brisket and cherry diet coke

Saturday's are........well, Saturday. They are much anticipated at our house. No work for some, no school (unless assignments aren't completed during the week), no set routine usually, and sleeping in. The last one is what I look forward to. However I woke up at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Now I didn't say I got up; I just woke up. I promptly looked at the clock, sighed a sigh of relief, and went back to sleep.

I was sooo tired last night. It was another nonstop day of activity. I dropped Hannah off early at enrichment classes, ran five errands (yes, I counted), brought some stuff back home that needed refrigeration, ate a quick bite of sandwich, and headed back to enrichment classes. Between times I cooked what I was taking to our Celebrate Recovery meal last night. If you didn't come all I can say is you missed one of the best meals I have ever had. It was DELICIOUS~!

After we left Donald took me by Taco D. for a Cherry Diet Coke. They have the best cokes in town~! One night Donald was in line behind Bethany and Rebekah. After they pulled off and he pulled up to the drive-through window he heard them talking about our girls. They said they thought they had a brother and were all really nice and always got cherry cokes~! He wanted to let them know they were his kids, but refrained from doing so. I absolutely love compliments about our children; especially those like I just mentioned. It's like God encouraging us. To think that God loves His children and delights in us even more than we do our own children just astounds me~! I love how He gives us examples that we can totally relate to.

Back to last night. We got a coke and one for Bethany who had been home alone for several hours. Now with seven people in the house that is quite a desirable thing. If you have time check out her blog "The Pink Tealetters" at http://pinktealetters.blogspot.com/. She is such a good writer and a delightful young lady. BTW she has written a children's book that she is going to have published at some point in time. She met the founder of a publishing company last year and he read and loved her story and told her when she got ready to publish it his company would do so~! She is taking art lessons for illustration purposes and I am so proud of her.

Once again, back to last night. After we got home I took a bath and got in my comfy pj's and Donald and I watched NYPD Blue reruns. I absolutely love the humor on that show. Andy Sipowicz is our favorite character; he has been in 261 episodes from 1993-2005.

Now it's Saturday and I have had my diet coke and updated my blog. I'm off to a good start.

A Work in Progress

Now while this may sound like a paid advertisement I can assure you it is not. I am just very happy to be a part of our church fellowship. Besides, this is my blog and I can write what I please. :o) We may be small, but we have an awesome body of Christian believers and we do quite a few things for a church our size.

We started a Celebrate Recovery group the first of this year. We have seen lives literally changed by God's power and presence. When I started CR I really thought I was just there to serve. Boy was I wrong. I don't care who you are, if you are breathing you have something in your life that God wants to free you from and change your life. Some of us struggle more than others, but I am convinced we all struggle. I have grown so much closer to people I have known for years; I also have made new close friends. We meet every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at our church.

Speaking of our church ;o))))) [that's a really big grin by the way] check out our website. It is awesome~! Be sure your speakers are on because the music is so cool. Our pastor's wife has done this; Pastor Paul calls her "the creative genius behind it all." http://cfcparis.com
It is a work in progress so keep on checking it out. It is also listed under my favorites as Christian Fellowship Church.

And now for my song for the day. (I kinda sound like a dj here, don't I? Maybe I just found my calling in life after I'm finished homeschooling. LOL)

One thing I ask
One thing I seek
That I may dwell in your house O Lord
All of my days, all of my life,
That I may see you Lord

Hear me O Lord
Hear me when I cry
Lord do not hide your face from me
You have been my strength
You have been my shield
And you will lift me up

One thing I ask
One thing I desire
Is to see you
Is to see you

(One Thing I Ask; Mercy Vineyard Publishing)

Only Your Hairdresser Knows for Sure........

.......unless you blab about it on your blog~!

Now some of you are too young to remember this commercial. I think it was Clairol, but it's talking about coloring your hair and the line I remember is, "Only your hairdresser knows for sure."

Nancy has told me for years that I have a lot of gray. I think it bothers her a lot more than it does me~! I was talking to Donald about not knowing how I wanted my hair before my last appointment. He asked if I had thought about coloring it. Well, maybe I need to consider this. So almost two weeks ago I bought a box of coloring, the kind that washes out after about a month. I told Nancy and she was glad. The only problem is the box is still sitting on my cabinet. I actually opened it this morning and after reading about needing to test an area on your arm 48 hours prior to using it (even if you've used it before) and how NOT to get it in your eyes, blah, blah, blah.......I decided to wait. I don't think I'm up for that today. So I still have lovely (another word for hard earned) gray on my head. I really don't want to push this too quickly. I am going to do it; I just don't know when.

Since I've had many requests (er......actually two) for a picture of my hair, I've been thinking about having Hannah take a picture of me for my blog. Maybe I'll wait until I color my hair. Be patient with me; great ideas take some time.

friends and flip flops

Today a good friend of mine had surgery. I was in the elevator at the hospital on my way to be with her family. I recognized a nurse who took care of Daniel over 16 years ago. She is the sweetest person and a wonderful nurse. Daniel was premature and after being care flighted to Dallas and staying there a week he spent a month here in our hospital nursery. So I spent a lot of time in the nursery with Daniel and the nurses. Judy was one of my favorites. She loved Daniel and delighted in giving me good reports about him. She would hold him when I couldn't and took such wonderful care of him. It was so good to see her. After asking our name she remembered us. She has taken care of so many babies; what a blessing to have someone who loves them.

I had forgotten how cold hospitals are. I made the mistake of wearing my ever present flip flops and once my feet got cold I got cold. Now because of this stage of my life I rarely get cold. It is a weird feeling for someone who has been on the cold side. However it didn't take long for them to thaw out after I left.

I guess I should put on some shoes when I go back in a bit. How I hate wearing shoes though. My Old Navy flip flops are so comfortable and broken in. It's a shame to cram my feet into shoes just to keep my feet warm. No, my flip flops will be just fine.

Laura Norder

I like words. I don't know why exactly. I like to look words up in the dictionary and thesaurus. I hate misspelled words on billboards and signs. There is one on one of our main streets that advertises "fountian" drinks for such and such cents. Now I'm sure I shouldn't get so emotional over this, but it really irks me. And it's not even on the 100 MOST OFTEN MISSPELLED WORDS IN ENGLISH list. http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/misspelled.html

I received an email this morning. The person was needing "chester"drawers. Now I don't know if it's because my hearing isn't that good or if it's where I grew up, but I have heard this one before. I actually found this http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html online. Some I had heard, some enlightened me, and a few I have used incorrectly. I would like to set the record straight though: these listed I no longer use incorrectly.

These are some of the ones I knew:
1. Old-timer's disease for Alzheimer's disease
2. bob wire for barbed wire (now I am guilty of saying this one; in fact it was years before I knew the difference, but then I'm from small town Texas)
3. chester drawers for chest of drawers
4. duck tape for duct tape (once again I am guilty of this one)
5. prostrate for prostate (I've heard this on NYPD Blue, maybe they meant to use it that way)
6. sherbert for sherbet (guilty as charged)

There were a couple that enlightened me.
1. card shark for cardsharp
2. chomp at the bit for champ at the bit
3. spitting image for spit and image

And finally these are the ones I found funny:
1. Heineken remover for Heimlich maneuver
2. Laura Norder for law and order

What is the point in all this? I haven't a clue. At least I have something to blog about. But now I know not to say I'm chomping at the bit or she's the spitting image of her mother. Does anyone have a chester drawers??

The Demise of Mordecai

My fish, Mordecai, bit the dust today. Maybe I should say sank to the bottom of the bowl. I guess that's better than finding him belly up. I have had him a total of 10 days and now he's gone. I guess I can't raise fish any better than I can houseplants. Poor thing. And I promise I didn't forget to feed him. I cleaned his bowl and fed him and even talked to him. I guess it just wasn't to be. Ben took mercy on me and flushed him down the toilet. Now we do have an animal graveyard of sorts, but for some reason our betas always get flushed instead of buried. Maybe there's something unhealthy going on in our house. Hannah's beta, Troy, and Bethany's beta, George, passed on also. Something is definitely going on. Maybe it's just not my fish raising abilities.

On a brighter note, I finally got my new comforter set in the mail today. It's gorgeous~! Rebekah had gotten sheets for me for Christmas from Linen and Things. Before long they got the little balls of stuff on them and I emailed the company. She paid way too much for them for that to happen. I actually got my money back in the form of a gift certificate so I ordered online.

Now I have to decide what color to paint my bedroom. I guess I'll consult my decorator, Vicki. She is awesome and helped me decide on the colors for my living room and kitchen/dining room. I absolutely love it. Bethany has repainted their bathroom, Ben repainted theirs, so I have to keep up with them. I love my dark blue in our bedroom, but it's time for a change. It's been over a year now since I've been in the mood to paint. After redoing the living room, halls, kitchen and dining rooms I tackled my kitchen cabinets. So I was pretty much tired of painting. I spent most of last summer cleaning, sanding, priming, and painting my cabinets. We replaced the hardware and Donald rehung the cabinet doors for me. This summer I decided to relax. Well, actually I didn't get around to much relaxing, but I didn't paint. I'm sure Donald will be thrilled when he hears of my big plans.

He says our rooms are getting smaller because we have so many coats of paint on them~! Maybe it will keep my mind off Mordecai.

it can Really happen

Those of you who know me also know that I am NOT a hair person. I do not have a knack for doing hair. Heck, I had trouble with my daughters' ponytails when they were young. I'm afraid this has also affected my own appearance. Now to be honest I guess I haven't really worried about it too much. I had perms for years so all I had to do was wash and go. That is definitely my kind of hairstyle.

But I finally got tired of perms and since my hair was damaged I let it grow out and opted for a shorter look. Now this was okay, but it did require much more care on my part. I learned to use a curling iron and only burned myself a number of times. Lately I have just let my hair grow and honestly didn't know what I wanted to try to do with it. I have experimented with Rebekah's straightener or whatever you call it.

I had an appointment with Nancy yesterday. She has done my hair for 20 years at least. She is awesome and really knows what she's doing (not at all like me). I went in and told her I didn't know what I wanted except I didn't want a perm. I also told her I had been experimenting with the straightener. She looked at me and said something that I am still marveling over. She said," I am impressed. It looks good." Now she has never ever said anything even similar to that over the past 20 years~! So she did a little bit of cutting around my face so I would look "sassy" and I left in a rather smug manner.

So now here I am with a look I'm not even sure I can handle. I'm not even sure I can pull it off. Life is good.

Captured

I realized again this morning how much I take things for granted. Our Internet service provider was down and we didn't have Internet this morning. It's 11:43 a.m. and I am just now able to get on the computer~! Grrr. I know it's not their fault (I heard they had a line cut), but I do enjoy my morning Internet along with my diet coke. What a good life we have.

I have been listening to a CD of Scott Windrum of Windsong Ministries. This CD was actually from 2004, but the Word was good for today also. He mentioned being "captured by Jesus." Isn't it awesome that Jesus would go to all the trouble to capture us while we are going our own way and doing our own thing? What an awesome God we have~! I know I need capturing each and every day. I need His peace and His presence. Even the little I have experienced God, I know I don't want to live without Him. There are far too many hurts, disappointments, and trials to try to go it alone. But I still forget and try it on my own far too often. That's when I need capturing.

I love 2 Timothy 2:13;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Laughter

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. (The Message)

Striving for Excellence

What a busy three days I have had~! Friday was enrichment classes; I substituted third hour for someone who had to be out so it was three hours of nonstop service. With school, errands, and classes it was a blessing to have Ben cook his delicious hamburgers for dinner. I am so grateful to Joseph for getting Ben interested in grilling~!

Saturday we spent 5 hours trying to find a new satellite signal to continue receiving our HomeSat classes. Their provider moved their signal; thus we had to reposition our satellite to pick up the new signal. I don't even like to think about doing that, much less actually be in the middle of it. Tension and frustration seem to sum it up, along with a few tears on my part. Thankfully this is the first time in over eight years we've had to do that so I guess we're doing pretty good.

Yesterday was another great Sunday. Pastor Paul spoke on excellence. Now almost immediately my semi-reformed perfectionist self thought about perfection. That is NOT what excellence is.

He had quotes on excellence and this one really helped me understand what he was saying:
"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business." Michael J. Fox

"Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well." --- John W. Gardner

Now since I spend my life doing ordinary things this one really spoke to me. I am convinced I need to take this to heart and put it into practice. Doing a little research of my own I found this quote by Aristotle: "With regard to excellence, it is not enough to know, but we must try to have and use it."

Now I like to do my best usually, but for some reason I have let a lot of things slip and am becoming mediocre in so many things. I have lots of reasons I can use to excuse this; however I am convinced my cobwebs have to go~! I actually just look at them now instead of taking care of them. "Oh well" has become one of my favorite sayings the past few years.

As a semi-reformed perfectionist I seem to have swung too far the other direction. Finding the balance in things has always been hard for me. However I do know I need to strive for excellence. I'm not quite sure when the cobwebs will be taken care of, but at least I have a goal.

Did I Really Say That?

Two hours ago I said in my last post that I didn't have anything to say. I really didn't. But it didn't take long to discover I was mistaken. I do have something to write about~!

It's official now. I'm the only one in our family who is unemployed. Everyone else has a job of some sort and pocket change of their own. Now wouldn't that be nice?? The only time I have been semi-employed in the last twenty-seven years was when we cleaned some offices and a beauty shop. Now since that was needed to meet our financial obligations I didn't really have any money to blow. Wouldn't it be nice to have more money than bills (the kind you have to pay each month)?

So I've been thinking maybe I can begin to charge for washing each change of clothes, charge a standard fee for each meal I cook and they eat, and maybe even charge Donald for ironing his jeans and scrubs. Now I don't iron any one's jeans except Donald's. That would be like ironing underwear in my mind. But my dear hubby likes his jeans ironed and I like to make him happy so I iron them. Nah, I don't think I'll charge him for that; that would take all the fun out of it for me. Maybe I'll just charge for the scrubs that he wears to work.

Another thing I thought of that I can mention was my lapse of memory yesterday. The reason I thought of this was because of a conversation I had with Connie. Maybe I need to talk to her more often if our conversations give me ideas to write about.

I got up and proceeded to take all the trash out to the curb. I even emptied all the wastebaskets in the house. It was a beautiful morning and I enjoyed being out in the cool air. Later in the afternoon I noticed that ours was still by the curb, but our neighbors' trash was gone. I thought maybe the truck just hadn't come by our side of the street yet. So I waited........and waited. I decided they had forgotten our trash~! I even went outdoors to look on our side of the street. They definitely had forgotten ours~! Then I remembered. It was Wednesday and they don't pick our trash up on Wednesdays. Now I knew it was Wednesday all along because I was looking forward to church last night. Why did I set out the trash?? I have absolutely no idea. At least I was ahead of the game as I just left it all out and got an early start on today. Now I am absolutely certain that they pick up trash on Thursdays on our street. Don't they????

Maybe having nothing to say doesn't happen as often as I thought.

Escape

Do you ever feel this way?? Actually I'm having a great day; I just don't have anything to say~!

Believe it or not, it does happen occassionally. (Me not having anything to say I mean. I have lots of great days.)

Remember Nebuchadnezzar?

Did you read about the tight end for the Buffalo Bills that "sustained a life-threatening spinal cord injury" Sunday during a football game? The prognosis was grim and he was expected to never walk again if he did recover. For some reason this really bothered me and I have been checking the sports for reports. And yes, I have prayed for this guy.

This morning there is a good report; he was able to voluntarily move his arms and legs when partially awakened. Now they believe he will walk. Praise God~! However there is something that bothers me. Dr. Andrew Cappuccino was quoted as saying: "We may be witnessing a minor miracle." (Now I don't believe there is any such thing as a "minor" miracle, but I give the guy credit for thinking about this outside himself and his skills.) However Dr. Barth Green, chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Miami school of medicine said this: "I don't know if I would call it a miracle. I would call it a spectacular example of what people can do," Green said. "To me, it's like putting the first man on the moon or splitting the atom. We've shown that if the right treatment is given to people who have a catastrophic injury that they could walk away from it."

That makes me really sad. God does a miracle and men take credit for it. You can read about it if you want at: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7216176

I guess if I could speak to this guy I would say, "Remember, Nebuchadnezzar?" Then I would ask him to read Daniel 4. This probably wouldn't be the way to show God's love to the guy, but it was my first thought. Anyway, I'm glad the football player is doing better. And remember it is no minor miracle~!

Meet Mordecai

I went to the pet store today for dog food and came home with a fish. My very own fish, my first fish ever, who belongs totally to me and me only. I named him Mordecai on the way home, and he is very beautiful.

He seems to be very happy in his new home which is much larger than the little cup he called home at the pet store. I have proudly displayed him on my cabinet and have introduced him to each of our family members. Welcome home, Mordecai.

Life Meets Reality

Wayne and Susan J. were back Sunday to teach us more about worship. His message was "Leading a Life of Worship." Some of the highlights were: (a) Worship should be a by product of our lives, (b) When we are tested we find out where we really are in that area; do we panic or praise? (c) We need to make a decision to praise Him. (d) God created us to worship Him. (e) We really don't have a choice in worship if we obey Him.

Then of course there are the hindrances to worship. Some of these are guilt and condemnation, pride, a wrong image of God, and relying on my feelings.

I'm afraid the last one is usually what gets me. It happened last night in fact when I tried to make a choice to worship instead of worrying about a particularly frustrating situation. I was misunderstood and of course my first thought was that this doesn't work. I was relying on my feelings. I just don't feel like worshipping today, but that doesn't matter. He is worthy of my worship and praise regardless of the situation or how I feel. I want to obey so I will choose to worship Him.

Psalm 145:3
God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. (The Message)

You Do What????

I did something last night that I haven't done in twenty-five plus years. I went bowling. You know the game where the round ball has three holes and you try to knock over the pins down this loonngg lane without falling over the line while remembering to let go of the ball. Being extremely uncoordinated I wasn't expecting so much fun~!

Our kids' youth group went bowling and we tagged along because some good friends of ours were hosting it. I hadn't even considered bowling; I was just going along for the fun. Billy asked me at church if I would bowl and I guess it got me thinking it might be fun.

After getting a pretty yellow 7# ball plus some 6 1/2 shoes, I received some important instructions as to which fingers went in what holes. Donald showed me the arrows on the floor and what not (one of my dad's favorite sayings) when it was my turn. I actually hit some pins~!

Now I was pumped. After only a few gutter bowls and one spare I scored a grand score of 72.

I was pleased as punch and am planning on sharpening my skills another time.

Anyone want to join me???

My Hannah

I suppose of all our children Hannah and I have had the most battles. When she was younger I said that she gave "strong-willed" a new meaning. Now that can be a very positive thing and I have seen that displayed in her life. When she sets her mind to something she does it. Whether it's from having a good attitude to schoolwork to having fun, she's a pro.

I've wondered if the reason we often clash is because we are alike. (Hannah, I am NOT talking about looks, okay??) Growing up I struggled with always wanting to be right. I guess if I'm honest I still struggle. I have mellowed somewhat and have learned to yield at times. I also have had lots of practice asking for forgiveness; especially from my children. A perfectionist mom who likes to be right can cause lots of havoc in the home.

As I've gotten older I've realized that so many of the things I thought had to be a certain way doesn't. My house doesn't have to be spotless, I've learned to let some things go, and I've learned to laugh. Laughter is definitely from God; I only wish my kids had seen me laugh more when they were younger.

I'm grateful for all our wonderful children. This post is for Hannah. You are a beautiful young lady and I am so proud of who you are and who you are growing up to be. Just remember.......
"Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." Proverbs 3:6 (The Message)

Year Number 23, But Who's Counting???

Today was the first day of our fall semester home school enrichment classes. Hannah was very excited to get to see all her friends again and could hardly wait for me to get out the door. In true first day back fashion, I forgot a bag of things I needed for class. Now I had it laying out on the cabinet with the rest of the stuff I needed to take, but somehow it became invisible as I hurried out the door. I dropped Hannah off for class and ran back home to get it and was only a few minutes late. It's a good thing I don't live far out; I would definitely have to be better organized.

My favorite part of the classes is "Mom's Room." Each of the mothers are allowed one hour of the classes to visit in "Mom's Room." Susan leads it for us although her sons have already graduated. She has a grandson whom I'm sure she'll help school. Anyway she asked us to fill out a questionnaire about homeschooling. It was quite thought provoking for me. I realized all over again how blessed I am to be able to teach our kids at home. Now I wasn't always on the bandwagon; God has definitely changed my heart from the Jezebel woman who screamed at her husband that she would never even consider homeschooling. (If you haven't figured it out yet... I am that woman~!) Now here I am twenty-three years later still eating my words, and happy to do so.

One thing I've definitely learned is to NEVER SAY NEVER!

Life as a Mission

I took notes a few weeks ago during our Celebrate Recovery meeting. I really like the following statements:

(1) Make your life a mission, not an intermission.

(2) Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

(3) Talk is cheap; the supply always exceeds the demand.
(Based on 1 Samuel 2:3 "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. " NIV)

As Christians, I believe we really need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. It is so easy to spiritualize everything; and miss out entirely on the life Jesus died to give us. Life isn't always easy, but He can be trusted. He will give us joy and peace in the midst of the storms. It's up to us to decide whether we'll receive it. Let's walk in it and not just talk about it.

Everyday

This chorus is my song for today....

Every day, it's You I live for
Every day, I'll follow after You
Every day, I'll walk with You, my Lord
(Everyday/Sonic Flood)

I'm glad I have it for today, but I sure could of used it yesterday. To start our school day off we had to deal with a stopped up toilet. Just plunging wasn't working, so it took a while plus towels and bath mats to be washed later. Thankfully Ben was able to get it unstopped after he saw I wasn't handling it too well. Then there was the Algebra lesson to redo and the Geography test that didn't go well; Hannah and I both were ready for summer break. Since we just started school last week that isn't going to happen any time soon. Also there was the regular stuff: school, appointment, school, errands, school, laundry, school, cleaning, school, cooking, and did I mention school?? Then there was more school. It was one of those days that makes me want to rethink this whole homeschooling thing. So here we are today, beginning another day of school.

I'm so glad His mercies are new every morning.

Psalms 117:2
His love has taken over our lives; God's faithful ways are eternal. Hallelujah!
(The Message)

Awesome God

"Our God is Awesome."

This was the title of Pastor Paul's message yesterday. He asked us some questions about this statement.

Do you Believe it?

Do you Speak it?

Do you Walk in it?

Little did I know while I was listening and taking notes that God was about to show me how incredibly awesome He is~! (And give me an opportunity to show Pastor Paul that I was listening, and to also walk in it. Why am I always surprised when God does this?)

I did something after hearing that message that I am still in awe of. You see, it wasn't me............definitely not~! It was my incredibly awesome God.

Even though it was done without emotion that is a good thing. For the emotions I've felt in the past weren't pleasing to God; they were just flat out wrong. I have struggled with this particular issue for such a long time. I know it's not behind me. Said person has a way of bringing out the worst in me. Now I know it's my choosing, but times past I haven't chosen to stop my ugliness because of all the emotions involved. So not having my emotions involved was a positive thing this time.

My God IS an awesome God~!

Aren't We Blessed???

Ben and Bethany

Hannah and Daniel

Rebekah and Ben

Bethany

Pictures from my aspiring photographer....

Jupiter wanting to come inside. Donald says NO CATS ALLOWED. Jupiter says THAT'S NOT FAIR~! WHY IS THE DOG IN THERE???
Now I never would have thought to take a picture of a drop of water from the faucet.
Another way to keep an eye on things behind you (as long as you have someone else in the van to take the pictures~!)