I am...and no matter what, nothing will steal my joy.  Graham just might have to give me his ipod for a day. 

I also came across this:

Colossians 3: ¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each others faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

God is good.  All the time.  :)  Love to all.  

Almost Half Over

I love our weekends together...especially once school starts.  I don't want to be "that mom" who is always rushing time...quite the opposite, I want to enjoy the moment I'm in with the kids, and I want to enjoy our weekends together. 

Today was a MUCH better for my sweet Drew.  I had doubts after yesterday, but today was fine.  I'm thankful for my praying friends!  I know that God heard every single prayer uttered over that child today. 

We're settling into a routine...and I like it.  I miss this during the summer.  I love structure...and organization and always knowing what we're doing and when.  A routine is not a bad thing around my house. 

I'm even getting back in the swing of regularly planned meals.  :) 

So, the best things about today: Drew's improved day, Graham telling me about how his teacher danced with one of her students today, and seeing Jonah's and Noah's faces when they came home to find their new seats for their desks at school: exercise balls. 

Yes, you read that right.  They get to have large sized exercise balls instead of chairs in school. 

Third grade rocks. 

Good night, my friends, and love to all!

Day 2...

So today I rolled out of bed a little easier.  Don't get me wrong...I still pushed "snooze" on my alarm, but it wasn't quite as hard as yesterday.  The only thing I have to get better at is going to bed earlier.

Yesterday was a good day for all my kids.  Drew was exhausted when he got home, though.  I think he had a hard time falling to sleep Sunday night because of the anticipation.  He took two naps before 7:00.  I'm thinking it was because he had a bad headache (he has his dad's sinus issues, and we had a front move in last night...no wonder.  I woke up to rain on ground this morning.).  He barely ate his dinner.  Needless to say, last night he went to sleep much faster.

You know what's funny?  (They would die if they knew I was telling you this.)  When Jonah and Noah asked me to read them a story last night, Graham and Drew got all excited and asked if they could sit in.  :)  I have to admit that it made my heart happy.  I love that they can still be "kids", even though most of the time they think they're too old for stuff like that.

I am praying for a great day for all the boys again.  Graham loved all his teachers, Drew liked MOST of his teachers (notice I didn't say "all"), and Jonah and Noah fell in love with the amazing Beth Sansone.  Maybe because she let them have a snowball fight in class?  Hmm....quite possibly.  :)  She also lets her kids sit on exercise balls instead of chairs, so I'm sure we'll be purchasing some of those this week. 

God is so good to us.  I am so thankful that He orchestrates every single event in our lives....right down to how great our first day back was.  I hope you all have a blessed Tuesday.  Love to all!

The First Day of School Eve

It's 9:15 and all is quiet in my house.  It seems so weird...and way too early for my sweet boys to be going to bed.  We enjoyed an amazing dinner with the best neighbors in the word (and maybe our best friends ever), Travis and Katie.  We ate like kings...all 10 of us...steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans, brownies and sweet tea.  Yummy!

We enjoyed their pool together, too.  It felt awesome...a cool 86* on a very hot day.  :)

All the school bags are packed.  Clothes are laid out.  Lunches are made (with the exception of the cold stuff and ice packs.)  And this mama is about to hit the sack right along with them. 

I'm so proud of myself...I only cried once tonight.  Although, now that I write that, the tears are welling up once again.  ://  It was during that song, Blessings, by Laura Story.  Dognabbit.

The only thing I've been looking forward to about tomorrow is the fact that my praying mom's group, Mom's In Touch, is starting back up.  I cannot wait to see these precious (and hopefully some new) faces tomorrow.  I have missed all of them over the summer, and I cannot wait to see what God does through our prayers!! 

Well, I am about to head upstairs.  I have to get up at the crack of dawn to do all I have to do before I wake all the kids up.  So...this must be short.  I hope you and your school kids have a blessed day tomorrow...and if your kids aren't school aged yet, squeeze them extra tight.  Time flies too quickly.  Love to all.

Not The Typical Friday Night

We are a family divided.  Drew is at the CFBC "preview weekend" lock-in...to induct him into the middle school youth group.  Graham is at a friend's house for the night.  Todd is chaperoning above middle-schoolers around from church to host home to Fun Quest to Baskin Robbins back to host home. 

Did you catch that?

That leaves my favorite 8 year-olds and myself home alone.  We had a special (whatever they wanted) dinner while watching Phineas and Ferb, then watched the new Phineas and Ferb movie that came out tonight.  We munched on popcorn and chocolate chip cookies while we watched.  :)

Now I'm doing this while they're watching American Ninja Warrior. 

Doesn't that just sound like a show you want to watch?? 

With all this excitement, who knows what tomorrow holds??? 

Hope you all have a fantabulous weekend.  Love to all!

So Long, Summer

It's been nice.  Beyond nice, really.  It's been amazingly wonderful.  (Is that too many adjectives?)

Today is the day I return to work.  I'm thankful for my job...and I still love doing what I do (especially after First Kids' Camp), I'm just sad that this is the day all the summer awesome-ness ends. 

My kids are happy to get Pappaw to themselves for a whole day, so there is that.  He promised them lunch, and I'm pretty sure Noah is going to do his best to try and talk him into taking them to see the Smurf's. 

We'll see how that goes. 

I actually had to set my alarm this morning for 5:30.  Not that I got out of bed then.  I didn't roll out until 6:15.  That still left plenty of time for me to read my Bible, check email and facebook, and blog.  :)

Well...that time is running out.  I need a refill on the coffee and I've got to start folding a load of clothes and getting dressed.  Happy last day of Summer.  Love to all. 

the hottest day of summer

BLAH.  That is exactly how I feel right now.  I think the heat it making my head throb.  :(  I broke into a sweat tonight walking from the Burban to the side entrance of church.  Which was like 200 feet.

Yuck. 

It was so hot that all the boys came home today and took cold showers. 

And I took a nap.  :)

I am so sad that school starts so early...I really wish that there would be a law that said school couldn't start until after the 20th of August.  It's too hot for the kids to have outdoor recess...so think of how awful that makes it for their teachers. 

So...that's about all I've got.  Like I said...my head is pounding and I don't think there's much more rattling around in there.  Don't melt away...but I just might. 

Love to all. 

a little mercy, anyone?

I love the Lord so much...and I love His gentleness.  I have been doing my 'Bible in a year' reading over the summer, and it's made me fall even more in love with His word.  I know that not every part of what I read is going to be applicable to my daily life (like now, I'm in 2nd Chronicles...and that's exactly what it is...chronicles of who was king and when), but it's so rich with meaning and wisdom.

God uses it many times everyday in my life.  For example, last week we were pulling into the driveway when Drew asked me to let him out.  He had learned to jump on top of this box thing we have in our yard without using his hands and he wanted to show Graham.  Anyway, I let him out and then we sat there so we could watch him.  He got out of the car without shoes and asked if Jonah would throw him his crocs.  So Jonah did...and inside one of those shoes was his ipod touch, and needless to say, it went flying.  And the screen shattered. 

I won't lie...my first reaction was to glare at Jonah...as if to ask, "How could you throw that without looking first???"  Like he would have known that there was in ipod inside of Drew's shoes.  Then I got mad at Drew...because really, who puts their ipod inside of a shoe??? 

Well...a kid that might forget it inside the car, that's who.  And as for Jonah, well, why in the world would he have known to check Drew's shoe first?

What I'm getting to is this: I didn't respond very graciously when this little incident occurred.  I was quite upset with both kids.  But as I looked into Jonah's eyes, I thought of the words "mercy" and "grace".  And how sweetly Jesus responds to us when we sin against Him.  I immediately apologized to both boys.  Jonah was okay after that, but Drew was not.  He really thought he was in trouble, and he was mad at himself because he's been so careful with this gadget since the day he got it.  I spent the next ten minutes consoling him and assuring him that he was NOT in trouble and that Daddy could and would willingly fix his screen.  (He's done it several times with Graham's...but that's a long story.) 

Accidents happen.  Do I always react to them in a nice way?  Of course not.  But His word gently (and sometimes NOT so gently) guides me along the path of my day to day life.  His word says to ask for wisdom and He will give it to us generously without fault (James 1:5 NIV).  I am proof of this verse.  We just have to ask...and it's ours. 

I love His word.  It reminds me how simple of a thing faith is.  We are to have a simple, child-like faith.  What "child-like faith" means to me is knowing without a doubt that something is true...or that something will happen.  (i.e. My kids know that dinner will be served every single night.  It might not be their favorite meal, but it will be something that I know they will like and they know that they will eat a good meal before bedtime.) 

It's never questioned, never doubted...it's just there. 

I am convinced that this is the kind of faith we are supposed to have.  This can sometimes come across as naive.  Trust me...I've been accused of it.  But I'm not at all...I just choose to trust in and have faith in my sweet Savior.  Because that is exactly what He is...our Savior. 

Psalm 23:6 says, "Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place." (Amplified Bible)

All we have to do is ask...then believe...then receive.  And it's ours.  Try it if you don't believe me.  You just might be blessed. 

Love to all. 

My prayer...

is for all my sweet teacher and staff friends (and all the ones I don't know) to be strengthened and guided by the Lord this entire school year.

is that above all, they will have the endurance required to do what they do. 

is that no matter who they get in their classes, that the Lord will provide them daily with all the love and patience they need. 

is for Graham, Drew, Jonah and Noah to love whoever they get...and for the teacher to love them. 

is for another wonderful school year.  God has blessed us for so many years in our schools, and I know He will do it again this year. 

is for God to grant wisdom, knowledge and understanding to every student in school. 

is for my boys to remember why they need to do their very best.  ("Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Colossians 3:23)

We've only got this week left of summer, then it's back to school for all of us.  I'm thinking about all my sweet teacher friends this morning...and saying some prayers on their behalf.  I'm also praying for my husband's cousin Louie this morning...he had a heart attack Friday sometime and though he was doing well yesterday, he took a turn for the worse again sometime this morning. 

Joshua 1:9 says this: "This is my command-be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

I thought that this was fitting for my morning prayer time.  :)  I love God's word.  I don't know what I'd do without it.  Thanks for reading...love to all.