{Like I need to know that…..now that all my babies are grown!!}

Every word…..expresses where I am these days. I don’t want to look back and wonder….what I’ve done with my life.
How about you?

Class attendance
Input grades
Look up missed assignments
Find students
Work & more!!

All of it….on that little thing called a computer! If it’s not connecting….we’re stuck!

By the end of the day, I found a little irony in the lack of access to the computer system and my relationship with Christ. If I’m not plugged in (actively engaged with the Lord)….I’m pretty much powerless! Just like we’ve been in our classroom all day. I don’t know about you….but I need that Jesus connection!

Thanks for the reminder, Lord! I’m putting my focus on you! I don’t want to be stuck without YOU!!

Today, I read an article in the newspaper of a young couple being arrested for attempted murder. The case went something like this: Boyfriend talks girlfriend into pouring boiling water on girlfriend’s mother’s face….because she didn’t approve of their relationship! Uhh, hello? Can you say…..HUH? What in the world was she thinking? Who does that? Who gets so angry or frustrated with ANYONE let alone your mother and decides to go along with a boyfriend to KILL HER? I’m still trying to process this!

Crazy days!

So, I’ve been thinking. The news is just filled with junk about young people doing insane things. Have you heard of Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton lately? What is going on? Mama’s, what are you doing? Or is it, what are you NOT DOING? I’m sorry, but God is not pleased with permissive parenting. Consequences are a part of life and for some of these people….they NEVER have to face any. Therefore, the problems…criminal activity…promiscuous behavior…..and drug & alcohol lifestyle only seem to worsen. Oh and let’s not forget…..the world wants to glamourize every step these wild girls take.

Pathetic!

I’m far from perfect as a mom. Seriously. I own my fleshly wicked wacky nature. I goof, every single day! But I’m not going to turn my head and NOT PARENT my kids. I take it pretty serious. I want nothing more than to see them live victoriously in Christ! I cannot fathom just letting them free to act anyway they wish. I will continue to love them and hold them accountable (and I even have allowed them to hold me to a high standard as well). If I’m not willing to be REAL with them how can I ever expect them to do the same with me?

Mama’s,
Stop handing your kids over to the world! It’s filled with evil! Your children are begging for love and attention that is bathed in God’s word and mercy! Be real to them and teach them to value themselves and other’s! It’s only a matter of time before you reap the benefits of your investment!

Will it be hot boiling water on your face as you sleep?
Or will it be a life lived openly for Christ and His goodness (thanks to you)?

PS
I do know that there are young people living fully for Christ and doing good things. It’s just that I’m really sick of the crummy behavior that I do see everyday in my world! Arent’ YOU?

So, I’m linking you to Rachel Olsen’s blog. Go and see what the Lord has done through her and enter to win a copy of her new book, It’s No Secret!! Yay, to you Rachel!! Congrats!

Look at it…..so pretty!

Nice!

So, here’s the deal. I’m definitely not tango-ing with grandma! He was rotten mad. The poor dude has already been in enough trouble {word is….he’s served time}!! Great balls of fire, I love my job!!! Luckily, the rest of the class spoke up and declared they “had my back”! I’m feeling the love…thanks to them.

It’s been one of those days.

On a good note….

Gavin needed a Physics book for school. He remembered his favorite AP Physics teacher across the hall from me had one. I went over to see and she graciously shared the book and a bit of bonus advice as well. YAY!! Thank you Mrs. R!!

He also took his first quiz in the Physics class! He was one of 5 to make a perfect score out of 250 students! Boohyah! Yeehaw!
You go my smart kid!

And finally…..his scholarship/loan money arrived IN HIS ACCOUNT!!! Double yay! He can pay to live now! Thank goodness!

In spite of my having to live in fear of a butt whoopin from somebody’s grandma…. I’m tickled pink at the ways God has blessed me today.

Oh and look who my girls spent the afternoon & evening with yesterday!!

That’s Jeff Daniels!

He visited our sleepy little town and the drama students had a private meeting with him yesterday before his performance at our very own Park Theatre! His show was great!

Seriously.

I couldn’t move any of it. It was depressing. Overwhelming. I looked at the piles and all I could think was, “Where, where am I going to put this?”. Then I’d just walk away feeling stressed. This has gone on a few weeks.

I would just close his door. That’d help, right?

No, I knew it was still there. Boo! (No fair!)

Yesterday, we just jumped in and got started. I even confessed to hubby as I stood there looking around…… I feel overwhelmed! He said, “Then walk out!”.

So, I started slowly. I cleaned the bathroom. While I was rinsing out my washrag, I noticed a frame of photos on his wall. The first picture was of him in NICU as an infant. He was sucking hard on a little pacifier and looking ever so intently (Deep in thought….cause that’s how my boy is, he’s a thinker!). Beside that he’s proudly sharing a celebration with us at school for making straight A’s (we all look happy and young). Another he’s on his bike all decked out in a sports jersey and smiling (cause he’s a happy kid like that, everyday!). Every single photo held a sweet memory and reminded me of how precious he is to me.

I had no idea just how precious. I called his dad in to look. He couldn’t talk about it. He knows. He feels much like I do. He just chooses to toughen up and carry on. {He told me, you don’t know how hard it is to keep myself from calling him a hundred times a day!?!} I thought, yes…..yes I do!

I’m his mom.

With the room finished….everything packed away (not his stuff, just the piles of junk) and all cleaned up, I showered and headed to bed. As I fell into my covers, I had this overwhelming feeling of calm. I felt this happy peace. It came so fast and I couldn’t help but smile and say, “Thank you God”! I haven’t felt this way in a long time. It was glorious!

Then, hubby comes in asking about the camera. It was lost!

{REMEMBER, we’ve cleaned out tons of stuff and thrown bakoodles of boxes away!}

Eeek! I jumped up and started searching everywhere. Garage, boxes of stuff, every counter surface in our house. It was NOWHERE to be found! Goodbye sweet peace. Welcome back normal crazy-dazy!

NOTE:
This morning when I opened my eyes, I thought about some of his stopping spots as we worked yesterday. (Cause he had the camera last) I remembered he had gone to his car to look for his drill. So, I put on my robe and ran out there. Searched all over the backseat, floorboard and front. Opened the trunk and found a million boxes of computer junk….fumbled through many of them and VOILA!!!
FOUND THE DANG CAMERA!!!

Yay!
I can feel peace again…….

You tell me….doesn’t it seem a bit early to start ordering senior graduation stuff? I thought so too. But that’s what I’m facing on this beautiful Thursday morning IN AUGUST!! Shoot, the kid has the whole school year still to go. Why? Why do mama’s & daddy’s have to see this stuff now? It’s depressing!

It has to be filled out and turned in by next Thursday (Sept. 2nd). I’m going to comply. I mean, what choice do I have? I don’t want to be that parent that the Jostens guy made an example of. {The parent who didn’t order on time and had to scramble at the last minute in the spring!!} No, I’m going to suck it up and do the right thing.

I’ll be handing Jostens all my money for a little tiny cap-n-gown and a SENIOR 2011 tee-shirt. And probably…..want to cry when I see her name on that order form. Cause she’s just a baby…..at least to me anyway.

Ally,
I’m so excited for you. It’s been a whirlwind of school years. They’ve zipped past and I know more than anything….you are ready to move forward. Just know, you are so loved by your family and we pray for you as you live out your senior year with style!

CLASS OF 2011~~~ WOOHOO!!

There are many things that make me happy. I love life, my family….and my world. But like you….I have “things” in my life that just make me giddy! Here goes:

1–Mocha Frappe’s from McDonald’s (yes, I love them and I’m not even embarrassed to admit how badly they mess up my ability to sleep!!)

2–Nutella (I still can’t believe I haven’t been eating this wonderland of yummy for years)

3–PJ’s (I’m a professional lounger arounder!!)

4–Dates with my hubby (it can even be a ride to the store together)

5–COLTS football (I’m so happy it’s football season, YAY)

6–Sitting outside on my swing (I love my woods and animals)

7–Naps (thank you Fibromyalgia….it’s your fault I love naps so much)

8–Lunch with girlfriends (it’s small…but huge to my love tank)

9–Chili-cheese fries from Sonic (I know…..this is a sick habit)

10–My laptop (it’s really one of the best gifts my hubby’s ever given me) I LUV IT!!

It’s fun to admit your weaknesses. Especially when they all enhance who I am in some way or another. Don’t you think investing in yourself is worth it? I do! Make a list of what makes you happy! I bet you’ll find you can go on and on with blessings!

If you’re a boss, you possess a great responsibility. You have the privilege of building up your employees and making their lives a success. Doing this is a plus for you as well. Your employees will work hard and do whatever it takes to make your company look great! Win-win, right? I think so.

I like being told great things about me. Don’t you? Today, over at (in)courage’s blog….each reader is asked to leave a comment about a nice compliment someone has given them. It’s wonderful to know someone respects you and encourages you to be even more awesome. Compliments, ROCK!!

So, I’m challenging you today…..make a deposit into someone’s life. Speak a loving truth into their heart. Give them a compliment and mean it. Instead of finding fault or something to criticize…..find them doing something great and SAY SO!! You’ll never know the power you’re giving someone to live victoriously in this dog-eat-dog world!

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15

I almost recorded the noises he was blasting through his head cavity! Dude was snorting, honking & even whistling….WITH HIS NOSE!!! It was like something out of a comedy movie. Except, I wasn’t laughing! Clearly, he was having some sinus/head cold issues….so I carried on with my mission of trying to fall asleep! Afterall, I had school to look forward to!

I tossed. I turned. I prayed. I thought. I tossed to the other side. Then repeated the process until after 2:00am! It was madness!

I’ve shared before that when I can’t sleep, my mind starts to wander. Really wander! Satan takes it upon himself to turn my brain into his playground. Every scary thought or fear comes to the forefront of my mind and I start dwelling on it. Then, I realize what’s happening and capture my thoughts and give them to Christ. Back and forth this goes on. Sorry, Lord!

I wonder how many other people go through this? I know I’m not special in my unique abilities to stay up all night when I need to be resting up for a work day. But how many of you are like me in that satan takes his jabs at you when you are tired and weak? Does he play with your thoughts and fill you with unmentionable fear? Paralyzing you into his game? If so, what do you do? How do you combat him?

Here’s what I do to defeat the enemy when he prowls around.

–Pray
–Quote scripture
–Rebuke him & the thoughts he’s filling me with
–Pray more
–Speak positive to my mind and thinking
–Trust God

Tonight is Friday night…..we’re going to a friends for dinner and more car repairs. I have a hunch that by 9:30pm I’ll be using toothpicks to hold my eyes open. Cause…you know, I don’t HAVE to get up at 6:30am the next day! Darn it!
Have a great weekend, friends!

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Cor. 10:5

Poor kid! She dropped Gates and I off at school, then took off for intern at 911. When she pulled away from the curb, I looked at her….as I listened to the “funny” sound my car was making and prayed, “God, please take care of her and my car!”. I made it into the building just in time to get her call on my cell.

“MOM!!! YOUR CAR IS ON FIRE!!!”

There’s nothing more frustrating than being away from your kids when something is going wrong in their lives. You just feel helpless! In my case, I was inside the school building and she was down the street! {I had no car…she was in mine!!} I called hubby who was still home with Sweetboy preparing to leave for his big move-in. Luckily, he was there in a flash to rescue her.

They brought the car home and put stuff in the radiator only to find it wasn’t going to hold. Cracked radiators don’t usually do much more than leak….everywhere! So depressing! Seriously!

Thankfully, my favorite friend ever at JCHS (Betsy) gave us a ride home from school and offerred her “mechanic” hubby’s services (if needed). Can you say, “Wanna come over for dinner?”. That evening the hubby’s worked on replacing my $270 radiator in record time. God bless them both! They rock! While under the hood, they found I need a new water pump too. Gosh, I’m glad they know stuff! So, next to be repaired is that.

The best part? I was going to take off work that day and help Gavin move to IU. I’m more than thankful that God directed my steps otherwise. It would have been really crummy to be loaded with STUFF and broke down 2 hours away from home! Bleh!

Friends are such a blessing! I can’t even express my thankfulness for Pat and Betsy! God bless you guys!

Oh, have you heard about HGTV’s Great Fall Fix-Up Sweepstake? Good, now go and enter quick! Who couldn’t use $75,000 big ones to do a little fixing up?

Sick! Those words are painful to even admit!

All of this obviously play a part in my psychological well being. Kid moving. Tons of stuff to pack. People wanting to be fed. Oh and did I mention that we had tickets to the Colts game on Sunday? Of course, one more thing to our list on the busiest weekend ever. Maybe this would be a good time to throw in a sinus infection and a little PMS!! Great combination.

It was a set-up! Satan style!

I self medicated my sinus infection with a nasal spray and allergy pill (both of which I have taken in the past). I also had an infection of another sort going on and used a medication late Saturday night for that. Somehow, my body didn’t take kindly to either set of medications. Because before we even left home, I was barking at my family a bit harshly. Passionately! Ok, I was feeling C R A Z Y !! I knew I wasn’t feeling normal.

I should’ve stayed home. Really! Hindsight, 20/20!

The game was a disaster. The Colts were playing hard but coming up short against San Francisco. We cheered them on anyway. Behind us there were a couple of guys having a good time. That’s cool! I was there for fun too. But they were getting increasingly louder and crazier through the game. Then they started inviting their “friends” down to the good seats once people around us started leaving. Again, that’s cool! Except they kept yelling out for a certain, “DAVID”! David staggered down finally and made his drunken appearance known to all. He was the friend that everyone in that age group has…..the one they all laugh at when he’s drunk because he gets into big trouble! You know that friend, right? That was David!

Everything was going smoothly until he heard the LAST CALL for beer yell. He staggered over (right behind hubby and I) to the beer vendor and buys 2 more beers. I didn’t have a good feeling…..I knew he was not in condition to take on any more beer. But, hey…who am I? I’m not his friend, they are. They just laughed and watched the spectacle. Before he could park it in his seat…..he poured his beer down my daughter’s hair and back soaking her and her seat!

That’s when the lights went out in Georgia, ya’ll!

Me, my mixture of sinus med’s & a roaring PMS monster snapped! I jumped up and YELLED!!! DUDE, SIT DOWN & BEHAVE!!! Then, I proceeded to snap at him like I was his mother and he was in BIG trouble! {Yes, I’m embarrassed about it!!} All I can say is that I wasn’t in my right mind. Maybe I don’t even have a mind. I don’t know. It was just awful! I reacted terribly! I wanted to stop myself….but I couldn’t! Have you ever had a moment where you were almost watching yourself from outside of your body? Well, that was it for me!

Poor guy, he did apologize! But me—the whole world had to see me act crazy! Plus, my kid who thinks alcohol is the devil…..was having her own little soaking wet meltdown and was crying. What could I do? It’s not a memory that I want to cling to…but I have a feeling it’s one that anyone in a 6 row radius of me and my family will laugh about for years to come! Boohoo!

Note to self: Do not mix sinus med’s & PMS!
May cause crazy behavior against innocent people & drunk dudes!