God is the God of second chances

This is a great read. Worth taking and tucking into your heart.

Went for a walk

God has really been calling my husband and I to the challenge of getting fit. Since the years of our wedding we have added some pounds. I have added a lot more then he has but I did carry three beautiful boys. :)

I have to be careful with what I do. Or rather how much I do and how fast I do it. Among many things I am learning perseverance this season of my life. I know if I set a goal to high I will not do it. If I start off with a bang I will loose steam. I know it, my Lord knows it.

I have decided to walk for 30 minutes every day. Yes, every day. That alone is going to be tough. So my goal for this week is just that. To walk. For 30 minutes.

Bo and I went for a walk this evening while the boys were at my mom's. He wanted to jog the whole time. I tried but my shins started hurting. I knew if I pushed myself ... well, I would quit. So I continued to walk. Being the great hubby that he is, he waited for me at the corner and walked with me.

While we walked we talked about our goals. His is to loose 60 pounds. Mine is to loose 60 as well. That is my long term goal.

We walked 1.5 miles in 27.36 minutes. I know that isn't great but for me it was wonderful. I was sweating, my breathing was a bit labored, my legs felt strong and my pulse was up. I stretched before and after. Even the stretching felt great. I really enjoyed my walk with Bo. Our neighbors waved as we passed one another. It was nice.

My short term goal is to take a minute off my time by the end of the week. I am really excited about this. I know that God is happy too. After all my body is His temple. I should take care of it.

Another long/short term goal is to drink water every day. I'm up to about 45 ounces a day. I want to hit the 64oz consistently.

I'm going to use this blog as an accountability partner of sorts. Along with God and my hubby. I'm going to set up something on the side bar. Now, don't tease me! Just encourage me. ;)

A great family weekend.

Today I woke up very achy. This weekend has been long and fun.

First on Friday, Bo and I went out on a date. :) We shot pool and had some dinner there. I won 3 out of 4 games. Yes, it does count even though your husband is giving you pointers! After pool we went to the beach. The Neptune Festival was going on, which we didn't realize. So what was suppose to be a quiet time on the sand turned into a stroll on the boardwalk, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. We agreed that we should bring the boys down more. We live about 20 minutes away and hardly ever get to the beach.

On Saturday the boys had their games. Both teams lost but it certainly wasn't lack of trying. Grandma was able to come to both games so that was nice. Afterwards, we all went out to lunch. Then Grandma went home and we took naps. Well, at least Bo and I did!

It was about 7 when I felt like getting really up and doing anything. As I was straightening up the house Bo suggested that we take the boys to the beach. I thought that was a great idea. So we got ready and headed out about 8. After 15 minutes of trying to find a parking spot we finally found one. When we went over to the meter (there is one meter for 8 spots. Very high tech stuff!) we realized we had over 2 hours FREE! God is so sweet. So we headed down the Strip. It was a bit more crowded then the night before. The boys wanted to get to the sand so we decided to head towards the Boardwalk. We were a bit bummed because we realized they had closed off the beach. None of us could understand why. But we strolled along the Boardwalk, stopping at the various stands as things caught our eyes.

Finally after about 7 or 8 blocks we came to the pier. We noticed that there were people on the beach there. So we headed out. As we were going down the steps onto the beach, a fire cracker went up in the air from the pier. We all realized that we were just in time to see the fireworks! What another great blessing! Every one took off their shoes, dug our toes in the cool sand and sat back to enjoy the show. It was a great show too!

Afterwards we just walked around some more. Enjoying the bands at various streets. Of course we headed to Wendy's to eat. We got home about 11 and climbed happily into bed.

Yesterday we decided to hit Busch Gardens! The weather was so perfect. Sorry Lori! I did think about you from time to time. :) The lines for the rides were short. Matthew was tall enough to ride all the rides in the park. You could not contain his joy! He rode the Alpengeist. He said it was intense! LOL Next he rode the Griffon. Not only was it his first time but he rode in the VERY FRONT! (Lori, I told Matthew that you would be jealous!) He said that the Apollo's Chariot wasn't his favorite anymore! LOL David was so brave this time too. He doesn't care for roller coasters. He went on one in the beginning of summer but it just tossed his tummy too much for his comfort. One day he might realize that is the point. Until then he rides things like Trade Winds, Roman Rapids and the Flying Machine. Well, yesterday he tried the Katapult. He laughed non-stop. Ryan too was excited because he was tall enough to ride the Loch Ness Monster. Of course Big Bad Wolf will always be his true love. It was the first coaster he could ride.

We came home beat and tired. Nonetheless it was a great weekend. So needless to say I woke up achy. But it is a good achy. A heart full of joy just the body achy.

Grandma Annabelle

I just got off the phone with my step mom Annabelle. Please lift her up in your prayers. Good days are starting to come more in between the bad days but I hear the sadness in her voice.

We chatted a bit and she asked if we were still coming for Thanksgiving. She was excited to hear that yes we are coming for Thanksgiving. The sadness was there though. The holidays are coming up and it's a reminder that Dad won't be there.

I have something funny to share. At least I think it is funny. It's a shake your head in disbelief kind of funny.

Annabelle is an amazing cook. Every meal is home cooked. I don't think anything she makes has less then four ingredients! Bless her heart she is forever in the kitchen. Unless I made fresh coffee and convinced her to take a break with me out on the front porch, she wasn't leaving her stove. Well, she always makes all the fixin's. From early in the morning you could smell the dinner comin'. Between the warmth of that kitchen and the coolness of the front porch ... let's just say ... you are in heaven.

Finally it's dinner time. Grace has been said the kids are served first. We all would circle around the table (we ate buffet, too many of us to sit at the table!) and find a nice comfy spot somewhere. We all would stuff our face, praying that we would be able to let out the button on our pants so we could have a slice from every pie! Annabelle makes 5, yes F-I-V-E, different pies!

Well, here comes my Dad. He would keep pouring salt and pepper on everything! One of us would ask him what he was doing. The food is perfect! "No, no it isn't. Not even salt and pepper!" Here is the funny part ... he had no taste buds! LOL Between two bouts of throat cancer and all the chemo and radiation from the other cancers, the man couldn't smell and couldn't taste! What a nut!

Even though that would drive me crazy, I will miss it. I know she will too. For 26 years she cared for him. For 7 of those years she bravely took care of him while he died. They were and still are each other's world. She misses him terribly. Understandable so. My uncle Benny, her brother, came to visit and help her around the house. She told me that the whole time she kept calling him Bill. She asked me if I thought that was bad. I said no. I would be surprised if she did anything different.

Please pray for God's love and comfort. I know He is there with her but I want her to feel it deep in her spirit. I remember the week of the funeral, as she told us (us girls) the plans she was making, she kept asking 'Do you think that is okay?' 'Is this alright?' Of course we were fine with whatever decisions she made. I find her still doing that today. Pray that I can share with her God's peace and my assurance that she is O.K.

Thank you mighty warriors. The enemy and loneliness is tearing her up. Thank you for praying.

Get a list together

I just want to encourage everyone out there ...
Get a list of prayer concerns together and give them to your husbands.

These men were given to us by God Himself. Even the ones who don't know it. :) Go before God and ask Him how to word it for your man. Remember Ladies, men do not like details. They just want the main points. So as you write your list out be careful not to go on about it. Remember you are not asking him to fix anything, you are just asking him to pray. God is the fixer. You can give some scripture that you would like to have prayed over you as well.

Second, don't nag or assume that he isn't praying. Remember all things are in God's perfect timing.

Third, when you present your list don't do it with the tone of "You are not praying for me, so here." Simply say to him that these things are on your heart and mind. These things are heavy on your shoulders. So you are bringing them to your "covering". Don't misunderstand me, the Holy Spirit can, will and does bring things to your husband's spirit. This list just helps him see where you are physically, emotionally and spiritually.

And last, ask him for a list. Most likely he won't hand you one but he will give you a list all the same. He will say things. Make a mental note or write it down. If he says that there isn't anything he needs, well, we know better. Again, and always, refer back to the Holy Spirit. Also, let him know lovingly that you are praying for him. Especially on those days when he seems to be distracted or just not himself.

One more thing Ladies ... He most likely will not tell you that he has been praying. Trust God for the answers. Trust your husband to do what he says he is going to do. Believe the best in your precious man.

Well, now, go make your list! I am.

*UPDATE* Don't forget to thank your husband for praying. Especially when God answers.

Thanks Beth. I needed that.

Check out Beth Moore's and her daughter, Amanda Jones' blog for today.

Be blessed my precious ones.

every Mom needs a night out

A little while ago Bo took the boys fishing in the evening.

Four female ducks swam by.

Matthew turned to Bo and said,

"There goes some moms on their way to Starbucks for a girls' night out."

Bo was so tickled by him that he took the picture of those four precious moms.

Now that is precious!

This is my youngest football player! My 6 year old Ryan. What a cutie.

some pics

Top is our friend Jamie helping Matthew with the wand. Next is Bo working on the tire. And then at the bottom is David. :P

HOT DOG!

Well, I'll be!! I figured it out! With some help. Thanks Jason!!
This is Bo and Ryan. Friday Bo and the boys along with Bo's friend Jamie washed the two trucks.

A walk

I started walking the other day. I want to be healthy and most importantly, I want to loose weight. My goal is for about 60 to 70 pounds.

At the boys' practice is a track. I would see moms out there walking and dads jogging. I admire them for I sat in a chair in between Mitey Mites and Tiny Mites. I would sit with my coffee and a book. I chatted casually with the other parents and cheered on the teams. It was wonderful and relaxing. However, my mind was saying, "You could be walking.".

So I finally decided to do it. I walked a mile and a half in 28 minutes. I think for me that is good. :)

The walk really isn't the reason I am writing.

I began singing praises to God. Random songs from my heart. It was so peaceful and only a few heads turned. In between songs I would thank God for all the wonderful things He has brought into my life. My saving relationship with Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit, my family, my health, my worldly possessions, and so on. I praise God for every answered prayer, whether yes or no. I thanked Him for loving me so much. For showing me His glory everywhere in my life. So it was no coincidence when I looked at the sky, full of dusk, and found a beautiful shade of purple. That is my favorite color.

My heart leaped and I praised Him for that purple. I shared a little joke between He and I about Home Depot matching that color.

In between all that I shared with Him my frustration over not being able to execute my plans. For starting things that I later couldn't finish. One more time I asked, "What is wrong with me?"

So quietly, in the midst of cheers and pad pops, He answered.
"Nothing is wrong with you. You simply lack perseverance."

Oh.
Oh, I see.

Yes, I do see. I've had that thought before but that day something inside of me changed. I went from knowing it to feeling it. I know that my nature, my flesh is weak when it comes to perseverance. I am laying down my flaw for His perfection. Through Christ I am going to persevere in my life. Whether it be homeschooling or loosing weight I will finish and I will finish well for I have the Mighty One dwelling inside of me.

Make it a good one

This is my 100th post! Isn't that something? So, I need to make it a good one. LOL

This past week God has been speaking to me. He has been talking gently. Practically whispering to me.

It is no surprise to anyone that I have a hard time executing plans. I can see the beginning, what is needed and I can see the end but to actually do any of it ... well ... that's my problem. I'm not sure where that all started. I have always been a procrastinator. Not when it came to other people's needs, just my stuff. For the most part it never bothered me. After all, it only affected me.

Lately though, the fact that I can't seem to get any of the things I want to do done, I am annoyed. With myself. So I cry out to God "What the heck is wrong with me?!" God has been so faithful to point out the areas I need to work on. Things like prioritizing my day and stop being selfish with my time. Still ... how do I execute it? What does it look like? Am I even close to the goal?

I don't understand how I can do so great one day and completely screw up the next. I mean the exact same type of day, doing the exact type of thing yet I can't do it twice. For example, yesterday I woke up at 6:45. Now, today, I dragged myself out of bed at 8:30 and that was only because 1. a friend called me ( I didn't answer but I did call her back) and 2. the boys were all up. Why couldn't I get up two days in a row? What in the world?! It's not like I went to bed later yesterday. Both days I went to bed within an half hour of each other.

This morning God told me.
My sweet friend confirmed it.
Then she wrote about it on her blog.

Rebellion.

Yes, I said rebellion.

No, I'm not proud.

There is something inside of me rebelling. Something in my heart that doesn't want to do that which I know I should. To make matters worse ... when someone like my precious husband suggests that 'this' or 'that' will help me ... well, forget it! Now I really don't want to. Of course I don't say that, nor do I really think that but my actions do! And isn't that what really counts as a New Testament believer? It's what is deep in our hearts that we do and say. It's our believe system, our thought system, our heart attitude that dictates how we behave. And boy, am I a rebellious gal.

Some would say I am independent. It's okay to be independent if that is what this is. But that is not what I am doing.

Since my chat with my dear friend I have apologized to God. As the day goes though God has kept bringing it back to my mind. Which suggests to me that I need to get on my knees. He's not done talking to me and I am going to give Him my undivided attention.

So, tonight after all is calm and boys are asleep ... I am going to meet with my LORD.

What areas is God talking to you about? If you don't mind sharing I would love to hear about it.

My hubby!

My hubby came home this afternoon with some surprises for just me!

Bo went to Office Depot to get some things for the business. While there he bought me some cool stuff for my AVON business and homeschool.

One was a 6 drawer table that I can put all my business supplies in. Then he bought me a briefcase bag to carry my brochures, pens, samples and so forth. Next he got me a day planner. But an At A Glance day planner that I can make lists! He knows I love to make lists! Then he bought me a stamp set! No more hand writing my name and number on brochures! For school he bought me a Teacher Planner! It is so nice. It has big block day scheduling.

I was blown away when he came home. What a sweet man. He kept saying "I hope this blesses you."

Oh yes, it has blessed me. I love it all. I have been thinking about all this stuff but never found anything I liked enough to buy. Everything he picked out is perfect! I quickly got everything together. I put all my AVON stuff in their new homes and tonight wrote out my lesson plans for the week.

I truly am blessed by my husband's generosity.

Just talking

This holiday weekend has been so nice. Just what we needed and wanted. Saturday the boys had their first football games. It was so cool! They were awesome. They look adorable in their football uniforms. Each team has navy blue pants, navy blue shocks and white jerseys with navy blue numbers. Ryan has a white helmet, Matthew and David have gold. Matthew's number is 62, David is 67 and Ryan is 27. Matthew pointed out that there is a pattern to the numbers. M and D share a 6. D and R share a 7. M and R share a 2. I thought that was pretty smart! :)

Sunday we went to Busch Gardens and so did everyone who lives in Virginia!! So after 4 rides we left. We have season passes so there was no loss but some gas. We are going to go back on Friday while everyone is at work and school.

Today we hung out and went to the movies. We have a place here where you see older movies and are served food. It's awesome. So we saw Surf's Up. It was cute.

Tonight we just hung out some more. We started up the bed time again. No one really complained which was nice. :) Matthew even went to bed earlier. He was very tired this weekend. I wonder why!

Tonight I just got done figuring out our day tomorrow. I feel so energized. I have a goal and a plan. I'll talk more about that at the picture He's painting.

Our dear friends made it to GT safe and sound. That is a good thing. Jeremy and Lori are coming home with their new baby girl on Friday. Bo is going to meet them at the airport. We are so excited to meet Wendy!

My 7th Beth Moore Bible study starts tomorrow too! Our church is doing The Patriaches. I'm very excited. I love my Bible studies. The studies I have done by Beth are:

1. A Heart Like His, a study on King David's life.
2. Believing God, experiencing a fresh explosion of faith.
3. Breaking Free, making liberty in Christ a reality in life.
4. To Live is Christ, the life and ministry of Paul.
5. Living Beyond Yourself, exploring the Fruit of the Spirit.
6. Daniel, lives of integrity words of prophecy.

I guess that is about it. God is so good to us. My soul is at ease.

Prayer ...

There are two people in my life that God is putting such an ache in my heart for. Will you please pray for them with me? I will not go into details about anything and I'm only going to give their initials.

Thank you all, you are mighty warriors!

J.F.
C.R.

Let's stand in the gap, let's strike the enemy in Jesus' name! Let's rejoice for the VICTORY belongs to the Lord.

Cup to Cup

I'm one of those weird moms who doesn't get excited about the 'cute clothes' for babies. Sweet onesies with cute little sayings do not turn my head.

However, cool sippy cups rock!

It has been a good four years since we have had need for such cups. I just can't resist checking them out from time to time while I'm at Wal*Mart. It's not my fault really because Wal*Mart likes to help me with exercise by putting the cat supplies on the opposite side of the store from the groceries. So I have to pass by that section. It's either that or the candy aisle. :)

It was probably a month ago when I noticed cool summer fun sippies.

Now fast forward to last Friday.

I was at Dick's Sporting Goods buying cups for the boys to wear. It is football season. ;)

So we have entered into a new phase at our house. It does make me a tad bit emotional to think we have gone from ...

Cup to Cup.

Friends and Fellowship

God always knows who to send to me right when I need them. I have been feeling like my life has been spinning out of control. I have kept my foot secured on God's Word but everything else has been going nuts. The boys fighting, tension between hubby and I, the house never staying straightened, the van is a mess, laundry is in piles everywhere, both clean and dirty! Every where I look whether personal, physical or spiritual I have felt a little out of sorts.

My prayers have become "OH Lord please! Help! Father please!" That is it. Nothing more then some pleading. I'm not 100% sure what I have been pleading for. I guess it has been for the "chaos" to stop.

So my precious Father brought some people into my week that really have touched my heart.

Friend number one: Tina
She listened ... she shared ... she understood ... she prays

Friend number two: Bree
She listened ... she encouraged ... she understood ... she prays

Friend number three: Lori
She listened ... she told me about the monks ... she understood ... she prays

Friend number four: Lynae
She listened ... she confirmed what God said ... she understood ... she prays

Friend number five: Sarah
She listened ... she flipped it around to show me the other side ... she understood ... she prays

God is so faithful! He brought peace in the form of dear friends. I woke up today with literally a different outlook. I am so humbled by my friends' love and godliness. I can feel the Spirit of the Lord moving now. I know my Father is in control. He loves me and I am safe. My eyes refuse to hold the tears now. My heart is overwhelmed by God's ways.

Friends and Fellowship are so important. We were not meant to walk this thing out alone. I encourage you to call your buddy and check in. Offer hope, blessings and Christ's love. My friends had no idea I needed it but God knew! Is God bringing someone to your heart now ... give them a call.

Get to know you a little.

I have done some things to my blog here. I'm not brave enough to fool with my homeschool blog. :)

Scroll the left hand columns ... I have a poll and a place where we all can chat.

I'm trying it all out to see if I like it. :)

A little time with an old friend

So, it is no secret that I hadn't been reading God's Word like I should. Like everything in my life I have had to become disciplined with it again. I know, I know that is sad.

I have been spending about a good, solid 15 minutes reading the Bible every day. What a wonderful blessing. Why did I ever stop? Of course I have my list of reasons why but there truly is no excuse. It's not like I went blind for goodness sake!

Today God spoke to me about something. We were in Psalms together. I was reading Psalms 18 and came upon verse 25 - 26 "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd."

I think if you were to think about it you will find this statement that I am about to make true. People who do wrong things think that everyone does wrong things. For instance, people who smoke pot think that at the very least everyone has tried it. People who cheat on their taxes believe that everyone cheats at some point in life, some way. On the flip side of that, people who are always kind find it hard to believe that someone could be cruel. We base people on our self and others. I'm sure you have heard that our relationship with our earthly father has a direct result on our relationship with our Heavenly Father. For an example, if our dad was a mean man then we have a hard time believing that God will not be mean.

This scripture in Psalms sums it up for me. God shows Himself to be what we see Him as. Now, don't miss understand me. God is not crooked, He does not lie, He is mighty. Regardless of what we see, He is Truth. Where I am coming from is this ... Is there an area in your life where you view God in contrary to His word? Is there a place in your heart where you believe He can't do something? Have you come to a place where you would bet the farm on Him in all areas but this one? Is there an area where you have been so hurt, so let down, so disappointed that you are not even willing to let God have it for fear He will do the same?

Where in your life does the picture of God in your heart not add up to scripture?
Think about it, pray about it. You may not have any area where you are struggling with God's character. Glory to God! But some of you might be ...

So I say this ... If you can't see God for who He is ... move. :)

A grateful heart

I know that I have been MIA a bit. I have been busy with God and my family. :)

Sunday was my Beloved's birthday. It was a wonderful day. We went to church and heard an awesome Word. Then we went to Applebee's, truly 'eatin' good in the neighborhood'. After that we just headed home to watch the race. Which Bo's driver actually had a great car but blew an engine with like 15 laps to go. All was not lost, his second driver won the race. We didn't have any big thing like cake but we did head out to 7-11 for Slurpees and ice cream. :) It was a very nice, relaxing day. Bo had a good day.

The boys started football this week. Man, is that exciting! It is a whole different world. I love it! For the first week they are doing conditioning. It's two and a half hours worth of intense conditioning. The boys LOVE it! They are really doing well. All the coaches are high fiven' and saying 'good job', 'atta boy', 'were you watchin' him?'. Makes my mama heart swell! There are about 175 kids there. Let me tell you they all came to play some ball. Even the 5 year olds are serious. Which is just too cute to even talk about! All the teams are tackle and this upcoming week they start hitting. My boys are beyond excited about. This is such a dream come true for them. All three of them have football in common. They know all about the sport. Come actual football season you can't get away from stats, coaches, teams, owners, players, free agents, draft orders, college recruits, college averages, college players grade average ... the list goes on and on. ESPN is always on in the fall and the boys are running to the computer when they first get up to see if anything has posted on NFL.com over night! LOL Just like NASCAR, it's in their blood. We truly are a bunch of good ole boys and girl rednecks! LOL

I am so grateful to God. I was sitting at the field last night, watching the boys run through the drills. Each one was at a different station. I was over come by my thankfulness to our Lord. He has given all of us our dreams.

My all time dream was/is to be in a family that loved and cherished me. To be in a family that wanted me around and needed me. I wanted the husband, kids, minivan, spaghetti night dinners, the less then perfect living room, and even the piles of laundry and dishes. I wanted to belong, to be accepted, to be cherished. I have that and a whole lot more!

Bo's dream is the same basically. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to belong, to be protected, not in a physical sense. To have someone stand up for him and support him. Someone to see the best in him and see his potential. He wanted children who looked up to him. He wanted/needed unconditional, pure love. He's got that and a whole lot more!

Now since my kids, to the Glory of Christ, are being raised in a God-fearing home where we are forever before His throne on our faces, they do not have all that 'emotional' stuff. :) Their dreams are this ... have their own rooms and to play football! To God's glory ... they have that and a whole lot more!

Do you notice the theme of our dreams? We have our dreams and a whole lot more!
What about you? I encourage you to take this weekend and look around. Sure there will be somethings you can say aren't your dreams but look at the bigger picture. God loves you and He is always showering you with a wonderful gift. You just might have to look for it. Ask God to help you see His hand in things. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.

Romans 11:29 (NIV)
For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. (emphasis mine)

I think someone needed to read that today! GLORY!