Belgrade Part 2

We have been loving our time here in Belgrade. Lots of new experiences! Yesterday we went to another open market, really hard to describe. Like a mix of a flea market and an outdoor Walmart. Do you want a kitchen sink? Go through the maze until you find a sink stall. Do you need a curtain rod? Wander around until you find a curtain rod stall. Not sure stall is the right word either. A tent? A booth? Blue jeans, tools, kitchen supplies, man bags, and food. Whatever you need. Just wander around until you find it. Some clothing stalls are just piles of clothes, but some look like a Dillards under a tent. Nicely organized, hung on fancy hangers. Food here is really cheap, but clothes are highly taxed so they are expensive. Jason's been looking for a man bag so he can fit in with the European men.

Then we went to another mall and had KFC for lunch. Real adventurous aren't we? Had some coffee, came home and had dinner, and we taught Randi and Trey how to play Polish Poker. Then we walked over to another neighborhood and went to the home of some American friends of Trey and Randi's. We taught them how to play Polish Poker (glad we could introduce a new game to the country of Serbia) and talked and laughed for hours. I have laughed more in the past week than I have in months. I don't think its because I don't have funny friends at home, just no time to go hang out with them. Thoroughly enjoyed myself. We Skyped with the boys last night. It was great to see them, and only made me a little sad. Campbell looked so big. He's not my baby anymore!

Today we rode the public transit across the river to the Fortress, a huge park like place surrounded by parts of a real fortress. Parts of it were built during the wars, but there are parts of it that are Roman ruins. It was warm here today (not like Texas, so we weren't complaining) so we took our time and rested and snacked along the way. Then we shopped at some little carts along the sidewalks around. I bought some beautiful doilies from the cutest little Serbian lady named Milana. Serbia isn't known for much, but I have fallen in love with the little ladies here, so I really wanted something they make. After dinner, the boys went back to the mall to hang out and Randi and I have had a girl's night. Painted our toe nails, ice cream and a girlie movie.

We leave tomorrow for Rome. Belgrade isn't the prettiest city I've ever been to, but when you look for the good parts you can find them. But more than that, I will miss our friends. We have had a wonderful time visiting, catching up and laughing. And now I know how to better pray for them when I am back home. All in all, very successful trip!

Belgrade Part 1

We have spent a wonderful two days in Belgrade so far, very relaxing. Yesterday we went to the International Church that meets in a hotel. About 40 people there from all different places, worshipping together in English. Then we went out for "Mexican" food for lunch with about 16 Americans. I put it in quotes because for us from Houston it was just ok, but for these Americans who have been out of the country for a range of a month to two years, they loved it and were very excited to have found this restaurant. Then we came back and took naps, because no matter where you are in the world, Sunday afternoons are made for naps. Then a relaxing time of coffee, ordered pizza and palacinke for dessert. It's crepes with chocolate or fruit filling. And we played some cards.

Today we went to a local "pijaca," a market with wonderful fruits and vegetables. I had the best time taking pictures, trying to get some people without them noticing. Then we braved a Chinese market, a Sam Moon store on steroids. Three buildings, two floors each of everything under the sun. Craziness. Then we had some wonderful pastry type sandwiches for lunch, walked around the neighborhood a little bit, and then went to the local grocery store. I was introduced to meat in a tube. Then we came back and rested a little bit, watched some American tv. Randi cooked us a wonderful dinner, and then we walked down by the Danube. On one side of us was the river with lots of boat restaurants all the way down. The other side was kids carnival rides, lots of booths with grilled corn, popcorn, palacinke and this wonderful discovery "krofnice", these little donuts that taste like funnel cakes with caramel sauce and strawberry sauce. REALLY GOOD! Randi said she had only seen them in Bulgaria, so she was excited to find them too. Now we're watching a movie and hanging out. Here are some pics!

Budapest and Beyond

We spent two days in Budapest, Hungary. I'm not sure the best way of relating all of our adventures. Maybe my likes and dislikes?
Dislikes: Tour of the Parliament, kind of neat, but overpriced, and the "English" speaking tour guide had such a strong accent, it was hard to understand her. Having to pay to use the public toilets. Climbing a "hill" up to the Citadel.

Likes: Beautiful city, good food, great pastries, riding buses, trams, and subways. Boat tour on the Danube, very educational and beautiful. Finally arriving at the top of the Citadel and enjoying the view. St.Stephens Church. Hungarian Marketplace. Paris, TX Bar. (Yes, they had a bar I saw on the map called Paris, TX, so we had to find it and take a picture. Its apparently not named after the city but after a movie, which I have never heard of. For those of you who don't know, that is where J's parents live, where our kids are right now, we thought that was hilarious!)

Today we traveled from Budapest to Belgrade, Serbia where our friends Trey and Randi live. We sat in traffic for two hours along with what seemed like half of Hungary who was leaving on their summer holiday. We stopped in Novi Sad where they used to live and had lunch at a fortress overlooking the whole city. I had chicken salad, not very brave of me, but it was really good. We met some of their friends, Mike and Pam. Pam's mom was visiting too, and she graduated from the same high school I did, only 40 years earlier! How crazy is that! I'll try to post some pics. Tomorrow we will go to the International Church and have some "Mexican" food for lunch. We'll be the judge if its good or not. We're afraid Trey and Randi have been gone for too long to remember what good Mexican food is.

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Day 1 or 2

I'm so tired I'm not really sure which day to call this but I just wanted to give a few quick observations of our flight over.
While waiting for our flight, we observed a Muslim family, a mom, two daughters and a grandson we assume. They took turns in a corner kneeling down to pray. I admired the fact that they were willing to do that in public when people were staring. But I was also very thankful that I don't have to have certain times or postures to pray. In some ways I think it might be helpful if we did. God would probably prefer I have a more respectful posture of prayer sometimes. And I would probably pray more if I had set times.
I was amazed while waiting in the London airport for our Budapest how many different people were there from other countries. All types of languages and clothing. All people God loves.
British Airlines rocks! I had downloaded all these books on J's laptop to read on the flight and didn't read any of them. I watched two sitcoms from the on demand screen at my seat and part of a movie and slept. As much as I love Southwest flight attendants in their shorts and shirts, I loved the BA flight attendants in their suits, neckerchiefs and heels. The ladies took off their heels when the flight started and put on little flats, but the heels came back off at landing. They all looked so professional. Made me feel very safe.
I had been scared to fly, but I could tell people were praying for me because I was fine most of the time. Thanks friends.
We spent the day in London with our friends Martyn and Sara, trying to stay awake. And then we flew to Budapest where Randi and Trey picked us up. It was so great to see old friends, even so far away from home. I'll make another post with pics of Budapest. Lots of fun!

We're hittin' the road....

Well, really the skies. Jason's three month sabbatical starts tomorrow after five years at UBC. We are so thankful for this opportunity. So to start out, he and I are leaving on Tuesday for Europe for 26 days, without children! I normally would be hesitant to tell about our trip ahead of time, but we will have people at our house the whole time, so I will take the risk because I'm so excited about it that I just want to share! I'll try to post pics throughout, or a whole lot when we get back.

We'll fly to London for one day to leave some luggage and golf clubs (priorities) and then fly to Budapest, Hungary to meet our college friends Trey and Randi. We'll spend a few days there and then drive with them to Belgrade, Serbia where they live to see what their life is like there. After a sweet week with them, we'll go to Rome for some religious educational experiences. Then onto Athens, Greece. Jason has been there twice and can't wait to show me the sites. Our good friends from Greece will actually be in the states, but some of them are sitting in my living room right now ironically. We'll be staying in their apartment. Then back to London for a week with lots of ministry friends there. I'm very excited! I'll miss my kids eventually, which will be good. We'll miss Campbell's third birthday, but he won't know the difference. I'll be in Rome crying though I'm sure. We'll celebrate when we get back.

Please pray for us to have a good, restful, inspiring time. And please pray for our parents who will be tag teaming caring for the kids. They will probably need more prayer then we will. I'll keep you posted when I can!

Untamed Book Review

*Untamed* by Lisa Harper is a book full of conviction wrapped in a package of humor and Biblical stories. Harper takes stories about Jesus that we are all familiar with, and finds a nugget of truth from them that reaches down to your core and makes you want to be a better follower of Christ.
I was amazed as I read every chapter to find something new from stories I have read and studied my whole life. I came face to face with my Savior who has been in a box safety tucked away in my closet, and now I want to let him out and let him change my life from the inside out. He is unconventional, devoted, redemptive and loves me for all I am, not because of what I have done or not done. There are questions at the end of each chapter that would make it a great book for a group study, but I got so much out of it without doing the questions. I can't wait to find more books by Harper. She does take the Biblical stories and add funny descriptions to make them more relevant, but I don't think its too far to make it irreverent. The parts of the stories that she brings out that were new to me were mostly based on further Greek translations that I wouldn't have known on my own. I liked it!
I did receive this book for free from Waterbrook Press, but did not have to give a positive review in exchange for it.

Some new fun products at my house...

If you follow me on facebook you have already heard that I am now addicted to vacuuming. I bought a Bissell Rewind Smartclean vacuum at Target on sale for $99, and it is the best vacuum I have ever used. It has a light that turns green when your carpet is clean, and it stayed red a long time in my house. I almost burned it up because I wasn't paying attention and the dirt cup was overflowing before I finished my house. I almost burned it up the second day from vacuuming up a sock. Its called "rewind" because you push a button and it rewinds the cord back up into the vacuum. Oh, yes it does! Awesome.


I have also received free from Vocalpoint Downy Unstopables in-wash Scent Booster. Its these little pellets that you put in your washing machine that just adds a fresh scent to your clothes. I probably won't use it on my clothes because I don't like smells, but I have used it on my towels which can't hurt in a house full of boys. You can use as many or few as you like. I used about 10 which smelled really strong when I put them in so I was scared that my towels were going to smell up the whole house. But once they went through the washer and dryer they came out perfect. I could probably use a few more next time.

I just joined Vocalpoint, but I love getting free things. Here is the link if you want to join too!

Correction

I am a horrible mom. I was looking at the baseball website yesterday and realized Cade and Jason's team did not win the city championship game. I was there. How did I forget that? It all came back to me. They did lose, by a lot. I remember telling Jason if he needed to go out for awhile before he came home to vent and sulk he could, and he said he didn't need to because there was nothing else he could have done. They just had a bad night. I guess that's why I forgot. It was a non-event. But I do feel really stupid and hope my husband never knows I wrote that. They don't get big trophies if they win, they only get pins and there are pins floating all over our house, so I guess all the baseball games became a big blur. I will double check next time before I announce a win that wasn't a win.

Me and My Boys

I love my children, I really do. But I've been with them non stop for a long time now. I don't know how home schooling moms do it! We've had some great adventures the past week. We went to Shreveport to see my Momma. While there, we did the slip and slide and baby pool in their backyard, and the big boys were even brave enough to swim in their pond. We went to Sciport. We saw my sweet PawPaw. We did some shopping, ate lots of yummy food (all my favorites, Padnuh's BBQ, El Chico's twice, and other yummy stuff), and I helped my mom decorate her clinic. Normally at my mom's I get a little break from the kids, lots of time to blog, but not this time. My brother is in the process of adjusting to a new job and moving, so he has left his 7 month old golden retriever with her and that dog is ADD! So it was like having two extra children to take care of. It took all of us to get everyone happy! I did take a quick by myself trip to Marshall and spent a sweet afternoon with my friends Cari and Phillip catching up. Really needed that!

The drive back was an adventure! About 30 minutes before we were leaving, there was a jumping on the bed/split lip incident with the dramatic child, so we left late and left stuff because I was flustered. Then I went a different way than usual and got lost. I don't have a fancy GPS in my car or on my phone. Luckily my step dad answered his phone and got me back on track. About an half hour outside of Houston it started raining, and POURED down rain on me until I turned onto the main highway by my house. Stopped and not a drop to be seen. How does that happen?!

Did I mention that my hubby and parenting helper is at the space shuttle launch in FL, so I have been trying to figure out how to keep them occupied since we've been home. We've made muffins and brownies. Been to the library. Went to Walmart and purchased some more baseball cards, which is a great new hobby that is quiet and clean. (love that). Today we went to Petsmart, otherwise known as the free mini zoo, and the kids took notes on what pet they want in the future. We are talking fish or turtles, not dogs yet. Especially after being around my brother's dog! This afternoon we went to Snoball Hut and got snow cones and played Connect Four. Then we came home and went across the street to our neighbor's house and borrowed their pool for awhile. And we are presently eating some homemade pizzas I made. I had envisioned a big family activity making the pizzas, but there was no interest on anyone's part but mine.

Again, I do love my children. But next week all three of them have a week long camp at church. I can not tell you how excited I am. The big boys are not excited about music/drama camp. I've told them if they go Monday and Tuesday and don't like it, they can stop. That's basically a lie though. They are going whether they like it or not! Momma needs a break!

Here are some pictures of our adventures!

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Seeing a Bible Story in a New Light

I'm reading Untamed by Lisa Harper right now. I'll do an official review when I'm done with it, but I've read 3 chapters so far and Harper takes Bible stories that I have read a million times and with humor and personal connections makes me see them in a new, amazing ways.

Chapter two is about Joseph and Mary leaving 12 year old Jesus in town when they leave, and later finding him in the temple having theological discussions with men twice his age. Harper points out that Jesus easily could have been sarcastic or rebellious, but was obedient and followed his parents home. At then end of the story, Mary "treasures these things in her heart." It also says that phrase after Jesus is born. Harper points out that in the meantime between his birth and when he turns 12, Mary has had four or more children and probably hasn't had time to think about what having the Messiah as a child means. I'm sure he acted differently than his brothers or sisters, being sinless and all, but until that moment in the temple, I bet Mary hadn't had the opportunity to really see the amazing child that she had. For me, it was convicting in some sense. I'm a mom who some days doesn't have time to realize who Jesus is either because I'm swept up in the daily being a mom thing.

Chapter three is the story of Jesus and John the Baptist. They were cousins and friends, but probably didn't see much of each other from older childhood until they reunited as adults. But Jesus was raised as a carpenter with brothers and sisters, while John was probably an orphan who spent most of his life in the wilderness eating locusts and honey, growing his hair out and not drinking because of the oath that his parents took when he was a child. I'm sure he was a little scary and different looking when he finally came out into public to begin preaching about hell and the coming redeemer. But Jesus came to him and asked John to baptize him, even though he didn't really need to be. John tried not to, but Jesus wanted to be a symbol of what it meant to be purified and to bless John's ministry and message. And when John was in jail and sent his followers to ask Jesus if he really was the one, Jesus wasn't mad at all at John's doubt, but praised him for his faithfulness and ministry. For me, I am so thankful that Jesus is faithful to me when I am unfaithful to him, when I am embarrassed of him or pretend that I don't know him. I may not do that in outright ways, but I do it daily when I don't spend time with him, or don't listen to that small voice telling me to talk to someone or say something kind to my kids or husband. I am so thankful that Jesus was untamed, willing to be with the unlovable and weird people! Amen?

Book Review of "Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me"

Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me grabbed me first by its title. Author Ian Morgan Cron tells his life story, pretty much. He lets us know in the first chapter that some details may have been remembered differently than they really happened, but the story that follows is full of humor, sadness, joy, disappointment and grace. Growing up in the home of an alcoholic and member of the CIA brought Cron moments of terror and grief, which led him down different paths as he tried to gain the love and attention of his father. None of the paths he tried fulfilled him until he truly gave his heart and life to the Father who loved him no matter what he did.

I had a hard time getting into the story after reading that it might not all be exactly true, but once the story grabbed me, it did not let go. It was fascinating read stories from this man's life as he tried to earn his dad's love, which I could relate to. Cron is a beautiful and captivating writer and I could feel myself in each situation he found himself in. This book should not be read by children because of the adult content, but I was not offended by any of it. On the contrary, I can not wait to read more from this amazing writer. I loved reading how God held on to Cron throughout his life even when he was trying to run. A truly tremendous story of God's faithfulness and mercy.

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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Baseball Season Summary

I love baseball season for the boys! The older they get, the more exciting it gets. Cooper played for the A's. They started out the season at 0-9 I think, but finished it at 5-11-2. It was a pretty painful season for Coop because he wasn't used to losing. He grew a lot character wise I think. But he still made all stars, which became his goal mid-season. His all star team won the consolation bracket. He played 2nd base, catcher and pitcher. Pitching made this momma so nervous, but he was pretty good and loved doing it. He didn't start catching until mid-season and did a great job there too. I should have known he would be a good catcher because if I let him, he sits in a squat all the time, even at the dinner table. I was very proud of him for hanging in there this season and doing his best even when he could have given up!

Cade played for the Braves, and Jason was his manager. They finished the season at 13-2! They were undefeated until those last two games. The last two seasons, Jason's team had had the best record going into the championship tournament and lost before the got to the final game, so we were hoping to break that record. And we did! The Braves were the division champions for having the best record and were the PeeWee Champions for winning the city championship. Very exciting! Cade played 2nd and pitcher. And he made all stars and played pitcher the entire tournament. That's a huge compliment for him because you have to be able to catch anything there and use your brain. I always tell them both that their greatest weapon is their brain. I'm not sure they completely get that yet.

I think they are both going to join a select team, so apparently we will be playing baseball off and on all year. And I'm ok with that. Very proud of them!

I was trying to upload a slide show but it wasn't working, so here are a few of my favorite shots of the season.

Verse I wish I hadn't noticed...

I was finishing up Colossians today and almost skipped Paul's final greetings to people, but skimmed it real fast and noticed this verse. I had to reread it a few times and was totally convicted. Colossians 4:12 "Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."

He was "wrestling in prayer" for the Colossians, most of whom, I assume, he didn't even know. How many people do I "wrestle in prayer" for? None, not even my husband or kids. Prayer has always been my weakness. I looked up "wrestle" in the dictionary: "to fight by grappling and attempting to throw or immobilize one's opponent; to struggle to master something." So I'm either suppose to be attempting to immobilize my opponent (Satan) as he is going after my family, or I'm struggling to master prayer. Either definition fits for me.

The Amplified version says "...[He is] always striving for you earnestly in his prayers, [pleading] that you may [as persons of ripe character and clear conviction] stand firm and mature [in spiritual growth], convinced and fully assured in [a]everything willed by God." The Message says he's been "tireless in his prayers for you." Holman says "he is always contending for you in his prayers." NASB says "always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers". I looked them all up hoping that verb wasn't that strong, but alas, it is.

I am not striving, tireless, always contending or laboring earnestly for my family in prayer, praying that my men will be persons of ripe character, clear conviction, standing firm and mature, being fully assured of God's will for them. OUCH! Just thought I would share my painful discovery with you all. That's one of those convictions that should be life changing for me if I let it.

A Dizzying Experience

UBC's 2011 VBS is in the books. We had almost 1000 people on campus last week, just missing our goal which would have insured our children's minister would have died her hair purple. I think she's ok with not quite making our goal. I was the volunteer preschool director. We had around 200 preschoolers from birth up to kindergarten. We've been working on VBS since February. But if you follow me on facebook and maybe on the VBS blog I was writing, the two weeks before VBS I was so tired and unmotivated and burned out. I felt kind of drugged. I attributed it to allergies or the allergy medicine I was taking, or stress or a mix of the before mentioned things. Regardless, I had not been feeling well. Not to mention both the boys were playing all star baseball (another blog to follow) so we had games every night the week before. Jason and I thought maybe I was dehydrated so for three days I drank all I could stand and still didn't feel better. I was getting worse by the day. I was beginning to have dizzy spells where I had to lay down. So I actually left VBS Monday morning to go the doctor, that's how bad I felt. And no, I'm not pregnant. It turns out I had fluid on my inner ears. Not infected yet, but just fluid sitting there causing all the issues. The PA wrote me a prescription for Dramamine and told me to rest. Right, I'll get right on that. So the rest of the week I would go to church, make sure everyone was situated and find a couch to lie down on. I would go home, feed the boys lunch, and take a long nap, and then go to bed early. My momma came this weekend and did some of her magic on me and I feel so much better! On the mend.

So I've been asking myself why this week, the one week of the year that I work the hardest, would God allow me to get sick and not be myself? I am so thankful for the team of ladies around me that took up my slack without complaint. And I can look back at the week and totally see that each moment where I could have been stressed, God providing something immediately to take the stress away. Every time a volunteer backed out, another one showed up. It was amazing. So I decided today that it was God reminding me of the truth, that He is all that I need. I had committed this week to Him a long time ago, and promised Him that I would leave it at His feet and not take it back. I wanted to depend on Him for everything and not be stressed and anxious as in past years. So maybe He allowed me to be sick because that was all I could do, and He knew I would only fulfill my promise if I was incapacitated. I must still be struggling with that issue in my heart even though in my brain I thought I had made a change. I was so exhausted and cloudy that when an issue came up, all I could do was shake it off, and go for help if I couldn't fix it without a lot of energy. I wasn't stressed at all because I didn't have the energy to be.

I'm also very frustrated with myself because I went to have my time with the Lord today and I realized from looking in my journal I had not spent any serious time with Him the last two weeks. The time I needed Him the most, I didn't take the time to sit at His feet. I did read a scripture really fast in the morning, and pray for strength as I was looking for a couch to lie down on. Maybe that's all I needed to be doing. But I missed spending time with Him. I was so excited to sit down today for more than 3 minutes. It finally rained today, a lot. We've had less than an inch the last four months. I realized just like that rain felt so good, clean and was a fresh start for the dry ground, sitting at His feet today felt the same for me. A fresh start from being busy, tired and dried up. Thank you Father for refreshing rain, in your Creation and in my heart!

badspiderbites@gmail.com

The guy (I assume it was a guy. That's sexist of me. Maybe its a girl interested in spiders) from badspiderbites@gmail.com never answered my email about my spider friend. See my blog from 5/25. I have been imagining why.
1. Its a junior high boy, and he has moved on to other interests
2. It was so obvious to him what the spider was, he thought I was too stupid to answer
3. It was a junior high boy, and his mom made him disconnect the email address or grounded him
4. He is traveling the world studying spiders and does not have time for me
5. He has moved on to studying snakes. I will not be looking at pictures of snakes to ask him about
6. He was bitten by a spider that killed him. (That's not really funny, but kind of)

Any other suggestions?

Just update on my life...

For those of you interested... Mom.

My life is revolving around two things right now, baseball and VBS. Both big boys made the All Star teams, which is exciting, but busy. Coop had his first game last night, and lost. Cade doesn't have his first game until Tuesday. They are guaranteed three games, so we could be done Thursday or go until the 16th if one of their teams were to go all the way. I'm very proud of them. But this is really exhausting for all of us. I pride myself on being a flexible person, but I have realized that in my old age I'm becoming much more schedule/planning oriented. And this not knowing until the day before where and when we are playing is really hard for me! I'll suck it up. I'll post of picture of them the next time I can catch them both in their uniforms. They are very handsome!

And then VBS. Its next week (13-17) and I am directing the preschool. We have a great leadership team and I could not get half of what I have to get done without Robin, Kim, Terri, Janet and Laura. I realized yesterday that I am at a different place this summer. Last summer the week before and week of I was having anxiety attacks I was so stressed and worried and overwhelmed. I think that's why in July I had my spiritual reawakening. I realized I had been doing it all on my own power and I didn't like the results. This summer I am not worried, not anxious, not too badly overwhelmed. But on the opposite end, I've been procrastinating. "It will all work out in the end. No worries." I'm setting myself up for a lot of work this week! But I'm excited to see all that God is going to do. We have a VBS blog that I have set up and I've been writing some devotionals for our volunteers. That's been a lot more fun then trying to organize lesson plans and schedules. But it all has to be done. I think the devotionals have been more for me than anyone else. Keeps me focused on what's important. (If you are interested, www.ubcvbs.blogspot.com)

Anyway, between those two things, the next two weeks are the busiest of our year, so if I ignore you, please don't take it personally! People asked me today how our third day of summer was going. Summer does not start for us until June 18th, so I'm hanging on for that. I can't wait to crash. But I will crash thanking God for all that He has done in our family and our church! He is good!

Saving Money on Your Grocery Budget, Part 3

4. Try to match sales with coupons. There are websites that will do that work for you. I know Grocery Game does that, but they charge.
· These are free. www.couponmom.com and www.groceryguide.com
· There are other local websites that help you match.
· www.thefrugalfamilylife.com (She’s based out of OK, I am a fan on facebook and have gotten lots of great deals only found on facebook, and she tells me about great deals at CVS or Walgreens.)
· www.couponcontessa.com (Houston)
· www.thekrazycouponlady.com

5. Buy in Bulk
· Be careful at Sam’s or Costco, it may not be cheaper per item, and you end up with tons of something and nowhere to store it.
· www.angelfoodministries.com, buying boxes of food really cheap! You preorder which box of food you want and pick it up at local participating churches.

6. Now go Shopping!
· Do not go when you are hungry
· Go without your kids (and husbands)
· Take your time!
· Make a date for yourself, get coffee, have a seat and get organized, listen to your ipod, have fun!


Hope this helps some of you. If you have other tips and ideas, please comment and let me know. God calls us to be good stewards of what He has given us and take care of our families. I think using coupons falls into that! Good Luck!

Saving Money on your Grocery Budget, Part 2

COUPONS!

Don't get overwhelmed. This is not extreme couponers. That show is unrealistic. This is starting with what you can handle. Any coupon you use is money in your pocket.

Where do you get coupons? The paper, online and packaging.

Here are some websites where you can print off coupons:
· www.grocerysmarts.com
· www.couponmom.com (she will also help you match coupons with ads)
· www.groceryguide.com
· Check the store’s websites for coupons (Walmart, Target, etc.)
· Search facebook for certain brands and you can find coupons.

· Always double check on your packaging before you throw it out

· In Houston, buy the Sunday paper, $2 at the stores, or subscribe for $1 a week. One mom told me I could get two delivered, one in my name and one in my husbands. I only cut out the ones I am going to use. Some of the couponing websites will tell you to keep the whole packet, dated.

· I organize my coupons in a small coupon filing box I got at Target for $4, and they are organized by aisle in the store I go to most often.

· Stack manufacturer and store coupons (Target will let you use a Target coupon and a manufacturers coupon on the same item.)
· Price matching at Walmart. Check your other grocery store ads and Walmart will match the sale price.
· Expired coupons can be donated to the military, they can use them in the commissary for 6 months after expiration date
· If you choose not to use a coupon while in the store, leave it on the shelf, coupon fairy!
· Always do the math, sometimes buying the store brand is still cheaper than using a coupon on a name brand.
· Don’t buy something you wouldn’t normally buy just because you have a coupon
· If you have never used coupons before, just start with one or two. That savings will still add up!

My great deal today...

Just real quick, I had to share my best grocery deal ever today. I had to run to Walmart to buy a few things to get us through the week. Kroger had Pilgrim's Pride chicken breasts on sale for 99 cents a pound, which is awesome. So, I had Walmart price match it, and I had a dollar off coupon from the Pilgrim's Pride website. So I got 2.9 pounds of chicken breasts, priced regularly for $6.55 for... are you ready? $1.87!!! That's like 60 cents a pound. I was so proud of myself! Just wanted to share. I'll post some more tips tomorrow!

Saving Money on your Grocery Budget

At the end of April, I hosted a coffee for our weekday moms about how to save money on our grocery budgets. I put together some of my ideas, did some research and then after the coffee, added the ideas that the moms gave. So I thought I would share with you what we came up with. I started this because my 9 year old is beginning to eat like a teenager and my 2 year old is beginning to eat like a boy and I am running out of food, but there is no more money on the money tree. So I have got to get better about saving money so it will go farther. So without further adu, here is part 1!

Going Prepared! You will save money if you have a detailed list when you go!

1. Making a Menu
· Some people do it weekly, some everyday of the month. I just make a list of about 20 meals for the month and buy everything for them. Our lives are too crazy to plan that far ahead, but I always know that I can look at my list, and pick a meal that I have the ingredients for.
· Make a list of meals your family likes, write the cookbook and page # it is on as your master list. Then once a month, pick your meals off the master list and write them on one side of a piece of paper, make a list of ingredients on the back of the paper and then transfer that to your grocery list. I am in the middle of transferring all of my recipes to one book so I don't have to go through cookbooks, or you can put them on the computer.
· Some magazines have a monthly calendar of meals.
· www.e-mealz.com
· Have a family meeting to decide what meals you will eat. Kids usually eat better when they have had a say in the meal.

2. Making a LIST!
· You will spend 54% more when you go without a list!
· Make a permanent list on your computer and print it out.
· There are lots of websites to help. Just google “grocery list”.
· www.grocerylists.org/ultimatest/
· www.freeprintablegrocerylist.com/
· www.kitchenmonki.com - let’s you upload recipes, and menus, which translates into a list, which can be sent to your phone!
· grocery gadget app or wonderlist app for your smartphone
· organize your list by aisles in the store
· www.foodonthetable.com
(I have just spent an hour trying to figure out how to put a link to my own personal shopping list I have made, in order of aisles at my Walmart, but am not computer savvy enough to figure it out. If you would like a copy of mine, email me, facebook me or comment with your email address and I can email it to you.)

Stay tuned for more in the next few days...

Really Bad Choice

Thursday was a good day. I really had a struggle with my flesh that morning about walking, but I said no to my flesh, put Campbell in his stroller and went. I immediately felt better about myself and glad that I had made that choice. I walked over 12,000 steps that day, again, because of two baseball games on opposite ends of the complex.
But Friday was a bad choice day. I didn't get to walk because of some early morning events at the kids' school. And then I met some sweet weekday ladies at Chuy's for lunch. They told me how proud they were of me from reading my blog. And then I asked if I should eat well, like a salad, or treat myself. Of course, they all said to treat myself. So I did... to green chili fried chicken. REALLY GOOD! At the moment. But I felt horrible all afternoon, both physically and mentally. Way too much on my stomach and I was mad at myself for making that choice. Only got to 7,000 steps without that walk. Irritating!
Yesterday I did walk, but I didn't wear my pedometer. And today was the first day all week that I had any soda, only drank about 1/3 of it. So its been a week of good and bad choices. But it was a good exercise in saying no to my flesh, choosing the right path, and getting back on it when I fell off. I'll spare you the details from now on about my adventure in making choices unless there is something really big. I'm not sure if I have lost any weight. I think I have lost 2 lbs, but its hard to tell on my old time scale. Its not digital so I'm not sure how accurate reading the spinner thing is. But I will continue on. I'm hoping the stress of VBS the next two weeks will take off a few pounds, as long as I don't eat myself through it.

More choices, and some excitement?

Yesterday had some good and bad points. I walked a little over 10,000 steps, but I ate a cupcake at Cade's baseball party. I could not say no. It was really good mentally. I really enjoyed that cupcake. But in actuality, it wasn't that good of a cupcake. I shouldn't have wasted something sweet on that store bought cupcake.

I couldn't find my pedometer today, until tonight when I found it under the chair in the den. Don't know how it got there. But I didn't walk this morning because Campbell had a fever and I didn't want to take him out in the Houston heat and humidity. That was my excuse anyway. So I'm sure I wouldn't have made it to 10,000 anyway. But I had lots of good Bible study time today. Jason is preaching on Sunday at 11 (if you could say a prayer for him please), so he can't teach our Weekend Bible Study class, so that leaves it to me to teach Isaiah 13-23. Yep. Not the most exciting easy to teach lesson. I need to go study some more.

Here was the most exciting thing that happened today.
I don't know how I happened to see that on the busy carpet in the dining room, but I'm glad I did because I think that monster has been living in my house for a couple of weeks and bit me about 10 days ago. I have been struggling with these huge bites on my left leg for 10 days, and I assumed they were spider bites. I have never had bites like this. If anyone has seen me trying to inconspicuously scratching my leg the last 10 days, that's why. I sit in the dining room to do my Bible study, so I wondered if that's where I was when it bit me. My spiritual illustration for the spider is that its such a small thing that is distracting me a great deal. I have to look for the small distractions in my life that are keeping me from being with the Lord and squash them, like I did to the spider after I took a picture of it. I then uploaded the picture and emailed it to badspiderbites@gmail.com so he can tell me what kind of spider bit me. I googled spiders to find a picture of it. I think its a wolf spider. I have never been afraid of spiders, but after browsing all the pictures I feel really creepy, like they are crawling all over me. I might be afraid of spiders now.

I was about to post this and Cooper came in and saw the picture of the spider and said, "That might be a wolf spider." "How do you know that?" "I read a spider book." Who reads spider books?!

Much wiser decisions today...

I walked this morning. Other than my coffee (Sorry, I am not giving that up) I only drank water today. No major sweets, just a few of the new Newtons fruit thins (really good by the way). We had to meet J at McDonalds and I ate a salad, chicken nuggets and water instead of the double cheeseburger, fries and sweet tea I really wanted. I got a lot done today. I set my timer to work around the house and was going to stop at 2:30 to sit down with my Bible. I made the mistake of checking my email first, and almost got sucked into a VBS email. I had to say "no" to something good and worthwhile because it still wasn't as important as my time with Jesus. I had a sweet time reading His word and another book I'm studying. Two baseball games tonight. I did make an unwise choice of eating a hot dog a few minutes ago. Coop got home from his game followed by his first all-star practice and was ravenous. Ate two hot dogs and 1/2 pound of grapes. His hot dog looked really good, so I broke down and ate one. But I have been wearing a pedometer today and as of 10:14 pm I have walked 14,623 steps today! I only walked 1.25 miles this morning so the rest of that is errands this morning, running all over the house and baseball games. I'm sure the fact that the boys played on two different fields on opposite ends of the complex added to that step count, and I had a two year old to keep up with too. So I think the hot dog was ok. It was a turkey hot dog if that makes any difference.

Wisdom vs foolishness

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:15-20

Thank you Paul for putting those thoughts on paper for me. I get so frustrated with myself. I was thinking this morning getting ready for church about what a rough week I had had, physically, emotionally and spritually. I didn't feel good, no motivation, a lack of priorities, took lots of naps, and pity parties (see previous posts). And I realized, HELLO, I haven't sat down and spent any time in the word and prayer. Its my own fault. Believe it or not, the weeks I am really good about spending time with Him, I have more energy, I feel better, I get things done faster, I have motivation to get up and do something, and I do it all with a much better attitude. But the past few weeks I have gotten myself back in a hole of taking a nap or laying down to watch tv in the afternoons to rest instead of using that time to read the Bible and pray. I say its because I have had a rough day and "deserve it". Ridiculous! I know better!

Steve's sermon this morning hit me right on point. He was preaching to the graduating seniors about walking down the path of wisdom instead of foolishness, but of course it fits for everyone. He said at one point that the ability to tell yourself "no" is a mark of wise adulthood (my paraphrase.) The one on the path of the wise knows how to make good decisions and is able to weigh consequences wisely. I got convicted about the being able to say "no" part. Every afternoon when I hit that 2:00 moment of exhaustion I have the choice to sit down and watch tv, or take a nap or spend a minute with my Savior. I know what the consequences are to each choice, but somedays, more days than not lately, I am choosing the path of foolishness and am not able to say "no" to my sinful, selfish self. Yes, there are days when as a mom I do need a quick power nap, but not as often as my flesh would say.

It also goes to the way I eat (now its getting personal). I need to lose 10 pounds. My clothes in my closet do not fit me anymore and there is no magic money tree to go buy more. Each day I say that I'm going to do better, cut back on the sugar, walk, drink water, etc. But I am not able to get over my flesh side and say "no" to myself. So I will get up tomorrow and start afresh, and try again to make wise choices and deny my flesh when the choices are clear. I will seek the Lord and His word for my life.

"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones." Proverbs 2:6-8

"Indivisible" by Kristen Heitzmann

This book could be categorized as a romance novel, mystery, or psychological thriller. Its a story of hurting hearts and redemptive lives, but wrapped in a package of a quaint Colorado town full of drugs and intrigue. Police Chief Jonah Westfall is trying to fix a broken relationship, take down a drug ring and solve a mystery of disturbing proportions.

I have read a few of Kristen Heitzmann's books and was excited to read a new one, but was slightly disappointed in this one. It took me awhile to get into it because there are so many characters that she introduces at the beginning so it was hard to keep up. This book also had less of a spiritual side then some of her other books. But, once I got into the story it was hard to put down. And the ending was creative and relieving yet dark and sad. I was content with how all the characters I finally got to know finished their stories.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

Follow up to hurt feelings...

Well, hours later I am feeling kind of silly. The more I've thought, prayed and processed with my husband about it, I realized this wasn't something I should have gotten upset about. Just one of those days I guess. But I did gain some sweet things out of it. My husband in his round about way, gave me some sweet compliments. I got lots of wonderful comments on facebook. And considering how many people read the blog post so quickly made me realize I am not alone and it touched the hearts of lots of women. So maybe someone else was dealing with the same issue and got some of God's love and grace out of the verses He showed me. I know to write a popular blog I'm supposed to focus on one issue, but I've always had too many things I wanted to write about ... my kids, my favorite things, recipes, couponing, and spiritual things. But my blog posts about my struggles and the heart of God always get the most readers and comments. And I have a ton of those in my head and journal. Its just a matter of being vulnerable and getting them written up. I'll try harder. Obviously it makes me feel better when people struggle with the same things I do and maybe something God teaches me can help someone else. That's the main thing He taught me today. Its not about me. Or it at least it shouldn't be.

Hurt feelings...

I got my feelings hurt this morning from being left out of something. I'm 36. You would think things like that wouldn't hurt anymore. But it took me right back to 9th grade. A bunch of us girls decided to have a slumber party one night after church. I had to run home and they were supposed to call and tell me where they decided to have it, and I never heard from them. Three hours later, while I'm in bed in tears, my mom tracked one of them down and they had forgotten about me. That felt great. I went anyway and they tried to convince me it wasn't intentional, and I'm sure it wasn't, but it still didn't feel good to be forgotten. Twenty years later, I feel that way again today. I keep trying to tell myself I don't know the whole story and its not intentional, but it still hurts to feel forgotten. And of course the other side of the emotion is feeling silly for having my feelings hurt. I know in my head that I am loved and I have friends and am blessed beyond measure, but it still hurts.

Oh Lord, please speak to me with your words!

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:6,7
Thank you Lord that you NEVER forget me.

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25,26
Lord, help me to desire you more than anything and to remember that when my flesh and heart fail, like today, you are my strength and portion forever.

"The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down... You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing... The Lord is near to all who call on him... He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." Psalm 145:13-19
Father, thank you for being faithful to me even when I am unfaithful. Thank you for being loving to me even when I am unlovable. Thank you for picking me up, for satisfying my deepest needs, for fulling my deepest desires and always hearing me!

That helps some, but I still probably need a good cry today. Don't women need to cry periodically, get some of that junk out, start fresh? Its one of those days ladies.

Book Review - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susaan Veness is a book full of secrets, fun discoveries, and a reminder to take in every detail of the magical world of Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. As the mother of a Disney fanatic family, I was so excited to receive and read this book. Not that I could ever be bored at Disney World, but I had begun to take things for granted and begun to lose interest in certain parts of the parks. But this book has renewed my interest and excitement of visiting the greatest place on earth!

Veness goes through each park and points out details that you may just pass right by, or may never have even realized were there! Did you know that if you see a pay phone, you should pick it up and listen? You can hear fun conversations that fit the surroundings that you are in. Or if you see a name on a store, it usually is in honor of an Imagineer because they aren't allowed to put their names on their designs. The next time we go to the parks, I plan on rereading this book and highlighting certain things that I want to take notice of and take the book with me to the parks. I'm so excited to discover all the details that the Disney Imagineers put in the parks that were a part of their creative genius.

The book also includes time lines of each one of the parks, when each ride and attraction came and went. My only criticism of the book is that it was published in 2009, so it is already out of date. I can only hope the author writes and updated edition so I don't miss any of the great information. I highly recommend this book for anyone visiting Disney, but especially people who may think they have been enough, and need a new inspiration to go back.

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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My middle child...

Oh, my middle child. I missed getting to blog about Cade on his birthday last month when he turned 7, but better late than never. Out of my three boys, Cade brings me the most joy and the most frustrations. He is passionate, dedicated, stubborn, loving, creative, thoughtful, brilliant, athletic, impatient and very huggable. As I think back, he has matured a lot over the past year, and has tamed his emotional outbursts. I don't know where he got those from. He also used to be very dissatisfied with himself and would get really angry at himself when he messed up something. I guess he's a perfectionist in some ways. But that has been tamed too. He's a leader, but not dominating. If you don't follow him, its ok. He's a good friend to all, but doesn't have a best friend. He's the reason we have a bigger gap between child 2 and 3, but there are days that he and Campbell are best buds even though they are 4 years apart. He's a great big and little brother. I am so thankful for his heart for the Lord, even though he's not a believer yet. I can't wait to see how on fire he is once he really understands God's grace. So to celebrate him, here is a baby picture of him and here is a copy of some things he has been writing lately. He is quite the author!










He wrote this in church a few months ago.
To: God From: Cade
You are great, love, truth, hope, nice and good. You help the weak and strong. You are good to all. You love evryone with all your heart.

These are poems he has written lately.

The Would, Just is Great
On the would thar is... Beutiful evrything. Thars tropicel rain trees, a home for you and me, a big blue sky and a big yellow sun. Things to have that are speshle. Other things are pools, parks, bikes, and a spechuly frends. Books, food, drinks, school, mom, dad, brother, baby and mybe a sister. Someone that loves you, someone that feeds you, and keeps you helthy. This would is just great!!!
(I don't know where he got the sister thing from. He's going to have to pray A LOT harder than that!)

Beutiful, Beutiful, Me
Beutiful, Beutiful, Me. I have dark brown and black eyes. Very black hare. Very small endeed. But you can guess that I am fast. What a beutiful, beutiful me!!

Beutiful All Arond Me
Thar is a loshan on my skin. A big wonderful tree right next to me. Soled snow, white as sheep. The sun has big yellow rays. A comforting house, black and white. A smelling rose, very red. Some dark brown hot coco for the winter. A good family to have. What beutiful things in my life!

This one is hot off the presses, tonight.
Baseball is my Game
Bat, ball, and enything at all!!!
Glove, out, what are you talking about!!!
Hit, swing, what a beem!!!!
Ground, throw go go go!!!

Like I said, he's brilliant! So proud to be his mom!

Quick recommendation

I just haven't had time to blog with VBS and baseball. We had a big VBS rally last night so I will have a little free time over the next week, and hope to post a bunch of things I have running around in my head. But here is just a quick recommendation for a sermon I listened to today. Really good and convicting. Sometimes I need a little conviction to give me a kick in the pants. A great reminder to me that I am a Name bearer for Jesus wherever I go!

Chosen to Carry the Name

Click on Chosen to Carry the Name and then download as an MP3. I'm sure there is a better way technologically for me to do this, but that's the best I can do. I'll be back soon!

Haircuts!

Mother's Day

I told my boys today I couldn't decide if they were more whiny today or I was more sensitive to it today since I had higher expectations since it was Mother's Day. Why do I have high expectations of how they should act on special occasions? They are boys.

Anyway, it was a rough morning getting ready for church. Jason leaves before we even get up, and most mornings it doesn't bother me. Its been like that since the boys were little and I'm used to it. But Mother's Day, it stings a little. No breakfast in bed for me. Instead the never ending battle of getting three boys ready for church and myself. Why are Sunday mornings harder than school mornings? Satan?

So by the time we got to church, a few minutes later than I wanted, I had already yelled more than once, one child had grabbed his shoes to put on the car (which I had told him way earlier to get them on) and realized he grabbed his cleats so we had to go back, and I was not in a good mood!

When I get to church, I am trying really hard to do a quick fix on my attitude. Worshipping helps a lot. One of our last songs we sang was "Oh How He Loves Us" by David Crowder. Sometimes I don't like singing that song because I feel like I'm singing about myself instead of worshipping God, but I needed it today. I felt like such a bad mom, selfish, impatient, grumpy. A bad mom, a bad wife, a bad pastor's wife, etc, etc. As we were singing, I felt his sweet spirit say to me, "I love you Christy, not because you are a mom, not because you are a wife, or a preschool teacher, or a pastor's wife, but because you are my child. I love you because of who you are to me, no matter how you feel about yourself." Oh I needed that word today.

The day didn't get much better. Still a lot of whiny children, and tonight Campbell was swinging outside and I was talking to my mom and ran inside for 2 seconds to check my calendar, and I heard crying. He fell out of the swing and busted his lip open. Talk about feeling like a bad mom. FAILURE! But God quickly reminded me that He loves me anyway. And my friend Mandy brought me Starbucks. That helped too! Happy Mother's Day everyone! Remember that God loves you for who you are, not just because you are a good mom. Thank goodness!

Spiritual battleground... at my local park

I wanted to blog about this anyway and it seems like a good fit with all that is going on tonight. Friday night I took my boys to one of the neighborhood parks, but we went to the one farthest from our house. There were about 10 young men playing basketball there. They took a water break and I began to hear two of them having a spiritual conversation. At first I couldn't hear the conversation enough to know what they were talking about, but I could tell one was speaking more defensively and one was speaking more peacefully. I began to pray for them that whatever truth was being spoken would be clear and concise and wise. I then started to hear one of them quoting all kinds of scriptures, chapter and verse, but using them out of context. He was asking the other man how Jesus and God could be the same person if Jesus was talking to God on the cross. And how could the gospels be true when the last words of Jesus were different in each book. I felt such a heavy heart for the Christian man who was trying to answer these questions that I began to pace the park and pray for him in particular. I felt a spiritual battle being waged around me. There were three other men listening to this conversation and I wanted them to hear truth. It was getting dark and I had already stayed way longer than I had intended to, and needed to get the boys home. But I wanted the Christian man to know I was praying for him. So I called the boys to leave and as we walked to the car, I went over to the group of men and stood there a second. They stopped and looked at me and I said, "I have been eves dropping and just wanted you to know that I have been praying for you to have truth spoken and clarity and peace in this conversation." I realized at that point that the man on the ground, the defensive one, was holding a Koran. He rolled his eyes at me and kept talking. The Christian man said, "Thank you. We are friends, its ok." I said, "I can tell. You are speaking out of respect for each other. But I just wanted you to know I was praying for you," and patted him on the arm. He looked at me, and I think understanding what I was not saying, said thank you. And I got in the car with the boys. Cooper asked me what I had said and I explained in simple terms. But I was, and am even more now, overwhelmed with the spiritual battle that was going on. That is so not me to go up to strangers like that. I knew God wanted me to and I did. I'm watching all of these people rejoicing on tv, and as much as I know that it is a good day for our country, I wish people would realize that God loves everyone, and there is a spiritual battle going on all around us for the souls of all men.

200th Post!

I realized the other day I was about to hit 200, and I thought that might need a more meaningful post than my favorite things, which I have been working on this week and will post another day. But what to write about that would warrant this momentous occasion? My children, my husband, baseball, my continuous struggle with dishes, laundry and dirty bathrooms? While all of those things would indeed be important since they are important parts of my life, I think I just want to be thankful. I went back to look at my very first post, made on 3/18/06, and I was overwhelmed reading it with thankfulness for my Daddy who has held on to me so tightly the past 5 years. Here is a portion of it.

"We took Cooper a few weeks ago to get retested for his allergies. It was the first time he was able to be skin tested, so Jason sat in a recliner and Cooper sat in his lap, chest to chest, while they did 84 pricks on his back. Not so bad. Cooper did great. But then they had to do 9 shots on his arms and take two viles of blood. Very bad! We were all holding him down while he is crying and screaming at the top of his lungs, "STOP DADDY! STOP!" And he's looking at me with a look I hope no other parent has to see, a look that said, "Why are you letting them do this to me!" It was horrible. So keep that picture in mind...

The next morning I was meeting with a friend and I was telling her how God and I are right now. I love God, I trust Him, I know He has a wonderful plan for me and my family, I know years from now I'll be able to look back and see that plan, and I am excited about it. But right now, I don't like Him much. I really don't want to talk to Him because I'm mad about where we are in the plan right now. And I was wondering if He minds that attitude or not. And while I'm talking to my friend, God hit me with "You are Cooper."

I am being tested (in a sense), but He is holding me chest to chest while I'm crying and screaming and its ok. Jason and I knew the big picture for Cooper, how this testing was going to help him feel better in the long run, but he couldn't understand that. We didn't love him any less for his behavior, we expected it. We didn't expect him to act more mature than he is. We understood why he was hurting and it was ok. And when it was all over we took him for a toy! God told me that its ok for me to be upset. He loves me anyway, He doesn't expect me to act more spiritually mature than I am, He knows I can't see the big picture, and when this is all over He'll bless me with something wonderful. That has been carrying me through the last few weeks. It didn't change the situation we are in, waiting for the next part of God's plan, but it comforts me to know that He is holding me through it. I hope that encourages someone else too."

That just makes me cry reading it. Only a month later did God begin the process of moving us to Houston. Not that everything is perfect here, perfection is only in heaven. But He already knew the next part of His plan for us. He has brought us on another five years of our journey, safely. He has held on to me even when I wanted to run away from Him. He has loved me even when I was unlovable. He gave me another sweet baby boy that I wouldn't trade for anything. He let me rest and heal from my past and now has me more in love with Him and spending time in His Word than I have since college, only now I see it in a whole new mature, mother and wife way. I understand what a parent's love means. I understand in part what deep love Christ has for his bride, the church. I couldn't grasp that when I was reading His word in college. But now when I sit down to read His love letter to me, I understand things in a whole new way. I want to sit at His feet and hear His voice clearly, and I want to learn more and more about His heart.

Two hundred blogs later, there has been a lot in the middle worth sharing, and some not worth the letters typed on the screen. But I am feeling more and more creative and called to share the message of hope that Christ has given me, so stay tuned for more blogs in the future. 201 will be there soon!

A few of my favorite things...

Cinnamon Chex - Had a coupon the other day for it, and it is YUMMY! And gluten free for those who might need that.







Ikea plastic bowls and tumblers for kids! They are the perfect size for little Campbell hands, and the bowls are great for my night time bowl of cereal. And they stack really nice in the cabinets and are pretty colors. And cheap!













This one I'm a little embarrassed of, but I love the newer show on the Disney channel, "Good Luck Charlie." So cute. I love the mom, totally relate, only she's really funny. It does have a little bit of girl/boy dating thing, but not as much as some of the other Disney shows I won't let the boys watch. The boys and I love to watch it together, and I'm not bored to death like their other shows. The little baby Charlie is adorable. Highly recommend it, and yes, I will watch it even when the boys are not around. Its better than the adult sit coms with entirely too many inappropriate jokes!




My All-Stars! For those not following on facebook, Cade's team, that Jason coaches, is 9-0! Cooper's team is... trying really hard, but not having a good season. If you could please be praying for his attitude. Its some hard life lessons to learn so young. He's turning in to a really good pitcher though. I am so proud of them both.

What's in my CD player? #2

Got lots of new CD's in the past few weeks. Some girls like shoes, I like CD's. I never pay more than $10, usually less than that. And yes, I know I could download it all, but I am old fashioned and like having a case with lyrics.


Josh Wilson See You - I have already posted the lyrics of my favorite song on here, "I Refuse", but there are a few other good ones too. It was really on sale at Lifeway one day, and I had heard that song on the radio and wanted it, and am pretty happy with my purchase. My other favorite song is "Know by Now": "Here I go again, Why do I forget, You're always faithful, How many times have I seen you give me just what I need, Here I go again, I forget, You're gonna work it out somehow, You think that I'd know by now."



My newest purchase, Mandisa What if We Were Real - Mandisa makes me thank God for American Idol. She is amazing! I am a fan on facebook and love hearing about her life, how real she is! She has lost 120 lbs in the last year and is a new woman, but her voice is still unbelievable. My favorite song is "The Truth About Me": "If only I could see me as You see me/And understand the way that I am loved/Would it give a whole new meaning to my purpose/Change the way I see the world/Would I sparkle like a star in the night sky/Would I give a little more instead of take
If I understood I'm precious like the diamond/Of a worth no one could estimate/I'm a worth no one could estimate/You say lovely/I say broken/I say guilty/You say forgiven
I feel lonely/You say You're with me/We both know it would change everything/If I only believed the truth about me." Its a beautiful song, but the lyrics speak such truth to me. Highly recommend it!



Jonny Diaz - More Beautiful You. This is actually his older album and he just put out a new one last week. But I really loved the song "More Beautiful You" and I got it really cheap at Lifeway. He's pretty acoustic, and I look forward to hearing his new album too.



Passion - Here for You. Unbelievable worship album! Christy Nockels sang a new song from it at the Chris Tomlin concert in February and I was so excited when it came out last month. My first listen through I knew it was good, but each time I listen, I hear more truth in the lyrics and they settle in my soul, and I find myself singing at the top of my lungs with my hands raised. (One raised, one on the steering wheel.) My have a new favorite everyday, but today its a remake of the hymn "I Need You". Gets me through those tough afternoons of being a mom of three.



Kutless - It is Well I've never been a Kutless fan, but this was on sale on christianbook.com awhile back and I am always on the lookout for good worship, and it fit the bill. Great remakes of some old favorites like "Hungry" and "It is Well", and some good originals like "What Faith Can Do." I'm becoming a Kutless fan!



And I still have Matthew West Story of Your Life. Still one of the best CD's ever. There are a few songs on there that when I'm having a bad day, I can pull them up and it just makes it all ok.

My part, part 3

I haven't blogged in a while, and really shouldn't be right now. I should be working on VBS, or reading my Bible, or matching socks, or since its 9:39, going to bed. I have a lot of blogs in my head, so maybe this weekend I'll knock some out. But here is a real quick update on the obedience journey I'm on.

I went to the Collide young adult retreat this weekend, and Steve preached a series about how we are all ministers. Friday night's talk went right along with all that God has been telling me. We are all made uniquely, with certain talents and gifts. And we are all placed in unique places where no one else is placed. And so when God calls us to do something, then who is to say that if we say no, someone else who is as uniquely made as we are will fill in the gap? If we say no, then chances are, it won't get done. We were made for a purpose and if we don't fulfill it, then no one else will. I told Steve that he just added to my month long series about being obedient. He apologized, but not really.

So I came home from the retreat excited about my task I thought God had placed before me. But, the thing that I was willing to be obedient to didn't happen. I didn't have to follow through. I wasn't needed. That was confusing to me. Did I really hear God call me to this task? I know I did. So I guess it was God just seeing if I was really serious about being obedient. The same day that fell through though, another opportunity presented itself. I accepted the opportunity with kind of a bad attitude, and didn't even realize at first it was a test of obedience. But it is something that is taking me out of my comfort zone, and is putting me somewhere when I would really rather be somewhere else. Again, it wouldn't seem like a big deal to most of you, but I think God is showing me how even the little things take a big amount of obedience, and one day there may be bigger opportunities that I need to be ready for. I'm practicing the act of obedience. Getting better I hope.

If this makes no sense, then that is what happens when I blog when I should be going to bed. I may reread this tomorrow and completely rewrite it.