A 3rd Grader

Our summer vacation is officially over now, with M starting school this morning. I feel like we did a lot this summer and most importantly we just spent time together, as a family. However, it did go by too quickly, as always, and this morning I had to wake up to the horrible buzz of the alarm clock, which came much too soon, waking me from my sweet slumber and warm bed. Here it was. The first day of school and my sweet little girl is now a third grader.

Yesterday, I wasn't ready for a new school year, a third grade school year. Today, while driving M to school, I realized that I am actually ready for a new year. It helped a lot that M was excited for school and didn't "even need to be walked in" this morning because she's "a third grader now." I told her, as she left the car, that this was the start of a brand new year and that she could be whatever, whoever she wanted to be...the smartest girl in 3rd grade, the sweetest girl in 3rd grade, whatever she wanted. A brand new year, one that brings a clean slate, a new teacher, new friends, new surroundings. Of course there is one thing that does not, and will not ever change..the fact that she is a child of God and I reminded her of all of that before she left my car this morning. Of course, I also gave her sloppy wet kisses and told her too many times how much I loved her and how proud I was of her.

Driving home after that conversation, it all just sunk into me. Wow. "A new year. A clean slate. Child of God. He never changes"..... HE allows us so many "2nd chances", cleans our "slate", makes us new, but He NEVER changes. He remains the same, He is solid ground. In a world and a life that is constantly bringing about changes and new things, isn't it just nice to rest on that simple fact, that He never does change? It is certainly comforting for me and I'm so glad he gave me the reminder this morning.

Here is my happy third grade girl!

She already looks like a third grader!!

"A Successful Mother"

After writing my blog yesterday, I picked up The Best of Proverbs 31 Ministry: Encouragement and Inspiration For Women. and started reading through it. Ironically, I came across this one, written by Suzy Ryan, and it related so well to what I was saying yesterday, and just to my "motherhood" journey in general. It said everything I was feeling and more:

"What will my children recall of their mother? After time sifts through the marathon of life, what memories will champion the winner's circle of their impressionable minds? Will they remember the discipline? I pray they only hear me say, "I love you too much to allow you to choose disobedience."

Will they remember their mom, green-faced, holding her breath, while cleaning vomit off their beds? (or in my particular case, Sofa) I long for them to just savor the warmth of my hug as I gently rocked them back to sleep.

Will they remember looks of exasperation because they wanted to show me the rocks that they found? Surely only my departure from he dishes to discover more treasures will remain important.

Will they remember the countless times I said, "no" to Power Rangers when every other child on the block enjoyed unlimited time gaining "morphin power"? How can they forget about the excitement experienced whiles playing Go Fish, Legos and Play Dough instead?

Will they remember me frantically rushing everyone out the door without using my "indoor voice"? Maybe memory will only acknowledge the fun songs we sang while driving the carpool to church.

How will my three cherubs remember me? Oh please, Lord, as a woman who modeled godliness, so that they will accept and depend on You. I beg You to filter out the many mistakes I made during their development. Allow them to see a glimpse of You love through me.

If they choose to fear and serve You, Jesus, then I am a successful mother."

Future Fashion Queen...(I hope)

Yesterday M and I were about 10 minutes from leaving the house for the school's "Meet Your Teacher Night" and I was wrapping up something on the computer (let's be honest here, I was probably reading someone's blog!)when I noticed M and her sister were strangely quiet and no fussing or whining was occuring. It was time to go, so I called for M and she came out of my bathroom "ready" to go. She was dressed in a pair of white jean capris pants that were at least 4 sizes to small, a turquoise shirt (also too small), a pair of my high heels, and her face looked like Bozo the clown...no, worse. She had on blue eyeshadow, lip stick and mascara! She looked like she should be walking the streets, if you know what I mean. She certainly didn't look like she was going to an elementary school to meet her 3rd grade teacher.

Needless to say I quickly took off all of her makeup and made her put back on her other clothes, but the whole ordeal completely stressed me out. We were now late and there I was with a little girl that had remnants of mascara under her eyes and pink cheeks where I had rubbed with tissue to get the makeup off as quick as possible.

We were heading out the door when I realized my wallet was missing from my purse. I remembered to earlier in the day when I caught M going through my wallet and told her to put it back where she had gotten it. She obviously got side-tracked before returning it to where it belonged, and now I sat there fuming that she couldn't remember where exactly she had put it. We eventually found my wallet behind the sofa cushions, along with some cracker crumbs, a few cheetos, a hair barrette, a toy, and some things that were, ugh well, unidentifiable.

After meeting her new teacher, we stopped by a convenient store and as we were leaving I noticed a woman standing pumping her gas. She was dressed in crop black pants, a black and white top, black stilettos and a "Dick Tracy" type of hat that was ever so perfectly cocked on her head. I said to M, "Look at that lady. That's almost crazy."

Her response to me was, "Yeah....Crazy FABULOUS!"

I just couldn't help but think: All in one day my (almost) 8 year old daughter has dressed like a street walker, confiscated my wallet and credit cards, and has admired a lady in a very "mature" outfit. Needless to say, worry then set in and rightfully so.

I know this is just a funny story of my growing girl, but it got me to thinking, that I want to raise a virtuous young lady. She is just "on loan" to me and I so desperately want to always say and do the right thing, but know I fail miserably most of the time. I know God will step in where I make mistakes, and make them right and good, for he never makes mistakes. I know He cares and loves them more than I do. But right now they are here for me to care for, instruct, love and discipline and I'm finding all of that a little overwhelming at the moment. My children are gifts for which I am so grateful. All I want to do is raise them well, and most importantly, raise them to love the Lord.

Baptism

Yesterday was such a special day for my little family. T and J were baptized together at church yesterday morning and it was such a sweet experience. I thought it was especially sweet that our pastor spoke directly to my two girls and told them of their responsibility as well, and the expressions on their faces as they listened carefully to what he said, just tugged at my heartstrings. I am proud of my men today. So proud.


"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Mark 1:8 (New International)

"As he preached he said, 'The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism-a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit-will change you from the inside out.'"
Mark 1:8 (The Message)

Confusion with Words

Last weekend while visiting my brother and his family, my girls slept on a pull out sofa for 2 nights. After the first night K came up to me the following afternoon and said to me, "Mommy, my sheets last night were greasy."
"What!?," I asked. I was very confused because my sister in law is one of those "Super Moms" and always keeps a clean house.
"Greasy?" I continued.
K thinks long and hard and says, "No. I mean it was kind of crusty."
"CRUSTY??" I am still bewildered that she would refer to her sheets as greasy or crusty.
K thinks about it some more, knowing that she is just not saying the right word, and she finally comes up with, "No, It was sandy."
"Oh," I replied. This makes more sense to me, but still, SANDY?? In North Carolina? In the Mountains? No where near any sand?

That evening while crawling back into the sheets for her final night sleep there, we discovered that the sheets were actually CRUMBY...not greasy, not crusty, not really sandy. I am thinking that her older sister snuck some cookies in the bed the night before!

Tag

My friend over at jonisjoy tagged me with a list of questions. Hers is so much fun to read. Mine won't compare, as I am not nearly as witty as she. Here goes:

WHAT WAS I DOING 10 YEARS AGO

-I, like Joni, was also a "DINK", as she says, and I'm glad she has introduced me to this acronym which means, "Double Income No Kids". What in the world did we do with all that money??
-I was celebrating my 1st anniversary, living in a rental house, and had just finished my first year teaching...32 5th graders in my classroom! (what a hard and LONG year that was)
-I was enjoying my summer by the pool reading books, and for the life of me I can't remember how I spent my time (as well as my money) pre-kids.

FAVORITE SNACKS

-Peanuts/chips, or anything salty. I'm not so much on sweet foods.

TO DO LIST

-Get oldest daughter's hair cut so that her ringlets don't form into dread locks!(I am SO NOT kidding here)
-Buy school supplies
-Get my son and husband baptized this Sunday at church
-Register girls for ballet class.
-Process tons of files (this is an every day thing)
-Put away clean clothes that have been folded in the laundry basket for over a week.
-Try my best to catch up on laundry, period.
-Get organized.

JOBS I HAVE HAD

-(This is REALLY pitiful...) The first job I got I was hired at a local Goody's store, only because my father knew someone because I had never even gone to an interview. My first day of work, I overslept and didn't show up. I didn't have that job anymore...even before I even worked there! Again, so pitiful.
-Later in high school I worked at a local Doll Shop...BORING!
-My profession...Teacher. I taught at an underprivileged school for several years after graduation. I taught 4th and 5th graders. HUMBLING! (They will tell you "like it is!")
-Business Owner. I started my own business from home...I process bankruptcies for a local attorney firm. I have my own LLC and I can do my work in my pj's if I want to.

PLACES I HAVE LIVED

-North Georgia
-South Georgia (Statesboro)
(How sad is that??)....Guess I'm just a Georgia Girl!

BAD HABITS

Well, as so not to incriminate myself I will tell you my "good"/BAD habits:

-Not putting things back in there place.(I am not the most organized person)
-Not using my time efficiently...I am such a procrastinator, plus I like to do things that interest me, not things that don't....like laundry and other household chores.
-Losing my "cool". I sometimes raise my voice and yell, perhaps getting into a battle with my children, when I know that I shouldn't.

5 RANDOM THINGS PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

Honestly, this is the hardest question on here, mainly because I think I am an open book. What you see is what you get....so, I'm kind of at a loss here. Also, I struggled with this when I wrote my 100th post, so see that if you really want to know completely random things about me.

-I took piano lessons for at least 7 years and I still can't read music well (without saying in my head, "F.A.C.E. or All Cows Eat Grass...), although I can play by ear pretty good.
-I don't have very good rythym....NOT a good dancer!

CD'S I WOULD WANT IF STRANDED ON AN ISLAND

-I am a huge instrumental, classical kind of person (especially piano)..anything that makes me feel good.
-Anything by Alison Krauss because she has such an angelic voice that soothes my soul.
-I'm a sucker for good ole' country music because I can relate to the songs..they tell a story and I love it!

WHAT WOULD I DO IF I WAS A BILLIONAIRE

In no particular order:
-I would do is build a new house with plenty of closet space!!! I am seriously outgrowing my 60's style ranch house.
- I would put aside money for each of my children
- I would make sure all of my family members had what they needed and were financially secure.
-I would give money to the church. Probably most of the money would go to my brother and his church. He is doing a Presbyterian church plant in Boone, NC. He and his church could use the money to help them and people would be blessed by him and his ministry/preaching for many years to come.
-I would carefully consider adopting or fostering (although, I can barely manage the 3 that I have )
-I would travel with my children all over the world.

"That's All Folks" Now...I am supposed to tag a few other people, but since practically every blogger that reads my blog has already been tagged, I can only tag one person...BrewCrewFive your next (if you haven't already been tagged).

A Visit To the High Country

Yes, I'm still here. I have been so busy since my last post with work, normal summer activities (like eating, sleeping, swimming..), baby showers to host, a visit by 4 of my nieces (2 of which are teenagers) for a two week stay, and a quick visit to North Carolina. Whew! I'm exhausted.

This past weekend my mom, my children and I went for a quick visit to Boone, NC to return my nieces and to see my oldest niece in PETER PAN at a local theater there. She had a lead role, as "Wendy", and as expected, she did a fabulous job! She is a very talented young girl and I knew this before, but after seeing the play, I was so impressed. It says a lot when an aunt and cousins can sit in the theater, see your niece on stage and believe her character as "Wendy" not as a family member. She has a beautiful singing voice and a real knack for acting. Who knows, maybe we will see her on Broadway one day.

Now, back at home, things have settled down a lot. I do miss my nieces terribly, as they were a huge help with the kids and even some household chores! The next 2 weeks we are going to try to soak in every last ounce of summer vacation. I have to admit, I am very sad about school starting back. I love the relaxed schedule of summer, being able to spend time with my kids and not feeling the stress of deadlines, homework and tardy bells. It's nice to wake up in the mornings and not feel like you are barking orders and hurrying to get someone dressed, fed and out the door, and then furthermore, feeling bad after they have left because you had done all that.

So, me and my girls are going to really lavish in the life of luxury by staying in our pj's until noon if we wish, then perhaps going to the pool for the afternoon, and maybe one day make a trip to get a pedicure to be sure our toes look good for the first day of school. Thank goodness J is so little right now that he doesn't mind tagging along during all this girly stuff. But, afterall, this year both girls will be in school so J and I will have plenty of time to "vroom, vroom" little cars, read about John Deere tractors, and get into everything we possibly can.

Please help me to slow down the pace, enjoy this time left with my girls this summer, and to help prepare and equip them (and myself, more importantly), not only physically, but emotionally as well, for the upcoming school year

My Knees Still Shake

Over 18 years ago, I was set up on a blind date with a young and handsome boy. He had jet black hair, green eyes and long eyelashes, 6 foot 3 inches tall....nothing not to like. Oh, such a pretty boy! We attended the Taco Bell on our first date, not exactly the most desirable eating establishment, but I didn't care because I couldn't keep from thinking how cute this boy was. Well, this very cute boy kissed me on our first date (sorry mom) and I just remember my knees were shaking.

About two years later we both went to college together at GSU and the next few years would be very troubling for the both of us. He broke my heart on several occasions throughout the years in college, but we always seemed to find our way back together. I distinctly remember, on many nights, calling my mother from my apartment and requesting her prayers for me and T. She would tell me, "Well, I will pray for you and that the best thing would happen...and the right boy to come along." And my answer always was, "Well, mom...please specifically pray that it IS T and that -THAT is the best thing for me ."...I just wanted it to be him.....SO VERY BADLY. I couldn't see it any other way.

He eventually broke my heart and I ended up dropping my spring quarter classes, packed up all my belongings and drove home. I was devastated.

About 2 months later, that cute boy with those pretty eyes, came running back to me. The love of my life....We dated for a few months after that, when finally, he proposed to me on top of a well known landmark, in the town that we live in. I couldn't have been more happy.

Less than a year later, we wed on July 12th, 1997. It was a great day, one that I will never forget. (Especially the fact that it was 100 degrees and I was in a wedding dress!) He was the most handsome man/groom I have ever seen. Man, those eyes! He definitely lived up to all of my dreams that I had growing up as a young girl. I could have never dreamt it to be any better.

Eleven years later, it is even better. I love my man with all my heart, think he is the most handsome guy there is, love the "Daddy" that he is and the friend he is to me.

Thank you T for choosing me...loving me....taking care of me...making me your wife...making me a mommy...making my knees still shake.

We have been through a lot.... A lot that makes me love you even more. You are my most prized possession. Without YOU, nothing makes sense to me. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN I CAN EVER SAY....FOREVER. Happy Anniversary.

Book Review

Back in May, I read THE SHACK and I blogged then how it was a good book, but left me feeling somewhat like it just didn't feel right reading it. I couldn't help but feel like, with all the current hype about it, that people might look to that for their spiritual/theological answers instead of looking where they should, in the Bible. There is a little song that my children listen to that I think of, and it says, "In the Bible alone, it is there you will find, to love and obey a great God."

With that being said, of course I naturally asked my brother, a Presbyterian minister to read the book and tell me his thoughts on it. I received this email from him today and I thought it was really good:

e,

here is a good review i found on the book. http://byfaithonline.com/page/arts-culture/the-shack-what-god-should-have-said?comment=1026
i read the book while at the beach and would agree with this reviewer's opinion. i might add that the book is not that good of a fiction novel and an even worse presentation of theology! His god is way too familiar and altogether like us! And as far as a fictional attempt to answer the ? how a loving God can allow suffering and evil in the world, i think he does a pretty poor job. There are some wonderful non-fictional books out there on that subject! i will spare you all the sermons at this point, but i will add as well that the writer seems to have no understanding of or appreciation of the saving presence of God in His church. to him the church is just another unnecessary institution of man. i might suggest that the "place" where we meet with the Living Triune God and He communicates lovingly with his people and instructs them and feeds them is in his church (the true shack in the world). Yes, the Lord is present with his redeemed people! And in the midst of his church, He speaks to us and nourishes us through the medium of the preached word and the bread and the cup! So many are already running to the woods and looking to the stars and the rest of the natural world to "find" God. This book will only encourage them the more to keeping looking for the saving knowledge of God in themselves, or in their personal experiences - whether good or bad, or generally within the natural fallen world instead of looking to the Christ of the Scriptures and resting upon his personal experience for us. They will hasten to a "relationship" with a god of their imagination (only loving, never truly holy in His justice or wrath) stirred on by this imaginative literature and never enter into a saving, living relationship with the Father through faith in Jesus Christ and baptism into His church, the household of faith, the family and kingdom of God!

Thanks brother for the review, opinion and for sparing me the sermon.

I think he is so intelligent and knowledgeable about the Word! I'm lucky to have him....Now, if just one person in my family could become a doctor (MD), then I could be good spiritually as well as physically!

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