Great Opportunity

Marnie is offering a great opportunity for women's ministry leaders. Create a blog post or mini-blog about her October giveaway - 32 Theme Sets. I am so excited about this! I love quilts and choose the Crazy Quilt Life as my favorite theme! Quilts offer such beauty and memories to me. My mom taught me how to quilt. If you're involved in women's ministry, go visit her site to see the wide variety of choices! Here's to the winner!!!

Thankful Thursday - Change

Change is so hard for all of us. I personally have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the change of weather, the change of scenery, and the change of house redecoration (especially for Christmas). I hate having to change my attitude, my habits, and my emotions. These are all hard to do because I am often fighting God over His direction in my life. I know in my head that if I just relax and let God have control, I would be better off. However, I am such a control freak at times; Glen would say all the time. God and I are going at it right now. I want a few things my way. Nevertheless, God is there gently reminding me that things are to go His way. I want to put my feet into the ground and bury my head in the sand. God is there patient with me, waiting, waiting for me to change to His way of thinking. It's hard. I don't like it. Yet, I know that in the end, I will submit and God will be victorious. Basically, I am just thankful that God knows more than I do and has more wisdom than I do and that He is so patient with this stubborn, hard-headed woman.

I want to thank Lynn for hosting Thankful Thursday, but more than that I want to thank her for the series, The Mind of Christ. Also visit Sonya Lee's Thankful Thursday.

Thankful Thursday - Things that make you go hmmmmm?

It's Thankful Thursday again. I caught Glen's cold this week and am fighting it off - hopefully my mind won't be cluttered by the medicine. Lynn, from Spiritually Unequal Marriage, entitled today's thankfulness as "Things that make you go hmmmmm?" Today I am thankful for:

• the delightful smiles and hugs of my children.
• the love of my Savior.
• the Word which teaches me something new every day.
• sleeping children (aren't they just so cute?).
  
• a temporary job for the holidays at Macy's.
• and as usual, my loving husband.

Go join Lynn and Sonya Lee for more thankfulness entries.

Monday's Gone...

Wow, I can't believe all the time that has passed since I last logged on! It's been a crazy and fun week. Friday was my birthday, as well as my daughter's. We had a terrific time at Disneyland. Glen couldn't go since he was feeling under the weather - caught the flu bug. L, M, Krista, and I went for the day. It was a lot of fun. While there, M lost his binky. We have been trying to lose that binky for 8 months. No matter what I did with it, he always found it. Well, now it is gone and he is grieving for his lost binky. We told him that Mickey Mouse has it and will give it to a baby who needs one. This morning, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse came on TV. M got up off the sofa, walked to the entertainment center, and changed the channel on the TV. When I asked him why he did that, the response was, "Mickey stole my binky. I mad at him. He not my friend." My little two year old was very mad and able to express his emotions. I have spent the day assuring him that Mickey did not steal the binky but that we lost it at Mickey's house... I'll put up pictures of the trip later.

I can't believe Monday has come and gone. I also interviewed at Macy's for Christmas holiday help and have been hired on full-time for the season. I feel a little like a traitor since I am switching stores this year (not by my choice - I'd love to go back to my old store). I'll be starting in November. Thankfully my full weeks will not begin until after Women's Retreat.

Psalm 121

As I picture the hills, I see the many colors of fall...

¹I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

³He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
⁸The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

What scripture did you read today?

Exercise

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that one of my favorite activities was to go to Curves for a work-out. Last month, with the encouragement of friends, I decided to leave my beloved Curves for the YMCA. Reason for the switch - childcare. I was having a difficult time getting to Curves for lack of discipline (not able to be up and out of the house at 6:30am) and lack of childcare. The local YMCA offers childcare services to members. This has been such a blessing to me - been exercising three to five times a week. Yea, me!

Tonight after a yummy lasagna dinner, cooked by Glen no less, I packed up the kids and headed off to the Y. Glen had a meeting at church. I took my headphones and CD player, but intended to watch the TV news. As I drove and prayed, I knew that I needed to listen to my CD instead of the news. I really wanted to watch TV, something I don't do a lot of anymore. However, I did listen to the Holy Spirit and plugged in the CD. What an awesome time of worship I had with the Lord! Not only did I exercise my physical body but I received a spiritual blessing from the Lord! It was an outstanding time of prayer and praise! Here's one of the songs I listened to (don't forget to turn of the playlist at the bottom):

Rambling Emotions

It has been a tough week. My emotions have been on overload. I've been thinking a lot about my brother who passed away this past July. It started last Sunday and is still continuing. Last week as I was getting ready for church, I put on one of my favorite skirts and sat down for a good cry. Not because it didn't fit, but because it was the skirt I wore 9 years ago to my brother's wedding. Couldn't wear the skirt...each day continued the same. Putting M to bed is hard because right across the hall from his door is a picture of my brother, two sisters, and I which was taken the last time we were all together. Silly things set me off - like reading a story about a cross-country truck driver (something Bub did) or telling my son I love him (I've shortened his "Bubba" nick name to Bub). Today would have been Bub and Kathy's 9th anniversary. I couldn't call Kathy because my copy of her phone number is in my cell phone which isn't working...but I haven't stopped thinking of her. May God bless her and keep her as she continues on with life. My sister-in-law is an awesome woman! Thank you for loving my brother.

Thankful Thursday

I can hardly believe that it is Thursday again and the day is almost gone. Lynn and Sonya Lee are hosting their Thankful Thursdays. We have been encouraged the "Count Our Blessings." Here's my list:

1. A Lord and Savior who gave His life so that I may have eternal life.
2. A husband who loves the Lord more than he loves me. A husband who still takes me out on dates and calls just to say "I love you."
3. Two wonderful children who teach me each and every day how to be more Christ-like.
4. An outstanding sister who is always there for me even though we live far apart.
5. The many family members who are far away and yet close to the heart.
6. Our church family who helps and supports us as if we were biological family - the true meaning of adoption.
7. The time alone with my son today to play with his train.
8. Sharing a great story (Pinky Pye) with my daughter.
9. My blogging friends (a special hello to my three new followers) who read what I write and sometimes leave comments.

Visit Lynn's and Sonya Lee's blogs for other entries of thankfulness.

AWANA Yacht Race, Scripture Memory, and Pie

Tonight was the annual AWANA Yacht Race. L was very excited. Here are pictures of the boat and her racing. She won one race and lost one race. It was the first year she won at all. Then to top the night off, L finished her third Discovery in the Truth N Training book (she completed the 21 sections since the beginning of September). This means that once again she gets to pie her pastor (Daddy) in the face. Getting to this goal was a race in and of itself. There is a young man who has also completed the same amount within the same time frame. Therefore, poor Glen gets two pies in the face. This will be L's second time achieving this goal. Check out last year's post.

Here's the finished boat ~ let's not talk about the process to get here....

L holding her boat before the races.

Using her lung power to push the boat. This is the race she won.

Of course, M had to get into the action!

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays

One of my all time favorites! Please turn off the playlist at the bottom of the page before playing video. Visit Signs, Miracles, and Wonders for more Then Sings My Soul Saturday.

Show and Tell Friday

***UPDATED***

A new meme! Visit My Romantic Home for more entries.

I want to share one my favorite collections. I have always loved Barbies. Here are my Holiday Barbies (all gifts from my outstanding husband). This passion was started with my mother. I can actually count on one hand how many years I have not received a Barbie for Christmas.


Currently the only ones on display are the holiday ones (still up from last Christmas). They stand on the top of the entertainment center in the living room. I've also stored them on top of my china cupboard and many many bookcases. Currently, most are in storage due to lack of display area. It is my dream to put a shelf around the living room 15 inches below the ceiling to display all them. At last count, I had over 40 Barbies (most still new in boxes)!

fPhoto Friday

Peek-a-boo!

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday is being hosted by Lynn this month.

I have been absent from this meme and others recently. I've allowed my emotions and feelings to interrupt my blogging time (Facebook doesn't help either). I am thankful for second chances (or third or whatever number it may be). Those chances are examples of God's grace. I am thankful for my special time in the Word today. Thankful that God is in control of each and every aspect of our lives. I am thankful for a time of prayer (especially for my friend, Sharon, who is having surgery this morning and for Mama Kim and Shannon - cyber friends who pray and share with me). I am thankful for my outstanding, godly husband who adores me and the kids. The kids and their miraculous arrivals are a source of thankfulness. My heart is overflowing today with love and gratitude towards my Lord and Savior!

After completing this post and reading some from Lynn's site, I found this site as well. Visit Truth for the Journey, too

Come Worship with Me

Don't forget to turn off the playlist at the bottom!