Counting Sprinkles

I am so amazed that it is Thursday again and time to give Thanks!! I'm counting my sprinkles today, because I need the smile that thinking of sprinkles brings me. Every time I think of sprinkles, I now envision a floor covered in multi-colored sprinkles. It always brings a smile to my face.

• Today I am thankful for the fun play date that Luke and I went to today. He played so well with his new friend....and I had a wonderful visit with the "other mommy." It was so good to visit with another mom with struggles like my own. It was also good to see my little man playing so well today. We both had a great time.
  

• I am thankful for the indoor soccer opportunity that I discovered for Caden to join. He has finally decided that he can handle being on a team. (What an answer to many prayers!!) I didn't think there were options for him right now. I noticed a sign last week, looked online...and today...he is signed up. He is pretty excited....disappointed that it doesn't start for a month....but still excited. Daria is now in the living room giving him ball handling tips. He's soaking it up!!

• I am thankful for the new Bible class that I started last Sunday. I am thankful that the time works into my schedule and I can attend. I am anxious to see what things I am going to learn in the next year.
  

• I am also thankful for a warm, dry house. Whenever I hear the wind roar and the rain pound, I just have to pause and give thanks.
  

Have a Happy Thankful Thursday!

Warning!! Warning!!

Sssshhhhh.....I need to write this very quietly. I believe that my body has been taken over by aliens. They've cloned me. The only thing that gave it away? They haven't quite mastered my Mommy-isms yet. Little do they know....I'm catchin' on to them. Now I just need to find the elusive bugger and eliminate her. She's wreaking havoc in my home.

If I am careful, I can relay to you some of the clues that Klone Kristine has left behind. For instance, tonight, my son informed me about the math strategy I had shared with him. Amazingly, I apparently informed him that 9+7=13. Darn it. That clone could mess with his head for months. I am amazed at some of the stupid things that I have apparently said. Are you serious?

Klone Kristine apparently forgets to bring jackets for my kids, too. I could have sworn that I had told my kids to wear their coats when it is cold and rainy. Somehow, Klone Kristine forgot that it was cold and rainy and didn't grab a coat for one certain child tonight. This clone also forgets where shoes are.....where Pokemon cards are....and where soccer clothes are kept. Doesn't she realize the grief that she is causing me?

Maybe that is the aliens' plans. Drive the Mommies of the world absolutely insane by reason of whining and then take over planet Earth. They might have succeeded....but I'm getting the word out. The warning signs are subtle....but they are there. If you start noticing these similar symptoms, spread the word. We must eliminate the clones as soon as possible.

So be alert.....and be very, very careful.

Snow Day!

I always loved snow days when I was a kid. There was nothing better than to wake up anticipating going to school and then hear the words "School Closed." When I was in high school, getting up at the ungodly hour of 5:00, I loved hearing those words and then crawling back into bed for some more sleep. Pure bliss.

So, it was wonderful, this morning, to have my sweet husband whisper in my ear that school was delayed 2 hours. BONUS!! I love sleep. It's a good thing. When I finally woke up and peeked out the window I was a little disappointed at how little snow there was. I could even tell that the little that was there was already starting to melt, so I was a little surprised to hear that they eventually canceled school for the day.

It almost felt like a waste of a snow day. We couldn't even don our winter clothes and at least have a little party in the snow. It was just wet and cold. The kids didn't seem bothered that we only had a 1/4 of an inch of snow. When we went out around 11:00, Daria expressed her displeasure that school was canceled. The roads seemed fine about that time. Caden was mad this morning that I didn't wake him up for school. Though I think he was a little bit happy when I eventually told him there was no school.

I was disappointed today, though. Not that the kids were home from school for the day....but that there was no decent snow to play in. I wanted a good ol' romp through the snow. I wanted to pull out our sleds and do a little sledding. I wanted to make a big pile in the drive way and see how long it would last. I guess that the snow just pulls out the kid in me. I wanted a real snow day.

I love the snow. I love how it covers all the dirty, gray stuff. I love the fresh, clean look it gives a dreary world. Snow days in Portland are really kind of a rarity. I'm crossin' my fingers that we have a real snow day before the winter is out.

Please....please....please.

I also need to add one of my favorite, past Snow Day pictures. Daria hadn't wanted to listen about what she should wear in the snow......her face tells it all. Cracks me up every time!

Posting from Luke

,y89iouyhtghujklbuytgguhk, itgrgyukl8u7y5trfcyuhk,.pluybhjiko,iyhrtf ycuio9iu6yxcrfttgujhik,oiuytredzxgyt54rty7u87rtuyiolifgumjhnjkiuy7ty789ufcvbufgvbnjhmkl
kouiklpokikl;okl;/loiul;oiukl;koiukoiuyio986757yu8ihnmkomkomkom

I was sitting here tonight, staring at the blank screen. I wasn't sure what to write. Unbelievably, I felt like I didn't have anything to say. (Bound to happen sometime, I guess!!) Then, Luke came and climbed into my lap and said: "Mom, let me do that for you."

So....greeting to you from Luke. He passes on his love to all.


**************************************************************

Glory be! Tim just left with the boys to go give blood. Daria isn't yet home from hanging at her friend's house. I actually have a few minutes to myself....in a freshly cleaned house. Can't get much better than that. The only thing that would make it better is if I had dinner prepared for myself. Close enough.

Happy Friday!!

Thankful Thursday.

Sometimes I get bored with the title of Thankful Thursday. Last week was a fun title with "Counting my Sprinkles." Maybe I should have a contest every once in a while for a funky new title. Or maybe I will continue to call it Counting My Sprinkles day. I am usually a creature of habit. But, it is fun to mess with things every once in a while. I would hate to become too predictable!!

• Today I am thankful for Luke's Fabulous Four stage that he is in right now. (I am also very relieved that we are in this Fabulous Four stage!!) Right now, I feel like we have a fun relationship. We love to tease each other. I love to kiss him....he likes to tell me that he hates that. I love to tickle his buns.....he tells me that I don't need to because he already knows that I love those buns. I love to be nose to nose, forehead to forehead, gritting our teeth, and growl at each other. He's so stinkin' cute. It's fun. I hope that we can always keep a measure of this fun.
  

• I am thankful for a good homework session with Caden last night. We came up with a fun little technique that turned a normally dreadful experience into one that was actually kind of fun.
  

• I am thankful for other Moms who pray with me weekly. They stand and pray with me about all those little things that Moms worry about. They really do encourage me a whole lot. I am also thankful for how God is using our MIT group. We had a mom and daughter surprise us during our prayer time. They are having some issues. They knew we were praying somewhere....and they found us. We had a good time of prayer with them. I find that amazing.
  

• I am thankful for Daria's ability to fight with me and then come apologize for her part in it. That is a hard thing to do, and I am thankful that she is learning that skill now. Boy, I sure hate the fighting part, though. :-)

Sprinkles...sprinkles....Sprinkles everywhere. What fun!!

First Mate Reporting In

"If God is your co-pilot, then you're sitting in the wrong seat."

Alert! Alert! Storm Averted! All Systems operating normally. Repeat: Storm Averted!!

Praising the Lord tonight. I will attest that prayer works. Its not that I didn't know that....but sometimes I get things mixed up and start thinking that I am captain of this ship. When I put God back in the captain's chair, things go much better.

So, I am giving God the glory tonight. The storm that I thought for sure was going to sink us got averted and we had smooth sailing.

Hallelujah!!!

Hoping I can remember the lesson!

Incoming Storm on the Horizon

I see a set of circumstances developing in my evening that could be a potentially major storm brewing. I am really filled with dread right now. At least I am seeing the signs and am starting to pray about it. I guess that is an improvement. Honestly, though, all I want to do is sit here and cry about it.

Instead of crying, I am going to don my all-weather gear, batten down the hatches, and dive in full speed ahead. Praying that I am a better Captain tonight than I have been in the past.

Hold on tight. We're in for quite a ride.

False Advertisement

I've had a cold the last couple of days. I am not sure there is anything that makes me feel more miserable than not have the full breathing ability of my nose. Yikes. It makes me feel kind of trapped. Must be some psychological thing. But then again, I don't understand how Caden can sleep with his head completely covered by blankets. That makes me feel trapped, too. Something about breathing used air.

I usually don't give the advertisements on TV much notice. In fact, usually I am up and doing something during them....either that or I read during the commercials. Lately, I haven't had a book to read, so I have been flipping the channels. Tim has crowned me the Queen of Flipping because of that. I just point the remote at him and....FLIP! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on him like it does the TV.

I have noticed the last couple of days, as my mind seems totally focused on my stuffy nose and my desire to breath a full breath, that my attention is drawn to all the ads about cold medicines. I've decided that I hate them. They are terribly misleading to us, the sick ones. I saw one yesterday that shows the lady coming back into her full self, ready to take on the world. I mentally sat up a little bit straighter.

Then, I noticed it was the very product that I had in my cupboard. So, I dash over to the cupboard and promptly pop one of those magic little pills into my mouth. Even after giving it a decent amount of time in which to work its magic....I still had a stuffy nose and only felt marginally better. I didn't feel "clear" like they suggest......I just noticed that instead of having some movement of gunk in my nose....now there is no movement at all. I have yet to decide which is worse.....a constant drippy nose....or a nose stopped up with rubber cement.

Shame on those marketers, though. They prey on the weak of body and mind in order to make a profit. They really ought to be ashamed. I will admit that I felt a little better after taking the medicine....but not like I was back to my rip-roaring self. They should never promote it as such. We get back into life not because we feel better, but because our duties beckon us to do so.

That is the other bad thing about colds. For the most part, colds don't seem to knock me down as much as the flu. For the most part, I am still able to function as normal. I may feel trashy, but I can still function. Now when I last had that flu buggy thing, I could not function further than a few feet from the bathroom. But, with a cold, I can just carry my tissues with me and away we go. Even though, the only thing I really want to do is escape to my bed, turn up the electric blanket, and read a good book.

I have learned, or maybe I should say that I am learning, that as a mom, I have to give myself permission to take it easy. Even today, as I told myself to take it easy, I still did a couple of loads of laundry, picked up the kitchen, and baked a batch of cookies. I will still make dinner, make 4 lunches, clean up the kitchen again, lay out 3 sets of clothes, and help with piano practice and homework. Somebody's got to do it....if I don't, Nobody will....and that is never a good thing.

Oh well.

On top of that, the weather has been a perfect example of false advertisement, too. The sunshine has been absolutely stunning. It makes me day dream of blooming daffodils, tulips, and wearing capris. Then I open the door. Whoa! Blow me down and make me take a step back.

Heading back in to curl up in my fleecies!!

Stay warm and healthy!

Balancing Faith and Reality

I wouldn't normally call myself an eavesdropper. I don't make it a common practice to listen into other people's conversation....sometimes it just happens upon you. I was standing in the foyer of our church yesterday, waiting for my family to get ready to go, and I happened to hear the tail end of a discussion between a couple of people. There was one comment made by a young gentleman that has really stuck with me throughout today. I believe that they were discussing something that the church would like to accomplish, but at this time, the cold, hard, financial facts seem to say otherwise. He said something along these lines: "I understand what you're saying, but, I'm young, and I want it now."

Tim and I are very practical people. So practical sometimes that it just about kills me. Every step that we have ever deliberately made in life has been very calculated. I remember Tim's deliberation of a back pack. Yes, you read that right....a back pack. I don't remember the value of that back pack....but come on....it for sure wasn't a staggering amount. He had researched that back pack to pieces. The pros. The cons. The pockets. The zippers The company. And so on. Even then, after we got to the store, I can't even begin to tell you how long he stood in the back pack aisle contemplating that purchase. I would wander the store looking at anything and everything...come back...and there he'd be...still contemplating. I guess that contemplating was a good thing....he still uses that back pack today. (That could also be a product of his frugality too. If it ain't busted, it doesn't need replaced.)

Then I think about the purchase of our home. The manufactured home that we had been living in and were trying to sell, had been on the market for 2 agonizing years. I wanted to get into a real house desperately. I ranted and cried about that house more times than I am sure the Lord wanted to count. (Thankfully I have learned that God keeps a short list.) Tim had always said that we would not look at houses until we had an offer on that manufactured home. I began to pray...."Lord...you need to either move this house, or move my husband." I thought for sure He would move the house....because moving my husband is nigh on to impossible. Yet, God moved the impossible. Through a serious of event, my husband allowed us to take a leap of faith and buy our current home without a buyer for our manufactured home. Within a month's time, we had sold the manufactured home.

What caused our home to sell when it did? Was God waiting for us to step out of our predicted steps and act in faith before He would allow the house to sell? The Israelites had to step into the Jordan and get their feet wet before God stopped the water from flowing so that the nation could pass through on dry land. Let me tell you, it was a very difficult thing for my husband to take that step of faith. On paper...and past history of the attempts at selling our old house....everything said NO WAY. I must say, that I prayed about things a lot. I even had times of worry and doubt. Yet, there were so many blessings that came out of that leap of faith....in my opinion anyway. Did we have to step into the watter and get our feet wet first before God acted?
That is such a hard line to judge. For me, it is so easy to talk faith. Faith, defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing; belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence." Talk is an easy thing. It is the action that is so stinking difficult. It makes me think of the contenders on American Gladiator. (never realized they would be such good illustrations in life!!) They puff themselves up and talk all kinds of trash....on how they are going to beat the Gladiators and conquer those tasks. Their words sound great and we have these great hopes that they will do great. Yet, when they get into the action, they find things are a whole lot harder than they thought!!! See....it is the action that is so difficult.

So how do we balance faith and reality? Sometimes, on paper, things don't look feasible. Our finite little minds look at something and see NO WAY can something happen. Yet, God is the God of the Impossible. God does not always work within the logic of man. (Thank Goodness!!) He often uses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise. In the instance of the conversation yesterday, I'm not sure there is an obvious path to take. Personally, I wish that our church would take that leap of faith and see what God will do. My old and practical side, says that logically we should wait.

My parting thought on this, as things are getting more tangled than I wished, in what decision would God be able to display His awesomeness more?

More Moves Than a Bowl of Jell-o

My kids have contracted American Gladiator fever. This ultra-hyped, ego-filled, grunt-like-Tim-Allen show is really quite amusing to watch. My kids have literally been glued to the computer watching past episodes on-line. They love it! They typically pick a color and root and cheer for them. I had to laugh at the boys today as they were literally standing up on their chairs yelling: "Go, Blue Team, you can do it. Come on. You can do it! Yeah! Good job!" They were just as bad as the crowd screaming and cheering on the contenders. If you haven't checked it out, you really should take a look.

One of the new hosts for American Gladiator is Hulk Hogan. He is one of those American icons that we know all too well. Talk about ego. He defines ego. I have often wondered how he talks in real life. On TV, he sounds like he is over-dosed on testosterone. As the kids were watching the show today, I got a huge laugh out of this one line that came out of Hulk's mouth. He said: "Dude, you had more moves up there than a bowl of jell-o." Are you serious???? Did you make that up yourself, or are your writers playing you for a fool? Of course, I wonder how many people could pick that line up as he says it in his best "Ego" voice surrounded by screaming, cheering fans. And who would call him out on a cheesy line like that? (I guess, Me. But only in the private world of my little blog!!)

I think the only reason that I remember that precious little verbal gem is because it perfectly fit my son today. Caden and Daria had a field trip to the Sherwood Ice Arena today. Caden had been fretting over this field trip for days. He was almost in tears the other day when I picked him up from school because he didn't know how to skate. Every day we would have a discussion similar to this:

Caden: "Mom, I don't know how to skate."

Mom: "It's okay, Caden, just do your best."

Caden: "But, Mom, I don't know how to skate."

Mom: "It's okay, Caden, they'll teach you."

Caden: "But, Mom, I don't know how to skate."

Mom: "It's okay, Caden, just stick to your parent helper."

Caden: "But, Mom, I don't know how to skate."

Mom: "CADEN. IT'S. OKAY. JUST DO YOUR BEST."

And around we would go. So, I was really curious how today was going to go. Caden really wanted me to be there to watch, but I had a meeting with a teacher about the school garden for this year. He didn't say a word as I introduced him to his parent helper. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to watch his first few steps on the ice.

Anyway, after the meeting, I was able to go to the ice rink to watch the last hour or so of their field trip. I thought for sure that I would see Caden either huddled on the benches or desperately clinging to a parent. Who did I see huddled miserably on the benches? Daria. After a few moments of drama, making sure that Mom fully realized how miserable she was, she decided that she needed to get back on the ice and do some showing off for Mom. Yeah, yeah. I already knew that she knew how to skate. Once on the ice again, she clearly looked like she was having a grand time.

So, I had to go on a mission to find Caden. Where did I find him? On the ice. On his own. Doing pretty good as a matter of fact. It was fun to watch him before he saw that I was there. He was doing pretty good scooting around on the ice. Every once in a while, he would shimmy in a little circle and then start scooting some more. Then, he saw I was there. He could hardly keep himself upright because he had to keep checking to see if I was watching. On his way over to the wall, he must have shimmied his little circle a dozen times. Of course, I did see him fall on his bum a couple of times, too. His damp looking pants showed evidence of a few trips to the ice as well. Even so, I could clearly see that he was having a wonderful time.

For a boy who has been labeled shy more times than I care to know, that boy talked non stop for the next 10 minutes or so as I helped him take off his skates and put on his shoes. Mom...did you see me? Did you see my circles? Mom, can we come do this again? Did you see my circles? When can we do this again? Did you see my circles?

Yes, Son, I saw your circles.

You had more moves out there than a bowl of jell-o.

Counting My Sprinkles

aka: Thankful Thursday!!

My family and I went to a fun birthday party this last Sunday for a Sweet little Girlie. We had a fun time. This party happened on the same day as the Sprinkles sermon at our church. Sweet
Girlie's mama planned a great party with an ice cream sundae bar. One of the toppings was sprinkles. There were cotton candy Disney Princess sprinkles....and another flavored Toy Story Sprinkle. When you think about it...there are lots of sprinkles.....all the colors of the rainbow. Every shape under the moon, too. Who knew? There are just a variety of sprinkles in life. Endless possibilities! (getting my point here????)

During the course of the party, Sweet Girlie managed to dump out one of those bottles of sprinkles. There were sprinkles everywhere! Bless Sweet Girlie and her mama! Mama handled it well. Then my husband made the perfect comment: "Looks like "Sweet Girlie's Mama" is counting her sprinkles." I noticed that she laughed....we all laughed. To me, it seemed as if the tension of the moment broke. I don't know if it did for Sweet Girlie's Mama, though. As I sit here contemplating counting my sprinkles of the week, I find myself realizing that in those times of stress...when our whole self is bound up in the mess of the moment....if we could find a blessing to acknowledge....maybe we could save ourselves a lot of stress. This seems to be my theme for the week.

Thus, today, I must count my sprinkles, for my life is truly beautiful and full of color!

• Today I am thankful for my family. For my kids, who love me even when I make their lives miserable. For my husband, who attempts to temper his high-strung wife. For my sister, who does unexpected things. For my parents, who speak precious words. For my extended family who helps make fond memories.
  

• I am thankful for my i Pod. I am having a lot of fun using it. It has been a good week for me, attitude wise. I love having praise music flooding me...instead of my grumbling heart. I've been listening to kLOVE today....writing down ideas of music to add. If you want to offer suggestions of your favorite praise song. Please do. You might have to leave a comment....but that won't hurt too much!!!

• Lastly....I have been so thankful for the health of my family this week. As my attention has been drawn to the struggles of others with their health, I am so thankful. So very thankful. I know that my children's health could change in a flash; but, for now, I am so thankful. I will take the colds. I will take the flus. And I will be thankful.
  

How are the sprinkles in your life?

Laugh and the World Laughs with You

The day is almost over. Translations: the kids are almost in bed. There is absolutely no celebrating happening right now. None.

I was in need of a laugh or too. It just seemed the thing to do. So, I googled "joke of the day." The first hit that came up was a clean joke of the day. Today's joke was fairly amusing. But, I really got a chuckle out of the "Quotes Joke." So...the following is something I found amusing....but I take absolutely no credit for it.

Enjoy! And if you have any jokes to share....Let's laugh together!!

In the front yard of a funeral home, "Drive carefully, we'll wait."

In a nonsmoking area, "If we see you smoking, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

On a maternity room door, "Push, Push, Push."

On a front door, "Everyone on the premises is a vegetarian except the dog."

At an optometrist's office, "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

On a taxidermist's window, "We really know our stuff."

On a butcher's window, "Let me meat your needs."

On a fence, "Salesmen welcome. Dog food is expensive."

At a car dealership, "The best way to get back on your feet -- miss a car payment."

Outside a muffler shop, "No appointment necessary. We'll hear you coming."

On a desk in a reception room, "We shoot every 3rd salesman, and the 2nd one just left."

In a veterinarian's waiting room, "Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

In a Beauty Shop, "Dye now!"

On the side of a garbage truck, "We've got what it takes to take what you've got." (Burglars please copy.)

In a restaurant window, "Don't stand there and be hungry, come in and get fed up."

Inside a bowling alley, "Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop."

In a cafeteria, "Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria. Socks can eat any place they want."

Being Broadsided

I think the Lord has been trying to get my attention lately. I must admit that He has been hinting at me for quite some time. I must not have been responding accordingly.... it seems like lately that He has really been driving home a thought to me.

I have always been a negative person. The glass is always half-empty. Things will never get better. La de da de da. I know that I have needed to work on this. But it is so hard. How do you really change a lifelong habit? Lately, it seems like my negativity has been getting the best of me. I really haven't been the wife and mom that I really want to be. How in the world do you change?

I bought an i Pod recently. I used my Christmas money. I have noticed that my negativity seems to skyrocket when I step away from the computer. It is so easy to drown my loneliness and "sadness" by immersing myself in the lives of others. Then when I would walk away from the computer, I would have to face myself. (Hmmmm...that's fun.) I decided that listening to praise songs and such while I did my chores would help take the focus off of me, and put it where it really should be. I have been using my i Pod for about a week now....I think it has been helping.

It is interesting, though, the things that have happened in the last week. I was introduced to Nate, Tricia, and Gwyneth's story and I began to pay attention to the blessings in my own life more. Then, on Sunday, during Sunday School class, we have been studying our faith in relationship to our health. This Sunday's topic was "Attitude and Humor." We talked a lot about being thankful (yeah for Thankful Thursdays!!) and about finding humor in our lives and how that can heal us in many ways. Then, while I was doing nursery duty during the church, I noticed that our sermon title was "Count Your Sprinkles." From what I could gather, I assumed it was about counting the blessings in your life. I think I need to get a copy of that sermon so that I can hear it for myself!! My devotions today were about "Counting your Sprinkles." I am a little behind in the "Fruit of the Vine" devotional that our church passes out. I'm guessing that is where our pastor got that idea!!

So, would you agree with me that God is broadsiding me a bit? Wake up, Christine!! God's talking to you right now!! Get your eyes off your little window of the world, look around, be thankful, and laugh!!

I'm hoping that I am catching the clue. (Somebody's home, McFly!) I'm taking the time to notice the sprinkles in my life. My life is pretty colorful, I must say. Tastes pretty good, too. My boundaries definitely lie in pleasant places.

Thank you, Jesus.

Faith is the Substance

Have you ever pondered your name? I mean....like saying your name over and over really fast. (Christine. Christine. Christine. Christine.) Now say it again, several times, very slowly. Think about every syllable before you say the next one. (Chris. Tine. Chris. Tine. Chris. Tine.) Pretty soon, the more you say it, the odder it begins to sound. I remember doing this when I was younger. By the time I had said it several times, I began to think what kind of name is Christine? That is the weirdest name ever. It really isn't even a word! (Don't even get me going about Kippy! Talk about a weird name! Thanks, Lou!)

I also remember, as a child, contemplating God in relation to little ol' me. I don't remember what prompted me to do that. I just remember laying on the couch and contemplating the enormity of the universe. Have you ever sat and thought about it? All that we can see with our naked eye when we look up into the sky is only the very tip of the iceberg. It goes on and on and on. There is no one person on this entire planet that will ever know the full vastness of the universe. We will never know. Until we get to heaven.

When I would think about the vastness of the universe, I remember beginning to feel very small. What would make the God of the Universe notice one so small and insignificant as me? I don't remember my faith being very complex at that point in my life. It seems like I remember there being somewhat of a faith struggle at that point. Why would a God who had such a huge universe to maintain, take the time to notice one little small planet? Then on that teeny, tiny planet, why would He pick the speck of earth called North America? And on North America, why would He notice a little mite of a girl in Hayden Lake, Idaho? Part of me couldn't wrap my mind around it. It seemed impossible. Yet, in that glorious thing of childlike faith, I just chose to believe that the God of the Universe noticed me and loved me. It was what I was taught...how could it be wrong?

Isn't that an amazing thought, though? That the great, big God of the Universe, who made all these glorious and amazing things, humbled His creative abilities and made us? (And we are so imperfect, too!! But, I guess that the imperfectness is not God's fault....but our own.) Think about the insignificance of an ice crystal. Very rarely does one get to see the true beauty of an ice crystal. Doesn't God do an awesome job in the small details of life? It is truly amazing that His love and care for us goes to such insignificant details of beauty! I really think that God speaks to us in these tiny, details of beauty!

Even though we are surrounded by signs of God's love and care for us, sometimes I find it difficult to believe that God truly loves me enough to have died for me and saved me from my sins. My current struggle in life is feeling like God's grace is limitless. I get so frustrated with my human side that continues to sin again and again. I am so weak!! How many times will God forgive my anger that explodes at my children? How many times will God forgive my selfishness that gets tired of serving my family and demands "WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO SERVE ME?" Being the incredibly fallible human that I am, I find that my grace has limits, doesn't God's?

Sometimes it feels like it does. Why? Why do we doubt the love and grace that God has for us? Even David, who is called a man after God's own heart, doubted God's love for him. There were times that God felt very distant to him....silent. "My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." Psalm 22: 1-2 Yet, if you continue to read the Psalms you will find time and again how David praised God for being beside him in the dark times. "On my bed, I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." Psalm 64:6-8

So what causes the disconnect of our faith? Is it God who leaves us and causes us to feel abandoned in our faith? That causes us to doubt the covenant relationship we have with God? I think not. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heigth nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

I am convinced that is only us that makes us feel separated from God. Those times when I allow the busyness of life to overtake me and I no longer have God at the front of my thoughts, those are the times that I feel distant from God....when I have failed to "Be still and Know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 Those are the times that I feel like I have fallen from God's grace and must come crawling back to receive His favor. I remember reading a quote in a book that my mom gave me. It was titled "Selah" by Nancy Carmichael. I am not going to go take the time to get the exact quote...so you will have to deal with my feeble remembrance of it. I believe that she was talking about her mother who was the mother of more children than I have. She felt overwhelmed with life...and underwhelmed with her relationship with Jesus. God just impressed upon her heart that at this point in her life....having her heart attuned to Him was enough. What freedom there was in that thought for me!

Faith is hard work. God doesn't speak to us from a pillar of fire/smoke anymore. Even then, when He did, the Israelites still lost faith. Our hearts really do need to be tuned into Him. We have to take moments to be silent and allow God to reassure our hearts of His presence. It is hard to admit to our precious God when we don't feel close to Him. Yet, I think, when we humble ourselves before Him, and admit our failings, our lack of faith, our desperate need for an assurance from Him, I believe that He hears us and answers us. I think we just need to take the time to ask Him...and to shut off the world around us for a moment and listen for His gentle wooing.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 Hope means to desire something with confident expectation of its fulfillment. Are you confident today? If not, have you asked Him to give you that confidence? Have you quieted yourself before Him and listened for His response?

My prayer is that, today, we will take that opportunity to do so.

Perspective

Every once in a while, my attention is drawn outside the realm of my little world. It is so easy to get swept up in the little drama of my own life, that I lose sight of the bigger picture that goes on around me all the time. This week, a friend of mine, Candi, drew my attention an amazing, God-directed drama.

I have been checking in on this little drama, through their blog, several times a day. There is a part of me that feels like a peeping Tom, stealing glimpses into their very personal, private world. Yet, their hearts cry has been that people would read about their lives. In reading about their lives, their hope is that we would pray for their family. That we would see the overwhelming awesomeness of our God. That we would praise our God for His infinitely amazing power, grace, and mercy.

I won't even begin to describe their story. At the end of this post, I will leave a link to their blog. I can't even begin to summarize their story, their journey. It is overwhelming. I find myself, in reading their updates, overwhelmed by their circumstances. I find myself overwhelmed by their faith....and their grace under fire. I am overwhelmed by the work that God is doing. You really must check it out for yourself.

Isn't it amazing that the technology of today allows us this little glimpse into their world? Isn't it amazing that a blog has the ability to tell hundreds, thousand, possibly millions of people about their story? The thought of the cloud of witnesses that could be possibly storming the gates of heaven for them is incredible. If I were in their situation, I would want that same exact thing.

I find myself, when I check their blog, anxiously awaiting what glorious thing God has done next. I can hardly wait to see how this story will unfold. I love seeing glimpses into God's grand scheme for their lives. There is already signs that God is reaping the rewards of their battle. How gracious that they have been allowed to witness that.

Also, in watching their struggle unfold, I find myself giving thanks to my God for my health. For the health of my husband. For the health of my children. I find myself reminded to not grumble so much at their loud and rowdy activities. Praise God that they can do those things at all. My troubles are nothing in comparison. If they can praise God through their storm, then certainly, so can I.

If I have piqued your interest at all, check their story out at: Confessions.

I promise...you'll come away changed.

Thankful Thursday

I am back at the church again. I was here for a school meeting and decided to do a quick computer check while I was here. I am literally going through withdrawals with no computer. I hadn't realized how much I enjoy having that "contact" with other people so readily at my fingertips. I almost breezed out of here without a Thankful Thursday post, but decided I couldn't get away with out it.

• I am so thankful for my sweet husband and his many talents. Computer know-how is one of them. He has put in so many hours trying to revive our computer. I am hopeful that he will have it done very soon. He really is a man with many talents. (ssshhhhh.....he doesn't like people to know that!)
• I am thankful for Mr. Puhl....our school director. He really is a wonderful man. He knows my kids by name....even Luke who is yet to enter school. He takes the time to acknowledge them; and, he works endless hours for the benefit of our school.
• I am thankful for the other dedicated parents at our school who give so much to make our school successful. I really do feel honored to be a part of this school. What a blessing it has been in my life.

Well....that will be all for the night. I am tired and I want to get home and crash. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thursday. I hope I am back full force computer-wise, very soon!

Out of Commission

Thank you to all who prayed while I was feeling sick. I haven't been that sick in quite some time. It really was a "cleansing" experience! I am feeling much better now....just tired still.

Now that I am on the mend, my computer is out cold. We had been running on minimum for a couple of days. Then my computer gave up the ghost and has been out for 2 days now. Tim has put endless hours in trying to get it back. Hopefully tonight.

Right now, I am taking a few minutes at church to borrow a computer. Luke is waiting patiently for me to be done so that we can go. I just thought I would mention that I am doing better.....but my computer is not. If you want....you can pray for that!!!

Miss you all......

Hanging Low

I love it when I can sit down at the computer and type out my thoughts in a somewhat pleasing fashion. Unfortunately, today will not be one of those days.

I have been really fortunate the last couple of months not to have gotten sick. Well, the sickie bug has finally caught up to me. My digestive system seems to have developed a mind of its own today. Lots of fun.

Just wanted to take a moment to say...I'm alive....only I'm hibernating today.

Silly Bloom

Why am I always amazed about things growing during winter here in Oregon? Don't those silly plants realize that it is January? The dead of winter? A time to stop...rest...recharge your energy for a glorious spring?

Apparently not.

One of my least favorite yard keeping duties is weeding. I have yet to find anything that really makes that a delightful experience. I have been noticing lately that all my flower beds have this subtle (in some places not so subtle) shade of green about them. No...it isn't early spring flowers making their way through the dark soil. It isn't even some lovely evergreen plant of some sort. It is weeds. Gloriously, hideous weeds. Darn things.

This is definitely not weed pulling weather, in my opinion. It is cold, wet....and did I mention that it is wet and cold? I have no desire to sit out there and clean up all those weeds. Yet, to look at those weeds every day drives me just about batty. I even laid out some Preen, a couple of times, this fall in the hopes of keeping them at bay. So...I try...when it isn't too miserable out there...to pull at least 10 weeds a day. Slow going, I might add. Very slow.

This morning, as I was taking a couple of items out to the recycle bin, I noticed this one, solitary, bright pink bloom on my azalea right outside my door. I usually enjoy my azalea. When it blooms. It has just about gotten its death sentence because I want to redo where it is at....and it hasn't been blooming very well the last couple of years. So...here it is, in the beginning of January...when most things should be dormant....that silly azalea spouting off one little bloom.

I can't help but wonder if that is the only bloom for that azalea. What will happen when Spring actually does arrive and other things start blooming? Will it lay quiet? If one bloom is all I am going to get....in the dark days of January when I am hiding away under my fleece blankets....then that silly azalea may just meet its end.

For the mean time, though, I think I will just try to remember to notice that little tiny bloom whenever I walk out the door. When I take the time to notice it, it puts a smile on my face. The bloom isn't even in a very noticeable place. It must have been trying to keep it a secret.

Silly bloom.

In Loving Memory

I'm a day late....but my thoughts were there yesterday. I miss him so much.

Wayne Piersall
July 11, 1926---January 5, 2007



I love you, Gramps!

Sins of the Mother

Daria and I had an interesting discussion last night about her soccer game. She took the loss of her last game pretty hard. She had a hard time looking past that one mistake to see the truth of how well she really did play all day. We had to do some praying about that last night....had to ask Jesus to help her see the truth. After a laugh about wanting to rip the heads off the other team, she really began to see the truth.

Today, as I was practicing my horn for playing on Sunday, I found myself doing exactly what my daughter did. I couldn't see past my little mistakes here and there to see how well I was doing the majority of the time. Hmmmm. I hate seeing my nastiness coming out in my children.

I see my nastiness coming out in my son, too. He can really be a little pill when things aren't going his way. He will push and whine until you want to just scream your fool head off. Hmmmm. I tend to whine and complain, too.....probably too much. Why can't my kids just pick up on my good traits....instead of throwing my icky ones back in my face? Ugh. Guess it just shows me how much I need to work on being a better Mom.

For fun...here are some pictures the coach sent over from yesterdays turney.

Here is Daria in action. Her face is kind of odd....but for some reason...I see myself in her face.




This next one shows the one way that Daria reveals her nerves. She chews her nails. I noticed today that her nails are pretty short!!! Her coach is explaining the shoot-out to the girls.

This pictures shows the true agony of the moment. I loved seeing all their crossed fingers!!! Based on the jersey of the girl on the far right....this is the shoot out for the game that we won. The one where Daria really smacked home a block!!

And here they are: The Sherwood Rockers!!

Thankful Thursday....Soccer Style!!

Today's Thankfulness has to be a little different today. There is just no other way about it. Daria had a soccer tournament today....and I'm still riding high. So...what to do? Do I not do a Thankful Thursday? Do I do two posts today...one thankful Thursday...and the other soccer stuff? Well...I just decided to combine the two. Could be interesting.

There are not enough descriptive words available to describe how proud I am of my girlie-bird today. I am so sorry that her daddy missed her games today, because they were awesome. She was awesome. She really stepped up to the plate today; and, I don't think that I have ever seen her play better soccer than she did today. What a day!

• Today, I am thankful for a coach who is skilled...as well as encouraging. Daria's coach has really been good for Daria. He has excellent skills...but he also seems to reach the girls and encourage them. Even though they haven't been able to practice much, the team is doing so well and I have really seen Daria improve in her skills. She really showed it today!

• I am thankful for her teammates' parents who spoke words of praise about Daria today after their games. Daria really did shine today. I was so proud that I cried.
  

• I am thankful that my daughter doesn't seem to crumble under stress. Me, on the other hand, I was a puddle in the stands. She handled herself with confidence and grace. How fun to see her growing and maturing in her abilities and self confidence.
  

How do I begin to describe how these games went? Daria's team came in second....could have been...should have been....first. But, what a well earned Second place it was! In the words of her coach, "It doesn't get better than that!" Those girls played their hearts out and they should have won.

The first game of the day, Daria's team got romped. The other team was just running circles around them. Pitiful. Daria was in tears after the game. I thought it was because they had lost, but apparently she got kicked in the stomach while playing goalie. After a trip to Dutch Bros., she was ready for action.

The second game, they really romped the team that they played. I was glad to see them get a win in because they were so discouraged. That win really seemed to light their fires. The third game, the teams were pretty well matched. Those are fun games to watch. Can be stressful at times....but a lot of fun. The game ended in a tie....and it went to a shoot out.

Talk about a Soccer Mom's nightmare. It is a 5 second one-on-one situation. Hard to describe. The kicker has 5 seconds to try and score on the goalie. Daria, of course, was goalie. I was The Basketcase. Daria did so good! The first round neither team scored. The second round....our team scored...and then Daria totally denied the other team's attempt. I think I just about collapsed!! What a way to win!!! Yee-haw!!

That win put them into playing for first place. Daria's team was only suppose to play for third...but a Newberg team got disqualified for having 3 girls who were 10 years old. That team was incredible. Oh my!! Anyway...back to the story. The game for first place was now against the team that romped Daria's team earlier in the day. I was so bummed. I wanted them to have a fighting chance!!

The girls totally amazed me....all the other parents....themselves...and their coach. They fought so hard. The other team was definitely dominating...because we were pretty much always on the defense. But...wow...our team did soooo good. They held them completely scoreless for the entire 22 minutes of play. The bad thing...it went into another shoot out. I wasn't sure that I could handle the stress!! My throat was so sore from yelling that I couldn't hardly encourage Daria. Our first attempt at the shoot out---wasn't even close. I was so disappointed. Then it was the other team....against Daria. They scored. I didn't realize it was a sudden death shoot out. But, it was. So, Daria's team came in second. But, what a game!!

These words don't begin to describe how good Daria played. She was amazing. She had some incredible plays. I was so proud! (if you hadn't figured that out already!!) She was very discouraged that her team lost. She thought it was all because of her. I had to remind her that if our kicker had made her shot....it wouldn't have ended that way. She did so good. Her coach sent some encouraging emails after the game...and I think that really lifted her spirits. After I read her the last one...she gave me this great big hug.

I think she finally got it!!

To close, I thought I would share her coach's last email:

Words cannot put in place how proud I am, of how all the girls did
today. In an odd twist, they literally got better as the day went on.
They fine tuned, found their fires and would not be denied today, to
earn a very impressive second place. And even in the final game,
after playing 2 games in a row, forced the game into a shoot out!

It doesn't get any better than that.

Traditions

Yesterday, Tim was home for a full day. It seemed like a rare occurrence around here. He has been working a lot of hours lately. Try as hard as I can, sometimes it still bothers me as much as he works. When he works half a day on Saturday...and Sundays are spent half a day at church...it never seems like we have much time as a family. So, yesterday kind of felt "special." At the end of the day, though, we hadn't done anything special. It kind of felt like a waste. Thankfully we had dinner with some friends and that helped redeem the day for me.

As I stewed about the wasted day, I decided that we have to be deliberate about memories and traditions. I think it was mymom who once told me that whether you are deliberate about it or not, you are setting traditions. It all depends on what kind of traditions you want to establish. Do you have the tradition of doing nothing? Of working all the time? Or do you have the tradition of making family time..and doing fun things to create traditions?

So, I wrote on a piece of paper yesterday of things that I wanted/needed for 2008. One of them was to "Plan and Implement Traditions." I am hoping that Tim will either read my list, or read my blog and it will help us have a discussion about that. I figure that they don't have to be elaborate traditions. Even as simple as taking a walk up to the top of the hill at Magness Tree Farm on New Year's would suffice. I can imagine that we could have some funny memories of walking to the top of the hill in pouring rain...or slipping in the mud...or who knows? Maybe we can come up with some other ideas that would make fun traditions throughout the year.

I guess my thought is....I want my kids to want to come home when they are older and move out. Will their memories be sweet and draw them to come home and experience them again? Or will their memories be blah and so-so that wouldn't be worth the gas money to come home again? Will they want to bring their friends to hang out at our house because here there is fun? How do we do that? What steps do we take to get there?

Being deliberate. I think that is my new motto for the year. I think that was where I was headed in the thought about taking charge of the pen. I need to take charge of the pen that writes the history of my family. It doesn't seem to gain anything to just sit back and let life happen. Aim for the best...and see what happens. It may not be perfect....but it could sure make a funny memory later.

Guess I've got some more praying to do.

Opening The Year

Getting out from under the unbearable weight of the holidays has been a good thing for me. I must admit that I have been less than inspired lately. In my blog. In my housework. In my life. Being without inspiration can be a dark and lonely place. Where do you begin without inspiration? Where do you begin to clean up a mess? Where do you begin to make sense of the chaos? Where do you begin to even make a change for the better?

I said yesterday that I don't really do resolutions. I am sure that I am not the only one who starts the new year with these grandiose ideas only to see them fall to the wayside in just a few short weeks, days....maybe even hours. Yet, when you stand at the brink of a new year...with new possibilities...you can't help but think....FRESH START. There has to come a point in your life where you draw a line in the sand and say: "No more. Things need to change."

I am hoping that I am starting to draw that line today. I hit a brick wall. I looked at the complete and utter mess that was my house and I said...UGH. Things need to be different. I started in on my kids' room with a vengeance. Well....it really didn't start out with a vengeance. I went in originally just to put their beds back in order. I felt the need to have a small corner of order...somewhere...anywhere.

Yet, how do you stop at just the beds? Pretty soon I was filling bag after bag with....junk....and garbage. (How in the world did they collect so much junk??) Then, I started planning all the stuff that was going to be bagged up and donated....or bagged up and stored away for my future grandchildren (Lord willing!)...or stored away to be sold on Ebay in about 30 years for our retirement or a trip to Hawaii! (hmmmm...interesting thought!)

Then, I got down to the nitty gritty of it all. I went under the boys' beds. Oh. My. Word. There are not enough words in my vocabulary to describe the mess under there. I took the lid of a box and used it like a backhoe to drag all the paraphernalia out. When I was done, I just sat there in this mound of stuff. I think at that very moment, I began to draw the line. Things have got to change.

I began to see where I had allowed the weight of life to stop me in my tracks. Shoving things under the bed seemed easier than dealing with them at the moment. I'm not saying that I shoved all that junk under their beds...but isn't that how life is? Slowly, one little item at a time, we overfill our buckets. Soon they are overflowing, but we just shove the excess under the bed instead of getting rid of it. One little item at a time my kids slowly brought all that stuff in their rooms and it became a mountain.

Gotta move that mountain.

I've got a lot of hauling to do. I am a classic pack rat. I know that I am better than I was when I was Daria's age. (I won't even begin to tell you about Daria's room!) Yet, everything has a purpose...a possibility. You never know when you might need this or that. Oy...the logic of it all. I wish that I was superhuman and could tackle all that I want to tackle in my household. I am going to go through every cupboard, every closet, every drawer...and organize and purge. I can feel the weight lifting even mentioning it. If I can get the nerve up, I am going to ask my Organizing Fiend, I mean Friend, to come help me sometime. (Lord, help us.)

The line is going to be drawn in other areas of my life, too. I'm going to have to do a lot of praying over those other areas. My whole family is going to need a lot of prayer for these other areas, too. To succeed, we are going to have to draw the line together.

Well, it is late. As I ponder these thoughts in the dark of the night, I couldn't sleep. I had to lay all this stuff out so that I could rest. Opening a new year is like opening a new calendar....the days are yet to be written on. With that in mind, this year, I am hoping to take charge of the pen...and not let the pen take charge of me.

Good night.