Praise

Today, praise Him when it's good.  Today, praise Him when it's bad.

There is a scene in Facing the Giants where the football team loses a game and everyone is discouraged ... the coach reminds the guys that they have praised God when He had helped them win, and they would praise Him even when they had been defeated.

Smiles in the Small Things

 

Joshy loves helping his daddy. But there's something he loves almost more than that ... he loves to sing. All the time, any kind of song -- without even giving it much thought. The other day when I was spending the weekend in NC for my boyfriend's birthday, my Momma text me to tell me that Josh was walking around the house singing.

Instead of singing "... The Angels beckon me from Heaven's open door ..." he sang " ... the Angels threaten me from Heaven's open door ..." to his little heart's content.

And I thought, "How very cute is he?"

My little man always has a sweet song in his heart, that makes me smile. He even hums while he eats, which I find to be slightly difficult personally, but he's done it since he was my small, chubby little baby with fuzzy dark hair.

And I have always thought he might someday grow out of this Peanut Butter & Jelly stage but Sunday afternoon made me realize that those same little boys who adore that yummy stuff simply grow up to be little boys in Men's bodies ... my boyfriend's dad STILL eats Peanut Butter & Jelly the same way he did when he was younger. I suppose my Joshy will still be the same way when he grows up and gets married, and his wife will be thrilled because he'll be a happy man so long as there's PB&J sandwiches and endless containers of Yogurt in the fridge. * winks *

Time, Stand Still

The girl was flipping through a family scrapbook last week, when we spent our Fall vacation at the Beach last year. In her heart of hearts, she longed to dig her toes beneath the cool sand, let the wind whip through her soul and bury herself in the salty air. She longed to return to that sandy shore and forget about the world outside; at the Beach, time just simply stood still somehow.

It was only a short few days later and Mommy and Daddy decided we should spend a day at the beach. Just for fun | to forget time | to lose ourselves in the salty air. The girl's heart leapt with ridiculous amounts of joy. She couldn't help the smile that stretched from ear to ear.

And thus, we packed a basket full of all manner of delicious-ness. Donned Beachy-bum clothes and loaded into the van. Just as we were about to pull out of the drive-way, it occurred to us that our puppy-love should come along. So we grabbed what Dolly-do would need and 3 hours later, we wound up at Virginia Beach. The sun was shining and the air was glorious and ... Mmmm.

My wonderful father-man. He is so very good, and awesome and

crazy to drive us to the Beach for the day. My heart spills over

with love and little pieces of heart confetti.

My Momma, my friend. She's ridiculously funny; not one of them stuffy

mothers that just watches from a distance. Oh never. AND! she packed Nutella

 and Marshmallow Fluff. How cool is she?! Also, the beach feels healthy

so it doesn't matter what you eat.

But just for the record, we had veggies and grapes the size of baby apples and

bottled water and all kinds of yummy things, good and bad. So much FUN!!

* winks *

Daddy and the munchkins playing on the Beach ... sort of

keeping the puppy-love on the least.

Joshy-Washy: The child is a fan of the boogie board.

Puppy-love had no problem staying on her leash. Dolly was beyond

content to sit back and watch. Away from the water was her favorite place

to be .... well, at least for a little while!

Sammy. Oh Sammy, my rough good-hearted little boy. He's the big 09 and this

blows my mind! Eight and a half years ago, we cuddled and he called me his best

Sissy. Now he calls me Brittany between big boy hugs and showing me how its done!

Abs, Sammy & Joshy-Washy. They are so much fun together. I think

they eventually wore each other out from all the boogie-board competition!

The girl watched this Sea-gull for the longest while ... mostly

because it wouldn't fly away. For some reason, it preferred to wander just

outside of our little beach area, but the girl said, "No thank you, we've enough

pets for a life-time."

"Seriously, Brit? Why so many pictures."

--- Hush, boy. Just smile and pretend you look different than you did ten

minutes ago. It's almost the last one. ---

This has yet to grow old, I think ....

If this isn't the most spoiled puppy-love that ever was, I would

be surprised. She loves people food and oh yes, attention too.

See? I told you our beachy puppy wouldn't last long! She was in the

 water with our Daddy and the munchkins in no time flat.

... and then realized how much she missed her Brittany and came to look

for me. Only, I was semi-dry at this point and have never been a fan of mixing

water and sand. The girl screamed No! But Dolly barked Yes! and thus ...

... The girl was covered in specs of sand and sunshine and little bits of the ocean.

But no, she didn't mind too terribly much because puppy was just loving.

I love Kenna's face! She's forever cracking me up, and making weird

sort of faces and being all grown up and mature.

Me and my Wishy-Washy, Peanut Butter & Jelly eating child.

He's my ever-growing shadow which makes me smile. How very nice

to know that one day, my shadow will be twice as big as I! 

Renovation Re-Do!

Remember that semi-little (cough) Kitchen project we were working on a few weeks ago? Well, the kitchen is long since finished and the girl is just now getting around to posting pictures. Anyways, enough chitter chatting ...

~ Cheery Goldish Walls ~

Just so my mother doesn't holler, I must waste no time in telling

you wonderful people, "This is the most cluttered up you will

ever EVER see our kitchen in your whole entire life!"

~ Our Little Breakfast Nook ~

Whoever called it a "Nook" in the first place, hmm? The girl is

sure she doesn't remember, but isn't a cutesy roomical place?

... But it all started when a sweet mother-lady said "I wonder what this

Kitchen would look like green?" as she she sat at the supper table

one fine Summer night with the breeze floating through the windows.

And thus, the amazing father-man began to ponder these things in his

heart; how he might please his dear lovely wifey. So he plotted and planned

for several days, and discussed it with his four charming Southern girlies who

nothing short of adored their dear old -- er, young -- daddy. And thus, they agreed

the kitchen would be green on the day before sweet mother-lady's birthday.

Dentist appointments wrecked the handsome father-man's plans, and

that is how it came to be that the sister and I donned raggedy worky clothes

and went to town on the tile and whatever the heck it was that kept the stuff up

there in the first place.

Ain't she cute? I love her muchly, she's my little partner in crime.

If it's something you can't handle flying solo, all you have to do is holler

for our sweet, and tough little Laney.

Amen.

But the tumbly-rumbly fellas were not to be left out! After all, who

wanted to play video games and build Lego castles all afternoon when they

could be chip in and help pull Momma's birthday surprise together?

The furniture had to be moved, but the boys and daddy

had the whole thing all situated and all that dandy stuff.

It was a long-ish, all day project but we all worked together

to get the job done!

See? I told you it was quite a task ... Laney's rolling the braided

rug and pushing that heavy old thing out of the way.

Pardon my expression. I was feeling a little overwhelmed this

particular point in time. The girl was hoping to be frugal and ever-so-carefully

remove lettering off the wall and it wasn't happening so very well.

My handsome father-man patching some of them un-loverly holes and

dents we put in the wall over the years. We shall cross our fingers from here

and pray we are more living around the walls when we get the notion to

move furniture n' things. * winks *

And as for the finished project, the girl has yet to take pictures of that, but they shall pop around here sometime soon. Of this, I am almost positive. But the kitchen is now a smooth, wondrous shade of green and we all just love it immensely and so forth. * happy sigh *

Starting Over

As I was doing school work tonight, I was studying a particular section from the mid 1200's where the Christian's and anyone not following the Catholic church endured great persecution and torture. And it got me thinking, the one's that are greatest remembered for the Faith are the ones that died for it! The ones that didn't give in or deny the Lord ...

We don't even come close to suffering the way they did in our world today, but yet we are perfectly content at times to sit and just be comfortable! Why? It hit me then, that we have become lazy in our walk and relationship with God. It's not merely a personal relationship between Christ and myself.

The world should be able to see Christ in me! And yet, there is nothing spectacular about me that others would think to themselves she must walk very close to the Lord. How convicting!

I'm doing just enough to get by, struggling to do a long to-do list of things that won't even matter someday. I need to be making a positive difference, going that extra mile to be the best I can be. And no, I don't plan on it happening overnight. In fact, every day is a struggle that I have to commit to God from the time I get up in the morning, to the time I go to bed. It never ends.

I was talking to my Aunt about running yesterday. It's this fantastic goal I have in mind for myself but following through is a little more challenging than just thinking about it. She said to pace myself, set new goals each time, get a little stronger, build my endurance, dont give up when I want to quit ...

The Christian life is so very similar! Some days are better for us than others, yes? And the tougher days are when we get discouraged and feel like maybe it's not worth fighting for, but sticking it out and seeing it through is what builds our endurance to Satan's attacks and the different challenges we're facing on a daily basis.

What a HUGE Blessing it is to start fresh and clean every day, to accept the challenge to live the day out for the Lord from beginning to end; to go to sleep and wake up to start the whole growing process again! * smiles *

Life Goes On

  Apparently, the apple isn't falling far from the tree these days ...

  I was watching the news this afternoon and couldn't help cracking up when I heard about this inebriated moose in Gothenburg, Sweden. It lost it's balance when he was trying to reach the apples that had fermented on the ground.

 While waiting for the local firefighters to arrive, several people from the neighborhood began to saw away branches, hoping to free the animal. Finally, they were able to bend the tree over enough to let the Moose go. But the thing that gets me is that drunken moose are pretty common in the Fall around Sweden.               The apples start falling off the trees and it's like a royal free-for-all, and the Moose seem to be real big fans ...    

 Can you imagine walking outside and finding a moose staggering around your backyard with a hangover, of all things? * winks *

So I was telling my mom about it, because sometimes I think she might appreciate the girl's odd sense of humor. She laughed and said, "Life goes on!" And then I smiled to myself and thought, "Yep, it sure does."

Regardless of what the Lord sends our way, He's always sending something to make us smile and remember little things. How amazing is that, hmm? ... even if it was a drunk moose.

 

Tuesday

So really, we must discuss this babysitting business. I’m organizing my room -- changing out Summer for Fall -- and contemplating why random songs and catchy new tunes keep running through my brain. The girl decided she felt kind of idiotic, so she thought she might sing a song that she knew … only it came out “Shake off those lags, Razarus” instead.

I sighed. “Argh. I don’t know what my problem is tonight.”

“Hah! You DO know problem is singular and it isn’t just tonight?” Kenna grinned wickedly from where she was playing the Wii. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, then laughed. “I know what it is! Kenna, I’ve been around kids too much lately! VT makes up her own songs all the time and Joshy is always humming. Hmm, my goodness.” * smiles *

Secondly, I was going to attempt to express a lot of thankfulness for the way God has been showing himself to me. But somehow, I can’t. Except maybe to say that He is so very good. And really, that hardly does justice. The fact that thanks to a lot of wonderful friends, half of Bacon Hollow is praying for my Mommy makes me smile. As well as so many others! I want you to know we covet each every prayer, and are so thankful for the many friends we have.

We got a considerable amount of rain in the past three days, I keep looking outside to see if the animals had begun pairing up yet. No worries, they haven’t. * winks *

Have you any idea the fun it is to keep three tinies occupied on a rainy day? Dressing them up in rain boots and colorful slick jackets and keeping them on the porch is quite the job in and of itself. But we went hunting for moths | watched the rain drops and they road tricycles. I have so much fun babysitting them, and keeping up with them as they run from one end of the house to the next.

~ See, isn't it a pretty one? We pet it with one finger and the kids thought

it was the neatest little thing. ~

The baby will be sleeping, VT will need a diaper change and FT is banging with blocks down the hall in the playroom calling my name. One is potty training, the second one wants to be like her big sissy and constantly runs to the bathroom just to wash her chubby little hands. She splashes water and giggles, her blue eyes sparkling in delight and I stand there laughing because she's so adorable.

Then, I suddenly remember I am in charge here. I'm responsible -- at least for this particular part of the day -- that they walk right | talk right | do right | learn and grow. So I lean down, turn the faucet off and dry Izzy's hands. She thinks its so much fun, so I encourage her and tell her she's doing a good job.

I've reminded them to have good attitudes | to share with each other | not scream or hit. They are wonderful kids and I love them! And its a sad day when the clock strikes and the babysitter must pack up her fun things and leave. They cry and run to me and throw their arms around my legs trying to keep me there. But! We make leaving fun ... they climb up on the porch railing and wave to me until I am out of sight, shouting "Doo bye, Miss Brikney. Doo bye!"

(They still have not mastered my name, but its just about the most adorable thing.)

And they just love that. * smiles *

Never Abandoned ... Part Two

Daddy preached from II Corinthians 12:7-10 tonight. It was a great message all about the thorn in Paul's flesh. I had never thought of it until he mentioned, but the Bible never tells us what exactly that thorn in his flesh was. Paul asked the Lord three different times to remove it from him, but you know what? God didn't, because He had a better plan!

Instead of taking away Paul's affliction, God gave him grace to endure. He had a purpose for giving this particular trial to Paul. I have no doubt that it made his life and his ministry difficult, but God taught him many things through his struggling.

I couldn't help but think how very similar Mommy is to Paul. This sickness is a thorn in her flesh, and a struggle for her as well as our family and many people close to us! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of Mommy and realize I need to cherish every day that God gives us. It's a sobering thought, and its a constant battle of choosing positive thinking over the negative and often times, sadness that lies just beneath our smiles.

Every day is not sad. Most days are full of laughter and our silly antics, someone is always cracking a joke or retelling one they've heard. These are days I sit back and smile and thank God for the awesome family He's put me in. * smiles *

Through this ordeal, God has brought my parents closer together | our family closer together | and knitted our hearts close to that of our very sweet church family. We have laughed together, we have cried together, we have prayed together. I love that, it is one of the best things about being where I am!

Some people have said, "All you need is a little more Faith, God has power to heal!" But Paul did not lack Faith, nor a righteous testimony! Neither did Jesus as he suffered affliction or went to the cross. Simply, the Father had better plans! It is the fear of the unknown and the knowledge that no matter how afraid we are to just yield Mommy to Him, His ways are far better.

Daddy pointed out vs 9 where Paul says: "... therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities," That one word is Paul saying "Regardless of what I'm going through, I will keep looking up; keep focusing on the positives and the blessings!"


... I thought all my tears were gone. But they aren't. God is close to me, close to us. And for that, I am so very thankful.


Romans 8:18 ...

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Never Abandoned ...

This week has been particularly rough for our family. It's had many ups and many downs, and really there were some down times that it took the Lord and some serious family bonding to get through. Tuesday we celebrated Momma's birthday. We stayed up late re-doing the kitchen -- I will have to post pics of our little demolition adventure soon -- Mom and Daddy were able to get away for two days to spend some time at the Beach together. The kids and I held the fort down and had loads of fun doing it too! * winks *

A lot has happened in just a few short months. Mom has scheduled an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota the first of October. We're talking about the best doctors | 20 appointments within 2 days | hope of answers | a solution to something that came into our lives 5 years ago.

We've been discussing the different options and possibilities over the last few days. Most times we keep a tight upper lip and remind ourselves to keep on trusting. But there was a point this weekend that I just got so discouraged and having a really hard time. When I'd reached that breaking point, I found that I'd missed a call so when I finished listening to the message the person had left, an old message I had forgotten began to play.

I listened to my boyfriend's voice, as he encouraged me and told me he was praying for me. The message was from several months ago, when Mom's condition had become worse. He said, "Babe, none of this is taking God by surprise." Of everything he said, that part stuck out the most to me. Even now, it was encouraging to my heart! The timing was perfect.

Sometimes, it is so very easy to forget nothing has taken God by surprise. But its funny and wonderful how God has encouraged my family this weekend alone. This morning, I taught on Daniel -- how the young men had been kidnapped and taken from their homes, and how God was blessing them by giving them a position in the King's court because they were faithful and living in obedience to God even in the middle of all those trials! As I was explaining this to my 6-9 yr olds, it hit me. God was just reminding ME!

I also had the privilege to hear Pastor Clark preach for Worship hour. Can you just take a wild guess what it was about, hmm? Being Faithful | Trusting the Lord to provide and care for us. By the end of service, many of us who had already been tearing up, broke. When Pastor Clark solemnly closed in prayer, I lost it. I felt hurt deep down, I felt peace at the same time. It was like I could feel God's arms around me, telling me everything would be alright. Regardless of the outcome.

Do you know how hard it is to say that? When it means, God isn't promising that Mommy will miraculously be healed? It's so hard. It's hard to sit here with the realization that Mommy might be God's tool to someone else who is struggling, a link to finding a cure for a rare disease? That my Mommy might not always be with me? That's hard.