Cafe` Chat

Today I'm visiting at the Cafe` and boy did Kim make me take a step back.

She is addressing strongholds/struggles in our lives.

Wow.....time to get real.

I have got a few things that really have a lot of power over me. I realize that I am allowing this because as a child of the King, I have HIS power...I just don't claim and use the power He has instilled in me.

Here is our question:

How would my life look if I no longer struggled with _______? What if I was completely free from ______ through Christ’s power…(Put your struggle/stronghold in the blank) *Try to give some very specific ways your life would be different if you no longer struggled with your above named stronghold*

I have 3 big struggles, but the one I'm going to put in the blank is low self esteem.

How would my life look if I no longer struggled with low self esteem?
(We'll answer the 2nd question next week)

In the natural,I think I'm pretty okay. I mean, I believe I'm a good wife and mom, I keep up with my housework, keep up with the laundry, most of the meals we eat are cooked from scratch.

My kids are homeschooled and they are very intelligent.

My house is decorated simply, but nicely.

In the spiritual, I'm okay..but like most..could do better. I stay pretty consistent with my quiet time with God. I'm faithful to my church and the people that make up the body. I'm constantly putting others before myself and trying to make sure their needs are met. I share Jesus and what He means to me and what He can mean to you and the difference He can and will make in all areas of your life.

But.....

No matter how good of a wife and mom I believe I am, I will notice other women who are better.

No matter how clean or well decorated my house is, I see other homes that are cleaner or prettier.

No matter how much time I spend with God or how faithful I am to His people, there is a greater Christian than me. Someone who is making a bigger difference in the Kingdom.

I struggle with accepting myself, just the way God made me.

Thing is...NO ONE complains to me about me. My DH lavishes me with praise and thanks. Even my teenagers will love on me and thank me and tell me "I'm a pretty cool Mom".

My church family loves on me and especially the teenagers at our church.

God doesn't beat me up...He just shows me when I have sin in my life, but just as often I can hear Him encouraging me, especially in those moments when I'm comparing myself to someone "better".

How would my life look without this struggle??

Hands down...I'd be a happier person.

I'd be satisfied with myself and accepting of the person God made ME to be.

God made me a jeans and t-shirt girl. Dressing up would be putting on a blouse with those jeans!!

That's okay.

God made me a quiet person.

That's okay, because it makes me a good listener and sometimes all someone wants is someone to listen to them.

I like being a submissive wife and SAHM.

That's okay.

I believe I would be a lot more confident and accepting of myself. Satan would no longer be able to whisper (sometimes scream) in my ear that no matter what I do..it's not good enough.

I believe that I'd have a lot more smiles and a lot less tears.

I'd be free....Just as God intended me to be in Him.

What about you? What is your biggest stronghold/struggle??

My Husband Rocks Friday!!

Today I join up with Katy Lin over at The Great Adventure to tell you why My Husband Rocks.

Each Friday, she gives us a chance to share why our DH's are just the biggest blessings in our world.

I'm going to go back in time. 1997. I was a SAHM with a child in kindergarten and a 4year old at home. We lived in a very small house, finances were tight, but we were so content and happy!

I noticed around the end of January that I was having some pretty intense pain in my left hip and going down my left leg. It wasn't continuous, but when it hurt...it really hurt!!!

As the weeks progressed, the pain worsened and lasted longer.

By mid-March, I was in constant pain--nothing would bring relief--and I was starting to lean to the right..I couldn't stand up straight.

I went to a chiropractor who tried to help, but everything he did couldn't lessen the pain and the fact that I was leaning more to the right.

Somewhere around the 5th of April, I bent over to tie my shoe and heard something that sounded like a gun shot going off inside me and then..I couldn't straighten up.

MRI's and visits to a neurologist confirmed that I'd ruptured a disc in my back and would need surgery.

My DH became absolutely everything to me!!!

Prior to surgery I couldn't bend over because it made the pain more intense than it already was. So DH would help me take my bath...washing my feet and legs because I couldn't reach them. He would shave my legs because I couldn't bend. I remember him being so nervous about shaving my legs because he was so afraid he was going to nick me. He never did.

He would help me get dressed because I couldn't bend to put my pants on and he even helped me put on pantyhose when it was time for church.

After surgery, he had to do those things and more because I wasn't allowed to bend for 8 weeks!!

I remember tears rolling down my face as he did these things because I was so humbled to be blessed with a man who loved me so much and was willing to do for me what I couldn't do for myself. He was completely selfless.

He was still holding down his job, coming home and stepping into the role of Mr. Mom.

He would fill sippy cups and line them up in the frig for 4 year old DS, and make sure DS had plenty of snacks within a 4 year old's reach.

He would help DD get ready for school (we did public school for 2 years) making sure she had her clothes ready along with hair ribbons and her backpack.

The amazing thing...this man never complained. He stepped up and became absolutely everything for our family.

He showed me the meaning of true love and he also showed me that as we grow old together and things become harder to do, that I don't have to worry...he's going to be by my side no matter what.

Does my husband rock or what??!!!!

I THINK I'm Back in Business!!

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm pretty sure I have this feed thing taken care of!!

I finally got a response from a Blogger person who told me something to try to fix the feed problem.

To the best of my knowledge, I did this right and you should be able to read MY posts from your feeds and dashboard!!

Please let me know if things from my posts are coming through instead of this Teahouse thingy!!

All praise to God!!!!

Feed Problem with My Blog

Here's what I've figured out so far with this feed problem I'm having..

I've narrowed it down to a Feedburner/Google problem. I'm having no problem with my blog whatsoever. The problem all lies in the feed. I've contacted Feedburner/Google, but as of this moment, haven't heard back from them.

If I am following your blog, and you click on my pic, it will take you to my blog no problem.

If I've left a comment on someone else's blog and you click on my name, you will go to my blog no problem.

If you are following me and click on my last post...problem.

If you are following me and try to read your feed...problem.

If you are following me and look at my posts on your dashboard...problem.

So....I'm asking you to bear with me because as of yet, I don't know what else to do. I did hear from one of my followers that she did have the same problem this week (same Asian Teahouse thing), but it only lasted a day and her feeds are fine now. Maybe it's a bug from where Feedburner and Google are merging and it will be soon taken care of...I hope....

Please continue to check in with me directly on my site instead of through a feed. And hopefully...prayerfully..this will soon all be a bad memory...

Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday over at Truth 4 the Journey. I've joined up with Sonya today to share five things I'm thankful for.

1) I am thankful that even though something is on the fritz with my feeds and links, my readers are being faithful and my bloggy friends are doing all they can to help me.

2) I am thankful for my DH who took it upon himself to put the leftovers in the frig last night and put the dirty dishes in the sink, so I could take a warm bath.

3) I am thankful that it's going to be 70º today!!

4) I am thankful for laughter in my home...

5) I am thankful for the teenagers I work with at church, who are committed in their faith and to serving Jesus Christ


This list could go on and on because in spite of the things that satan tries to use to cause me to stumble and almost give up..I know that I am very blessed, and when I keep my heart and mind focused on what truly matters, all of the problems of the day shrink.
Now THAT is something to be thankful for!!

I've Got a Problem

Hey folks!

I'm not sure what's going on, but my bloggy buddies are letting me know that for some reason, in their feeds and on their dashboards..where my blog is concerned..they are getting posts from an Asian teahouse or something like that.

Please know that these ARE NOT my posts...I don't know what they are!! I'm trying to figure out how to contact someone about this, but not entirely sure how to do that.

If anyone could shoot me some advice, that would be great.

Meanwhile, keep me up with what you see from my posts on your end and hopefully this will get fixed before long!

Try It Tuesday!!

It's time for Try It Tuesday again!!

I hope that you participated in last Tuesday's challenge and I hope that it made a very positive difference in your marriage...enough so that it's now become a lifestyle change for you. I'd love to hear about it if you did!!

One thing I've found that greatly pleases DH, is when I'm a good steward of the finances that he brings into our home. My DH has a highly stressful job and even though it's not incredibly physical, many evenings he comes home drained because of the mental stress that's on him every day.

Because of what he does to support our family, I am blessed to be able to stay at home taking care of our children, our home and DH. He does this willingly and gladly. So I believe in my heart that the least we women can do is spend our family finances wisely.

If you're a single mom, this is just as important a challenge for you.

" 'Yes', the king replied, 'and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.' " Luke 19:26, NLT

This week's Try It challenge will find us in the kitchen.

Let's begin....

Go to your kitchen with a notebook and pen. Look in the cupboards, write down what you find. Look in the frig and in the freezer (deep freeze too if you have one), write down what you find. Have a pantry? Write down what you find. Anywhere in your house that you store food, write down what you find.

Now, sit down with your favorite drink, and plan out your menus for the next 7 days. Goal? Not buying anything this week from the grocery store, but actually using what you already have.

Most people, myself included, have enough food in our cupboards to eat for several days at least. Even though my family is very good to have a leftover night and eat what's sitting in the frig, sadly, we probably throw out enough leftovers in our family to at least eat another meal one other night during the week!!

The main reason for the waste? Whining. "I don't want that again..", "I want something different...", "I'll eat that tomorrow for lunch, can't we have something else tonight?..."

Even laziness. "I could make this and this but it would take so much time."

Poor planning. "I could make this and this, but I've let 4 o'clock creep up on me and now I'm out of time."

My main goal for this challenge is to help us realize that many times we already have what we need. Also learning how to improvise when we run out of...salt. How many other spices do we have on hand that will make our food taste wonderful?

Did we run out of milk? Do you have dry milk in the cupboard to use for your cooking purposes??

Did we run out of sugar? How about using that honey that's been shoved to the back of the cupboard?

I know in our house the cupboards are full, and many times I'm standing there wondering what in the world I'm going to cook!! Sitting here writing this, I realize how pitiful that really is. My family is so blessed and yet I'll pick up a quick something while I'm out or an ingredient to go with what I have at home so I can make spaghetti instead of a meatloaf. Hamburgers instead of dried beans, potatoes and corn bread.

This week's Try It Tuesday will be just as much a challenge for myself as it will be for you.

I hope you'll be on board with me as we venture out to stretch our minds, use what we have and become good stewards of what God has blessed us with.

Can't wait to follow up with you next Tuesday and see how thing went with your week.

Motherhood & At the Well..part 2

In 2 years, I had 2 children.

After all the problems we had trying to get pregnant, baby #2 came in an instant! Doc referred to my womb as a jar of olives....after you get the first one out, the others come quickly....:o)

By the time baby #2 came along, I'd been a stay at home mom for almost a year.

While pregnant with baby #1, I was a working woman and I had all these dreams of my child being the head cheerleader, or the super jock. Maybe she would be great in academics or he would be a great debater. I would make an awesome soccer mom and their friends would love hanging out at our house.

When my DD was born, I set those things in motion. After 6 weeks, I put her in daycare and headed off to work.

(Let me insert here that I am in NO WAY condemning those moms who have to work, or choose to work..I am simply sharing our story and our convictions.)

I worked for another year and was well on my way to making a dream come true....or so I thought.

After rushing around one morning trying to get myself and DD out the door, I rushed into daycare only to have my little one year old hold out her little chubby arms to her daycare worker, squealing at the top of her lungs, "Mama!!" She was more excited to see her daycare worker than me, and that really hurt.

I left daycare and when I got to work, immediately turned in my notice.

It was at that moment that I knew I needed...wanted... to stay home with my children.

It was only a couple of months later that I found out I was pregnant with DS and yet became a child myself...a child of the King.

Over the months that followed, God did a work in my heart and showed me that the greatest calling on my life was to be at home with my children. He removed the scales from my eyes, sometimes in great quantities, sometimes a little at a time. He accomplished so much in my heart. He put a desire in me to make my home a haven, a safe place for my family.

He raised up a desire in me to be the best mom I could, spending time with my children..playing with them, loving them, nurturing them.

I didn't realize that coloring could be so much fun!..or how much fun I had a make believe tea parties and make believe construction sites.

I couldn't understand Moms, who.. when I told them I was loved being at home with my children..would respond with, "I don't know how you do it! I couldn't stand being with my kids all day!!"

This never failed to shock me. The thought of being angered at getting to be with my children was something I simply couldn't understand.

When we decided to homeschool, the reaction to other moms was even more intense. "You mean they are ALWAYS with you??!!"

Well, I just couldn't imagine anywhere I'd rather have them!!! For me, I couldn't understand how you could live out Deuteronomy 6:6-9 which says...

"And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." NLT

...if you aren't with your children to teach them those things!!

I have tried to create a home that my children could be relaxed in and knew that they were safe and loved. Now that they're teenagers and both living very busy schedules, I try to make home a place they can't wait to get back to...a place where they know that everything will be okay and someone will be there with open arms and an encouraging word.

Motherhood for me is one of the greatest callings God has placed on my life. I hope that I have accomplished and am still working towards that goal of raising children who feel that I have been a blessing to their lives.

In all honesty...I truly pray that DD sees the awesome calling that being a stay at home mom is and that her desire for her life is to be at home with her children.

Likewise, I pray that DS will find a wife who will want to stay at home and be available for their children as well.

I make no apologies for training my children in this way..our convictions are strong when it comes to DH providing for the family and the wife making home a warm, safe-haven to be.

Motherhood & At the Well

Today's discussion over At the Well, is titled 'That Where I Am You May Be Also'.

The discussion concerns motherhood and how important it is that true motherhood always points to Jesus.

Being a mom is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I want to participate in the Q&A, but in order to do that I will need to make this a two-parter. I have to begin at the beginning in order to answer the Well questions.
Here is part one..part two will follow later today or tomorrow...

As a very young teenage girl, I suffered from a lot of 'female' problems that resulted in some tests which caused my doctor to warn me that when the day came for me to have a baby, it would be a difficult..if not impossible..accomplishment.

He was right.

DH and I started trying for a baby about a year or so after we married. As the months went by and I still wasn't pregnant, my doctor's words came back to me.

Another couple of years of trying to get pregnant..unsuccessfully.. found us sitting in my doctor's office, going over the possibility of fertility treatments.

Doc warned me that even with treatments, my ability to get pregnant was still a long shot. Again, he was right.

We went through using that basal thermometer daily, sex on demand..because when you are at your prime moment of ovulation, you have to jump at the chance..fertility drugs..then doubling the drugs..then tripling the drugs..then saying enough is enough.

6 years later, we still weren't pregnant and we were exhausted. Physically exhausted..not so much, but the emotional exhaustion was enormous!! The stress and strain on our marriage had grown to the point that we weren't sure bringing a baby into it was wise.

With tear-filled eyes, I sat in Doc's office and told him we were done. No more trying. Our marriage, and we ourselves, couldn't take the strain of trying to have a baby any longer.

He gave me some information on adoption and after much discussion between DH and myself we set that in motion. There were a lot of children out there who needed a home and that was something we could provide.

Several weeks after filling out more paperwork than I'd ever seen in my life, I noticed that I was so tired and I was sore..more specifically in my breast area which was not common for me at all. I hadn't paid much attention to the fact that it had been a couple of months since I'd had a period simply because missing 2 or 3 months in a row was normal for me. A good friend of mine insisted I buy a pregnancy test, but I refused. If all of those fertility drugs hadn't helped me get pregnant, I'm sure I wasn't pregnant now. Besides..over the years I'd spent way too much money on pregnancy tests that made me cry because all I ever got was a negative result.

A week later though, I was still exhausted and my breasts were really hurting...if I wasn't pregnant, then something was most certainly wrong.

I made a trip to Wal Mart, purchased yet another at home pregnancy test.

The next morning, I waited till DH left for work before taking the test. He had to leave before I did and since I hadn't told him I bought the test (why put him through that?) I just thought it would be easier to cry alone then gather myself up and head off to work.

I peed on the little stick and then stared at it. Negative. Just what I thought..here come the tears, the disappointment, the anger, the screaming, the sliding down the wall..and then the outright sobbing. Finally, I gathered myself up off the floor and reached for the little stick to throw it in the trash. One last look at it and I noticed a very faint pink stripe. That stripe, although faint, made a plus sign which would mean...no, it wasn't possible. Besides, the negative sign was dark pink and the other line was so faint....

I dug the box out of the trash and called the 1-800 number on the back. The lady on the other end of the line was so sweet and told me that if I saw any pink at all, it was very likely I was pregnant and that I should go to my doctor as soon as possible.

Hanging up with her, I dialed Doc's office right away. His nurse encouraged me to run by for a test..just to see.

I called DH who agreed to meet me at Doc's office.

Within an hour, we were at Doc's office and I was peeing for them. One blue dot..not pregnant. Two blue dots pregnant. As we watched the nurse, who by now we had become good friends with, we tried to read the expression on her face, but it was expression-less and I knew she was trying to figure out the best way to let me know that I still wasn't pregnant.

I wasn't prepared for what came next....

Me: "Negative again huh?" I might as well help the poor thing out in trying to share the bad news.

Nurse: "Uh...Deb....you're pregnant!!"

Me: "It's not possible. It cannot be." This is a cruel joke..but you wouldn't do that to me would you??....

Turning towards me, she showed me the test...two blue dots...both very dark in color.

It was true....I was pregnant....

I looked at DH and we both burst into tears. Doc came out of an exam room about that time and Nurse filled him in quickly on what had happened. 6½ years of trying...and finally giving up..I was pregnant.

I didn't have a relationship with Jesus at this time, but I knew that He'd performed a miracle..and I was very grateful.....I was going to be a Mom.....

Only a Little Time

Something happened yesterday that convicted my heart and got me to thinking and doing some self evaluation.

I was doing some shopping at Wal Mart with DD yesterday Nothing special, just buying a few groceries and enjoying some good conversation.

We were in the aisle that had tomato sauce and paste. Canned tomatoes that were sliced, diced and stewed. Spaghetti sauce, noodles, etc...

I noticed a man standing in front of the tomato sauce and paste and I could tell he had a very frustrated look on his face. I also needed tomato sauce and so as I got closer to him, I could hear him mumbling under his breath about, "...this isn't spaghetti sauce!!".

It was easy to tell he was in a hurry and most certainly out of his comfort zone.
I asked him if he needed some help and he quickly told me he needed some spaghetti sauce, but that he couldn't find it. I showed him that it was at the opposite end of aisle. He thanked me, and went to the other end.

I found my tomato sauce and while I was putting it in the buggy, I noticed he was getting frustrated all over again. He turned to me and DD and asked which one of these (pointing to the sauces) was spaghetti sauce. DD showed him that from "here to here" was spaghetti sauce and that it just depended on what kind he wanted.

"I just need the kind with the screw on lid."

DD showed him the many different types with screw on lids. He grabbed up a jar, held it out and asked if that was a screw on lid. We told him yes, he thanked us and was quickly on his way.

This entire event probably took less than 3 minutes yet made a positive difference in this man's day and I felt blessed to be able to help him.

Then I felt the Holy Spirit begin to stir inside me, asking me how many times I'd totally ignored the chance to help someone around me.

You know what I'm talking about..we get in such a hurry, or we are so wrapped up in what we need to get done, that we are totally oblivious to the people around us.
How long does it take to do a kindness for someone we don't even know?

How long does it take to make a positive, Christ-like difference in someone's day?

I will be transparent with you and tell you that I've tried to justify not helping someone because "I'm already behind! Besides, they'd ask if they needed help." Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. Fact is, if I notice they need help, they shouldn't have to ask for it.

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

If the Holy Spirit is in me then kindness should be a by-product of that....not even something that needs to be thought out before acted upon.

Yes, it's true that we are all busy, but when we get so busy that we can't help out another person, then we obviously have our priorities in the wrong place.

"Instead, be kind to each other....." Ephesians 4:32 NLT

I can't imagine, nor do I read in God's Word anywhere, that Jesus was too busy to notice His fellow man. He was an encourager to people He didn't even know.

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." Philippians 2:5 NLT

So, I've decided that part of my prayers are going to be that I would be more aware of the people around me. Let's make sure that we're not so behind or in such a hurry that we feel we don't have the time to show someone Jesus.

Thankful Thursday

Today I decided to join up with Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey for her weekly meme, Thankful Thursday.




I need to list 5 things I'm thankful for. This shouldn't be hard, but it is. To narrow it down to only 5 things??!!

Here goes:

1) I am so thankful for my family. DH, DD & DS are a total blessing to me and constantly are filling my life with smiles and blessings. We have been through so much and I try not to take one second of our lives together for granted.

2) I am thankful for a wonderful lady named Annette, who I have dubbed "My Spiritual Mama". I've known her for 17 years. She took me under her wing when I found Jesus at the age of 27 and has guided me, prayed for me, corrected me and loved me. She has shown me the true meaning of a Godly woman.

3) I am thankful for my bloggy friends. I'm very new to the blogging world, but God has blessed me to meet some awesome women. They have become truly important to me and I worry if I don't see a new post for a few days..

4) Today, I am thankful for my dryer. Even though I live in the deep south, today..the wind is blowing out of the north like crazy. While I love to hang my clothes on the line, today would not be an enjoyable day to do so!!

5) I am thankful for my kid's youth pastor. He truly loves this group of teens at our church and will go out of his way to make sure that he's available to them if they need him....even causing himself to be late for work on occasion. A series of events allowed us to sit in with the teens last night. I was thankful for this man before, but even more so now.

What are you thankful for today?? Let's realize that God is so good to us and it's really nice to share how's He's blessed us with everyone.

Lovin' This New Look!!!

Good morning my bloggy buddies!!

Notice anything different???

I felt like I woke up to Christmas this morning!!!!

I am so excited about this new makeover and can't stop staring at my own blog! (sounding a little self-centered there, aren't I??)

Many thanks to Beth for the makeover give-a-way, and many thanks for Tara for doing such a great job on my blog!

I encourage you to check out both sites









Now.... I'm going to smile at my computer for a little longer!!

Try It Tuesday

I want to begin something new here on Tuesdays....something I'm going to dub "Try It Tuesdays".

Each Tuesday is going to bring a new challenge for the next week.

I'd love it if you'd join in and share with me how the week went and if you were able to stick with the challenge.

Since being a Biblical wife is such an important part of my life, I'd like to start there.

It's always been very important to me to make DH's coming home from work in the evening a 'want to' experience.

My husband, and I'm sure most men, have a lot of stress on them that we can't even begin to realize...especially if we are stay-at-home moms.

DH's income is the only income we have. In our shaky economy right now, the threat of losing your job is ever-looming over our husband's shoulders. He knows that if he loses his job, life, as his family knows it, will change dramatically. He doesn't want that.

So he puts up with the stress and the unrealistic demands that are put on him each day....and even though DH shares his day with me....I don't have a clue, and I'm willing to bet you don't either.

I've been a stay-at-home mom for 17 years now and I'd like to think I've learned a little bit over that time.

With my DH, I've always known approximately what time he would be home. We've been through him working day shift, 2nd shift and working his own business.

Day shift means that he'll be getting home around 4:30 in the evening. 2nd shift means that he'll be leaving around 2 in the afternoon and even when he was working for himself, barring an emergency, I knew he'd be home by 6 in the evening.

Since we're living day shift right now, let me start there:

Even though DH thinks I'm beautiful no matter what, I try to have myself "put together" by about 3 pm. I'll have my hair combed and nice looking, at least the bare minimum of makeup on and add squirt of perfume ...(even though his smeller has been on the fritz for over 20 years...it makes me feel pretty..)

I go through the house, making sure that the living room is picked up and his paper is laying by his chair. DH loves to read his paper when he gets home, so I make sure he's not having to hunt it down, which would only frustrate my already tired man.

By 4 o'clock, I have supper started. I want to make sure that supper is almost ready to eat when he gets home.

At 4:30, I'm watching out the kitchen window for him to pull in the driveway. When I see that little Sidekick pull in, I fix DH a glass of something cold to drink and set it on the kitchen island.

When he walks in the door, a smile, hug and kiss are waiting on him. A quick check on supper and I follow him in the bedroom where he's literally peeling off the weight of his day. The first question out of my mouth is, "How was your day?" As he begins sharing his day, I'm totally quiet. No matter if the frig has given up the ghost, or DS has a knot on his head or DD is sick or the clothesline broke (with all of my whites hanging on them!) I don't let him hear it. It's his time to unwind and vent or whatever he needs to do to release his day. Other than a "Hi Dad", the kids are to leave Dad alone for 30 minutes.

While it's true I have teenagers now, it hasn't always been that way....obviously..

Those of you with Tiny Tots are going, "Mm hmm, keep them quiet for 30 minutes..you betcha."..but it can be done.

I started early on with my two sharing that Daddy is so awesome and he works so hard taking care of us that giving him 30 minutes each evening when he gets home from work for "Daddy Time" was our way of saying thank you. They always got to run to Daddy and give him a hug and check his lunch box...because Daddy always got 'full' before he could eat that snack cake.......:o) then I would set a timer for 30 minutes. Each child would go to his or her room and they would play quietly or read or color or whatever...they just had to be quiet and they couldn't bother Daddy. When the timer dinged, Dad and the kids knew that it was time to come together and share, laugh, tickle whatever.

You would be amazed at the change in your man when he gets that 30 minute sabbatical each evening.

By the time his sabbatical is over, supper is ready to eat and the table is full of laughter and conversation and DH's eyebrows aren't furrowed and his shoulders sagging...he is fully able to enjoy his family.

So...here is your challenge: For the next week make sure that:

1) You are looking fresh and beautiful when DH gets home. Remember, he already thinks you are beautiful but if you feel pretty..it shows.

2) Supper is cooking and a cold drink, or a cup of coffee, or whatever your DH likes to drink is waiting on him when he walks in the door.

3) After hugs and kisses, send the kiddos off for their 30 minutes of quiet play and allow hubby his 30 minute sabbatical...remember, no complaining or nagging or handing him the days problems. Most things can wait 30 minutes (they've waited all day haven't they??)

4) It may help you to write down the change you see. I'd love to know if this makes a difference in your marriage and in your family.

As a side note---

If your DH is working 2nd shift, make sure that you get up before him and pretty yourself up. When my DH worked 2nd shift, our main meal was lunch, so for that 30 minutes before lunch, the kiddos took their 30 minutes of quiet time and Dad got his sabbatical then. (By the time he got home at midnight all was quiet anyway)..then we could come together at mealtime and enjoy each other's company. Ask him is there anything you can do that afternoon to help him and give out an abundance of hugs and kisses before he heads out the door--

Can't wait to check back in with your results next Tuesday!!

Blessings......

Love or Friendship...Maybe Both?

Today I joined up with At the Well and wanted to share it with you.

The questions for today were on the subject of family love. The Scripture was Titus 2:4, "These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children." NLT

Amy researched this and found that the type of love mentioned here means to love in the sense of 'being friends with..'

Then she posed these questions:

What is your definition of friendship?

My definition of friendship is someone who will be there for me through the good and bad, encouraging me when I'm down or when I'm doubting myself. Someone who knows me well enough to pick up that something is going on when I'm trying to keep it to myself. Someone who knows me inside and out, faults and all, and chooses to love me anyway. Someone I can laugh with, cry with, have fun with and do absolutely nothing with....and it's okay.

Did you follow the belief that we should not be friends with our children?

No. My parents were not 'friends' with me. They were parents and while I love them dearly, it's harder now as an adult to just hang out with them. I decided back in my teenage years that I would be a parent first and then a friend.

Has that changed?

Having 2 teenagers in our home now, 16 & 18, I see how incredibly important that is. Our children know that Mom and Dad like to have fun and act crazy. We (I) like my music loud and my car fast..which can tend to get me in trouble. They also know that Mom and Dad are first and foremost...Mom and Dad. While we love them and their friends and we love hanging out with them in their world, we ARE their parents and (with God) we set the rules and the plans and the expectations. Any falling by the wayside will be dealt with swiftly.

In what ways can we befriend our husbands and children?

If I follow my definition of friendship, then I'll love unconditionally, encourage, listen, pray for, cry with, laugh with, spend time with and do nothing at all with the 3 people who mean the most in my life. However, the only possible way I can be friends with my DH and children, is to have a real relationship with my Heavenly Father. Through him, I can know what true love and true friendship is. "You are My friends if you obey Me." John 15:14, NLT

What can we do to teach those skills to someone else?

I'm a firm believer in teaching by example. In being a friend to those I meet. In loving them and making a positive difference for Christ in their lives. In loving them unconditionally, because that's how Jesus loves me. Not accepting their sin, but loving them..being their friend in spite of it.

You can check out today's post over At the Well..

Blessings...

Cafe` Chat

Thought I'd participate in the chat over at the Internet Cafe today.
We were asked:

Tell of one specific time in your Christian walk that you were overwhelmed with God’s love for you.

There are so many times that God just comes in a overwhelms me to the point I can't hardly speak.

I find His love overwhelming me when I'm at the end of my rope, when I feel that the situation I'm in at the moment just won't let me go any farther. When I'm so tired that I can't even pray and Jesus has to step in and intercede for me because all I can do is sit in silence and tears before the Throne, God just wraps me up in those big ole' arms of His and holds me. While it's not a physical feeling I'm having, there is no doubt that the love of God is present and enveloping me in all that He is.

When I've "messed up" and I know that the decisions or the choices I've made is less than pleasing to my Father and I have to go before the Throne and confess that with a repentant heart....I'm completely overwhelmed by the love and grace of a merciful Father.

I'm so human and God is so God. Overwhelming love always comes to me when I'm before the Throne because I know what I am.....a very undeserving daughter of the King.

Blessings.....

I Need Help.....Again...

My sweet, sweet bloggy friends...I come to you begging...again...yes, again...
I need help!

I have mastered getting a button on my posts..i.e., At the Well, Internet Cafe...but I can't get them to be a link. You know, where you can just click on the button and make it link to the site it should. It's driving me nuts!!! Okay, maybe I was nuts before..I'm sure I was..am...anyway would somebody have pity on me and walk me through how to make those buttons links instead of pretty pictures...please....

Blessings....

Our First Love/At the Cafe

With Valentine's Day being tomorrow, I hope each of you have already decided what to do for DH. I always buy a card that says somewhat of what I'd like it to, but then I always add something to it to make it personal.

Of course I always buy him some candy..DH loves him some candy...especially if it has caramel in it!!




Over at the Internet Cafe today, they are talking about Our First Love.


The subject of our first "earthly" love was brought up.

My first earthly love was a little blond headed boy in kindergarten. He was smaller than me in every way, but he had the prettiest white hair I'd ever seen in my life!! Of course we walked the same street to school and it wasn't long before we were holding hands while we walked to school. Other kids picked on him because he was so tiny, but that didn't stop me. I just loved that hair!!.....

Anyway...fast forward to 1983..a time when I didn't even know Jesus, but He decided to bless me anyway. He sent me the most awesome, loving, patient, giving, patient, gentle, patient, caring, patient, man I know. Yes, my Father knew I had to have a patient man.. We have been married over 25 wonderful years and I can't imagine my life without this incredible man of God by my side.

But the Cafe got to the heart of the matter....our TRUE First Love..Jesus.

He loved us so much that He left Heaven to live on this earth, endure pain and suffering beyond anything we could even try to comprehend and died a death that should have been ours, overcame death and rose again..all so we could live with Him forever. Wow....talk about TRUE love....

The questions the Cafe posed were this:

1. What valuable lessons have you learned through earthly love relationships?

For me, it would be that my DH can't possibly fill every need I have. In the past, I've put that pressure on him, and he would try...oh, would he try, to meet every need and want I had. But, like me, he's human, and at his absolute very best, he can't fulfill everything I need. Over time, God has shown me and grown me and made me realize that the only One Who can fulfill every need..is Him.
One other thing would be that loving someone means putting them before myself. If you love someone, you can't be selfish, there's no room for that. Someone once gave me an acronym I'd like to share...

J--Jesus
O--Others
Y--You

2. If you wrote a letter to God today, what would it say?

Oh wow....It would most certainly start off with me telling Him how awesome He is. How thankful I am for what He did for me on Calvary and that I know He would have still done it, even if I'd been the only one. I would tell Him how much I love Him, confess to Him that I've failed in showing/telling others about Him like I should. He knows me inside and out and flowery foo-foo doesn't cut it for Him. I'd have to be real and I'm sure in being real with Him, He would show me and promise to be there for me in those things I need to improve for Him.

3. Are you in danger of allowing your love for Jesus to grow cold, as the Ephesians did? If so, what could you do today to remember and re-focus your love?

I think we're all in danger of that. If we don't maintain a close love-relationship with Jesus, it's bound to get cold. At this point in my life, I believe that I'm striving harder than I ever have to grow my love for Him. It seems as if every day I live, I just want more of Him. I want to be more faithful and loving to Him. I want others to know that this Jesus that I love, loves me and loves them too.
On the days when I find myself putting Him on a back burner and letting every tiny thing in this world come before Him, I'm learning that I have to stop and spend time in His Word, stop and pray, put in some praise and worship music..do something..anything that will get my focus back where it should be...

On my first True Love....

Blessings....

At the Well & A Girl's Day Out

Hi Bloggy friends!!

I'm going to be enjoying a day out with my best girlfriend today and a mutual friend that I haven't seen in over 4 years. I am so excited to get to enjoy this "Girl's Day Out"!!

Meanwhile head on over to At the Well..today is my first posting as a guest writer over there and I'm even more excited about that!! (For some reason, I can't get the badge to be a link..anyone willing to help me???)

I'd love to hear back from you!!

Blessings....

Brewed Water

Okay...it's taken me over 24 hours to decide to share my latest embarrassing story with you. Hope it makes you smile and laugh with me--not at me--okay, you can laugh at me..just a little...

DH loves his morning coffee..and his middle of the day coffee..and his afternoon coffee...and his anywhere in between coffee...oh let's be honest...HE LOVES COFFEE!!!...and he won't let me throw a drop out. If he doesn't finish a pot up, he just reheats it in the microwave.

Me, I don't like coffee, so I just do what he wants..

Anyway, yesterday morning, I put the last cup of coffee from the pot in the microwave. Since it was lightly raining, I knew DH would be driving his car to work instead of his motorcycle, so he'd want a cup to go.

I cleaned out the coffee filter and rinsed out the pot.

I refilled the pot with water and poured it in the coffee maker and turned it on.

I turned on the morning news, watched the weather report and went in the kitchen, turned on the microwave to heat up the leftover coffee and then went in our bedroom to wake up DH.

The microwave dings and I get his coffee and add sugar and creamer, stir and take it in the living room where DH is now watching the news.

A little conversation later and it's time for him to leave for work.

He sets his cup on the kitchen island and goes in to put on his badge and tools and what-not while I get ready to fix his to-go cup of coffee.

Imagine my surprise--and embarrassment- when I look at the pot and realize that I've just brewed the most awesome pot of water you've ever seen!!!!

In my still-asleep-state, I forgot to add coffee grounds to the filter!!!!

Oh yes, even the most dedicated wife has her moments.....

After my confession, my ever dramatic hubby grabs his coffee cup with both hands, turns it up and starts sucking on it like it was his last chance to ever have coffee again--he puts the cup down, grabs the counter and looks at me with mischievous eyes and says..."Maybe I can make it.."

I felt like drop kicking him to his car--not really--he just grabbed me up and we had a very good laugh, which was a great way to start our day.

Of course, think of the money we'd save if he'd just learn to drink brewed water!!!

Blessings.......

Entertaining Angels

They were sitting in the restaurant enjoying their meal. The little boy was busily eating his french fries and driving his race car on the table. The little girl was dipping her chicken in sauce and playing with the miniature doll that had come with her meal.

Mom was enjoying her food too, but she was enjoying watching those babies more than anything. Watching them play and laugh with each other. Listening to the bantering going on back and forth between brother and sister. Noticing out of the corner of her eye, the people looking their way..some smiling, some not so happy that this lady wouldn't keep those kids quiet. But really, they weren't that loud and the mom couldn't help but feel that everyone should enjoy the laughter of kids.

Looking at her watch, she realized they needed to be leaving. Telling the kids to finish up, she began gathering up the trash, refilling the drinks and rounding up the toys.

As they left the restaurant, she noticed a man leaning against the side of the building. While she wasn't afraid, there was a bar across the street and even though it was the middle of the day, there was a steady stream of people going in and out. She took the hand of each one of her children and picked up her pace just a bit.

With a smile and a nod, she walked past the man.

She heard him say as she passed, "Got a few dollars to spare?"

She felt a nudge in her heart. Something inside telling her she had the ability to meet the need this man had.

But...turning she said, "No, sorry."..and kept walking towards her car.

Her mind began racing with thoughts, trying to justify why she'd walked away.."He probably wants some money to go get drunk at the bar. I'm not going to give over our hard earned money so someone can get drunk." " My goodness, there are help wanted signs all over town, why doesn't he get a job!" "I'm not going to put my kids in danger. Nothing is worth that." "Somebody will give him a couple of bucks, I'm sure."

She buckled the kids in and sat down in the car. For a moment she paused. Then she heard, in a very clear voice, "He's hungry."

"What?!"

"He's hungry. You should have fed him. Sat with him while he ate."

She was confident now that she had ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

She looked around, but couldn't see the area of the restaurant where he'd been standing. Telling the kids to unbuckle and grabbing her purse, she headed back towards the restaurant...but he was gone.

They went inside and looked around, maybe someone else had fed him, but he wasn't there.

She waited for several minutes by the bathroom, but no one went in, or came out.

Back outside, they walked all the way around the building, but she had to face facts....the man was gone....and she had blew it.

"Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" Hebrews 13:2, NLT

Slowly walking back to the car, she realized she had missed out on having a meal with Jesus. She realized that He'd been standing before her, and she had walked on by.

True, she didn't know what the man wanted the money for, but instead of walking away, she could have taken him back inside and used the money to buy him some food.

She sat in the car and explained all of this to her children, confessing to them how she had ignored God and missed out on a chance to get to know Him better.

She encouraged her children to pay attention to those around them and to act when they knew God was leading them to do something for Him.

With tears in her eyes, she confessed her sin to God and begged Him for one more chance....He forgave her sin, but didn't give her another chance to right the wrong.

............I learned a great lesson that day: When God is prompting you to do something for Him, He will give you everything you need, including safety. He won't bring you to what He isn't willing to bring you through. Now, I try very hard to pay attention to the prompting of His Spirit. I still fail to hear Him at times, but the sorrow of missing out on His blessings that day is forever burned in my soul. I hope it will always be there to remind me that obedience to God is not optional.

Blessings......

I am a Kept Woman..

This is not original with me. I got this as an e-mail from a very dear friend and wanted to share it.

Hope you enjoy...and I'm curious to know...are YOU a Kept woman??

Blessings.....

I Am a 'Kept' Woman!!

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind, But GOD kept me sane. (Isaiah. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go on no longer, But the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong, But the LORD kept my mouth shut. (Psalms 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough, But GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up. When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt. 11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I'm sure you hear me! I'm blessed to be 'kept.'

Are you...or do you know a 'kept' woman ?

I'm Kept by the Love and Grace of God!

Doin' the Happy Dance Cause...I WON!!!

Look real close at your monitor screen....get just a little bit closer...a little closer...what do you see?? Anything? Well, if you can't see anything, I'll tell you what you should be seeing....a 44 year old woman, with dark brown hair dye covering her gray, who's slightly overweight, still sitting in her green robe and black house shoes doing a happy dance!! (Lovely thought..huh???)

Now, if that sight is just too gruesome to bear, look away from the monitor (no, wait!!!..get the next set of instructions THEN look away from the monitor), put your fingers in your ears, or turn down your speakers, or go outside for a moment cause I'm about to.... SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!

I just won a blog makeover from my dear, sweet sister and friend Beth over at I AM WORKING TOWARDS MY DESTINY!

Woohoo!! Oh yeah!! Just sitting here spinnin' in ma chair!! Uh huh!! Doin' the happy dance! Hair standin' up cause it ain't been brushed!!

Beth got a great blog makeover from Tara at Blog Makeovers by Tara ..so she decided to have a give-a-way for a free blog makeover and I won along with 3 other super bloggin' buddies!! Because true to her nature, Beth is just super sweet and caring and just couldn't bear to only give away one makeover...so, she gave away 4!!

But here's the best thing...Tara has agreed to do bloggy makeovers for only $10!! All you have to do is head over to Beth's site to find out how!!

Now...I'm going to get busy and get my chores done so I can have time to connect with Tara and start purtyin' up this blog!!

Blessings............

"Yes!!" Moments

As parents, we live for those "Yes!!" moments. You know, for years you've been praying and lecturing, praying and pleading, praying and yelling...well not me..I don't yell...much..., :o, praying and bribing..I don't do that either..much..anymore.., and one day your child..teenager...makes a decision, takes a stand and you're standing in the next room doing the Yes Dance. Come on.. if you have kids, you know what dance I'm talking about...

Yesterday afternoon, DD and her boyfriend rented a movie for the family to watch last night. The selection they picked had a PG13 rating...which we all tend to walk on egg shells with... but the rating was for violence.

Now, when my kids were tiny tots, violent movies were not watched. Forget it. With them being less than 2 years apart in age, they made their own violence, they didn't need any help from tv and movies. But now with them being 16 and 18, things are somewhat different. I'm not worried about them shooting anyone or blowing up a building or getting into a physical fight or anything such as that. They're just not wired that way...and...the Holy Spirit lives within them.

Every other Thursday night can find DH and I at the table going over the bills and paying the ones that are due, so we told the kids to go ahead and start the movie and we'd catch up in just a bit.

So, they did.

Mind you the ages of the kids are..DD-18, DD's BF-almost 19, DS-16. The movie begins and quite honestly DH and I have tuned it out. We are focused on these bills and how to make the dollars stretch farther and how to spend them more wisely..so we're not paying any attention to this movie.

...Let me insert here, that both of my kids have always known a Christian home. DD was saved at the age of 9 and DS just got saved on New Years Eve. (He made a profession at the age of 4, but, in his words.."I've been playing church for a lot of years. It was time to get real.") DD's BF got saved about a year ago. So, these kids know what is and isn't acceptable. Like most kids (and adults) though, they, at times, push the envelope just as far as they can....

DS had been wanting to see this movie for quite some time. From the previews, DH and I thought it would be good as well. DD's BF is still very much in the learning stages because he didn't even go to church until he and DD met. He doesn't know very much of what the Bible says and what is and isn't acceptable.

So...

The movie begins and about 20 minutes later, I realize that they are watching tv instead of the movie. We stop doing the bills and ask, "Why aren't you watching the movie?"

DD: "Because in the first 4 minutes they said like 6 bad words AND took God's name in vain."

Me: "Oh. Good call. I'm real proud of you."

DD: "I'm not watching that garbage and neither are the guys if I'm around."

Me--(smiling inwardly): "You're right. We get enough filth when we're out and about. No need to invite it in."

DH and I look at each other, smile and go back to the task at hand.

This is such a huge deal because DD has been struggling with the flesh for quite some time and so DH and I have been going into overtime in our prayer closets that God would manifest Himself real to our children and the people they are in relationships with. We can love them and be an example to them all day long, but only the Holy Spirit can convict them.

Later, DD confided in me that the boys weren't too thrilled with her insisting that the movie be turned off... "But, Mom, I stood my ground. We just can't watch that filth anymore."

A double blessing...a right decision made and a stand taken for what she believes in. Oh yeah.. a BIG Yes Dance going on with this Mom.

Let me encourage you, there are going to be times (go back to an earlier post of mine) that you wonder if you're doing anything right with your kids at all. There are going to be times that you are convinced you have failed and that your kids are destined for a carnal life. Don't lose faith. Go to those prayer closets and lift those kids up in prayer. Go to their bedrooms and pray Scripture over those rooms and every object in them and the people that live in them. Remember that you and God are the majority and the power no matter what the enemy tries to tell you.

Stay strong, hold on to Jesus and His promises; then you too will be able to fully appreciate those "Yes!!" moments.

Blessings.......

This is a Test...ONLY a Test!!

This is simply a test to see if I added e-mail subscriptions for my posts correctly.

I hope I have, because it would probably be the first time that I added something without harassing/asking people for help!

If this works right, I'm going to do it strictly as a trial run....if folks quit visiting my site, I may have to rethink this....!!

Have an awesome day, as I'm going to make myself walk away from the computer and get caught up on some much needed work around the house.

Love to all &

Blessings........

Praying Scripture

No one will argue the fact that the Bible, God's Word, was written to us, for us. It is a life-changing Book, from a life-changing God.

The lesson I'm studying right now in Loving Your Husband, is talking about just that loving your husband. Of course I was directed to 1Corinthians 13 and asked to take some very eye opening evaluations about myself there. But that's not the Scripture that spoke to me this morning.

It was Ephesians 3:14-19:

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in Heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." NLT

Many years ago as a new Christian, I remember hearing a preacher say that when you read the Bible, replace the you's with I's or me's, your's with my's....not to add to or take away from the Word, but to make it more personable to me when I read it.

So often we can get caught up in reading God's Word just to do it, because it's something I need to do everyday, check off my list so I can move on to something else.

But when you change a couple of words and read it as a personal letter to yourself..which it is...it makes a difference in how you read and understand it.
Read this same Scripture again with the you's and your's changed...

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in Heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources he will empower me with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in my heart as I trust in Him. My roots will grow down into God's love and keep me strong. And may I have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May I experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then I will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Wow...that really makes a statement to me now. In my mind, the Word of God just became very personal.

I find myself wondering how much more of an impact the Word of God would make on my life if I read it like that every time I opened the Word. If I just changed those pronouns to make it impact me more.....

In this lesson, I was encouraged to pray this Scripture over myself in order to understand God's love more for me so that I could love my husband with God's love.

It also encouraged me to pray this Scripture over my husband. So this time I changed the pronouns to DH's name. OH WOW!!!! I'm telling you this sent a Holy shiver all over me!! Give it a try....I'll wait. Change those pronouns to your DH's name and read the Scripture aloud.....I promise..I'll wait...Did you feel that Holy shiver too???

What would happen in our marriages if we prayed this Scripture for ourselves and for our DH's on a very regular basis throughout the day?? I'm sure we'd see very God pleasing changes within ourselves and within our husbands. This would flow over into our children...wait...we should go back and pray that Scripture again and put our children's names in place of the pronouns!!!!!!! What kind of difference would be made in our homes???

There's no doubt that a great impact for Christ would be made.

Let me encourage you to give this a try along with me. It will be great to come back together in a few weeks and share how awesome of an impact this Scripture has made on our lives.

Are you up to the challenge with me???

Blessings..........

Cancer Free...Again

Okay..so I'm ready to share something with you that I couldn't share before.....God truly answers prayer.

You know that already?? Well, I do too, but let me tell you why I need to remind you of that today.

Last Thursday, I went for my yearly checkup. You all know what I'm talking about...that exam every woman looks forward to each year...yep..you're with me.

Let me remind you that I've been going to the same Dr. since I was 19. He's been there through everything including fertility treatments and the scary, life-changing moments during both pregnancies. He's been with me through a cancer scare a year and a half ago. He's a Christian and just a wonderful man and I trust him.

Things were going good with my exam and it got time for him to examine my breasts. His usually pleasant, joking demeanor changed instantly to very serious. I'd seen that change before and I knew he was very concerned. He told me that he felt a lump in my left breast and asked had I noticed it. No, I hadn't. He then went to my right breast where he found 2 more lumps....3 lumps and a very serious Dr. This wasn't good.

It was time for my yearly mammogram and he normally schedules them about 2 weeks after my visit with him. This time though, he scheduled the mammogram along with a sonar ASAP.

That happened this morning.

My family and I, along with our church family, have been praying nonstop since Thursday evening. We've cried and been angry and finally were able to agree with God that we wanted these lumps removed by His hand, but if He wanted me to take another path, He would take me through that as well.

Today when I got to the clinic, I noticed that I was early and so I took a little time to pray and read my Bible. I was just flipping through the Bible when I closed my eyes and verbally told God that I needed to hear from Him. I opened my Bible and looked down and was at Jeremiah 42:11-12. I laughed and thought to myself, 'What encouragement could I get out of a book written by someone known as the Weeping Prophet??!'

But I read it anyway...." 'Now you fear the king of Babylon, but don't be afraid of him', says the Lord, 'because I am with you. I will save you and rescue you from his power. I will be kind to you, and he will also treat you with mercy and let you stay in your land.' " (NLT) The emphasis is what I heard. I closed my Bible and silently thanked God that He would let me stay in my land....with my family.

One nurse did my mammogram while the other read over it. The one who read it, took me in another room for the sonar. She began at my right breast and I was watching the screen the whole time. She stopped, took a picture and looked some more. Finally I asked, "Do you see anything?"

She told me that I had one of the most thorough doctors in the area and she was sure that he'd felt lumps on Thursday, but for whatever reason she could find NOTHING!!!!!!!!!

No cysts, no lumps, no thickening...nothing!!!!!!! Well, I just about came off that table!!

She then went on to check my left breast and again found NOTHING!!!!!!

She reminded me that, of course, the radiologist had the final say, but she saw absolutely nothing!!! She encouraged me to keep my follow up exam with my Dr in April (definitely!!) but that she believed everything to be fine.

I couldn't wait to get out to my car and call DH who could only keep repeating Amen. DD just cried..this time tears of joy. (She had been fasting for me....I didn't know that...I am humbled and blessed...) DS was at work but the minute he got in the car he asked me if I knew anything. With tears I told him what I'd been told and shared the scripture God had given me. True to his personality, he looked relieved and went silent. I knew he too, was thanking our Father.

So, once again, He is faithful. What would I be saying if the outcome had been different?? I'm not sure. I do know that I had given this to Him, knowing that whatever path He chose, He would be right there with me, carrying me when I couldn't carry myself.

In my life, I've had 4 cancer scares. Each time, God has seen fit to remove the reason behind the scare. I'm not sure why, but I do know that I can't sit silent anymore. He is worthy to be praised and all He is asking is all of me.

And I'm sure that all He wants is all of you as well.

Blessings........

I Can't Stand Up Straight...But It's Okay..

I don't consider myself an "old" woman. Oh yeah..if you're 15, I might be considered old. Even if you're 20, I might be considered old...but I don't "feel" old.

I graduated from high school in the neighborhood of 26ish years ago...but there are days that I feel like I've only been out a couple of years.

But today....I feel old. Let me explain..

In 1997, I was just like you. I had a 6 year old and a 4 year old. I was a stay-at-home mom and lovin' every minute of it.

I was only 32 years old and just feeling really good. Then one day I woke up and realized that I wasn't moving quite as easily as I had been. You know, it took me just a little longer to stand straight up and put one foot in front of the other.

Then I noticed that I was starting to lean a little to the right and my left leg was having moments of numbness.

DH is a faithful follower of our chiropractor, so being the fix-it man that he is..he took me to his Dr. straightaway.

After a couple of weeks of being popped, bent and twisted..it wasn't working for me. Each day had me looking more and more like Magilla Gorilla..(am I showing my true age or what????)

Then one day my DH asked me if I'd like to go with him to check out some blocks that he'd found for sale at a reasonable price. (We were building a storm cellar....if you live in an area where you get tornadoes, you know how important that is!!) I said of course I'd love to go and I went to put my shoes on. I bend over to tie my shoes and it honestly sounded like a gun had went off inside me. For a split second, I even looked around to see if anyone had heard what I had heard...but it was only for a second. Pain like I hadn't felt since childbirth began and I couldn't move. I called for DH who helped me to a chair and after catching my breath, I told him this definitely wasn't good.

Over the course of the next two weeks I visited a neurologist and a neurosurgeon and had a MRI done. I was faithfully taking a drug cocktail which barely numbed the pain....(never took it away)...and anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about natural remedies and won't even take something for a headache unless I just cannot lie down for a while...but I welcomed these drugs..the pain was so bad.

Of course, the diagnosis was a ruptured disc and I was on my way to surgery.
The Dr offset the incision to the left of my spine only to discover during surgery that the disc had blown all the way around and so the surgery became a little more difficult than first thought.

However, 4 hours later found me back in my room with the sweetest little nurse/nun wiping my face with a cool cloth. I came to enough to let her know I had to go to the bathroom and was back out again.

When I woke up a little later there was no doubt I had business to take care of and so the learning process began. I had to learn how to get out of the bed (something that I still have to do 12 years later)...but when my feet touched that cool floor, I couldn't do anything but praise my God!! I hadn't felt the floor with my left foot in months and it was the best thing I'd experienced in quite some time!!

That morning I had literally limped into the hospital. My left foot was dragging somewhat and the fingers on my right hand were hanging below my knee. I was a sight to see!!

But I walked to that bathroom, with the help of my two awesome nurses, standing straight up!! Even though the pain from the surgery was intense, I could feel my leg and foot and I could walk erect! It was great!!

Doc came in later to check on me and make sure that I had good circulation in my feet and told me I was ready to go home (yes, it was one day surgery!) He also told me that for the rest of my life I would get numbness in my legs from time to time and I could expect to have periods where my back and hip would "act up" on me. Walking would be my best course of action in preventing those episodes from happening or at least keeping them to a minimum.

I had a wonderful surgeon and true to what he said, I've been blessed to be fine with only those minor flare ups a couple of times a year.

Guess what??.....It's one of those times. For the last several days, I've been slow at standing and slower at walking. I'm keeping my back rubbed in this awesome smelling ointment (notice the sarcasm??) and eating my ibuprofen.

Thankfully I'm able to laugh at myself. Even though this is a bump in the road and most definitely something I can do without, it's a reminder to me how awesome my God is.

It takes me back to that time when I couldn't walk, stand, sit or lie down. Nothing relieved the pain. (Not even my cocktail) I remember walking (?) in such a manner that people would come up to me and ask if I needed some help. I remember the pain and the tears and the frustration of being a young mom and not being able to care for my family. I remember DH having to help me take a bath..and him shaving my legs for weeks. I remember how God used that surgery to slow me down and spend time with my kids. I was flat on my back and my kids would bring me books and toys and we would spend the day watching tv and reading and playing on my bed.

I remember DH putting cans of soup on the counter along with some pans. Pouring sippy cups of drinks up and lining them up in the fridge for my babies. He sat their snacks on the kitchen counter so they could reach them and keep my getting up and down to a minimum.

I remember my 4 year old handing dirty clothes up to me so I could put them in the washing machine and then that same baby pulling a kitchen chair over to the washing machine and digging those clothes out and handing them to me so I could throw them (literally) in the dryer. He'd get toward the bottom of the machine and I'd have to hold his legs down so he wouldn't go head first into the washer!!

I remember my 6 year old running the vacuum and sweeping the floor and keeping up with her schoolwork.

So...while I don't like going through this, I've decided that periodically, it's a good thing. It reminds me that I'm blessed beyond belief with a God Who loves me enough to remind me. I'm blessed to have a family that will go the extra mile for me and never complain.

And when I look at it like that....the aches and pains of a back out of whack, seem to just fade away.

Blessings.........