HOW DOES THAT SAYING GO

If Muhammad can't go to the mountain....


Then bring the mountain to Muhammad.

I had told the men children they could not go swimming until we cleaned out the pool. Man child 2 decided to make his own pool.Then he stripped down to his birthday suit and played away.

Hi - we are the Clampetts. This is our cement pond.

Feel free to stay and swim. Dinner is almost ready. Possum stew we killed off our very own back porch.

Ya'll come back now ya here!

(Really - please do come back:)

BIG COUNTRY

My dad loves westerns. No let me restate - my dad L-O-V-E-S westerns. Men children make mention of it when they go visit. He used to work on his quick draw with live weaponry until that unfortunate accident of 2000 we have been sworn to secrecy about occurred. Big Mama mentioned "The Cowboys" today. How many times have seen those little men work those cattle and longed for that little boy not to go after those glasses! Right now as I await HH's golf clothes..uhmm uhmm... excuse me- even saying that choked me up a bit- I am watching Shane. I can not tell you how MANY times we have seen this movie as a family.
"Shane! Come back!"
Besides "The Searchers", which I have seen way too many times --"that'll be the day",one of my dad's favorite movies is "Big Country" with Gregory Peck. It is a long one. I mean LONG! (not to over utilize my caps but the point must be made). In hindsight it is really an awesome movie. One of the key lines goes like this:
"I am not responsible for what people think but only for who I am". Now in my youth I would argue with Pops that was absolutely not true. As I have grown up I see he was right. (Yep - run in and get him Bec- show him where I said/typed for all the world to see he was right:) I am not responsible for what people think. I have no control over that. What I can control is who I am. What kinda of mother am I? What kind of daughter am I? Sister? Friend? Employee? Wife? Am I fulfilling my role in the Body? That is the part I am responsible for. And if I do those things with Christ as my leader, what people think won't matter. Good to remind myself as to what I am responsible for and what I am not. Sorta keeps everything in balance.
Dad also loves "Paint Your Wagon" & "Cat Balou". I know there are funny lines in there but it is too late & I am too tired to look them up. So if you can think of any leave them as comments. What movies did you grow up on?
Have a great Thursday!

EARLY MORNING

HH had to leave early today, so I have been up since about 4:15. We actually got to sleep with no kids coming to join us. I always forget how refreshing that is until it happens. Of course I thought it had been raining cats & dogs. Then I realized that it was HH's sound machine that sis-in-law 1 got him. I was a tad disappointed, although I think I hear some thunder in the distance.
So, I have caught up on some blogs, facebooked & watched today's "Wednesdays with Beth". The girl just flat out brought it today! The blessing of Asher - the happy blessing - heck yeah! You can go here to catch up on the episodes, assuming your computer isn't like mine and tries to freak out when you watch videos. (Side note - just saw Bon Qui QUi on YouTube last night-too funny and sadly too true for this generation).
I was introduced to someone wonderful this weekend. Someone who could change my life. Please give a warm welcome for.... Mr. Bobby Flay! My goodness - the man is a wonder. Between he & Rachel Ray I think my cooking woes are over! Of course, I told HH I needed my own grill. I mean I just could not possibly use one of the four we have outside- they are man sized grills and I need a delicate flower, woman sized grill. You would think he would have jumped on the chance to buy a new grill, but ehhh... not so much. I can't decide if I want to be Rachel Flay or Bobby Ray (which would probably suit my southern upbringing better). Needless to say this summer has boundless opportunities!
Just found a 1938 movie " Three Blind Mice" with Loretta Young & David Niven. Love the classics!
Please keep praying for us to have a tender heart & open ears to what God would have us do & say regarding our previous church family. I say previous only because we have officially left. There is still dialogue and that is where I could get in trouble. I have a small tendency to pop off without thinking. Thank goodness the Lord has given me grace to know to run things by HH BEFORE I say or write them. Please pray that HH & I would have wisdom to speak the truth, as hard is it may be & even sound, and to do it out of hearts of love. That our motives would stay in line with God's will. I think restoration is not an easy process, but one well worth the work.
I am off to deliver some diapers & baby gifts to a sweet friend who just had a baby girl abut 4 weeks ago. I had been staying away due to swine flu- did not want to bring any germs to this sweet new life! Hope you have a great Wednesday!

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

And what a weekend it has been. Here is the play by play.
Friday night - Our women's meeting at church. My mom-in-law & sister-in-law totally rocked the decorations! We had an awesome time. Great food and fellowship. I brought a little message. Then I told them I was stepping down from Women's ministry- GASP-what? Can I say the Lord God showed up and gave us more grace than we could handle. It was a very successful evening! (More on the stepping down part later)
Saturday - never left the house. MC 2 did not even get on more than his underwear until about 6pm. We were lazy. Honestly I can't remember if we went anywhere?? So if we came to your house & I forgot- so sorry- it has been a bit of a roller coaster weekend.
Sunday - church (way more to come on that). Naps. Sister-in-law #2's house for burgers and swimming! Good stuff.
** Just remembered Friday night - UFC 99 (I think that was the number). We did not go anywhere, they came to us. Had a great time with new & old friends. Men children (including nephew number something another cuz there is a bunch of them) stayed up WAY too late. I had to put them to sleep one at a time and cousin was the last man standing! After 1am before they were all asleep!
Monday - family and friends BBQ at our casa. Just got up from naps. MC 2 playing in the pool, MC 1 still snoozing, HH mowing.
Church - we have gone to the same church for the past 10-11 years. Our church has been through a LOT. 2 big church splits, a few mini splits. And we have stayed through them all. So when I tell you that on Sunday we left, please know it was no small deal. It was HUGE. I think for me the best way to answer why is a conflict of vision. No anger. No malice. Just a disagreement on the means required for the end. The pastor and his wife are precious to me. I love them dearly and that will never change. The associate pastor and his wife are some of my oldest friends. So to walk away from that was heartbreaking for us all. I know they felt like we kicked them in the gut because that is how I felt. I have cried and prayed and cried and cried and prayed some more. I will say I did get a peace about the decision. However, I am hopeful & praying for reconciliation - which is exactly I told them. So I am excited to see how and when God is going to restore us. Maybe we will be brought back together. Maybe not. I pray we will remain friends, a thought I know is very hard for them right now. I think we want the same end- to see the unsaved saved and all of us growing in our walk with the Lord and becoming better disciples- however we may need to travel different paths to that end. Only God knows. And I rest in the assurance that He knows. As long as my heart is tender to His leading and His word this will all work to His glory- and I believe we all want that!
So as you can tell - it has been an emotional weekend for us. But I think it pales in comparison to the emotions so many feel, remembering their loved ones who have or are serving in our Armed Forces. So on the Memorial Day I say thank you to all of you and your families for protecting the freedoms not only of my generation but generations before me & ones to come. Your service & dedication is the living proof of John 15:13. We are humbled and honored by your service and we thank you.

THE TWO SEASONS OF LIFE

The summer months are hard for HH. As told here, he spent some time stalking a mole. (Oh goodness, the first time I typed, I put mol. LOL. Of course you will only LOL if you are a chemistry geek like me & even know what mol stands for. Moving on). Well, you can now rest assured the mole community is safe. HH has found a new sport to occupy those blistery hot months when a person would die of heat stroke putting on all the clothes that are required to sit in the woods and be quiet. (Detect a note of sarcasm? Yeah, me neither.)
So you are asking - what is this new found hobby? G-O-L-F.
That is right, my man is taking up golf. Outfit and all. He now owns a pair of golf shoes and had the fashion "fore" sight (too funny right- or too punny) to buy shoes that go with everything. (There is no sarcasm there - he really did make his wardrobe more versatile and you know how important fashion is to him). So today he hits the links. Him and his camouflage golf bag. He must stay true to his first love! He wanted to replace the camo bag, but I told him he couldn't hide who he was and needed to stay true to himself! And he looks mighty fine sporting his gear. Now my prayer is he does not get the two seasons (golf & deer) confused cause I am pretty sure the golf crowd will not take it well if he does.
You guys have an awesome Friday!

BODY IMAGE THURSDAY

I really hate the word body image- especially today. I have gained weight. An ugly truth but truth none the less. A fact that has not gone unnoticed by myself AT ALL! I am very aware of the fact. Unlike the CBS stars when I go into "Survivor" mode- losing weight not the issue. I go the other way. No rice & fish for me - bring on the carbs & the chocolate. And I have been surviving the last few months. Ladies, you know how sometimes the man in your life states the obvious before he realizes he should not have stated it? Now sometimes we set them up for the fall but sometimes they jump off that cliff all by themselves. HH jumped big time last night. He started probing about my weight - as we were going to bed. I think I will leave it at that and move on.
I recently had to have a mammogram & sonogram. Praise God for an awesome report. Now before I continue I need to set up a mental picture. You know how we are supposed to be symmetrical - you know - the same on both sides of our body. I am not. Certain anatomical features are larger on my left side than my right. My weight gain has only enhanced the discrepancy. Got the picture. Okay so they call today with the results & I email sis to tell her. Email conversation goes like this:

her - yeah. Praise the Lord. Guess you are just well endowed. But that does not help you much does it.
me - nope. like from Peter Rabbit - Flopsie Lopsie
her - you are only flopsie when you run
me - which according to my weight is N-E-V-E-R! But always lopsie! (first time I wrote it I put butt always lopsie- which is also true) I think I am having a bad body image day!

So we laugh and move on. Then one of my students comes up and says " hey miss, we saw a picture of you from 2000. and so-n-so said man she has gotten fat. We all tried to tell him it was cause you had kids. We saw pics of so-n-so and so-n-so. And you were just a skinny little thang!"

A skinny little thang! Thanks for reminding me. Good thing I know whose image I was created in:

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Genesis 1:27

NKJV

And I don't think He ever has body image issues!

SHAUN GROVES

Real quick today. Shaun Groves will be in Kilgore June 14th at Crosspointe Fellowship Church. He will be performing & talking during the morning service. Shaun travels on behalf of Compassion International. Any questions - leave a comment here & I will forward it on to the right people (who just happens to be my sis - well done Bec ! well done!)

AND THEY CALL IT....TRACTOR LOVE

Man child 2 celebrated his birthday this week. As previously mentioned, he LOVES tractors. Lucky for him my mom is an awesome cake decorator! Here is his prize birthday cake:


And here is what is left of it after he was left alone in the kitchen:





Much like his mother the boy loves him some icing! Yep that is my DNA shining through. Prayerfully the high blood pressure & high cholesterol won't follow suit.
Man child 2's birth not nearly as eventful as MC 1. We knew the drill this time around. So other than the IV put in wrong and my hand swelling up & the spinal block tapping a nerve (I so empathize with the frogs that have been tormented). Oh and the mad rush to get me numb and me losing feeling in my arms & chest (partially)- yeah it was fine. And then there was the "bowel movement aid" at midnight to keep things interesting. It was a very long week. But he is the apple of his mama's eye. He still climbs up in my lap and tells me he loves me. I still get Mommy I need you. Kisses and hugs are still mandated when we drop off for school. He is beautiful to look at and he is a stinker to deal with. Sneaky and independent and fearless and courageous. All traits I know will serve him well in whatever God has gifted him for. He loves the drums, he loves his tractors and he loves his dog. He is just a neat little kid & we love him to pieces. Hard headed - yep - but he was really double stacked in that department. And he looks exactly like my Uncle Tommy's kids did when they were little. It is spooky some days. He has a scar from a weekend at grandma's that she still can not account for. Any conversation with Audie is going to involve " where is Grandpa" within the first 2 sentences.
Having 3 men children in my house is a bit of a challenge at times, especially since I came from a house of girls. But I love them and would not trade them for anything. Besides, any girl I would have had would have suffered my fashion blunders. I am blessed beyond words with family & friends. For that, I am very thankful!

WILD NIGHT?

Not really. Wild for us. HH & I left the house at 9PM to go get dinner? We were kid free and had just seen an ad for Red Lobster - so away we went. Finally ate around 9:45-10ish. We are in bed by that time normally. But it was soooo worth it. Maui Laua Salmon & Shrimp was fantastic! So very good! HH had the lobster and could have stayed there all night eating on that. We then visited our local supercenter to "walk it off". Can I say I was amazed at the number of people who eat at 10:30 at night. And the people who have their little kids out at 11pm. And one was giving them Dr. Pepper- my men children would have never gone to sleep. But it was a nice time to be with my man - all by ourselves. Of course by the time we got home we were so exhausted we crashed as soon as we got in. At least I did, I am not sure what HH did. Now you would think my body would know that I was up late & needed sleep - BUT - apparently not. So up & awake we are. Yeah!
Big day today - family coming over tonight - so off to clean I must go. Have a great Saturday!

SNOWBALL

I am enjoying the sound of ..... nothing. Well, not exactly true. I am watching a re-run of the O.C.- because I am prone to teen dramas and at times this was a good one. Please don't get me started on One Tree Hill. If they kill off P. Sawyer I will swear off teen dramas F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Of course you will have no idea who I am talking about unless you are 18 or under. I can only justify it by saying I spend 9 1/2 hours a day with teenagers. I need to be able to relate.

Okay - now that you have probably lost all respect for me, but I sure hope not, let me explain the quiet - aka-the aftermath of a huge snowball!

So my parents needed to keep granman child 8 today. In the process, mom got with sister 2 and offered to keep granman children 1 & 3 & grangirl child 1. Meanwhile, dad has got with sister 3 and offered to keep grangirl child 2 & granman child 4. That is a total of 6 so far. As they conference they realized what they had done. Just so happens HH was with my dad and dad says heck let's just take em all. So he came & got men children 1 & 2. Ahh the quiet! Time to think and to pray for my mom cause those men children are a handful!

The events of today went very well. There were no indications of anything negative on either the mammogram or the sonogram. Just awaiting the official word. Having said that, please keep Bev in your prayers. You can keep up with her at the Siesta Fiesta blog. She is fighting breast cancer as we speak. Or as she said, God is fighting breast cancer for her.

Someday I would like my friend Nikita to share her cancer survival story. She is still battling and God uses her in a mighty, mighty way. She is hands down one of my favorite people EVER! I can't wait till she explodes into what God has for her!

I would like to praise God for the peace He has provided this week. I, we, have a very tough decision to make & follow through on. I had spent days trying to fix it and figure out how I could fix it. At church Wednesday night I really felt impressed upon me "Let it go & get out of the way. Give it to Me & leave it alone." So I have. And His peace like a river has flowed and I am ever so grateful. I still have NO CLUE how or what He is going to do. Can't tell you how it will work out or if it will work out like I want. But I know He will work out to our good if we allow Him, and oh how I want to allow Him.

Man child 2 has a birthday coming up soon. Will share his story soon. Not as funny as man child 1 since it was round 2, but priceless to me nonetheless. Love my HH & men children shamelessly. And I am honored how they love me! Only by the grace of God and the love of Jesus Christ.

Hope you have a good night. HH & I are going to enjoy some alone time, maybe catch dinner & a movie. Thanks for reading. You guys are the best. I pray Jesus loves all over you this weekend!

DOESN'T THIS SOUND FUN!

So as a precautionary step I get to have this today:

bilateral mammogram & a sonogram

Yep - sounds fun doesn't it.
Then I get to go teach 60 teenagers about oxidation numbers. The anticipation is almost more than I can handle.
Sure - you can pray for me. I will need it:)
Have a great weekend!

BOYS

My mom's day was great. My man & my men children showed their sweet sides. HH got my a very nice computer tote for my laptop. When I say very nice I mean way more expensive than I would have ever bought myself. Does the brand Fossil mean anything to any of you? As one who suffers fashion ignorance, it is lost on me. But it sure is pretty!

The men children got me flowers of various forms.

These came from mc 1. Actually got them Saturday. When I asked him Sunday what he was getting me, "I got you flowers YESTERDAY. R-E-M-E-M-B-E-R". Yes baby, mommy remembers. (PS - Bec that is your birthday gift to the left- remind me this weekend)

This little beauty came from mc 2. I know it doesn't look like much. Imagine a beautiful yellow marigold right in the middle. Poor little flower made it all the way till Sunday night, when mc 2 picked it off and brought it to me with the sentiments "happy mommy". Yes baby, a very happy mommy.

Got this little note passed to me during church. Yes, we do allow them to write on the envelopes. Silence is golden and can be bought.

They are so sweet!

They are also so gross. This little project gave them sheer delight tonight. So much so they demanded HH come & join them. N-O-W! Looks great don't they. Germs galore! Straight into the showers.

It is 4:45am and I have probably been awake for at least an hour. Today I have a heavy heart and a swirling mind. Not a confused mind or troubled but swirling. Due to the fact that some other conversations need to happen before I go and bare all on my blog, the details are intentionally sketchy. Rest assured HH & I are fine, however, this is impacting our relationship. We at the moment are on different pages on a major decision that has to made regarding another relationship in our lives. I can totally see his side & point. Occasionally he sees mine. There is no malice or judgement in that statement-it is just the truth. What I do know is that we have to be together on this and will do what needs to be done to make that happen. I am seeking the Lord for wisdom & intervention & restoration & guidance &- well - to show up in a big way and make His glory be known. It is scary and sad and troubling and sad- and mainly sad. I don't know that right way to go. I don't know how to handle it and not get emotional. There are hurt feelings involved, there is love and friendship and commitment involved. It is a complicated mess to say the least. It is also probably pretty trivial in light of other issues people face, and the enemy is trying very hard to keep my from asking for prayer or even guidance from the Lord. Keeps telling me it is too little to bother God about (yes - I know - it is an out right lie). So I am asking for your prayers. Especially within the next 24-48 hours. Please lift us up. I'll keep you posted.

DEAR MOM

I love you . Thank you for investing in us all out. Thank you for showing us what a real walk with Christ looks like. To show us the victories as well as the struggles. And for reminding us that Christ is the POINT! I love you! My kids love you! My hubs loves you! We love you!

MEN CHILDREN AGAIN

Boys are gross. Think I need to qualify that statement? OK- man child 1 picked up a set of vampire teeth off the ground that another child had discarded and put it in his mouth like they were his. Oh yes - HE DID. Gets worse. Turns out he witnessed said child actually receiving the teeth from ANOTHER CHILD! Third hand vampire teeth - YUCK!!!!!!!! If I was where I could have sanitized his mouth BELIEVE ME I would have. I thought about germ-ex but decided against it. So I tracked down some sanitizer for hands and mine and prayed. (Please feel free to join me in that prayer:)) PLEASE!)

Boys are sweet. Who ever coined the phrase "Muffins with Mom" should have trademarked it. I got to have Muffins with Mom with man child 2 this morning and Mother's Tea with man child 1 this afternoon. The cards were so sweet. Know how your kids tend to pick up your phrases? It should come as no surprise that my card from man child 1 said "You rock Mom" more than once:) It was a day full of sweet blessings.

On a different note- I would like to ask you to pray for HH & I. We have a pretty big (life changing) decision to make and it is going to have to be made soon. We don't want to make it based on our flesh, but what Lord Jesus would have us to do. I am serious that we covet your prayers & do not ask flippantly. As Bethie says, " you won't be wasting a prayer on us".
Have a great night and a super weekend. In case I don't get back- Happy Mother's Day to you all:)
Love you mom!

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

So my sister-in-law emails me today.
"PLEASE PLEASE tell me you did not let him actually wear that clothing combination to school. P-L-E-A-S-E!"
Lucky for her - fashionistos NEVER go with their first choice. We changed clothes before school. She is a big fan of Intervention. If I keep posting out fashion choices she may schedule on of her own. Or turn us in to What Not to Wear! Maybe she'll report me to the British ladies who are always talking about how your pants make your "bum" look.
Today was the National Day of Prayer. I was unable to attend any organized events , but heard some on the radio. Ms. Beth was the chairperson and I know she did a humbly, awesome job! Keep praying for our nation & its leaders. Pray for our churches - oh please- that we would have and be godly leaders. That we would not conform to this world- that we would be different, loving, compassionate, holy people. No soapbox tonight. Just pray.
Be blessed and know the Lord God of Heaven knows your name & loves you very much!

JUST GOTTA DANCE! and sing! and accessorize!

Okay as much as I love the toby Mac toothbrush it does present a problem. The men children spend way more time dancing than brushing! We had to establish tonight that we brush first and dance second. Only time, and better genetics than mine, will allow them to mature to the dancing/brushing simultaneously.

As I type, HH is watching American Idol. We have NOT watched it ALL season- why now? I know this is all most anti-American - but it is not one of my favorite shows. If they have Ted Nugent on - HH is in hog heaven. Him or Metallica. Or the people who sing the Revelation song (Gateway or Hillsong). He loves that one. How you can love Metallica in one breath and Revelation song in another I don't know- but that is my man!
We hit an all time high on the fashionisto scale tonight. We actually laid out our clothes to see how they would look together. We (and I mean he because I could care less) pondered our color choices. HH came in and threw in his fashion advice- he was a no go on the outfit. Honestly- in the morning I just want then dressed and in the car. I really don't care in what. Then we accessorized with a hat. Hard to believe- here is the proof (please ignore the messy room - its Wednesday):

Please pray for me. A houseful of men is uncharted water for me. Fashion is the great white shark of that water. That and the incessant need to hit your brother in the "you know where"- seriously - pray. We could all use it!

And thanks for reading - really thanks. It means a lot to me.

EVANGELISTIC OPPORTUNITY?

HH made a pit stop at the local Supercenter today and brought home the strangest of items. 2 to be exact. I'll let you guess.

Yep - that is the man - TOBY MAC- whom I absolutely adore. Love - I mean love his music! I have loved since my sister brought home that loud, alternative DC Talk. My little orthodox Methodist self was sent in to shock - but it adjusted:) Can you guess what was in the box?

Yep - a toothbrush. But not any ole toothbrush. Not even just a "TOBY MAC" toothbrush - which would be the coolest of coolest! Oh no...

It plays music. "One World" to be exact. According to the package- the music BLASTS through the bristles, vibrates your teeth, and your hear the music in your head! And it is ADA approved!

So naturally I had to test it out. And you won't believe it BUT IT WORKS! When you are just listening to the music you can barely hear it- like a mosquito flying around. BUT put this bad boy on your teeth and it is TOBY MAC concert in your head.

What I don't know is how they approached Mr. MAC to do such a thing.

"Hey Toby, we've got this toothbrush - and we really think it could be evangelistic....."

Yea- I am no advertising exec but I am thinking that would be a hard sell. Thank goodness for the perseverance because now the men children can rock out while cleaning those pearlie whites.

Yesterday I was reading my New Every Morning Devo from LPM (thanks again Keri). The title was Person to Person and the reading was Titus 2. Let's just say that after I was done I felt like a complete failure. C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E! Now I know neither Christ nor Ms. Beth intended for me to feel condemned- convicted yes- condemned no. Here are a few of things I have done that got me feeling like a failure:
1. Slander (check)
2. Addicted (check)
3. HH best friend (care about what he cares about) (2x check)
4. Looking after my domestic affairs with prudence and care (3x check that bad boy)
See, I, at times, like me some drama, as long as it is not my drama - yea - that would be gossip. Addicted - hello food. When I stress I want to resort to food. When I am mad I want food. When I can not control a single thing- I figure I can at least control my food- I'll eat what I want when I want. The deception is - it is really controlling me. Where I want to go, what I feel comfortable wearing, my health , etc. Hubs best friend - that was an ouch. I get caught up in doing my stuff & the kids stuff, that I don't really want to spend my evenings watching hunting shows or Inside the MMA or Metallica on Time Warp. However, I would have done that while we were dating - so why did I stop? And my domestic affairs? I will just say that Clean Sweep would hit the jackpot at mi casa.
So as I spent the first part of my journal entry lamenting what a failure I was, the second part the Lord God took over and reminded me of a few things. He reminded me that I am teachable. My heart is soft to hear His clear direction. The Holy Spirit can still speak to me. He also reminded me that it is going to take work on my part, but it is work well worth the cost.
Then I read Lisa's post at The Preacher's Wife and I was encouraged even more. Then I read my assigned chapters from Wide Awake by Erwin McManus, and was encouraged again.
The point - yes- I am going to fail many times at many things. I will never get it all right all the time. I will have peaks & valleys. By choosing to respond to the conviction and not wallow in the condemnation, I continue on in this race. I allow myself to be picked up and I do it again. And again. AND AGAIN.

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)

This is what happens when I don't blog for a week - it builds up. Thanks for enduring:)