Today is my father-in-law's birthday!! Happy Birthday Dick!!! Hope you enjoy many, many more!!!
Today is also the day we remember the events that happened in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. Our prayers go out for the families of the victims and to the rest of the nation.
9/11 brings back so many memories and emotions. I was in my car at school headed to the library to study and wait for my next class when I heard the news. At first I thought it was a joke, like the "War of the Worlds" broadcast in the 40s/50s. You know, the one Orson Wells did that cause such calamity. Then, when reality hit, all I could think about was getting to Hannah (she was almost 8 months old and was at the babysitters) and calling Mike and my mom. My heart goes out to all our military, police officers, firefighters, and their families.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Fear and God
Today, in our study of Esther, Beth Moore spoke about Esther's contemplation of going to the king without his asking for her and facing certain death. In our workbook there was a fill-in-the-blank section. It read, "Facing any fear. And if ____________, then _________." Instead of listing in the first blank the fear we are facing now that, if it actually occurred would send us over the edge, we are to leave it blank. If the enemy (Satan) knows what we fear, he will keep torturing us with the thought of it occurring. But, if we give our fears to God, He will be there with us if (and/or when) we actually face it. Here are some quotes from the video:
"Can you imagine living without fear? We can break free of our fear."
"My faith should not be conditional. We need to trust God no matter what happens. God is good and faithful."
"You may be one brave decision away from an important step in your destiny."
"My God will be faithful to me."
"We will never know abundant life if we are in the grip of the fear of death."
"Are we going to die a thousand deaths (fearing death) in fear of the one (actually dying)?"
"Courage is not the absence of fear but that something is more important than fear."
"Death is not our final destination. It is a part of our destiny."
So, in the blank above, we should all put, "And if whatever, then GOD!!!" My God will take care of me. God is bigger than whatever it is we fear. 1 John 4:18 says "Perfect love casts out fear." Since He carries us in the palm of His hand, why should I fear? Even if I was to die, I am going to live forever in Heaven with the glory of God. Life here is temporal; life in heaven is eternal.
If you don't know, or aren't sure, if you are going to heaven to live with Jesus, please let me know. You can know for certain where you will go when you die. I hope to see you there one day (just, hopefully, not anytime soon).
"Can you imagine living without fear? We can break free of our fear."
"My faith should not be conditional. We need to trust God no matter what happens. God is good and faithful."
"You may be one brave decision away from an important step in your destiny."
"My God will be faithful to me."
"We will never know abundant life if we are in the grip of the fear of death."
"Are we going to die a thousand deaths (fearing death) in fear of the one (actually dying)?"
"Courage is not the absence of fear but that something is more important than fear."
"Death is not our final destination. It is a part of our destiny."
So, in the blank above, we should all put, "And if whatever, then GOD!!!" My God will take care of me. God is bigger than whatever it is we fear. 1 John 4:18 says "Perfect love casts out fear." Since He carries us in the palm of His hand, why should I fear? Even if I was to die, I am going to live forever in Heaven with the glory of God. Life here is temporal; life in heaven is eternal.
If you don't know, or aren't sure, if you are going to heaven to live with Jesus, please let me know. You can know for certain where you will go when you die. I hope to see you there one day (just, hopefully, not anytime soon).
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Van and Bathroom Pics
While we were on our trip, we had a little trouble with the van. When we were getting ready to leave for home, the van didn't want to start right up like usual. Instead, it sounded like the battery was low after someone left an interior light on. I checked all the switches but everything was turned off. On the second try, it started right up. We had trouble again when we stopped for gas. But, it started back up on the second or third try. The rest of the trip was uneventful, thank goodness. This same thing had happened once before we left but I thought one of the kids had forgot to shut their door all the way or left an interior light on.
Yesterday, the van was slow starting but was soon running like a dream. When Andrew and I left the Board Meeting at church, the only sound I heard was a click-click-click. Oh, great!! I went over my checklist - all the lights were off and the doors were all shut. Tried the ignition again - click-click-click. Great!! I'm thinking it was either the starter, alternator, or battery. It finally started on the third try so I started home. Afraid that once I shut it off it wouldn't start again, I picked up something for Andrew and me to eat through a drive-thru and headed straight for Nathan's school. We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and left the car running. Nathan got out at 2:20 then we headed to Hannah's school to repeat the process. As soon as she got in the car, we headed to get Will. I finally shut the van off at 3:30 when we got home. Mike got home early and we went to Auto Zone. The technician there said the battery was extremely low. After soccer practice, I dropped off Mike at Walmart while the kids and I went to Chick-fil-a to get a bite to eat and to leave the van running (we had trouble getting it started after soccer practice). Mike changed out the batteries. Good thing he did because it was leaking battery acid. Now, it runs like a dream. It's nice not having to worry about getting stuck somewhere.
Yesterday, the van was slow starting but was soon running like a dream. When Andrew and I left the Board Meeting at church, the only sound I heard was a click-click-click. Oh, great!! I went over my checklist - all the lights were off and the doors were all shut. Tried the ignition again - click-click-click. Great!! I'm thinking it was either the starter, alternator, or battery. It finally started on the third try so I started home. Afraid that once I shut it off it wouldn't start again, I picked up something for Andrew and me to eat through a drive-thru and headed straight for Nathan's school. We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and left the car running. Nathan got out at 2:20 then we headed to Hannah's school to repeat the process. As soon as she got in the car, we headed to get Will. I finally shut the van off at 3:30 when we got home. Mike got home early and we went to Auto Zone. The technician there said the battery was extremely low. After soccer practice, I dropped off Mike at Walmart while the kids and I went to Chick-fil-a to get a bite to eat and to leave the van running (we had trouble getting it started after soccer practice). Mike changed out the batteries. Good thing he did because it was leaking battery acid. Now, it runs like a dream. It's nice not having to worry about getting stuck somewhere.
Now - for the BIG REVEAL!!!
Our Master Bathroom is done!!!
This is our bathroom closet.Look at the beautiful floor and walls!!
Isn't it nice and neat? 
Our bathroom sink and toilet area
Another look at our sink
The far bathroom wall (before pictures)
The far bathroom wall (after pictures)
The bathtub area
The bathroom window
Didn't Mike do a great job?! It is a big change from the pink paisley wallpaper and tan carpet. It has taken a little time to get use to it but we love it.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Busy Weekend Leads Into A Busy Week
Ever have one of those weeks where you feel yourself meeting coming and going? It looks like it is going to be one of those weeks after a busy weekend.
In case some of you weren't aware, Mike, the kids and I went to Chattanooga for a quick, almost last minute trip. Mike's dad was celebrating his 70th birthday with a party for friends and family. Dick's birthday isn't until the 11th but he wanted to take advantage of the long weekend. When he first called about the party, we didn't think we could make it. The kids were suppose to have their first soccer games on Sept. 5. Since Mike is coaching Hannah's team and helping Will's coach, we couldn't miss. Monday, I called the lady directing the Upwards teams to check the schedule. Because of the holiday weekend, she decided to move the first games to the next weekend. This now freed us up to go to Dick's party. We had to find a house/dog sitter since our usual sitter was also going out of town. Thank goodness, a dear friend, Sandra, volunteered to help us out. With that taken care of, Mike and I packed for our trip.
On the road, I remembered I left my ring soaking in ring cleaner. When we stopped to get gas and take a bathroom break, we found out the diaper bag was missing. Mike left it on Will's bed when he changed Andrew's diaper before we left. When we arrived in Chattanooga (about 1:30 a.m. ET), we found out Hannah's suitcase was left on her bed back at the house. Andrew was awake for most of the trip out. He finally went to sleep around 2:30 a.m. (I'm guessing on the time because it was after I went to bed). Saturday, the fam went looking for Walmart since we had to get Hannah all new outfits, pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste. We went WAY out of the way but finally found it. (Oh, our Tom-Tom decided it didn't want to work at all while we were gone.)
The party was great. It was held at Vandergriff Park in Hixson where there was a great playground area for the kids right next to the pavilion. The kids played on the equipment and in the sand next to the tables. Mike got to spend time talking to Brent and Rich. Mich, Jennifer, Toni and I got to spend some time talking too. This weekend was the first time Mich and I had gotten to meet Toni. She is married to Mike's half-brother, Richard (yes, Mike has two brothers named Richard). Her Richard wasn't able to make it this weekend but Toni came. Afterwards, we went to Brent and Jennifer's (Daphne's son and daughter-in-law) to cook hot dogs and s'mores. We were all exhausted and went to sleep pretty quickly once we got back to the house.
Sunday was quiet. It started raining sometime during the night and continued off and on during the day. The kids enjoyed watching the Scooby Doo marathon on Boomerang while I enjoyed a nap on the couch.
We slept late every morning (at least 9-10 a.m.). This morning, we got up, packed and got on the road about 11. When we were almost half way home, I remembered we left Andrew's sippy cup and the container of milk we brought with us in Dick's refrigerator. A perfect ending to a busy weekend!!
Tomorrow starts a busy week. I have a board meeting at church; Hannah has soccer practice; there is a PTO meeting for Will's school; and Will's school starts selling cookie dough as a fund raiser. Thursday will be an equally busy day. Fun, oh fun!!!
In case some of you weren't aware, Mike, the kids and I went to Chattanooga for a quick, almost last minute trip. Mike's dad was celebrating his 70th birthday with a party for friends and family. Dick's birthday isn't until the 11th but he wanted to take advantage of the long weekend. When he first called about the party, we didn't think we could make it. The kids were suppose to have their first soccer games on Sept. 5. Since Mike is coaching Hannah's team and helping Will's coach, we couldn't miss. Monday, I called the lady directing the Upwards teams to check the schedule. Because of the holiday weekend, she decided to move the first games to the next weekend. This now freed us up to go to Dick's party. We had to find a house/dog sitter since our usual sitter was also going out of town. Thank goodness, a dear friend, Sandra, volunteered to help us out. With that taken care of, Mike and I packed for our trip.
On the road, I remembered I left my ring soaking in ring cleaner. When we stopped to get gas and take a bathroom break, we found out the diaper bag was missing. Mike left it on Will's bed when he changed Andrew's diaper before we left. When we arrived in Chattanooga (about 1:30 a.m. ET), we found out Hannah's suitcase was left on her bed back at the house. Andrew was awake for most of the trip out. He finally went to sleep around 2:30 a.m. (I'm guessing on the time because it was after I went to bed). Saturday, the fam went looking for Walmart since we had to get Hannah all new outfits, pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste. We went WAY out of the way but finally found it. (Oh, our Tom-Tom decided it didn't want to work at all while we were gone.)
The party was great. It was held at Vandergriff Park in Hixson where there was a great playground area for the kids right next to the pavilion. The kids played on the equipment and in the sand next to the tables. Mike got to spend time talking to Brent and Rich. Mich, Jennifer, Toni and I got to spend some time talking too. This weekend was the first time Mich and I had gotten to meet Toni. She is married to Mike's half-brother, Richard (yes, Mike has two brothers named Richard). Her Richard wasn't able to make it this weekend but Toni came. Afterwards, we went to Brent and Jennifer's (Daphne's son and daughter-in-law) to cook hot dogs and s'mores. We were all exhausted and went to sleep pretty quickly once we got back to the house.
Sunday was quiet. It started raining sometime during the night and continued off and on during the day. The kids enjoyed watching the Scooby Doo marathon on Boomerang while I enjoyed a nap on the couch.
We slept late every morning (at least 9-10 a.m.). This morning, we got up, packed and got on the road about 11. When we were almost half way home, I remembered we left Andrew's sippy cup and the container of milk we brought with us in Dick's refrigerator. A perfect ending to a busy weekend!!
Tomorrow starts a busy week. I have a board meeting at church; Hannah has soccer practice; there is a PTO meeting for Will's school; and Will's school starts selling cookie dough as a fund raiser. Thursday will be an equally busy day. Fun, oh fun!!!
Stray Affections Blog Tour
Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich is a wonderful book!!
Here is a brief summary:
Cassandra Higgins, daycare provider and mother to four little boys, is at a Collectors' Convention when she's utterly charmed by a one-of-a-kind snowglobe containing figures of three dogs and a little girl with hair the color of her own. She can't resist buying the beautiful globe, and it begins to spark long-dormant memories for Cassandra, of her beloved grandpa, the stray she rescued as a child, and the painful roots strangling her relationship with her mother, "Bad Betty" Kamrowski. When a strange - flurrious, as Cassandra deems it - moment happens with the remarkable snowglobe, Cassandra and the people she loves are swirled into a tumultuous yet grace-filled journey. Stray Affections invites you to experience the laughter and the healing of second chances.
At first, I was a little hesitant to read this book due to the recent loss of our beloved dog, Gracy. But, once I started reading, I was drawn into the characters and couldn't put it down. I love how Cassandra and her mother, Betty, gradually change their relationship with each other. God uses Burt, the town butcher, to show Betty His grace and mercy and that it is never too late to change. God is a God of second chances and Stray Affections is a wonderful example of just how He works. I would highly recommend this book!! It is great!!
According to the Acknowledgements, this looks to be the first in a series called Snowglobe Connections. If that is the case, I am looking forward to the next books being written and published.
To learn more about or purchase Stray Affections at Random House, click here. I am also including a video link of Charlene introducing the book to readers. The video is available on Facebook and/or YouTube.
Charlene Ann Baumbich is a popular author, speaker, and an award-winning journalist. In addition to her Dearest Dorothy series of novels, she has written six nonfiction books of humor and inspiration.
Here is a brief summary:
Cassandra Higgins, daycare provider and mother to four little boys, is at a Collectors' Convention when she's utterly charmed by a one-of-a-kind snowglobe containing figures of three dogs and a little girl with hair the color of her own. She can't resist buying the beautiful globe, and it begins to spark long-dormant memories for Cassandra, of her beloved grandpa, the stray she rescued as a child, and the painful roots strangling her relationship with her mother, "Bad Betty" Kamrowski. When a strange - flurrious, as Cassandra deems it - moment happens with the remarkable snowglobe, Cassandra and the people she loves are swirled into a tumultuous yet grace-filled journey. Stray Affections invites you to experience the laughter and the healing of second chances.
At first, I was a little hesitant to read this book due to the recent loss of our beloved dog, Gracy. But, once I started reading, I was drawn into the characters and couldn't put it down. I love how Cassandra and her mother, Betty, gradually change their relationship with each other. God uses Burt, the town butcher, to show Betty His grace and mercy and that it is never too late to change. God is a God of second chances and Stray Affections is a wonderful example of just how He works. I would highly recommend this book!! It is great!!
According to the Acknowledgements, this looks to be the first in a series called Snowglobe Connections. If that is the case, I am looking forward to the next books being written and published.
To learn more about or purchase Stray Affections at Random House, click here. I am also including a video link of Charlene introducing the book to readers. The video is available on Facebook and/or YouTube.
Charlene Ann Baumbich is a popular author, speaker, and an award-winning journalist. In addition to her Dearest Dorothy series of novels, she has written six nonfiction books of humor and inspiration.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Two-year olds
Today while I was on Facebook posting recent pictures of the family and the master bathroom renovation, Andrew was busy. He gave Baron a container of dog jerky treats. Yes, the whole container. As of right now, Baron is panting a lot. I know he will have a HUGE tummyache, if he doesn't already. Poor baby!!
Happy Birthday To My Husband
Today is Mike's birthday!!! Happy birthday Sweetie!!! We are going to Carrabba's for dinner tonight to celebrate (my idea). His idea was to not make any decisions about dinner. So, since he left it up to me, and since it is a very special occasion, I decided we would go out.
Happy Birthday Mike!! Seventy more (at least) to go!!!
Happy Birthday Mike!! Seventy more (at least) to go!!!
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