Happy Birthday Jesus!

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“ Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Luke 2: 1-20

Oh the weather outside

Is delightful!! For the first time in years, we have a measureable snowfall in our yard!! I'm as excited as the kids! We have had a wonderful snow day. Now, I am just praying that no trees go down and cause damage. One fell already this afternoon, but it was one that was leaning anyway and just fell in the "woods" in our yard. (we have no actual woods, just a place with more trees, but we call it the woods)
Our power has blinked several times this evening. I'm less concerned about the power going than something falling and hitting the house or one of the cars.
But God will take care of us.


I took pictures throughout the day. Here is a series of the tree we had on the porch for Christmas.

8 am:

10 am:

12 pm:

4 pm:

7 pm:

We got about 9 inches here, and areas around us got 10, 12, and more. The weather forecast is for a few more inches overnight. Should be interesting tomorrow.
Thank God that Hub was able to make it to and from work today. And we pray that the roads will be fine for him tomorrow.

In closing, here is one last picture. It is my favorite of the day. I could just squeeze each one of those pink cheeks!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Edition

The tree

All our nativites:

My favorite nativity:

My mother's churches:

Me being silly:

It's not about the presents, it's about His presence

It's Christmas again. And I have a confession to make. I bought too much for the boys. Sigh. Every year I say I'm going to back off and make Christmas be what it should be about, and every year I fail.

It's easy to get down on myself and think that I am not a good enough mom, that I haven't done enough for the boys. But then I listen when they pray. And I watch as they help each other out, and are kind to one another. Then I tell them we need to get rid of some of their toys, and they tell me who I should give this one to, and this one to, and can't we find something to give to so-and-so. And they always want to give more money at church. They will find coins and want it for the offering. And they are eager to go to the neighbors house and take her mail. There are so many ways they show their heart.
And that is when I realize that I am not failing at this mom thing. I can definitely do things to improve, but I am not failing.

I will always strive for ways to help the boys (and myself) know that what really matters is the presence of Jesus. As long as He is in our lives, we can do anything, we can handle anything, we can survive anything. His presence brings meaning into our lives. And as long as I have Him, I will continue to strive to be the best mom I can be. And one day, my boys will know without a doubt that it's not about the presents, but it's about the presence of Jesus.

What in the World is Going On?

I just got home. I'm tired. But I feel the need to at least put something on here. It's the tenth of December. It's been awhile since I wrote anything. Well, I did write one thing but it was more therapeutic so I did not publish it. But, I'm babbling.

So, tonight I was at my weekly Bible study with some friends. We just started it back up a few weeks ago after a several month hiatus. And it feels so good. We've been watching some dvd's right now and when we finish, we are going to move to a more hands on study of the Bible.
But the dvd's we've been watching have been very good. It's David Jeremiah's What In the World Is Going On? I have really enjoyed it. I like to listen to David Jeremiah; I like the way he talks. And the information he is giving is fantastic. I don't know much about prophecy, some but not a ton of detail. So I have learned a lot. And if he and so many others are right, we are living in the end times. And it is soooooo exciting!
The Lord may not be coming back soon, but He is coming back at some point. And if it is now, WOW! He chose for us to be alive for it! Don't you just get chills thinking about that? I do!

Ostrich

I'm being an ostrich again. I tend to do this when I go through another depression cycle. I hide from people. In my real life, that's mostly easy to do. Having three kids and homeschooling leaves little time for much else. So I can just stay home like normal. Works out fine. ;-)

But online, when I get to this place, I shut people out. I may visit the same places and offer short thoughts, but for the most part, I hide. Tonight is a perfect example. I have three main places I go online and talk to true friends. Two of the places I've been for over two years; the other is newer. One of the old places is my home. It's where I truly can be me and have some close friends. I love my girls.
The other older place is mostly people I like, and car about, but I don't let the real me free.
And the new place is one where I know that there is potential for some real, tight, true friendships, but while I am getting very personal with some, I am still guarded a bit for now.

So, in my ostrich mode, guess where I've been spending most of my online time?

Did ya guess yet? Hmmmm?

Well, it sure ain't the places I am more the real me. D'uh.

Yeah, I have been spending time with the casual friends. It's so much easier. I don't even have to think about it. Then I wonder what that says about me. And I just don't know. I think that sometimes I just need to...

...well, I don't even know how to finish that. I just can't be me sometimes. And not really that, I just can't be deep sometimes. My close friends know me to be deep, faithful, trying to be holy, trying to have a Christ-like spirit (yes, Terri, that's for you) and sometimes it's too hard. I feel like I'm putting on a front. And it's actually stupid, because these are my true friends, and they love me in the way that matters, in the true spirit of love. So why I feel the need to hide, I just don't know. I do know that it passes faster now than it used to.
It used to stick around for months at a time. But now that I am closer to Christ, I find the strength to go on; He gives me the strength.

So, while I am an ostrich today, maybe tomorrow I'll be a swan!

Crazy Love

I just started reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan tonight. I am already blown away. And humbled by the fact that the God who created everything in this universe, everything that ever was and everything that ever will be, that He loves me, He cares about me.
There is nothing I have ever done or will ever do that can make me good enough for Him. I am sin; I am dirt; I am unlovable. But because of Him, because Jesus came to earth to take my punishment, I can become white as snow, pure, holy, righteous. Because I know Jesus, I am free. I am saved.

Not one part of me is worthy of that. But how amazing is it that in spite of everything that I am, God loves me and accepts me?

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:1-5  (I typed that from memory. Part of a study I'm doing and I memorized it.)

He gave me a mind. He wants me to use it to think. And most importantly, I should use my mind to find Him.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Romans 1:20-23 
He created everything knowing that we would look to the creation to find Him. There are so many who look at creation and refuse to see Him. That is so sad to me. He's everywhere, we only have to look to see.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

God, the one who was and is and is to come loves me. It cannot get any better than that.

Second chances

I am just so glad that our God is a God of second chances.

Being thankful

Thankful: conscious of benefit received; expressive of thanks; well pleased.
Thanks: kindly or grateful thoughts; an expression of gratitude.
Thanksgiving: the act of giving thanks; a prayer expressing gratitude; a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.

Psalm 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.

Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
 
Psalm 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
 
Psalm 79:13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
 
Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 
 
1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.


Revelation 11:17 We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
 
I have many blessings. I am so thankful for them all. But the one that matters the most is Jesus. My salvation is the biggest blessing in my life. Hands down. Nothing else even comes close. Praise God.
 
And just for information, my favorite thanksgiving blog post is at Knowing Norrah. Wonderful.

The one where I just babble

Okay, so I am not going to post anything with real meat. But how about some pictures? Pictures are always good. Here are some that the boys insisted I take of their blocks.

Frog was so proud of his "castles". He made several. And Dino made the ones below. It's so amazing to me how different they are. Frog made 3D creations and Dino's are flat. But they are all wonderful!

Okay, this one I just couldn't resist because, I mean seriously, doesn't he look like just the cutest little redneck boy you've ever seen, wearing his daddy's shoes and hat? And didn't I just write the longest run-on sentence in the world?

And for good measure, one more of the hawk. Which still isn't gone, but I haven't spiked it up lately. Hub says it looks like Dino has a dead squirrel on his head. It will be cut tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Not too shabby...

So, I've made 15 (well, today makes 16) days out of 24, which is 67% of the month so far. And, even if I don't post again for the whole month, it will be a 53% success rate. Not bad.
Buuuuuutttt, if I post more, my percentage will rise. Hey, if I post every day til the end of the month, I will end with 73%. Not too shabby.

So, what do I want to share tonight? Well, I have been in an online Bible study with some wonderful ladies. We have been studying in Romans, specifically chapter 5, verses 1-5.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Our latest assignment included drawing a representation of the verses. This is my picture:

The foundation is faith; without it, there is nothing else. The Holy Spirit is represented by the white pitcher, and it pours out God's love into our hearts. Our hearts are able to be filled because Jesus saved us. As soon as we believe, have faith, we are saved through Jesus. And at that point, God pours His love into our hearts and we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit.
Man, am I so glad to be saved!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Crazy hair night at AWANA resulted in this:

The red washed out very easily and the mohawk will be allowed for about a week. After that, Hub said it was enough. We'll see what Dino thinks. I hope it will be out of his system by then. If not, it's only hair.

Yes, it actually does happen just like that!

I don't claim to understand it. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5  I don't claim to know why. “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. Isaiah 55:8  But I do claim that it's true. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

I spent most of last night in the emergency room. We went to church last night like always. The kids were in their AWANA groups. Hub came late because he had been at work. I went into the sanctuary at 7 for the evening service. About 20 minutes later, someone came in and got my friend and took her out. Then one of the deacons came in and told us that they thought her husband had had a heart attack. After prayer, I went outside.
In the other building, Henry had been playing ball and complained of feeling dizzy. Then he fell to his knees and grabbed his left arm and fell to the ground. Someone called 911 and then the prayer started.
The ambulance came within a couple of minutes of me going outside. Then I watched from outside as they wheeled Henry out and into the ambulance. When Jen, his wife, came out, I joined the other ladies and we prayed with her. We got the kids taken care of and then I went with Jen to the hospital.
Once there, we realized that Henry had not had a heart attack. After several hours and several tests, he was told it was vertigo and a migraine.
At one point, the nurse was in and Jen said, "I think he had a heart attack and we were at church and everyone prayed, and God took care of it." The nurse laughed and said, "I don't think it actually works like that." He said it with just enough sneer that I knew he wasn't a Christian. And as he walked out the door, I said, "Well, we know it does actually work just like that."

We will never know this side of heaven whether Henry had a heart attack last night, but we do know we serve a mighty God. And He answers our prayers. Always.

Can't pull myself away.

I tried to make a post last night but had computer issues. And that bothered me so much.
I know this isn't a big deal, and it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I wanted to make it to 30 days of posting. I try my best to be true to my word. So I want to do my best to make some kind of post every day, even if it's just a picture. But if it doesn't happen, well, that's okay, too. The main thing is I want to do my best.

So, NaBloPoMo Take 2.
And I'll even try to have a good post tomorrow.

I give!

Alright, I give up! I cannot do this NaBloPoMo! I'm not cut out for it!
That is all.

I will be taking a few days off and who knows when I'll be back.
Ugh!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

Today, I am thankful for freedom. And for all the men and women who have fought in order for me to have it. Thank you.

Is November over yet?

Okay, this is harder than I thought it would be. And truly, not what I like. Once this month is over, I am so going back to my posting once a week or so. Well, maybe more than that, cause I do like to get my thoughts down, and I am finding that I would like to post more, but this once a day thing is not going to happen again.

Today, I am thankful for forgiveness. I wasn't my best self today, and there were times my family had reason to get mad with me. But they didn't. They let me do my thing and they got over it. They aren't carrying any grudges. I love that. What forgiving hearts they have.

But let us not forget the most forgiving heart of all. Where would I be if I didn't have my Lord and Savior, the One who always forgives, who forgives everything. As much as my family forgives, they are human. And as humans, we don't have the capacity to forgive every sin. But God does. And boy am I thankful for that. That's true love.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

I almost forgot. And I'm not sure what I even want to write about today. I'm tired, I still have the last legs of a cold, and I am still a bit upset about a few things going on.
There's a relationship that I would still love to see healed. We don't have a pastor at our church. And there are a lot more things I would like to see changed at our church.
So, I have tons I could write about. But, I am really tired and that is overruling everything tonight.

But, I will write about Hub. Friday is his last day at his part-time job. He is finally going to have a full-time job with benefits! I am definitely thankful for that! He will start his new job on Saturday. It is with a large retail home store. He will be in the garden center. This will be great for him. He'll be working outside, using his knowledge of plants and still get to be around people. Perfect for him! And there are actually several other things that make it so wonderful: he'll be making a bit more money; there will be benefits; and it's only a few miles from the house. (he had been driving over 30 miles to work) So, things are looking up! He will have some adjustments and he doesn't like change all that much, but truly, we are so happy right now!

1 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 150

12 years

Picture it: JCPenney, May, 1994, Break room
I took my break with Elizabeth and walked upstairs to the break room. There was this guy sitting there; he was wearing a pair of khaki pants, dress shirt and tie, and a navy blazer. I thought he was cute. There were about 5 or 6 of us in the break room and we all talked about nothing. But I thought he was cute.
That summer, we kept bumping into each other at work and sometimes at parties thrown by people from work. I still thought he was cute.

Then, November, 1994 happened. He finished student teaching so he was working full time. We knew more about each other by this point. We started eating lunch together with a group of friends. Then one day, Wednesday, November 16, 1994, it was just the two of us. We had a very nice lunch. The next day was my day off, but I made an excuse to come to the store, conveniently at the same time he was leaving for the day. We chatted; I got him to come shopping with me for the pillow I came in to buy. And eventually (seriously, it took him like an hour to get around to this) he asked me if I was free for the rest of the evening. I said yeah, and inside I was all like *****SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE*****!

We went to his apartment and I waited for him to change into casual clothes. Then we went to eat at Appleby's. Next, we went to my apartment to just hang out. We decided to go to a movie and saw "The Santa Clause." (which is very ironic now, since we don't do santa with the kids) It was a very nice evening and when it ended, he asked if he could take me to the party a friend was having Saturday night.

And that was it. From then on, we were a couple. It took us about a month to have our first kiss and consider ourselves "officially" a couple, but that was all it took. From the beginning, I knew I would marry him. There was never any question in my mind. He says he thought the same, but he sure didn't share that with me. Men!

Fast forward a few years, November 8, 1997. A nice fall evening, the mountains were beautifully arrayed with jewel toned leaves, and even the highest mountaintops were dotted with snow. It was perfect. I married my best friend at 7:30 in the evening. It was a candlelit service. There were two songs sung. One was "The Wedding Song (There is Love)" ; the other was "The Lord's Prayer." The reception was small; hors d'oeuvres and a cake. And lots of fun fellowship. A day I will never forget.

I love you honey. Always. Thank you for 12 wonderful years and three beautiful boys.

This picture is from that first Saturday night, our second date.

And from our wedding:

Day 7

Well, not got much left in me tonight. I've got a cold and I'm beat. So, I'm gonna cheat again and post pictures.

Here's my guys in October 2007:

And October 2009:

My, how they've grown. I love these guys so much. I am blessed to be their mom.

Random thoughts

Have you ever thought about a word and wondered about it? And said it so many times, over and over, that it lost its meaning?

Today, I was thinking about the word bored. The boys will often come up to me and say, "I'm bored." (To which I usually reply, "Well, then, go and find something to do.")

But I started thinking about the actual word. Bored. Bored. Board. They sound the same, don't they? But all three words are different. I'm bored. He bored a hole in that tree. That board is splitting in half.
Wow. Cool. I like things like that. I find it interesting. But it is very hard to teach someone to read and spell with so many unique words in the English language.

Grocery. How would you say that phonetically? I'm teaching Frog to read and we say each letter's sound in order to read. But then, Dino is learning to spell. He can read exceptionally well, but his spelling needs some help. Grocery is one of his words this week. Another word is spry. That one is easier because it's still phonetic in pronunciation. But grocery? Nope.

Fun, huh? Things that make me think.

And oh, I almost forgot. My theme for the month, thankfulness. I'm thankful I have a mind that can even think of these things. I love word puzzles, number puzzles, just puzzles in general. And without a mind, I would have no luck figuring out puzzles. So, thank you Lord, for giving me a mind of my own to learn and reason with, and to solve puzzles.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Tag fünf

Today, I am thankful for good health. For the most part, my sweet little family has been healthy. There have been some infected ears, an occasional bout of strep throat, one year of antibiotics for a urinary tract issue (thankfully outgrown), one UTI, and a host of colds. We had one surgery. Dino was born with two of his fingers joined and when he was 16 months old he had surgery to separate them. So, on the whole, healthy children and family.

But I have been down the road of unwellness. One of my step-brothers had some serious kidney issues as a child. He eventually went into kidney failure at 13 (I was 12) and was hospitalized. I can remember the day I found out. I was in 7th grade and finally at middle school. We got to change classes and all. :-) And in the afternoon, I got a message to go to the office because I was being picked up early. I tried to figure out what was going on but could not imagine. When I got to the office, my mom was waiting. She took me to the car where my step-dad and two of my brothers were waiting. We went straight out of town to the nearby children's hospital. For the next several months, that journey became very familiar.

My brother was in kidney failure. He spent quite some time in and out of the hospital. I cannot begin to give an accurate timeline. It is mostly jumbled up in my head. But the main points are that his kidney's were in such bad shape they had to be removed. Brother went on dialysis for some time until eventually he had a kidney transplant. My older step-brother was a perfect match. He had just become old enough that he was allowed to decide to be a donor. Praise God.

Since then, brother has had a few minor issues health wise, but he's had his new kidney for over 25 years now and doing well.

So, while we occasionally have some things that we have to deal with, on the whole, we have been blessed with health. And I am so very thankful for that.

Wordless Wednesday

Day 4: I'm cheating, sorta, and posting some pics. I am thankful for these little guys. And thankful that because we homeschool, field trips can be enjoyed by the whole family.

And sharks feel rough and sting rays are slimy.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Le jour trois

I first used the internet sometime back in '97 or '98. My best friend got it when she went back to school. I would go to her apartment and we would cruise around just to see what we could find. Back then, I heard about all these chat rooms, and I usually heard about all the not-so-nice ones. But, I didn't do much online then.

Fast forward to 2000. My dad bought me a computer because I moved back to my hometown to go back to college. I had to go online because so many of my classes required email communications. It was like a new world opened up. But I still didn't do much online. It was still dial up and oh so very slow. Then I got pregnant. And Boy! Did that change things.

I scoured the internet for all things pregnancy. I found all these sites and some had message boards. Wow! It was so addicting. But even then, I still stayed in an observing role. I could not get involved; I lurked. My first son was born in late summer 2002, and by then I had found this one site that I really liked. It was a journal site for ladies trying to get pregnant, pregnant, and moms. When Dino was a couple of months old, I signed up and started my first journal.

I still didn't get too involved. I would write in my journal and read other journals, but I never commented to the other ladies. So I stayed under the radar. Then I discovered that this site had some message boards. I finally got up my nerve and posted. It was nice. But withing a few months, they shut down the boards. The journals moved to another place but the boards were gone. A few ladies moved their board and I followed, but back to lurking now. I wanted to join in on stuff but they all seemed so tight and I just felt awkward. Through these ladies I read my first ever blog. Wow! It was April 2004, and Frog was on his way. I was still journaling and lurking. But spending ever so much more time online. Yes, again, very addicting. I continued this pattern for the next couple of years. I became totally engrossed in infertility blogs. And through them, mommy blogs. Some of those blogs I still read though I don't have as much interest anymore.

When I got pregnant with Monkey in the summer of 2006, something changed. I found myself wanting to belong to a group somewhere. By this point, I knew several people, in real life, who had met friends and even spouses online. I knew it was possible to find true friendship online. So, I found a group of ladies who were all pregnant and due at the same time as me and, what else, I lurked. I actually posted in the group once or twice the entire pregnancy. Way to get involved. But once our babies were born, well, that did it. The original group was 75+ members, but through a series of events, a few of us found our way to another site and 11 of us have been a tight-knit group since August of 2007. I love these ladies! Oh my, I cannot even tell you how blessed I am to have them in my life. We have been through so much together: all kinds of baby issues, losing a child, divorce, losing a parent, having a loved one get arrested and put in jail, deployment, losing a job, so many things. Our bond is so tight that I know I will be friends with these ladies forever. They have my heart. I was lucky enough to spend a weekend with 7 of them awhile back, and it is my hope that I will get to meet the other three in person someday soon.

And now, I am blessed again to have gotten to know some more ladies online. There is a small group of ladies I met through another blog and we have started a bible study together. And I have read more in my bible since meeting them than I have in awhile. They inspire me and make me want to be a better Christian. But even with that, I am even more blessed to know them and be encouraged by them. This group is amazing. Through them, I have gotten the courage to start speaking up and being a light for Jesus. I am getting so that I am not as afraid to proclaim His truth wherever I need to. And there is also excitement. I can't wait to find out what God has in store for us. I know He brought us together for a reason and I've already been blessed so much, I can't wait to see what's next.

Friends are wonderful. And I am so thankful that through this wonderful technology I have been blessed with an abundance of friends. ♥

30 Days of Thankfulness: El día Dos

Today I am thankful that I have a personal relationship with Jesus.
There have been many personal issues today that have really hurt me. I have cried much more than I would like. And through the hurt, anger came. I was ready to just lay open some wounds that have been buried for years.
But...
I prayed. I talked to my best friend, Jesus, and He said wait. And I did. And I am calmer now. I am willing to be the salt and light in the world. There is nothing that will be gained by me opening up the past. It will only cause more hurt. And God told me to honor this person, and so honor him I must. Even though he doesn't deserve my honor. But God commanded it. And because I have a close relationship with God, I can do this. I can honor a person who has done little to honor me, who has hurt me more in my life than any other person ever has. I can forgive and let it go. And I am going to apologize for my part in this issue and leave it at that.

The lightness I feel right now is astounding. I feel free. With Jesus by my side, I can do anything. And knowing that He is there and always ready to listen is so comforting. If I didn't have His friendship, I would be lost. I thank Him that I am not.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 1

Well, I made a list of all the different things I wanted to write about this month. I tried to think of all the things I was thankful for, and tried to prioritize them, arrange them in just the "right" way. But then today happened and I realized that I don't always have to do things "just so"; so I'm not.

Nothing in this world can touch my salvation. Nothing. It is definitely what I am the most thankful for and I was going to make this wonderful post about it; kick off this month in a grand fashion. And I will eventually make that post.
Not today.

This was today:

Today, I am simply thankful to be alive. God has given us the very breath we take all day long. And today, I got to go to His house and worship Him without the fear that I would be persecuted. I had enough to eat. I was able to spend the day enjoying His beautiful creation with people I love. How could I not be thankful? Life is good. God is even better.

Coming soon...

I have decided to have a go at posting once a day for a bit. I would like to post more often but without a goal, I never make it.

Soooooo..... I am going to do my own little NaBloPoMo. I am calling mine 30 Days of Thankfulness.
Yes, I know, it is extremely clever and creative. I'm smart like that.

What? Oh, next month is November, the month with Thanksgiving in it? Oh, wow, what a coincidence. I never even thought about that when I decided to have 30 Days of Thankfulness for NaBloPoMo.

Anyway, I am going to give it a try. I am very blessed and have much to be thankful for, and I want to shout it from the roofblogtops!

The Sky is Falling!

Today we had some people re-roofing the house. There are three skylights that had to be replaced, too. And let me say, I do not like listening to someone walking on my house. Or scraping off shingles. Or nailing down tar paper. Or playing loud music in Spanish, so I can't understand it. Or. Or. Or. Just one of the myriad of things that kept me on edge today.
I am also very sad. There seems to be so much negativity around these days. And I am annoyed.
I'm annoyed at myself most of all. Some of what I have been struggling with lately is my own place in this world. I want to stay in my comfortable little bubble and not ever do anything that makes me the tiniest bit uncomfortable.
But that is just not right. There are things in life that are and should be uncomfortable. And given the way this world seems to be moving, just by being a Christian, I am going to cause people to be uncomfortable. And today, I watched some ladies I admire very much take some huge hits for the Kingdom. They put themselves out there and proclaimed Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And the were persecuted verbally for this Truth. And I sat by and basically did nothing.
Oh, I tried to make myself feel better by saying a little bit, but I didn't do all that I could have.
I have this fear of looking foolish. You've heard that expression, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt", well, I seem to have internalized it. The thought that I will look foolish paralyzes me.
And then I read this scripture:
1 Peter 3:13-17 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Kinda puts me in my place, huh? Especially the bolded part. I know what I should be doing for the Lord. And by doing nothing, by sitting silent and letting others proclaim the Gospel for me, I am not doing good for God. I am doing nothing.
But all is not lost. I can turn it around and do what God is asking of me. I can learn from my mistakes. I can gain wisdom.

Proverbs 1:20-33:

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;

She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 She cries out in the chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words:

22 “ How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 Because you disdained all my counsel,

And would have none of my rebuke,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

27 When your terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the LORD,

30 They would have none of my counsel

And despised my every rebuke.

31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,

And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

I've had it all wrong! As long as I am proclaiming His Truth, I won't be foolish! Fearing the Lord, obeying His commands, that is true wisdom. Turning away from Him is when you look foolish! Light-bulb moment for me!!  Psalm 53:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” 

So, I resolve to not be afraid of looking foolish. I have the Truth. John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

The Lies He Tells

Some of the lies he's told me:

• I am fat, and ugly, and worthless.
• I am a lousy wife.
• I am an even worse mother.
• I am lazy.
• There is nothing good about me.
• I am a terrible housekeeper.
• I will amount to nothing in this life.
• No one cares about me.
• Everyone hates me.
• I am a bad friend.
• No one wants to be around me.
• Everyone would be better off without me in their lives.
• I am unlovable.

Reasons I believe him:

• I am actually fat, so I must be ugly and worthless, too.
• I have been such a bad wife at times. I have made many mistakes.
• I am not a perfect mother. Again, I have made so many mistakes.
• There are so many things I have done that I am ashamed of, way too many to mention here.
• Sometimes I am lazy and don't want to clean the house.
• There have been people in my life who don't like me, who don't want to be around me, who say mean and hurtful things to me. So I must be a bad friend, unlovable, worthless.
• When I do things wrong, it just re-enforces these things and then I feel unlovable and worthless.
• If I am feeling this way, it must be true.
• If it is true, then everyone is really better off without me.

Reasons I know that he is truly a liar:

• For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
• But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
• For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
• And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. Colossians 1:21-22
• If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
• For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11
• I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
• To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3
• Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5
• I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
• When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. John 8:44
• The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

In remembrance...

Tomorrow, October 15, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I will be lighting a candle at 7:30 pm in remembrance of way too many babies.
Essie- my little bub who I lost on January 26, 2006. I didn't know I was pregnant for all that long, but I still wanted that sweet babe and it still hurt when I lost her.
Sam- Sweet, sweet little Sam. I am so sorry I never got to know you baby.
Benjamin- Sam's little brother. And their mama and daddy shouldn't have had to lose both of them in so short a time. I still pray for peace.
Sweet baby O- another friend lost a baby back in 2008. And still hasn't had another. I pray every day that she will get to snuggle another baby and that sweet G will finally be a big sister.
And way too many babies who were senselessly taken from this world because we have a stupid law that says they don't count, they aren't human, they don't matter.

There are so, so, so many more babies that are not here with us. And so, so, so many moms and dads who can still feel their presence. I have many more friends who have lost babies, some have had more since then, some have not. But one thing I am sure of, I will get to meet these sweet babes one day. I will get to see them when I get to heaven. And my prayer is that if their moms and dads and brothers and sisters are not Christians, that they will be soon. I would hate to know that any mom and baby had to be separated for eternity.
I will never forget, I will always remember, I will always pray.

I love it when that happens!

Nothing special to anyone but me, but I had to share!
I've been struggling with an issue and praying and reading my Bible and talking with other believers about it. But I could not reconcile my feelings with what God was trying to say to me. I talked myself in circles, I reasoned it out in my head, I tried to understand from a human perspective. I truly tried to glean what I could from the scriptures, but I couldn't quite grasp it. I prayed that God would give me the insight He wanted me to have, but my human side was getting frustrated because it wasn't happening on my time table.
Then this morning, I was reading in my Bible, studying something completely different, and a refrence was cited in my study Bible. I looked it up and it was exactly what I needed for the issue I was struggling with. I love it when it happens like that! God is so good!
Wow! A great way to start my day!
(I'm happy! Can you tell?)

Something is sticking!

Today, Dino and Frog have been not getting along so well. They are best friends most of the time, but they are brothers and they have moments of not getting along. I try to teach them that God wants them to take care of their brothers. (For the life of me I cannot remember which scriptures I have used. I need to find them but I want to get this post done now. I will try to add them later.)

So today both boys have not been so nice to each other. One time Frog was reading a book and Dino started reading over his shoulder. Frog just turned the page when he was done and went on. Dino got mad and wanted him to turn the page back. They Dino looked to me to intervene. I told him that I wasn't going to make Frog let him read with him. I told Dino to go get his own book and read. He was very mad at me. I did tell Frog that he could be nice and let Dino read some with him, too, but he wasn't really in the mood.
Later in the afternoon, Dino was reading and Frog was looking over his shoulder. Hmmmmmm, can you guess what happened?

Teaching moment!!!!!!

I talked with them and asked each how it felt to be the one who wanted to look and the other wouldn't let them. And I asked them how they thought the other felt when they were the one reading and not sharing. I could tell I was making a point. (Trust me, it went a lot better then than it seems from the way I am telling it now.) I really almost cried when Frog said, in answer to my question of how should they have acted, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
It's sticking!! Something I am teaching them is getting through! I am making a difference in their lives.

Oftentimes, I feel like I haven't made a difference. I don't think I have ever led anyone to the Lord. I know there have been some people who have said I was an encouragement, but I feel like I haven't done enough. But to hear my sweet, sweet boys respond to a life lesson with scripture, ah, it does my heart good. I am making a difference! I am leading someone to the Lord! Praise God!

Be Bold

I need a little boldness in my life!
I just ordered a book that I hope will bring it on!
And there are so many areas of my life I could use boldness in, so I am going to take the bull by the horns and come out in boldness!!

We were blessed with a performance by the group 3D in church this morning. They are a local group who perform interpretive dance. Here's a YouTube Video of one of their performances. It was wonderful! I am so filled up today. Going to church can rehydrate me when I am dry. I needed this so much!

Jude 1

Jude 1
 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:
Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Contend for the Faith Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.


And I also want to add one more:

Isaiah 55:11  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.


God's Word never returns to Him void. He is the Truth. His Word is the Truth. People can manipulate it in any way they chose, but it will still remain the Truth.

Worries about my boys

Tomorrow, Dino has to go to the dentist.
His first ever appointment was last week. I am not a good taking my child to the dentist mom. And I don't dislike the dentist. I went a ton when I was younger and had all kinds of things done. So there is no fear of the dentist here. But I just don't think to do it. And I'd plan to call and never manage it.
Until last week. Dino had been complaining about his tooth hurting. I looked in his mouth and saw a new molar growing and assumed it was just that. Then, last week, I looked closer because he was still in pain. His new molar is growing in crooked and one corner of it is growing underneath one of the "baby" molars beside it. This created a pocket where he couldn't brush as well and he had an infection.
Ugh. I felt so bad. So now he has to have one tooth pulled and a spacer put in to help the molar grow straighter and keep space for another molar to come later.
Tomorrow is the day. I pray that it goes well.

And Frog is on my heart so much right now. He has recently developed a fearful personality. In the past, he was not especially fearful. He liked to stay nearby whoever he went somewhere with, or have mama in sight, but he wasn't what I would call fearful.
But in the last six months he has become so. He won't sleep in his room at night. He sleeps with my mom and step-dad. He gets hysterical if we try to have him sleep in his room. Even though he sleeps in the same bed with Dino and Monkey is in the room, too. He also won't stay in a room by himself. We have a somewhat open floor plan in the house. And we mainly stay in one end of the house during the day. But if both my mom and I are in the back of the house, Frog will not stay in the front. He has to be where we are.
Today, I took him with me to the store. On the way home I stopped to get gas. I stood right beside his window to pump and when I opened the door to get my purse, he was crying hysterically. He told me he didn't like being alone in the car. I felt so bad for him. All the way home we talked about it. I told him he could talk to God and God would be there and help him. He said, "But I can't see Him. I can't feel Him. How do I know He's here?"
I really don't know how to answer him sufficiently. I did tell him to pray and ask God to be there and be still and feel with his heart. I told him that sometimes I am afraid and I pray and have faith that God is there.
I asked Frog if he knew what faith is. He said, "It's when a big truck goes over a bridge and I know that the bridge is going to hold it and not fall."
Wow!. I love him so much and want so badly to help him through this but I feel like I am failing. I am praying so hard for him to not have this spirit of fear. I want to break this from him. And I'm not entirely sure how I can.
I will keep praying. And talking to him. And praying some more.
Ugh, this parenting thing is hard.

Then there's Monkey. Sheesh. That boy tires me out. Plum tires me out.
And yep, that is all for tonight. He just went to sleep after what had to be the 28th time I tucked him back in. And it's way passed (past? my brain isn't working so well in the grammar area tonight) his bedtime and should be way past mine. (one of each)

Good night, and God bless.

A little of this...

... and a little of that.
Wow! What a week we have had. Nothing special, same as usual, but usual is always fun!

We had a spider episode:

This big lovely was hanging in our doorway one night. It appeared only 30 minutes after the last person had come through the door. And while I am not particularly fond of spiders, it was amazing to look at the intricacy of the web. And marvel at how wonderful our God is. He created a spider to make a beautiful web, and in the process keep mosquitoes away from our door. ;)  I truly hated to have to tear down the web. But 5 am is when my dad leaves the house and he would have never seen it then. And he would not have enjoyed walking through that.

We had the snake episode I blogged about already. And nope, no pictures to go along with that. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have had the ability to take pictures of that episode.

Monkey needs a haircut:

But he hasn't gotten it yet. He wants to know everything so he won't sit still while getting a haircut; he twists around trying to see the clippers.

Frog still enjoys a good, impromptu nap with his thumb and blankie.

And both Dino and Frog enjoyed our science experiment today.

We've been talking about how our lungs and vocal cords work. And nothing works better than a hands on experiment to make it stick. I love the books that we have for this. They are part of Sonlight's package. But you can get them separately. They are Usborne books. We have Science Activities 1, 2, and 3. Each book is a combination of some of the others. For instance, in K, Frog has Science Activities volume 2 which has Science with Air, Science in the Kitchen, and Science with Plants all in the same book. We have really enjoyed these books. I will say that we sometimes have to play "spot the evolution" with Usborne books, but not so far in the science experiment ones, more so in the history books. (I've been known to use a black marker and cross out "millions of years", but that's a topic for another day.) In general, Usborne books are very nice.

And now, Monkey is sleeping, Frog and Dino are running errands with Nanny, and I am able to have a bit of computer time. Ahhhh, what a way to end a week. I love my job! ♥ ♥ ♥

The problem with chicken coops...

We The boys and my mother tend some chickens at a neighbors house. It has been a wonderful experience for the boys. Dino especially has really grown through this adventure. He went from a skittish little boy who would cower behind my skirts, to a gentle young man with a passion for animals. He will be able to completely take over this task in a matter of days. He has even lost his fear of dogs. The neighbor got a puppy (german shepherd/husky mix) several months back and Dino now wants Sam to be his dog.

But the chicken coop hasn't always been so kind to our family. A few months ago, my mother went to feed the chickens and took my niece who visiting at the time. Sally, who was only 3 1/2 at the time, is not a fan of animals. But she wanted to go have fun with Nanny. The coop has an outer entrance and area that is the size of a large closet. Mom went in and shut the door. She got the feed and then opened the small door and went in to the chickens. Sally, frightened as the chickens came close for the food, slammed the door shut behind mom. Slammed the door with automatically locking lock, with no release on the inside. Ummm, yeah, my mom was not impressed. She tried to dig her way out of the coop for over an hour before being rescued. And Sally was hysterically crying the whole time. But by the time they got out and cleaned up, all was well and the story has gone into family lore status.

But today, well, today the lore vault got opened again when mom and Dino went to tend to the chicks. Dino walked in with some scraps. Mom went to get the feed, and he went on into the coop ahead of her. When she turned right after him, she looked down before she stepped down. And then she screamed. There was a black snake against the side of the wall running the length of the coop. Dino had stepped over it on his way in. Yikes! And when mom screamed, Dino turned, saw the snake, screamed and started crying. My poor baby! Mom is standing there knowing that there is no way she's going to step over a snake but no way she can leave Dino stranded. She took her phone, which she had started carrying after the incident with Sally, and called up to the neighbor's house. Beverly answered and when she heard said "Ralph will be right there." While waiting, mom picked up a metal bar and shooed the snake away. Then Dino ran to her and they stayed in the outer room. Dino wanted to go home but mom said they had to wait to tell Ralph where the snake was. He came and took care of the snake. Once it was "taken care of", he measured it and it was a hefty 4'2" long. Phew.

Now, Dino doesn't want to go back into the coop again. But tomorrow, he is going to go back and we're going to do our best to help him through it. He is growing so much lately, in stature and in faith and maturity, that I know he will be fine. He just has to go do it. We did look up a scripture to help.
Luke 10:19  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Tomorrow we will know if he took the words to heart.

All About Me

I'm in a mood tonight, and I should be in bed, but I feel very talkative. So, I'll share about something someone I know very well: ME!

And since I like lists, I thought I'd do one of those 100 things about me lists. I don't know if I'll make it all the way to 100, but I'll give it a go. Oh, and I will be adding pictures as I go along.

1. I consider myself to be a very shy, painfully, awkwardly shy person. But I don't think people who know me would say the same thing.

2. Once you get to know me, I never shut up. I can talk and talk and talk and talk, well, you get the picture.

3. I love my hubby dearly, but he can annoy me more than anyone I know.

4. I can remember the first moment I ever laid eyes on Hub.

5. We worked together at JCPenney. He was sitting in the break room. He was wearing khaki pants, a light blue shirt, and a navy blue jacket.

6. I pursued him.

7. We were friends for several months before I finally got him to ask me out on a date.

8. We went to dinner at Applebee's and saw "The Santa Clause".

9. Why, yes, we started dating close to Christmas. Why do you ask?

10. I am a goofball.

11. I also don't lie. I am really a goofball. But a shy one.

12. I will act silly for my kids and close friends and some family, but I tend to keep more to myself when around large groups or people I don't know very well.

13. But I am willing, however, to make a complete idiot online. Just ask my APTCH friends.

14. They are my girls, my bff's. We met online when we were all pregnant. Me with Monkey; them, well, not with Monkey. With their little ones.

15. Back to Hub. We dated for several months and then moved in together.

16. Looking back now, not one of our better choices.

17. And in keeping with not a better choice, I should have put God up higher on this list.

18. I am a Jesus loving, literal Bible believing, creationist, daughter of the Most High King, so thankful to be saved, every day sinner, but most joyful to be washed by the blood Christian!!

19. That should have been number 1.

20. Hub and I lived together before we got married though we both knew it was wrong.

21. Did I mention I am a sinner?

22. And a goofball?

23. I bought my own engagement ring. Sorta.

24. I still worked at JCPenney. Diamonds were on sale. A flyer came in the mail. I told Hub that with my discount and the huge sale, it would be a good time to buy a diamond. So we bought one that night, April 18, 1997.

25. Then Hub went and asked my parents for my hand in marriage. He's old fashioned like that.

26. We got married about 6 months later, almost exactly three years after our first date. It was a beautiful day. The leaves had turned such a pretty color and there was snow on the mountaintops.

27. My father performed the ceremony.

28. Did I mention he's a Methodist minister? He graduated from seminary when I was 6 weeks old.

29. I'm not entirely sure he's really saved.

30. And there's too much history there for me to get into tonight.

31. After Hub and I were married, I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up.

32. I got a two year degree from the local community college.

33. Then decided I wanted to get my bachelor's degree.

34. So we moved back home for me. Or close to back home. Where all my parents lived at the time.

35. My mom and dad divorced when I was 2. Well, they split up then anyway. My mom was pregnant with my brother at the time.

36. I do not recommend growing up in a divorced household. There is not one good thing about it.

37. Even though I got good step-parents, I still wish I'd never had to have gone through that.

38. Hub came from a non-divorced home. It was a big hurdle for us to overcome. Me coming from a divorced home, that is.

39. I went to school to become an accountant.

40. Something my mother told me to do when I was 18.

41. I waited until I was 29.

42. I wish I had listened to my mother.

43. I listen to her much better now.

44. My first born son changed my life.

45. While trying to get pregnant with him, Hub and I decided that we had been idiots and quit running from God.

46. We started going to church together a few months before conceiving Dino.

47. No surprise to me now that we had been trying for almost 2 years, but just a short three months after we got back into church I got pregnant.

48. My fall semester of school started in August 2002 and I was almost 8 months pregnant. I really thought I could finish the semester.

49. I dropped out a week later.

50. Dino was born a week after that; 4 weeks early.

51. He had to stay in the NICU for 6 days. The day I left the hospital without my baby was one of the hardest days of my life.

52. The other two were the day I left Frog at the hospital after he was born and had to be in the NICU. And the day I had a miscarriage.

53. I took a semester off school when Dino was born and started back when he was 5 months old.

54. Hub and I decided to try to have another baby before I graduated so that when I went to get a job I wouldn't have to immediately go on maternity leave.

55. That expression "Know how to make God laugh? Make plans." or something like that. Well, it's so true.

56. By the time I was pregnant with Frog, when Dino was about 16 months old, I had decided to be a SAHM and homeschool.

57. But I finished school anyway.

58. I graduated in May, six months pregnant, with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. I had a Distinction in Accounting and graduated Cum Laude.

59. Not too shabby.

60. I really love accounting.

61. If I could just go to school all the time, it would be a great career for me.

62. But being a mom is what God wanted me to be.

63. Hub was asked to resign from his teaching job a month after I graduated from school.

64. And for those keeping track, I was 7 months pregnant with Frog at the time.

65. God knows what He's doing even when we don't. Hub was never meant to be a teacher. Unfortunately it took him 8 years to figure it out.

66. We moved in with my mom and step-dad two days before Frog was born.

67. I do not recommend moving at almost 9 months pregnant.

68. Frog stopped moving the day he was born.

69. I panicked but the nurse on the helpline said everything was probably fine.

70. She was wrong.

71. But I listened to my intuition (God's actually) and went to the doctor's office anyway.

72. Frog ended up being fine, but he was sick, and needed to be born that day.

73. Loved being a mama to my two boys. But it was hard at first cause Hub had no job.

74. Took a ton of faith to not run out and find the first accounting job a newly graduated, high honors student could find.

75. But God had bigger plans. My job is to be a mother to my boys. And their teacher.

76. Hub eventually found work. Even now, still not what we would like, but he supports his family well.

77. Still wanted more babies even while living with my parents. Had a miscarriage, and then welcomed Monkey into our lives.

78. Did NOT enjoy the last month of Monkey's pregnancy.

79. Gained 20 pounds in 2 weeks and bought a one way ticket to the hospital.

80. False alarm. Not pre-eclampsia, but close, and closely watched for the rest of the pregnancy, which ended up being only two weeks,

81. Was contracting for a few days; went for a check-up; scheduled my c-section for two weeks later even though I told the doc (a newbie) that I was  might be in labor. She just smiled and told me I was 3 cm.

82. Had a NST and another doc said I needed to go to the hospital since I'd had 2 c-sections already and it looked like I might be in labor.

83. Went to the hospital and the doc who had examined me earlier and declared me not in labor, examined me again and said I was 5 cm and "in labor."

84. Even through the contractions, while waiting for Hub to get to the hospital, and being prepped for the section, I played Sudoku. I love numbers.

85. This is more fun than I thought it would be. But it's 12:30 and I should be in bed.

86. At 9 pounds 10 ounces, and three weeks early, Monkey was my biggest newborn.

87. But he's my tiniest little fella now. Dino and Frog are always at the top and off the charts for height and weight since they were around a year old. Monkey has consistently been 25% for weight and just now got to 50% for height.

88. Frog takes after me, dontcha think?

89. So, now we live in a three bedroom house with me, Hub, our three boys, and my parents. Oh, and I forgot to mention, my step-brother.

90. He lives in the shed.

91. No, really. It's a huge shed and one end has been made into a bedroom. Fully insulated and wired for electricity. We even have wireless so Bro can play his RPGs in his room.

92. We aren't your typical family.

93. Be we love each other and we love the Lord. Still praying that Bro will eventually see that he needs God, but he sees the love we have everyday.

94. Since I had kids, I have started to have a passion for Jesus and being the best witness I can.

95. I hope I'm successful.

96. But time and time again, God has made it clear that the number one mission field I work with, and my number one priority, is sitting right in my house.

97. Golly, I sure love these guys!!

98. And I love being a stay at home, homeschooling mom!!

99. And I do love to talk!

100. Whew! I'm exhausted!