Where do I start? I want so much to have something profound to say. I'd love to share some deep revelation. But I have nothing.

Perhaps it's because I am not feeling well. It seems the flu is trying to catch me.

Perhaps it's because I'm not spending nearly enough time with God. Yep, I think that's it.

My lack of spending time in His word, seeking Him, praying and worshiping have nothing to do with anything. It's not because everything is great and therefore I can slack a bit. Cause things are not great and you can never slack a bit.

It's not because things are terrible and I don't want the conviction. Cause things are not terrible and I still have the Holy Spirit so there is (from time to time) conviction.

I think I'm just tired. I'm tired of failing. This is man made failure. Follow me. Please. I "think" I should get up at a certain time and spend time praying, reading and being with God. I then should take a walk around the block. Next I should shower, dress, check email, wake boys, eat breakfast. Followed by starting school with a happy heart.

I'm whipped just thinking about it. Yet, when I think about doing those things I feel excitement. But the actual doing it I rebel. Why? Why is it that no matter what time I go to bed I cannot get up early? Am I getting to much sleep? Is there such a thing? LOL

I can't stand this "feeling". I can't stand feeling like I'm in limbo. I'm in between knowing what I should be doing and actually doing it. Limbo stinks.

It's time to get a plan. It's time to say to myself "LOOK chic - get it together, grow up, suck it up and do the thing!"

If I want to accomplish the stuff that I believe I should be doing then I simply cannot forsake any time with God. He must be first. I must be in His word. The Bible. Not simply a little devotional, although nice and encouraging, those books are not THE book. I need to be worshipping Christ. I must be praying with confidence and seeking His heart.

Then all this "stuff" will be a lot easier to focus on and do. It will also make it easier to recognize the onset of rebellion (or laziness or being a wimp) and deal with it.

So tomorrow morning I shall rise up and spend time with my God.

Matthew met the Mayor!

On January 13 our oldest boy met Mayor Kransnoff. Not only did he met the Mayor but he and his team were introduced to the City Council. Why? Well because they were the FIRST Pop Warner Chesapeake Football Team to win not only the Division Title but also the Regional Title!

Matthew, Matt as he is known on the field, was a little nervous. But once Mayor Krasnoff came out he was all smiles. Our Mayor is quit the funny guy. It's also really nice to know that he is a man of God. And he is not ashamed of it! :)

Below are some pictures I took (with my phone. :))

Here is Matt waiting, looking a little nervous. :)

The KNIGHTS with Mayor Krasnoff

Mayor Krasnoff presenting a certificate to Matthew.

The team sitting at the Council Meeting.

The boys are standing being recognized for all their hard work.

This is after The Pledge of Aligence (which was after the opening prayer! Which mentioned a few times how Jesus is our only Savior!)

It was funny to me to see God's hand. Let me explain. :) This year, for a reason unknown to me, I taught the boys The Pledge. We would every so often stand on our front porch, face our neighbor's American Flag and recite it loud and proud. From time to time I would think to myself "Why is this so important to you for the boys to know it like right now?" Well I figured it out when we were told to "All rise for The Pledge of Alligence." I smiled at God.

He knew, He knew. Now tell me that God isn't cool!

It was such a wonderful time. We stayed for the whole meeting. Bo and I want to bring the boys back to some more meetings. It was just so cool.

Today is his birthday

Today my oldest boy turns 11. Wow. Really? Eleven?

The past few months I have been able to see the struggle of a young man's journey. Part of him wants to play with Lego's and light sabers. The other part is diving into good books and discussing the Fall of Man.

My heart is overwhelmed by him. I catch myself watching him. Just watching in amazement at how much he looks like his father. It tickles me when he catches the jokes that are meant for older audiences. Nothing bad of course. The way Matthew can rationalize with me or speak of things that I don't even get (LOL) just blesses my heart.

Matthew, you are a great kid. I'm having a hard time today putting into words how wonderful you are. But trust me, you are amazing and smart, funny and charming, loyal and trustworthy. Really so much more.

Happy Birthday my boy!
Love forever,
-Mom

I had no idea!

I just found a very cool website today. I had no idea. Please don't judge me on my lack of knowledge. :)

Internet Public Library

I haven't looked at everything but so far I've checked out the Kid's Page. Very cool. Check out Aesop's Fables which can be read or listened to. Again, very cool!

Check it out!

Status Report

Sitting... At my husband's very messy desk.

Wearing... Some comfy sweats and a VT t-shirt. That's Virginia Tech if y'all don't know. :)

Just finished reading... Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson. LOVED it. I love all her books (so far)

Reading next... The Protector by Dee Henderson. Also skimming through some books on Charlotte Mason. I am really drawn to her style.

Honored ... That God really trusts me with these boys. I think it's more of the fact that He knows He is bigger then any mistake I make.

Drinking ... Black coffee of course. :)

Listening to ... Matthew and Ryan play Guitar Hero together.

Waiting for ... Bo and David to come home from the bank. I wonder if Bo remembered to bring me a lollipop?

Thinking about... My best friend and her daughter.

Avoiding ... Finishing Ezekiel. There is four of us gal friends who are studying God's Word together through a private blog. We are stuck on him. I think I will just finish it, post about it and move on. Seriously, we've taken like three months!

Started ... Packing up the house. Bo and I are in the process of selling it. We move March 1 and I don't want a repeat of last time. It was hectic and a mess. So I've started it now.

Wondering ... If my sweet friend (and her family) is done moving into her new place. I can't wait to see it!

Can't wait ... To hold a Life Group meeting at their place!

Getting Ready to ... Sign off so I can hang out with my family.



*Nope, Bo did not remember a lollipop. Oh well.

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Today I think I truly understood this verse. Kind of a move from head to heart.

Today we had Life Group. Last night however the boys slept out in the living room watching the BCS Bowl. Which meant bowls of popcorn everywhere. Cups filled with half drunk drinks everywhere. Couch cushions all over the floor.

Hey, when we let the boys do something, we really let them do something! LOL

Well today I woke up really late. Tomorrow I have a husband/wife realtor team coming over to take pictures of the house. Did I mention we had Life Group tonight?

I was becoming overwhelmed as the day went on with little progress. While I was picking up the what seemed like fourteenth pair of dirty socks God spoke Matthew 6:34.

Instant clarity.

My new plan was set in motion. I would clean up downstairs for the Life Group. I wouldn't worry about Saturday's stuff until early Saturday morning.

Let tomorrow worry about itself.

God's Word is so good.

LORI! and anyone else who wants to read my article. :)

Today my article was published. I am beyond excited! Just ask the people I called screaming. LOL

I wrote from my heart. I wrote it as if I was sharing with my girlfriends something I read and got out of scripture. I'm so nervous. WHEW! So nervous and so excited!

O.K. here is the link. Click HERE :)

I'm the "Today's Special Feature" too!! Check it out. ;) The main link will remain under "Local Writers".

God is so cool!

How has your day been?

My day has been good. I can't say that I did anything spectacular.

I spent about thirty minutes with each boy (and Scrabble tiles) going over reading rules like the Silent E and saying Cs. I'm using a guide for dyslexics. Then each boy spent the day reading off and on. That was it. Sometimes they read to me. Sometimes they didn't. Every once in awhile a kid would share a funny story that happened in their book.

It was nice. I read too. :) I just started book 3 in the O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson. Such good books!

I straightened up a bit. Nothing new there. I forgot to clean out Rocky's cage. That is our turtle. Oh well. He'll be alright one more day.

I did some laundry but just the washing and drying part. ;)

We kept the TV off a lot today. It was nice. I should be more intentional about that. I'm just so used to hearing it. Half the time we are not even watching it.

Tonight after the boys went to bed I typed a letter for Bo.

Oh, I wrote my first article for the local online magazine that I'm writing for. :) I'm so nervous. When it's published, which should be this week, I'll hook y'all up ... maybe. No, no, I'm kidding. That's just my nerves talking.

I spoke with my very best friend today. I haven't talked to her since, gosh, before Christmas I think. Maybe that Saturday afterwards. I don't know but it's been a long time to me.

I completely misunderstood an email but God didn't. So I'm confident that what I said is what He wanted me to say.

I'm going to re-read my Charlotte Mason books. I really am drawn to her style and philosophy.

I haven't walked in two days but I've been keeping up with the water intake. It's been raining for two days. Well, today was off and on but we were enjoying just reading. Tomorrow should be nice. I'll walk tomorrow. Since the first of the year I have lost two pounds. I am serious about it this time.

I realized last night that I am done with a certain thing that held me in bondage for some time. GLORY!

Bo and I are closer now then we have been in a very long time. God is good.

I am thoroughly enjoying our Life Group. Healing our lives, fixing our finances and saving our marriages! May God be praised!

My oldest is turning 11 soon. Where does the time go? Seriously.

In a few Wednesdays I will be taking a class at my church called "Grappling with the Will of God" One of my favorite pastor is teaching it. I'm excited. We call it Prime Time. It's equipping. We have Fall and Winter sessions. We might even have Spring. I don't remember. Usually I'm involved in Bible Study. I try not to over load myself. Anyway, this Winter I'm choosing this. Prime Time is usually 6 weeks long. Oh, that reminds me. I have to sign up the boys for their thing! Anyway, here is the description:

Have you ever asked the question: "What does God want me to do?" We all seek God's guidance and want His direction in our lives. And let's face it--it can get really confusing. Have you ever felt immobilized for fear of doing the wrong thing? Ever think you "heard something" and wonder: "Was that just me or was that really God?" What kinds of things does God care about? And what kinds of decisions does God want you, as one exercising free will, to resolve? Join us for a discovery that I believe will impact both your understanding of God's will and the way you approach decisions.

Well, I guess that's enough chatting. Bo and I are going to go snuggle up and watch some Law & Order!

I'm just a couple of days away from a new year. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Part of me is super excited to put up a new calendar. Ready to make my list of new things I want to accomplish this next year. I'm anxious to pick my self up from a hard year. I'm ready to walk every day. Ready to home school with a fresh attitude. I'm ready to write.

Yet I'm still here. My heart feels torn between wanting to get up and go and sit here and stay. I can feel the battle in my spirit.

I see my Heavenly Father holding His mighty right hand out to me yet I can feel the breath of Satan against my ear as he whispers lies.

I simply can not ignore the lies of the enemy. It won't make him go away.

I need to read God's word. I need to spend time in His presence. I need to stand up. I need to put one foot in front of the other. I need to reach out and take hold of God.

Only then can the words of death not be heard.

This new year for me isn't about my plans. This year is about truly glorifying Christ. It's going to be about digging deeper, going farther.

I'm still going to make my lists like exercise, home school, ministry outside of the home, things like that but instead of thinking that He gave me those ideas I'm going to ask Him. I know He wants me to care for this temple I have. I know He has called our family to homeschooling. I know He has placed a desire to write in my spirit. What I don't necessarily know is how He wants me to do it. When to go ahead and when to stop. I'm not sure how my days should look.

So I will sit with Him in prayer and worship. I will rest, ask and then I will listen.

Just blessed my heart

For the past five days my husband has been cleaning the kitchen. No real reason, he just wants to bless me. Since I'm an act of service kind of girl he felt this would really knock my socks off.

It has! :)

Today something was said that just tickled me so much. Every time I think about it I crack up.

After church today Bo was going to cook out on the grill. Our kitchen was a mess from last night's fight night and today's breakfast. Bo stood at the counter getting the hamburger patties ready when he looked up at me. He had such a sincere looking face.

He said "Man, I am tired of cleaning this kitchen every day!"

Me: giggle

Bo: "Everyday I have to completely clean this kitchen. Boys, you better start treating your Mama right."

Me: Full out laughter.

Merry Christmas

Matthew 1:21

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

Luke 1:30-33

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

I am so thankful for this precious gift. Immanuel, God with us. What a wonderful thing to know. God loves us so much that He gave us the gift of His son so that all may know Him and have ever lasting life. His kingdom will never end. Glory!

Merry Christmas!

Quote for my life ...

People who know how to employ themselves

always find leisure moments,

while those who do nothing

are forever in a hurry

-Marie-Jeanne Roland

I feel blessed today

Today is a good day. The weather is beautiful. I've have a check to collect. Still have almost a full tank of gas. My family is getting over this little cold/flu bug. Tomorrow we have a Christmas party with our co-op. Today I have enough money in the account to purchase the treats needed for the party. Bo and I are getting on the same page with our spiritual walk. I picked up the Dave Ramsey book from the library yesterday. I found a missing library book yesterday. Only charged 45 cents. :) My garden is cleaned out. No more dead leaves. I pruned my bush and other plants on Saturday. So today I'm heading to Home Depot with the boys to pick up some Mums and other fall/winter plants. Just about $10 worth. Laundry is not only done but put away! I know, that right there has me shouting Glory! The boys have kept their rooms clean by their own choice for about a week now. Another Glory moment. God is speaking to me so much during my Meek and Quiet study. I'm using a 30 day pray for you child thing and I started saying the prayers like the Twelve Days of Christmas. I know it is blessing my boys but I tell y'all something, by the time I get to the fourth or fifth day something just rises up in my spirit. I walk away feeling as if I have just battled against Satan. Which, of course, I have. But you know what I'm saying. I figured out a block schedule for our school day. I think it's going to work very well. Of course it feels foreign today but give it a few weeks and I believe we'll be rolling. Well, for now that is about it. I told the boys we would leave at a certain time. I should keep my word. :)

Meditate on all the wonderful works of our Lord today!! Have fun and make a list.

The Eve of a pretty important day

Today is the Eve of a pretty important day ... My birthday!

Yep, that's right.

Tomorrow morning I will wake up 32 years old.

I am very excited! :) I enjoy my birthday so much, I truly do. Today I have been thinking about why that is. I honestly don't know. I guess because I have always looked forward to growing older, being wiser, settling in.

Some pretty exciting things have happened this week for me. I'll share a few things with you.

One thing that just has me tickled is that I will soon be writing for a local online magazine. I think that is pretty neat. As soon as everything is up and running I will let you know.

Another thing is that Bo and I along with another couple will be having a Life Group together. We are going to be focusing on finances. We are going to read Dave Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover. The get together will be once a week, probably Thursdays. Starting tomorrow. My girlfriend asked me if I was okay with meeting on my birthday. I thought to myself "What better gift?" (Bree, I know you are excited reading about this!)

I know that God is going to meet and minister to us on so many different levels during our time of focusing on finances. We are about to have our socks blown off! ;)

What else ... oh, I finished reading this awesome book on Dyslexia. It's Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. There was one part that said "While a parent should not become her child's primary teacher, she can become her child's biggest helper." I just chuckled to myself. But besides the push that public education was the best at teaching a child with dyslexia it was a good resource. I have about 17 pages of notes that I took. I can't wait to sit down with David tomorrow and begin going over things. The book, for me, broke down how to teach a dyslexic kid with just some books, highlighters and index cards. Very cool.

Well I can't think of anything else other then I have really great friends who are always praying for me and my family. I have a wonderful, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm learning the difference between being happy and being cheerful. I still do not have any gray hair. My house is warm, my kids are fed, my husband has a job, my van has gas, I can stay home and homeschool. I'm starting to get a very clear vision for our days concerning chores and lessons. Bo and I are starting to get on the same page spiritually. There is peace and rest in my soul. I started a cute little (very powerful) study on being meek and quiet which just with the first nine questions has blessed me so.

What a great place to be when I turn 32 tomorrow!

Division III Mid-South CHAMPS!

That's right, we won!

13-12 Final.

I am so proud of those boys. They played their heart out. The team was given a trophy and each boy was given a cup and pin. The cup says "Mid-South Regional Champions 2008" The title is for VA, NC and SC, Alabama and Mississippi, KY, TN and WV.

I tell you what there are no parents like a KNIGHT parent. We are by far the rowdiest bunch. I love it. At one point during the last part of the fourth quarter we were all screaming DEFENCE and stomping out feet. Every play we cheered even if our team lost yards! LOL WE just love JPW football!

The team party is next Monday. Each boy will have their picture taken with the trophy. No, I don't have any photos! LOL But my close friends will be invited to take a look on the team's website. Sorry to the rest of y'all but I don't know you. :) I'm sure you understand.

Give Thanks

Psalms 118:21
I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation

Psalms 118:28
You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.

Heavenly Father, I give you thanks today for you are my salvation. I give thanks to You today for my husband. He is a wonderful, honorable man. Lord, I give you thanks for my precious boys. They are my delight. Father I give you thanks for my warm home. I give You thanks for our health. I give You all the glory, honor and praise Sweet Saviour this and every day. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Charlotte Baby!

We are heading to Charlotte, North Carolina this Friday! We are beyond excited.

MID-SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES this weekend, Baby!

Matthew and his team will be playing in the Turkey Bowl. Isn't that cool?

I'm not sure how many teams are playing. I'm not sure who we will be playing. I just wanted to let y'all know we won our play-off and are heading to the Championship game.

GO KNIGHTS!

BTW - Saturdays game was their fourth shut out. Meaning that was the fourth game where the other team did not score points. Oh yeah Baby!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!

In about two hours we will be heading out to South Carolina. Matthew's team is facing the St. John Crusaders from Northern Alabama for the final play off before Regionals! If we win this then we are heading to the Regional Championship games!

We are beyond excited!!

The league is paying for our hotel. How awesome is that?! A full tank of gas is only $31. How awesome is that?! The hotel is going to serve us a full southern buffet breakfast for like 5 bucks a person. How awesome is that?!

I am so proud of Matthew and his team. They have worked so hard.

Please keep all the Junior Pee Wee (JPW) players from both teams in your prayers. No injuries!
Also keep the parents in your prayers. No heart attacks!
Lots of prayers too for travel mercies. No wrecks or break downs.

It's about a seven hour drive. The game is early Saturday so we will be driving back. We have a late check out which is very cool. M will be able to shower and change before we head home.

I feel like I'm the mom of some NFL player. It's so sweet. Get this, when we arrive we are to have the "Front Desk" notify Coach that "Matt L ..." has arrived. Isn't that cool? LOL

The five of us are jumping out of our skin with excitement.

I will let you guys know, win or lose, how it goes some time on Sunday.

GO KNIGHTS!!

Prayer requests

O.K. I have some prayer requests. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have some encouragement or a Word.

• Homeschooling - Creativity, curricula, and structure
• Our mortgage - wisdom and clarity
• Health of my family - that we stay healthy and a healing for David
• Our business - for work to increase and for us to be paid on time.
• My prayer life - God is calling me into a deeper prayer life. I want to learn what He wants to teach me.
• Writing - I am stepping out on a limb, jumping out of my comfort zone. I'm going to submit some things to an online magazine. I want God glorified in my spirit whether my stuff is picked or not.

Thank you all Mighty Prayer Warriors!

200th post

This is my 200Th post!

I've been wondering since the 198Th post what I should write. I wanted something deep and profound. Something that would make you ponder things with me. Something that would have y'all commenting.

But nothing comes to mind.

I did have a very cool quiet time today in my van during Matthew's Pre-season Lacrosse practice. But it hasn't quite sunk in yet so I will wait to share. :)

However in true fashion of my life I will share some little things going on around here.

1. Yesterday Bo and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. We had a very busy but relaxing day. We watched Matthew play his first play-off game in the morning. Then my mom came over and we all just hung out until it was time for our movie. We watched Lakeview Terrace (it was good.) and had dinner. Bo and I were going to head over to a local restaurant afterwards to watch the UFC Fight but it was way to crowded. So we just went home. Plus we were so pooped from getting up so early for football that we didn't want to be out past 1a.

2. Matthew is in the Mid-South playoffs for Pop Warner Football. We are beyond excited! Last Saturday, the 8Th, Matthew's Junior Pee Wee (JPW) team won the Division Title for our area. This Saturday, the 15Th, was the first of two play-off games for our Region. They played a team from North Carolina. We won 19-0! Now we are moving onto our final play-off before Regionals. We are playing in South Carolina against a team from Alabama. We're staying in a hotel Friday night. How cool is that?!

3. David's team won their Bowl game. That was on the 8Th too. His team ends their season 7-2. The Mitey Mites are too young to travel so they play a local bowl. They were given a metal after the win. He was so excited. Of course we were proud parents!

4. Ryan finished his season on November 1st. They are too young to travel and there is no bowl game for them. Ryan was fine, we knew it from last year. He finished his awesome season 6-2.

5. Ryan has started Wrestling. If you know my Ryan then you know that it is perfect for him. He just loves it. The coaches are pretty impressed that this is his first season. His only problem is enough patience. He is always looking for the "big" take down. That just comes with experience. I'm not exactly sure when his first tournament is. I'll keep y'all posted. :)

6. Matthew is going to play Lacrosse in the winter. He can't wait. Matt (that's what the coaches call him) is very talented. He picks it up so quick and is fast on his feet. Which of course you have to be. He was going to wrestle but decided that he really didn't want to. The head coach is a friend of ours from football. He allowed the three boys to come out and try it. He enjoyed it but not enough to commit to it.

7. David tried Lacrosse and Wrestling. No go for either one. He said he wants to try Track and Field. So, this spring he is going to try Outdoor.

8. We have found out through much prayer, reading and at home tests that David is Dyslexic. It's not as scary as I thought. :) Now I wish that I would have caught it sooner but it is what it is. We have a few hard years with him regarding health issues. So really it's no wonder I didn't put 2 and 2 together. What I hold onto is that once I was able to focus solely on his education I found it. And two, God created him and this isn't a terrible thing. It's not really a disability as much as it is a difference.

9. I found a new awesome author, Dee Henderson. You can find her link on my sidebar. I've also been reading a lot about Dyslexia.

10. I have my scripture for this season in my life. Check out my sidebar. LOL

Well, I think that is it.

Hope you enjoyed the Big 2-0-0!