You Got To ...Pray

Today I decided to splurge and eat out for lunch today. I usually bring my lunch but on Fridays I get cabin fever and just have to get out! By the way I ended up at Wendy's, where I ordered my 24th Southwest Taco Salad. No I haven't really eaten 24, it may be a few more or a few less. I think I am TOTALLY addicted!

Anyways, while I was sitting in the: 5minuteexpressdrivethruforthoseofusthathave15minutestoorderandscarf I was listening to Dr. Dobson have a discussion about teaching our children to pray. I suddenly felt very convicted of not doing a very good job at that. Yes, we pray at the table as a family and they know how to do, "God is great..." and I pray with each of the girls at bed time, when I am not too tired and thought I might make it through without falling asleep, as I am on bended knee beside their beds.

But do they know that they can talk to God all the time, casually, just like they talk to me.

Here is another view on praying (more for the adults).
God knows all your thoughts, he hears every unspoken word, so why do we need to pray and verbally tell God what's on our hearts?
Answer: Because no relationship has ever been formed by just eavesdropping.

A wife knows that her husband loves her, but it's nice to hear him say it. Same thing as our relationship with Christ.

The other day I bought this 2 ft. tall 'J' to decorate and hang on my front door. Hayley picked it up and said look Mama it's like a 'H'"
I said, "No, that's a 'J' for jump.....and.....Jesus."
Hayley, "name, Amen."

Hopefully The First of Many

Last night I joined some friends and went to LNO. (Ladies Night Out) It is a Bible study on raising children and other motherly and womanly duties.

While I was getting ready I looked down at my toenail polish, that had seen better days, and just about gasped out loud, hideous! I knew I only had a few minutes but it was something that had to be taken care of.

Isn't it funny that we take longer getting ready to go out with the girls versus going out with the husband. Why is that? Because girls will notice your chipped toenail polish and guys won't.

I am writing this post because I have not yet put these ideas on paper, and if I don't put them somewhere FAST they will be gone (as my memory fails me)!

Rhonda is the speaker and holy cow is she gooooooood!

One thing she talked about was having thoughts of discontentment about your home. One example she shared was, "Well, we can't have anyone over because that toilet runs and everyone will have to use the one in the back." I almost laughed out loud. But I didn't because I was sitting on the front row in a room of oh about 50 women, and with it being my first time there I thought that might be a bit rude. Just before our annual Halloween party I asked B if we could get a new toilet for the spare bathroom because I didn't want it to be running all night long and because I was embarrassed. Ok, has Rhonda been reading my mail? I am SOOOO guilty of feeling discontent with my home. Here's a thought, isn't discontentment jealousy? Hello!

I had read the posts from Kelly last week while she was on the Compassion trip to El Salvador. After I would read some of her words about these families living with dirt floors or a family of 4 living in a one room hut. Uhh, who could feel discontent about having a 3 bedroom brick house then? Things that I feel I have to have, that new recliner for the living, really isn't a need. Or a new dining room table that seats 6 instead of 4, because every time we have people over to eat there aren't enough chairs. There's that feeling again that Rhonda was talking about. Well, we can't have people over because....

Another point she made was, when we see something or someone that is pretty and we think it, why don't we say it? Why does the thought only go as far as our brain. Is it because we are jealous?

Her goal, that she said a couple of times, is that people take away one little nugget of information. Well, when you say nugget in my presence the first thing that comes to my mind is chicken nugget, maybe that's because I live with a 2 and 3 year old. In comparison to the nugget I think I took the whole chicken. Thanks Rhonda!

Healthy and Happy

I am going to brag for just this one post, I promise! Two nights ago we had spaghetti for dinner. B wasn't home so we just sat at the bar and ate. I was so proud of my girls for wanting salad to go with their spaghetti. Hayley discovered ranch dressing at Pizza Hut one afternoon and now it's all I can do to keep her from eating it 24/7. Leighton on the other hand prefers her salad plain.

Since we were eating at the bar they decided to grab an apple off of the 3 tier stand I have on the counter.

It has little tiny pumpkins and fake fall leaves sitting on the top and bottom layer and I put apples on the middle layer, for decoration of course. Except, as quickly as I go the store and buy some pretty green Granny Smith apples to put on my middle tier, they jump up on the bar stool and snatch some off to eat. I really shouldn't complain.

Side Note: If there is one thing I have learned it is that you have to keep good, healthy, fresh fruits and veggies readily available. Why? Because we are Americans and Americans like convience. If you have to wash and cut those strawberries or rinse off the grapes before you can eat them, let's face it, it's probably not going to happen and they go bad and get thrown away. Ok, maybe that only happens in my house! When I buy grapes or strawberries I go ahead and rinse and cut them up and put them in tupperware so it is ready to eat. I know, you feel like you're reading an insert out of a Martha Stewart mag. I'll stop, I know BORING! Maybe it will help ONE mama out there.
As I was, scarfing down my food because that's what us moms have to do, I noticed how healthy they were eating and I am so thankful they like to eat things that are good for their bodies and minds!




And yes, only in a small country town like ours will you find one wearing a John Deer shirt and the other wearing a Callie Kays shirt! Ha!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

A few weeks back we took a trip down to the big O for a few reasons...1 my brother was getting married...2 we went to Disney World... and 3 just because it's nice every once in a while to just get away!


Let me first start by saying Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Edwards!


Proud father to ALL his daughters! Keli, Tina, Dad, Carolyn, and Me

The second part of our trip had to do with this guy....

The girls had so much fun! Actually this was their first time staying in a hotel. (That shows you right there that we don't get out much. Maybe now that they are older we will be able to go more places.)

This was them right after we walked into the room. Of course they immediately starting jumping on the beds and ran to look out the window! We were WAAAAAYYY up! On the 14h floor!

Sunday night we hit The Magic Kingdom.

As you can see from the picture below that we started out carrying the Mickey's that I bought ahead of time from War-Mart. And now if you will look up, we are carrying a "baby Mickey". What happened was, while we were riding rides we parked the stroller and left the Mickey's in the stroller. When we returned from riding "Peter Pan" and "It's A Small World" (I still have that dern song stuck in my head) one of the Mickey's were missing! So I informed one of the Disney employees what had occured, they graciously replaced it, even knowing that the stolen one was from War-Mart. Now if that's not customer service I don't know what is!

Overall, we had a great weekend and we can't wait to go back!