I needed this reminder...

"It remains hard to live the Jesus way, to live and love in a way that brings God glory. The power of our flesh cries out for us to be selfish and to refuse to love those who have not treated us well, have worked against our better interest, or have simply been the annoying gnat in our conversation."

Ed Stetzer & Philip Nation

Moments

As a mom we all have those moments that we take a step back and watch our kids shine. Sometimes these moments are few and far between! I've had a few lately. Savannah led the TeamKIDs in the motto and motions last week at church. If you know her at all then you know she doesn't usually step out in front of a crowd. I was so proud of her! Tucker is coming home from church on a regular basis and telling us what he is learning in his class. It is so incredibly exciting to see them learning about this amazing God we serve. I don't take for granted that this is just going to happen by chance. I realize that intentionally placing them in places they will learn about God and teaching about Him in our home, is vital to their spiritual awareness and health.

I had the opportunity to sharing Christ with a young mom at church today and she accepted Him as her Saviour. This is one of the moments in life that I will hold very close. She was so honest, vulnerable and transparent. I am so glad she got her eternal destiny nailed down today and so humbled that God allowed me to be a part of her eternal story.

Bruce had a moment recently (which he shared in church...so I won't rehash it all here), but I will say that I am so proud of him for taking a stand and being honest and vulnerable. I think sometimes pastors often act like they have the answers to all of life's questions. He admits that he's on a journey and that a bunch of life he hasn't got the answers to. I was touched by the sweet and kind comments made towards him after today's service.

These moments pass by so quickly.

Top Ten Things to do on a Saturday

1. Snuggle with the kids
2. Eat a late breakfast...preferably something involving a pastry
3. Read something that requires very little use of my brain...always fiction
4. Watch movies (or anything I dvr during the week and don't have time to watch)
5. Blog....of course
6. Catch up on Facebook
7. Bake bread
8. Cook a good comfort food meal
9. Bathe the kids early and have a family fun night
10. Smilebox.com

Fired Up!

Ok, so seriously, since I started blogging I have kept my opinions to myself...but a girl's gotta say what's on her mind every once in a while and so here goes:

In my inbox everyday I get at least three of four emails from Christian or Moral type groups that monitor the state of the morality in our country. Today's email was telling me to write a letter to a TV network regarding a particular tv show that was offensive. Each day I get ads forcasting the decline America will experience if such and such is elected. Sometimes the email is from a someone just making sure I know what a crucial election this is and that the future is looking like heck if Christian don't stand up for what we believe.

STOP THE PRESSES~

I have had enough. I am sick of spending time arguing over the issues, debating how we are going to make it when SS fund have run out...and all the other topics of deliberation for this election.

This is what I think....pure and simple. If every person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ, would spend their time striving to be truly moral...honest, loving, kind, pure, holy, and further more instilling those same virtues (by example and the spoken word) in our children, then we wouldn't have to worry about the future. We could be a little more sure that the hands it was going to be in 20 years from now, would be moral and upright.

By no means do I believe every kid would turn out to love God and their neighbor, but there's a way better chance than if adults sit back and do nothing. I really have struggled with letting my voice be heard. I get entangled into the arguements and debates like the rest. But the bottom line is this: my kids are the next generation of Americans. If I am expecting anyone else to instill morals, godliness or the Bible in them. I am fooling myself. It's my job, my responsibility. My priviledge. That's how I want to spend my time. TV isn't going to get better. Sure we may make temporary changes to a line up until producers have a different angle to get the same message out. I just think Christians can find better things to do...like feeding the poor, clothing the homeless, teaching a Bible study, sharing God's love with the unfortunate and investing some eternal time into our own kids....not passing it on to the church as their responsibility. So...do a Bible study with your kids, teach them the books of the Bible, do the TeamKID worksheet, and talk about what it means to have a relationship. Get on your soapbox about that...and maybe in 20 years we will see a different America!

OK...I'm finished for tonight!

Revelation Song for Sunday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FObjd5wrgZ8

Talk About it Talk About it Talk About it

Last night was our Ladies Night Out at church. It was awesome!!!!! We did a cooking show type meeting. Tinna outdid herself with the decor...pumpkins, candles, bistro tables, fall leaves and more (she must have moved half her house to the church!) Anyway, Ms. Sue did a her rendition of June Cleaver and did the 1950's Good Housekeeping tips for making your man happy!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was as funny as the first time I heard her do it....she is FUNNY!

Then I shared all I know about baking bread...which took about 10 minutes. I made the White Amish Bread recipe from recipes.com. I had arrived early and had different loaves at different stages in the baking, rising process.

Then Charlotte shared an out of sight meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean recipes. Each had a very creole element and they were awesome!

The night ended with a decadent chocolate dessert that was deliciously rich!

The food was awesome and a relatively easy event to get multiple people involved. I really appreciated all the work and planning that went it to it. Plus...we went home with 5 new recipes and a boatload of new recipes.

Here's the link to the bread I made: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amish-White-Bread/Detail.aspx Happy Baking!!!

What I Like About Autumn

This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons:

1. My kids play outside in the cool fresh air.

2. The leaves change (sort of, we're in Texas ya know!)

3. Open windows

4. Fresh bread- (it always tastes better this time of year)

5. Cool nights

6. Sweaters

7. Scarecrows

8. Pumpkin Patches

9. Cider

10. Community- so many events to be together

Hope you'll find this a most wonderful time of year too!

Teeth Marks

The other night Tucker and Savannah were snuggled up in Savannah's bed watching a funny movie. Things had been quiet for way too long.....if you're a parent...you know exactly what I mean. Well, all of the sudden, Tucker screams out in pain and I hear pitter patter footsteps coming down the hall. He runs to me and says, "Deet (his name for Savannah) bite me". Savannah was quick to her own defense strongly arguing...."not me...it was a wasp". (We had bees in our house earlier in the summer and they are used to seeing them...so I didn't freak out about this statement). So I just figured something had stung or bitten Tuck and didn't think another thing about it. Still Tucker was adament that Deet had bitten him.

The next morning we were getting into the car. I picked Tucker up to put him in his carseat....and guess what I saw...TEETH MARKS. Now, either that wasp had teeth or Savannah was in big trouble. So for the next few minutes I quizzed her about how there could be teeth marks on Tucker's face if it was really a wasp. I should her the size of the teethmarks and said it must have been a mighty big wasp. Well...by the end of the interrogation....2 hours later....she had confessed to "accidentally" biting Tuck.

I'm not sure what worries me more:

1. I didn't noticed the gigantic teeth marks on his face that night
2. How long it took Savannah to confess
3. That Savannah thinks a wasp's mouth is the same size as hers
4. That I didn't believe Tucker from the get go

---Just another day!

Something I read today...from Author Donna Partow

Is the Proverbs 31 Woman a Mythological Creature?*I’ve been following God and studying His Word for nearly thirty years, yet I somehow thought the Proverbs 31 woman was a mythological creature or worse. I thought she was a weapon used by spiritual leaders to make all of us ordinary Christian women feel bad about ourselves.But then I met her in person.They say the wife of noble character is hard to find and it’s true. But I finally found her, tucked away in the mountains north of Bogota, Colombia. And having met her, I became convinced that becoming the woman God wants me to be, the woman he described in Proverbs 31 is not an impossible dream. It’s the only goal worth devoting my life to. I had been invited to Colombia to speak at a conference for Christian leaders from throughout Latin America. Afterwards my host, Hector Torres of Hispanic International Ministries, invited me to spend a few days with his family at his aunt’s home at the base of the Andes Mountains. I didn’t know quite what to expect. The bookstore didn’t have a travel guide on Colombia. The book on Latin America didn’t even devote a chapter to the country that’s been torn by civil war and drug trafficking for the last three decades. It simply said: it’s too dangerous, don’t go there. The mountains, in particular, are known for guerilla activity. I was somewhat apprehensive, to say the least.Imagine my surprise when I arrived at his aunt’s home and stepped into the most peaceful paradise I’d ever experienced anywhere in the world. Our hostess was the picture of beauty, elegance and ease as she welcomed us, showed us to our rooms and then gave us a tour of the breathtaking grounds. We walked and talked amid trees bursting with avocado, bananas, blackberries, guava, oranges, papaya, plantain and tangerines. She showed us her chicken coops, trout pond, coffee crop and even her worm farm. Every inch of her property is productive; it’s a reflection of a woman who embodies energy, creativity and productivity.Breakfast the next morning featured a variety of fresh-squeezed juices and eggs scrambled with tomatoes, peppers and onions, along with freshly grown coffee—and every item on the menu was produced right on the property. Our morning walk took us to her favorite place: a small stone and wrought-iron chapel with wooden benches that looked centuries old. Beatriz exuded quiet God-confidence as she explained that she has spent many hours praying, reading and meditating in this open-air sanctuary. I knew I was standing on holy ground. In the early afternoon, following our three-hour horseback ride through lightly-tamed jungle featuring every conceivable shade of green, we sat by an open fire woodstove, eating steak from a nearby cattle ranch, along with freshly-grown and grilled vegetables. I marveled at the self-sufficiency of this beautiful place and the beautiful woman who oversaw it all. But Beatriz’ story doesn’t begin in this beautiful paradise. Later that night, her story unfolded. In 1950, at the age of 16, Beatriz married a handsome 19-year old, Jose, whom she had met at a relative’s wedding two years earlier. A year later, she had her first child and three more daughters followed in fairly quick succession. She worked side-by-side with her husband in an auto parts store they began together with borrowed money. Although still a teenager, Beatriz had a knack for business. The couple began to prosper. Soon they had a successful corporation, complete with employees and multiple store locations. They were business partners and best friends. They were inseparable.Then on January 23, 1984 at 6:30 pm, Jose was driving home from work when his car was surrounded by six kidnappers who seized him and, four months later, demanded the outrageous sum of $30 million for his release. On March 19, she paid her husband’s captors $1million.She never saw her beloved husband again. Through the pain of that ordeal, Beatriz began seeking God and learned to walk by faith. She started attending a little church where she found Christians who comforted, encouraged and sustained her. The believers gave her the strength she needed to make one of the most difficult decisions of her life: to remain in the mountain home her husband loved so much and to continue tending the gardens that brought him such joy. Slowly, she began planting money-producing fruit trees using funds that came in from rental properties her husband had wisely invested in. She was learning to make it on her own.Her first major business venture was building four massive chicken coups which now house 48,000 chickens. She has no regrets about taking out a second mortgage on the house to start that business, because it now generates a very steady income for her and will continue doing so for many years to come. Then Beatriz began taking classes to learn how the coffee industry operated. Today her coffee harvest fills in the income gap when fruit is out of season and there are no chickens ready to send to market. Somewhere along the line, she started a worm farm—she’s quite proud of it, although I bypassed that part of the tour! About six years ago, she added a grouper pond. “It hasn’t succeeded yet,” she admits, “but time will tell.” Given her track record, it’s bound to become another success. At age 73, Beatriz still works three to four days per week, energetically managing her business affairs. But what I will always remember about Beatriz is not her thriving enterprises and the wisdom God gave her to develop multiple streams of income. What I will always remember is the overwhelming peace that permeated her countenance, her home and her entire surroundings. I’ll always remember her as one of the most capable, dignified women I’ve ever met. In a word, she was altogether lovely. There was not an ounce of bitterness or self-pity in her voice as she recounted her losses. There was only gratitude for the goodness of God. I asked her for her secret. Forgiveness, she answered immediately. “It took me a long time to completely forgive the people who kidnapped my husband and robbed me of all that could have been. But the moment I did, the peace of God overcame me and it has never left.” Beatriz Duenas personifies the peace that passes understanding. It’s a peace that’s returning to these mountains. “The guerillas used to be active in this area, raiding farms and cattle ranches, destroying people’s livelihoods and trying to intimidate everyone,” she recalls. “But I refused to live controlled by fear. I refused to be intimidated and driven out of my own home. Now there are cattle on the hills again.” There were tears of both pride and joy in her eyes as she spoke that last miraculous sentence. She knew she had outlasted the guerillas. Even the developer who decided to build a discotheque in her peaceful mountain town didn’t stand a chance against her prayers. Day after day, she sat in her small chapel, praying for God to intervene. And he did. The disco never opened. The developer did all the work then sold it to a group of Christians who turned it into a church instead. Beatriz can laugh at the days to come, not because the days before were so easy but because she knows her God. Her parting words to me were, “Tell the women they must come to full confidence and assurance that what God has done for me, he can do for them also.” Just two short days in the presence of a genuine Proverbs 31 woman gave me that assurance. It’s the assurance I pray you’ll find on the pages of my latest book, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be: A 90-Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life (Revell, 2008) The above is an excerpt from Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be: A 90-Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life by Donna Partow www.donnapartow.com

Everything is coming up pumpkins!

What a great day I had today. There are some moments in time I want to freeze and today was one of them. I took my kids to a pumpkin patch about an hour away from home. It was a total "FUN" Day. We stopped and ate donuts with friends before leaving town and then took our time taking everything in at the patch. I took pics of the kids with their favorite animated characters, ate shaved ice, went on a hayride, the kids played in all sorts of bounce houses, played in the pumpkin patch and talked to the horses and donkeys! We had a blast! I marvel at the sweetness of their innocence and pray they stay sheltered from the harshness of this world for a few more years.

It's not that often that I do fun things out by myself with the kids. Bruce's schedule usually allows for fun things like this to be done together as a family. Today was different and allowed me the chance to spend some mommy time loving and enjoying my kids without all the normal mom commands (don't, stop, no, not now, when your dad gets home....) Thank you Lord!

Went to the GIFT meeting tonight with Bruce. He accepted the nomination to be on their board for the next three years. GIFT is a scholarship program that helps kids who have been raised in our town to be gifted with a scholarship to go to college. It's a great program.

Great day!

What I did today....or why am I so tired

1. Worked until after midnight (this morning)
2. Got caught up on all my PR work
3. Did a few loads of laundry
4. Researched vacation options
5. Played with the kids
6. Cooked Dinner
7. Cleaned Kitchen
8. Bathed Kids
9. Talked to family on the phone
10. Cleaned permanent marker off Savannah's door and several other surfaces in her room (thank you Tucker)

What a day! We will do it all again tomorrow too!

Computer Crankiness

I have been cranky the last two weeks...there, I admit it! About two weeks ago I called Dell about a minor computer problem and over the last two weeks they have managed to replace the mother board, memory (2 times), the hard drive (after they infected my old one), and the cd/dvd driver. WOW...all I really needed was a new battery! Well....all this ended up getting me a new computer at Dell's expense....but what I had to get from one department supervisor to another...well....that's where I got cranky! I had to repeat "That is not acceptable" 40 some odd times before I got anywhere!!! But...in 10 days I will have a new computer. Thankfully someone finally heard me!

Isn't it funny how we have let these modern conveniences become such a huge part of our lives. For me, without a computer I can't pay bills, balance the checkbook, earn a paycheck, listen to music, send email and much more. I am much more prone to clean house and make really good meals though!

So, today Bruce hung out at home, and I have been able to get caught up on all things computer. I feel like I have a better handle on things and can get through the next 10 days without a repeat episode of crankiness! I think my family might like me more!

10 things I like about my kids

I'm feeling a little stressed out about life, so I figure the best medicine for that is to take time to be grateful for my blessings:

10 Things I Like About My Kids

1. The way Tucker grabs my chin when he wants my undivided attention
2. Savannah's dance moves
3. Their prayers
4. The way Tucker calls Savannah "DEET" (we don't know why)
5. Southern accents...hysterical!
6. The way they look when they are sleeping
7. Savannah's curls
8. Tucker's eyelashes
9. The way Tucker talks with his hands
10. Savannah's theatrics