Letters Of Intent

Dear Jayce,

Our trip to Orlando is swiftly approaching. For the sanity of our entire family I ask that you please cooperate on the long trip. I know the car isn't you favorite place, but can you pretend it is.... just this once? Well twice actually. I need you to pretend it is on the way home too. We are gonna get to Disney world, even if you kick and scream the whole way. I love you and I just want you to enjoy the ride. Plus, the rest of the family would like to enjoy the ride too.

Love you tons!

Nervous Mommy Who Is Ready For Vacation

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Dear Vacation,

Don't fly by. This is your warning.


Signed,

Soooooo Ready For Vacation

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Dear Cicadas,

The sound you make really freaks me out. I feel as though you may attack at any moment. How long are you planing on hanging around? Not gonna lie, I won't be sad when you are gone. You give me the creeps!

Sincerely,

Not A Bug Fan

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Dear Girl On Commercial,

So you went and saw a movie and then get asked to be in the commercial interview. Neat. I know you were super duper excited. No one wants to be "that" person who says something crazy. Honey, you are that person. Explain to me how the movie you saw was "relate-able". When was the last time you got your arm bitten off by a shark while surfing and worked your butt off to surf again? Oh, never? Well then dear, I just don't know that you can "relate" to it. Perhaps it was realistic. Perhaps it was believable (probably because it really happened!). But I just can't understand how it is relate-able. You got me there.

Sincerely,

Annoyed At Your Response

I Didn't....

...Set my phone up to receive weather alerts via text message and then sleep through all 10 alerts regarding the horrible storms last night. (And Mother of The Year award goes to.... ME!)

... Turn down Jayce's monitor this morning when he woke up about an hour a head of schedule and keep on sleeping.

...Sneak a tiny Hershey's Kiss this morning for breakfast even though I am trying to fit into my shorts for vacation.

... rip an obscene amount of hair out of my daughters hair trying to get the insanely huge knot out of her tangled mess of curls.

...Cut the knot out of her hair.

...Have to even out her hair after cutting the knot.

...drastically shorten my sweet little girls hair.




Okay, yes.... yes I did.



What a morning!


FYI: Jayce took his first couple of steps to his daddy yesterday! I missed it :-( Fortunately there are many more steps to come!

No AC In April: Update

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Ya' know how the Bible says "be hot for me or cold for me. Do not be lukewarm for me".... well apparently picking a mild month to sacrifice our air was a bit of a "lukewarm" decisions. God seems to have turned up the heat, so to speak, to help us come out of our comfort zone. I can tell He wants us to sacrifice more than we feel comfortable. Here in the south it has been pretty warm these days. I'm talking 85 degrees inside the house. We are sticking to our plan as much as we can and I think we are doing a pretty good job. We have cheated though (hangs head in shame) and turned on the air a hand full of times. On the nights where it is 80 degrees or higher we run the air for one hour right around the kids bedtime. I just hated to see them sweaty and miserable as they tried to go to sleep. After an hour the house is so nice and cool and stays that way through the night. Also, we have had to turn in on a couple of other times. We had my uncle and aunt come and watch the kids for about an hour one night while we went out to eat. I hate to see other people suffer when they are doing a huge favor for us. I would say we have turned the air on for about 10 hours total this month. Overall I would say that is not too bad.

Here is the kicker though. We got our power bill and it was WAY more than I expected, considering our limited air usage. I would have hated to see what the bill was if we would have been letting it run all day and all night. Ouch!

I think this challenge is helping us see that the air does not have to run much to keep us comfortable. I think the rest of the summer will be much more aware of how often the air is on. To us, 75 feels pretty cool, if you can believe it. I can't wait to go on vacation though.... I plan on enjoying the air thoroughly while we are in Florida!

I'm Alive 'Cause Jesus Lives!

Happy Easter everyone!

Real Life

These days real life is taking over.

The house is being "spring cleaned" and we are forcing ourselves to let go of things for the benefit of others. Cleaning out is therapy for me, but letting go of things that I feel like "we should just hold on to" is harder. I want our family, as a unit, to think of others and sacrifice for them. Slowly we are learning.

Time is swiftly passing and both my sweet children have birthday's approaching. I am busy getting announcements and invitations ready to mail. Am I really almost a Mommy of a 1 year old and a 3 year old? sigh

My wedding anniversary is also coming up and I am trying to think of something special to do with my amazing Hubster. What to do, what to do?

Vacation is also swiftly approaching which means packing is already underway. I am in the early "gathering" stage of packing for our trip. I love trips, but the 2 weeks prior to them I feel consumed by them. My brain can hardly focus on much else right now. Even though it is a little overwhelming, the second we are all buckled into the car my brain will breath a sigh of relief and I will be in vacation mode.

Some people that I love, both near and far, are going through some intense things right now. They are in need of so much prayer that it is unreal. I am staying focused and committed to lots of prayer time for them. I am learning that praying for others is much more important than just praying for myself. God is really changing my outlook on a lot of things these days, and I am very grateful.

So these days, my blog is a bit neglected and I am a bit behind on reading your wonderful blogs. But don't worry I am catching up! I will be back soon with some updates for you too. I can't wait to tell you how no ac in April is going! I hope you are all having a swell week bloggy buddies!

Lula Mae's Acting Debut

The children at our church put on an Easter play this morning for the congregation. It was so cute and they all did a great job! The two younger classes (2 year old class and 3 and 4 year old class) had a little line they were each to present right before the play began. Lula Mae has been memorizing scripture for almost a year now so we just assumed she would be fine. She had her line memorized really quick and loved practicing her "part in the play". She would scream it at the top of her lungs and tell us that she was going to get on stage just like Pastor David and Mr. Jay. We were thinking she was really excited and was going to do great. Before we left for church I grabbed the video camera and had Lula Mae practice one more time.





Then we got to church.

Then she saw all the people in the church.

Then she told her Daddy and I that she didn't want to be in the play and that she just wanted to go to her class.

Could our vibrant, smart, strong willed child really have stage fright? The child who loves to be the center of attention has butterflies in her tummy?

So naturally.... we bribed her with ice cream after lunch if she just went up and said her line. She began to see it our way and said that she would go up and participate. And then the moment came.....




Yep that is her... trembling and clinging to Aunt Heather.

Kids. When you want them to talk, they freeze. When you want them to zip it, their mouths run at a constant pace.

Dearest daughter, acting may not be your calling.

I love you, you little stinker!

Another Analogy That I Just Love

When I look at this video, it is exactly how I feel about my life before Christ.

For My Soon-To-Be-Three-Year-Old

I wanted Lula Mae to have something special to wear to her birthday party this year. So I made her a tutu! I looked into buying one and could not believe how over priced they are. I spent about $5.00 total on my supplies and was able to start and finish this in about an hour. It was sooooo easy! I didn't have to use my sewing machine either. I am not kidding, I may start making these and selling them on Etsy or Ebay. Food for thought at least. She will be sporting this cute little thing a lot I'm sure. She hasn't seen it yet, but when she does, she is going to be in love! Even though she loves her Bass Pro Shop shirt and adores playing in the dirt and searching for bugs... she is very much a girly girl at heart. She is a very well rounded gal ;-)


Don't worry, I will be back with pictures of my soon-to-be-three-year-old wearing her new tutu before you know it!

The Sweet Things In My Life

Someones toe nails got painted for the very first time...

... and she is tickled pink about it!

Someone likes to lay on top of all his loveys...

... and he really hates to be woken up from a good nap.

Okay, now you must go back and look at the picture of Lula Mae's toes. Notice how two of her toes overlap one another, on both feet? She calls them her "hide and seek toes". Right now she thinks they are cute and special, but I don't think she is going to like open toed shoes when she gets older ;-)

My New Devotional

These days I am reading a lot. Well, not really a lot... but for someone like me who never reads (hangs head in shame) it is a lot. I have told you about 2 of my books (my chronological Bible and The New Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson), but I don't think I have told you about my devotional. This year I am reading "The Love Dare: Day by Day" by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. When I find a page that really hits home for me in a devotional, I dog ear the page. Hey, it's my book I can do what I want to with it. There is a little bit of a problem though. I have dog eared the last 14 days worth.... oh yeah, it's that good!

I have a wonderful relationship with my husband, but we are far from perfect. This book is really speaking multitudes to my heart. After each devotional there is either a "go deeper" section that gives you a few verses to look up and study pertaining to that particular devotional. Or some days have a thought provoking question that helps you look at your own heart and examine it. Also, each week there is a "dare". Most of the dares are prayers you can pray for yourself or your spouse. Although some of the dares are actions that you can strive to do for your spouse everyday that week.

I am just loving this book. Loving! Here is just a peak into one of my dog eared pages...


Love Rejoices in the Lord

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

.....Maintaining a joyfulness of spirit is simply too important to ignore. The Key here is rejoicing "in the Lord", who holds time and circumstances in His hand. Regardless of what's wrong around you, you can always rejoice in God's love, the gift of salvation, and the hope of heaven.
No matter how challenging your life has become, you can inject a welcome, needed element into your home and marriage by seeking things to be joyful about. Worry cannot remain when it's being constantly overshadowed by rejoicing.

Questions: What is the track record of worry in your life? How often have things you have worried about failed to happen? Compare this to God's track record of faithfulness. Who should you trust in the future?


So good! And this is only a peak!

If you need a good devotional to help strengthen yourself and your marriage, you should look into this one. It has even helped me in my parenting. I may read this devotional for 2 years because I just don't think it will get old.

Elephant In The Room

I feel like a centerpiece that is placed in a room for the "conversation starter" effect.

I feel like a tacky figurine placed among expensive collectables.

I feel like a piece of furniture that just doesn't quite fit in any decor.

I am easily noticed, quickly picked out of a group.

Without telling you where I am in this photo, I am sure your Where's Waldo skills can pick me out in a matter of seconds.

I am use to short jokes. Trust me, I have heard them all.... and I have heard them all like 27 times. I don't mind being short most days. I know I am wonderfully made and I love who I am. This past weekend though, something struck a never. Another short person came up to me (one who I do not really know all that well mind you) and said "Wow I have never been taller than someone before!". I know she meant no harm. I know it was no big deal. Yet still, her voice is playing over and over in my head.

Someone tell me why it is okay to, in fun, pick on short people? Would you go up to a larger sized person and say something like "Oh my goodness you are the fattest person I have ever seen!" or "Wow I have never been the skinny one in the group!".... no, you probably wouldn't. Then why is it "okay" to say things like "Hey, you are the shortest person here"? I hate the thought that my kids will more than likely all have to deal with these same situations someday.

I would love to take a group photo and not stick out like a sore thumb. I would enjoy being able to stand in a crowd of woman my own age and not be mistaken for someones daughter or little sister. I would love to feel as though I fit in. Unfortunately, that will never happen. I hope the next time you are about to tell a short joke, or announce to a short person that they are in fact... short.... that you think of me and keep your mouth shut. And I mean that in the nicest I'm-just-trying-to-get-this-off-my-chest kind of way :-)

3 Minutes and 52 Seconds Worth Watching

This is, by far, one of the best analogies.

This past weekend I went on a women's retreat with all the ladies from my church. It was nice to get away and refocus. It was on this retreat that I was turned on to Francis Chan after watching some clips from this years Passion conference. Hello.... he is amazing. I went on YouTube last night and just typed in his name. I clicked on this video. Wow. If you only knew my inner struggles you would understand why this video is so amazing. It was exactly what I needed to hear... along with a fantastic analogy. If you watched this video...



(I mean I posted it so all you have to do is press play.... you really don't have an excuse.... I will give you a moment to go back and watch it now if you were a slacker and didn't watch it before.....)



I hope it spoke to you. I am determined not to be that Christian. I want my routine/life to be more impressive than what I am currently living. Because unfortunately, I am currently doing that same routine that Francis demonstrated. Probably worse... I would say I am wearing a bungee cord too. Things must change.