To Be a Woman

I was reminded yesterday of my mission as a woman from the Bible. What struck me about it was how many of my friends are living this out and it made me proud!

Titus 2:4-5 lay out the duties for women:

1. train younger women

2. love and submit to their husbands

3. love their children

4. be busy at home

As I thought through all the women I know, every one of you do these things! Melissa trains younger women through mentoring at schools. Amber loves her son. Sara loves Aaron. Nitzia submits to John. Jill is busy at home. And the list could go on and on! I could keep naming name after name of women who exemplify these characteristics. These women don't just do one of the four either...they do them all...and with excellence!

I am overwhelmed by the women God has placed in my life as examples for me! Thank you all for how you have lived out your faith for me, your children, your husbands, your unbelieving neighbors, and most of all for the glory of God! You inspire me to greater things.

The New Do

Today is haircutting day! Ben called Rawley up and Rawley wanted a mohawk....so....

he got a mohawk! A full-headed mohawk!
He loves the mohawk, but not getting his picture taken.

Is this a hoot or what?

Hold My Hand Down Please!

I seem to raise my hand and volunteer for things quite frequently! Why do I do that? Is it because I am so bored with tons of time on my hands? NO! It's because I am goofy and think, apparently, that I can do things better than anyone else on the planet! I really need to get over that!

This Saturday, I have volunteered to organize a used book sale for our homeschool co-op! What was I thinking? I need many more volunteers, would love to have more people signed up to bring items for sale, wanted some youth to sell cokes and things but never got that part done, have many signs to make, name tags, volunteer scheduling to work out, my family to be taken care of, and the list goes on!

Someone please stop me next time!.....

It Really is Dumb!

Rawley has been saying the word "dumb" lately. I have been telling him to not say that word and here is what he tells me every time!

Me: Rawley, don't say the word "dumb".
R: But if I don't say "dumb", then I don't have a word for "dumb" and then how can I say that the cup is "dumb"?

How do you argue with that?

Random Sea World of San Antonio Pics by Darby

I Hate Goodbyes!

How do you say goodbye to a friend? When have you spent enough time together that you finally think it's ok to part? At what point do you feel grown up enough to do all the things you do as friends, by yourself?

For me...the answer is NEVER! I will miss my friend who leaves today. I will long for her smile and laugh and her presence in my home. I will miss getting in the car and going to the grocery store and just wandering around.

Lisa...I will miss every second! So, until we meet again, my friend, I love you dearly and know that my life is infinitely better with you in it!

Guinness World Records Museum-San Antonio

Today we went downtown San Antonio and went to the Guinness World Records Museum. Boy was it expensive! I was floored by the price of entry. Then I thought that once that huge price was paid that there would be some totally fabulous things to do!

Well...I was a bit wrong...the museum is like the Guinness book pages being blown up ten times and plastered on the walls. Oh...don't get me wrong, there were a couple of pieces of memorabilia. We did get to see the world's largest shoes (they are Converse size 29 1/2!) and we did get to see the world's smallest Koran. woohoo!

We got through it in about an hour or so. A great deal for about 1/3 of the price!

So...tickets for five $86.00
souvenir smashed penny $0.51

Watching the three girls we took laughing, giggling, and being friendly together....priceless! and a gift of God!

Clean?

I am a little bit nutty at the moment...my dear friend and her family are coming, as I type, to visit! I am excited and right now a little harried to get my house clean! I think it's a bit goofy that I go through all this to clean my house, when two minutes after they arrive, there will be crap everywhere! Their stuff, our stuff, stuff I've never seen before...all over in neat piles and messy piles!

So...why go through all this? Because I want to do a little bit to show her honor! She has been a dedicated, devoted friend and confidant for many years and there is so little that I am ever able to do for her...

So I WILL clean and my kids WILL take a bit of a nap before they get here...because two minutes after they arrive...the lovely chaos of friendship and love will wash over us like an avalanche...and it will be wonderful!

My Ramblings

*Why do I eat more on the days I decide I am really going to watch it?
*How come I forget how fun it is to bake with my kids?
*Why do I miss Bible study so much when it is cancelled?
*Why do I really like the Tostitos chips with the hint of lime so much?
*Why does Little Rock get 10 inches of rain in 13 days, and we can get barely a drop in 13 months?
*When is the bully down the street going to move?
*Why is it so fun to blow bubbles in milk with a straw?
*Why did Rawley throw a flashlight in the bathtub?
*Why was the Curious Case of Benjamin Button so similar to Forrest Gump?
*Why did I cry at the end of the book Frindle?

Scary things go on in my head these days...what goes on in yours?

A Special Day for Special People

Today is a big day for my parents! It's my mom's birthday and my parents' 49th anniversary! I hope and pray that they have a fabulous day! They have touched so many lives and lived lives so honoring to God....I know they make God smile! I love them dearly.

I pray that I can live up to their example.

Mom and Daddy...you know how much I love you both. Thanks for being so incredible!

Face Plant!

In comes Kally from playing on her scooter today.

She had fallen and scraped herself up!
Two bigs scrapes on her knee.

Scrapes on her hand.

And....big scrapes on her face!

Poor baby...

Fun Celebration!

Today a friend invited Rainey, Rawley, and me to come over to their house to celebrate 100 days of school! She is so creative and clever and completely inspired me to do the fun things again! I get pretty stuck in my muck, that I forget about all the fun things I used to do.

Thanks, Cheryl, Isaac, and Julia for including us in such a fun day!

Back in the Day...

Do you remember when you were a kid and all you needed to have fun on a Saturday afternoon was a friend, some construction paper, scissors, and glue?

Well...my niece was over today (hurray!) and the kids closed themselves up in the boys' room and went to town with the paper, scissors, and glue! They made paper chains and attached them to the ceiling fan....

then they turned the fan on....

How fun is that....just like back in the day...

The Hand of God

I must say that there have been times in my life when I have felt very far away from God....I have wondered if He saw me...if He knew what I was going through...

This is not one of those times! I am feeling like He is so close to me these days! I should reword that to say that I am feeling like I am very close to Him these days! I seem to feel him, hear him, know he's near--everyday. I feel wrapped in His arms and protected and guided through life right now.

Oh...don't get me wrong...life is not perfect, I am making mistakes, and my children are still...well, they are still children! But all seems right with the world and I am able to rest in that. His hand is everywhere and on everything.

I hope I don't move away anytime soon!

We've Turned Pro!

Every day, Rainey wants me to play the Wii with him. So...most every day he and I play two games together (that's our agreement...2 games...he picks one and I pick one). He almost always picks tennis and I always pick bowling.

Rainey always wins at tennis. He practices by himself throughout the day and has gotten where he can flip that remote in a way that makes the tennis ball really flies...who can volley against that?

But I mostly win at bowling! Redemption! We have bowled so much and done so well at it that we both have actually turned PRO! (Ben has too!) Are we awesome or what?!

So...the highlight of my day is whipping a 5 year old at bowling and watching the cool bowling ball I have earned by turning pro fly down the lane knocking all the pins down! Pretty pathetic, huh? I hope he has fond memories of us playing together when he gets older! Because as I tell him most everyday, he makes me a little bit happy!

An Avalanche of Love?

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

My understanding of the word "lavish" is what you would associate with an "avalanche". Can you imagine an avalanche of love? Heaps and heaps of love? So much love it's almost crushing? I can only touch the surface of understanding as I know that is how Ben loves me....But an incredible amount of love?

He loves us that much! That gives me comfort...puts a huge smile on my face...warms my heart...and gives me the umph! I need to keep going...HE LOVES ME!

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

The Bible tells me so!

They Can Get Away With Murder!

Because of the Beth Moore Esther study that I am doing, I have been thinking about how we elevate people and then get angry when they act the way we have trained them to act. Let me explain...

In the story of Esther, Haman (boo!), was second in command. He was given the king's ring, people had to bow to him, and was seemingly with the king all the time in almost every conversation. He had the ear of the king and all was open and allowed for him. He asked the king to destroy and entire people, to which the king agreed without even asking who he was destroying! Then when he takes steps to destroy one of the Jews, who were on the chopping block anyway, events lead Haman (boo!) to be the one destroyed instead!

Here is my thought: don't we do that now to many people? Think of pro athletes...from the earliest ages, we tell them that they are special...more special than others who can't do what they do. We "help" them through school. They get off with little indiscretions. Then they move up to high school and college and get more "help" and more leniency. They become pros and they really get the red carpet treatment, they get people looking the other way. But then something we have deemed really bad happens and we rake them over the coals!

It's not that what they have done doesn't deserve some repercussion of some kind...but haven't we made them believe all along that they could get away with anything? Haven't we handed them the keys to the city and then turned our heads so we don't know (or care to know) what they are doing?

We are as purposefully blind as King Xerxes with Haman (boo!)

Just my thought for the day!

Random Pieces of Info

*One more week of everything closed due to the swine flu! Crazy stuff this swine flu...

*Looks like the bully down the street has sold her house and will be moving in 3 weeks! (fingers crossed)

*Both Darby and Kally are on restriction tomorrow for different acts of weirdness! Shaping up to be a fabulous Monday!

*We didn't go to church today...haven't missed church for such a weird reason ever! (swine flu again)

*As of tomorrow, Bailey is finished with her second year of college!

*My niece had to make a boat that would float (for school) and then see how many pennies it would take to sink it. Can't wait to find out how many.

*A dear friend needs prayers tomorrow for a medical procedure.

*Ben and I had another big talk last night for the soldiers and Ben hit it out of the park, but I was a maniac!

*The kids got to swim in my parents' pool today...it's swimming season!

*I love all of you dearly and wish I could have y'all over for a Bible study with a Diet Coke!

Nothing But The Blood of Jesus!

I was reminded this morning of the old hymn:

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh, precious is the flow,

that makes me white as snow.

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Have your sins been washed away? Do you know of the blood of Jesus and what it has done for you?

Have a great Sunday resting in what Jesus has already done for me and for you!

Darby's View of Nature

Darby takes her camera out most everyday to capture the moments. She seems to have an eye for nature.

She put a sand dollar we found at the beach next to a beautiful flower in front of an empty house across the street.
Darby took pieces of sand dollars on a piece of wood and then used "bokeh" to capture the front item with the background items remaining a bit blurry. She learned that from Pioneer Woman and Bakerella!

My favorite! This is a flower on the horrible bull nettle weed! Just touching the stem of the weed creates a burning on your skin. But the flowers are just gorgeous. Kind of a neat illustration of sin isn't it? Looks great, beautiful...but it'll burn you in the end.