Beautiful Moon tonight

We looked outside and saw this beautiful full moon... How anyone can see this and then deny God's existence is beyond me.. Have a great night!!

Blessings,

Fall is in the air/Birthday fun

Cameron turned 9 yesterday!!! So thankful that God blessed us with this little Camarino.  He brings so much joy and humor(literally) to our family.  He chose to eat at Genghis Grill for his birthday dinner. Fun times for sure.

It is starting to feel like fall around here and I was in the mood to start some fall decorating.. started with the back porch.  The kids roasted marshmallows and now we are enjoying watching some college football.  Alabama vs Ole Miss.

 

 

Existing

Well my word for the New Year was Present. I wanted to be present in the moment, in every moment rather than looking back and saying, Wow! I don't remember the details of that situation or memory.  Well it is September and I have to say I did great for a while but lately I have failed miserably. Rather than being Present I have just Existed. I have had a few blows with the death of my Mother-in-Love and the heart attack and surgery of my Father.  There have also been a few issues in my life but most of which I have brought on or allowed because I completly lost focus for a bit, my focus was on me and how I felt and how I was  going to fix it and how I was treated unfairly( way to many I's in that last sentence and that was a lot of the problem). Trying to be everything to everyone and be everywhere is completely exhausting and overwhelming it was so easy to slip back to just existing from event to event.    Thankfully back on track of trying to be Present with the Lord's help of course!!
Have a blessed Tuesday!!

A week in the life of our soccer players

Had a pretty busy week with soccer.  Carson's team won their tournament last weekend, Cameron's team won their tournament this weekend and Chandler's team won last night 5-0.  If I sit and think about our crazy schedules I have know idea how we do  practices, games, school, homework, projects, church, jobs, laundry, house cleaning.. the list goes on but somehow we make it work and not perfectly for sure but it is our life and we do our best.  Our boys know we love them and the Lord and really after that nothing else matters... oh except sleep..haha
Have a wonderful week!!

So Much has happened

So much has happened since I have last written.  Even the page setup that I am writting on right now is different.

Since February- Chandler turned19, Carson turned 10, We ended the school year in May.
Chandler left for Columbus, Ohio where he played with the u19 & U20 teams.  David, Carson, Cameron and I visited him and while there we went to Kings Island(what a blast!!) The U19 team won Nationals, it was televised and was so exciting to see our son play soccer on t.v.
My mother-in-love( diagnosed with Alzheimers 3 yrs ago)  fell on June 14th, feeling that he couln't keep her safe at home anymore at home as this was the 3rd fall, my father-in-love decided it best to put her in a nursing home, she spent 1 wk in the hospital, 1 wk in the nursing home, 1 wk in the hospital again, 1 wk in a hospice facitliy and then quietly took her last breath  with family surrounding her on July 15th.  Thankfully we were able to get Chandler home in time to see her before she passed even though she did not recognize any of us in the end.  She was a fiesty fun woman and has been greatly missed.  Father-in-love is trying to keep busy but misses her so.
Finising the story--Chandler started soccer back at U of M, another school year has begun for Carson, Cameron and I. David has continued working and just celebrated 29 years with FedEx. My Dad had a mild heart attack and thankfully was able to get by with surgery that put in two stents rather than by-pass surger, so we are praying that this along with diet/exercise changes he will be back to himself very soon. We just got back from a soccer tournament in Atlanta last night for Carson's team where they won 1 game and tied 2 but didn't advance.  Now going to spend this Labor Day preparing for the week and going to see our favorite #5 play tonight in the Tiger's game.

Now after recapping 6 months in 1 paragraph I guess it really isn't necessary to write daily. ha!!As I looked through the pictures that I wanted to choose for this post I realized I really should blog more often because there really are do many other things that occured and details that I want to remember.  I have to try to make the time to record these days as I know my memory is not as good as it once was.. ha

Well it's been a while and I am full swing back into teaching, taking my kiddos to basketball practices and games-- Close to the end though and time to move onto Soccer full time. We have been practicing for the last 3 or so weeks but due to basketball haven't made very many soccer practices. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed at my schedule that I really try to only concentrate on one day at a time-which seems to make it more manageable.

Chandler is about to go to Brazil with his college team and he is pretty pumped about that. We are so proud of him. He has recently rededicated his life for the Lord and has changed his already pleasant attitude to an even better one. He is leaning on the Lord for so many life decisions right now..

Carson and Cameron are the ones keeping us hopping around with all their activities but as long as they are happy and thriving well we will continue running them everywhere.

I don't want to wish away any day as I know we are not guaranteed tomorrow, but I do look forward to the summer. The school year is just long enough to pour myself into the lives of the ones God has put into my class. In the three years I have been teaching I can honestly say I don't have a favorite class. They are like my own children each class with a different dynamic and personalities..

We did visit Yogart Mountain last night. What an awesome place. A little pricy but I will for sure be back!!

About to start my busy weekend.
Praying for a great one!
Blessings,

My Mouth, My Heart

I read this in my quiet time this morning:

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 14:23-- the note regarding the verse said that if we store up good things in our hearts, our words and actions will be good. "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks"-- this was somewhat convicting to me this morning. I had to ask myself what is in my heart? What is coming out of my mouth? Oh it is easy to have sweet kind words overflowing when things are going good or going "my way" but what about when I have been hurt or wronged? Then it can be a different picture. Oh it shouldn't be but it usually is-- The Bible tells me to keep your tongue from evil-- it doesn't say keep your tongue from evil only if you feel like it... so Lord, as I was very convicted by these vereses in my quiet time today I ask that you help me to guard my heart so that when I am hurting (like now) only things that are pleasing to you will come out of my mouth and that rather than going to the phone to complain about my hurts to others in a negative way, I will go to your throne and leave my hurts at your feet.

And to think---- I thought I didn't have time for a quiet time this morning.. This was a message I needed to hear today. Thank you Lord for your Word.

Some things that make me smile....

Watching Chandler play soccer

Seeing Cameron put this on after I burned the bacon
Looking goofy while trying to stay warm at a ridiculously cold soccer game
My young ones dressed as baseball players for Halloween since they decided at the last minute to go out

Hubs and Cameron at a Tiger game with the Tiger

catching a fish in the backyard

Organinzation in the garage

everyone's toothbrush in one bathroom--makes for hectic mornings but fun conversations occur over the two sinks

organization in the bathroom

and of course The Cross where My Lord paid it all for my sins!(I took this one night in front of our church and thought they looked so pretty)

Blessings

Happy Monday/Happy Birthday!

Back to school today.. I challenged by 5th graders to think of one word for the year.. Can't wait to hear what they come up with..
Although I am exhausted, and there have been a few changes at work that affect me, I choose to have a positive attitude and to trust in the Lord for his leading.



I have to wish my son's girlfriend, Cathleen, or as Cameron calls her "CathAleen" a happy 19th birthday... we love this young lady!!

Blessings

Yes or No? In or Out? Up or down? Open or Close?-- so many choices yet so often I let life make or dictate the choice for me.. Not any more......

I was challenged by an article in the Praise and Coffee web magazine on the Praise and Coffee blog about choosing one word to focus on for the year. I loved all the words that she used in the article so I tried to make some of them fit in my life and they could have but I wanted the Lord to give me a word that would challenge me and my life. I waited and prayed for 3 days and today the word came..... So without further ado....... the word is ..... CHOICE .... I seem to forget that I always have a choice. My circumstances, don't have to dictate my response and yet so often they do. I can choose to be happy in any and all circumstances, I can choose to not respond hatefully, I can choose not to gossip, I can choose to treat my family with the love and respect they deserve, I can choose to read my Bible every day, I can choose to pray,I can choose to be the best teacher I can be, I can choose to say no.... there are so many choices that I can make.. rather than feeling trapped by my circumstances I choose to embrace them and be present in the moment whether it is a good moment or a bad moment....

So if you were to think about it what one word would you choose(another choice ha!) for your new year?
Blessings,

Do you need a little inspiration????Got it right here!

I am the oldest of three girls. I love my sisters. Sandy, the middle sister and I have always looked the most alike-we look like our mom's side of the family. Debbie has always looked more like my dad's side of the family. Sandy was never overweight in high school, she has struggled some as an adult but has always had pretty good control over it. I, too was very thin in high school but have struggled my entire adult life with my weight and am currently about 50lbs heavier than I would care to be so overweight is the term I am labeled right now.(Having said all of that about me I must tell you I have a saint for a husband who truly loves me just the way I am . I know he would like for me to be healthier but everyday he asks me how I could be more beautiful today than the day we met? In fact he will probably be upset with me for talking bad about myself because he hates it when I do that. I seem to self deprecate a lot!!!)

I have digressed because this post is supposed to be about my sister..

Debbie, the youngest has always struggled with her weight. She was an overweight child, a happy child that had tons of friends and a family that loved her but the weight kept mounting and I know she tried to take it off several times but, like most of us, it never worked for very long.. Well as she was watching Biggest Loser one night something clicked for her and she never turned back...
I am so incredibly proud of her taking control of her life in this area. She has worked very hard and used the weight watchers program. She is truly an inspiration.



Sandy- the middle one



Debbie with her family about a year before she started her journey
Debbie and her kiddos with Ruby- from TV-- she drove a couple hours to workout with her and tons of other people
Debbie today-- love it!!! She does say after so many years of being overweight she has to deal with accepting the new her and trying to keep it off.
She started in May of 2010 and had lost over 100 pounds by May of 2011--this picture was taken 1 year and 5 months into her journey.
I am sooooooo proud of her- She got off the couch and out from in front of the TV-she made no more excuses and just did it.... She is an inspiriation!!!! Love you Day Day!!!

Here's hoping that she has inspired me enough to begin, yet again....


Blessings,

Well hello 2012, nice to meet you!

A skinnier me??
A more organized me??




Thank you 2011 for all the blessings the Lord bestowed upon our family but also for being yet another year that my resolutions didn't last past a day or two. Why am I thankful for that you ask?? Well it is just another reminder that I can do nothing in my own power-- well I can for about a day or 2 then any little power I thought I had is all but gone.... I have resolved to lose weight, have more patience, be a better wife and mother, be a better friend, be more organized, be more spiritual, save more money,,, and so on and so on and so on. Year after year after year.. I am by nature an optimist so I truly do believe every year that this will be THE YEAR,, but it never is the year for me. To be honest I could probably be in the Guiness book of World records for the person who has joined Weight Watchers and quit the most times in a 20year period.. but please don't turn me in-- I couldn't stand all the attention! Unless of course there is a cash prize for such a dishonor and then at least one of my resolutions could be achieved. ha!
All kidding aside all I want this year is to be present in the moments of my life, the good and the bad. I am so busy and tired that often times I wake up and say to myself -- just get through the next two days and you will have a small break-- I have wished the day away and that is an awful thing to realize. I want to wake up in the morning and say Lord here I am, use me as you will-- I want to bless someone today in the busyness of the day--do one of my students need an extra hug today?, does my husband need an extra measure of mercy today that I would normally not give?, do my own children need to see that mom didn't go ballistic because things didn't go the way they were "supposed" to(her way)???? This is what I desire for this year.. to be present! I can only do this through drawing closer to the Father.. If I have an hour a day to search pinterest/facebook/twitter but not time for the Father what a slap in His face! I don't want to have a once a week relationship with my heavenly Father. The thought of my own children only wanting to fellowship with me one hour a week is a sickning one, yet at times is that all I am giving my heavenly Father??? I would have to admit that yes this is true at times.
The only thing that defines me is my relationship with Lord. Not how skinny or overweight I am, not how much or how little money I have, not how much or how little STUFF I have, not how many friends I have or don't have, It has to be all about Jesus, I know this in my head, I know that all areas of my life will fall into place if I put Jesus first. I DID NOT say my life would be easy and without tough times, but His Word says He will never leave nor forsake me, He is my strong tower, so I have to believe that I would be able to endure tough times because of a stronger relationship with Him. Now I just need to transfer that head knowledge to my heart.

So here it is--- Jesus was a present(a free gift, yet a sacrifice) from the Father now I want to BE present for Him- I want to show up for my life!


Blessings for the New Year to each of you!