Topsy-Turvy...

We are having a "I am doing a new thing--(God)" moment at our house. We found out that my husband's job is significantly changing as of 3/1/09 two weeks ago today. It seems surreal at this moment. Yesterday I was full of anger and wanted to lash out at everybody. Today is better. Today is much better.

We have decided to sell our house. The sign went up last Thursday. We have decided to trust God with the details of the future. My stud muffin has had this job for 20 years. Never did we imagine that it could or would be changed or taken away as it has. I know that many people are suffering this same fate right now. I am amazed at the resiliency of people. I am amazed at my children. They have been absolutely fabulous. I have a new found understanding of the important people in my life. I have a new appreciation for many things that I have taken for granted--my family, our kid's school, our church, my friends, my home, what we thought was our security.

So, as we wait, I am hopeful that I will recognize what I have all around me and be STILL.

So do not throw away your confidence it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
Hebrews 10:35...

I'm Afraid to Admit...but I've been tagged...

I was tagged by my dear cousin a few weeks ago. I have never been tagged before and, while I thoroughly enjoy reading other "tagged" responses, I become overwhelmed with indecision and fear of being judged when I have been asked to respond. I guess that could be #1 on feelings...Anyway, here goes.

Category 1 Feelings
1. I have a fear of being judged and not liked when I speak my heart.
2. I am often lonely. (Note to self...perhaps that has to do with being afraid; see #1)
3. Sometimes I feel God's presence and am overwhelmed with emotion.

Category 2 Physical Characteristics
1. After having a hysterectomy 3 years ago, I have love handles and hips that I did not have before.
2. I like my toes, especially when they are painted.
3. I long for beautiful fingernails and bigger breasts at times. I will not do anything about either though. I tried fake nails and thought they were too much trouble to keep up. I won't subject my "self", body or family to plastic surgery.

Category 3 Weird things
1. I am persnickity about how the dishwasher is loaded and will re-load if someone else loaded it "for" me. I am getting better because I need the help and my husband has learned to start the dishwasher before I see how it is loaded.
2. I am a political junkie. I am trying to wean myself at this time.
3. I am also a real estate junkie. I love looking at things for sale. I wonder if this is why I loved Monopoly when I was a kid.

Category 4 Past
1. I feel like I wasted my high school and college years living for the world instead of living for God.
2. I have been arrested for trespassing. All charges were dropped. Quite a ridiculous antic over a "boy!"
3. I missed most of my high school senior English and Economics classes because I felt like it and forged my father's signature. I have come clean with my dad and my children are vaguely aware of this.
**Every day is a gift and yesterday is my past. Today is new and yesterday is GONE! Woohoo! Hence, make it count TODAY!**

Category 5 Misc.
1. I am 40 years old and I love being "mature." I feel like I finally know what my values are and feel confident enough to stand by them. I don't succumb to peer pressure as much as I used to.
2. I am forgiven and loved by the One.
3. My family ROCKS and I love spending time with them.

What is our "agenda"....

I have been reading around the internet the last few days about the election results and I have, quite honestly, been pretty bummed out.  I have been thinking about our "agenda," meaning the Republican agenda, and how we need to regroup, seek out up and coming leaders, etc.  I have been in and out of prayer, probably not as I should, but as I went along on my "own" business for the day.  Today I was back in 1 Peter.  

My conclusion, not from me, but from the Lord,  is that our "agenda" does not reside in our political party.  Our "agenda" lies in the Word of our Lord and Savior.  

LOVE:  Mark 12:30  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this:  Love your neighbor as yourself.

FEED MY SHEEP:  John 21:17  Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

LOOK AFTER ORPHANS AND WIDOWS:  James 1:27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

LISTEN AND DO:  James 1:19  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  James 1:22  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.

PRAY:  2 Chronicles 14  If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Thank You God, Almightly, Creator of Heaven and Earth for Your continued Sovereignty and Grace.  Thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice for me.  Thank You for answered prayers and for never letting me go.  I pray that many will be healed through the next four years.  That many will have hope that they have never had before.  I pray for the revival of the United States and for our world to come together in His name.  

The USA is not the country or the "one" to look to for worldwide "leadership."  God wants us to look to Him.    That message came to me so clearly this afternoon.  Yes, as Christians in this country, we need to set an example and live as Christ did.  We need to lead people to Him though, not to the USA.  

May God bless us and the USA.  May we, as Christians, be all that He has called us to be and remember He is ALWAYS in control.  

My hope is in the Lord...

1 Peter 2: 13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are snet by him to punish those who do wrong and to comment those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

2: 1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind.

1: 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

2: 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

I am currently in a Community Bible Study ( CBS) that has been studying 1 & 2 Peter this fall. I find all of this information so incredibly pertinent to today.

Obama is Palin comparison...

I am so disgusted with the media in this country. I cannot believe the response to Govenor Palin's candidacy for VP. I am so excited! She has so much more experience than Senator Obama. I cannot believe they are trying to make it out so different. I believe the definitions of the experiences Obama and Palin have speak for themselves:

Community organizing is a process by which people are brought together to act in common self-interest. While organizing describes any activity involving people interacting with one another in a formal manner, much community organizing is in the pursuit of a common agenda. Many groups seek populist goals and the ideal of participatory democracy. Community organizers create social movements by building a base of concerned people, mobilizing these community members to act, and developing leadership from and relationships among the people involved. (Per Wilkepedia)


A governor is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the Head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constitutive state. (Per Wilkepedia)

Summer is over...

My, my, what a summer we have had. May 15th-September 2nd. It doesn't get any better than that! Quite honestly, I thought I was ready. I thought the kids were too. But, the last day of summer spent at Schlitterbahn only reinforced how much I really enjoy my kids. How much I love them, cherish them, and want to fight for them. They are fantastic and I am so honored to be their mom.

My cousin Leah has welcomed a new little one in to the world. Annerson Grace! She is BEAutiful! She has Leah's features...you can check her out at LexandLeah@blogspot.com. They are going to be the most wonderful parents. Their nursery is straight out of Restoration Hardware and needs to be the featured nursery in my opinion!

There are lots and lots of baby girls coming into our lives and we are so excited. There will be 5 in our family alone in the next 6 months! Whew! Lots of princesses and pink! My prayers are that they will all be healthy and come to know the Lord, their God with joy and thanksgiving!

So, I added to my list of books over the summer. I was able to read a few more on my list. I am hoping to continue this fall and finish 40 new titles by the end of my 40th year. I have many to go...
The Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn
Deadline by Randy Alcorn
Bringing up Boys James Dobson


Okay, I know that there were more. Hmmm...I will have to get back to that one.

Now for the real reason for this post. Yes, I was going to post about back to school and such but, I was drawn to post today, because I am perplexed and I just want to get it in words. Since I am a political news junkie, self described, I have watched with admiration the news about Sarah Palin. I am incredibly thankful that Senator McCain chose her as his running mate. I am also completely dumbfounded by the response about her baby Trig and Bristol's pregnancy. I am amazed that the other side is all right with their boy being friends with the likes of Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko but is going ballistic with the news that there are two new lives in this world. Yes, two new lives. Bristol's baby is a baby...a life within. Trig is also a life that deserves to be celebrated and cherished. That being said...

There are numerous articles and sound bites that have been written/said about the relationships between Senator Obama and the three stooges above and they (their supporters) seem to think all of that is water under the bridge. Now, they are attacking the next VP and her daughter for having morals and values. As Christians we never claim to be perfect. We do know that, however, God wants us to strive to be like Him. He is the only one who is perfect. We don't strive for perfection, we strive to give Honor and Glory to Him. He deserves nothing less. He already knew all of this was going to happen. He already knew that Mrs. Palin would be asked to be the VP of the Republican ticket, He already knew that there would be a baby named Trig and a baby for Bristol. He has all of this under control and He will be glorified through their lives and through their experience. I am honestly just shaking my head.

I am excited to know that there is a conservative on this ticket. I am excited that there is a woman on this ticket. I am excited to see Senator McCain understand the base of his party. I am excited to see a strong, young woman who is strong because she is the exact opposite of what we have been forced to believe a strong woman should be. I am hopeful that young women everywhere will notice that she is a loving mother, a hockey mom, a lady that hunts and can still wear dresses with heels, a devoted wife who loves her man for being a man, everything that society tells us is "small town!" AND is successful, powerful, running the largest state in the country. She is everything that feminists wish they were. She has what they want and MORE! She has faith, values, morals and she stands by them. She lives them.

Don't you see. We don't have to let go of God and live by the world's standards to be strong women. God loves us and created us to be strong. His strength shines through when we honor Him with our devotion and live our lives to please Him. He knows that we are not perfect and does not expect us to get it all right. He just wants us to recognize Him first and to try. To strive for Him, to give Him the credit and to love one another like He first loves us.

I was a FredHead. I am now a McCainiac and I hope and pray that they win in November. I never thought I would joyfully support Senator McCain. I will now and I believe that there are other women who will do so as well. I also believe that there are men who will follow this lead because they see in Sarah Palin their own wives that they honor and cherish. They are proud of their wives and see her (Sarah) as one of their wives' friends. As a family, we see that we could have the McCains and the Palins over for dinner and know that we share the same worldview. Families are important. Children are important. Our values and moral standards are important and they all deserved to be fought for.

Chronicles of 40 books...

The Yada Yada Prayer Group
The Potluck Club
Same Kind of Different as Me
Cure for the Common Life
Do Hard Things
50 Rules Your Kids Won't Learn in School
In the process...One Nation Under God, Total Money Makeover

Any suggestions for Christian Fiction or books with Biblical messages would be gladly received.


Summer is in full swing at our house and we are trying to number our days and live them purposefully. My husband and I are battling the almost constant fighting between our youngest children. I realized yesterday that when they start the day with cartoons that it really squelches any desire to play together and be on the same team. They have done B E A utifully today without the television. Yeah God!

Ryan has graduated, Praise God! He is struggling with OCD and all of the change that is happening around and within him. If you read this, please pray for Ryan. He is a wonderful young man. Pray for the demons within him to be bound up and removed from his life. He has a new job that is sending him exposure that he is struggling with. I am convinced that Satan is trying to manipulate him away from God. Katrina is moved in to her apartment and is thriving. She is working and going to school this summer. She will be done with classes in August. We are so thankful for her time and opportunity to go to TCU. It has been a wonderful experience for her. I struggle with it, with the cost. I so wish that I did not allow a foothold for Satan every time I worry about money. Read in The Utmost High the other day about worry being one big sin. I guess I did not realize that, that not relying on God in every detail was sinful. I have so much to learn. I never let that truth be revealed to me before. Satan allowed that veil to cloud my vision for over 40 years! Ryan is also on his way to TCU in the fall. When we went to help move Katrina in to her new apartment, we felt so strongly that Ryan would also thrive there. Please Lord, help me to see the wisdom in Your ways. Please Lord, help me KNOW that when You allowed his acceptance that we are to trust You to provide the means. You did not reveal his acceptance until we realized how much Ryan would benefit from the experience. Please help us to not get bogged down with worry. Help me trust You for every THING, Lord.

Hope all is well in your home. It is well here. Thanks be to God!

Laundry 101

My 6 year old woke up wailing this morning about not having any pants to wear. I have not done laundry in a few days...just have not thought about it much, to be honest. Alexandra had already put on her pants from yesterday. David, on the other hand, was furious. He brought me all of the pants that were still in his drawer, threw them at my feet and YELLED at me for not doing the laundry, that he hated all of these pants, etc.

My children will get a laundry lesson today after school. You would have thought that I was making them eat elephant dung. David proceeded to wail about that too. They will have to do one load of their own laundry. I think that, eventually, this will be harder on me than it will be on them. I suppose some lessons are always like that. I explained that it is my job, as his mother, to prepare him to be able to take care of himself someday. I told him that, while still living under my roof, there would come a day that he would do all of his own laundry. I told him that right now, I was taking it in baby steps. I do all of their laundry, fold it and they have to put it away. They are responsible for bringing it to me and I give it back to them, clean and folded. I also explained that I cannot read his mind and that, in the future, if he realizes he is running low on certain favorites, it would be in his best interest to calmly let me know.

I cannot wait for uniforms for him next year....and yes, I did make Alexandra wear a jumper instead of her dirty pants from yesterday.

Kotex pad with wings...

It is amazing what a commercial can do for conversation with your children! I am thankful that David was not too interested. Alexandra, on the other hand, wanted to know what those "pads with wings" were for. I told her the brief answer. Those are for when a woman has her menstral cycle. What is that? was the reply. I explained that we could talk about it later. So, later, talk we did.

It was pretty easy. I told her about the egg, the uterus, the lining of the uterus, how the egg implants in the lining if it is fertilized, and how, if the egg is not fertilized, the lining sheds. She asked appropriate questions and concluded that the whole thing was "really wweeiirrdd!" She made some jokes about laying eggs and that was about it.

So incredibly glad that we did not have to get in to the whole thing about fertilization and how that actually occurs! Whew. Bullet dodged!

I have also been reading Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado. My honey listened to the book on tape while traveling and I told him I would read it while he was gone so we could compare notes. Anyway, it talks about how many eggs each woman has 10 ^3000 (10 to the 3000th power) and how many sperm each man makes. Instead of talking about fertilization, we talked about how wonderfully and beautifully made she is. That God needed just that specific egg and sperm to make her and He knew just which one to pick. It was fantastic! The conversation closed with her smiling and us praying. God is so good. He knew I would need that...

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside....

I was watering my plants in the front of the house this afternoon and came across two lizards in my ficus tree. I saw the female first, then the male appeared on the pot after jumping up from the steps below. I watched and this is what transpired. Mind you, I have about 12 pictures...my husband thinks I am twisted. I had to show my kids too. We had a nice little talk about it! Happy spring!

Chocolate Milk...

I kept David home today from school because he has his first ear infection. He is 6 years old. So, I took him to see his daddy, got a perscription for Amoxil and proceeded with my day. We had so much fun! We ordered him a castle from Amazon that he had finally saved enough money for. We were thrilled when we realized the price had come down $10 and he actually had enough for some accessories. 6 years old and he saved $138 for the Schleig (or something like that) castle. I am so proud of him.

Anyway, we went on to get the medicine and to Target to check out the accessories...On the way, we decided we would eat at Little Caesar's pizza, David's favorite pizza place. I asked him if he wanted to go to the park to eat. "No, let's just eat it in Target." I explained that would not be allowed and he decided we should just eat in the car. We picked out our drink and, thinking he would be "healthy" David got chocolate milk. Can I just say that we should have eaten at the park? All over the front seat as I said, "Let's be real careful with the M I L K...!" Needless to say, we spent the rest of the afternoon, actually I spent the rest of the afternoon, cleaning out the car. Of course, AFTER we went in to check out castle accessories! : )

I thought he was all right and feeling better than last night. I was telling his daddy about the great day we had, just the two of us hanging out, running errands, eating pizza in the car, spilling chocolate milk and spraying each other with water, etc. Then the ugly fever reared up and the crying, whining, sniffling started all over again. Darn that Advil...makes a mother think her child is fine and then it wears off and they are worse than before. Dosed up with more Advil, Amoxil, Zyrtec and off to bed after his shower. Poor baby! Guess we will have another mommy/son day tomorrow.

Home...

What a week! I had an amazing time in Columbia, MO with my wonderful family. So nice that I can claim them as family. They are the neatest individuals and, as a whole, some of the neatest people I have ever known. Memories of the week include:

Lukas: "Bob, you are going the wrong way, Bob!" My first day in Columbia I took Lukas, Gedesa and my kids to Wal-mart. When I exclaimed that I had gone the wrong way, he said, "Mom, you're going the wrong way." I quickly commented that "I am not the momma!" My kids and present company thought that was funny and we decided that I would be called by Bob...the rest of the family adopted the name by the end of the week.

McKayley: Smiles and hugs when she realized I was there to help her, laughter and playfulness with my daughter, Alexandra, and wonderful willingness to help and complete her chores. I think I saw the greatest change in McKayley over the week. She and Alexandra had so much fun together. She and Lukas also celebrated their birthdays while we were there and I am so thankful that we got to share in their celebration. Favorite quote: "What was your name again?"

Jace: What a little man! I just want to hug him and give him lots of high fives! He is an amazing young man! He was incredibly encouraging with my son, David. Dave has some issues with food and Jace was wonderfully patient and encouraging. Jace was also willing to try new things without complaint and seemed so happy with each day. Favorite quote: "David, you just have to decide that you are not afraid, just tell yourself that it is going to be all right." It is always wonderful to have another child back you up. Our family has been telling David this for years but to hear it from Jace was huge in his little world. He is still telling himself that when he eats his dinner and has to eat something he doesn't like.

Faith: Little angel. "No, Jace, she is right, your school is right around the corner." and "I know where McKayley's book is, let me show you." She is so observant and helpful. On Tuesday I used my trusty GPS to get us to Jace's school. Not realizing it was just a couple of blocks away from the girl's school, I panicked when I saw the street to their place. I was baffled and thought that I had punched in the wrong address. I asked Jace if he knew where we were and he answered, " No, I have no idea!" As I was apologizing that I was going to make him late, Faith piped up in the back seat. Whoo!

Daizey and Deizel: I cannot express to you the joy I felt when Steff honked the horn to alert us of their arrival. I am so thankful that we were able to see them come home, so thankful that my kids got to meet them and love on them just a bit before we had to leave. I am looking forward to knowing them better and better. I see a great deal of spunk and determination in both of them. I am incredibly hopeful that they will continue to gain weight and be able to eat all of the calories that they have to every day.

Coming home has been a blessing. I saw my children subtly change over the last week. I felt myself change and have seen so many mundane tasks today with pleasure and a desire to fulfill even small needs has become joyful. My husband is the absolute best. I am so in love with him and so thankful for him. He is such a hard worker and loving man. He questioned my sanity when I told him what I thought needed to be done. But, all through the week, I could hear the love, compassion and joy in his heart as the news got better.

Thanks Bosters for allowing us to peek into your lives for a short time. I believe it has helped our family more than we ever thought possible. You guys rock!

They'll be home for dinner...

Yippeeeeeeeee!!!! Steff and the little ones will be home in about 2 hours! Praise the Lord, oh my soul. I am so happy. Please, keep them in your prayers. Pray for acclimation, nourishment, weight gain, lack of nausea and vomiting, and for everyone to be able to get in to their new and improved life with JOY and GRACE. What a lovely gift for this day. Stop by toliveloveandlaugh.blogspot.com and Praise the Lord for His wonderful gifts and presence in our lives! Doin' the happy dance!

Babies and Adventures...

I cannot express how blessed I feel to have been able to take care of such fabulous children and watch relationships flourish! We have had some incredible times this week. I am incredibly bummed that I don't have my camera. I would have loved to depict this week through pictures.

I feel as if my children are getting a glimpse of my childhood adventures with my cousins. We used to have the best times. We played Super Heroes with towels pinned to our backs or wrapped around our necks with ribbons all the time. This week the kids have been playing Indiana Jones. I have the perfect picture in my mind of all of the kids on the hammock in the front yard pretending they were on their way to a new "dig." Jace then used the garage to pretend he was punching in a secret code to get into some cave. Then they ran and around and around, escaping from the bad guys, dodging bullets and diving in and out of the trampoline and tree house. I love watching them be adventurous and creative. Jace has the perfect Indi hat and they all had small pieces of rope to use as their whips. It was fantastic!

I also was able to spend some time at the hospital today with the twins. For those of you who don't know me, I used to be a pediatric nurse before becoming a full time mommy. Another glimpse into my life: I don't like leaving my kids with anyone, let alone strangers. So here we are today, I am dropping my children off at gymnastics to hang with Lukas for 3 1/2 hours for a play group with a total stranger. Then off to the hospital to give Steff and Adam some time alone. Let me just say that pictures in no way give the smallest indication of how adorable Daizey and Diezel are. I walked into the pediatric ward and see this little, I mean little, girl walking out of a room with Steff and Diezel right ahead of them. Talk about melting ones heart. They are too cute for words. They are such fighters. They have such a long way to go but they seem to be gaining strength and their determination in inspiring. Daizey moved around that room like there was no boundaries. She crawled into the area under the bed and down right giggled when asked what she was doing. She says hello to most who enter the room and I heard a bye-bye once or twice. The best part...I got to hold them and put them to sleep for their morning naps. Wonderful! Overwhelming love for children I don't know and just met. I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to be here and have that experience! Thank you Lord Jesus, for safe travel, for time off, for time to be here, for adventures and for living out our faith. Thanks be to God!

So, hopefully the twins will continue to gain weight. They had a rough 36 hours with tummy distention and no food because of more tests. I don't know where they expect them to put all of the food they are given to begin with. Steff said that the tests were long and laborious but, they were able to eat lunch. I have not heard from them since about 3pm so, I don't know how lunch went or how the rest of the day transpired. Please continue to pray for healing, for patience with the process of re-learning how to be nourished, for Steff and Adam to be loving and kind to one another in the midst of all of this tension (they have not had any trouble, just covering my bases). Steff just walked in so, I'm off.

Columbia...

Alexandra, David and I arrived in Columbia Sunday evening.  We hit the ground running and have moved right in to Steff's home and life.  I am so hopeful that we are a blessing and not a burden to the kids and to Adam and Steff.  

So far, so good.  I have not lost any children, I have taken them to the right school and I have managed to find a few attractions along the way.  Steff has been able to rest at home the last two nights.  She is going to check into home health today.  The twins are still struggling with food and gaining weight.  She wants so desperately to have a regular routine and get her and her family on the way to the NEW normal.  The kids are fairing all right.  They are such great children.  They have taken so many things in stride.  Yesterday they played for a good two hours outside with Nerf guns, sheilds and swords.  I bet they all ran at least two miles going around and around the house.  It was wonderful to see them getting their "play" time in and having a sense of adventure. 

 McKayley and Lukas also celebrated their birthday yesterday.  We were able to have a great pizza party last night with pizza, cake and gifts.  Grandparents were even able to come!!!  Yeah!  I have to admit, I think I was probably here for about 18 hours before I even realized I had not even truly asked about the twins.  I cannot imagine what Steff and Adam are going through.  I would feel so torn and conflicted.  Please, please continue to pray fervently for them.  I feel so blessed to be able to be here, that Steff and Adam would trust me with their home and kids is an honor.  They are truly actively living their faith.  I don't know that I have ever been privy to something like this; life changing magnitude of God's work and His people seeking and following His will.  Please also pray for their newest friend that they were able to bring back with them.  She is an angel.  She is struggling with morning sickness, being away from her husband, strange and new food and 6-8 kids on any given day.  She seems so strong and courageous.   

And, by the way, I think I have discovered that when I think people are stressed, I BELIEVE they need chocolate.  Let's see, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake and chocolate chip muffins all in the last 36 hours.  Scary, isn't it?!

The Talk...and the answer is...

I have talked with some of my friends and some of the mothers at school.  I am hopefully going to do a bible study with some of Alexandra's friends and their mothers.  I don't have the book yet but my friend, Roxanne, did this with her daughter last year.  The book is called Girl Talk and it discusses God's design, His purpose for girls, etc.  It is a six week "study" and at the end, all the kids and their moms go out for a nice dinner.  I will not be able to get the book for awhile.  Will post when I get my hands on it.  I am also going to look into the book recommended by Laura from Stepping out of the Boat.  Thanks for the comments and ideas ladies!  Any help, especially with this subject, is always welcomed!  

The talk...

Okay, I have a nine year old daughter and I am wondering when it is the time to have the talk. I got a call from a friend of mine early last week and she stated that they were having the parent meeting for the school about "the talk." Unfortunately, she was shocked to hear of all the details and things that "the talk" now includes. So, we got to talking and wondering why, in the third grade, they need to have "the talk" now. I was putting it off and I received another phone call last night from another friend asking about bras and "the talk." I am not ready for this ladies! I know that she has to hear it from me. I know that we need to be forthright with our children. She is just so young. I have bought organic milk and chicken for as long as I can remember, hoping to postpone this event.

I did not get "the talk" from my mom or dad. I was given a set of books and I heard about my period from the nurse at school--all in the 6th grade. Now, I happened to have started my period in the summer before 6th grade so I already knew about the dreaded time of the month. But the 3rd grade.!@ All of the rest of the details, I got from a book. I don't want that for Alexandra. I don't want that for David, either. We have had frank discussions with our oldest kids but, their mother also talked with them. They were at least in the 6th grade.

I know that there may be some mothers out there that know about this and have had experience with it. I still call sex marital relations as often as possible to get that through my daughter's head. I want her to be aware that God really calls us to be pure until we are married. Am I risking her finding out from someone else? I don't know. She seems so little still. I really want her to have her childhood innocence as long as possible when it comes to this particular subject.

Restoration

Praise God, the Boster mama and daddy are on their way home with the newest additions of the Boster Clan. I am praying for their restful night. I am praying for rest for Diezel and Daizey and their companion. I am praying for the diarrhea to stop and for their little bodies to absorb all of the nutrients possible in the next few hours. I am praying that they are able to take care of them at home instead of having to admit them to the hospital. Hallelujah that they are on their way home. God is going to take it all the way! I am so excited to be able to see this unfold. It has been fascinating seeing all of the lives that have been touched by this experience. Thank you Lord!

My sister is feeling better and is, hopefully, on the road to a healthy pregnancy. She found out she was expecting two weeks ago and thought she was having a miscarriage. She found out Friday that she was pregnant with twins and she was losing one of them. Of all things...I was shocked and, unfortunately, did not process the information quickly. I am so disappointed in my responses sometimes. Anyway, she is feeling better. She is on bed rest for the rest of the week. Hopefully she will be cleared on Thursday. Her name is Sara and I am sure that she would appreciate your prayers.

Nothing else new to report this week. It is only Monday. Alexandra is having Texas Day this week. She has a report due on Wednesday and we are going to a friends ranch to pretend to be Texas settlers on Friday. I have the gardening station. I love these events that they have to try to bring history alive. Speaking of History, I have been reading "One Nation Under God," by Toby Mac. Excellent book! One of the 40 books I want to read this year. I am still stuck on Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. I am doing better but have not been able to pin point a budget yet.

David is reading over my shoulder and picking out words he recognizes. He is also picking out phonograms that he sees. I am amazed how many words he is picking out. He wants to know if he is famous because his name is on the screen. What do you think?

Have a blessed evening!

Blessed is He...

Sitting here with my Ipod on, jamming to Praise and Worship music. Shaking inside for the remarkable work of the One in the last few days. Wanting to sing at the top of my lungs, to shout to the Lord, to sing my praises to our King. I just cannot get over what has happened and what continues to happen in my life...not really my life but, in the lives of those I hold dear to my heart.

Steff and Adam, Daizey and Diezel are on their way home Sunday. Can I hear a WOO-HOO! I mean, a LOUD one! Praise God. I have seen so many of the Boster's dreams come true through their faithfulness and obedience. Dreams to serve and love and minister. That is what dreams are made of. We get so caught up in dreams that are sinister...first word that popped to mind. I mean, we get wrapped up in the material dreams of this world. How big of a house will I build? Can I have sophistication with that? I cannot do this or that...I am above that! YUCK! What kind of car can I afford? Not, what kind of car do I NEED to get me from here to there. UG!

I am overwhelmed with emotion. You know the kind that makes your head want to explode because you are in between crying and laughing, in between sobs and shouts for joy! I am so humbled. I can understand why Jesus calls us to sell everything and give it away to the poor more so today than I ever have. It is just stuff. I sometimes feel more shame for the way I live now than when I was trying to impress, when I was covering up for my "lack of" things. You know living on credit, the new outfits, shoes, cars, while I could not afford it. Now, we can afford it and I want to get rid of it. Rambling???

Just knowing what Steff and Adam have had to go through to give to two children, half a world away. What their children at home have had to give. AND, I truly have absolutely NO clue what it has really cost. The lack of sleep, the headaches, the different time, the different food, the whole experience is an absolute mystery. I have not gotten to talk with her on the phone to hear the exhaustion. I have not had to suffer with her through the headaches, lack of sleep. I have not had to send my wife off without me. I have not had to be away from my kids for months, then fly across the world to only be away from them that much longer. Yet, honestly, we are the ones who have been enriched. Adam and Steff have been blessed and will continue to be blessed by this remarkable journey. I know that Daizey and Diezel have given and they will continue to give to them. I know that they believe that...I do too. Children do that.

I see different perspectives forming in my mind. I don't know that I need to become MORE self loathing, I am already pretty good at that. I can, however, see where America is indulgent. Case in point, we ran clean water through our septic system today for a long time...I am embarrassed to tell you how long. Clean water, not gray water, clean water. Praise God for clean water. Something I take for granted daily. (We had to have the septic pumped out today...gross, I know...)There it is again. We have a septic system. Took that for granted too. We have indoor plumbing. We are so, I don't even have the right word.

I can only shake my head at this point. I don't know what else to say. I am thankful that I have the Boster Family in my life. I am so joyful that they are blessed with the opportunity to love and cherish Daizey and Diezel. I am thankful for all of Steff's blogging buddies! They are inspirational and I love reading about their lives. Thanks Steff and Adam for sharing your journey with us. Thanks for allowing us to view this part of your life and for allowing us to intercede on your behalf. And, thank you Lord, Jesus, for Adam and Steff, Daizey and Diezel, for running water, for septic systems, for the opportunity to live in the USA and for the life lessons you have presented this week. May I learn to seek You in everything.

Ladie's Night

I am so encouraged! For the first time in nine years, I went out with some girlfriends for dinner without husband and without children. What makes this particularly special is that my husband is at work and I had to hire a sitter. A sitter??? I have only done that 3-4 times since my children were born. I have had so much trouble leaving my kids alone with someone else. I am so thankful I did tonight. I met and visited with my neighbors. I have not done that since moving in 2 1/2 years ago. I learned so much tonight. I learned that I have a neighbor that writes books. She is an amazing Christian woman, a mother of four and she writes books. How cool is that? I also learned that we all have these hang ups about being around people that we don't know and that we all need to learn to let it go. We are all so much alike. Anyway, I am happy I went for it. Hired a sitter. Had a great dinner with some dinner drinks. And, we are going to do it again! Yeah!

On another note, if you have not checked in with Steff and Adam, please do. They are hoping to come home on Friday with the twins. Please keep them in your prayers. They can be found at toliveloveandlaugh.blogspot.com. I don't know how to make that a link...you can access it to the right side of this post. Anyway, they are exhausted and struggling to help these babies to get well. They need our prayers.

Do Carpenter's wear hats?

Today I donned the carpenter hat! I am so pleased with myself...I know that is gloating and all the other things we tell our children not to do. However, today I hung one curtain rod and two bullentin boards/magnetic boards! I picked out the curtain rods and all the hardware before hanging, used a hammer and a drill, screwdriver (s), measuring tape and a wall leveler/laser. Now, if I can keep my husband from inspecting too terribly close, we'll be in business. If I can hem the bottom of the curtains in the next week, it will be (pause) fantastic. Cannot decide if I should have said miracle because that is what it will truly be. I feel like that is somehow wrong because God performs miracles...hmmm. God does perform little miracles every day. So, I say it will be a miracle!

We are going to go to Austin tomorrow and see a Passion Play for Easter. Has anyone ever seen one? (This would be directed at all of the 4 people who read this... : )) Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Your perfect plan and for Your Perfect Son, Jesus.

I was able to go on a field trip with David's kindergarten class yesterday. We did the stations of the Cross. I am so thankful for the opportunity to send my kids to a Christian school! It was great!! David then came home and drew a picture of the stations. His dad and I could not believe how much he remembered and how he depicted it on paper. Hope you all have a blessed Easter day. Hugs!

The Sun poked through...

We had the weirdest weather yesterday. It would storm and then the sun would poke through, then it would storm again. The temperature changed and by early evening, the clouds were beginning to dissipate and the sun poked through just before setting. Thought I'd share the picture I took off the back porch. God is so creative. Look at the colors He shares with us everyday. Man, what beauty!

How many hats do you wear?

--Carrots from our garden...
Busy does not begin to describe my life since last posting. It sounds so general and non-specific. I was reminded the other day about a comment my then 17 year old said to me..."What do you do all day?" Ha!

Let's see...since the last post I have helped raise funds for my children's school (Auction Chair), I had a birthday, we have closed on some property, I have learned a new phase of property management, we have made some new investments, I have hosted a family get together, I have created and sent out invoices, I have opened two new bank accounts and closed two old ones, my husband and I have taken the kids to Enchanted Rock in Fredricksburg, Texas and have gone out on a boat for the first time together in Marble Falls, Texas. All that before, during and after being a wife and mother.

Life gets so chaotic at times. I have also marveled at how God has been working behind the scenes of so many. My cousins are leaving for Ethiopia to welcome two new babies into their home--how wonderfully marvelous! To be able to see how far the Boster Clan has come since losing precious Marion and Emmanuel last summer. God is so good and His plan is so wonderful. There is new life on the way, in more ways than one.

How many hats do you wear? Which do you enjoy most? I want to put on the gardening hat today. Instead I am going to wear the Easter Bunny hat and create some memories for my children to unfold on Sunday. I did wear a chef's hat last night and made some Cedar Plank Tilapia (McCormick season packet marinade, grilled on planks of Cedar from Pampered Chef, super easy!), veggies and rice...all eaten by my finicky eater, by the way. He did not admit to liking ANYTHING but the rest of the family went back for more. I also made some wonderful cookies for dessert! YUMMY!!! ( Call Candace for the recipe : ) ) For dinner tonight, I may don the tourist hat and have my honey take us out...many smiles and nudges for whatever hat you place on top of your head today. May God bless you in all of your endeavors!

I want to be moved...

Wow, so much has happened in the last week. I was thinking it had been almost a month since last posting. Funny, time. One minute, I want it to slow down, the next, I am all about getting there and getting it done. No pun intended.

Last Tuesday I had lunch with some of the moms from my children's school. Our annual fundraiser is Friday and we were meeting to complete last minute details. A father of one of the children in the school was just air lifted from our smaller community hospital to a larger one. We prayed for him at lunch and have prayed for him fervently for the last week. He went to be with the Lord yesterday afternoon. I cannot imagine losing my husband, my children's father. I don't even know where to begin. The funeral will be this weekend. He has three small children and a loving wife. What to say? do? Why??? We met this morning at school and had our Mom's in Touch Prayer time. Praising God in the midst of tragedy. Glorifying Him in the midst of sorrow. I never thought I would be able to do that. One of the children prayed with his parents last night the his (the father's) ears not pop on his way to heaven. My daughter asked why I was sad..."Mom, I want to go there too! Heaven is going to be wonderful. You need to read about it in Revelations Mom, it sounds so beautiful!" How is it that they are so filled with faith? Where do we become jaded? (Puberty???)

Anyway, I was listening to Ginny Owens on the way to school with my daughter this morning. Her songs touch my heart and are so appropriate in so many of daily life activities. There is a chorus: I don't want to be a flame, I want to be a raging fire. Tired of my will, my way, Your calling is higher. And I know its time I stopped running from the truth. So, I'll stand here, still until I'm filled, I want to be moved....I am going to attempt to link the song....huge in my world! Such appropriate lyrics. God calls us to move. God calls us to act. Having faith is not passive, it is active. I am learning more and more. I have the desire to learn, read, discuss and learn some more about God and His will. I was really disappointed that our prayers were not answered and that he was not healed. If I have learned nothing else, though, I have learned that God's will is best and He will bring goodness from pain and loss. I pray that for the family who lost their daddy and husband this week. I pray that for the loss of children or other loved ones. I pray. God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

What is for dinner?

Tonight we had London Broil, Broccoli Salad and Couscous for dinner. Quite simple, considering we broiled the meat, ate salad from a bag and couscous from a box. My query is, is this normal? Am I doing my family a disservice with simplicity? Or, is this a good thing, because it did not consist of eating out or in a drive thru? I love to make a nice dinner. I hate cleaning up after myself. I love to hear my husband say, "Wow, honey, this is wonderful." I hate hearing my 6 year old say, "No. Way. I am not eating that! I want cereal. I want Peanut Butter." Do you make your child eat what is served? I am in awe at what my niece and nephew eat on a daily basis. Candace is like a gourmet cook compared to me. AND, they eat it! Amazing!

They were here this weekend and we had, what I consider, my favorite breakfast. Crepes with berries and buttermilk syrup. I probably would not have eaten this 5 years ago. Food holds too many hang ups for me. But, it is worth the effort and the wait. Spectacular, I mean it. Thanks to Candace and my little brother, Jay, our whole food intake has changed. For the better. They gave me confidence to try new things. Not to mention, she made many of the dinners so, having someone else cook for you is always a plus!

Just wondering what food means in your house? Do you have picky eaters? Kids that love it all? Recipe for crepes a la berries to follow:

Crepes: 3/4 cup flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 tbs melted butter

Mix well until smooth. Melt butter in skillet. Pour 2-3 tbsp in pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers bottom. Use more batter if you are using a 10 inch skillet. Cook 1 minute until crepe can be loosened easily. Flip and cook another 30 seconds. Wrap with berries and cover with buttermilk syrup. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buttermilk-Syrup/Detail.aspx Berries we use are blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.

PERFECT FOR SATURDAY OR SUNDAY. Saturday usually works better for us because we are always rushing for church. Hope you enjoy them!

Interesting...

Okay, I find this incredibly interesting and because I have no where else to post it, I am going to here. Adding up some of tonight's results, McCain seems to be winning because he has the most points of any one individual. But, if you add up the results of all of the other candidates, some of which are not even running any longer, the "others" beat him. I think that the RNC needs to take note that there is still some unrest about Senator McCain. There are plenty of people willing to stand on their principles and vote for other candidates that have suspended their campaigns and those numbers, plus those of Huckabee and Paul, add up to "significance." I don't think we need to "calm down," I think McCain needs to step up in a serious way if he wants to be anywhere near the White House next year.

McCain needs to get rid of his advisor: http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/27/in-his-own-words-mccains-hispanic-outreach-
director-preaches-open-borders/

McCain needs to take a stand to the right on this loan:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/02/12/14-billion-border-
securitystimulus-bucks-for-mexico-but-what-about-our-fence/

And McCain needs to stop appearing with Joe Lieberman:


I am so tired of all of this already and it is only February! We need a different primary process.
We have not even gotten to vote yet for Pete's sake!

I believe in smaller government, lower taxes, winning in Iraq, having PERSONAL responsibility for decisions I make GOOD and BAD, freedom of religion, marriage is between and man and a woman, life begins with conception and that illegal immigrants should have to wait in the same line to come to this wonderful country that every immigrant has to wait in...oh, and I also believe in the right to bear arms! I don't believe in entitlement programs, higher taxes, amnesty, gay marriage, abortion and aborting our mission and commitment in Iraq.

I have wrestled for the better part of my adult life with some of those issues and have wondered what God would have me do, believe. I am a Christian --I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I believe that God calls us to be responsible for our actions, for our tongues, for our management of money. I believe He calls us to follow laws, His laws and teachings above all else. Please, don't get me wrong. I love the American Dream and all that America has to offer. I love the diversity of our culture. But WHY does that make it all right for 12-15 million people to be able to do it the wrong way when all of the others have to do it the right way. What is the point? I believe in One Nation under God-indivisible. I believe that our Founding Fathers sought God's will when they drafted the U. S. Constitution and that, if not for our Christian heritage, we could be living a very different American "dream." What if our country was founded in Hindu beliefs? Islamic beliefs?

Okay, I am no longer shaking. I think I have that out of my system. If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Any opinions would be welcome debate. Night...

What a difference a week makes...

Well, I finished ONE of my 40 books for the year this afternoon. The Potluck Club-a novel by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson. Great read, funny and sad with recipes to boot. Makes me wish for a potluck club of my own. My sister, Sara, has actully started a dinner club with some of her buddies from work. They are going to start next Wednesday so I will let you know how it goes. I think that would be fun. And, it would make me clean the dickens out of my house at least once a month. I can always use some inspiration!

My political "virtues and morals" have all been dumped with the withdrawl of Mitt Romney. I was really hoping for a brokered convention so that we might get a true(r) conservative for the Republican nominee but the "establishment" is getting behind McCain so...yuck. My husband says, "Why vote for the lesser of two evils." I would really like to have a smaller national government, less spending and less taxes for all. So, hopefully, voting AGAINST Hillary/Obama will get us closer to that end. November is a LLOONNGG way off!

Speaking of less spending, the other book that I have been reading is the Dave Ramsey book about getting out of debt and changing habits. I have put that book down for the moment. I got to the budget part and choked. I cannot do it. I would like to do it but, seeing how all of our oldest daughter's college tuition is coming out of nowhere at the moment, a budget seems a little far fetched. I am on a plan to be out of credit card debt by August. I am so hoping that comes to fruition. I cannot believe it is already February--UG!

Back to the 40 things to do this year...does anyone have any good books they have read lately? I love Christian Fiction and mysteries. I need to get my list back up to keep me focused. (Anything to help with focus is a plus!) I love that Steffany has set a goal to run a 1/2 marathon. I cannot see that in my future but, what an accomplishment. Maybe if she shares her story I will feel inspired (hint). Running hurts my legs, like the shin area. I would really like to have that as a life accomplishment though. Anyone for rock climbing?

Anyway, I hope that this finds you well and that you are able to find reasons to celebrate this week. It will only happen once so MAKE IT COUNT!

Great News...

Major news today--the sun rose after Super Tuesday and a McCain "win" and I am happy, alive, blessed and loved in spite of it. Whew, I thought that would be close. Curtis would not let me watch tv last night. I am thankful. As for politics, I am still hoping for a brokered convention. As for life in general, my friend Ann put it in perspective: we lived through 8 years of Bill, we can live through 4-8 years of McCain. I CANNOT believe I just typed that "out loud!" I truly don't want that man representing the United States...but, I definately don't want Hillary so, there you go!

On to other Major news...I finished the quilt I have been working on AND got it off to the professional quilter to have it machine quilted today! Yeah! I was drafted by my lovey to do the kindergarten quilt for our fundraiser at school. It turned out so cute with the kids each contributing at least one square. HUGE check on the to-do list. Did not even think to take a picture of it. I'll have to do that once I get it back.

Our company left this afternoon to head back to Pennsylvania. My friend Ann and her husband and daughter were here visiting. We had a wonderful time. They used to live here in New Braunfels and our daughters were the best of friends for the first 3 years of their lives. They are still pretty good friends now because they share the same interests and we are able to get together every few years. We were blessed to see them twice in the last year. This summer we were able to get to New York and see Beauty and the Beast together on Broadway. That was the best show...highly recommend it. I am extremely thankful for Ann. She is a friend for life and I am glad to know her and to be able to call her such!

The weather here today is absolutely gorgeous--in the mid 60's with BEAutiful blue skies. My son is ready to ride bikes and I am sitting on my bottom blogging...something is wrong with this picture! So, off we go. May God bless you and keep you!

God Can...just because He can!

I have been running on fumes for the last few days! I am so encouraged by the news I received tonight though...my children attend a private, Christian school in San Marcos, Texas. It is called The Master's School. It was founded through prayer by one woman and some of her friends; they rallied around her and together, made it happen. Anyway, that was in 1993. Tonight, I went to a meeting about the future of the school. The meeting was rolling along and everything was FANTASTIC and then, the best news ever...the land for the new school was GIVEN to us today, FREE and CLEAR! I know that may seem little to all in the blogosphere, but that is INCREDIBLE to those of us attending this little school. God is so incredibly GOOD! I cannot begin to express how exciting it was to hear those words. The entire room burst in to applause. So, I may have been on fumes, trying to collect silent auction items, make a quilt, finishing school projects, son having surgery, putting up with unlikely visitors, hosting company from out of town, etc. but GOD was pulling it all together to give me hope, energy and joy for tomorrow. I am reminded by the book of Jeremiah where they had to build a wall...I don't know the exact place...but God gave them the instructions and they all pitched in to make it happen. WOW! YEAH! Just had to share. May tomorrow bring you hope and peace (...like a river...) and may you see the power of God in your day!

Say something...anything...

I have been trying to get in the groove of writing something here. Have so many things to say but don't know how to put them in words. I have had one child home with me all week-Ryan. He had surgery on his left foot on Monday after being injured in a basketball game. He is doing well and the pain is starting to dissipate. I am hoping that he will be able to go back to school on Monday. He is beginning to go a little stir crazy.

On other notes, I have had a funky week. I have truly started to question a lot about myself. Some of you don't know but I am a huge Fred Thompson fan. I did not know how passionate I was about conservative principles until I started wondering about the next POTUS. So, when he dropped out this week, I was, to say the least, devastated. Sounds down right ridiculous, huh? You don't have to tell me. I know. However, through the course of the last few weeks, I have "met" with many people who feel the same way. I have been "blogging" for Fred and for conservative principles. Please do not "judge" me, I will do my very best not to impose my views on you. Candace knows I don't do so well but I will sincerely try.

Anyway, so all this introspection and searching has left me slightly raw. I read some of the blogs of my friend/cousin Steffany and I feel so incredibly shallow. The people that make up this country/world through the blogosphere are so interesting and wonderful. I am praying for adoptions to work out, for friends to be rid of cancer that has invaded their body, for peaceful dying. For my children to heal, to be safe, to be able to be kids. I am praying for a school fundraiser to be a success, for the bible study that I am "leading" to be a blessing to those in attendance. I am praying for direction and for God to make His way for my life clear.

Bottom line: Fear of rejection is powerful but my God is bigger than fear. (Isaiah 41:8-10) Fear of opening one's heart to new friends makes me quake, but my Jesus says He is my friend if I follow His command to love one another. (John 15:15) Fear of Hillary Clinton/Bill Clinton in the Whitehouse is a fear of loss of freedom and liberty but my God says His perfect law gives freedom. (James 1:25) That's it folks, it is ALL about God and NOT about me. Still shaking so remind me of this later...

January 22, 2008

Today I am beginning. Tomorrow I will begin again. Our journey each day starts with God and what He ultimately has to offer...