Ready for a Change

This has been a difficult week for me. I'm not sure why, but I have been so tired, all I've wanted to do is sleep. Of course, there is way too much to do so, I've just been dragging through all the chores and homework then literally falling into bed at night.
I think I'm not drinking enough water or getting enough exercise (the energizing kind). Actually, my treadmill has a layer of dust on it right now. So, after a week of the yukkies, I'm ready for a change.

First thing I plan to do is, starting right now, drink more water. You see, I'm a Pepsi addict and, if given the choice, I will choose Pepsi every time. I don't like diet drinks - with all the controversy over aspartame, I can't bring myself to drink anything with an artificial sweetner. Nope, it's real sugar for me!! Uh, I mean more water.

Next thing on the list is to take my vitamins everyday. I have a brand new bottle of multi-vitamins for women sitting in the cabinet. I think I've taken two since I bought them three months ago.

Then, I'm dusting off my treadmill. Even if I can only fit in twenty minutes or so, it's better than nothing. I'm on my feet all day, chasing the kiddoes, but it's not the same kind of exercise.

I'm not going to lie and say that I'm excited about this - but, I know it's necessary. I just don't like feeling like this. I have too much going on in my life to get bogged down.

In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that He came so that we might have and enjoy life, and to have it in abundance. I want that. I really want that for me. I want to set a good example for my son. I want to be able to set a good example for the kids in my daycare.
I just want to feel good.

Frank, Jacob and I are going to Charleston, SC next month for vacation and I'm looking forward to having lots of energy for that trip. I love Southern history and Charleston is full of it. I want to feel great so I don't miss any of it.

I'll post more on the Charleston trip later. Maybe by the time I get back I'll know how to post pictures on this blog. Anyone want to send me the "how-to's" for posting pictures?

Anyway, back to my changes - I was inspired by Kitty (kittyhox.blogspot.com) who has received Divine inspiration for an issue of her own. Kitty, you go girl!! I'm with you in prayer for the entire journey.
So, with God's help, I know I can have this victory.
Blessings!!

Another Sister in Christ

I am so excited I can hardly write this post. O.K. let me start at the beginning, which is usually a very good place to start.
I have a cousin, Ginger, who is as close to me as any sister could be. (I have one brother, no sisters). Ginger and I grew up together, spent summers together and shared many great times (well, some were not so great.) We've shared secrets - the kind that we will both take to our grave. She is precious to me - always has been - always will be.

I have been praying for Ginger for a long time, but recently in more specific areas. She and her husband, John have been trying to get pregnant for a long time now. But, if it is God's will, then it just isn't His time. I've prayed for God to let them both know that He is there, even if they don't get pregnant. But, I've also asked God if He could, well, maybe just this once, er, uh, change His mind if He hasn't planned for them to have children. Because, I know what it's like to want one and think it may not happen. Praise His Holy Name that my darling Jacob is part of His plan for me. But, that's another post.

But, more than that, I've been praying for God to touch Ginger's heart. I know that she had never accepted Christ as her personal Savior - or even asked questions for that matter. She rarely went to church until about a year ago. She and John began attending the beautiful old stone church in downtown Roanoke, Virginia where they were married. Then, Ginger joined the choir - I was thrilled to hear about that - even though in the respect of singing, Ginger and I inherited the same amount of talent. But, I felt as if God was drawing her into His world by putting it upon her heart to join in the church activities.
Then, last winter, I was visiting her and she wanted me to help her pick out a Bible that she could easily read. So, off we went to LifeWay Christian Bookstore (my favorite bookstore chain in the world). We found a Holman translation that she likes and a few more things we "needed." But, the important thing is - she wanted a Bible - she desired God's Holy Word. I was so happy to see God working. Well, it only gets better.

About a month ago, Ginger emailed me to ask if I wanted to go to a "Walk to Emmaus" retreat with her. Let me tell you, I did some praising my Lord that day. I just love to watch Him work.
Well, I hadn't talked to Ginger since my birthday last month, but she called me Sunday afternoon. And guess what???

---- are you ready??

---- can you guess??

Yep, God has been working ----- Give Up??

Ginger received Christ as her personal Savior at church on Sunday. She went to the alter and got saved. Whoop! Whoop!
Take that devil!!!! Another Sister in Christ!!! One more for Jesus!!!

I started shouting praises for God and dancing like David. Frank and Jacob came running into the kitchen and sang praises with me.
Oh, what a glorious answer to prayer. I just love God. And just when I think my heart might burst with love for Him, He does something else wonderful and my heart just spills over. He is so awesome.

I am so excited for my cousin, uh, I mean my Sister. What a blessing!
Now, I've got some more family members that I need to turn over to God and let Him do His work.
I think I'll go talk to Him right now. No time like the present.

VBS Week

This has been Vacation Bible School week - six days. I have been the music director which is hilarious because I can't sing, read music or any of those musical things. So, what I do is make big posters of the words to the songs, and stick in a CD. Then I jump around and dance like David, before the Throne of God. You see, I'm a firm believer that God loves to hear us praise Him, whether we meet human voice standards or not. So, that's what I tell the kids and they really have a great time. I wish you could hear them lifting thier voices in praise. I love it, so I know God does too.

But, I admit, that I am very tired. This week has been very full and I'm ready for Saturday morning when I can sleep late - at least until 7:00 a.m. You see, I am up at 5:00 a.m. every morning. So, on Saturday, if I sleep until 7 or (whoo hoo) 8:00 a.m. I feel like I'm really sleeping in.

I've got a new book that I'm looking forward to reading. I picked it up at the bookstore the other day. Other than that, I have no plans. I am so excited.

Sweet Sounds of Summer

Today, I hear the sweet sounds of summer. School here in upper East Tennessee has been officially "out" for summer for about 10 days. Yes, out early - go back too early.

I babysit two little cuties on a daily basis - but during the summer, I have a few extra. Usually, when the regular sitters are busy, then I'm called to fill in. Well, today is one of those days. Today, I have six, count'em, six kiddoes here for the day.

They are:

Jacob - my darling son, who is so excited to have company today.

Jane Ann - my precious little niece, who stays with me daily.

Marisa - my cutie-pie niece, visiting this week from Knoxville for VBS

Chapel - the tow-headed sweetie, who is one of my regulars

Payton - Chapel's older brother, who is terrific with the younger ones

Alyssa - the golden haired beauty who also has a beautiful singing voice

Oh, the noise, the wonderful noise of children laughing and playing. They are getting along so well - so far.

We built a huge tent - using the entire (sectional) couch, two rockers, a table and ten blankets. They arehaving such a good time and they are using thier imaginations. Who could ask for more?? I'll let you know tomorrow how it turns out.

For now, I'm just going to enjoy to the sounds of summer.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Do you have one person in your family that absolutely drives you insane? Well, I do. I won't mention any names but I will tell you this - she is my husband's older sister. Now, please don't get me wrong - I love her and I definately pray for her but she can tick me off quicker than anyone I've ever known. I am usually a very tolerant person and the older I get, the longer it takes to make me mad (I used to have a very short fuse - Praise God for healing in that area).
But, one telephone call from "her" and I am blowing my top.

Last night, right in the middle of Vacation Bible School, my cell phone rings - it is her. At first, giving her the benefit of the doubt, I thought she was calling to check on her daughter who is spending the week here to attend VBS (they live about two hours away) - but noooooooooo - she wanted me to jump head first into another family situation that was brewing at that particular moment. Has the gall to tell me it's my duty!!! Uh, the last place any sane person wants to be is in the middle of a family squabble. Besides, did I mention that I was in the middle of VBS??? And, I'm the music leader for VBS. Even if I had thought I should get involved - what was I supposed to do with all those kids waiting to sing? "O.K. kids, here are the words, sing this song about 50 times and I'll be back as soon as I can." Yeah, right.

This is not the first time and I suspect it is far from the last that she calls here trying to micromanage everyones life. My darling husband refers to her as "the crazy sister." I try to be a bit more discerning in my choice of adjectives - but, you know, the man has a point.

O.K., I have vented and feel much better. I sometimes wonder if other families have someone like this among the relatives. If so, how does one deal with a person like this?? So far, I have found that distance is a wonderful thing. I also love caller id - I can just simply ignore the call. Which is what I should have done last night.

I can hardly wait to hear comments on this post. Please, let me know I'm not the only one!!

I've Been Tagged

O.K. - I've been tagged for my firsts meme. I'm not really sure what that means - but I'm going to attempt to play along. It looks like fun.
I received this from Kitty (she is precious). So, here I go . . .

"My Personal Policies"

I think it would be safe to say that we all have personal rules that we live by. Surely it's not just ME. I'm not talking about moral rules, like "Do not kill." I'm talking about the silly policies we impose on ourselves, like "Never eat anything you can't identify," or "Don't step on sidewalk cracks." For some reason, I started mentally listing the quirky rules I follow and got curious about other people's personal rules.

These are my little quirks:

1) My purse should ALWAYS match my outfit - no one purse goes with everything.

2) My lipstick should always match/compliment my outfit - no one lipstick goes with everything.

3) Iron everything except farm clothes. (This actually is a family trait)

4) When exiting the recliner - the footrest should be in the down position.

5) NEVER use anyone else's toothbrush, lipstick, nosespray, make-up brushes - basically, anything having to do with the facial area.

6) All of the hangers should be turned in the same direction - always over the rod - NEVER under.

7) Whoever eats that last cookie in the bag should throw the bag away, not put it back in the cabinet.

As shallow as these may be, I have to claim them as mine. Now, what are yours?

The things I do for my child!

For those of you with a weak stomach - you might want to skip this post.

I have never been labeled as a person who denied a challenge. So, when the following ocurred this week - it seemed like the only possible thing I could do.
Jacob and I were eating dinner together Tuesday evening. Frank was working at the farm, so it was just the two of us. I had prepared corn-on-the-cob, one of Jacob's favorites and one of the few vegetables that he will eat without me begging, pleading or otherwise negotiating the terms.
He had only taken a few bites when he suddenly started spitting the corn back onto the plate and screaming, "my tooth, my tooth." I, first, attempted to calm him down so I could get a grasp on exactly what had happened, but at that moment he could not be consoled.
When I realized what had happened, I checked his mouth and sure enough he had lost a bottom front tooth. The drama was because he couldn't find it. He just wailed "I swallowed my tooth."
So, as any calm and rational mother would do, I tried soothing him by explaining that this kind of thing happens all the time and it will be o.k. He was worried, not only that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't come, but that the tooth would be in his tummy forever.
I then proceeded to explain "no, your tooth will not be in your tummy forever" which then led to a nutshell explanation of the digestive system. I also told him that the Tooth Fairy would completely understand; we could write a note and tell her what had happened.
That wasn't good enough. He wanted his tooth.
So, the next morning, I foolishly thought the whole matter had been forgotten until . . . Jacob had to go to the bathroom. He came to me with tears in those big blue eyes worried that when he went to the bathroom all hope of finding his tooth would be lost. What was a mother do to? My child wanted his tooth and I was going to get it.
So, we pulled out the old potty chair and Jacob did his part - then I took over to finish the race.
Yes, I did!! I donned the rubber gloves, found an old sifter and went on an archeological dig right there in the bathroom.
About half an hour later, when I had gone through, er, uh, everything, I was very disappointed to find nothing - well, not a tooth, anyway. I set my resolve to try again next time and went to take a long, hot shower.
About an hour later, something ocurred to me - I didn't check the corn cob to see if the tooth was stuck in it. So, I found another pair of rubber gloves and headed for the garbage. When I finally found the cob, there was the tooth, still stuck in it, right where Jacob had taken his last bite.
Needless to say, Jacob was thrilled and I was "the bestest Mommy in the whole, wide world." The look on that sweet little face was worth anything I had to do to find that tooth.
But, the story doesn't end there. I am almost positive I heard God chuckle. You see, I make an effort to pray over everything - especially the little things. I pray when I can't find something, when I need a new idea for dinner, or when I'm looking for a parking space at WalMart. So, why didn't I pray to find the tooth? It might have saved me some, uh, digging. But, I didn't - I just dove right in. SuperMom to the rescue.
Now that it is all over, I am convinced that if I had simply gone to God, He would have given me the thought to check the corn cob first.
But, then again, maybe He wanted to remind me of all the times He has had to put on the rubber gloves to clean up one of my messes. I'm sure that when He was digging through the stuff, He was shaking His head saying, "the things I do for My child."