Checking in

Hi everyone!

Jumping on here quickly to give you an update ....

It seems my computer has some MAJOR problems and will be out of commission for a week or so. Not sure if it will be fully restored then, but I'm believing God for a miracle :) I could look at this situation a couple of different ways.

You see, I'm in the middle of preparing for a youth girls retreat happening weekend after next. I really need my computer to type and organize my lessons, so if I wanted to whine and cry about it I could say that the enemy was trying to throw me a huge curveball.

But, since I'm trying to look at it from God's point of view, I see HIM keeping me OFF the computer for a few weeks to focus on more important things right now. I get it and I agree with Him (whether He needs me to or not). So, if you're still with me after my computer is restored or we win the lottery and get to buy another, I would love to chat with you again.

Until then, I will report that I'm presently at the library waiting on my spot to come open. Dern. It seems the same man is frequenting that very spot every other day and no matter how early I try to get here, he beats me everytime. I got here this morning when the doors opened (O's Mother's Morning Out is across the street), but had to go to the restroom first. By the time I came out (mere seconds), intruder man was there. It truly is the best spot here, but I'm choosing not to whine, remember? Monday I tried to make a lot of noise so he would get annoyed, but man alive, nothing budges him. Is he working on a paper? Is he preparing a sermon? Is he looking for a job? I don't know, but evidently he finds great comfort in my spot. Should've had my name engraved on it :)

Our vacation was great and restful. We did some hiking and my girls were in heaven with their Papa and Mawmaw (my parents). I could have sworn we hiked 2 miles up a mountain one morning, but my dad swears we didn't even make it 1/4 mile. Whatever. I choose to believe 2 miles .... because I'm optimistic (and my thighs were burning like a thousand suns :)

As always I wanted to stay forever, but we had to return to life on Monday morning. O was a little sad when she woke Monday to no grandparents waiting to pamper her. Nope. Just Mom with a bunch of rules. Monday was tough.

Okay, I'm off to study. I do want to say that I briefly visited the Christian section of our library this morning for the first time. Disappointing. If all I wanted to read was J*yce Meyer, this would be the place to come. Or C.S. Lewis. But, the section is shamefully small and leaves a lot to be desired. Actually, there was only ONE Beth Moore book. Oh, the travesty! (That's the girls and my new word - cracks me up to hear O say it)

Anyway, going to find a new spot! Hope your'e all doing well!

Just one more thing ..... scripture memory #8

Okay, a quick word ....

I wouldn't let Eric take my computer this morning until I had signed in for the Scripture Memory Challenge. I am devoted, my friends and praying somehow God finds it necessary for me to attend the celebration in January. Seems a little frivilous when I think about the plane ticket and the hotel stay, but then I think about being in a church filled with many women who have committed God's word to memory all year and it makes me want to sell some things to go! Just imagine the strength in that room and the increasing love for the Father! Man, I'd love to be there.

I cannot tell you how much memorizing this scripture has strengthened my walk with the Lord. I'm just having the most fun doing it (and E loves it too .... she quizzes me and thinks it's so cool I'm learning the word like she is).

So, here's my 8th verse(s). It's long, but I couldn't bear to split it up ...

"Wherefore seeing we also are

compassed about with so great

a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight,

and the sin which so easily beset us,

and let us run with patience

the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author

and finisher of our faith; who for

the JOY that was set before him

endured the cross, depising the shame,

and is set down at the right hand of

the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

AMEN!!

Now, I'm officially on vacation ....

A vacation

I missed posting about Easter and all we did over the weekend. For many reasons, but not the least of which is I am having computer problems. My computer is SO SLOW. I tell Eric it feels like 1996 when this thing called the internet was first invented. While at work, I would log on to the internet, go to the restroom and come back to find the homepage starting to load.

Remember those days? Even then, I thought the internet was some type of pipedream and would never catch on. I'm intelligent like that. Call me for all your computer needs.

What's even weirder (so not a word, I know) is while I'm using it, the disc drive pops out over and over. I know!

If I try to upload a picture on my blog, it takes 30+ minutes. Does anyone else have that problem?

Since we're going out of town for a few days, Eric is taking my laptop in for repairs. I PRAY it doesn't have to be replaced altogether, because if so, it's been nice knowing all of you! That will be the END of my blogging career :)

(Can it be a career if you never make one red cent and in fact it keeps you from preparing meals for your family?) Hmmmm....just wondering.

So, if all goes well I'll be back on here when we return from vacation. And, maybe with pictures. Here's hopin' ....

In my defense, I'm told cereal is the breakfast of champions

Things heard around my house this week .....

O (three years old): "I cannot WAIT to get to heaven!"
Me: "Why, baby?"
O: "Cause I heard people ever never takes naps there. I wanna go."

Still too young to understand that naps ARE heaven.
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E (seven years old): "Mom, please please please make us breakfast now."
Me: "How about I make you a special breakfast since you're out of school."
E: "Okay. You make the best cereal of anyone I know."
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While trying to get O dressed for school ....

O: "DO NOT put those blue socks on me. They give me the worst cramps!"

Morning Manna and Egg Dying

I can't explain it, but I feel this need to confess to you I had not been to Chick-fil-A in TWO WEEKS. TWO WEEKS!

I know!

Maybe it's the guilt of talking to Cathy while I'm eating my beloved Chicken biscuit in my car while she's heading to the gym in Rhode Island (traitor). Maybe it's my husband working out 3 days a week during lunch and I'm eating chocolate chip cookies since I'm full from morning manna from heaven.

I had to retrain my van to drive home after dropping O off at MMO instead of CFA (I speak in abbreviations).

BUT, this morning I realized this will be the last morning I have all to myself for over a week. So, I made a wise decision to celebrate? with a good, healthy breakfast. I also had a healthy conversation with myself in the car which went something like this, "If my friends and husband loved me, they wouldn't go to the gym at all. Don't they know they are making me feel bad?"

Healthy conversation.

I know, I know. I need to exercise. "Lord, is that you?" ....

Switching subjects ....

Last night we had an Easter egg dying contest. For the record, I have only dyed eggs with my girls once because I have some issues with the whole egg dying and bunny stuff. It's a personal thing and has everything to do with my testimony, but just couldn't wrap my mind around it. Then, I found a cute egg dye kit at Walmart that had stickers of crosses and tombs and such so, I thought we would have some fun.

The contest was between my girls and myself. I came up with the brilliant idea of making it more fun (and competitive because that's just how I roll). We made Eric the judge and said whoever won would get to have her bed made by the loser for an entire week. (Of course, I knew Eric would choose the girls and I would make their beds, but they could hardly contain their excitement at the challenge - except E who takes things way too serious and cried several times when I would pull an egg out of the dye because she said it was dyed too perfect - oh, the drama!)

In true F@@d Network fashion (his fave), Eric had the winning egg hidden under a pot lid when he called us to the kitchen for the results. O was jumping up and down with excitement, I was hoping Eric followed my lead and chose the girls and E was ... well ... stressing out, almost a puddle of tears from the pressure despite our attempts to praise her eggs the entire time). He gave some speech ..... blah, blah .... and then revealed the winning eggs .... one from each of our baskets. He told the girls he was making all the beds for a week - including mine - and then I'm the one that almost melted into a puddle of tears.

Egg-dying at its best.

And, yes all beds were made this morning and I was so happy! I'm thinking of making this a weekly event for just that reason.


I would post more pictures, but Blogger takes 30 minutes to post just one - I'm not even kidding. So, this will have to do ... This is O before she left for school this morning. I wanted to post it for you, Cathy so you could finally see O with her glasses.

A Daily Peek

Spring Bible Study starts tonight.

Should be a fun? adventure exposing all the lies we believe and replacing them with Truth.

A Peek

We're still going up and down the stairs a million times a day. We're still tracking in sawdust from the garage. We're still painting molding. We're still crawling around on our hands and knees. We're still hammering.

But, it's all worth it.....


The new floors are beautiful.


And, the girls are very happy with their new rooms:)

Thankful Thursday

A few things I'm thankful for on this Thursday ....

** We're almost finished with the flooring upstairs. E's room should be completed soon and she can hopefully sleep in her own room tonight. Glory!

** Sunshine. It's been raining so much here the past 2 weeks (which I know we need), but it's great to see a peak of sunshine this afternoon.

** We finished E's diarama (?) (please tell me you know what that is!). She had to make one on the state of Michigan and it had us (Eric and me) stressed, I tell you. We learned we won't be so great about school projects, but praise God it's finished!

** O's rendition of the story of Mary and Martha. As I type this, she is pacing the living room floor with her bible and for the 42nd time acting out the story. A few highlights ..... while moving her hands in a stirring motion, she talks about Martha busy, busy making bread for Jesus. Then, falls to the ground and talks about Mary listening closely to Jesus with her ears. So cute! (Thank you pre-school SS teachers - she's talked all week about last week's lesson).

** Waking this morning to see my girls hugging one another while still sleeping.

** Gift cards. At the end of our Esther bible study, the ladies gave me a basket of goodies. In it was a gift card to Cracker Barrel (that we used on Sunday) and a gift card to Family Christian. I plan to use it today to buy Matthew Henry's Commentary. I have wanted this for SO LONG and cannot wait to use it.

** The weekend is almost here! We have a busy one planned with our church's Easter Drama each night, but I'm ready to have some help here during the day to get this house back together.

Hope you're having a blessed Thursday!

Scripture Memory #7

Oh, the tongue. It is a wicked tool, is it not?

Good heavens! Is it really time for the 7th Scripture Memory?

I'm enjoying memorizing the verses, but I'm a little anxious this next one is going to kick my tail. Not because of the length, but because of the command. I've searched the Bible through and through for something different to memorize, but the Lord keeps directing me back here.

Alright, alright. I got it.

I'm quite certain I'll need some extra grace these next two weeks and beyond as I apply this to my life.

Just being honest.

"Let no corrupt communication

proceed out of your mouth,

but that which is good

to the use of edifying,

that it may administer

grace unto the hearers."

Ephesians 4:29

There you have it.

If you call me or talk to me in person and I'm unusually quiet, just stop and say a quick prayer for me. I'm probably struggling.

Amen.