The Meanest Mom in the World Award goes to....

ME!

Yes....I am pleased to announce that I have officially been crowned the Meanest Mom in the World. My sincerest apologies go out to all those other Mean Moms out there who were waiting with bated breath to find themselves award this auspicious (or should I say audacious?) title.

With this title comes many perks and accolades. Screams of anger and frustration. Whines. Tears...(honest to goodness tears) of spite. Kicks of tempers. Demands of further labor on my account. Further misdeeds to draw further negative attention.

I shall now share with other aspiring Mean Moms just what accomplishments I have risen to that has taken me to such soaring heights of fame.

• With cruelty of no reason, I disallowed my daughter the pleasure of a sucker right before lunch. (She never has sugar, you know.) I never let them have suckers at all.
  
• Under the same circumstances, I disallowed my daughter the honor of having a pudding before lunch.
  
• Juice boxes were also disallowed.....we won't even go into reasons why.
  

• Also, to my credit, in spite of numerous requests, tempers, and nasty glares, I have held my ground and my answers have remained firm.

Please note, that all these wonderful, Mean Mom things were accomplished while watering flowers in preparation for leaving for Family Camp. It was declared that surely she would die of starvation before I went into the house to fix lunch. At this, I was able to bestow upon her the honor of her own award. I told her she would be quite famous if she surely were to die from hunger in the next five minutes. She honored that award with a glare and stomping of the foot. I felt doubly honored.

Disclaimer: There are no guarantees that this honorable award will be bestowed upon you if you were to follow these guidelines. They just worked for me.

Thank you....::::::curtsy to my adoring fans::::::::.......Thank you!

FAMILY CAMP!!

In just a couple of hours this family is packing up and heading out of Dodge. We are on our way to Twin Rocks Friends Camp for a weekend of Family Camp. We should have wonderful time...as long as all grumbling stays at home. Last year, for me, was one frustrating experience. Apparently everyone, including Tim, thought that I was responsible for their happiness....and if it didn't happen the way they wanted....they either pouted, screamed, yelled, or threw a temper tantrum. Sounds grand, eh?

But....I am optimistic about this year. I gave everyone the riot act a month ago....and Daria at least seemed to get the point. I will be issuing another warning as we head out of town again today. I am also excited about my plans for our sand castle for Beach Day. I need to get the kitchen cleaned up and then go dig for sand toys. I am hoping that we get an award for our castle this year. Doubtful....but maybe. I need to talk to Engineering Tim about my plans....I'll need his help and support. So, hopefully, in a few days I will get back on here and post some fabulous picture. Let's all cross our fingers now.

The best thing about Family Camp is that Mom cooks not one thing!!!! YIPPEE....did you just hear me yelling that?? I must admit....Twin Rocks does some of the best cooking around. I particularly enjoy the food at Women's Retreat. They spoil us women royally. The closest thing I will be doing to cooking and cleaning up this weekend is taking a few dishes to the dish room....and maybe washing down a table or two. Doesn't that just sound lovely? Bliss...I tell you....bliss.

I thought that I would post our family picture from last year...just so that I can post this years and see how much my family has grown and changed in the last year. I was noticing today that Daria is getting much too tall. Before long we will be looking eye to eye. Scare me!

So...here we are at Family Camp 2006

WonderMom burnout.....

I'm feeling a little worn out today. Too much on my plate. Doing too many things for other people and I'm tired. So to boost my spirits and hopefully rev my engines....I thought I would post some fun pictures from camping.

This first one is Caden showing off his skills on the slide. Watch out below!!!

This next picture is Daria and her cousin, Abby. Daria was a great help to her Aunt Rachel in entertaining and watching Abby. Daria had a wonderful time. I thought the looks on their faces were classic!


It got chilly at night. Luke was so tired, but we were waiting for hot chocolate!! He fell asleep in the chair and we had to wake him up to get him in the tent!


Here we are drinking out hot chocolate....or as Luke calls it..."warm chocolate."
The boys and I are having a blast playing in the chair. You can't tell....but we had been giggling up a storm.

Tim catching up on some sleep. Getting up around 3:30 in the morning is rough on a boy!
Little Miss Abby with one of her very precious smiles!


This one is too precious not to share. Tim's brother, Tony, and his son, Sam.

Cousins doing what they do best.....playing and getting dirty!
You can click on any of the pictures to get a closer look. Enjoy!

How high can you pee?

I was feeling the itch to blog this morning. I sent the kids outside for a while...so there is relative quiet in the house. I was going to write about the sounds of summer coming to an end....but that really didn't inspire me much. I guess that I am dragging my heels a little that summer is so quickly coming to an end. My kids head back to school next week. Part of me is popping-out-of-my-skin excited....and part of me is screaming NOOOOOOOOO! I love the warm of summer....dreading the cold wet of winter.

So, as I was bemoaning the pending end of summer, I lost my inspiration to talk about that. I need a little humor. I would be willing to bet a mud pie at Red Robin that you will at least have chuckled a little bit by the time that I end this post. (Now that I've said that, you all are going to be thinking your dourest thoughts and I am sure I will be broke from buying mudpies before I can blink an eye.)

As I mentioned in another post, I call Caden my Grumpy Boy. That boy can find the needle in the haystack of complaints on anything. Precious boy. (Good thing I love him so much.) He gave me one of the biggest chuckles this last weekend camping. I was chuckling so hard that he was grumpy....not for laughing necessarily..but I'll get to that.

Have you noticed that when you ask a child to go potty before you leave somewhere, they always declare that they don't have to go? I learned this cool trick once that has helped me win that battle. When we get ready to go...I always tell them they need to put at least two drops of pee in the toilet. (of course....there always seems to be more....imagine that!!!) Anyway, we were getting ready to get in the van to head home and I wanted everyone to empty their bladders. So...I started this game....who can get to the outhouse first and deposit their two drops. The order of arrival...thus the order of peeing....was Daria, Luke, Caden, and Mom. Man...How come I'm always last????

As we are waiting, the power of suggestion was too strong for Caden....he HAD to go....and waiting for Caden is nigh on to impossible. So, I suggested that he use the neighboring tree. I am sure that many of you have never seen Caden pee...but let me tell you...that boy has got some serious water pressure. He can shoot higher and farther than any boy, teen, or man around. (Not that I have personal knowledge about that for all the other boys, teens and men of the world. Oh man...let me just stop there...I'm digging myself a hole....) Noting that Caden is getting pretty high water marks on the tree...I asked him how high he could pee. Of course, he leans back and water marks start climbing higher and higher.

I got the giggles so bad. I couldn't hardly stop myself. Daria was curious why I was chuckling so I asked her if she could pee that high. She just rolled her eyes at me. By this time, Caden is done, and he turns around. He has got one of "those scowls" on his face. I am still chuckling. I am trying to apologize....he hates to be made fun of....but I can't hardly breathe by now.

Now, usually, when Caden makes "that scowl," I am in some serious hot water. I was dreading the tirade that was going to follow. The bad thing was....I couldn't stop giggling so that I could "take him seriously." Come to find out, he wasn't mad at me for laughing in general...he was mad at me for laughing....because...."I CAN PEE HIGHER THAN THAT!"

Mental note to self: Next time I ask Caden to see how high he can pee...ask him at the start...when his "water pressure" is stronger.



Did I make you laugh....a little?????

I stand corrected.

Tim read my blog last night. He reminded me that he shot at 3 elk.....not 2. Ooops.

Correction noted.

More interesting post coming your way soon. :-)

Just call me WONDERMOM!

There is nothing like camping primitive style and doing it well that makes one feel like she can take on the world. With my head lifted high, my chest puffed out, I can, with confidence claim.....I CAN DO IT ALL! Bring it on....there is nothing this mama can't do.

Okay...maybe that sounds a little conceited....but I had a very empowering weekend. Last week, when I was in complete Martyr Mode, I am not sure that I would have come back claiming that there is nothing that can hold me down. But...I can claim that now. Oh, yeah, baby!

I remember having these feelings last year. We camped way primitive last year. We were just pulled off a dirt road and camped. There was NO water to be found anywhere. We had one jug of water and that was to last us the weekend. We did, on the other hand, have lots of dirt. That is always fun. I remember thinking last year, that "Man...this is cool....I can camp, and have a good time, without all the amenities of a trailer. And...I can do it well!" The only thing that got me down last year was the overwhelming bad attitudes of my children. I tried with all that was in me to make it a good experience....but....nope....my children refused all efforts. It was a hard weekend and I came home mad at my husband for spending all his lousy time tracking down innocent, beautiful elk.

This year, Tim still spent his time tracking on the innocent elk. (By God's grace and my divinely guided prayers, he didn't kill any this year....again. He did shoot at 2....and came away with two less arrows. Poor Tim.) But, for the kids and I, we were in a MUCH better location. We arrived Friday night to find that the camp had given away our campsite. I was a little disappointed because it looked like the site they gave us was right in the middle of everything. I think that God was smiling on us, because the site that we ended up with really turned out nice. It was right in the middle of about 4-5 big trees so we were in the shade most of the day. We were just mere feet away from the play area for the campground. This ended up being a blessing in disguise. My kids played for hours on end and when the day was over they fell straight into bed with nary a giggle.

What was so empowering to me was that I feel like I accomplished this weekend pretty much on my own. I pretty much got us all packed up and ready to go. Granted I didn't load the stuff into the utility trailer...that would have been pointless...because my engineering husband would have just redone it. Which is essentially what happened. After he arrived home, I started hauling things down to be put in the trailer. Sure enough....everything was moved. Oh well....true to form. I also set up the site by myself. We arrived at about dark time on Friday. So, Tim and his brother set up the tent....we got the kids ready for bed...and went to sleep. The next day he was gone all day....so I finished digging things out of the trailer and setting up life.

So...I watched three kids....fed three kids...entertained three kids....all weekend long. We had a good time. We even got to spend quite a few hours with Tim on Sunday....so that was a bonus. He even took the kids on a little "mini" hike while I cleaned up lunch stuff. I managed to have about 20 minutes or so to read with no one around. Bliss. Monday....I pretty much broke down the camp by myself. There were a few things that I hadn't done by myself before....so I got things as done as I could. Tim took notice. That felt good. And I felt like I could take on the world. I CAN do it all!!

The redeeming thing....we got home last night around 6:20. I had a meeting at 7:00. I had just enough time to change my clothes....put on some make-up....sketch out an outline for my meeting...and I was gone. Tim had to unpack by himself. Granted....the food basket was left on the counter....bags of clothes dumped in the bedrooms....laundry cascading out of the baskets. But...he emptied the van by himself.

It feels a little bit like justice. A little.

Parting Shot

I couldn't leave today on our camping trip without one final parting shot. Apparently my kids have the same idea because there is now a full blown fight going on in the living room. (all this broke out as soon as I typed in the title "parting shot!" Such is life....)

I think I may just go through blogging withdrawals this weekend. It has been so therapeutic to sit out my computer and pour out my thoughts. Sometimes I sit down to just vent...but no one really wants to hear all that....so my perspective gets changed and I am relieved. Yeah. So....may the withdrawals begin.....brace yourself, Christine.

I have high hopes of a good weekend. So far, we have had some issues....but I am hopeful that the change of venue will do us all good. Tim called a little bit ago to ask if I had everything set aside to be packed into the van. If he'd a been standin' here, I'd a smacked him. So far today, I have finished last minute clothes and food packing. I have gone through the kids' personal backpacks to make sure that all stuff stashed is "camping approved." Caden's personal stash got knocked down from two STUFFED bags to one moderately stuffed bag. He was hoping I wouldn't go checking. I had put a two-animal limit on stuffed animals...and I think I found eight! After that, the kids and I needed to run to the church (for a book for Mom), to the post office, and to the grocery store for a new lighter and some ice. Can you believe that Albertson's did not carry lighters? (should have bought it last night at Safeway!)

So...Tim's on his way and he had better not find me at the computer. ::::ducking my head:::: So....I will say goodbye for the weekend. I may have to take notes of my blogging thoughts while I am out in the wilds of Eastern Oregon. It may stave off the withdrawals. (ooops....just been caught by The Man.) Pray for us...for me...this weekend.

Off to brave the Wilds.......

Mercy

The ending of a day..................

From strong-armed loud....to wind-whisper quiet.
From defiant, roaring tempers....to sweet, gentle kisses.
From in-your-face crabbiness....to precious-angel sleepiness.
From this-to-that flurries....to sit-upon-the-couch calm.
From raging chaos.....to flowing peace.
From do-what-I-don't-want-to Sin....to fall-on-my-knees-seeking Grace.

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you."
Isaiah 44:22

Camping....Mobilized Stress

I am in need of a cathartic experience right now. I am feeling the stress so strongly right now that I just want to find a quiet corner and cry. This is an impossible thought right now as there are currently 4 children in my house and I have the list of things to do that is at least a mile long.

::::waaaaaaa::::::

There....my crying is now done....for the next five minutes at least.

I use to love to go camping as a kid. What adventures we use to have. I now would like to share a moment of silence in honor of my Mom for all her labors through the years to prepare our family for our many camping excursions.

:::::sounds of crickets chirping:::::

I now must express my sincerest apologies to my mother for:
A. My ingratitude regarding all your labors and "extras" you provided.
B. My ingratitude at the mountains of laundry you washed before and after departure
C. Any grumblings I may have expressed at your requests for my help and participation.

You, Mom, are a Camping Goddess!

I must also, I suppose, give credit to my Dad, too. I am sure, being an educator who had summers "off," you were a help to Mom. Kudos to you, as well. I know that you were a big help to Mom and my memories are blessed because of that.

At this point, I was going to go on and on in complete Martyr Mode....but.....in paying honor to my parents...I will now just shut my mouth.

My husband's a good man!

My husband asked me last night if I was still writing on my blog. I asked him if he had read it at all. He said he really hadn't even read my first one. I had asked him to help me figure a couple of things out on the first day....so I thought that he had at least read my first one. But no. So I told him that since he wasn't reading on it, then I could complain about him there. He didn't find that all that amusing. So...instead of complaining, I thought that I would do a little bragging instead.

God has blessed me this last year with a precious new friend. She is one of the most encouraging people that I have ever been around. Her love and passion and fire for Jesus just pours from her spirit and you just can't help but feel blessed by her when you are with her. Her two children are both in Daria and Caden's classes at school. Their family has also started attending our church in the last couple of months. That has been such a blessing. They have also been struggling a little financially lately. That has been hard for me to hear as a friend.

This is where my wonderful husband comes in. I usually come home from my times with my friend and tell Tim about it. I was telling him a little about their financial troubles. The next morning, I wake up and there is a note on the table telling me that we could help them if I wanted to. Hmmm...not sure how to do that properly.

A few weeks ago, I had asked my friend to consider going to Women's Retreat with me. Our women's group at church offers a 50% so it makes it quite reasonable to go. She was so excited when I asked her to come. She said she wasn't sure how she was going to pay for it...but she was going to trust God to provide the way.

So, when Tim suggested to me that we could help my friend somehow, I wasn't sure how to do it. If I anonymously paid for her way to women's retreat, she would know it was me. I was the only one who knew them well enough at our church to do something like that. So, after thinking about it a while, I dropped it...I just didn't see how it could be done.

Last week, Tim gave me a gift. He told me that I could just tell my friend that we would pay her way. This comes from my husband who is so cheap that he no longer has cheese on his hamburgers at Burgerville, because he says it costs to much. (I tell him that I am worth the cheese, so he buys me cheese for my burgers.) He has a reputation for being cheap. But, I was reminded that the reason that he is so cheap is so that he can be rich toward others and towards God.

What fun it was to tell my friend of my husband's gift. She just about blew Tim over with her enthusiasm. He had to ask me later what in the world she was talking about because he could hardly understand her through her excitement. He usually likes to lay low when he blesses others....so he isn't use to that in-your-face thankfulness. That, and I had put the full gift on him. I told her that the gift was from Tim....not me. I just got to be the bearer of good news.

And what a blessing this gift was to me, too. Tim blesses me every year in allowing me to go to Women's Retreat. I know that he doesn't necessarily understand why I enjoy it so much. I know that it puts more work on him for me to be gone for such a long weekend. It is a sacrifice to him....but it is a blessing to me. This year, he blessed me double by helping my friend to come, too. So...I just had to share. My man is a good man!

Modern Day Feeding of the 5000

Yesterday I mentioned that I would probably ramble on about our church's rummage sale. I meant to....I just got a little sidetracked with life.

I always find this Rummage sale an amazing thing. Many people would probably call me a Garage Sale Snob....because I am a little finicky about what I will pick up second-hand. I always dread taking my kids to garage sales because they aren't nearly as finicky as I am. I often find myself amazed at what people put out to sell...and then I find myself equally amazed that someone would pay good money for it. That gives you a little background on my garage sale feelings.

Two times a year, the ladies in our church put on this ginormous rummage sale. The amount of stuff that we pack into our fellowship hall is always a little mind boggling. The ladies usually start setting up on Sunday afternoon....and by Monday afternoon when I stopped by...WOW! It was already pretty full. It truly is one ginormous sale!

My kids love the church garage sale. To them, it is an adventure...a gold mine...and a trip to the candy store all wrapped up as one. There is no faster way to get my kids on the move than to mention that we are headed over to the garage sale. On the days that I attempted to help at the sale....I just gave them each a box to dump their "treasures" in and we would discuss their purchases at the end of the day. They love that....and honestly it is wonderful....they don't ask me a ton of questions and I get to be a little bit helpful to the ladies who work so hard. Usually their boxes are full of things that, at home, I throw away after the "newness" has worn off. Oh well....I guess sanity is worth a couple dollars!

Saturday afternoon is breakdown time....and the time where the true miracle of this rummage sale reveals itself. As four o'clock rolls around, the tables in our fellowship hall are still loaded. If you had seen the tables before the sale officially started and then saw them at the end....you could probably tell that a lot of stuff had gone. But the men of our church hauled away several truckloads of stuff away and donated it to Goodwill. We filled up their truck and they sent part of our last load away!!

Every church garage sale that I can remember noting the dollar amount made, it seems like the total has ended around $1800 to $2000! In fact, I think I have even come to expect that God is going to provide that much money through our sales. Maybe this is where my snobbiness shows, but honestly, I am also always surprised at the total. Yes, the amount of "stuff" is astronomical....but most of the stuff falls in the category, in my poor snobby, short-sighted opinion, of being hauled to the dump. I know that my vision is limited. I know that many people see treasures where I see trash. Some have the uncanny ability to take "trash", work it over, and voila.....something beautiful and useful. I lack all of that completely.

But God is still in the business of doing miracles. I see it at these sales at least two times a year. It is like when Jesus fed the 5000 with five loaves and two fish. TWELVE baskets of pieces were picked up afterwards. Can you just imagine how you would feel as one of the disciples? You knew how much food was in your hand as you passed it out. You knew that these people were hungry and ate until they were satiated. You knew there was no way this could have happened except by the almighty hand of God. You knew! Right there before you, Jesus did a miracle. God took these little offerings of our faith in doing this garage sale and He multiplied it!

I can't help but think that God is blessing the work of Sherwood Friends Women. We use that money for so many different mission projects....abroad and at home. Sometimes our gifts are small and some are big. Who knows who God is feeding through the faithfulness of these women and their labors? We must be doing something right...because God keeps giving us the money to do it. It is fun to be generous with God's money. It is fun to think about how God may be blessing someone on the other side of the globe. It is fun to hear the blessings that our own church members receive from the scholarships to retreats. It is fun to be a part of God's miracles!

I wish that I could have taken note of EVERY item that left our church sale this weekend. I wish that I had a column to SEE how in the world we sold $2000 worth of "stuff." What if we had sold every single item? What would the dollar amount have been? When it is all said and done, though, I'm glad that I can't. Who wants to explain away a miracle?

Code Words

I just had an enlightening moment. Sometimes talking with children can be complete guesswork. It is completely frustrating to the parent as well as the child. Luke and I had a situation like this this morning. Looking back on it.....now that I am now in "The Know"....I am just chuckling.

This past weekend, our church had their semi-annual rummage sale. My thoughts on that could be a whole other lengthy post on that. Maybe when I am doing with this post, I will ramble about that. Those rummage sales are always amazing to me. OK....back to programming already in progress. One of the kids' "treasures" they came home with was a couple of videos. (O joy....) This morning, Luke comes visits me in the bathroom and asks to watch the Scooby Doo movie. Well, the only one that I knew of was the one we had checked out from the library and returned last week. Ok....I'm lost He continues to declare that we most certainly DID have that movie and we had gotten it at the yard sale. He's now looking at me like I am totally insane because I have NO IDEA what in the world he is talking about. So...he tries again. "You know....the shining armor one." Of course, that helps....totally.

Hmmm. Now I am more lost than I was before. That means nothing to me. Finally, after several exasperating interchanges about this movie, I told him that he needed to show me...Mom just does not understand. So...we head out to the living room. I am looking and looking and looking....NO Scooby Doo. I do see a Winnie the Pooh movie that we picked up this weekend. In an attempt to divert him from this mystery Scooby Doo movie, I offer him the Pooh movie. "Yes, Mom, that's what I was talking about.....the shining armor one!" All that was said in a tone that implied "How dense are you?" I was thinking...."How dense are you....this is Winnie the Pooh....not Scooby Doo!"

Fast forward a couple of hours....the boys are watching the Pooh movie again. (It is pouring outside...what are we suppose to do?) As I take a load of something downstairs, I pass by the living room and I hear the Pooh characters talking about "shining armor." A light bulb comes on. Shining Armor....I suppose if I had actually watched the movie, I would have known exactly what he was talking about.

Star date entry 20/08/2007: Note to self: Shining Armor Scooby Doo movie equates to Winnie the Pooh Spooky Halloween.

I knew that. Didn't you?

A blog....God's Message Board???

I had an interesting thought tonight as I was getting ready for bed. A part of my mental bedtime routine is to kind of review the day. It was a great day, as a matter of fact. We spent a wonderful time at Tilikum enjoying friends, the beautiful "lake," some great food, and lots of fun activities. The kids were amazingly agreeable (excluding a few moments that I am refusing to give up memory space for...or at least I'm trying not to!) and we ended the day with smiles, laughter, and sweet hugs and kisses. Who could ask for anything more?

In my review of the day, I couldn't help but praise God for a good weekend. I can't necessarily say that things were vastly different than any other day....but my perspective seems altered in a way. It seems like I am, as tired as I am, rejoicing in my day, instead of sighing with relief that it is over and I finally have a few moments to myself.

My grandma, Evelyn Piersall, sent me a message after my first entry in my blog. She blessed me in her comments. She told me that I had touched her heart...and maybe...I had a ministry here. I really never thought that my blog could somehow be a ministry. I just thought it would be a way for me to process my days.....maybe get more clarity....and maybe feel like things are more under control than they really are. (yeah...right!)

Truly, I am finding that the one being ministered to in this blog is....ME. I don't even know if anyone is reading any of my meanderings. I am pretty sure that, out of loyalty, my sister is!! (Hi, Sis! Love ya!) But...it doesn't matter. As I am going through my day...I am looking at things in a different way. What is the positive side of this? How could I turn this moment into a knee-slapping moment that might cause someone to chuckle? As a result, it feels like I am more relaxed in those stressful moments. I am not so wrapped up in it that I can take a moment and just think.

For example, today at Tilikum, Caden had wanted me to go with him up to the Tree House. Well...I was in the middle of a conversation and I told him I would be there in a minute. Of course, the conversation was a little more in depth than I anticipated and then it was clean up time. Got a little involved in that....and to be honest...I kind of forgot my little casual promise. As I was walking out to the van, I met Caden on the way back from the Tree House. Oh man....Mama was in some HOT water. He was sulking and grumbling and pretty soon he was crying hysterically, completely out of control. Typically, I don't handle that very well. It drives me literally up the wall....especially when his response is way over-the-top. This time, I just kind of stood there and watched him a while....and thought about what really needed to happen. I had made a promise...somewhat casually....but I had told him I would be there. So...we headed back up to the tree house. He quickly recovered...we had some great moments....and everyone else was OK with that.

OK....back to how this blog is ministering to me. I am feeling like God is talking to me as I write. My story yesterday about my little goofy moment with the boys was really meant to just be goofy. By the time I was done writing it....I had given myself this little sermon...and I felt blessed. I kind of thought...wow...how did that happen? How did I get so preachy? It was suppose to be fun...not preachy. But...I felt good. I felt a joy in being reminded of the blessing of making laughter with my kids.

I am also finding that my thoughts about my blog, and how my thoughts are redirected because of it, that other things that were, in all honesty, taking time away from my family, don't mean so much any more. All this has happened in just 3 days. I wonder what God will change in me and tell me in the days to come. I'm kind of excited to see what God's gonna do!

So...no....this isn't God's message board for you. It God's Message Board for ME. And, quite frankly, I'm having a blast!

Looking for Treasures

There is something that I have noticed in the last few hours since I have started this blog....that my mind is drawn to the little things. My friend, Kristin, made a comment on my last post that really rang true. She said: " ...you'd be amazed at the little things that happen to you that you'll then find yourself saying, "I need to blog about that!"
The thing about that....is that I like that. Doesn't it seem to you that the grumpy, whiny, get-on-my-nerve things of life always seem to scream at you and demands your attention and commandeers your memory banks? If that doesn't seem to happen to you...consider yourself blessed!! But today....I had a small don't-blink-your-eye moment with my boys that reminded me to stop....here is a moment of pleasure to lock away in your memory for days when things get a little hairy. And why did that moment tell me to stop? Because I have been so excited to post another entry in my blog!! Isn't that great how God uses a silly thing like a blog to remind me to focus on the little simple pleasure he plants along side the way.

By now, you are probably saying..."Enough already....get on with it, would ya!!" So...here we are on a Saturday morning....picture the house in disarray (or maybe don't picture that) from dumping everything last night after coming in from watching Curious George in the park last night. I'm starting the pick up process because the chaos drives me a little batty. Grumble...grumble....one of the boys left a blanket in the middle of the hall. I pick it up and Luke (my youngest), who is so full of zest for life, comes running at me for something....I don't remember what. So I throw the blanket in his face and it knocks him flat. Peals of laughter come rolling out...granted...at little bit muffled...but you can definitely hear that he's giggling. Instantly his head pops out and yells..."Do it again, Mom, do it again." So..what does he do? He stands straight up, arms at his side, (oh....did I mention that he is also stark naked?) his eyes are wide with barely contained excitement, his body quivering, anticipating the big ol' clobber in the face. Pow! Same blanket slams into his face and knocks him flat again....same laughter...same request to do it again. Now, Grumpy Older Brother, aka Caden, notices the fun and pretty soon I am getting two for the price of one. What could be better?

Don't we all need a reminder every once in a while to just stop...and notice the treasures that God has placed in our path. Even as I was typing this out, Luke comes in, still naked, (I know...bad mama!) and starts another game with me, begging for me to throw him on the couch. How could I resist? Another moment of stolen pleasure amongst the messes of life.

I read a cool little story in my devotions the other day. I have been reading "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. I will share it in a moment....but I was reminded of it as I was writing this out. This moment...this silly, little, gone-in-a flash moment was a treasure given to me by God...for this day...this hour....this moment. All I needed to do was focus on the little things...the little things that might just be fun to post on a blog.

Here is that story....Remember to look for your own treasures....

Imagine going to heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you the calendar of His plan for your earthly life. It begins with the day you are born. Once you received Christ as Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of each week of your life. On many of the days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire: "Father, are those my footprints on the calendar every day and is the second set of prints when you joined me?"

He answers, "No, My precious Child. The consistent footprints on your calendar are Mine. The second set of footprints are when you joined Me."

"Where were You going, Father?"

"To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you'd follow."

"But, Father, where are my footprints all those times?"

He answers, "Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits while I was still going forward, hoping you'd join Me. Sometimes, you departed from My path and chose your own calendar instead. Other times, your footprints can even be seen in another person's calendar because you thought you liked their plan better. At other times, you simply stopped because you would not let go of something you could not take to the next day."

"But, Father, we ended up OK even if I didn't walk with You everyday, didn't we?"

He holds you close and smiles, "Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you."

"Father, what are those golden treasure boxes on certain days?"

"Blessings, My child, I had for you along the way. Those that are open are those you received. Those still closed were days you did not walk with Me."

What is in a name?

Have you every considered the whys behind the name of a blog? I have been considering a blog for a couple of weeks. Never really had thought about it before. Never thought I had much that anyone would be interested in reading. A couple of weeks ago, though, I was blessed by a post on someone's blog. After I read that blog several times over, I thought about what I would write in a blog. Hmmmm....maybe it didn't matter if anyone was interested in reading my blog. Maybe the writing of the blog would serve a pupose for the writer herself. Maybe in mapping it out into words, my life would gain a clarity and a purpose that went beyond just the mulling around in a distracted mind.

Anyway...I digress. My original thought on this post was to discuss the name of blogs. As I considered what to name my blog, I read on Blogspot's home page that one would need to be creative in finding a name. Creative? I also was struck on how much a blog title can sum up a life. One name that I considered was "Clinging to Hope." Why? Because at times, I feel like to get through my day, I am clinging to the Hope that my struggles aren't in vain. That name was taken....by a gentleman who looked like he was struggling with the loss of a relationship. He certainly wasn't clinging to the same Hope that I cling to.

I also considered a variation on my own blog's name. I tried "His Eye is on the Sparrow." (I will tell you in a moment why I chose this name. Hang with me a moment!) That particular name was taken....by a woman who is currently fighting cancer. Wow...what a profound thought....His eye is in that Sparrow.

As I thought about the names of blogs started by my friends....they all chose a title that somehow described their lives....or their identities. One particular favorite of mine is "Sprinkles on my Ice cream: My thoughts on the "stuff" in my life or the "sprinkles on my ice cream" (Shout out to Kim!!) Isn't that a fabulous thought? I need that reminder every once in a while....that the stuff that bugs me sometimes is really Jesus adding a little pizazz to my ice cream. Thank you, Jesus.

Another friend of mine has titled her blog the Journey. (Shout out to Zaney Julie!) How appropriate is that? Each day and each hour is a journey. We never quite reach our destination here on earth...we keep pressing on to the next step and phase of our life until Jesus calls us home.

So. How could I find a name that truly signified my life? I thought of "When We All Get to Heaven." Why? Because every time I think of that song, I think of my grandma, Willa Piersall. I will get to rejoice with her some day. I decided not to use that name because it was WAY TO LONG....and really....I need to live in the now...loving my family....serving my Jesus. My blog is about my Now.

I also thought about using Glimpses of Him. My children are all Glimpses of Him...and everyday I need to be looking for Glimpses of Him...otherwise I might just go insane! Another name considered was Hanging on to Jesus. There are times that I feel like all I am doing to survive is Hanging on to Jesus. Or...I considered The Hope I Cling to. Yet that one didn't ring exactly true, either. I don't want to feel like all I am doing is clinging to hope....I want to be victorious in the Hope that I have in Jesus.

The wining choice, as you now know, is For His Eye is on the Sparrow. I know....really close to the lady with cancer. No....I am not fighting cancer. But...I really love that song. It became particularly special this year after the death of my grandpa, Wayne Piersall. The song is beautiful. Read for yourself.....

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

There are some pretty cool promises in this song. Why should my heart be lonely...my constant friend is He. And resting on His goodness...I lose my doubts and fears. When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free.

I sing because I am happy.
I sing because I'm free.
His Eye is on the Sparrow and I know He watches me.

Oh...I need to be reminded of all that....often. I forget those things sometimes.....then darkness comes in. But when Jesus is there....darkness tries to hide and all within me wants to sing How Great is Our God!! Sing with me....How great is Our God!!

Okay....I am getting corny here....but sometimes I just have to get a little crazy with my praise. Here I am starting a blog. I am sure that at times my thoughts will wander....but they will never wander far from Him. In closing....I am going to add the little story that my grandpa, Wayne Piersall always told with this song. It is precious in my memories.....

Said the robin to the sparrow,
"I should really like to know,
Why those busy human beings,
Rush about and worry so!"

Said the sparrow to the robin,
"Do you think that it could be,
That they have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me!"