Bring on the Heat!

Summer is officially upon us here in the Pacific Northwest, along with record-breaking temperatures, which are my favorite kind. Since this is a blog and you can not hear my voice or see my face, you could not know that the end of that last sentence was dripping with sarcasm. The Lord and I are going to have a talk when I get to heaven about why on earth the temperature ever needs to get above 85 degrees. I'm sure there is some really good answer, but until I get there and He gives it to me, I am going to continue to consider heat my mortal enemy. I've written posts about my disdain for the heat before, so I won't bore you with any more of those. In fact, something has happened in the last week that has helped improve the relationship I have with summertime.

I got an Air Conditioner!

You may all remember that not too long ago, I fell in love with the technological marvel that is the Wii, and started Operation: Wii Save. Well, Operation: Wii Save became Operation: Wii have an air conditioner and I am now having a love affair with a new mechanical miracle. This means that the Wii idea has been shelved for the time being (but I will have one someday, oh yes, I will), but I don't mind because I am too busy being a comfortable 73 degrees in my apartment while it is 101 degrees outside. I'm also too busy getting a good night's sleep even though it has only cooled down to a crisp 85 degrees by midnight. I am also too busy thinking about all the things I can accomplish in my apartment (cleaning, cooking, playing with my kids, movement of any kind) because I have not been reduced to slug status by the thick cloud of humidity and heat that has infiltrated my home.

I honestly don't know how (or why) I lived this long without A/C. It's going to pay for itself in a very short time period just from all the money we will save not going out to eat every night because I am too tired and cranky to cook. So for the first time in my life, I am really and truly ready for the heat! Bring it on, Summertime! Give it your best shot!

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Spoken For

There are few things that give me a lump in my throat like thinking about God talking about me. Not talking to me. Talking about me. To imagine, for even one moment, that He is proud enough of some behavior of mine that He would need to look over to His right, at Jesus, and say "Look at her! She did it! She finally did it!" It blows my mind. I love the idea that I can make Him proud. I know that I fail more than I succeed, but to think that I ever make Him burst with joy is my life's dream. Like in Hebrews 11...."by faith Enoch, by faith Abraham, by faith Moses, by faith Rahab (the prostitute)...." I want a line in there that says "by faith, Kimberly...." with some great story of a time when I actually did it...I actually trusted Him from start to finish and let Him do what He wanted to do with a situation.

Tonight, on the way home from celebrating my husband's birthday with his family, we were listening to Mercy Me. An older song of theirs was on, "Spoken For". There is a line in that song that says "To hear You say 'This one's mine', My heart is spoken for". That line gives me chills. Doesn't it just make you want to jump for joy to think that the God of the Universe, the Creator, the Ancient of Days, the Alpha and Omega, would sit up on His throne and look down at you and say "That one is mine!" It rocks my world! He is so powerful and mighty. He is so awesome and majestic. He is beyond comprehension. And yet I am His. And (this is the best part) He wants it that way. I am flawed. I am a failure. I am selfish. I am lazy. I am stubborn. And yet I am His. I am spoken for!

1 Peter 5:8 says "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." As terrifying as this verse is, it also makes my heart swell to think of my Jesus standing between me and this roaring lion, roaring even louder "You can't have her. This one is mine!" Am I the only one who wants to weep at the idea of that?!

I wish I had some great way to wrap this all up. Some tidy little ending to this post. The truth is, I'm just having a moment this evening. A moment of worship that I have decided to share with my bloggy friends and family. The truth also is that I take Him so for granted. When I think of all He is worthy of, I am ashamed at how rarely I give Him reason to be proud of me. When I think of how little He asks of me and how much He blesses me, I am embarrassed. I am spoken for. I pray that I would act like it.

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Still Sick

Thank you so much for your prayers yesterday. I would love to say I was germ-free today, but that is not the case. Apparently it was in God's will that I remain cold-ridden for awhile longer. I stayed home from VBS today, in part for my sake, in part for the sake of those around me who really shouldn't be subjected to my sniffling and crabby attitude. Mark stayed home from work and I have been bed-ridden all day. It was instilled at me from a very young age that if you're sick enough to stay home from school (work, etc...), you're sick enough to stay in bed all day. So since I "called in" sick to motherhood today (meaning Mark had to call in sick to his job), I had to stay in bed. The good news is, now that I'm an adult, being forced to stay in bed all day (where I happen to have a TV, something I did not have as a child), is not an unpleasant thing. By tomorrow I will be itching to get out and about, but for today, I am enjoying watching "Food Network" while dozing and resting and letting my body get well. My husband's birthday is on Monday, so we have a weekend full of celebrating ahead of us. I need to have my strength back!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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A Shameless Request for Prayer

Good morning!
I am running out the door to VBS once again, but I have a request. It seems I have come down with a nasty, nasty cold. Since there are only two days left, I am going to attempt to finish the week at VBS, but I'm going to play it by ear. If I'm miserable once I get there, or make those around me miserable, I will come home and not go back. What I would prefer is that the Lord would show mercy on me and heal me of this germy-ness. I am chewing my vitamin C and eating my strawberries (also full of vitamin C, among other things), and slept from about 4 yesterday afternoon until 7 this morning. I am doing everything I know how to do. That is why I am now enlisting you, my bloggy friends and family to say a quick prayer for me if you have a chance. Also pray that the Lord would protect the kiddos I'm working with from catching this from me. That is my biggest struggle with even showing up there at all today, but I don't want to leave them short-handed if there is any way I can avoid it.

So pray for my body...that the Lord will strengthen it and heal it and keep my spirits up in the meantime. Thanks, you guys! Let me know how I can pray for you, and I will do it!

PS....Rachael (my cousin), Kevin's wedding is Friday, September 19th. It's an evening wedding, but I can't remember what time exactly. The invites will be going out soon. Kayla showed us all the stuff from the printer when we got together on Father's Day.

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My Week

This morning I woke up at 6:30. On purpose. My kids were still sleeping, but I had to wake them up shortly after 7:00. They were not happy. Now they know how I feel.

We sped through dressing, eating and racing out the door to get ourselves to VBS! I love Vacation Bible School. This is my third year working and I adore it. It's chaotic, it's exasperating and it's a mess. But it's amazing. Today we had 220 kids and that will increase to about 300 by the end of the week. We do not charge for our VBS, (despite the fact that our children's minister does not know how to do anything half way and our VBS is crazy-amazing) so we get a lot of non-churched kids. I am always amazed at the ministry this is not only to the kids, but to their families.

This is Elijah's first year as a participant instead of just hanging out in the nursery. He had a blast! We passed each other several times during the day, he going to his event and me taking my kids to mine. I fully expected him to want to latch on to me as soon as he saw me. Nothing could be further from the truth. He would wave and say a casual "Hi, Mom" as he continued down the hall, having too much fun to be bothered with me. He's growing up.

So I may or may not have the time or energy to post this week. As I type this, I'm half asleep, so I hope it's making sense. VBS takes it all out of me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

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Vanity, thy name is Kim

Before I had kids, I worked 3 days a week. I was a dental assistant and one of my best girlfriends was our hygienist. We spent a lot of afternoons by the pool, sunning ourselves, reading and talking. The reason this worked for me is because I didn't have to wear a bathing suit if I didn't want to. I wasn't going to swim. I was just going to lounge by the pool and catch rays. I wore a lot of shorts and tank tops or swimsuits with a sarong to hide all the stuff I needed hidden.

The summer after Elijah was born, I realized that if I wanted to enjoy my son's first experience in a swimming pool, I was going to have to go out in public in a swim suit. For awhile I was horrified, but then I realized that I could not let vanity come between me and my children. I wanted to create memories of me in the water with them, having fun. I didn't want to be the one sitting on the side of the pool, watching all the fun. So I put on my swimsuit and hoped for the best. You know what I discovered? No one but me cares what I look like in a swimsuit. Everyone else around the pool is far too paranoid about what they look like in their swimsuits to pay any attention to me.

I learned a good lesson from that first summer as a mother. We miss out on a lot when we let vanity get in our way.

My Mom is struggling with this very thing right now. My brother's future in-laws had my parents over for Memorial Day and my parents invited them over for Fourth of July to reciprocate. This has brought out all of my Mom's insecurities. Apparently my future-sister-in-law's parents have an immaculate house and yard. My Mom is feeling like her home is inadequate to entertain in now that she has seen where the other parents live. I want to clarify a few things for you: #1)Kayla's parents are some of the nicest, most down-to-earth people you will ever meet. #2) My parents have a perfectly nice house.

My Mom is probably embarrassed as she reads this and I don't mean to throw her under the bus. I've just realized how often we all act like this. Maybe not these exact circumstances, but something similar. How often do we avoid having people over for fellowship because our "house is just a mess"? How often do we avoid taking people who are recovering a meal because we don't think we're good enough cooks? How often do we avoid volunteering for things that might take us out of our comfort zone? How often do we avoid praying in public because we are afraid of saying the wrong things? Here's the best one....How often do we avoid telling people about Jesus because we're afraid of looking like a "Jesus Freak"?

I'm guilty of all of these things. I'm not pointing any fingers here. I was just reconvicted this morning of how ugly our pride can be. I honestly believe it's one of Satan's most effective (and easiest) tools. All he has to do is remind us of how inadequate we feel and he chains us to our insecurites, closing doors God wanted us to open. So next time he tries to make you feel unworthy, just sic the Lion of Judah on him. He'll think twice about messing with you next time.

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Reunited

And it feels so good.....

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I feel just like Oprah, only not.

No matter how poor I feel like we have become ("feel like" being the operative phrase), there are certain essentials I don't live without. Tarte's "fred and ginger" lip gloss (all of their lip gloss duos are named after famous couples...so fun!), Yankee Candles and Puffs plus with lotion (no store brand tissues for us in this family!). I am also never without Bath and Body Works kitchen lemon anti-bacterial soap, which I shared in this post. For years I have had this sitting on my kitchen sink. That is, until recently. For the last six months I have been unable to get my hands on it. I have searched online, I have requested it in-store, and they have always been out! The only explanation I can come up with is that, much like when Oprah recommends a book and it immediately becomes a best-seller, you all saw my recommendation back in November and ran right out to purchase it. Clearly Bath and Body Works has been unable to keep up with the demand generated by this blog, so I have to ask you all to stop buying it so I can have some!

Oh, I kid. There are only about 3 1/2 people who read this blog, so I doubt that's the problem (unless you all bought a LOT of it!).

The truth is, as we speak, Bath and Body Works is currently holding 8 bottles of my beloved soap for me and we will be reunited tomorrow. Despite my putting in a request every time I have gone to the mall for the last 6 months, this is the first they have seen of it. Fortunately the manager has taken pity on me and my plight and is giving me a generous discount for all the trouble. So in all seriousness, there are clearly a lot of super-fans like me out there who love this stuff, so do yourselves a favor and get some!

And while I'm recommending things, Cover Girl's LashBlast is the single best mascara I have ever used in my life.

I'll end this now before it becomes like Oprah's Favorite Things show. You'll start expecting me to give you these things for free, and I simply don't have the budget. Sorry to disappoint.

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Design on a Penny (a Dime would be a stretch)

So Boomama is having a super fun blog event coming up on July 25th. It's right up my alley because it includes interior "decorating". I put "decorating" in quotes because I don't want to imply that my "decorating" would even be considered "decorating" in most circles. But I love it anyway. I also love me some HGTV (Design Star, anyone?), so this is all just too much fun!

The whole goal of this blog event is to keep those of us with some home interior needs accountable. If we know that we are going to have to post pictures of our "afters" on a certain date, we will have no choice but to get ourselves in gear (or face bloggy shame). This is perfect timing for me, because I have been talking for over a year about changing our front bathroom decor. There is nothing wrong with it, it's just old. It's all stuff "we" registered for when we got married (I put the "we" in quotes because the stuff "we" chose was one of my first compromises as a soon-to-be-married woman. It was not what I wanted. It was what he wanted). So I have thought that it would be fun to change our front bathroom to the "kids" bathroom (and by "kids" bathroom, I mean decorated for a child but not destroyed like it is used by a child). Recently while purchasing toddler bedding for Micah on eBay, I bought the matching shower curtain on a whim, and now I have the motivation to get my act together and tackle that bathroom.

So my list of to-do's are:
1. Clean out and discard some of the tub-toys overtaking that room
2. Get rid of the baby bath that neither of my kids currently fit in and Micah never did.
3. Purchase new towels and accessories to flesh out the design with the new shower curtain.
4. Clean the bathroom top to bottom.
5. Take out old decorations. Sell on eBay or Craig's List.
6. Put in cute new stuff.
7. Take pictures and post them on the blog on July 25th!
***I may also paint the bathroom, but since we live in an apartment and will hopefully be moving sooner than later I may not go to all that trouble. We'll see. I don't want to commit to that.

So if you're interested in joining Boomama's Before and After bloggy event, click on the button above to get the details and get to work!

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The Morning

Father's Day was a lot of fun, but it kept my kids up until after 10:00 that night. I was actually completely fine with this, assuming it would mean they would sleep in Monday morning. Didn't happen. They woke up, tired and irritable, around 7:30 as usual. So I thought they would take long naps. Nope. I had to fight both of them to go down for a nap at all and then they woke up, tired and irritable, about an hour later. So I figured they would go to bed early last night. Especially assuming that they got to go for a long walk to the park with Daddy when he got home. I couldn't imagine that not tiring them out completely. Sometime around 9:30 last night they finally stopped bouncing off the walls of their bedroom.

So this morning, when I rolled over and saw that my alarm clock said 7:45, and I had yet to hear a peep out of the monitor, I was optimistic. Then I got in the shower. Then out of the shower. Still no noise. I brushed my teeth. I got dressed. Made my bed. Still nothing. I made my way to the living room, sat down and had a nice time with the Lord. My kids slept the whole time! Finally just before nine I heard the familiar sound of boys waking up. And I was ready for them.

I am not a morning person. In fact, I hate getting out of bed. On days when the kids and I do not have anywhere in particular to be, I often sleep until they do. Then I rush through a shower and throw some clothes on while they read a book (or 5). I throw up a quick prayer, asking for God's mercy and for His Spirit to fill me, and then the day has begun. This morning the Lord reminded me how wonderful it is to start the day slowly, with Him. To sip on coffee while savoring His presence. Today I feel like no matter what curve balls my kids throw me, I will be ready for them. I started my day off on the right foot.

I have got to start getting out of bed earlier!

Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

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Happy Father's Day, Mark!

As I type this, my kids are tearing apart the living room, I'm sure. I can hear them laughing and playing and running, but it could turn into tears at any moment. This post is overdue, though, and I didn't want anyone thinking I had neglected it.

When I wrote the Father's Day post for my Dad, it began as a combination post for my Dad and for Mark. I then decided I would give them each their own separate post, because they were each deserving of that. My intention was to post Mark's yesterday, but between church and celebrating and Wii playing and BBQ-ing, it never happened. My husband was being celebrated in life, instead of on the blog. But I still want to give him his due. And he is due a lot.

I couldn't ask for a better father for my kids. He is kind and he is generous. I don't know where he finds all of his energy, but after a long day at work, he still comes home and wrestles and chases and tickles our boys. He is the bath-giver, the bed-time-story-reader and the tucker-inner. He works ridiculously long hours (which I have documented on this blog) to provide so that I can stay home and be with our boys. He takes the boys on walks to the park so I can have some peace and quiet. The way he treats me is an awesome example to my boys of how they should someday treat their future wives. He is a wonderful man and I take him for granted far too often. It's way too easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to acknowledge how much he does. Thank you, Mark! You are more than I deserve. I pray that I behave in a way worthy of all you do for me. I'm sorry for all the times that I don't.

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Happy Father's Day, Dad!

My Dad and I look alike. Like, identical alike. He's just older and has less hair. There are other differences, too, but I think you can probably figure those out for yourselves.

My Dad and I are also alike in many other ways, too. We are both opinionated, stubborn and easily irritable. You can imagine the kind of combustibility that caused when I was a teenager. We butted heads on everything. I was the queen of contrary. If he said the sky was blue, I would tell him it was green. Only because I wanted to be right. Even though I clearly wasn't. This is the kind of logic a 13-year-old possesses (I really need to remember this when my boys are 13).

Despite the fact that I spent my teen years telling my Dad how wrong he was, to this day there is no one whose opinion I value more. I may still disagree with him, but I still want to know what he thinks. I trust him. One of the reasons for this is because he rarely lets emotions control his decisions. He believes in making smart choices and thinking things through to a logical conclusion. He and my Mom are a perfect yin-yang in this area. My Mom feels things. My Dad thinks things. (This is not to say that my Mom doesn't think and my Dad doesn't feel. I'm just generalizing.) I feel like I have grown up with a good balance of both. I am open and honest with my emotions and yet I know they are not a good compass to guide my life by. I'm thankful for that.

There is also no one on earth whose laugh means more to me than my Dad. His belly laugh is contagious. Making him laugh until his face turns red is one of life's greatest pleasures for me. Fortunately, like me, there are few things he loves more than a good belly laugh.

My Dad is one of the most generous, giving people I know. He will give you the shirt off of his back if you need it (but then he'll probably try and teach you how to earn your own shirt next time. What do you expect? He's a republican). I have many, many (many) memories from growing up of him pulling over to help a stranded motorist, an adrift boater or even a hitchhiker (it was the 70's). These are qualities I wish I had. I find myself, all too often, too busy to help. He never was.

So thank you, Dad, for the my opinionated-ness, it's the reason I'm so certain of what I believe and why. And thank you for my stubbornness. It's the reason I'm so passionate about what I believe. Thank you, Dad, for the example you always set of being smart and generous, with a good sense of humor.

I think you'll agree, though, that we both need to work on the irritability. Or maybe that's only irritability with each other. Either way, I love you, Dad. God definitely gave to me with both hands when he gave me you and mom.

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Accountability...it's a good thing

So to follow up on my post claiming I would be turning over a new leaf this week, so far the following things have happened in my house:

1. My boys drawers and closet have been cleaned out and all clothing that no longer fits or is no longer seasonally appropriate have been removed. (I know it's not summery around here, but I doubt Micah will be needing a snow suit any time soon. Especially a snow suit for a 9-month old).

2. All laundry has been washed, folded and put away.

3. The kitchen has been cleaned from top to bottom, including cabinets and burner drip pans. The floor is also clean (but as of this morning, there are crumbs on it again...sigh).

4. My children have been receiving 3 square, homemade, healthy meals every day. My husband has had a home cooked dinner so far every night.

5. The booster seats have been taken apart, cleaned and put back together again.

6. I lost another pound this morning at my weigh-in (woo-hoo! That makes 33.5 so far!)

7. The Lord and I have been spending some quality time together.

8. I have not purchased anything on eBay (do you know how addictive eBay can be? I'm new to the whole eBay thing and I jumped in with both feet.)

9. I have made $70 selling things on eBay this week. (And I will ship them tomorrow)

10. I have snuggled with, wrestled with, read to and tickled my kids repeatedly throughout these last few days.

So things appear to be back on track! I feel a lot more like the mother and wife God would have me be. It's a great feeling!

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Generous Grace

I had an encounter with the Lord today that was so profound, I just have to shout it from the rooftops (or the blog-tops, as it were). The problem is, some of the details have to remain vague for the time being (for reasons that will become crystal clear once they no longer need to be vague). So bear with me. I have thought about not posting this at all, but it's just too good. I can't keep it to myself.

I learned something new about God today. Not anything I hadn't already learned in a church pew or in a Bible study, but today I actually experienced it first-hand, so it became real to me. Since Mark and I made the leap to single-income status a few years ago, I have gone through seasons of faithfulness and faithlessness regarding our finances. It's a pattern I repeat all too often and it's my biggest struggle with the Lord. I am faithful with my tithing and a good steward of what's left for awhile until something shakes my faith and I withhold our tithe. Or maybe nothing shakes my faith. Maybe I just really want a Wii (no...I haven't bought a Wii, but that would be a good example of something I might blow a tithe check on in a fit of impulsive buying). Then I feel horrible, and a wall is built between the Lord and I. Let me clarify. He does not build the wall....I do. I am riddled with guilt and let it eat at me. I finally come to my senses and realize I am forgiven and His mercy is new for me every morning, and our relationship is restored. Until it happens again.

Reading that back, I'm convicted with how ridiculous a cycle that is. I wish it were different. We're working on it.

So needless to say the fact that Mark and I live on a fairly tight budget is something I wear the weight of squarely on my shoulders. I do not begin to ask my God for a lot when I have not been faithful with little. So when Mark recently shared with me the news that a dream of ours may be coming true, I was dubious. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I loved the idea of it, but I was hesitant to believe for one minute that God would bless us in that way. I hadn't earned it.

Did you catch that? I hadn't earned it.

And I told God as much. I shared with Him that my heart was breaking because this was something Mark and the kids deserved, but I didn't. My poor choices were keeping us from moving forward and it was unfair to them. My heart was so heavy as I begged the Lord to overlook the fact that I had did not deserve this blessing.

And the Lord spoke to me. Loud and clear to my heart....

"Remind Me again which blessings you ever deserved?"

Ouch.

How could I have been so short-sighted? Don't get me wrong. I need to work on my stewardship and I need to obey Him. But those things have nothing to do with His grace. Not only that, but during my quiet time the Lord shared with me that it could be this very attitude of mine that is inspiring Him to be so generous. So that I am painfully, horribly, wonderfully aware that I did NOTHING to deserve His favor. If He works this all out for us, it is because He wants to, and it is to His glory. Not because I have "met the requirements". As I sat in my living room, in the same corner of the same couch I always have my quiet time on, I was awestruck.

Our God is so generous, it's staggering. If only I could remember that all of the time.

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The leaf is being turned over

The last few weeks have been less than successful for me as a wife and mother (and housekeeper, if I'm being totally honest). Between mourning the end of our vacation and Mark's ridiculous hours at work, I've been functioning in survival mode. Everyone is fed, everyone is bathed and everyone is alive. Beyond that, I haven't been able to promise much for the last two weeks. I've had glimpses of my former self, but they have been few and far between.

So last night, as I sent Mark to fetch dinner from yet another fast food restaurant, I promised him that today was going to be the day I got my act together. My husband is the kind of "every-woman's-dream" guy who never makes me feel guilty when my homemaker skills dip below average. I like to think it's because he knows that I will eventually get back on track and my skills as a wife and mother are usually so stellar that it makes up for the fact that I occasionally get into a funk like this and let things slide a little. Maybe not. In any case, it's this wonderful quality of his that sometimes makes it too easy for me to become lackadaisical about things. I know he will never so much as look at me funny if I have totally shirked my duties for a day (or three).

So today is a new day. I'm shaking off the blues from our long-gone vacation. Mark is back to normal work hours. The beds are already made and the chicken is already defrosting for dinner. As I type this, my kids are eating homemade organic blueberry and honey oatmeal.

What is really most likely to give me success today (or any day) is submitting to the Holy Spirit's authority. If I am brutally honest with myself (and with you), the reason I have been so lazy about things is because I was allowing myself to wallow in my self-pity. I built a wall of stubbornness between the Lord and I, not permitting Him access. I was having way to much fun feeling sorry for myself. Why do I do that?! I know with absolute certainty where it will lead. I know with complete 20/20 hindsight that to cut off His influence is going to take me to places I don't want to go. And yet I willingly, intentionally do it. I'm not proud of it, and I don't say these things to glorify my behavior. I just hope that for those of you reading this, you can hear me say this....Life without the Holy Spirit is no life at all. You will end up with unfolded laundry, Taco Bell for dinner and too much money spent on eBay. Or worse.

So I'm off to live in victory today. Victory over my time, over food and over money. The Lord is back in my driver's seat. I can't help but succeed.

Romans 8:31b,37 ...If God is for us, who can be against us? ...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

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An Observation

No matter how much you love your outfit.....
No matter how good a hair day you are having....
No matter how much you love your new lip gloss....

There is no way to feel cute buying a toilet seat.

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Priorities Part II: Credit Where Credit is Due

So those of you who know me personally probably read the list in my last post and said to yourselves "Iron clothes? Yeah, Right. We all know Mark ironed your clothes last night." Normally you would be right. Not today.

Confession: My husband irons my clothes every day. Seriously. It was part of our "Marriage Expectations" at our pre-marital counselling that in the division of labor, he would do the ironing. At the time, it was kind of a joke. Nearly six years later, and it has turned out to be anything but a joke. In fairness to me, Mark loves to iron. Loves it. Go figure. Every night, about 10:00, he pulls out the ironing board and irons all the clothes needed for the next day while watching a re-run of "Frasier". This is such an important time of day for him that last Fall, when our local Fox affiliate decided to show something other than "Frasier" at 10:00, Mark was beside himself. Because I love him, I searched my DVR for when else during the day "Frasier" might be on and recorded it for him everyday so he could watch it while he ironed. Fortunately our Fox affiliate came to their senses and "Frasier" is back on at 10. All is right with the world.

So the point of my post (and I do have one) is that today, for the first time in nearly six years, I had to iron my own clothes. There is a long, drawn out explanation for why, but I will give you the "nutshell" version. My pants were still wet in the dryer when he was ironing last night. Why not wear a different pair of pants, you might ask? That has to due with my recent 30 pound weight loss and all of the new pants I have bought in my new size are for summer (because it's June) but the weather here is not summery, so I have very few options of clothes that are a) weather appropriate and b) fit me. Throw into the mix a toddler who leaves a big, muddy footprint while climbing into the car on the knee of the only long pants you have the fit you, and you have officially heard the whole story of "Why I Had to Have THAT Pair of Pants, and Why They Were Wet" (so much for the "nutshell" version).

So today I had to iron. And I discovered something. If anything should ever happen to Mark, and I was forced to become a single mother, taking care of the entire household, my kids and I would be fed, bathed, and financially supported, but we would be wrinkled. I just took 20 minutes to iron one pair of pants and they still look like I slept in them.

So I wanted to take a minute to publicly thank my husband, who is so kind to make sure I am always pressed and perfect. I also think you need to teach me how to iron.

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Priorities

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. This sounds like the kind of thing that would be a minor glitch in one's schedule. For me, my 30-minute doctor's appointment controls my whole day. That's what happens when you have two kids and you are at the mercy of other people to watch them for you. I am taking the boys to my parents house, and since my appointment is right in the middle of nap time (the only time my doctor had available), I have to take the kids over there by lunch so they can eat there and then go down for naps. If I feed them here first, they will fall asleep in the car on the way to my folks and then they won't sleep when we get there (which, come to think of it, wouldn't be my problem...hmmm.....). So even though it's 9:30 in the morning and my appointment isn't until 3:40, I feel like I have a whole lot to do in a very short period of time. In the next couple of hours I have to make 3 beds, dry my hair, iron my clothes, put on my make-up (gotta look cute to go to the doctor), pack lunches for my kids, fold the load of laundry that has been sitting on my couch since Wednesday (sad but true) and dress 3 people, all while taking care of a couple of toddlers who have no interest in letting me have any time to myself (and there will likely be a diaper to change and a potty seat to empty).

So with all of this ahead of me, what did I decide to do? Sit down and write a blog post, of course! I am nothing if not a procrastinator.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

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Tidying Up

I feel like I owe some updates to you who read my blog. I have mentioned lately that I have several people in my life who are facing medical challenges. In order to give God the glory He is due (and also not leave you hanging), here are some updates.

**The friend with cancer #1) She is a dear friend from my Thursday morning Bible study who has been fighting with cancer for 9 years now. During a recent, routine MRI, they saw something suspicious. She had a PET scan to follow up and they found nothing new (praise the Lord!). For now they are going to wait until her next MRI (she has them quarterly) to see if there is anything worth treating at that time.

**The friend with cancer #2) She is a friend of my parents, and her 13-year-old daughter is also in the Sunday School class I teach. She successfully fought breast cancer 12 years ago, and it is back again with a vengeance. It is in her bones, which are now breaking randomly due to the cancer. I wish I had excellent news for her physically, but for the time being, I do not. What I do have is news that she is in excellent spirits and is resting in the Lord.

**The friend in a coma) He is the husband of a dear, dear friend of my Aunt's. He unexpectedly collapsed on April 27th and was given very little hope of surviving more than hours or days. I am thrilled to report that he is awake, talking (a little) and is going to make it! Praise God! I received an email from my Aunt yesterday giving God all sorts of glory and praise for the miracle He has worked in this situation.

**The friend who needed open-heart surgery) He is the husband of a sweet friend of mine from my Thursday morning Bible study. She and her husband are both my age, so to have open-heart surgery was unusual. He had some heart defects from birth that created the need for this, but they hadn't expected to need it so soon. My friend was a basket case at first, but glory to God, she worked it out and by the time the surgery rolled around, she was leaning on Everlasting Arms and was a picture of the Lord's peace to those around her. He had his surgery last Wednesday and is recovering well.

There are more stories like these that I could tell, but these are the ones I have mentioned and thought I would follow up about.

I also wanted to mention a few odds and ends about the blog. I am currently contemplating another change to the appearance, so my sidebar is missing some stuff. Every time I change the look of my blog, all of the links and pictures, etc, need to be re-added. I will re-add them once I have stopped messing around with things on here. At that time, please look for some new, exciting links, including some dear friends and my pastor's blog. I can't recommend his blog enough. I am so glad I get to hear him speak every week! He has a very intelligent perspective on Christianity (among other things) and he has a lot of good things to say on his blog. In fact...here is a link to it for now.

Hope you are all enjoying June so far. It doesn't feel much like summer yet where I'm sitting, but if you know me well you know that is just fine with me!!

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