Please Leave a Comment... Or Don't

I have gotten in a really bad habit of reading stories on the internet and then scrolling down to read people's comments underneath. I'm always disappointed that I did. There are so many that are mean, hateful and ugly. I'm shocked sometimes that people have a strong enough opinion about something insignificant that they feel the need to make a comment at all. Didn't everyone at one point in their lives hear "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" or was that just me? Some of the worst I read were when the Duggars had their miscarriage a few months ago. Oh my goodness, how can people be that hateful to say such horrible things when someone has lost a baby. Even if you don't agree with their lifestyle, why do you feel the need to be hateful? It was also bad last month when Paula Dean announced she had diabetes. Would people say those mean things to her face or only on the back pages of the web. I hope she doesn't read the internet. It made me realize though the sinful nature of people. Its not that I'm unaware of it, but when I live and work in a church environment, sometimes the true sinful nature of people doesn't come out so broadly, in your face. I forget. It makes me sad. Yes, Christians can be just as hateful, but most try to hide it.
Oh Lord, that your grace and mercy would come down and shine on those whose hearts are hurting so badly that they feel the need to share hate instead of love. Help me to show love to people. Help me to see people the way you see them, and to pray for those who are struggling instead of being judgmental. Forgive me when I gossip and pass judgement instead of showing love and grace. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Lent

I have never really celebrated Lent, never thought or felt led to sacrifice anything. But this year I did, so I have given up chocolate (and for those of you who know me, that's huge). I know Biblically I am not supposed to make a big deal about it and tell people, but I wanted to share my journey, because, well, that's just me to talk about it. I also decided to not completely give up facebook, but to sacrifice a lot of it by only checking it once or twice a day instead of once or twice an hour. That only lasted a day. I'm doing better on the chocolate. We have some valentine's candy left and I haven't touched it. But there was the hot chocolate I drank at a baseball game last weekend because I was freezing, and it didn't even dawn on me until the next day that it was chocolate. (The name should have given me a clue.) So it wasn't that I chose to ignore my sacrifice, I just didn't think about it. And then there was the delicious red velvet cupcake I ate on Tuesday, forgetting that there is chocolate in it. The red coloring threw me. But I do get the point. There have been moments that I have craved it majorly! But at those moments I remembered the sacrifice I was making and how small in comparison it is to the sacrifice that Christ made for me. I read somewhere that giving up something for Lent leaves space for God to come in and speak to you, and I like that. I have looked at THIS LINK a few times and read some inspiring things that God has used to speak to me. I'm really liking some quotes from St. Augustine of Hippo and want to do some more research on him. Maybe another blog post coming on that. I have also been reading through the New Testament in 40 days with our church. I'm only a day behind. Its giving me a new perspective to read it all so fast, I'm seeing the big picture and can really tell the differences in the writers when I'm reading them back to back. Some big things have jumped out at me and maybe that will be another blog too!

Some of my favorite things this week

Oh, its been so long! I've been in a funk. Maybe if I force myself to blog some, it will get my creative juices flowing and that will bleed over into the rest of my life and get me moving? We'll see.

I have some new fun things I am loving. Nothing big, but still fun. And you can go get them too!

These are some awesome storage bowls I got at Walmart for $4.50! This is my second set actually. They are great for mixing and storing. They are very durable, unless you let your nephew play drums on one of them. Hence, the second set today.

These are some storage bins I got at CVS this week, 2 for $10. They are so sturdy, with lock on lids with handles. I'm using the smaller one for my coupons and the larger ones for filing. It will be great to keep it downstairs for daily filing instead of the system I was using (or lack there of) otherwise known as piling.

This is a mini strainer spoon that my momma bought for me a while back at Bed Bath and Beyond. Its great for straining the water out of mac and cheese so I don't have to get out the big strainer.

Do you notice what my favorite color must be right now?

Campbell bought these today because he's really into blowing bubbles right now, and these are great because they have a sturdy bottom on them so they won't tip over. He can leave them on the table to dip into and no mess! They were only 97 cents at Walmart.

In action!

Randomness

Haven't given any random updates lately, so I thought I would share where we are in our lives at this point. We had great holidays. J's family came to our house for Thanksgiving and my family came for Christmas. It was the first year we didn't travel anywhere and I loved it! Even the cooking and cleaning on my part. We'll have to arrange that more often.

We finished up football. Cade's team was undefeated, but no playoffs for flag. He can't wait to tackle next year. Coop's team lost in the semi-finals to a team that had the worst sportsmanship I have ever seen. They have actually been kicked out of our league so we won't have to play them next year. Nice. Both big boys are on select baseball teams, so we had baseball tournaments mixed in with football, but we are on a break now. On to basketball. Coop's team, coached by the best coach ever, is 2-1. Cade is playing probably his last year of Upward and in my humble opinion, is the best player on the team. He pouts when its his turn to sit out. Loves it! And although the actual baseball season hasn't started yet, we are in full swing at our house since J is on the Little League board and will be managing both boys' teams. I used to wish that they would take a break in the winter from sports, but was reminded by a fellow baseball mom that if they weren't playing an organized sport, their never ending energy would be running all over my house. Point taken. I'd much rather they take it out on the court or field! Campbell has one more year to sit out, and I'm trying to enjoy that because it will only get crazier!

I'm teaching 2 days a week in the infant class in our MDO. It was supposed to be temporary but I wouldn't want to leave now, I'm quite attached. And it gives me my baby fix! Campbell goes to preschool 4 days a week, and is sad every Friday when he has to stay home with me. He is the youngest in his class since he has an Aug. birth date, but his teachers say you would never know it, except for the potty training issue. Yes, we are still not potty trained. This kid just doesn't care! We are probably at 75% on #1 but no where close on #2. At least he's pretty regular so I know when to put a diaper on him. I'm sure somewhere in this process I have not parented correctly, but he's my third, and I'm tired and have run out of ideas. I am hoping one day he will wake up and be ready to be a big boy. One day. Hopefully soon. Before college.

A little bragging here. I don't do it often because most of the time we just expect our kids to do these things, so I don't want to be one of those moms that constantly brags on her kids. So here is one paragraph and then I'll be done. Straight A's all around. Cooper received another Character Award a few weeks ago. I love those. And he was in the school spelling bee. Out of 20 4th and 5th graders, he was the 14th out. He was the last 4th grader left. He was mad because he got out on "flannel", a fairly easy word. He'll never misspell that word again. I was so proud of him because I am not a speller. I had my first "C" ever in 3rd grade spelling.

I am loving "American Idol", "Once Upon a Time," "Last Man Standing" and "NCIS" of course. But I have really cut down on my tv. Of course I've replaced it with Facebook, Pinterest and reading my Nook. I love Spotify! I'm finding music I listened to in high school and college and it brings such good memories. Today I got the new Kari Jobe CD. AMAZING!

I am trying to get back into eating better and exercising. I found this 15 minute work out on On Demand and did it Monday and today. I couldn't make it through the whole thing. I figure I burned more calories in 15 minutes then I do walking for 30 when I don't even run out of breath usually. I've cut down my sugar and upped my fiber. So we will see what happens.

I will be starting leading a new Bible Study on Feb. 12th on Sunday nights, What Happens when Women Say Yes to God, by Lysa Terkeurst. I'm excited to start something. If anyone local is interested, I can get you a book. Or if you aren't locally, I would love to have you read it with us and we can somehow hold each other accountable long distance. And of course, the VBS discussions are beginning. I've got to buckle my seat belt!

If you've made it to the bottom of this, you are a special person! I owe you one!

Book Review of "Beyond Molasses Creek"

Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz is an amazing novel that brings together the life stories of three individuals into a touching, emotional story of finding peace in the world around you, even when circumstances say otherwise. Ally Green has to come back home after her father dies, and takes the opportunity to reconnect with a childhood friend. But she has a past that has kept her on the run searching for peace, and has a hard time trying to settle down. At the same time, a young lady across the world in Nepal is also trying to find peace as she escapes a hard life and searches for truth. Do these ladies' stories connect? The results are surprising and amazing.
I have not read a novel in a while that touched me as this one did. Beautifully written, with a poetic style that drew me in, this story left me satisfied and at peace with my own story. I loved the back and forth of the characters' stories, both in the present day and the past. I understood where their hearts were and I wanted them to find the peace they were looking for. My only complaint about the book was it was not as Christian based as I thought it would be. There was a lot more room to have God intervene in the story. But I would highly recommend it. A great read!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

A few of my favorite things...

Some of my new favorite things!

I'm back trying to lose a few more pounds, but its much harder to get started again. Per Lysa Terkeurst, I'm upping my fiber and these are my favorite fiber things.

Chocolate Mocha granola bars! Really yummy if you like coffee and chocolate together!

90 calorie brownies, with fiber! When I'm having a chocolate craving, (which is all day, everyday) it hits the spot!

Todd English Green+Life Thermolon Pots and Pans
I have been needing some new pots and pans because after 15 years of marriage things start falling apart (not my marriage, but all the things we received as wedding gifts. I think you should be able to have a shower every 10 years that you stay married to get new things). I didn't want to get regular non-stick pans because I've heard things about the chemicals they put off, so when I saw these on HSN one night, I ordered them! I got a 10 piece set for around $100, and they are the best pans ever! They say they are dishwasher safe, but I have yet to have to put them in there because everything just wipes right off. And they are PFOA and PTFE free for those of you who are concerned about that kind of thing. I think they are sold out of the set right now on HSN, but if you can find these anywhere with a good deal, grab them!

BISSELL Rewind SmartClean Vacuum
I know this isn't a new favorite for those of you reading about my obsession with this vacuum. But FYI, they have it on sale this week at Target for $89! You won't regret it!

I think I'm Back

You may have noticed my lack of spiritual blog posts in the past few months until this week. The Lord and I were the best of friends for a long time, as I was digging deeper into His Word over the past year or so. But then He did something that I didn't like. See Waiting Part 2 to get more reference to that. And even though I knew that it was all for the best in my head and my heart because He told me so, I still got mad and left Him waiting for me. Thank goodness He's so patient with me. I was thinking of my kids again, how they react when I tell them "no". Luckily I have good kids who don't normally pitch fits, but it has happened. They fall on the floor kicking and screaming. I'm not a kicker and a screamer. But when I do get mad at someone, I give them the silent treatment. (Ask my husband.) Of course, that's only in my most immature stages of life, HA! So it finally dawned on me that I was giving the Lord the silent treatment. As if it hurts Him terribly. I'm sure He is disappointed that I'm not talking to Him, but He can go on with His plans without me no problem. I'm the only one missing out on the relationship. So we had a good heart to heart last week and I think I'm back. I'm back in His Word and can feel my thirst for it coming back, slowly.
When I left off my Bible reading plan months ago, I was in Isaiah, and that's not the best place to restart my love for the Word, so I just started in Matthew, Chapter 1 today, thinking I would breeze through it and move on to chapter 2, but I got so much out of it that I wanted to share the biggest things.
* The genealogy from vs 2-16 shows so many different types of people, men & women, good & evil, righteous & unrighteous. A good reminder that He can use anyone, no matter what your background.
* I was so inspired by Joseph's obedience to ignore what the world told him was right and acceptable and marry Mary even though she was pregnant with someone else's child. And he was obviously a Godly man because he recognized that his dream was real and set out to obey it immediately.
* I looked up the word "Messiah" from verse 16 and saw that part of the definition was "the expected king and deliverer of the Jews," and that word "expected" got me. The Jews were expecting a Messiah but He didn't meet their expectations so many didn't accept the very thing they had been waiting for. How many times do I ask God for something and then really wait and expect Him to answer? And when He does, if its not up to my expectations, do I discount it or accept it and praise Him for His answer. It reminded me of this verse.
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3
O Lord, may I truly be waiting for you, expecting you to answer, expecting miracles, expecting to see you working around me. And may I not ignore you when you do answer prayers! Thank you for not just meeting our expectations, but far surpassing them, exceedingly and abundantly more! Amen.