Maxwell House...Mikey likes it!

So..the Maxwell House coffee commercials have started coming on again.  New improved taste is the boast.  We usually get Seattle's Best or Starbucks (one in the same).  Chris and I have been toying with trying it.  We are very skiddish with new coffee.  Because we don't have a lot of money to throw around, and so if we get crappy coffee we are stuck with it till the next payday.  That's a long time.  Anyway, today I went into the store and found that the 2lb container of MH was at a lower price now!  It's now $6 instead of being almost $8.  I knew it would go down in price after the initial commercials died off.   I came home and told Chris, "Babe, I got it.  Hopefully it's good."  We were nervous.  Made a pot..Chris took the first sip and I cringed in anticipation..but he said, "It's not that bad!"  YAY!!!!  I tried mine and liked it, too.  It's no Starbucks, but it's good.  Later Chris said, "Hey, this really is pretty good!"  I think we may have a winner. 

Went and hung out with my Mommy today.  It was super fun.  We had planned to pack but ended up just running around from house to house and chatting.  Then took J down to The Train Depot for "Depot Days", he had fun.  J helped Grampie around the yard.  We had ice cream sundaes.  Just a fun, easy day.  I needed that.  Miss my parents.  Love spending time with them.

Just on a side note, petty crap ticks me off.  Or..maybe I should say womens petty crap ticks me off.  It's like um can you just calm the mother down and breathe for a second?  Not everything in life is really THAT dramatic.  Everyone is NOT against you or out to get you and make your day miserable.  Not everyone is really as immature as you think.  Personal thoughts are really ok, even if they aren't identical to yours.   And, maybe it's a good thing for you to be in a situation that you can't completely control 110%.  Lots of people populate this earth, and for good reason.  We need different ideas, different personalities, different everything!  It's good for us.  Adjust.  Alter your perspective.  please?  You might find it refreshing.  I know I will.  **sigh** Ok, enough of that.  Just wanted to get that out. 

J has decided that we need to go fishing soon.  Sounds like a plan to me!  Ash is up to 41 Justin Bieber posters in her room now.  It's cute.

Guess what?  We are gonna camp soon.  The warmer days will come more consistantly very soon, and that means camping is coming very soon!!!  EEEEH!  So exciting.

Matt and Laura got back today from Haiti.  Was SO good to have them home.  I pray their hearts are ok.  Can't imagine all that they saw, and how hard it must have been to have to walk away from it all.  I'm so proud of them for all that they do for others.

Well, I guess I've taken up enough of your day. :)  Hope you had a fabulous weekend.  I know I did!  We got yard work and house work done..and got in a super long walk with the kids around the neighborhood, too!  And, we got the chance to have dinner and conversation with some great friends.  Really had a wonderful weekend.

I need a new blog layout..

Have a wonderful Monday, my sweet friends.  Love you dearly.

We'll chat soon...

..Fasting Facebook..

Yup.  I'm fasting Facebook.  I'm just sick of it.  I started fasting it last night.  I already wanted to log in and post a song that I loved and wanted to share with my friends.  But, I didn't.  I'm tired of all of the time it takes away from life.  Not because it's evil in itself, but because I allow it to suck my life away it becomes evil.  I've just been kind of bored, and lonely.  And if I'm on Facebook, then I have someone to talk to or laugh with.  Chris is always busy with something, and so are the kids.  I'm the only one not busy.  I COULD be busy, but I'm not.  Well..let's change that.  I am ALWAYS busy.  But I could be busy in other ways.  Does that even make sense to you?  Erg.  Regardless, I have signed off of Facebook for the next 30 days, maybe longer, probably not.  A lot of my friends do not live here, so FB is really my only way to connect with them..other than actually calling them.  Who does that anymore?  Not me.  I no likey the telephoney.

The weather is gorgeous.  High 60's last time I checked.  YAY!  I love this weather.  LOVE IT!

Well, here's the video I wanted to share on FB today..I can still share it with you! :0)  It's an "oldy" but goody.  I was privelaged to see him perform this song live years ago.  It's amazing in real life.  Hope you enjoy it, too :) It's just simple and pure. And, I love that.





Love you.  We'll chat soon..take care of you!

Kirstie Alley..and boy crazy girls.

Kirstie Alley's BIG LIFE (A&E).  Um, I love it.  It's officially my new guilty pleasure.  Ok, well, I don't feel guilty.  She is so funny.  And beyond insecure.  But funny.

OK, I had other issues I was dealing with as a teen, but did I totally miss the boy crazy phase?  These girls today seem to have a line up of like 10 to 15 guys that they "totally love".  How is that possible?  What happened to pining away after one person?  And if you can "totally love" that many guys at once do you haven even the slightest clue what love really is?  Obviously not.  But, still...it's just weird to me.  And then to classify yourself as "boy crazy"??  Good Lord if someone labeled themselves as that when I was a teen we then quickly labeled them as sluts!  Weird.  Your thoughts on this?  (disclaimer: if you are one of these girls, no, I don't think you're a slut.  I just think you might want to change your wording a bit.  No guy wants a boy crazy girl.  He wants a girl that professes loving him and him only.  And, just by the way, PUT A SHIRT ON.)

I wanna go swimming.  The weather is so beautiful today.  And it was yesterday, too.  Could we actually be really over the winter season now?  Like, really?  No more snow?  For reals?  Oh, I pray we are.

I saw some pics of Texas that my friend posted on FB..bluebonnets, longhorns, GREEEEEEN surroundings.  I haven't missed anything about Texas for a few months..but those pics brought back all the missings.  I don't want to move back, I just want to go back for awhile.  Maybe one day I will..

Anyone want to send me to Turks and Caicos yet?

Love you my sweet friends!

We'll chat soon...

Perspective..and diarrhea

Ok, so I'm not bored anymore. 

The sun has been making infrequent, but wonderful, appearances lately.  I love the sun. :) 

I got an update on the triplets yesterday.  They are all doing well, progressing nicely.  Of course, there are still times when they stop breathing, but those times are less frequent.  The prayer request continues to be for their lungs to get stronger and for no infection to come on.

Also got an update from both my brother and his wife.  They made it to Haiti safely.  My brother said, "Good things are happening here."  And my sil said, "It's beyond words."  I can't imagine the devastation.  I'm sure it goes far beyond what we've seen.  But, I'm glad to hear that they are able to help.  They return back to the states on the 16th and back to Boise on the 18th.  So please continue to pray for their safety, and for them to just have a wonderful experience.  Also, that the Lord would protect their hearts.  It's hard to see so much suffering and not be able to take care of and/or fix every single problem.  And then come back to America where things are so much easier (even though we feel we have it rough, and some of us do.  It's nothing like it is there.).  It must be hard for them.

If you've been on FB at all you know that we all have colds, or we all have severe allergies.  Not sure which.  I would go with allergies, but Chris hardly ever gets allergies and he's got this thing the worst.  So that kinda throws a wrench in things.  Hmm..what do we have, what do we have. :)  I guess there really isn't a need to slap a lable on it.  Just suffice it to say that we all feel like crap.

Read this book called, The Noticer, by Andy Andrews.  Have any of you read it?  It's a quick read, and a really good one.  It's all about perspective and how we can change things if we will change our vision.  Loved it!  And I'm having "fun" putting it to work.  For instance, the last sentence in the above paragraph...we could change it to say..is it us that feel like crap?  Or is it crap that feels like us?  LOL!!!  Ok..that's not the point of the book, but it was funny to me.  Anyhoo, I used to be stellar at looking at things in a different perspective.  But over the years I somehow lost a lot of that "gift".  So, I'm working on getting it back.  Hense, the lack of continued boredom.

My brother's dog has the worst gas in the world.  I feel like I'm stuck in a public bathroom where someone just had violent diarrhea.  SAVE ME!  Perspective?

Have a great day, friends.  Love you!

We'll chat soon..

Boredom

I am so bored lately.  I think I mentioned this in the last blog.  On the last blog?  In the last blog?  Well, whatever, you get the point.

I need a new hobby.  Ideas?

Haven't blogged in awhile.  Maybe I'm in a blog funk.  Maybe not.  Hmm

Weather's been fickle.  It's sunny.  It's snowy.  It's breezy.  It's tornado worthy wind gust time.  It's clear skies.  It's black nasty skies.  You get the idea..Oh, and that can all happen within 15 minutes.

So, I'm going through a boredom phase.  I haven't really ever had one of these for more than a day, so it's weird.  I think I need something new for a hobby.  Not sure what just yet.  Any ideas?

We spent Easter (after church and visiting with Chris' Mom) out at the ranch..it is so nice out there.  I so wish it were time for us to be out there, too.  In God's timing....His is better than mine!

Ash has started her fundraising efforts for the National Youth Convention and Fine Arts Festival (Chris is telling me the name of it as I write..seriously, could they have come up with a longer name????)  Anyhoo..so far she's raised $155 in addition to the somewhere around $200 she has in her account.  Sweet.  Only about another $800 to go.  And another $600 to go for Chris, since he has to be there as a coach and chapperone. Yup..lookin for money trees!  Seen any?  Will be SO fun for them, though.  A great experience and good Father Daughter time!

We've got a big weekend coming up with 2 birthday parties.  One of them is a joint bday party for a bunch of folk having a bday in April, including me! :)  How fun!  The other one is for a great guy we've gotten to know this past year.  Can't wait for all of the laughs and games.

Well, April is crazy intense busy, but it's filled with stuff we love so it's all good!  Ash leaves for Montana for just a little less than a week at the end of April.  That's for a Teen Bible Quiz Regional competition.  Lots of trips for that girl.

Hope you're week started off well, and that it ends even better!  Love you all.  Keep on keepin on..never look down, always look UP!  Victory is on the way, a new day is coming. :)

We'll chat soon...

The kiss is lame

Everytime I look at my page and see the pic of us kissing I think, "What a lame kiss."  I super wish that we could have stopped laughing long enough to kiss right.  Oh well.  Next time :0)

Anyhoo..just had to explain what "butt kisser" means to my 8 year old.  Thank you Toy Story.  LOL  Can't wait to hear the first time J decides to use this new saying.  :)

Get to go to girls movie night tonight.  So excited to have some time with my buddies.  I just love these movie nights.  Tonight we are gonna watch a movie called Love Happens.  Never heard of it.  But, hopefully it's a good one!  Has Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart in it.  Eh, even if it sucks I don't really care.  It will just be fun to go.

Watched some Wintley Phipps videos on Youtube today.  He is amazing.  His versions of It is Well and Amazing Grace are beyond words.  I think I've posted them on here before, but if you missed them go settle in for a date with Youtube. :)  I'm trying to find his sermon God Will Restore in FULL on line.  If you know of where to find it please let me know.  I found the website that is said to have it in full, but it didn't.  Well at least as far as I could tell, it didn't.  But the 5 min they have of it on Youtube is awesome.

It's a rainy day here in Kuna.  But it's a rainy day in SPRING, so I'm ok with it :)  The trees are starting to bud.  There are a few flowers showing their beautiful smiles.  The seeds were planted..there was a long period of dryness, then storms came and covered them, then the sun came out for a few days to warm them, then the rain came, and now they bloom. :)  Just think on that awhile..you might find it applies pretty well to our lives as humans :)  Seeds don't grow instantly..they have to go through a process which involves many different seasons.  But just when you think you can't stand another day of "winter", the seeds start to sprout into a plant..and if it's a well taken care of seed/plant, the roots are deep and strong and the plant thrives.  Hmm..this works either way...with rotten filthy plants, and with beautiful plants.  We better be careful which seeds we plant and nurture!

Dwell on beauty.  Focus on the upcoming victory, don't get caught up in the temporary defeat of the moment.  It's just a season.  And your season of harvest is coming!  Oh, I pray it's a harvest of a beautiful, well rooted plant for you.  Not one that will need to be plucked. 

Remember..even beautiful plants need pruning.  :)  It may hurt for a season, but soon you will grow even bigger and more beautiful than before.

Have you ever noticed that not all of the plants/flowers bloom at the same exact time?  Hmm  Must mean that their perfect timing hasn't arrived yet.  If they bloomed prematurely they would die b/c they wouldn't be in an atmosphere where they could thrive.  If they bloomed too late, they wouldn't have lasting beauty because their season was cut short and they didn't have time to fully grow in to a strong healthy plant.  It's important to wait..in the promise is the victory.  We wait with the promise.  Believing in the victory.  And, just at the right time the bud opens up into the flower..VICTORY!!  But what do we do in the waiting?   In the "promise" period?  What we need to do is trust that the victory is coming.  And we need to prepare for that victory.  By fertilizing.  Get in The Word.  Fertilize your soul with the truth.  Have faith in the promise and wait with expectation for the victory!  Cuz the big victory IS coming friends.  And, it will be just on time.  Don't rush it.  Prepare for it.

In the Promise season there are many tiny victories..which lead to a magnificently huge victory.  Oh I love huge victories. :)  Tiny victories are like a chocolate chip cookie.  They're yummy, but you want more.  And the huge victory is like a magnificently gooey goosebump inducing Lava Cake.  Overflowing with decadent richness and filling every cell of your body with extreme passionate joy like nothing else you've experienced.  Victory..it's sweet.  It's here in little bits at first, and then, when we are strong enough to handle the wave, it comes gushing forth in a magnificently flowing abundant flood!  Yahoo!  The Lord is the perfect "baker" and "gardener"!

Love you!

We'll chat soon..

Update on my ol' life :)

Well, It's been a long time since I've really written, I think.  I don't feel like going back to look.  But I think I've just posted videos or things at random.  Yes?  Maybe not.  Let us move on.

Spring is here :)  Have you noticed?  Is it spring-like where you are?  J and I are still sneezing like crazy.  But, the sunshine is so beautiful.  Kuna is always windy, always.  But, once the hot days of summer hit we will be very thankful for the wind..it cools the house down nicely and saves me on A/C bills!  And I love that!

Had a brief moment (48 hours) where I had decided we were going to Maui this summer for a family vacation.  It will be our 15th Anniversary on September 1st.  And, the vacation slot for my parents' time share is Sept. 1 - Sept. 15.  Perfect, right?  Plane tickets were less than $500/each.  Sweet again, right?  Yeah.  This morning I decided forget it.  We'll go the next time their slot is open, in 2 years.  I just don't have the energy to get 2000 bucks right now.  I really, really don't.  Not even for Maui.  We had also thought about just Chris and I going..but we didn't want to go without the kids.  So, it's off.  No Maui.  Just thought I'd let you know :)

I haven't shared this anywhere or with hardly anyone..just my walkin buddy and a few family members.  Why?  I don't know.  Yes I do.  It's because {some} people suck.  And their little petty side comments annoy me.  And I didn't feel like hearing all of the snickering and assuming and crap that may happen if I talked about it.  Because really it's no ones business what I do with my money.  But!!  Onto the news, we got a new truck. :)  We were able to move things around with bills and then trade in our SUV for the truck we've been wanting (and needing in the summertime) for years.  And, the best part is, even though the truck payment is more than the SUV payment was..we still save more money than we did before we got the truck.  God is SOOOOOOO good.  I would tell you about the huge lesson in faith my earthly Daddy gave me concerning my Heavenly Daddy the entire week previous to the purchase of the truck.  But, it's way too long and let's just sum it all up in saying, when we take our meesly little control off of the situation and let God do His thing..the blessings FAR outweigh what we could have come up with on our own.  Love my Daddy, and my Daddy God. :O) 

So, we love the truck.  Mostly, we love the butt warmers!!  Yeeeehaw for butt warmers :)  And, it came with 3 months free of some satellite music service thing.  It's Serious but spelled stupid..That's all the rage now.  Spelling junk wrong.  Anyhoo..I think I just sounded like I was 80 right then.  But, regardless, the kids love the music thing.  They like the Disney station (wow, Disney kids don't sing about mickey mouse anymore) and I love the Coffeehouse station.  But, I don't think we will keep it after the free period is up.  13 bucks a month to keep it.  That's just silly for me.  Maybe if I were driving all the time like I used to I could justify it.  But no.

As you FB'ers know, I finally hit 150lbs this week.  DANG IT TAKES FOREVER TO LOSE WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY!!!  But, it feels nice :)

The doggy's are out here by me..they are SO CUTE.  I just love them.  Sadie has a big beautiful smile with egyptian eyes.  And Greta has a tiny little gramma w/o her teeth in smile (she does have teeth but her mouth kinda ..well..nevermind) and big Marilyn Monroe eye lashes.  OK..scratch the cute remarks..Greta's now licking her womanlies..she's ruined the moment.

Well, it's been a great week and I know it will continue to be great.  I got to see Jess last week (FINALLY) and then tonight we got to go out for our buddy Eric's bday which was super fun, then tomorrow I get to go to lunch with my long lost buddy Kristi, Thursday night I get to go to girls movie night at my buddy Tiffany's house, and then Fri/Sat/Sun we have Drama competitions!!!  And mixed in there I get to go on walks with Tierney, and maybe a trip to the library with my sweet son.

Hope your weeks are going well, too.  Love you much!  I will leave you with this great mix of quotes from Joyce Meyer.  They were 3 different ones that I smooshed together.

"Instead of concentrating on your problems and getting discouraged, focus on God and meditate on His promises for you. You may have fallen down, but you don't have to stay down. God is ready, willing and able to pick you up.  God loves us because He wants to—it pleases Him. God loves us because it’s His nature to love, and He will always love us. He doesn’t always love everything we do, but He does love us. God’s love is unconditional. In fact, there’s nothing we can do to ever escape His love. God’s love is the power that forgives our sins, heals our emotional wounds, and mends our broken hearts.  The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life." ~Joyce Meyer~

We'll chat soon..

Rebound from Regret

 
 

YOU: APPROVED!

My buddy, Ernesto, posted this devo on his FB page today.  I immediately stole it.  I love it!  Thought you might, too.  So often we try to hard to be something we are not..more like someone else who we think is happier, prettier, better at parenting, better at this or that..but all we need to do is be who WE were created to be.  He created each one of us differently for a reason.  And He didn't make a mistake.  He formed us, and he marked us APPROVED!  That's pretty awesome!  As you've probably seen in my email quote.."God didn't make a mistake when He made you.  You need to see yourself as God sees you!"  And by the way, He sees you as AMAZING, because you ARE! :)  Love you!

Here's the devo:



TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:


Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you…"

(Jeremiah 1:5, AMP)

Did you know that God was thinking about you before you were ever born? He knew everything about you before you were in your mother's womb. He created you on purpose, for a purpose. He carefully planned who you would be, the color of your hair, the color your eyes and skin. He gave you gifts, talents, and abilities to be used for His glory. He took one look at you and said, "Approved." ... See More

No matter how you may be feeling right now, no matter who's approval you didn't get on this earth, know that Almighty God loves you and approves of you today. There's nothing you can do now or ever to change that. You may be thinking, "I've made so many mistakes, how can God approve of me?" Understand that when God sees you, He separates you from your behavior. He may not approve of your actions all the time, but He desires to help you grow and make better choices.

Today, receive His love and acceptance. Allow Him to work in your life. Allow His love to empower and strengthen you because you are approved and equipped to live in victory all the days of your life!



A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You for approving me and empowering me by Your love. I open my heart and mind to Your truth and invite You to have Your way in my life. Remove anything that would hold me back from all You have in store. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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We'll chat soon..

Are any of you having a hard time commenting on my page?  My MIL is, so I turned off the need for comments to be approved before showing.  Well, if you are having trouble, email me and let me know :)  mrsmendiola@cableone.net

Love you!

Just keepin it real..maybe too real?

You, know, I'm just gonna come right out and say what most Mom's are too scared to say (it seems).  Here it goes (and I'm already fighting the urge to delete this post before it even starts..just knowing what I'm about to write "out loud")

"Being a Mom really sucks sometimes!!"

OK, there, I said it.  I don't really feel better.  But, it's true.  Sometimes kids are just filthy little liars, self absorbed, malfunctioning, and hideously unaware of how their actions (or lack there of) affect the world around them!  (And, let's just be brutaly honest here, we are ALL kids)

And, sometimes, it just really hurts the Mommy heart to watch her child look her straight in the eye, and with no reservation, lie.  Just LIE.  Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and...

There are days when I just want to quietly go downstairs, pick up the keys, go out to the car and drive.  Drive to the airport to get a ticket to anywhere and go.  Because evidently nothing I have done here at home has worked.  All of the teaching, and showing by example, and encouraging, and late night talks, and whatever else..they've all failed.  If it was a job I was getting paid for, they'd fire me and find some Stepford Wife Mom to take my place.  One who doesn't care what her kids do.  Doesn't desire for them to be all they can be.  Couldn't care less if they have morals or values.  Encourages them to go smoke crack just for life experience sake. (no, my kids don't smoke crack)

I love my children.  I don't ever want a day without them being my children.  My children are the most amazing creatures I have ever met.  I absolutely adore them.  But sometimes, being their Mom sucks.  That's just the way it is.  I tell them, "I will ALWAYS love you.  But that doesn't mean that I have to love what you do.  I am ALWAYS proud of YOU.  But that doesn't mean I am always proud of what you do."

Being a Mom is just like any other job that you love.  Sometimes you have great days, and sometimes, even though you love the job, it sucks.  And, today, my job sucked.

Tomorrow is a new day.  And, God willing, I will wake up to two beautiful children who are happy and healthy and ready to embark on their days with joy and smiles.  But, if not, this whole Mommy gig is still the sweetest on the planet.  Sucky days or not, I wouldn't trade them for anything.  I would, however, enjoy a lie remover procedure.  And a half assery removal procedure.  Not as replacements for these days of suckfest, but just in addition to these days of suckfest :)

Love you guys. :) 

We'll chat soon..

5 Question Friday (pretend it's Friday)

Ok, so it's not Friday anymore.  But, it's still close.  So, off I go!

1. HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND ON THE COMPUTER A DAY?
A lot.  With the home schooling program we do being online, I spend most of the day there.  And I multi-task between that, FB, Blogs, and many other things!  And then in the evening I get right back on..

2. WILL YOU PAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S COLLEGE OR RAISE THEM TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN?
My kids will need to pay for their own college, and they know this..and they still want to go.  College is a life choice, it's not mandatory.  I figure they've got a pretty good deal..I pay for everything for 18 years, not asking for, wanting, or expecting any repayment.  They can pay for what happens after 18. :)

3. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT?
A few, but none of them were my fault.  Honestly.  An older (by older I mean ancient) man decided that the unprotected turn signal meant that he could go when and/or whenever he wanted..even into the side of our car.  Then, a few years later, a dirt biker came up over a hill and didn't expect to see my car on the side of the road (we had heard them so we pulled off to wait) and freaked out, losing control of his bike and running it into the entire side of my car..ripping my tire apart and making a huge turd out of the rest of it.  There had been many who came over the hill before him, they did just fine with our car on the side of the road..but he, apparently, thought our Ford wagon was straight from an alien planet.  Poor guy.  He and his friends spent the rest of the day towing us back to town and fixing our car up good enough so we could go home (we were a long ways from home).  While, I sat in their living room overlooking the river, his friend feeding us.  Pretty nice, right?  Even then, the Lord took care of me. :)  We had to drive about 5 miles/hr all the way home down the windy mountain..it took hours.  Everyone driving behind us hated us.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers.  I know I've said it a million times.  But you MUST READ THIS BOOK.

5. DO YOU MAKE YOUR BED EVERY DAY?
I go in phases.  But, it's almost always at least 'pulled up'..just not made special. 

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Have a wonderful Saturday, friends!  Love you, bunches.  You're never alone. :)

We'll chat soon...

It's taken me a week to get to this!  Eek.  I'm slipping!  Anyway, Jennifer over at The Days I'll Remember gave me a Beautiful Blogger award last week.  How very fun was that to see!  So, now I will give a few awards :)  If you feel the itch to do so, go ahead and post 3 awards on your page! It's fun :)

First, I just have to give Jennifer the award right back!  Her blog, The Days I'll Remember, is SO beautiful in every way.  It's inspiring, it's funny, it's filled with amazing photography and wonderful moments which are beautifully described in words that come straight from the heart.  She frequently makes me giggle, cry, and praise the Lord with her.  Her blog is a treasure, and so is she. Love you, Jennifer! 

My second award goes to Aurora.  I always get excited when I see a new blog pop up with her name on it. :)  She is so profound.  She challenges and comforts the reader.  She reminds us that though the storm rages, there is a Mighty God who comforts more than any human can.  Plus, her page flair is just so cute!! 

My third award has to go to Val over at Where Am I? .  I've known Val for about 12 years now.  We've been through a lot!  We've grown a lot!  And I just love reading her blog, being part of her amazing journey.  Watching her come out of her cacoon and FLY like a beautiful butterfly is an amazing thing.  I just love her severe and brutal honesty.  Her refusal to sugarcoat things.  And her rock solid determination to GROW.  Love you VFowler!  The Lord has an AMAZING future planned just perfectly for YOU!

Gosh, it's hard to choose just 3 awards..I love all of the blogs I read.  But these 3 came to mind first today :)  Love you all!

We'll chat soon..

The kids were with their Grandparents this weekend.  It was sooo nice to have a weekend with my sweet hubby.  We had an awesome time.  Went out to dinner and a movie on Friday night.  And, Laura, I thought of you because they sang "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" quite a few times!!  urrrg  Anyway, Saturday we just laid around, watched some shows we'd been behind on and then had some friends over for games, dinner and a movie.  We may have done something else on Saturday, seems like we went out for some reason.  But, I can't remember.  Then on Sunday we relaxed, caught up on a few more shows, talked about some passages in the Bible I'd been reading and then went into town to get smoothies, and the kids :)  Then Chris asked if I would go to drama practice with him and Ash.  So, we did.  Wow, that's a long day of drama.  Fun to see how they are all progressing, but very mentally draining.  I gotta give claps (do the clap clap!) to Georgiann, Crystal, Laura and my hubby.  They really have a heart for the kids, and the kids for them. 

The sun is out again today, but it keeps getting covered by those pesky clouds.  We've even had a bit of rain.  Hello, spring, I think this is you!

Well, I don't have much to share.  I haven't blogged in awhile.  I do need to give some awards.  I will have to do that later when we aren't so busy with school work.  Hope you are all having a wonderful Monday! Love you much.

We'll chat soon...

formspring.me

What the hake is this site ... seems a little to personal for you Sarah.

Who says "hake" anymore, I mean really. But, I like it.

Too personal?? Name a question you've ever asked that I didn't answer. Go ahead..

Ask me anything

Grass, and birds, and sunshine, OH MY!

So, yesterday I noticed..hey, the grass is turning green again.  I smiled.  And I saw a few birds on the bird feeder next door and got all excited, telling hubby that they {birds} are starting to think about coming back!  And then this morning, the skies are bright blue and clear..AND THERE ARE BIRDS EVERYWHERE!!!

Spring REALLY IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was it really God that showed up? Or was it you.

Well, it's Tuesday.  Weigh in day. Yeah, it bugs me that it's on a Tuesday, too.  Weird day.  But, that's ok.  It is what it is.  I quit lifting weights and have been noticing a difference in the weight.  I just don't care about weights right now.  I want the weight gone.  So, today I was down to 152.  Haven't been this light in over 8 years.  Kinda nice. :)  Even nicer is how my spirit is feeling.  I feel so much lighter spiritually.  The Lord is amazingly faithful. 

It bugs me when people say, "God really showed up!"  Um..God doesn't change.  He doesn't move.  We do.  GOD didn't show up, YOU did, when you finally decided to look UP and OUT of your circumstances and put your focus on His marvelous face.  He stands at the door and knocks. It's YOUR choice to let him in, or not.  Therefor, what you should really say is, "I SHOWED UP, OPENED THE DOOR, AND WELCOMED DADDY IN FOR A PLAY DATE!"  He wants to talk with you, dance with you, listen to you, minister to you, laugh with you, wipe away your tears.  But He won't push His way in where He is not welcome.  He LONGS for intimacy with you.  Open the door.  Show up.  If you want what He has to offer you, you HAVE to show up.  You can't collect a paycheck unless you show up for work.  Why do you expect to have intimacy with Christ if you don't show up?  It's not His job to "show up", He never left.  He's been standing at the front door of your heart, with a smile, arms  open, gifts in hand..why won't you answer the door?  If your child was standing at the door, excited to show you something he had prepared just for you, and he was knocking..would you ignore him/her?  Would you turn him/her away?  Don't turn your Father away.  He loves you with a love that exceeds all expectation or imagination.  Let Him love you.  Show up.

I was listening to a message online and the speaker said:  "Inside of you is a treasure without measure. For He inhabits the praises of His people."  I thought, wow, that is so true.  I'm not just a body.  I'm a vessel, holding a treasure with value beyond measure.  But, the only way I can truly appreciate/embrace/use that treasure is if I actively PRAISE.  It's in the praising that we truly see Him and know the many treasures he has given us.  I can read my Bible, listen to worship, etc, but until I PRAISE Him, I cannot truly embrace the treasure that He has planted inside of me.  I cannot truly be inhabited by Christ.  Of course He is always with me.  But, until I welcome Him to inhabit my deepest innermost being by PRAISING Him, I am not able to grasp all that He has for me.  I go back to kids..if my child brings me a piece of artwork that he/she has worked on for days and it soo very proud of him/herself, would I just say, "Good job.  Proud of you."  Or would I say, "Wow!  You have done such a wonderful job!  I can really see how much work you've put into this!  I can see all of the colors and the beautiful shapes and details.  You amaze me with your commitment to making this your very best project yet!"  I mean we go on and on praising our children, right?  Making sure that they know that they are truly valued and loved.  We tell our friends about them, we post pictures of them, we relay stories all over town about their accomplishments.  Do we do the same, and with the same excitement, for our Father?  It's in the PRAISING that we truly encounter Him.

I see so many hurting, lashing out, closing off, pushing away.  And it breaks my heart.  How much more does it hurt the Father to see his children hurting, and hurting others?  I can't imagine.  Grace and love can cover the hurt, if you let it.  Don't allow the enemy to find any foothold.  Before you know it, that one little thing you can't let go of will be the beginning of a huge yoke of bondage in your life.  It's not worth it.  There is nothing worth holding onto in anger.  Give it to your Father and chose to move on in love.  Every decision you make is shaping your future.  Why not make the choice now to make your journey one of beauty and forgiveness instead of marring it with hurt and anger in which you will have to deal with later.  Fervently pursue peace.  You can find peace through praise.  If you are busy praising, it means you are being inhabited by the Holy Spirit.  And it means that you have no room for bitterness.  The Holy Spirit and bitterness do not co-habitate.  So, let it go.  Let go of the hurt and the anger and the disappointment.  Look UP.  The Father can heal every single wound.  But, again, you must open the door and let Him in.  And you must praise him, even through the storm.  Do this and you will begin to see things in a whole new light.  Things that were once murky will become clear.  Old wounds will be healed.  And you will fly.  You will soar on wings of eagles.  You will dance with your Father.  He longs to help you.  He longs to hold you and take all of the pain away.  He longs to show you love like you've never experienced.  But, it's up to you.

Alrighty, I wasn't going to share any of that. I was going to blog about dieting and thank my friend, Michael for the chocolate oatmeal cookie (thank you, M!).  But maybe someone out there in blogworld needed to hear it.  Maybe we all do.  I know I do.  We all falter.  But, it's time to get real.  I've heard that statement so many times over the past few months in sermons and from meetings with friends, "It's time for His people to get REAL."  Stop living behind the mask of perfection and instead admit that you need Him.  You can't make it without Him.  It's time to get REAL.  And there is no shame in that.  Because, you were never intended to be perfect.  And you most certainly were never meant to make it a day without Him.  It's ok.  Just let it all go.  The illusion of control is of no use to you, or anyone else. Be real, and open the door for your Father.  He's waiting on you.

formspring.me

What is one thing that really hurt your feelings, unlike any other rude thing?

Something that hurt me more than anything was/is seeing my kids' hearts hurt by those the look/looked up to. I hate to see kids' spirits broken. Adults are to be nurturing not destructive. Seeing my kids crying because of something someone they trusted said or did breaks my heart. Don't mess with my kids!!

Ask me anything

Being REAL!

Our message at church on Sunday was really good and relevant.  If you have time, give it a listen.  Oh, come on, you have time.  :)  Be blessed..

http://www.kunalifechurch.com/audio/Being_Real.MP3

We'll chat soon..