Trick of Treat, Please

What fun to be a kid. I can remember looking forward to Halloween with great anticipation. Of course the costumes that I wore as a child pale in comparison to those that I buy for my own children now. But, the concept is still the same. This year we had the privilege of having some great friends come and trick or treat with us. They have two boys that are around the same ages of our kids. Together, along with another neighbor, we all set out to see just how much candy we could collect in an hour. You should have seen all the little feet running as fast as they could to each house and squealing with delight after each piece of candy was dropped into their buckets. Oh, to be children and have the world by the tail. Their innocence and trust of the world has not been tarnished by years of "living" yet. With all the "yuck" that is out there it was nice to have the reminder of that fun and innocence. And, I think that the adults had just as much fun walking and talking together as the kids did. Great family fun!!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, our family set out on a Saturday to the pumpkin patch at Washington Farms. Now, I knew that they did field trips and had pumpkins this time of year, but I had NO idea how BIG of an operation this was. For those of you who may not have ever experienced this, my kids had a blast!!! We had a hayride, picked out our pumpkins, played on these huge homemade slides, saw and petted several farm animals, witnessed a pig race (yes, I said pig race) and, of course, got our fill of homemade jams and jellies.

You may be asking..... if you did this a few weeks ago, why are you just know publishing it? Well, that's easy because I am just now downloading the pictures from my camera to the computer. So, even though it is a little late..... I hope that you enjoy the pictures. If you have never been, make plans to go next year.

League Champions!!!!

Tonight, Marshall's team, the Jefferson White Sox, played their last game of the tournament and fall season taking the victory of League Champions for the 8 and under teams. The team was undefeated throughout the whole season both regular games and tournament. This was a huge deal for Marshall because this was the first season that he wanted to play ball. Most of the others on his team have played for several seasons already. So, for him to be able to be on a winning team that went all the way to the top his very first season was INCREDIBLE. All the boys played really hard all season long. And, the improvement in every team member from the beginning of the season until now is amazing. The coaching staff is very much to credit for the growth of each one of the boys. Out of all the teams in the league, ours was the only one that would come together after each game to praise the boys and encourage them to do better.

I am so proud of my ball player! The most rewarding thing for me throughout this whole season is that Marshall never complained about going to practice or having a game. It has not been a struggle at all to keep him engaged in the game. That is so HUGE for us. Finding motivators that continue to work is a challenge in our house. And, he says that he wants to play again in the spring.

Daddy's Off Playing....What Are We To Do?????

Okay, ladies. I am a single parent this week as my hubby is off playing in Illinois with six other men on a hunting trip. Can I just tell you that it is different than I thought that it would be. I thought that it would be like any other week with him working late to get jobs finished so that he could provide for our family....but no! Here is the reason why....... My husband typically works many hours away from the house each day so my kids are used to him getting home late or sometimes not at all before they have to go to bed. They are used to being just with mom most of the time. But, they have had a difficult time knowing that Daddy is not coming home at the end of the day. It's only Monday, and we have five more days to go. As for me........ I was really looking forward to relaxing abit, catching up on some reading, scrapbooking, watching what I want to watch on TV without the channel surfing king sitting there with me. Somehow, though, it's not as nice as I thought it might be. There is a level of security that Michael brings to the house that is just not here this week. We typically don't set our security system every night - although if someone broken into the house I would hear them WAY before Michael ever did. Without him here, I am setting it every night. My comfort level is not there. Somehow I miss the channel surfing disagreements that usually occur. Getting the kids to bed is not as easy because Daddy isn't there to say prayers with them. I guess what I am trying to drive to is this.......it sometimes takes looking at your life from a few steps away from the normal to realize how blessed you really are. So many times I take my life for granted. I get aggravated and bogged down with the daily grind - the kids, the hubby, carpooling, working from home, the phone ringing off the hook with sales calls,etc. and I forget to give thanks for what God has given me no matter how frustrating my life can be at times.


So, today when you can breathe for a moment, take time to thank our Heavenly Father for EVERY aspect of your life and what He has given you - warts and all. Tomorrow you might not have it all.

The Golden Compass

The movie titled THE GOLDEN COMPASS will be released this December as a children's movie. Now, normally I would not think much about a new movie release, but this one really has me bothered to my core. You see, this movie was made by an atheist who is trying to persuade children and their unsuspecting parents into believing that God is not who He says that He is. The devil is so sly and cunning and will do anything he can to gain our hearts and souls to pull us away from our Heavenly Father. You know, it doesn't impact me as much when I hear about temptations that adults face - maybe I have just become desensitized to it, but when you starting messing with my kids---- that's a whole different ballgame. My "mama hen" feathers get ruffled and the claws come out to fight. Take a look at this link to www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp and read further about this movie.

Rewind, PLEASE!!

Today was one of those days when I really wish that life had a rewind button. Can anyone feel my pain?! I mean, every time I turned around, someone was doing or saying something that was completely off the charts for me. I woke up to the sound of my 3 year telling me that she needed to go potty. Well, normally she would be ready and willing to do this all on her own to prove her "being big", but not today. She proceeded to throw a tantrum - kicking and screaming and the whole nine yards all because mommy said, "go get on the potty and I will come help in a minute." That was certainly a "Good Lord, it's morning" rather than "Good Morning, Lord" moment. I finally managed to compose myself after "laying hands" on my 3 year old and walk out into the family room to greet my other two children who were quietly watching cartoons. It was then that my four year old calmly informed me that she had a hole in her brand new pants that I just bought last week. I wish that I could say that I lovingly scooped her up and said "that's okay, pumpkin, we will fix it", but I didn't. I could feel my face turning all shades of red and then purple and my temperature start to rise as I proceeded to talk to her in a very loud tone. Now I know it's hard for you all to believe, but I lost all composure, and it's not even breakfast yet.

Well, the rest of the day proceeded to be just as grand with a dead battery in my car, my husband's cell phone turned off so that I couldn't get in touch with him --- or anyone else for that matter to come to my rescue, children acting just like children do when mommy is at her wit's end, and the list goes on and on and on.

This evening when I finally had time to sit and think about today (after everyone was tucked safely into bed), I realized that I probably frustrate my Lord so many times in the very same way. None of the events of my day were intentionally meant to upset me, yet they still were sources of frustration and anger. How many times do I unintentionally do something in the course of my day that grieves the Holy Spirit and thus robs me of fellowship with my Father just as the frustrating acts of my children robbed us of sweet family fellowship today. Thank God I can go to Him and ask for forgiveness, crawl right up into Him loving arms and get a big ole hug and start the next day with a clean slate.

Thank you, Father, for being such a loving daddy.

TAGGED!!!

Ive Been Tagged!!
Okay, Okay, Okay. I don't really know what all this tagging is really for as I am new to the world of blog... but, here it goes. Thanks, Amanda.

4 Jobs that I've had in my life
****K-Mart ( my very first one)
****Natalie's Hallmark ( I spent as much as I made)
****Teacher for 8 years
****Wife, Mom, Office Manager, Domestic Engineer - you name it I do it all now
4 TV Shows I like to watch
****Extreme Makeover Home Edition
****Heroes
****Any of the CSI series
****Boston Legal
4 Places I have vacationed
****the beach
****New England
****Blowing Rock, NC
****Texas
4 Favorite Dishes
****Anything Italian
****7 Pepper Steak Salad
****Biscuits with lots of butter
****Pumpkin Pie
4 Websites I visit daily
****By Design
****My Blog
****Friends' blogs
****"I Am So You Don't Have To Be" online Bible Study
4 Places I'd Rather Be
****Anywhere in complete solitude for a week
****Somewhere exotic with my hubby - no kids attached
****Austria, Norway, Switzerland & Czech Republic - I've always wanted to see them
****A mountain cabin
4 Bloggers I am Tagging
****I don't know anyone else who has not already been tagged

Moms for Modesty

Unfortunately, the original website for Moms for Modesty is being shut down due to the "Everyday Mommy" being led to pursue another path right now in her life. But, I wanted to post the original mission statement for Moms for Modesty. I thought that it was worth keeping in my blog since I am also compelled to preserve what society is trying so hard to take from our daughters. So, here is the missions statement. I hope that this will make as big of an impression on you as it did on me when I first read it.

**As a Mom for Modesty, I believe in common sense modesty for girls and young women.
**I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women.
**I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughters to dress in an immodest manner.
**I believe that true beauty comes from within, and I strive to teach my daughers this truth.
**I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young womens' clothing that is modest, afforable and stylish.

I hope that you will join me in standing up for our daughters and ourselves to impact the retail industry for the cause of Christ and let them know that we don't appreciate the demoralization and sexualization of little girls and women.

Jesus Bring the Rain

I was listening to the radio the other day (with no kids in the car mind you) which is a rarity. Usually we are driving down the road with music blaring to the By Design CD that my girls ask for EVERY time we hop into the car. But, at that particular rare time, I was listening to 104.7 The Fish Atlanta. A song came on the radio that really struck me call "Bring the Rain". As I listened to the words of the song, it hit me how many times I come to my Heavenly Father with all these requests for things that I think that I need for my everyday life - peaceful attitudes from the kids for the day; Lord, help me find whatever it is that I have misplaced that particular day; Lord, can you give me just a few extra minutes today to get everything done on my To-Do list, etc. But, what I really should be praying is just for Jesus to bring anything my way that will cause me to give glory to Him alone that day. He has my best in mind and only asks for one thing from me - to give Him glory in everything that I do. WOW!! Enough said. Thank you, Lord, for the reminder. Jesus, bring the rain.

" Bring me joy bring me peace
And the chance to be free
Anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus bring the rain"

GOD IS SO GOOD

A friend of mine recently found out the she had cervical cancer. She was one of the very low percentages of women who had an abnormal pap smear come back with no real indication of anything other than she had the virus that can manifest into the cancer. At the present time, the only course of action for a woman who is carrying the virus is to watch it over the next ten years to make sure that it does not develop into cervical cancer. Thank God for her doctor who just didn't have a peace about doing nothing more than watching it. Had he only followed protocol, the outcome would have been extremely bad by the time a pap smear showed cancer suspicious cells. My friend was sharing with me tonight how she and her husband could see God's hand throughout this whole ordeal. Her husband had an opportunity to go on a hunting trip recently, but even after getting the okay from work he just didn't have a peace about leaving the family at this time. Talking together last Friday evening, they realized that if he had gone on the trip he would have heard his wife's devastating news on the phone with no way of getting home quickly. Instead, he was here to hold her hand, pray and cry with her.

My friend had surgery this past Monday morning. Her doctor told her that he would take a small portion out and send it off to pathology. Once the results came back, they would know exactly what to do next. When the doctor went in to get the lesion, it was bigger than he originally thought. He ended up taking a larger portion of the tissue. He told my friend's husband that it would have been very bad if he would have waited. Again, my friend knew that the Holy Spirit definitely had prodded the doctor not to wait but instead to treat her differently. The outpouring of friends and family with prayers, phone calls, meals, etc. has overwhelmed my friend. And, when the pathology report came back...... the doctor had gotten ALL of the cancer.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! Praise Him for His faithfulness. Praise Him for His peace in the midst of the storm. Praise Him for His steadfast love. Even in the midst of adversity, God is there. Sometimes all we need to do is just to be still and know that He is God. "When the oceans rise and thunders roll, I will soar with You above the storm. Father, You are King over the flood. I will be still and know You are God."

Baseball slide show

Marshall is on a roll!!!

Wow!!! Marshall did a fantastic job in his baseball game last night. His team played another one that really gave them a run for their money. But, the White Sox ended up pulling through for another win. This makes his team undefeated with one game left in the regular season. Marshall personally had his best game of the season. He got two really good hits and was able to score one run. Mama and Daddy were so very proud of him. And, he was VERY proud of himself. What a blessing to be a part of a team that has great talent, great spirit, and great attitude!!!! The coaches always encourage the boys even when they strike out. The comments are so uplifting.