The Fast Family

Day 32

2012-02-01T10:23:00.001-06:00

I almost put "Day 1" since it is February 1st. Ha!

This week is the rescheduled Spirit Week at Briley's school since last week got postponed. Monday was Crazy Hair Day again. (We didn't have a great morning that day, so suffice it to say, we didn't have a lot of time to plan our crazy hair. We just got a fuzzy pony tail and two hairbows.)

Today is Slipper and Stuffed Animal Day. She wanted to wear Deacon's Lightning McQueen shoes and take her pillow pet. Deacon of course, could not be left out, so he wore his camouflage houseshoes and took some animals. Crazy kids. :)

Day 31

2012-01-31T21:27:00.000-06:00

Daddy and Bubby cuddled up watching a movie. And both getting a little bit sleepy. ;) (I think it's so sweet how he is holding on to Ronnie's finger!)

Day 30

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

Today it was so warm outside, we went out to play! The kids were so excited to be out, and they had so much fun.

It was pretty windy so we even tried flying a kite. It went well for a few minutes, but not very long. It was still fun!

Day 29

2012-01-29T17:23:00.000-06:00

The kids got some angry bird stuffed animals for Christmas, and with some money that Deacon got for Christmas he bought another one today. They wanted to play with them so Ronnie stacked up some paper towel packages and used a frog animal for a pig, and made an angry birds game! The kids had a blast. Ronnie and I may or may not have played too. ;) Ha!

Day 28

2012-01-28T20:42:00.000-06:00

This is not a very good picture, but Briley lost her second tooth tonight! She has been in a lot of pain today. Every time she tried to eat something she would accidentally bite it and start crying. So tonight Ronnie pulled it out. She is so brave! I can't believe my little girl has already lost two teeth!

Day 27

2012-01-28T07:36:00.000-06:00

Forgot to post yesterday:

Last night the kids and I made cookies. We had leftovers of butterscotch, white chocolate, and milk chocolate chips, so we threw them all in. They turned out really good! We love baking together.

Day 26

2012-01-26T19:58:00.000-06:00

So much has been going on in Briley's world lately, I thought I would give Deacon a little blog time. Every night when we put him to bed, he wants Ronnie to pick him up on his shoulders so he can pick an animal to sleep with out of his pet net. This is their little nightly routine. Some of my most vivid memories of growing up is the funny things my dad would do with us at bed time, and I hope Deacon will always remember this too! I'm so glad I have a husband who is such a good daddy to our kids, and really cares about being a part of every moment of their lives.

Day 25

2012-01-25T15:01:00.004-06:00

After we picked Briley up from school today, we met our friends the Holland's at Fun City for pizza and playtime. We always have such a good time with them! (What these fun pictures don't show is the meltdown Deacon had on the way home from being late for his nap. Ha! Of course I knew better, and I broke my own rule of late naptime on school days, so next time we will do our playdate a different time of day.) :)

Day 24

2012-01-24T13:16:00.000-06:00

Today was Briley's 100th day of school party. Each child was supposed to bring 100 things to share (candy, stickers, pennies, etc.) and then everyone got to bring home a few of each item (e.g. a bag full of tons of stuff they don't need. Ha!) Briley wanted to bring erasers so I bought a couple packages of those little triangle shaped pencil topper erasers. This was the loot she came home with! One boy brought 100 squares of toilet paper. Ha! We all three had a good laugh about that on the way home today. :)

Days 22 & 23

2012-01-23T08:24:00.002-06:00

I forgot to post yesterday, so here are two days together, again.

We got a baking urge last night, so we decided to try out some recipes I found on Pinterest. This is a dark chocolate cupcake with homemade buttercream icing. Oh. My. Goodness. These are the best cupcakes I have ever had! My clever husband made an icing tube out of a gallon ziplock. I thought they turned out awesome! And YUMMY!!!!

This week is spirit week at Briley's school, and today is Crazy Hair Day. She decided she wanted a lot of little braids, so I did this last night. It took me a whole hour, but she sat still for the whole thing. This was her this morning on the way to school. She wanted to make a crazy face to go with her crazy hair. Ha! :) When we got to school, we found out spirit week/homecoming got postponed to next week because the team we were supposed to play canceled on us. Everyone still had crazy hair because they didn't find out in time to tell everyone. So now we get to do TWO crazy hair days!

Day 20 & 21

2012-01-21T13:32:00.003-06:00

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so here are two days together.

Briley got her first report card in the mail yesterday. All A's and B's! She is struggling a little bit with her penmanship, but we are going to work on bringing that grade up together at home. Reading is her best subject, and she got all "outstandings' for behaviour. We told her for every A she gets, she will receive a dollar. Here she is with her $4! Super proud of my girl.

(I need to figure out the settings on my camera, some of my pictures make my face glow! Ha!) Today was my nephew (my sister's son) Lucas's 2nd birthday party! He is looking at his daddy, but we got a smile. Can't believe how big all our kids are getting!

Day 19

2012-01-19T19:52:00.000-06:00

I started Briley on piano lessons today! I have been waiting on her to show an interest, and in the last few months she has been begging to have piano lessons. I ordered her books last week, and they came in yesterday! She did so great. In just the few minutes that I spent with her, she picked everything up so quick. Maybe I'm biased, but I think she will be amazing. :)

And I also had to post these: my first loaf of homemade bread! I have been trying to find time to try it for a few weeks now, and tonight I tackled it. It was a little tricky, and there are a few things I will do differently next time, but overall it tasted fantastic. And it was so fun! My mom always made homemade bread when I lived at home. That was one of my favorite things was to eat a slice with a ton of butter right out of the oven. YUM!!! I'm glad I have some bread now that my family can eat without all the junk in it.

Day 18

2012-01-18T17:43:00.000-06:00

Today Briley had her very first eye exam! This is her afterwards waiting on the Dr. to finish his notes. She did so good! She sat still and was extremely cooporative. The Dr. kept commenting on how well behaved she was. She has 20/20 vision, and won't have to go back until she starts 2nd grade. Yay for good eyes!

Day 17

2012-01-17T21:23:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot to post a picture today! This is us just a few minutes ago after watching the Biggest Loser. (We look tired, I know.) We don't have cable, and rarely watch TV except for sports and other special events. But the Biggest Loser is the one show we watch, and we love it!

Day 16

2012-01-16T19:57:00.000-06:00

Playdough night!!

Ronnie's spaghetti and meatballs. Haha! :)

It's a bad picture, but it's somehow the only one I got of Deacon. He was showing me the playdough on his thumb.

Briley making celery.

My artistic creation.

We love family playdough night!

Day 15

2012-01-15T18:28:00.001-06:00

My next attempt at making homemade healthy food: granola! It was super easy: oats, maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. It was so good! Ronnie apparently liked it too. :)

P.S. Those gorgeous baby blues on my man? Completely un-photoshopped. ;)

Day 14

2012-01-14T18:33:00.000-06:00

Briley was invited to a birthday party for her best friend at school. It was a cowgirl theme. This is her in a dress we borrowed from a friend. (Thanks Jordan!)

It was a manicure/pedicure party. It was the CUTEST little girl salon I have ever seen! They got a full treatment, even a leg massage! They also got to watch Tangled in 3D while getting the royal treatment (hence the glasses). Briley was in heaven! I think she will grow up to be just like her momma and love having her nails done! :)

While we were at the party, Ronnie took Deacon out to have boy time. He got a new toy and some ice cream. Fun day!

Day 13

2012-01-13T19:50:00.001-06:00

Cashing in our Book-It certificate for a free Pizza Hut personal pan pizza!

Day 12

2012-01-12T20:52:00.000-06:00

Tonight I had dinner with one of my besties Jody. We ate at the Marketplace (YUM!!) I always enjoy spending time with her. I can be myself, and say anything I want to without feeling judged. But she also lifts me up and encourages me in my walk with the Lord. A gem of a friend!

Day 11

2012-01-11T18:59:00.001-06:00

Tonight we did fingerpainting.

Briley's is a minion from "Despicable Me". She decided on that one all on her own. :)

Forgot to get a picture of Deacon's until he was about to hop in the bath! His was an octopus, a squid and some fish. I love my kids creativity!

Day 10

2012-01-10T18:53:00.000-06:00

This is Briley with her reading homework for tonight. I'm so proud of my girl! Her teacher told me about a month ago that she is the top reader in her class. She can read through all of her homework without any help. (You can also see her red moustache from snack at school. Ha!) She is also doing the Book-It program, and she is required to read 8 books per month on her own. We always go to the library together and she picks them out herself. She has completed October-December and we are working on January. She loves taking her certificate for a free pizza to Pizza Hut! We make a special event of it once a month. I'm so glad she loves reading! I have always loved reading my whole life. My mom taught me to read when I was 4, and I always hoped my kids would love it just as much.

Day 9

2012-01-09T19:28:00.001-06:00

Tonight we made white chocolate covered marshmallows! YUM!

Day 8

2012-01-08T16:39:00.000-06:00

In my quest to feed my family healthier foods without all of the chemicals and preservatives, I have been making a lot more homemade things. Today I made these chocolate chip granola bars (I found the recipe on Pinterest). They are heavenly! And they are so filling, you only need a small bite. Cost to make these: about $3. Score!

Day 7

2012-01-07T15:26:00.001-06:00

I have several pictures for today, just because we have had so much fun!

This just makes me laugh. The kids stayed up last night playing with their friends while we watched the Cotton Bowl, so they got in bed VERY late. This was them this morning after we got them up. Ha!

Today we took the kids to the Kids Workshop at Home Depot. We built barn banks, and they always have so much fun when we do this. We take turns each time helping them.

Then we took Deacon to get his first haircut at a salon! I have always cut his hair before, but it is starting to get too unmanageable for me. He did so good!

I know this is way more than one photo, but I couldn't resist posting all these!

Day 6

2012-01-06T23:30:00.000-06:00

We had our friends Shawn and Kim and their kids over tonight to watch the Cotton Bowl (which we WON, by the way. GO HOGS!!!!) We had such a good time hanging out, and our kids love to play together. This is Kim and I at 11:00pm, looking very tired. We love our friends, and we love the Hogs!

Day 5

2012-01-05T19:50:00.000-06:00

This is us with our friend Napo. He is a local artist, and tonight was his first official art show! It was held at the Art Center of the Ozarks. We are so proud of him, it was an amazing exhibit, and we were so excited to be able to go. Congrats Napo!

Day 4

2012-01-04T20:18:00.001-06:00

Nicole, one of my best and oldest friends, moved back to NWA from West Virginia last week! We met up and had dinner tonight at Chili's with our families and got to see her new house. Looking forward to many more playdates! (Yes, I realize how incredibly pale I am.) Ha!

Day 3

2012-01-03T13:02:00.000-06:00

I am really enjoying this project! It takes all of five minutes to complete a post, and I feel good keeping up with my blog and saving these memories.

Today is our last day of Christmas Break before Briley heads back to school tomorrow. I am kind of sad, but I am also going to be glad to get back into a routine. Briley is super excited to get back to school! She has been asking me for almost two weeks now, "When do I get to go back to school?!?!?!" I am thankful that she loves it!

So today we had a playdate with our good friends the Foshe's at Fun City. We had pizza, played on the huge playset, and played a bunch of games. We had a blast, and we love our friends!

Day 2

2012-01-02T20:10:00.000-06:00

This isn't a very good picture, but it's the best I could get! They were so busy playing, they didn't want to look at mom and her camera. Ha! Our kiddos are OBSESSED with the Angry Birds game. They are experts at playing it on our phones. So for Christmas we got them this Angry Birds board game. There are plastic pieces that you set up with little rubber pigs and you have a slingshot with rubber birds to try and knock it down. SUPER cute and fun! They love it and play it every day. They have such a blast with it!

Project 365

2012-01-01T16:55:00.004-06:00

I'm kind of embarrassed to even post, because it's been almost a year! I have been thinking about my blog, and how I would still like to keep it up, so I'm going to do Project 365 for the year. I got inspired by several of my friends who did it last year, and thought it would be a quick and easy way for me to keep up! Oh by the way, Happy New Year!!!

Sunday, January 1st 2012

We had a fun day with the kids! We were going to make sugar cookies a few days ago, so we pre-made the dough and put it in the fridge. We forgot about it, and it got a little dry so it wouldn't work very well. SO we made one HUGE sugar cookie and decorated it! Here is the finished product:

I hope everyone had a great New Years, and I am looking forward to this project! I hope I still have one or two readers left. ;)

Thursday Daybook

2011-03-03T12:06:00.000-06:00

From my pictures....my husband. One of the reasons I fell in love with him is because he makes me laugh. :)

Outside my window......my daffodils are already blooming in the front flower bed!

I am thinking....about everything I have to get done in the next few days. I have been very busy with The CALL lately!

I am thankful.....that even though the Lord continually shows me the darkness in my own heart, He is faithful to show me how much He loves me anyway.

From the kitchen....I have done two loads of dishes, with one more to go, and groceries from last night need to be put away.

I am wearing....gray pants, an Aaron Ivey band t-shirt, my glasses, and my hair is doing something interesting, not quite sure what.

I am creating.....lists. Lots and lots of lists.

I am remembering....things that I thought were long forgotten. Now to process them.

I am going....to put kids down for a nap, have some time with the Lord, then Briley's new gymnastics class when Ronnie gets home.

I am reading....The Middle Mom, and the Bible. And lots of others that I can't remember. I always have about 10 books going at once!

I am hoping....for some direction and discernment.

I am hearing......Marcus Meier on the IHOP webstream, Boz on the TV, and Briley asking me to help her with her paper dolls. So I do, in between typing lines on this post.

Around the house....it's a bit of a mess from being so busy the last two weeks. Hoping to get some stuff done tomorrow and Saturday.

One of my favorite things....being silly with my family. We love to make each other laugh, and it's nice that we all have the same sense of humor. :)

Pondering these words......some secret things the Lord has been whispering to my heart the last two days.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....tomorrow I have a ton of errands, Ronnie is working Saturday and I am taking the kids to the workshop at Home Depot, church on Sunday, a CALL training Sunday night I have to go to, and a CALL info meeting Monday night. Then maybe I will get a break!:)

Processing.

2011-02-27T16:14:00.000-06:00

Here are a few things I came away with from Idea Camp:

* Man made orphanages for orphans; God made families for orphans.

* As foster and adoptive parents, we need to be careful not to make idols of our biological children.

* We as the church need to not let adoption/foster care become the next "fad".

* Adoption is a calling; orphan care is a mandate.

* Ignorance isn't bliss.

* We should be running to the broken places, because that is where we find God.

* Discarded things still have value.

* 38,000 children age out of orphanages every day, with no place to go.

* The Church is the only sustainable institution in the community.

* Conformity is our response to fear and rejection.

* There is no lack of Christians in the world; only a lack of Christians with compassion.

* 42% of children that age out of foster care will end up in prison.

* Only 3% of husbands start the adoption conversation in their home.

* When God gives you a Word, and you start walking towards it, you WILL be tested.

* When we say "God, I can't do this, God says "thank you".

Where I'm at........

2011-02-25T21:04:00.000-06:00

This is where I'm at this weekend. Speaking about, and representing The CALL. More later!!! :)

Holidays, birthdays, and hot dates.

2011-02-20T13:55:00.003-06:00

It's been a busy week, and now I am enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon while kids take naps and Ronnie is playing disc golf with some friends. Perfect opportunity to blog! :)

I didn't get a post on Valentines Day, but ours wasn't the best we have ever had. Briley ran a fever for about 24 hours starting the day before, so our holiday was kind of a bummer. We spent Valentines evening trying to get her very high fever to come down from 104 by taking cold baths. NOT fun.

But we did get some early celebrating in. Friday night we went to eat at the Catfish Hole, and did some shopping.

Saturday before Valentines, we made a special breakfast. Pink chocolate chip pancakes! It was a hit with the kids. I'm not the best at taking pictures of food, (Ha!) but you get the idea.

Saturday evening we went to see Tim Hawkins, and our good friends Scott & Kelly kept our kids for us. It was so fun to get out for a while, and our kids love playing with their kids. Tim Hawkins was HILARIOUS. Love him! This is not the best picture of us, but we really enjoyed the night!

Monday was spent, of course, being sick. We got the kiddos new coloring books and some chocolate for Valentines Day. Here they are in their cuteness.

Poor girl, you can tell she didn't feel good. Ronnie let the kids pick out a gift for me. Briley picked a glittery nail polish, and Deacon got me a king size Cookie's & Cream Hershey bar. (He must have had a little help from Daddy on that one.) ;) Here we are, all looking a bit rough.

Thursday night, we FINALLY got to have Briley's birthday party. We had to reschedule twice because of the snow. She was really awesome about having to put it off, but we were glad to be able to have it for her after so long. Here is the princess in her beautiful party outfit. It kind of stressed me out how grown up she looked. :(

Posing with her cake she has BEGGED for the last 4 months.

With cousin Ginger (my sister's little girl). They are a little less than a year apart.

With Ginger and Jordan.

Make a wish!!!!!

For an activity, she wanted to decorate cupcakes. Or, "pupcakes" as she calls them. :)

Getting a little help from pappo.

Daddy's girl.

It was a super fun and cute party. Thanks to everyone who came and helped make it special! My friend Brandy took a lot more pictures for me, I will post them when I get them. Can't wait to see those!!!

Friday night, (drum roll) Ronnie and I FINALLY got to go on a date!!! It know this is pathetic, but we haven't been out since our anniversary last April. We have talked about needing to make alone time more of a priority, and this year we are trying to get out at least once a month. My awesome friend Jody watched our kids for us. We had such a good time! We went to eat at Red Lobster (my all time favorite!!!), did some shopping and found some Christmas gift bargains for the kids (SCORE!!), watched True Grit (great movie) and went to Cold Stone before going home. We has such a sweet time, and I felt like a teenager again. Ha!

OK, time to go figure out what to make for dinner later. I am thinking home made pizza? Yumm!

More.....

2011-02-12T13:21:00.000-06:00

I'm on a roll, and feeling pretty accomplished. :)

DECEMBER

Briley posing with her ballerina ornament from last year

Every year we take the kids to the Promenade Mall to look at lights, and we get candy at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. One of our favorite traditions! (Briley was in her stroller b/c she begged to sit in it, she was so cold!)

I took Briley to see Tangled for a Mommy-Daughter day. When we got home, Daddy had a surprise for her: the Rapunzel doll! He created a scavenger hunt with all kinds of clues to lead her to it.

Story time.

Painting Christmas cookies with Ronnie's parents

Lights on the Fayetteville Square

This Christmas our church had it's first annual Ladies Ornament/Cookie Exchange. We each made 2 dozen cookies, and brought one unique ornament. We did a "Dirty Santa" exchange for the ornaments. My favorite part was exchanging the cookies! We each put our cookies out on the table, and told the story behind which recipe we chose. Then we got to take a cookie from each plate home. Talk about yummy!! I had so much fun. The silver star beside me is the ornament I took home.

Briley all dressed up to go to her good friend Kayla's birthday party

Playing

Christmas with Ronnie's parents

Christmas morning at our house!

Christmas with my family

Best friends!

JANUARY

Playing in a cardboard house made by daddy

Deacon got really sick in January with the stomach flu. He was so dehydrated we almost had to admit him to the hospital. Poor little boy! He didn't feel good at all.

First snow!!!!!

For Briley's birthday this year, she wanted to get her ears pierced. We took her a few days before, just in case she chickened out we would still have time to buy her another gift. She did so good!! Only a few seconds of tears. This was getting the marks on her ears to line them up.

Lining up the guns and getting a little nervous........

Right after......

.......and right before the tears!

As soon as she saw them, the tears dried up in a hurry!

FEBRUARY so far........

Snow bunnies

February Kid's Workshop

Before our first snow melted away, we got ANOTHER snow on top of it!

Ronnie made a huge igloo for the kids......it took him three hours!

Briley's 5th Birthday! February 7th, 2011

Went to our friend Mason' house to play, and they made cupcakes for us!

Presents from Mommy, Daddy, and Bubby

Happy Birthday hugs from Bubby

Presents from Ronnie's parents

We have had to reschedule the poor girl's party TWICE because of snow! Hopefully nothing will keep us from having it next week.

Speaking of snow, we got a record breaking snow here this week, of 21 inches!!!! It was unbelievable!

The igloo!

OK so I am finally current! Thanks for sticking with me through all the old photos, and I hope to keep it up from now on! Thanks Brandy, for the encouragement. ;)

More updates

2011-02-11T13:07:00.002-06:00

Day #2 of posting. Yay me!! :)

Here are some more catch-up pictures:

OCTOBER

Pumpkin Patch, 2010!!!

Tired of pulling......... ;)

NOVEMBER

On November 4th, I had the privilege of praying with my daughter as she asked Jesus to come live in her heart forever. One of the greatest blessings I have ever received!! We had bought a "big girl" princess Bible a long time ago and put it back for her. After this happened, we thought it was the perfect occasion to give it to her!

November Kid's Workshop

Making christmas candy with daddy. These are called ice cream cones. You take a Bugle, dip it in white almond bark, and put an M & M on the end. Super yummy!!

In the process of getting out Christmas decorations, we found our costume box and had some fun with an old wig. ;)

Putting up the tree

Thanksgiving at my parents, putting together Turkey crafts.

This picture just makes me laugh. This is how I found them watching a movie one morning. :)

More to come later!!

Hello.

2011-02-10T14:23:00.001-06:00

So do you like my pretty new blog? My awesome friend Brandy bribed me with an updated layout if I would start blogging again. How could I say no to that?? ;)

Seriously, though, I really have missed blogging, and the fact that I don't have any posts since last June is pretty sad. I really like looking back through old photos and notes about what the kids have been doing. So here we go. Time to get back on the wagon.

I want to post a few photos from each month to try and catch up. (I may have to do only a couple of months in each post, since I have slacked off so long.) We have been busy in the Fast household!

JULY

4th of July!

Briley's first movie to see in the theater, Toy Story 3!

Briley had been begging for red hair forever, so we colored it for her, just for fun. She was in heaven!

Camping with our good friends!

AUGUST

Saying goodbye to our fish, Curious George. He got too big for our tank, so we set him free in the lake.

Our crab that we got to replace George. The kids named him Ramone. :)

Deacon moved out of his crib to a toddler bed. This is him pretending to sleep. Ha! No more cribs in my house. Yes, I cried.

My big kids on Sunday School graduation day. Briley moved up the stairs to the 4 & 5 year old class, and Deacon moved from the nursery to the toddler class. No more babies in the nursery for me. More crying.

Just me and my lover.

SEPTEMBER

At the Washington County Fair. We got rained on but it was still super fun!

Picnic table Ronnie built for the kids.

We took a small vacation, and just did different fun things around home. We took the kids bowling at Fast Lanes, their first time ever. So cute!

One day we went to the Tulsa Zoo......

Sopapillas from Casa Bonita. Mmmmmm!!!!

Ronnie wrestling the alligator.

Well I think that is all I can do for this post......I will do another one tomorrow and try to get a few more months done. Did you miss me??? ;)

When it rains......

2010-06-23T14:53:00.004-05:00

......it pours.

The last week and a half has been so crazy. Hmmm, where to start.

Last Wednesday, I went to my sisters to spend the morning. The night before, a friend of mine who sells Advocare (vitamins) brought me some samples to try. Just a days worth. She told me the order I should take them in, and how to do it. Long story short, I took way too much, way too close together, and I had an INSANE reaction to them. I mean, if I knew what a high on speed feels like, that was probably it. After I started feeling better, I drove home, and in the car I completely CRASHED. I was literally holding my own eyes open to keep from falling asleep. The next day I was fine, but wow. It was definitely one of the weirdest days ever. In defense of my friend, she had NO idea that I would react that way, obviously. :) We BOTH learned a lesson that day. Ha!

Ok, so the next day my sister had to be admitted to the hospital with gall bladder problems. It ended up also being pancreatitis, and she was there from Thursday through Monday, finally having surgery Sunday morning. Meanwhile, my grandfather (mom's dad) got admitted to the same hospital Saturday morning with internal bleeding and lost 50% of his blood. He was there through yesterday. My poor mother. I was at the hospital off and on during that whole time helping out, and my house definitely looked the part. If you think about it, would you pray for my family? Thanks, we could sure use it!

So this week for me has been spent catching up on things around here, and Friday I am going to spend some time helping my sister. Other than all that, things have been fairly normal. Ha!

Saturday morning we did a lot of outside work, before I went to the hospital, and we actually got my car cleaned out and washed. Praise the Lord! It has been so long, and it was in really bad shape. We let the kids help and they had so much fun. I got some cute pictures but don't feel like loading them from the camera right now. Next post.....

I have really been needing to get my computer looked at, my cd/dvd player has crashed and I have a ton of pictures on my hard drive that I need to copy to cd. I am so nervous, I don't want to lose them! So a friend of mine is coming over today to fix it, I am so anxious! Pray healing over my computer!!! :)

The Awareness of God

2010-06-17T15:40:00.003-05:00

I have been reading Pursuit of the Holy by Corey Russell. I bought it a few years ago and never read it. Just last week while looking at my bookshelves it jumped out at me. Sometimes God does that. I will buy a book because I know I am supposed to, but then I don't read it for a long time and then all the sudden God will shove it in my face, and it goes along perfect with what I am going through at that time. Anyway, this part was so good, I wanted to share. It is the best description of the fear of the Lord that I have ever heard. You always hear that phrase, "the fear of the Lord". I never quite totally understood the full meaning of it until I read this. It seems so simple now! Hope it ministers to someone like it did for me.

What exactly is the fear of the Lord? What does it mean to understand it? What does it mean to understand Him? To understand someone involves much more than mental comprehension. Mentally comprehending that someone is a person or that they exist does not mean you understand them. When we really understand someone, we understand their thoughts, emotions, and personality. We know about their past; we know about their future plans. We have discovered what motivates them, what delights them, what moves them. We know their likes and dislikes, their hopes and dreams. We know what makes them laugh and what makes them weep. And we are impacted by our awareness of them in their entirety. The same is true with God and our understanding of Him.

I would define the fear of the Lord as the awareness of God. As we begin to understand the fear of the Lord, we begin to feel the reality of God and who He is bear down upon us and stir our hearts. We begin to become aware of Him in His entirety.

You and I live under the watchful gaze of Almighty God. It is a loving gaze, but a searching one. Nothing we do is hidden from His sight. He sees all, He knows all, and He tests our hearts. Understanding this produces a godly fear of the Lord in us. Jesus sought to awaken this fear of the Lord in His listeners when He preached the Sermon on the Mount, where He spoke about the “God who sees in secret” several times (Matthew 6). Every second of every minute of every hour of every day, whether spent in the secret place or in public, matters to God. In God’s sight, there is no difference between what we do at home when we’re all alone and what we do in front of people.

The fear of the Lord comes from the awareness that God sees “the real me”. We so easily make the mistake of basing our success on what others say about us and how well we seem to be doing in comparison to everyone else at church, but God doesn’t evaluate us on those criteria. He evaluates us on what is working on the inside of us. He sees differently than man sees and He evaluates differently than man does. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He doesn’t define us by what we accomplish in our own strength, but by our secret thoughts and the inner workings of our hearts. The question we should ask is not “What do other people think of me?” but “What is heaven’s perspective on my life?”

When we understand and accept that what God thinks about us is all that matters, it shatters the secret, ripening sin in our hearts and silences our urges to gratify the flesh. As our lives are brought into the light, we repent and we embrace God’s plan for how to live our lives. We stop living for the praise of men and women and start living for an audience of One. We find ourselves desiring to live in righteousness for God and God alone. Our whole lives begin to change, Our prayer lives become holy, our fasting becomes holy, our giving becomes holy, our conversations become holy. Our thoughts, words and deeds are saturated in our awareness of the One who is above all.

- Corey Russell, "The Pursuit of the Holy"

Blogging

2010-06-13T08:47:00.002-05:00

The last few evenings I have been working on trying to finish Briley's baby book. It goes through her third birthday, and there were a bunch of gaps I had to fill in. What turned out to be a big help, was this blog. I went all the way back to my first posts, and all of the things I recorded helped me remember so much more for her book. Which made me really regret not staying on top of my blog lately. I have missed quite a bit this year. I really hope to be able to keep up with this, just to be able to have a journal of our lives and things the kids do. And to also have things to go back to when I attempt to catch up on Deacon's book. I really hope I can do better keeping up with this, even if no one is reading it! :)

Here is a picture of me and my kiddos on Mother's Day:

We didn't do too much, but it was really nice. My family made me the cutest card, and we went to church. After naps, we got cheeseburgers and had a picnic and bonfire in our backyard. The kids ate at the little picnic table that Ronnie made for them. Then we made strawberry shortcake. It was very low key, but it was so relaxing and enjoyable for me. Very special!

I also turned 30 this month. It wasn't quite what I expected. :) I wasn't depressed about it at all, and didn't really think I would be, until my birthday. I have to admit I felt pretty down that day. I think leaving behind your 20's forever is a bit more traumatic that people give it credit for. But, I think I am fine now. Ha!

This is me and my girl on my birthday.

A few days after my birthday, one of my really good friends won tickets to the family night at the Naturals stadium. It was sponsored by KLRC; a free concert by Josh Wilson and then the game. It also came with a free cd by Josh Wilson. Well, she was out of town that day, so she gave the tickets to me for my birthday! It was so sweet, and we had so much fun! We didn't make it the entire game because it was pretty late for the kids, but it was still a blast. The kids really had fun.

Josh Wilson

The next day was Deacon's 2nd birthday. We had a party for him and for my 30th on the same day. I usually get stressed out having parties, but I had a really good day! The party turned out so great, and it was a time with friends and family I will always remember.

The birthday boy!

Party decorations.

Four of my besties: Kim, Jaina, Kristie, and JoAnna.

My mom holding my nephew Lucas.

My birthday cookie cake that my awesome hubby designed for me!

Deacon's G. I. Joe cake.

I think the kids were ready....

His new favorite....

Briley's special gift.

My best friend JoAnna came up from her home town for my party, and to spend some time with me. We got to hang out for a while and just talk, like old times. It was just so much fun! I miss you and love you, my friend!!!

Summer is finally here for real! It has been so hot lately, in the 90's. We have been playing in the water a LOT!

We've also been hitting up the farmer's market for some fresh fruits and veggies. (And cookies!) :) The kids love going and picking out stuff. And me too!

Posing on the really cool chair at the market.

Getting distracted by a helicopter.

A few months ago I bought a bed from a friend for Briley. She is way outgrowing her toddler bed and ready to upgrade. I got this bed at an awesome price, and it just needed a little bit of work.

Here Ronnie has done the sanding and is getting it ready to paint. We are just going to paint it white. Then when it's ready, we will paint her toddler bed and pass it down to Deacon. I will post more pics when it is done. We also got her a new bedset for the new bed and we are going to repaint her room. Can't wait to see it all done!

Ronnie has had fun playing around with Deacon's hair this summer. He has had a mohawk for a while now, and the other day decided to try claws. Here is the result:

Deacon loves it, Ronnie loves it, I am still coming to terms with it. ;)

Last weekend was the Kids Workshop. This time they made a fooseball table. Each time we take turns helping a kid and then switch. This time Ronnie helped Briley and I helped Deacon. They were pretty proud of their creations.

That evening we had my cousin and his daughter over to cookout and play. More fun in the water!

Briley and Cadence.

Yesterday we went to play frisbee golf, and my dad tagged along. It was nice and cool most of the morning but then it got really hot, really fast. The kids wore out, and we didn't finish all 18 baskets, but we had a really fun time.

On the way there.....

Love this.....

Well I think that is all the pictures I had to post. Everyone is taking a nap in my house, so I am going to go join them now! :)

Wherein I don't have a cute title

2010-04-30T22:36:00.005-05:00

This Wednesday, the 28th, Ronnie and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. I can't believe we have been married that long. I still feel like we are dating sometimes! (Two kids later.....) Ha! Our dear friends came over to watch our kids for us, and we got some time alone. We went to eat dinner at my favorite mexican restaraunt, did a little shopping, and went to see a movie. We saw Avatar. I have heard much about this movie, good and bad. We decided to go check it out. First, it was an AMAZING movie. It really was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Second, it was full of pantheism. Here is pantheism according to Wikipedia:

"Pantheism is the view that the Universe (Nature) and God are identical,[1] or that the Universe (including Nature on Earth) is the only thing deserving the deepest kind of reverence. The word derives from the Ancient Greek: πᾶν (pan) meaning "All" and θεός (theos) meaning "God" - literally "All is God." As such Pantheism promotes the idea that "God" is better understood as a way of relating to nature and the Universe as a whole - all that was, is and shall be - rather than as a transcendent, mental, personal or creator entity.[2] Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. Although there are divergences within Pantheism, the central ideas found in almost all versions are the Cosmos as an all-encompassing unity and the "sacredness" of Nature."

It wasn't just eluded to, like some movies do, but it was very much embedded in the entire story. So, I can say that it is definitely not a movie we will own, but it was quite an experience to see it.

We are still working on our little garden for this year. We have tomatoes and strawberries. I wanted to do more, but it just didn't work out. I am excited to harvest our berries, because last year was the first year for them, and we only got three berries. This year, the entire raised bed is FULL and there are already a ton of little green berries. Next year I hope to do more.

I took a trip to Kansas City last week with a friend, to the International House of Prayer. We only got to stay one night, but it was a great trip. I missed my family.

Nothing else really too exciting has been going on. I've been doing a lot of studying about vitamins, and organic eating and cooking. I started the kids on probiotics and they really seem to be helping, Briley with her allergies, and Deacon with his skin problems. I've been going through my cabinets and fridge, and tossing junk. I learned something tonight that might surprise you, I know it did me. I was reading about how bad it is to overcook and burn your food. The book I was reading, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, said that eating overcooked or charred meat is just as bad for you as smoking two packs of cigarettes!!! Gross......I'm learning a lot, but it's also hard to read this stuff.

I will leave you with a verse I've been clinging to for the past few weeks. Sometimes, I've discovered, you just have to die to things. When you have no other choice, die to it, give it to the Lord, and in HIS time and in HIS way, he will resurrect it.

John 12:24 "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

My Daybook, April 14th

2010-04-14T11:40:00.003-05:00

Outside my window.....tons of blooms in my strawberry bed. Can't wait for fresh berries, YUM!

I am thinking....about all the things that need to change.

I am thankful....for Spring!!!!

From the kitchen....my great buys from Ozark Natural Foods on the counter, and nothing else. That's right, it's CLEAN! :)

I am wearing....jeans, a pink t-shirt with butterflies, and a pony-tail in my hair.

I am creating.....a grocery list and menu. Blah.

I am going......to put the kids down for a nap, and spend time with Jesus.

I am reading...How to Heal the Sick, by Charles and Frances Hunter.

I am hoping...for peace.

I am hearing....Clifford on the TV, Briley at the table eating, and Deacon in his bed talking to himself.

Around the house....other than a playdough mess to clean up, my house looks so tidy!

One of my favorite things...playing outside with the kiddos, watching them explore and learn.

A few plans for the rest of the week....Briley's gymnastics, I have a meeting at church, Ronnie is working Saturday, and I am hanging out with my Deena and kiddos!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T12:13:00.034-05:00

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with your families. I am so tired, but it was really good, and I had so much fun with my kids and husband. I love the age my kids are at! Deacon finally being big enough to get in on the fun, and the two of them getting along so well, it was just perfect. I am so blessed by my family.

This year, Briley really seemed to grasp the resurrection story more than ever. We sat down with her Saturday night after Deacon was in bed and spent some time reading her the story, and talking about it. She almost cried, and got really upset when we told her she can't just go to heaven right now. :) I love seeing understanding bloom in her spirit.

Saturday was really busy. In the morning, we took the kids to the Kids Workshop at Ronnie's work (Home Depot). We usually do this every month, but we have missed the last few due to weather, holidays, birthdays, etc. It was fun to get back, and this time Deacon got to build a project! It was his first time, and he got his first pin on his apron.

Deacon showing off his very first project pin.

While we were out, we went to WalMart and got some Easter supplies, took some clothes to Once Upon A Child and got some new summer clothes for Briley, went to CBO and got an Easter present for the kids (the new Veggie Tales movie, "Pistachio"; it's about Pinnochio) went to the mall and had lunch and I did some shopping I've needed to get done, and then let the kids play on the playground for a bit. By the time we got home and put kids down for a nap, they CRASHED. I was pretty tired too.

When everyone woke up, we colored some eggs! This was my first time ever to do this. As a child, we never hunted real eggs, just candy or plastic ones. So this was fun for me to try my hand at it!

Deacon wasn't too interested, and plus I didn't trust him with the dye, so I just fed him marshmallows.

Ready to hunt!

Kids ready for church Sunday morning:

Church was awesome Sunday morning, and the kids had a great time in their classes. We came home, had naps, and then went to my parents to celebrate.

Opening gifts from grandma and grandpa:

Hunt #2 begins!

He wanted to carry the Easter basket we gave him, the one from my parents, AND his juice. He was cracking me up!

Attempted family portrait.

Girlies chilling on the swing.

By the time the day was over, the kids were SO tired, but they had so much fun. It was a great weekend. Now if I could just get caught up on my housework today......

Rain

2010-04-02T14:20:00.003-05:00

It's been dark, dreary and rainy today. But, I actually don't mind. I haven't had to go anywhere today, so it's been nice.

So the past two months have been interesting....busy, and fun. I can't believe I haven't posted since Briley's birthday. Actually, I can. This is me we're talking about.

So February was full of snow. I can't believe how much snow we have had this winter! More than I can remember since I have been a child. Global warming? Eh, I go with the theory that it's just because Jesus' second coming is getting closer. That's what I always say to anything that's weird or unexplainable: "second coming". All the earthquakes lately? Second coming. The world going absolutely nuts? Second coming. It also works to comfort yourself when things go wrong, and you don't know when it will change. Financial trouble? Second coming!!!! Family problems? Second coming!!!! Try it, it helps. :)

So I started taking voice lessons. I know this seems random, but it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I took lessons in high school, but since I've been leading worship at our church's prayer room, I've been wanting help with a few vocal issues. So, by an act of God, I became acquainted with a lady that teaches voice who is a worship leader at a large church in our area. She is so amazing, and I love her! I really enjoy taking lessons again, and already am seeing some improvement in some areas. Love it. I've also been taking a music theory college class, which is also something I've been wanting to do for a long time to help with my song writing. So, by another act of God, a good friend of mine decided to teach one, for free, at her house! Her old college music professor gave her some workbooks for free, and I've been doing that as well. I always say, God loves to give good gifts!!! Well, actually, the Bible said that. But I love to quote it! :)

We really enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics this year, and Briley really got into it. She loved the skiing, and of course, the ice skating, events. After which, she changed from being a ballerina to an ice skater for a while. (Now she is back to being a ballerina. Oh, and also a pig. She snorts at people instead of saying "hi" when they greet her. We are working on that.)

March was filled with snow, some really warm weather, and some more snow. (second coming. *ahem*)

I attended a Kevin Leman seminar with my mom and sister. It was really interesting. I learned some things, but I can't say that I was %100 thrilled by it. His attitude is a little hard to handle sometimes. But, he was really funny and had lots of good tips. I think I prefer to read his books versus hear him speak.

During spring break, I took the kids to the Jones Center for PBS Kids day with a friend and her kiddos. They had lots of free stuff, some huge inflatables, and appearances by some cartoon characters. Super Why, Clifford the Big Red Dog, etc. The kids were NOT enthused by this. They would not even get close to them. That's ok, they did look kind of creepy.

Last weekend, my husband and I FINALLY got to go out for a date. It has been literally months, let me tell you. We went out for lunch at Jason's Deli, did a little bit of shopping, and went to see Alice in Wonderland. The movie was very good, classic Tim Burton. I mostly just had a good time being with my husband alone.

This week I took on the project of getting the kids spring and summer clothes out, and putting away winter stuff. It's been a chore, let me tell you. But, it's a blessing! I receive so many hand-me-downs from friends, that I don't have to buy many, if any at all, clothes for my kids. The Lord takes care of my kids so well. Better than me I might add.

Finally, we started our garden planning for this year. I wanted to try some new things, but I just didn't get around to it. So we started tomato seeds again, and I need to weed out the strawberry bed. I planted some flower bulbs a few days ago: some white daffodils, some muscari, and some tulips. Kind of late in the year, but at least I got it done. Can't wait to see them bloom!

Well I think that is all that's been going on. Sorry no pictures, and if you are still reading this long post, thanks! I hope you all have a good Easter weekend with your families! Ronnie and I will watch The Passion together, this is a tradition for us. It still is just as hard to watch now as the first time I saw it. It never gets easier. I'll be back in a few days with some pictures!

What we've been doing.....

2010-03-29T12:29:00.024-05:00

........in pictures.

Briley with one of her besties at her birthday party.

Deacon at Briley's birthday party.

Me and my girl, on her actual birthday.

My beautiful family.

My new nephew!! (Super Bowl Sunday at my parents house).

The Giant Snowman of 2010!

Deacon's first big injury. He was running in some socks, slipped and fell into the corner of the wall. He cried, I cried, it was awful. But as you can see, his Pappo and a sucker made it better.

Not to be outdone, Briley got a bruise too. Deacon threw a hot wheels car at her.

Cousins playing at my sister's birthday party. (You can see both of my kids bruises! I'm just glad we didn't have any doctor visits this month. Ha!)

Enjoying a rare warm day before the Great Snow of March 2010 hit. (We got 11 inches!)

Briley, proud of her schoolwork.

My beautiful kids.

I will try to post again soon with actual newsey stuff.......(ahem).

She's Four

2010-02-08T17:46:00.004-06:00

My baby girl turned four years old yesterday. Oh, how time flies. Ronnie and I were going back in our memories of all her birthday parties we have had. Four. It doesn't seem real to me.

What are you like at four years old, Briley?

- Your speech is incredible. You talk so big, and use such big words. You are so smart, and sometimes say things that I have NO idea where you heard it.

- You love school, and you love to learn. You have known all your abc's since you were two, and now you know the big and little letters, all your numbers, can count to 20 on your own, and are starting to learn all the letter sounds. Before you know it, you will be reading. Your favorite thing to do is shapes. You even know what a trapezoid and octagon are. You also really love art, and drawing.

- You have really grown into a great big sister. You love your bubby so much, and take good care of him. I love to watch you play together, and give hugs after you fight.

- I love watching you grow, and learn. You love to pray and night, and you always want to pray for everyones "owies". Whenever mommy or daddy doesn't feel good, you always say "Well, God is fixing it, you know?" You love church, and you love your class. I can't believe this fall you will move up to the big kids class.

- You are very sensitive, and I pray the Lord continues to grow that in you, to always be sensitive to His Spirit. I also pray that He grows your love of prayer, and worship, and love for others. You love babies, and you ask God every night to help the babies who don't have any mommies or daddies, and you also ask God to give us three of them. You have such a big heart!

Briley, your mommy and daddy are so proud of you, and we love you so much. I can't imagine life without you, and you make me want to be a better mom, and a better person every day. I can't believe God entrusted me with you, such a precious gift. Happy fourth birthday, sweet girl!

A dry place

2010-02-02T12:11:00.004-06:00

The following is something a good friend shared with me a while back, which has really helped me during a very dry season of my life. I don't know where she got it from, but I do know that it ministered to me in a huge way, and when I found it again today, has ministered to me yet again. Just wanted to share.

John 12:24 "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."

Have you ever received a wonderful word of promise from the Lord only to find your life going in the opposite direction? Did you go from the mountaintop of expectancy to the valley of contradiction, crushing, and even despair? The time between receiving a promise from God and it's fulfillment is called "the valley of contradiction and crisis". There is a secret to spiritual maturity: accomplishment in the spirit realm is directly proportionate to the crucifixion of our self-life so that Christ may live unhindered through us.

In this hour the Lord is leading His people to greater spiritual power and authority. Yet, great prayers and great promises always demand greater preparation. During such contradictions in our lives we must not let our hearts be troubled, for He who began a good work in us will certainly finish it. There are degrees of fruitfulness; some thirty, some sixty and some one-hundredfold. In each progression of fruitfulness there is a progression of a deeper death to the workings of the self-life. As we fall into this death and die, the very life of Christ begins to grow and flow more abundantly through us.

When the Lord was preparing Joseph for leadership he "buried" him in slavery, prison and a foreign land for 20 years. When God was preparing Moses for his leadership God "buried" him in the backside of a desert for 40 years. When Saul of Tarsus had the meeting on the road to Damascus, God "buried" him in the wilderness of Arabia for many years. If we are asking God to make us abundantly fruitful we can be sure that we will first fall to the ground and die. God doesn't delight in our suffering, but in our purification and in our transformation.

Father, help me to embrace the bitter north winds as they come to root out the self-life. Thank You, God, that You do not leave me desolate in the wilderness; but that You give me enough grace for each day. May my life and testimony bring glory to Your name as I embrace the contradictions and wait for the deliverance that only You can bring.

Here is another verse I wanted to add that I have been meditating on that has really spoken to me as well:

Zechariah 9:11-12 "As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the wilderness pit. Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you."

"O prisoners of hope".....do you ever feel like a prisoner of hope?

My new little nephew

2010-01-24T21:01:00.007-06:00

Baby Lucas Benjamin, born January 23rd, 10:03 pm, 7 lbs 8 oz
(More pics on facebook)

Join the Virtual March for Life!

2010-01-19T10:08:00.002-06:00

Our 2010 thus far

2010-01-09T18:37:00.010-06:00

It's a week into the new year.....and so far it's been good. We didn't do much for New Years. On New Years Eve, we just stayed home. We played with Briley's play dough kitchen she got for Christmas, and watched the One Thing Conference online until midnight.

Concentrating........

Dinner! (complete with glass of "milk")

We have had SO much snow! I haven't been able to get out of the house hardly at all. This is very rare for our part of the country, but it's been fun. I admit at times, it's been frustrating, but I'm trying to enjoy it. The kids certainly have! We got out to play in it, before the temperatures decided to get into single digits that is. This week they have even dropped to zero and below! Here we are having fun last Sunday when we got the biggest amount of snow. (Note: if you notice, neither of my kids are wearing matching gloves. They both have several pairs, and I couldn't find two of any of them.......so, there you go.) Ha!

This was right after he fell face down in the snow. Wasn't too happy.

So as I said, most of the week we were at home. I started back with Briley's preschool after a two week break for holidays. I was surprised that she hadn't forgotten anything!

Thursday night I went with my mom, and sister to see the musical Little House on the Prairie at the Walton Arts Center. I was afraid that we weren't going to get to go because of the roads, but they all melted off. I'm so glad because it was SO GOOD! I grew up reading those books, and they remain some of my favorites today. We all really enjoyed it!! And parts of it were SO funny! The girl that played Nellie Olsen was hysterical. And......Melissa Gilbert played Ma!! (In case you aren't a Little House fan, she played Laura in the old TV show.) It was an awesome night. I didn't get any pics of us, though!

So Deacon has been needing another haircut for a while, so we bit the bullet and did it today. We decided to go quite a bit shorter this time, so we got Ronnie's clippers. We were going to attempt to make it longer on top so it could be styled, but when we turned on the clipppers, he f-r-e-a-k-e-d out. So, we just cut it all. It turned out a bit shorter than I wanted, but he looks so cute, and it will grow......I did cry, though. He doesn't look like a little baby anymore!!!

Tomorrow is church, and after sick kids and icy roads, it will the first time we've been able to go in about 3 weeks. I'm excited to get back!

Now is the time!!!!!

2010-01-06T14:44:00.001-06:00

My Christmas gift

2009-12-30T12:49:00.025-06:00

I had a hard time getting into Christmas this year. It was difficult for me to focus on anything, when all I wanted to do was think about Jesus. All I really wanted to do was worship, and everything else going on was distracting me. The Tuesday night before Christmas, it was time for my regular weekly set at the House of Prayer. I debated even going because I had several more presents to make, and I was just really, really tired. (I do my set from 8 to 10 pm after kids go to sleep, so it's a long, late night for me). I prayed about it, and finally decided I just needed to go. I thought that maybe having a few hours just to sing and be with God might do me some good. I chose mostly worship songs, and a few Christmas songs. At first it was hard getting into it, and then I got to Christmas Offering by Casting Crowns. I'm sure you've heard it, but here are the words (because I just love them):

Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three Wiseman seeking truth they traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven
Falling on their knees they bow before the humble
Prince of Peace

The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love
There is no shadow in your presence
No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne
Before the Holy One of heaven
It's only by Your blood
It's only through Your mercy
Lord, I come

I bring an offering of worship to my King
No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing
Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due
O Lord, I bring an offering to you

As I sang this song, it happened. That feeling that I get every Christmas when I look at a nativity set and see the Baby Jesus. It just came over me and I could barely hold my voice together to continue singing. I was so thankful that the Lord told me "Go!", and even more thankful that I obeyed. It was such a sweet time, and my heart was healed and restored. Thank you, God! The time was so precious for me. And it lasted through the rest of Christmas.

So, that was awesome, right? I mean, I couldn't have asked for anything more, really. Well I get up Christmas morning......to a ground covered in SNOW. Do you KNOW how long it has been since we have had a white Christmas in Northwest Arkansas???? I looked out at the pure whiteness, and I felt like God was saying "It's a new start for you." The last few months I've been going through the inventory of my life, my heart, and my home. The Lord continues to open my eyes to things that I need to let go of, and lately it's been a LOT. Which, has made me feel a little "dark". You know, "I am dark, but lovely"? (Song of Solomon 1:5) Well, I've been feeling the "dark", but not so much the "lovely". (Side note: this is a lot of the reason you haven't seen me on my blog much lately. Too busy purging.) Anyway, when I woke up and saw that snow, I felt like the Lord was saying "You are pure! You are righteous! When I look at you, you are whiter than snow to me. You ARE lovely!" Oh, be still my heart! Christmas, in fact, turned out AMAZING for me this year.

So our Christmas went like this.

Ronnie worked Christmas Eve, and as soon as he got home, we headed to my grandparents. We knew snow was on the way, so we didn't know how long we would be able to stay before heading home. The kids draw names for each other every year, and the adults all bring a gift and we play "dirty santa". I hate that name, but I don't know what else to call it! Anyway, I didn't get any pictures of this, but we had a good time. We came away with the movie Invincible, and a tin of cake balls that I made. Ha! I didn't mind because I have to admit, they are delish. It had started snowing and icing by the time we left, but the roads had not gotten slick. Got the kids in bed, and I stayed up until midnight finishing a present for my niece. (Picture of that later!)

Christmas morning, woke up to the winter wonderland! Got kids up, and insanity ensued.

Excited about presents! (Deacon didn't really care, he was just excited because Briley was excited.)

Briley and her Barbie car. I can't believe she is old enough to want one of these. Where has the time gone???

I don't know what Deacon is doing here, I just really like his face. Ha!

This was his mood most of the morning. I don't think he understood the whole present thing, and he was kind of stressed out. He was also getting over a cold too, so that probably didn't help.

New backpack.

I think she was in shock.

The kids had a blast, and I felt very blessed to be able to give them a good Christmas. Ronnie and I didn't get each other anything, we couldn't really afford it, and it didn't matter that much to me anyway. We got Deacon some big legos, and a big tool kit with a work bench, and Briley got a paint brush set. I can't remember everything, but they loved all of them and were very thankful. I am so glad my kids are learning to be appreciative. They still have a bit to learn, but they are getting there!!

We ate breakfast, and then went to my parents to exchange gifts and eat lunch.

Briley and Ginger. These two are best buds.

Our little family. Deacon didn't want to look.

The parentals.

This is a sweet little nativity set that my mom made for Briley. How precious is that? Her favorite is Baby Jesus, of course.

Playing dress up.

We had a fabulous lunch, and then packed up and headed home for naps. Then we got up and went to Ronnie's parents to celebrate and have dinner. It was a Cuh-RAZY day.

With Ronnie's mom.

Deacon's new "computer". I think he might be a Mac kind of guy.

Playing with new makeup with Aunt Angela.

So Christmas was a success in our house. We had a great time with both of our families, and we were blessed to spend the time with them that we could.

Saturday we didn't do much, except pick up around the house from the madness the day before. We did make a trip to see my friend Nicole before she moved the next day to West Virginia. (Sad.) Here is the best picture we could get of the kids. Mine, plus her son Caleb.

We finally got out to play in the snow Monday night before it all melted away. The kids got pretty cold so we didn't stay out too long, but we got some cute pictures.

I was going to do a year end post, but I decided if you read my blog, you already know everything that happened, and plus I don't really have time. Soooo.....that being said, I hope you all had fantastic Christmases. I hope your New Year's is just as great, and I will see you in 2010!

Justice Loves Babies

2009-12-28T13:40:00.000-06:00

A message from us to you

2009-12-25T20:52:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a joyous and peace-filled Christmas! I pray blessings on your families, one thousand fold! I pray that 2010 is the best year yet, and that the Lord will come through for you in amazing ways! It's going to be a good one! Love to you all.

The Fast Family
Ronnie, Christy, Briley, and Deacon

Derek Loux

2009-12-23T13:52:00.003-06:00

Please keep the Loux family in your prayers! (Please click on their name to read the story.) What a precious man of God!

I remember this summer, Derek came to our church with a team from IHOP in Kansas City, to minister to us. That weekend, for a few hours on a Saturday morning, they offerend prophetic ministry, and I immediately signed up our family. We met with Derek, and one of his adopted daughters. They prayed with us, encouraged us, and spoke over us words from the Lord. I will never forget what he said to my children. Briley was wearing a shirt that day that said "Mommy's Little Treasure". Derek looked at it, and said to her "I see your shirt that says 'Mommy's Little Treasure'. I want you to know that God says you are HIS treasure! He loves you SO much! And did you know, He LOVES hearing you sing? When you are alone in your bedroom, and you sing to Him, He LOVES to hear your voice!" And he went on and on to her about how God sees her as His treasure. That really, really stuck with Briley. Ever since then, at least once every few days, she will come up to me and say "Mommy, I'm God's treasure!!!" Oh how precious a word Derek spoke over her, and she will NEVER forget it.

Then he turned to Deacon and said that the Lord has GREAT things to be spoken through him. He said as he was praying for him, that Lord showed him a picture of Deacon in a hot air balloon, and it was floating up and up, but there was no gas or fire going. Deacon was standing in the basket, with his face up, and he was speaking into the balloon. And the words Deacon was speaking was making the balloon fly. He said that Deacon will have MUCH to say, and that the more he speaks, the higher he will go. He said he will see things before others, because the more words he hears from the Lord and speaks them out, the higher it will take him. This has echoed in my heart ever since, and every time I pray for my son, I think of what Derek said.

What a huge blessing to the kingdom this man has been! An advocate for the orphan, and for people caught in human trafficking. God, be with his family and his children! Thank you so much for the way he ministered to myself, and my children. God, your leadership is perfect! Please don't let our hearts become offended!!

Silence

2009-12-21T11:59:00.011-06:00

I know I've been silent on my blog lately. I haven't even posted pictures. I have a lot to say, just no time to say it. I'm doing ok, just overwhelmed with stuff lately. The Lord is doing a lot of things in our lives, but how do you sit down and type it out? I have debated shutting down my blog because I feel sometimes that it is a waste of space, but there is so much on here about the kids and my family. I am praying about the direction that God wants me to take my blog, so I think I will just sit tight until the holidays are over, and listen for His voice. Just wanted to say Hi, I'm still here. Oh, and here are a few pics. I just can't post without them.

Briley's blue hair. She's been begging for it for-EVER.

Putting up the tree.

Our new cat and her favorite place to sleep.

The talent that runs in my family is just unbelievable.

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas. I just KNOW that 2010 is going to amazing, and totally life changing. I can't wait to see what God is going to do.

Letter from GOD

2009-12-06T15:21:00.002-06:00

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad.

Almighty God

Pumpkin patch, and other stuffies

2009-10-22T21:15:00.020-05:00

We have really been enjoying the fall season, even though it has been mostly cloudy and rainy. I love this time of year, it's my favorite!

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch about two weeks ago. This was our second year to go, and we really had fun! I got some really cute pictures.

Last weekend I went with some friends to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City for a conference. Ronnie took off work and stayed with the kids. I left Thursday morning and got back Saturday night. All I can say about it is......wow. I am still processing most of what happened and what I learned, so hopefully soon I can share some of it. In the meantime, here's a cute picture of me and my friend Kim from the trip: (I was so preoccupied with everything that was going on, this was the only picture I got!)

Other than that, there hasn't really been much going on. I've been busy with Briley's school, doing my worship set on Tuesday nights and working on my music, keeping up with my other two blogs (of which I need to get my booty in gear a little bit more!) and we've started a new home group on Sunday nights with some friends from church. I'm going to be leading worship at that every other week, so I have that to plan for too. Life is great! Busy, but so fun. To leave you with, here are some cute pics I snapped last night while we were enjoying some rare nice weather. Have a great weekend!

Happenings

2009-10-04T20:21:00.032-05:00

I wrote this last night, and am just now posting it!

I am SO loving this weather! Fall is officially here, and I am digging it. Today it has been rainy and cold all day, and we lit our first fire of the season in our fireplace. What better time to sit down and post an update?

At the beginning of September, we took a vacation for about 10 days. We didn't go anywhere, we just hung out at home and had family time. It was really nice to not have anywhere to go, and just relax.

One day we took Briley to an empty school parking lot down the road, and let her practice riding her bike. She normally does well at home, but she doesn't have a huge area to practice in. She is getting pretty good!

Isn't she such a big girl?

We took a picnic lunch, and played for a bit.

We also had a cookout at my parents house...kids played, we talked, it was a lot of fun to hang out.

Cousins!

Playing horseshoes.

Me and my hubby.

This is how Deacon plays football.

We were supposed to go to Silver Dollar City on our vacation, but it rained that day, so we ended up staying home.

We haven't done much else lately, both kids have been fighting colds off and on for the last 3 weeks. We've been spending a lot of time at home, plus trying to avoid all the flu going around! This weekend we did get out a few times, though. Friday night we took the kids to Oktoberfest. It was pretty fun, I finally got Briley to ride a pony!

They also had a huge blow up slide that she wanted to try. Look how little she looks!

They also had some guys there that were sword fighting, and jousting. They were actually pretty good! The kids weren't too fond of them, though. Deacon got pretty freaked out.

I just realized I didn't get any pictures of Deacon....he was there, I promise!

Saturday was Kids Workshop at Home Depot. This time they made a Fire House Bank.

They did this to go along with the theme for the day, it was Safety Day. Ronnie is the Safety captain at work, it's called In Focus. He put together the whole event; he had fire trucks, police cars, an ambulance was supposed to come, but they got a call and couldn't. The best part was, he got the helicopter from the hospital to come! It was pretty awesome. It landed right when I got there with the kids:

You can see Ronnie in the back holding flags. He said it was really hard to keep his balance while it was landing, the wind was so strong!

Ronnie with the pilot.

The kids were pretty excited watching it land, I think it was a bit overwhelming. It was for me! I could barely stand up, it almost knocked me over!

This picture cracks me up. Ronnie put her in the helicopter, and she would NOT smile. It was so funny.

Us in a fire truck. Again, no smile.

Ronnie and Deacon.

With both kiddos.

Deacon in a police car.

Ronnie, being the In Focus captain, got to go up with his boss in the fire truck ladder/lift to take some videos and pictures. It was really tall, maybe 4 or 5 stories high.

Getting ready

This was at the highest point...you can barely see him waving.

It was a really good day, and I was so proud of my husband! The whole event was a big success.

Well I think that's all of the updates I have. Happy Fall!

Yeah I know, it's been forever......

2009-09-09T20:32:00.020-05:00

Ok, so I am a really horrible blogger lately. I've had so much going on, and I haven't really wanted to sit down and blog. I am way behind on posting. So this is my attempt to get caught up, and once I am current, maybe I can keep it up. (Ha!)

I'll start with some pics from the last bit of summer fun we've been having. Playing in the sprinkler was one of our favorite pass-times.

She always has to wear her sunglasses when she plays in the water; she hates it getting in her eyes!

Just watching his sister play. I love his face in this one! Look how long his hair is, this was before we cut it.

I posted a while back about Briley doing the Kid's Workshop at Home Depot with Ronnie....well she decided she wanted to paint flowers on the message board that she made. I discovered that my daughter has quite the talent for painting! (She gets that from her Father!) So Ronnie drew some flowers on it for her, and she painted them all by herself.

Posing with Daddy.

This is what Ronnie drew for her.

Doing so good!

I don't want to brag, but look how good she did! She had such a good time painting, she asks to do it almost every day.

I can't remember if I already posted about this, but Deacon has been walking for about a month now. He still crawls a lot, because it's faster, but he walks more and more every day. I haven't got any good pictures yet because he goes so fast, but he looks so cute, and he is so proud of himself. Pretty soon he will be running around and that will be the day when my world totally changes. Ha!

Preschool has been going really well with Briley. It took me a while to figure out a good time to do it without Deacon getting all up in it, so after she wakes up from nap while he is still sleeping, we do school. She loves it! As soon as she wakes up every day, she comes running in the living room, "I want to do school!" She can write almost all of her letters on her own, and we are working on her name. She is also learning the letter sounds. She picks it up pretty fast.

Last week we went with my parents and took the kids to the Washington county Fair. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but I got a few cute ones.

Here we are by the sign in front of the cow building.

Riding the carousel.

Another kiddie ride.....

Riding the teacups....if you notice, I'm on all the rides with her. That's because her daddy get's sick on carnival rides. Ha!

We also looked at all the animals, watched a tractor pull contest, and a police dog demonstration. Briley had a blast, and cried when we had to leave. So did Deacon, but that's just because my dad was feeding him ice cream and he wanted more.

Saturday was the next Kid's Workshop. This time she made a bean bag toss game. She had a lot of fun with this one!

Look at that face!

The finished product.

So I've noticed I haven't posted very much about my boy, so here are some cute pics of him.

Playing outside in the dirt. I think he was eating it!

Bathtime cuteness.

Cheese!!!

I think I'm all caught up now on pictures. We are going on vacation starting Friday the 11th through Sunday the 20th, so I will have a bunch of fun pictures to post from that. We aren't doing anything too spectacular, just hanging out. We are going to Silver Dollar City with my parents, for the first time with kids, so that should be fun.

So I guess I will head to bed now, thanks for not giving up on me. I'm still here!!

Catching up (a whole bunch!)

2009-08-14T09:55:00.026-05:00

Briley is playing outside (it feels really good today!) and Deacon is chilling in his exersaucer watching her, so I thought I would get caught up. We've been busy!

First of all, now I get to tell you about our big project we've been working on around here! A year or so ago, Ronnie's dad bought us one of those big playset kits at Home Depot that was on clearance. It was mostly the hardware: swings, slide, bolts, screws, rockwall accessories, etc. etc. All we needed to buy was the wood. Well we have been wanting to build it for Briley for a while, but never had the money. When we refinanced our house, we got a bit of money back, so we decided to go ahead and do it. It's been quite a project! It took us about 2 weeks to finish it, mainly because we had to work on it a little bit every night when Ronnie would get home from work. Here are a few pics of the process:

All the wood!

Hard at work.

The floor.

The floor was complete, and the slide was attached. Briley wanted to try it out!

Starting the second level.

The ramp. (It will have rails on both sides, we just haven't added them yet.)

A view of the whole thing, so far.

After we added the swings.

This is after we put started putting up the safety rails.

The finished product!

Ronnie designed the whole thing, and then we built it. I say "we", I helped some. Ha! We made it big enough so we could all enjoy it. The bottom level is for the kids, the top level is big enough where Ronnie and I can sit on it, like a deck, except in the trees! We love it. We are going to add the rock climbing wall to the back, going up to the higher level, later when we have more money.

Moving along....last week was the Grape Festival here in our area, and we went with my parents and took the kids. I was really surprised that Briley wanted to ride the rides. Every time we've been to the fair, she has always freaked out and never wanted to. But this time...we couldn't get her off!!! Here are some fun pics:

I had to post a picture of my food...it was the weirdest thing. They were some kind of potato chip things...they were actually pretty good!

Deacon enjoying his food.

My cute parents.

Getting ready to board the carousel, and showing daddy her tickets. See the stormy sky? Just as we were leaving, it started pouring!

She was pretty upset when we had to leave...she just didn't understand that she couldn't keep riding and riding....

Last Saturday we had some of our good friends over for a cookout, and to try out our new playset. Briley and their kids had so much fun! I didn't get very many pictures, but here are a couple of cute ones:

Briley and two of their girls, Haddie and Jennika.

Having a blast on the swings.

Ronnie and I had a date night Wednesday..we haven't been out in forever! My parents came to watch the kids, and we went out for dinner to the Marketplace (they have a new "value" menu, two can eat for $19.99!!!!) and then we did a little bit of shopping (Plato's Closet...that place is my favorite!) and then we went to see G. I. Joe. It was really good. We had a really good time, and it was a much needed time away from the kids, just the two of us. Thanks mom and dad!!

I have some more updates, and some fun summer pics, but I need to go get some stuff done. Some of my family and friends are going to start getting together once a month for a scrapbooking night, and I have to get my stuff ready, it's tonight! I will post more later....have a great weekend!

Extreme Blog Makeovers

2009-08-06T12:19:00.004-05:00

In case you didn't notice, my blog has been changing. It's now completely finished, and I am so happy with it! Now that it's done, I want to tell you about my friend Carla who designed my new look, and introduce you to her little boy.

This is Gavin:

He has Mastocytosis. You can read more about their family here. Carla creates blog makeovers as a way to earn money to pay for their medical expenses; (anywhere from $700.00 to $1,000.00 a month in prescription copays). When you donate in exchange for a makeover, you are providing their family with at least one medication that lasts a whole month! Pretty good cause, if you ask me. And how can you say no to that sweet little face? How about another look?

So, if you are in need, or in want, of a whole new look, contact my friend. As you can see, she does a fantastic job! Here are a few links to some others she has designed: here, and here, and here. If you want to contact Carla, I added a makeover button to my sidebar. Happy Thursday!

Kids workshop

2009-08-03T12:09:00.016-05:00

Saturday was Ronnie's Saturday to work, and they were having their monthly Kids Workshop, so I took the kids. Ronnie had his lunch at the same time, so he got to help Briley. She had so much fun, and was so cute! This is the first one we've taken her to, and she did great.

Excited and ready to begin!

She was pretty stoked about using a hammer. And she did really well!

Screwdriver time.....

The finished product! She was so proud of herself.

Deacon watching from the sidelines. He wanted to get in on the action so bad!

Me and my little man. Had to get a shot of him in his apron too!

The rest of the weekend was good, too. At church yesterday was our first week to teach Briley's class. We had eleven 2 and 3 year olds. It went really well, actually! They were all very well behaved. Then after naps we took Briley to her friend Katherine's birthday party.

We've been working on another pretty big project around here for the last week, but it's not quite done yet. I'm not saying what it is yet, but I'll have pictures up in a few days!

Are you liking the blog look? It's almost done!!!!

Worship leading helps

2009-08-01T08:00:00.004-05:00

I spend a lot of time working on music, searching for songs and chords, and putting sets together for when I lead worship on Tuesday nights. I've collected some really good websites and decided to share them with you, for any of you worship leaders out there. I'm going to put a list on the left column of my blog for easy access too. Just thought I would share. Enjoy!

S.O.A.R. Worship - This guy has a blog totally devoted to worship song chords. He has a lot of stuff by IHOP worship leaders, and lot's of others. Really, really good resource! A lot of the songs he has, I haven't been able to find ANYWHERE else.

IHOP-The Source - If you sign up to receive the IHOP prayer room webstream under The Source, you get free access to a lot of chord charts. They add more occasionally and I've found a lot of good ones there. Good stuff!

Rockin' With The Cross - This website has LOTS of chord charts, for piano, guitar, bass, and horn.

Total Tabs Christian - I haven't found a whole lot on this one, but it's good none the less.....and it's free!

Ultimate Guitar - This is not a Christian website primarily, but they have a LOT of praise and worship stuff. And it's also free!

Brian & Jenn Johnson - If you like these guys, this is their website, with tons of free chord charts of all (I think) of their songs! Sweet!

That's all I have for now....I'm sure I've bookmarked more than this, so I will add them as I remember. Happy singing!

PS - blog is still under construction...it's getting there!!!

Under construction

2009-08-01T07:24:00.003-05:00

I'm sure you've noticed a few changes here! Some kinks are still being worked out, so be patient. Thanks! Hope you like the new look so far!!

First haircut

2009-07-28T10:08:00.011-05:00

So I've been putting this off for a while. I absolutely LOVE Deacon's hair, it's so curly and cute! But I had to admit he was beginning to look a little bit girly. Sooo.....I finally broke down and cut it last night. It was so hard! Not just because I didn't want to, but because he wouldn't stop wiggling! He is definitely a boy; he won't sit still! So anyway, here are some pics from the big moment, and some from this morning after he woke up and I clipped a few more I missed in all the ruckus last night. Ha!

First, a before and after shot.

Before:

After:

I think it's funny that he has his mouth open in both pictures. Ha!

I can't believe the difference it made!! He looks like such a big boy now! It's really making me sad.

Here are some more shots:

This was in the middle of all the melee.....this is pretty much how we ALL felt.

Another view from the front.

Side view.

Another cute one.

My big boy is growing up....he is so close to walking on his own, it's crazy. Any day now he is going to be toddling around. I can't believe how time is flying by! I choose to enjoy every single moment, because I look at Briley and see how quickly it comes and goes.

What I've been up to......

2009-07-23T19:26:00.006-05:00

- Working on lot's of new music

- Redesigning my blog with the help of a friend......(more on that later!)

- Closing on our home refinance (FINALLY!)

- Enjoying the fruits and veggies from my very own garden

- Preparing to teach Briley's toddler Sunday school class at church, with my husband, for the whole month of August (hmmm, why did I commit to that again?) Ha!

- Trying to motivate myself to get back in shape and lose this baby weight (hey, he's only 14 months old)

- Making my own laundry soap

- Working on lesson plans for pre-school with Briley

- Enjoying the unseasonably cool weather for July

- And telling myself to keep this blog more current!!

Vacation

2009-07-12T19:13:00.017-05:00

We've have a nice four day weekend...I can't believe it's over already! It went by so fast. We had a really great time. Thursday we took the kids to the Oklahoma Aquarium. It was interesting getting there...we got lost. We ALWAYS get lost when we travel. It wasn't too bad, it only took us about 30 minutes to correct it and get on the right path. Anyway, here are some pics from the day:

Briley and I looking at the turtles.

The tower of turtles. I think they were sleeping.

Ronnie and Deac looking at...something....I don't remember.

Watching the sting-rays.

The HUGE puffer fish....Ronnie was fascinated with him. He took like 6 pictures.

Feeding the turtles.

I took lots more pictures, you can see them on Facebook.

So Friday we went to see Transformers and my mom watched the kids. I really liked it! There was quite a bit more language in it than the first one, and a lot of it was suggestive. But the overall movie was great. It had a LOT more action in it. We had a good time.

Yesterday we just hung out at home and did stuff around the house. We finished Deacon's toy box Ronnie was making for him, we just have to do one more coat of paint and add some embellishments. I'll post a pic of that when it's done.

Today we had church, took LONG naps, and now the weekend is over. We had a nice relaxing time. I'll leave you with a couple more fun pics.

One of our first garden tomatoes! I LOVE these yellow ones! They taste so good.

Cute kids!

I love his face, and the fact that you can see Cheeto cheese in his nose.

Briley's "tattoo".

Happenings

2009-07-06T12:34:00.012-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday. He is 33 years old. What?!?! I thought we were both still in our 20's??? Where has the time gone? Crazyness.
I love my husband more than life itself. I couldn't imagine growing old with anyone else. I couldn't imagine anyone else being as PERFECT for me as him. He is an amazing husband, an amazing father, and a mighty man of God. I'm telling you, he's a warrior. Ronnie, I love you to the moon and back!

It's been so long since I've done an actual post, I might have to update in small chunks.

Our second yard sale went great, and we made about half of what we did on the first one. AND we didn't have to bring home anything! My sister kindly took it all to Helping Hands for us. And there wasn't that much left, really. I am so glad we are finally done with it all. Now to get my house back to normal!

Last Sunday Ronnie's work (Home Depot) had a picnic/cookout to celebrate 35 years (I think) at Hickory Creek. We went after naptime for a little bit. They had a bouncy castle for the kids, and we swam in the lake for a while. Here's a few pics of the kids, I didn't get very many. It was pretty hot so we only stayed a few hours.

Jumping in the bouncy castle. I got in there with her for a few minutes, but I didn't stay long because I almost peed my pants three times. Such is the life after having 2 kids!!!

Look at his eyes! Wow!! At this point in the day, all he had on was a diaper. When we got in the water, I realized I forgot to put a swim diaper on him. Yeah. So we got out, went to change him, and found a little gift. Yes, he pooped. Which then made me realize I forgot to pack wipes! Luckily, they had some hand sanitizer wipes there and I snagged some. Then, my 3rd realization was that I didn't pack him any dry shorts. I was just not very prepared that day. Soooo....there is my said almost naked son. Oh well, it was hot. I'm sure it felt good.

Playing on the slide. I can't believe these are all the pictures I got! Oh well.

The rest of our week was pretty normal. No gymnastics on Thursday, they were closed for summer break. So we went to the library. They have special event Thursdays during the summer, and they had a free kids concert outside. We hung out for a little bit.

We had a great 4th! Busy, but fun. Saturday morning we slept in, then did a little shopping, and then went to play disc golf at the Jones Center. Watched the parade for a few minutes. I didn't get any pictures there either! Grrr...we had fun. It was really nice weather. Cloudy, and not very hot. When we got home it started storming. I mean, a HUGE downpour! We all took naps and by the time we all got up, it had past. We went and bought some fireworks, and then went to my sister's. We ate, the kids played, and then did a few small fireworks for the kids.

When we got home, we put Deacon to bed and then did some fireworks with Briley. She loved them, of course. Had a ball. Our neighbors are so cool, they spend SOO much on fireworks. So we just buy a few fun ones for Briley, and then just sit around and watch theirs. It's so awesome! Briley has always slept like a champ every 4th, even with all of the noise outside. She has never once had a problem. But last year, Deacon screamed. And screamed. And screamed........all night. Until they stopped. It was awful. So this year, I bought some children's earplugs. And he slept the whole time! I didn't hear one peep out of him. It was so great. Score one for me!

Yesterday was pretty slow, Ronnie woke up not feeling so good so we didn't make it to church. We just stayed home all day and vegetated.

This week should go by pretty quickly, Ronnie only has to work 3 days and then we are taking a little mini vacation. Thursday we are going to the aquarium in Tulsa. Friday my mom is going to watch kids so we can go see Transformers. Woo-hoo! I've heard mixed reviews about it, so we will see. I'm just excited to have a DATE!

I hope everyone had a good holiday...happy Monday!!!

Wednesday

2009-06-24T12:45:00.003-05:00

Outside my window.....beautiful summer day, lots of tomatoes in my garden ALMOST ready to be picked. Yum!

I am thinking.... about the faithfulness of the Father.

I am thankful for...quiet time while the kids are napping.

From the kitchen.... I will be attempting to grill chicken tonight without the help of my husband...there's a first time for everything! yikes.

I am wearing.... khaki green shorts and a pink stripey shirt.

I am creating...a new schedule for summer.

I am going.... to enjoy my kids more.

I am reading... nothing right now. (gasp!) I'm in between books trying to decide what is next,

I am hoping... for a good report.

I am hearing.... nothing. Complete and utter silence.

Around the house....it's getting more and more clean around here, as I deliver stuff to my moms for our final yard sale on Saturday. I love getting rid of stuff!

One of my favorite things...can I talk about how much I love nap time some more???

A few plans for the rest of the week.... my cousin and his daughter are coming tonight for dinner (hence me grilling the chicken), and working my booty off to get ready for the (SECOND AND FINAL!)sale on Saturday. Everything that doesn't sell is getting donated! Can't wait. This was the biggest project of my summer, and it's almost over.

Just pictures

2009-06-22T19:33:00.010-05:00

Came to You Late

2009-06-10T12:28:00.002-05:00

"I came to You late, O Beauty so ancient and new. I came to love You late. You were within me and I was outside where I rushed about wildly searching for You like some monster loose in Your beautiful world. You were with me but I was not with You. You called me, You shouted to me, You wrapped me in Your Splendour, You broke past my deafness, You bathed me in Your Light, You sent my blindness reeling. You gave out such a delightful fragrance and I drew it in and came breathing hard after You. I tasted, and it made me hunger and thirst; You touched me, and I burned to know Your Peace."

St. Augustine of Hippo

The last few weeks.

2009-06-04T07:18:00.022-05:00

Time for a long overdue updated post. I think I haven't posted anything newsey since before Memorial Day.....I've been busy. Good busy.

On the 23rd we had Deacon's first birthday party. It was nothing huge, just a small family get together. We cooked out and had cake and ice cream. During the middle we had a huge storm come through, we all had to run inside to keep from getting soaked...thankfully Ronnie had just finished grilling. Here are a few pics from the festivities:

The cake.

Briley playing with her cousins.

Enjoying his first taste of cake.

Deacon had a good time, and handled all the attention quite nicely! He didn't get stressed out at all. I just can't believe he's already one.

Memorial Day was just another day for me. Ronnie had to work, so it was nothing special. As I say every holiday, oh the joys of retail. I went to my parents for a little bit so they could see the kids.

Deacon had his 12 month check-up on the 26th. He is now just 50th percentile for height and weight. After he started crawling, he has tapered off quite a bit. He had to get shots, of course, and did not do well at all. He seems to cry more every visit. He got the chicken pox vaccine, so I'm keeping an eye out for any breakouts. Hopefully we won't have any!

Briley had her 3 year visit on Monday, June 1st. I know, I'm four months behind on her visit. I am so used to them calling me for Deacon's, that I forget to call for hers. Anyway, she did GREAT! Last visit, she got freaked out by the tapemeasure they put on their heads and cried hysterically the whole time. So I prepped her a lot this time around, and she didn't cry at all. She is still 25th percentile for weight and 50th for height. Doctor said she will probably be petite her whole life.

Well it's officially summer around here! We have been enjoying playing outside all the time.

We went to the park the other day for a picnic and to feed the ducks and geese. Briley had a blast! Deacon, not so much. He has inherited his father's fear of geese, I think. (Ha!) He cried every time they got close.

Enjoying the picnic feast! (Cheeseburger from Hardees. Ha!)

Duck feeding time!

Right before he freaked out.

There were so many baby ducks!! So cute. (Ignore the trash floating in the water!!!)

My garden is doing really well. No veggies yet, hopefully soon.

Tomatoes and strawberries!

Yay for berries!! I hope they turn red soon, I can't wait to taste them.

More strawberries, a jalapeno, and banana peppers. These aren't as big as they should be because some rabbits were nibbling on them.

Our garage sale is next weekend, I can't wait to get it over with! My house is packed full of stacks of stuff to sell. Last night we went through the front closet, Saturday we are finishing the garage. All that leaves is our room, a few cabinets in the kitchen, and we are going to go through the kids toys one more time.

One last thing, please pray for Deac, he has six teeth coming in on top, and he has been pretty sick from it. The last two days have not been pleasant around here, and his poor little tummy is so messed up. He's had a pretty bad diaper rash from it too, and screams every time I come near him to change him. Poor little guy, I feel sorry for him!

Well I need to get off of here, Briley has gymnastics in an hour. Happy Thursday!

More change.

2009-05-30T14:08:00.003-05:00

I know, I changed my blog background again. I was getting really tired of all the b-r-o-w-n. I liked it for like the first 2 days. And then I got bored with it. This one is fun, and interesting. Soon I want to get a personalized one, but since I don't have time to do that right now, this is better than all that b-r-o-w-n.

Thursday

2009-05-28T18:57:00.002-05:00

Outside my window.....cloudy skies, Ronnie grilling chicken.

I am thinking.... about how the Lord takes care of us, all the time.

I am thankful for...surprise blessings in my bank account.

From the kitchen.... Ronnie's homemade BBQ sauce. Yum!

I am wearing.... stripey pj pants and an old comfy Old Navy t-shirt.

I am creating...more piles of yard sale stuff.

I am going.... to bed in a few hours.

I am reading... song of solomon.

I am hoping... for more days like this.

I am hearing.... my son crying because he is super cranky. His eye teeth are coming in.

Around the house....all I can smell is that BBQ sauce!!!!

One of my favorite things... Ronnie's days off.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... a used book sale tomorrow, and lunch with a friend on Saturday.

He's one!

2009-05-22T19:55:00.005-05:00

Today is my baby boy's first birthday.

From the first day I took a pregnancy test at home, and it was positive, the Lord told me it was a boy. Actually, to be perfectly honest, right after I had Briley, the Lord told me my second born would be a boy. I never doubted it. Even when we went for the ultrasound, I was confident. The Lord has also told me He has huge plans for this boy. Huge. Many words have been spoken over his little life, even in the womb. I pray every day for his future, but I never worry about him. I know he will NEVER waver from the Lord, and he will always serve Him with all his heart. I am so proud of him.

Deacon, I love you with all my heart. I am so proud of who you are, and who the Father has shown me you will become. He has big plans for you. Always follow him, with all of your heart, mind, and strength. You are a mighty man of God! Your mommy and daddy love you SO much, and your big sister thinks you hung the moon and stars. You have completed our family. We love you!!! Happy first birthday.

Thursday

2009-05-21T16:17:00.002-05:00

Outside my window..... freshly cut grass, my husband cutting wood, and my garden which I need to go water.

I am thinking.... about my sons first birthday tomorrow, and how I can't believe how the time flies.

I am thankful for...getting paid tomorrow!

From the kitchen.... CLEANNESS!!!!

I am wearing.... khaki shorts and a purple t shirt with some kind of weird swirly design.

I am creating...a blog post. I know, that wasn't original.

I am going.... to teach a piano lesson in about 10 minutes.

I am reading... I've paused in reading all my other books to read White by Tedd Dekker that I got for mother's day. It's pretty sweet.

I am hoping... that it doesn't rain Saturday.

I am hearing.... My husbands chain saw and my stomach growling.

Around the house....my a/c is running. What?!?! It's hot!!

One of my favorite things... a night home to hang with my family.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... getting ready for Deacon's birthday party on Saturday. The big number 1!!!

Look-alikes

2009-05-17T20:12:00.004-05:00

Here is a picture of Ronnie at about the same age Deacon is now:

And here is Deacon:

So, what do YOU think? Does he look like his daddy? Ha!

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T07:08:00.010-05:00

I wanted to post yesterday, but I was totally not in the mood, and it was a crazy day. Ronnie had stuff after work last night so he didn't make it home until 7:30, which made the crazy day with my kids even crazier. By the time he walked in the door, Briley was screaming, Deacon was screaming as I was trying to hold him down to change a REALLY horrible diaper, and the whole house smelled like said horrible diaper. I finished with Deacon, handed him to Ronnie, and went to the bathroom and shut the door. I'm sure it was a lovely homecoming for him. Ha! Let's hope today is better!!!

Today we are going to have lunch with Ronnie, and head over to the party store to get supplies for D's birthday party. All of their kids supplies are 50% off this week! Sweet!

So I had a really fabulous Mother's Day. Ronnie woke me up with the kids, a card, and a present:

New perfume! Sweet, since I dropped and broke my FAVORITE bottle of perfume (Victoria's Secret Pink) on the floor and it shattered. Grrrr....

We went to church, and Ronnie's parents and grandmother came with us. It was an awesome service. Here's something I learned that I bet you didn't know: (If you did know, just humor me.)

Did you know, in Proverbs 31, that "King Lemuel" who was talking to, and about, his mother (The "Proverbs 31 Woman") was King Solomon? Lemuel was a sort of nick-name for Solomon. Sooooo.....that means that the Proverbs 31 woman that we all hear so much about and strive to be like is.......Bathsheba! Wow! I SO didn't know that! How encouraging is that. Even though she had a really rough start, she ended up in the end being the woman the scriptures say is the woman who was worth far more than rubies, and that she is the one we should strive to be like? Makes me feel a whole lot better! It really was a great sermon.

So we came home and had naps, then we went shopping for a bit. I got a new book:

I have the first two in the series (Black and Red) and I can't wait to read the sequel. Ted Dekker is one of my absolute favorite authors.

We went to have dinner with Ronnie's parents at Joe's Italian restaraunt and it was so yummy! It's new, we haven't had a chance to eat there yet, and I am definitely hoping they stay because it was fabulous!

I was a bit bummed, MY mom was out of town on Mother's Day. They went to see some friends in Memphis so dad could play in a golf tournament yesterday, so I didn't get to see my mom. So Saturday, before they left, my mom, sister and I went shopping together and had some lunch. It was a lot of fun to have girl time.

Here are some pics with my family from Mother's Day. I hope you all had a blessed one!

Me with my big girl. She is getting so big!

Me with my son. He was playing in Briley's room and I didn't want to take him away for a picture, since he was happy. This was the only one where I could get him to sit still!

See, we had a VERY hard time getting them to be still.

Success!! Sort of....

Me and my baby.

I have interesting neighbors.

2009-05-08T14:18:00.002-05:00

So there is an old lady that lives across the street, and a few houses over that really hates anyone, or anything, to trespass on her lawn. She even has a sign tacked to the tree in her yard that says "no parking". For real!

So she has this new habit: every day, she goes out on her front porch, be it fully clothed, or in her nightgown, and sits in a chair with an air horn in hand . And any time a bird lands on her grass, she blows the air horn at it. Not kidding! I heard it the other day, several times, and went outside to investigate, and saw her sitting there holding it. So I pretended to be looking at something cool in my yard while I watched her, and sure enough, an unsuspecting bird landed on her lawn, and she blasted it. It totally cracked me up. It's like a funny, weird character in a movie.

When Ronnie came home from work that day, he went to check the mail on his way in, and she blew it twice. I just stood at the door watching Ronnie look around trying to figure out who was blowing an air horn at him. Ha! It's great fun.

Daybook 5-7-09

2009-05-07T08:58:00.002-05:00

Outside my window..... sunny and warm! And a freshly mowed lawn, which makes me happy to look at.

I am thinking.... about this new season of life being thrust upon me.

I am thankful for...a beautiful sunny day, my car that I got back yesterday (yay!) and that it was FREE to fix it, and that my son is totally off of baby food which is about $25 less I have to spend at the grocery store!

From the kitchen.... nothing going on in there right now, but IT'S CLEAN!!!!!!

I am wearing.... jeans, a blue-ish silver-ish shirt, and my glasses.

I am creating... more and more piles of yard sale stuff. I love decluttering!

I am going.... to take Briley to gymnastics in about an hour.

I am reading... same as last time, except I just finished A More Excellent Way yesterday, and added a novel to the mix.

I am hoping... for no rain this weekend!

I am hearing.... the washing machine in the garage, a chain saw outside, and my kids playing in Briley's room together.

Around the house.... I'm STILL working on yard sale stuff. I finished going through the hall closet yesterday, now on to the kitchen cabinets.

One of my favorite things... clean sheets on the bed!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... teach a piano lesson today, do yard work to get the back yard ready for my baby boy's birthday party (where has the time gone??) and go to a used curriculum book sale on saturday with my mom and my sister.

Have a great Thursday!!

Cancled plans, and such.

2009-05-01T19:21:00.009-05:00

So remember I was supposed to be going out of town this weekend, to see my bestest friend? Yeah, well, SUPPOSED TO BE.

Wednesday evening we went to the store to get some stuff for our trip. After we left the grocery store, I was driving down the highway, and my car just....stopped. It just shut off, in the middle of the road. Thankfully we were right beside K-mart, so I pulled into the parking lot. We called the Toyota dealership and they said (Praise the Lord!!) that we were still under warranty. So I called my mom, she came and got us, took us home, and Ronnie took them my keys so they could pick up my car; they also said they would get us a loaner car in the meantime.

Thursday morning, my mom took us to Briley's gymnastics class. Thursday afternoon, they called Ronnie.

Bad news: the car's computer just died. Weird.

Good news: everything is still under warranty...parts, labor, loaner car, tow truck, etc. (Yeah!)

Bad news: the new computer won't be in for about a week.

More bad news: they are completely OUT of loaner cars.

Total bummer! They had no idea when they would get another one, but we were on the top of the list. So we called this morning to see if they might have on yet, and no such luck. We didn't get it until LATE this afternoon. That's another story in itself! We got the call that they had a car, so we piled in the Jeep to go get it, and THE JEEP HAS A FLAT TIRE! Of course it does! Why not??? So my parents came and got Ronnie, and took him to get the car, then we both drove to the tire shop, got the tire fixed, and came home. It was such a nice addition to the already crazy vehicle story! Ha!

So I guess this weekend we will just work on stuff for the yardsale. Goodness knows there is p-l-e-n-t-y of that to do.

Other random fun stuff:

They had the Home Depot race car at the store again on Wednesday. We took the kids last summer when it was there, but Deac was just a baby, (you know, a much smaller baby than he is now) and that was back when Tony Stewart was still driving for HD. Now it is some new kid named Joey Lagano (sp?). so we took them up there and got some more pictures.

Ronnie with both of his babies. I couldn't get either of them to look at the camera!

I am very dissapointed with this picture. It is very blurry. I asked the guy that was running the booth for the car to take it, and he did a poopy job. Oh well!

Ronnie and Deac.

Picture of the car.

So that's that. Hopefully we can reschedule our trip soon, we can get lot's of work done this weekend, and it will stop raining so we can have some nice weather! Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Amazing!

2009-04-30T13:05:00.002-05:00

James 5:15-16 "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

The day that Ronnie hurt his knee was on a Saturday. The next morning, when it was our normal time to get up and go to church, I didn't; because I assumed we were definitely staying home! But....Ronnie got out of bed and said "What are you doing? It's time to get ready!" At first I tried to convince him to stay home and give his knee a rest, but he insisted that we go. He wanted to be prayed for. So we went.

During the worship service, some of the elders annointed him and prayed for his knee.

Monday morning, he went for his MRI.

This morning, he went for the follow up.

He called me on his way in, and then called me 30 minutes later.

The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with his knee, aside from a little bruising. Nothing. Nada. No surgery required. All I could do was laugh.

Don't doubt the Lord, he STILL heals! He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Can I get a witness?!?!?!

My daybook for today...

2009-04-28T15:45:00.003-05:00

I got this idea from a really good blog I frequent, and thought it suited me for today. This is my Daybook post for April 28th, 2009 (which also happens to be my 8th wedding anniversary!):

Outside my window..... is SUN! It's been raining the past three days so it's very nice for a change.

I am thinking.... that today has been a super crazy, weird, eventful day, and I don't think I can take much more.

I am thankful for...good news, my prayer room set tonight, 8 years with my super wonderful amazing husband, and healthy children.

From the kitchen.... I will be making Taco Salad tonight. Yummers!

I am wearing.... a cute summery top, jeans, my new rhinestone-y flip flops, and my watch which I finally replaced the battery in.

I am creating... a set list of songs for tonight.

I am going.... to Pine Bluff this weekend to see my bestest friend in the whole wide world, and I'm STOKED!

I am reading... A More Excellent Way, the Love Dare, Growing in the Prophetic, Mike Bickle's Study Guide on Revelation, and Psalm 119, 103, and 105. I always read lots at once.

I am hoping... for %100 healing and restoration.

I am hearing.... my kids play together.

Around the house.... I'm getting ready for our garage sale in June, trying to clean before we go out of town, and not getting much of EITHER done.

One of my favorite things... Tuesday nights in the prayer room.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... finish cleaning, Briley's gymnastics class on Thursday, a piano lesson, Ronnie's follow up doctor visit to see the results of the MRI on his knee, and LEAVING TOWN!

Happy Friday!

2009-04-24T19:47:00.009-05:00

Since the mishap with Ronnie's knee over the weekend, we JUST got our garden finished last night. Without fail, EVERY time we start a project, something always happens and it's always way longer than we planned before we complete it. So it went with our garden. But anyway, it's done! And I'm so excited.

Remember my little tomato plants we started from seeds? Yeah, well they didn't survive. Not sure what I did wrong, but they died. So we had to buy some already grown plants. It's ok, I think I know what to do differently next year.

So we bought some yellow tomatoes, two reds, and some grape tomatoes; a banana pepper plant, and then I had my three strawberry plants I got a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of the finished product:

My cute little garden!

One of my strawberry plants.

More tomatoes and strawberries.

So while I was out watering my garden tonight (which by the way is the best kind of therapy) I saw this:

It was God's little gift to me after a particularly stressful grocery shopping trip with a 3 year old.

Ronnie went back to work Wednesday and made it alright. He comes home pretty tired and sore every night. His MRI is on Monday, please keep praying that it won't be anything too serious!

So my plans for the weekend are cleaning out the garage tomorrow in preparation for our yard sale in June, and I have a hair cut (trim). I also need to go shopping for some summer pjs for both of the kids.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Please pray for my husband...

2009-04-21T12:55:00.003-05:00

So we had an interesting weekend...Ronnie was out in the back yard cutting wood with the chainsaw and somehow (who knows how?) stepped over a pile of wood wrong and twisted his knee really bad. I looked out the back door and saw him laying on the ground. Ok, so, yeah I totally freaked out. My husband is using a chainsaw and the next thing I see is him on the ground. NOT what I wanted to see!!! I told Briley "stay here!!!" and I took off out the door. I yelled at him "what's wrong?!?!" and he wouldn't answer me, which only added to my hysteria. Come to find out he couldn't talk because the pain was so great, but I didn't know that. Finally he was able to get up on all fours, and by this time I saw that there wasn't any blood. It scared me REALLY bad.
Anyway, so I looked back at the house and both kids were at the back door freaking out. Briley especially. So I went to tell her it was ok and she didn't believe me, because Ronnie was crawling to the house. It was interesting.

So, he was off work yesterday, and today had an appointment at the orthopedic clinic. They took an x-ray and said the bones look fine. AMEN! They scheduled an MRI for next Monday to check the ligaments and stuff. The doctor said he thinks it is the meniscus ligament, and if so, it is a simple procedure to fix; just an outpatient surgery with a 48 hour recovery time. In the meantime he can work (thank God!). We are praying that it is only the meniscus because if it is something worse, it could mean a more intense surgery and more down time. So please pray with us! And pray for his healing in the meantime. I hate to see him in pain, especially having to be on his feet all day at work.

Ramblings

2009-04-17T21:18:00.016-05:00

This week has been busy for me....oh, I've been doing lots of stuff around the house to get ready for our yard sale coming up...I have so much crap, er....good stuff to get rid of. I've been sorting, pricing, etc.

I'm also still going through that huge mound of magazines....I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

But, I've also been busy mentally...praying a lot for all of the sweet babies and parents on my Safe Haven blog...there are so many going through so many trials right now...and that's not even including all the ones I don't know about. It just gets heavy on my heart sometimes.

Plus, some other things God and I have been discussing the past week, has been keeping me busy. Letting go is hard, forgiving is harder, and healing is the hardest. Especially when you get to the mad stage. That's where I've been.

Anywho...so we started building our garden area in the yard tonight so we can finally plant the tomatoes and strawberries outside. We got the frame built, so tomorrow we can fill it with dirt and do some planting, IF it's not raining, which it is supposed to do. Here are some pics of the fun:

I wanted to get a "before" shot of the yard...but when I got up and walked away, Deacon started crying..and I didn't realize he was in the shot. Ha! I think it's cute. Does that make me a bad mom?

My husband hard at work..I just realized I didn't get a picture of the completed project. Oh well, I will get one tomorrow. That's probably because I got bored and decided to have a fun photo shoot of my kids! See:

He was beginning to get irritated with all my picture taking...

Yeah, he was done.

So hopefully tomorrow we can get back out and finish everything before the weekend is over. Hope you all have a good one!