Holiday

Here are some pictures of the most precious children ever-or at least the most precious looking children. I got to spend some time with all of my family over the holidays. I just finished having supper with my dad. That was pretty great because it has been many years since we've had time together at Christmas. Anyone who hasn't experienced the awesome gift of forgiveness probably wouldn't understand why it means so much to me to have dinner with my dad on Christmas day. It's amazing how you can hold on to anger and resentment for so many years, and then it melts away so quickly through love and forgiveness that only God can give you and teach you.

Anyway, I had a great Christmas. My brother was at Grandma's house walking around and looking very healed. Not completely healed, but greatly healed. Thank you God.

I hope that all of my friends and family also had a great Christmas.

Love you all.

I'm back. I dont have time to make a proper blog at the moment, but I plan to get back to it since I now have a new computer. Things will be much simpler now that everything works properly.
Maybe after Christmas, I can post some holiday pictures.

How Great Thou Art

Last year when I began blogging, one of my first entries told of this place. Half Bushel swimming hole down in the "holler". Sorghum Hollow Rd that is. It's beauty has been captured in a painting and many photos. I probably have enough photos of it to make a book. When you are there, you can't help but be in awe of God's marvelous works.
My dad told me a few months ago that it will soon be dammed up and used as a water source for the surrounding counties. A water treatment plant will be placed on the property in front Grandma's house. This place that is home to my family and a peaceful retreat for me will be a big lake that we cannot swim in.
Izabell and I went swimming there the other day and as we were leaving a couple of girls came to swim. I began wondering if this is going to be as devastating to anyone else. They can find another creek to swim in. But this place is home to me. This is where my heart and soul feel comforted. This place holds valuable family memories. I wanted to make it the same for my daughter.
My daughter just came to me as I finished the last sentence and saw this picture and said, "That's my creek. Can we go swimmin' at the creek?"
So, hate to cut this short, but I have to go get on my bathing suit.
Love y'all.

On July 4, 2007 my family celebrated Independence Day. I was sad that I would miss this celebration with my family, but very excited about where I was. I was at the International Worship Institute in Grapevine, TX. I would be there for many days, and Wednesday the 4th was my first full day. I am just now beginning to see the irony in this.
First let me take you on a journey through that day.
~7:45 am: Choir practice
~9:00 am: Erik Eskelund taught a session titled "Who are you listening to? (The Wild Adventure of Hearing God's Voice)"
This is where I began to realize how much I was letting the distractions of the world hold me back from really listening to and worshipping God. Erik said that there is no way to accommodate God and the world. HMMM? Really? That's exactly what I have been trying to do.
~10:30 am: Worship lead by Lindell Cooley
This is where God broke me and started to heal me by dancing with me. If you don't understand all of this, you will think I am crazy, but He held me and danced with me and let me cry. This is also where I really got the meaning of the phrase "Pathway into His Presence". Lindell Cooley provided the music and the words and the atmosphere and then stepped out of the way and let God come in. It wasn't Lindell's spotlight, it was God's.
~11:45 am: Choir Practice with Tommy Walker
This was the most fun I have ever had. In about 3 hours we learned 9 songs. I had never heard any of these songs before, but I now have the CD. The picture in this blog is of Linda. She is the alto in Tommy's band and she taught us our parts. She also mentored me without knowing it. God's love flowed through her like crazy. She didn't seem the least bit proud, even thought she has the most fabulous voice. Thursday night we got to lead worship with them. This was very humbling to me. I couldn't figure out how I got there. Why would God let me have such an amazing experience. I was leading worship with people who do this professionally and in front of people from all over the world. I realized that nobody new who I was, or anyone else in the choir for that matter, but we still helped to lead them into the presence of God. Oh, what a responsibility. Oh, what an honor.
~2:45pm: Lindell Cooley lead a session titled "The Coming Sound"
Once again, I was taught that we were designed to minister to the Lord and quit trying to please the church. He said, "at the end of the best I have-it is still average." and "worship that does not come from our spirit does not please God".
~4:00 pm: Worship lead by Tim Hughes and Message-Leading like Jesus by Ross Parsley
I was still processing what I had learned during the day, but I did get one important thought that will never leave me. "We want to be servants until we get treated like servants". That hit me hard. We ask to be servants because that's what we know Jesus would do. But I guess I always had in my head that acting as a servant would bring me nothing but joy. But when people treated me as the servant that I asked God to make me, I didn't feel joy. I felt victimized. Wow. I was getting what I had asked for, but it wasn't producing the outcome that I had expected.

So, to wrap this up, I had my own Independence Day. I am free to worship in a way that is pleasing to God, not to the people of this world. I am free of the fear of judgement from the people of this world. I am free to create a pathway into His presence for the people of this world.

She's Here

My sister had her baby yesterday morning. Her name is Gracie Renee and she is beautiful. Izabell insists that she is going to be "the best big sister". I have told her that they are cousins, but she's not satisfied with that. Of course, after seeing Gracie, I believe that they could be sisters. As I was holding her, she would make little faces that reminded me of Izabell as a baby. Of course her head is about half the size of Izabell's at the time of birth, which is not fair. Maybe that's why Chelsea continues to have children and I don't.

Izabell did so well holding her. She rubbed her head gently, kissed her, and played with her toes. She was amazed by the tiny feet. Maybe someday Izabell will be a great big sister. But not anytime soon.

So, anyway, here's our new baby. She's beautiful and healthy. Thank you God.

Bell's Bath

Okay, I realize that I am chancing it by putting nude photos on my blog, but all of the "private parts" have been cropped out and there are a total of 3 people who ever even look at my blog, so I guess it will be okay.

I had to put this on my blog to show that I AM the best mom in the world. How many people let their 3 year old cut loose with a squirter in the bathroom and "wash Mommy's walls"? I know that my mother would have beat me. Of course, she would let her grandchildren do it, but that's one of those rules in the grandmother handbook. Rule #3- Let your grandchildren get away with anything that their parents would not allow, especially if you would have beaten them for doing it.

Okay, I'm done being silly. Seriously, I know that I am not the best mother in the world. There are many great mothers in the world and I know several of them. I have a great mom and my grandmothers are all great, too. But I have had to get out my old textbooks about behavior management and child discipline and positive guidance and whatever else they choose to call it. I think I have forgotten all that I thought I knew about disciplining a child. Or maybe I didn't forget. Is it possible that Izabell needs her own book? Oh, wait, maybe she already has one. Raising the Strongwilled Child. Does anyone have a copy of it that I could borrow? Maybe if I live through raising Izabell and niether of us are scarred too badly, I will write my own book called, How to survive the Strongwilled Child.

Well, I feel that I have painted a negative picture, so I am going to take a moment to clarify. I love my daughter, and God made her special for me. He knew how to challenge me and how to reward me. I wouldn't trade Izabell for any other kid. Maybe a dog. No. I like her better than anything else on this earth. And, concerning the picture, she was only allowed to spray the mirror-not the wall. And she did ask mommy first.

Crafty

Here you go Kathy. Here are some of my "crafty" projects. The first one is a picture of my kitchen curtains. I used leather strips from Ben's stash as ties. The second picture is of my artwork for my bedroom. I got the idea from HGTV. I just used toile material that I found on sale, painted my frames and I GOT ART.

What's up?

The daisy is my favorite flower. I think it is because of it's simplicity. I like things simple. You couldn't tell by looking at my house, because it is so cluttered with junk. But I am working on that. I spent much time over the Christmas break organizing my desk area. It still needs some work, but I can find things now- like the top of the desk!

Usually, my thoughts are also simple. But I have started having some strange things going on in my head. And there's nothing simple about it. I can't seem to make sense of it, but I feel as though I am being prepared for something. Or maybe, I have already been prepared, and God is going to reveal what it is soon. What ever it is, it is causing my brain and my heart to overload with anticipation. So, please, just pray for me. I am going to go and attempt to sleep now.

Just because

I have nothing of importance to say, I just haven't blogged in a while and figured if I didn't get a picture on here soon, my mother would start having withdrawal symptoms. (Love ya Mom.)
But I will tell you a little about how I spent my Christmas vacation. First of all, do I not have the most beautiful kids in my family? This is, clockwise from top left, Elizabeth, Lauralie, Izabell, and Ben Able. Of course the one with her tongue out belongs to me. I tried to dress her like a pretty little girl, but it didn't mean that she had to act like one.
So on Christmas, I got to see my family and eat a lot, which is always fun.
Then, on my birthday, I went back to Grandma's and got my cake. I got my very own cake this year, but it was just a guilt gift. She didn't get to come to Izabell's birthday party in October, so this is how she got herself out of trouble. I know there is probably some kind of rule against giving Grandma a hard time, but it was so fun. Anyway, she knows I love her. So we went out to eat lunch and then went to Hobby Lobby. Anyone who knows me, my grandma, or my step-daughter knows how dangerous it is for us to go into Hobby Lobby. But we did risk it and only one of us spent too much money.
Then, the next day, Kathy took Lisa, Spring, and me out to lunch and gave us a very special gift. She has taken us on as mentees and given us all daily devotional Bibles. I am very excited to read it. I am even more excited to get her thoughts and insights. I have decided to keep a binder with all of her e-mails on this topic. (So be careful what you say, Kathy. I will have proof of everything).
I spent New Years Day with a very close friend. She and I were like sisters and then spent many years apart. Now, because of changes that we have both made in our lives, and God's grace, mercy and planning, we have reunited. The best part- It feels like we were never apart. Oh, and Izabell loves her, too.
Okay, to end this vacation, I spent yesterday with my step-daughter and her mother. We had a girls day out and took Rachel to Merle Norman to get her first make-up. Wow. The whole time I kept thinking, "Lord, help me when Izabell gets to this age." (And I honestly pray that prayer daily.) After she got her make-up, we went to Brick Oven for pizza. Wow. What a nice day. Am I blessed or what? How many women can spend a day with her husband's ex and have a great time?
So, I had a great vacation. It's all over tomorrow. But that's okay, because I miss my kids so much. Some more than others. But it will be great to get back to real life. I am afraid that any more vacation could ruin me.