Overwhelmed

There are many times I feel overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, bills, activities, chores, emotions, and sometimes, even people. When I was depressed "overwhelmed" was my word. I told myself often that I was overwhelmed. As God healed me He used the words of Psalm 61:2 to speak to me. "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."  So many times now, He has led me to a rock that is higher than me. In times of need He has provided. In times of busyness He has given me rest. In times of discontentment and grumbling He has opened my eyes to just how blessed I am. 

This last week I've experienced a different kind of "overwhelmed".  Over and over God has reminded me of where He has brought me. Where He has brought me from. And it's overwhelmed me. When I say "God is good", I mean it. The other night I drove up to my house with fall decorations and a yard full of scooters, tricycles and balls. And I wanted to cry. I had just heard a heartbreaking story about a girl whose life will never be the same because of a tragic circumstance. And it occurred to me how unbelievably blessed I am that God's grace has covered so many of my bad choices and His Spirit has empowered me to avoid others. It is overwhelming.

I often share stories of the chaos and craziness of motherhood. I can't tell you we've outgrown that stage. Just today Kate didn't want to stay at school because she didn't like her shirt and my tire went flat as soon as I got home from the school. But, in the midst of the craziness and chaos, I have felt overwhelmed by the gift I've been given by having these little people in my life.  Their Daddy, too. I've given up asking God why He's been so good to me. I've just started thanking Him. I've learned it's all Him. 

Highlights of my week in motherhood:

* Wednesday night Eli wrote "E loves Mommy" on his paper at church. What can I say? Mommy loves E.  :)

* Today Kate asked me what she should name her kids. I know, this should be terrifying after her announcement that she has a boyfriend. But I love that she thinks being a Mommy is  a good thing. She decided on the names Jasper and Kyla.  

* Before deciding on names for her children Kate told me she wants to be a ballerina firefighter. I hope that means she will entertain people while the fires are being put out.

* At dance last night Sarah had a slap bracelet. I took it and was playing with it while I watched the girls dance. I realized I was bleeding and had somehow managed to cut myself with a slap bracelet. (I am talented like that.) Sarah was so upset and threw the bracelet away right there! This morning I had already forgotten all about it, but the first thing she asked me was how my hand was. She is so compassionate!

* Tonight, Eli asked if he could go grocery shopping with me. I decided to just take him because I feel like I don't spend as much one on one time with him. I couldn't believe he wanted to go grocery shopping, but he wanted to hold the list and mark stuff off. I think he may have also figured out he has a better chance of getting a few extra things that he really likes if he "helps" with the shopping. :)

* I'm in love with these babies. And overwhelmed that God loves me enough to put them in my life!

Whatnot Wednesday

* We survived Halloween. All 8 weeks of it. Seriously, I don't remember Halloween ever being so involved. The good news this year was that all of my kids picked super easy, super cheap things they wanted to be. A cat, a Seminole, and Rapunzel. And they were pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

I really need to fix my F on my pumpkin, but I figure, why bother? I should probably wait until Kate is 10.

* Speaking of Kate, she informed us last night that she has a boyfriend. And that they were moved to different tables. That sounded like trouble to me, but her teacher assured me they moved all the kids around. Thank goodness! I don't know what to do with this news. Sarah has NO interest in boys and I actually found something she had written kind of like a journal entry where she talked about one of her friends and she said, "I don't know what's wrong with her. I think she likes boys."  Yeah, Sarah, what is up with that????

* I think I've changed my mind about the colors for our family pictures. I actually got out of bed at 12:30 last night to Google sweaters and dresses and shoes. For real. This is getting out of hand. I'm not sure why I'm obsessing over this so much. Have I mentioned that I'm not even sure if we have a time between now and Christmas that we could have them made? That may be God's way of telling me to GET OVER COLOR SCHEMES FOR PICTURES. SLEEP.  Ya think?

* Tonight I had a really neat activity for church to teach the 10 Commandments. I had cut up slips of paper with all of the commandments and put them in envelopes. I left one commandment out of each envelope and attached a piece of candy to it.  The kids had to glue the commandments in order and guess which one they were missing. It kind of turned into chaos and craziness. Especially when I realized I left the envelopes with the slips of paper at my house. That's right, I put the envelopes I had prepared back in the box and took the empty envelopes to church!!! I had to get someone to sit with the kids while I ran to my house. I decided then and there that is why God made me a preacher's wife. So I will always live in the parking lot of the church to be able to run back and get stuff I forget. 

* Kate and I had a great talk about commandments while I was preparing. I told her they were rules. Like that we shouldn't steal. She said, "Or be still. Or eat candy. And go to bed."  Gotta love the commandments according to Kate. :)

* When I got home tonight "My Best Friend's Wedding" was on. I love that movie, but it still breaks my heart. It also always makes me long for a night of dining accompanied by our table breaking out in "I Say a Little Prayer For You".   I remember my friend Pao had the soundtrack for that movie and we spent many a day in her car belting it out.

* Two of my guys from theater class needed a ride home after practice today. One of them could not find his shoes. We thought some of the other kids took them so we went to find them, but they didn't have them. And the school was locked by this point. I asked him if he had any other shoes. He said the only other pair he had were in his locker. In the locked gym. We ended up having to go back to the elementary school and the two guys somehow managed to find a way in (I don't want to know how.)  Did I mention this guy is in 9th grade? It gives me no hope for my future. I was really hoping that by the time my kids are that age I will not spend 95% of my life looking for shoes. Seems like there is no such hope....

* We are planning go to our high school's homecoming game this weekend. We haven't been to one since we graduated. I'm wondering how old it will make us feel.

What has your week looked like? Do you have any "big" plans for the weekend?

Grace for Stinky Feet and Pew Crawling Toddlers

Tonight we had a joint service with 2 other churches for a 5th Sunday night sing. It was a great time of praise   and worship and I was sooo proud of our kids who sang. That's a new thing for our church. We just started Children's Church about a month ago and it is going really well. So exciting. Anyway, I had invited someone who has been coming to our morning services to come tonight and she did. I sat with her and her 2 year old and 7 month old and it brought back so many memories. We also had a 5 year old and a 2 year old behind us and the children's choir in front of us. My favorite moment was when Kate, who was on the pew in front of me on the opposite end waited until the end of a song and the beginning of the pastor's announcements to scream "I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!"  Anyway, the little ones on the pew with me were very good, but it was a two hour service, and let's face it, that's a long service for babies. At one point the 2 year old laid on the floor and of course you know what's coming next. She started crawling under the pew. I got her up about 50 times. I told her mom that all kids do that at that age. And I wasn't just saying that to make her feel better. Seriously, all of mine did that. I may not be experienced at many things, but toddlers in church, that I know. :)

This morning Josh preached about the things in our lives that seem like trials, but are really blessings. They are things that God is using to grow patience, perseverance and peace. I have some more serious, life altering experiences that I would put in that category, but tonight I started thinking how not having a nursery when my kids were toddlers and babies felt like a huge trial to me. I dreaded church. I suffered shame and embarrassment, both from things my kids did and ways that I reacted to it. I felt like a failure on a weekly basis. I know it seems silly. SO not a major trial. But, it was for me and I will forever be eternally grateful for the people who offered to hold a baby or entertain a toddler for me. They were doing more than baby holding. They were showing God's love in the way I needed to be loved. So, tonight, I realized that it didn't phase me to pick that sweet girl up off the floor 50 times. And I didn't think one time (even when Kate screamed out her urinary needs), "What are people thinking?"  I just sang and held babies. And I praised God. Because He's grown me. And I needed to see that after a week of feeling like I've taken 60 steps backwards. And I praised Him for those pews of babies and young children who were  learning by example how to praise and worship the God of the Universe. As we sang, "Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin"  babygirl started jumping up and down laughing and clapping. A few years ago I probably would have grabbed my kids hand and given them THE LOOK. Not tonight. I laughed and prayed that I would have that same reaction to God's grace in my life. He has shown me so much grace.


On that note, I thought I would share a post I wrote a couple of years ago. November 15, 2009 to be exact. It was originally called "The The Scent of the Worship Service is Smelly Feet".

This is my list of apologies to all of those church members whose trial by fire is unfortunately sitting near me and my circus of children during worship service. I'm sorry. So sorry.


* I apologize to the person sitting right in front of me and Kate. I know that Kate insisted on putting her feet on your back and trust me, we had a come to Jesus meeting about it.


* I apologize that Sarah Beth is the noisiest colorer known to mankind.


*I apologize if you heard me getting on to Sarah during prayer for being the noisiest colerer ever.


* I apologize if you have been unfortunate enough to glance up and see my backside bent over peeling Kate off of the floor.


*I apologize if I distracted you by banging my index finger into the pew showing Eli exactly where he needed to place his backside. I extra apologize if Kate distracted you even more when she had to imitate me.


*I apologize to the deacon I almost tackled trying to get to the bathroom. I really should have gone before class.


*I apologize for not being able to shush Kate when she began pointing at the stainglass window and talking about Jesus' nose.


*I apologize to anyone who may have stepped on a stray fruit snack that fell from our pew.


*I extra repentantly apologize to those who were seated close enough to get a whiff of Eli's feet when he disobediently took his shoes off. We all paid for that sin!!!!!!!!!!


Okay, I feel better. I've shared my apologies. Now, those of you who don't have to sit near us in church service-GO SAY A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday Follow-Up

Okay, so I am obviously a Whatnot Wednesday drop-out these last couple of weeks. I just cannot get it together, y'all. But, I would not want you to have to start your weekend wondering what has happened in my life this week. I know that would be tragic. :) So, here are the random events, thoughts and feelings of my life in a very random, most likely non-chronological order.

*  We've been having a problem with Kate and the bathroom. You always know when she's been in the bathroom because it looks like the rapture has happened. You will find a pile of panties, pants, sock and shoes all there, like she was supernaturally lifted out of them. I have not been able to figure out this phenomenon. There's no sign of an accident. Just clothes. Well, the other day she told Josh that she had to change because there were "raindrops" on her panties. So there you go, mystery solved. For the rest of the day I couldn't get that song, "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" out of my head. Ewww.......

* I am currently feeling like a failure as a mother. Today the kids were walking over to the high school to march through the halls and scream "JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS!" I went last year and walked with Eli and Sarah asked if I would go with her today. I just didn't have it in me. I haven't been feeling so great this week and as a result of that my house looks like 50 tornadoes have come through. I just didn't know if I had it in me to go marching and come home and recover my house. It was a one or the other kind of deal. Don't worry, I asked Sarah if she would forgive me for not coming and made her promise that she would not do drugs when she gets older. 

*  My purchases from the store last weekend.  Oh the irony........

* We are getting a new steam cleaner today and it is the highlight of my week. I also came to the realization this week that there is a profound connection to the cleanliness of our kitchen and my emotional well-being. I am so relieved all of the pumpkin painting, cake baking, and costume creation are done. The last few weeks my kitchen/dining room have served as an art studio/tool workbench/a little bit of space to cook and eat too. Stressed.me.out.

* Oh yeah, Halloween isn't over, is it?  Last weekend we had the school and church's fall festivals and while they were fun, I'll just be honest. I'm over it. Too bad for me. Just got the note that Kate's party will be at 10:30. Eli's is at 1:40. Haven't heard about Sarah's yet. That night is "Ghost on the Coast". You may remember that last year our girl's danced to "Thriller". They are dancing again and this will be the first thing my kids actually dress up for. Well, Kate dressed for the school's fall festival last week. Sarah's teacher told her that their grade didn't dress up so Eli decided he wouldn't either. Kate was still cool with it. Would you believe it if I told you my child was THE ONLY one dressed up? Yes, you would. But it's cool. She's going as Rapunzel and she's already worn this dress to church so, no biggie....

* I worked booths most of the time at both festivals so Josh was in charge of pics and then Mammy played photographer for me at the church one.  Here are a couple of my faves.

Lord, help us all!! They BOTH won sodas at the ring toss. I was actually taking tickets at the ring toss at the time they played so you may think it was rigged, but TRUST ME,  I would have rigged it for them NOT to win!!! 

I look terrible in this pic, but cut me some slack. I had just spray painted about 50 kid's heads. Anyway, I just share it because it is my first official "my child is a tween and her social life is everything and I just told her her friend couldn't spend the night and you can tell she wants nothing to do with me" picture. Pretty special, right?

So, at the church's fall festival the lady who was face painting got sick and I was asked to help out. There were 800 people lined up and the lady doing it started feeling sick so I jumped in. However, when a kid asked for 2 different color lines under his eyes like a football player and I messed that up, I called for reinforcements. I went and got Josh from the bowling booth and told him he was face painting. He was way too eager. I found out why.

I had been soooo excited about working the bowling booth, but for some reason it had never occurred to me that I would have to pick those pins up. EVERY.STINKIN'.TIME. My sweet MIL helped me (and I'm pretty sure she will plan a trip out of town during our fall festival next year :) and we spent as much time knocking the pins down as the kids did. That was a workout! Made me feel a little better about the 450 pounds of sugar I ate that weekend.

* In additional fall festible (that's what Eli calls them) news, Kate and her friend Peyton decided they want to be firefighters when they grow up. You can't tell by her face, but Kate LOVED the firetruck. 

* Nate the Great came to Eli's reading class last week. So fun! I just love teachers who come up with neat stuff like this. 

* Theatre practice has started full force this week. It's serious business. We've got to get it together. I have a small panic attack any time I look at the calendar. We are doing "A Suessifed Christmas Carol"  and pretty much have a month now to work on it. Let me tell you some of the ideas the kids have had. One boy suggested we play a song at the end. I've never heard it, but apparently it is from "Rocky Horror Picture Show". That just screams Christmas and Children's Theater, doesn't it?  Reminds of the time I was in charge of a Christian event at my high school called "First Priority". We planned a big thing in the gym and I asked a friend and his band to play. They totally started out by playing that Pink Floyd song, "Another Brick in the Wall".  Here are the lyrics:

We don't need no education We don't need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the classroom Teachers leave the kids alone Hey, teacher, leave the kids alone ! All in all it's just another brick in the wall All in all you're just another brick in the wall Perfect. Can you think of a better song for a Christian event taking place at a high school. I know, right? The other idea the kids had has to do with solving a casting issue. We only have 13 cast members and several of them are playing multiple parts. There's a scene where we need several children. So, my cast decided I need to order 25 cardboard cutouts of Justin Beiber. I know, it's like they read my mind. :) One of my girls actually insisted I write that down on my prop list. I'm so glad I've already turned in my budget proposal. Can't you just see me putting in a request for 25 Justin Beiber cutouts? Where does one even get such a thing? This may not be the most professional, put together performance ever, but I feel that I can safely advertise it as a show like people have never seen!!!!!!!!! * Kate's teacher told us that she is really coming out of her shell and that she is SILLY! A child of mine, silly? I'm shocked!!! :) Whew, we made it. Sorry this is so long, but I forget EVERYTHING if I don't blog it. I've been wondering all week why I've been so tired. Think I just remembered. :)   What has your week (or 2)  been like?

Unique

Do you ever notice a theme in your life? Like, everything you read or things that people say to you all go back to one thing? Well, I'm noticing a theme. Actually, I'm noticing two and they seem to be merging. At least I think they are. I'm gonna try to explain what I"m talking about here.


The first thing I feel like God has been dealing with me about is uniqueness. Last week I was reading a Hermie book to Kate and it is all about realizing that God makes everyone unique. It actually uses the word "unique" and Kate asked what it means. By that point all 3 of my kids were gathered around me and it became a very teachable moment. We talked about the physical ways we are unique. That made me think about the day that Kate was looking at a family picture we had made before she was born. She asked where she was and it was hard to explain to her. I told her God was still making her. She asked, "And my curly hair?" "Yep", I told her. Eli responded with, "God has a curling iron????" Ha! That still cracks me up. We also talked about the other ways we are unique. But even as I explained "unique" to my kids, it is still something I struggle to grasp. I mean, to really understand and appreciate that we are all unique.


Deep down I am a conformist. I strive for "normal", "acceptable", and "okay". I will never forget (for many reasons :) my first "girl exam". I had a nice, but goofy nurse practitioner and upon examination she very quickly told me, "Don't worry. You're normal." *sigh of relief*  :)  Apparently she had met plenty of young women who needed to be assured that they were, indeed, "normal".  Let's face it, nobody wants to be on a dr's examining table and hear, "Well that's different."  You know what I mean? So, anyway, back to the whole normal thing. We often talk about being special, or unique or other such things, but deep down, I think most of us just want to fit in. I say most, but I know not all. I absolutely stand in awe of people who are different and are okay with it. They rock my world. There is a middle school girl I've worked with who is so okay with herself. In middle school y'all! Can you think of a harder time to be different? And by different I mean, she looks different, wears her hair different. She's into different things. The other day I was watching a guy watch her and I thought, 'I think he gets her.'  And it occurred to me that I wish I realized at that age that instead of investing every spare moment of my life trying to become who I thought people wanted me to be, that I would have just waited for people who "got me". My friend Lori commented on this post where I asked what you would tell your 16 year old self if you could go back. She said, "It's okay to be different. It's good to be different. God can make different beautiful."    I LOVE that! I love that Lori is the one who said it because she is someone who I admire so much for being herself and being okay with who she is. And she is fabulous! 


So, that brings me to the next theme in my life. One that I'm sure you've noticed, if you've read many of my blogs, runs rampant in my life:  People pleasing. French fries and people pleasing = my kryptonite. It's a lifelong struggle of mine. I've overanalyzed it, psychoanalyzed it, prayed about, discussed it, claimed to get better, blah, blah, blah. And here I am. Teaching my kids that we are all made unique and that it is a good thing, but I don't seem capable of believing it. Deep down I'd really prefer that I just be exactly whatever it is people would like me to be. I would like to always say the right things, do the right things and look the right way. I don't always know what "right" is, but I usually come to the conclusion that it is what other people think, want, feel, as opposed to what I think, want, feel. Any of you struggle with that? The thing is, for years now I've known that the enemy has used it to discourage me. And I mean, Discourage, with a capital D. Is there anything harder than trying to be everybody but yourself? Or trying to constantly figure out what people want or expect from you? It's pretty tough, even if you are a seasoned professional like myself. Well, within 2 days last week I had two different people who live in 2 different states and have no knowledge of the other's existence bring this issue of mine to life. The first was a church member. We were talking about some things on a Wednesday night and I was asking her how she felt about some things and I must have gone into my epic paranoia of what so and so and so and so would think and she said, "You sure are worrying about what a lot of people are thinking."  Wow. It wasn't said in a mean way at all, just an honest statement of the facts. And all of a sudden, a lightbulb went off for me. And it was the realization that IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of people who walk all over others and could care less how other people think or feel. But at the same time, just because people may think differently about something than I do doesn't mean that it changes anything. I know, most of you probably came to understand this when you were 4 and you didn't care what people thought of your polka dot leggings and out of season sweater. Apparently, I missed this part of human development. 


Just two days later, my uncle shared a quote with me on my FB page. It says, "Instead of seeking purpose by comparing ourselves with others, we can discover God's purpose for our lives in the pages of the revealed Word." Kenneth Boa.  Wow, again. Again, I needed to hear this. Me? Compare myself to others? NEVER! The truth is, there isn't a person I haven't compared myself to. If I could just be as talented as that person. As spiritual. As pretty. As smart. As organized. As good of a parent. As preacher wife . Yes, I have thought that. A lot. For those of you who really know me, do you get what it is like for me? I'm a preacher's wife and a dance teacher and I don't feel particularly qualified to be either. On a good day I'm a bundle of insecurity questioning most of the decisions I've made in life. How exactly did I end up here, and how many people are wondering THE EXACT SAME THING??? 


After reading that quote on Friday I made it a new mission to work on the comparing thing. Again. And Sunday night wouldn't you know that a former pastor and pastor's wife from our church showed up? After a marathon of Fall Festivals this weekend and a turn in the nursery Sunday morning, I was hanging by a thread Sunday night. I can't tell you how close I came to just skipping. See? I'm so not spiritual enough. Anyway, I was totally in jeans and FLIP FLOPS and my hair appeared as though I hadn't brushed it in a few days. And these sweet people come and I think, 'She just LOOKS like a preacher's wife.' They sit behind me and as we are singing I think, 'He SOUNDS like a preacher.'  Insecurity overtakes me until I flip through our praise book and see "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" and I can almost hear Him ask me, "Who are you here for?"


And, that brings me to the icing on the cake of "Here's Your Sign" moments in relation to my people pleasing/comparing myself to others. A quote in a devotional that brings to my attention that this is more than a personal "issue" or one of my many idiosyncrasies. This is a SIN. Like a big one. Like a number one on the Ten Commandments kind.


"Beware of seeing yourself through other people's eyes There are several dangers to this practice. First of all, it is nearly impossible to discern what others actually think of you. Moreover, their views of you are variable: subject to each viewer's spiritual, emotional, and physical condition. The major problem with letting others define you is that it borders on idolatry. Your concern to please others dampens your desire to please Me, your Creator."


~Jesus Calling, Sarah Young p. 299


So, what is God trying to teach this insecure, people pleasing, mess of a girl. He made me unique. Some people may prefer to describe me as "weird", "strange" or something like that, but I'm going to choose not to care. :)  He is teaching me that things about me that I wish were more like someone else, are there for a reason. I get really down on myself for being a night owl instead of an early riser. I just feel like there has to be something spiritually wrong with me because I don't wake up singing "This is the Day the Lord Hath Made". There must be something wrong with me that I can't go to sleep before midnight, right? And yet today, I realized how many times I've had late night counseling sessions with brothers and sisters in Christ who couldn't sleep either. So, I'm deciding to look at my night owlness as more of a shift work thing in the Family of God. :)  I also can't stand the fact that I'm not a super neat freak and that my house and car look a little lived in. Okay, a lot lived in. But it dawned on me that if I were a total neat freak I probably wouldn't be very open to the herds of neighborhood children who come traipsing through my disaster of a house everyday. And, I don't play the piano and I 'm not a phone person. That's kind of a big deal when you're a preacher's wife. I don't know how to fix that, but I will tap dance and FB you all day long. :) What can I say? I'm different. And God can make different beautiful.

Picture It.....

There are 90 trillion blog posts floating around in my head. Some funny. Some serious. Some seriously serious. But, I just can't seem to focus to write any of them right now. I thought that instead I would bless you with my week (or month, or who knows when all of these pics are from?) in pictures. Earlier my computer said it was having communication difficulties with my camera. Apparently they've worked through their conflict, and good for them.

First, I have a picture here of my hubby spray painting baseball pants gold. This will eventually be a whole blog post when I explain in detail how to create the perfect FSU football player costume when all you have is baseball stuff. To get ready for that post make sure you have these things handy: 1. Gold spray paint 2. paper mache` and 3. An incredibly talented hubby. I am coining a new phrase, the "HDI project" as opposed to the DIY project. That stands for "Hubby did it". Yes, you will hear all about it soon. 

This here, is my first ever totally from scratch cake. It is a cinnamon roll cake and while it doesn't exactly look like the picture in the recipe, it smells really good. That counts for something right? We have 2 fall festivals this weekend and cake walks at both. I made this cake and also the Pumpkin Gooey Butter cake and I'm pretty sure I gained 15 pounds from licking the spoon. Oh well. Totally worth it. For the record, I've totally given up on making pretty cakes. I just go for taste and make them in pans you can lick.

                                                     No words needed. I heart them.

This is a Kate photography shot, but it just so sums up my life. Laundry and Mr. Clean. And a house that is so not clean.....

I'm not normally a fan of bathroom shots, but I just couldn't resist today. For some reason my husband thinks that the bathroom is a swell place to recharge electronics like his Kindle and the DS. I mean really, could we pick a place with more opportunities for water damage??? Anyway, I walked in to this scene today. I thought I would never get to use the bathroom. Kate told me she was "usin' the poo poo", but I think she just really didn't want to end her game. I went back in a few minutes later and Eli was in the bathroom with her! Apparently my bathroom has become party central. Yay.

The kids painted their pumpkins on Monday. I've been so bummed we don't have a pumpkin patch to go to, but we've made do. And my table still looks like that.....

Eli let me get this totally cute pic of him with his pumpkin. I'm so glad I got this chair from my Mom. My kids think it is the greatest thing ever and will totally let me take pics if they get to sit in it. Please note my pumpkin on the left. SOMEONE whose name starts with K and rhymes with ate thinks it's fun to pull the beans off. Little stinker!

                                                          My tap girls. They're so silly!

What do you get when you sit through an hour reading of "A Seussified Christmas Carol", preparing for 2 fall festivals, and 5 hours of dance?  You look like this! My brain is only capable of thinking in rhyme and tap rhythm.

Magical Moments

This weekend was full of all kinds of good things. Thought I would document them so I don't forget.

* Friday the kids spent the night with my Mom. That meant date night for me and Josh. Woo-hoo! We've had a busy few weeks and I felt like we had only seen each other passing through the revolving door at our house. We started at Wal-Mart and Target. You might be a married couple if you have to go Wal-Mart on a date. I have a gift card for Target and I wanted to try on some boots there. Not to get off of the subject of our date, but y'all, I cannot pull off the knee high boots over the jeans. I just can't. I was hoping for supermodel, but I looked more like Elmer Fudd headed out on a duck hunt. Oh well. We had supper at Olive Garden and got dessert to go. We took it to the marina and watched the sunset while we ate. We finished the night at an arcade. We haven't really figured out that we are grown ups yet.

* Saturday morning I set out on the search for the perfect accessories to decorate my porch for fall. Then, I headed to pick the kids up from my Moms. We all went to eat lunch at Beef o' Brady's and had fun. Most of the people there were watching football and we were smack dab in the middle of two sets of fans. One table would cheer and clap and then they would stop, turn and look at the other table and wait for them to take their turn cheering. There was also a table with beer on tap at their table and Eli wanted to know if we could get one with Sprite. I had to tell him no.

* We got home and I decorated our "porch". My Mom gave me a wicker chair she doesn't use anymore and I bought a cute fall welcome sign. I also made a pumpkin with our initial on it. I got the idea from Pinterest, and while mine is not perfect, I felt pretty proud of it. I was going to use a real pumpkin but I found a fake one at Michael's for $7 so I decided to use it so hopefully I can use it again in years to come. :)

I just hot glued white northern beans (that I just happened to have in my pantry, probably for some recipe I was going to try and never did) onto the pumpkin and prayed that the hot glue would not melt whatever it is this pumpkin is made out of. :)

*  Once my decorating was done it was time for Sarah and I to get ready. She and another girl from the dance studio were going to perform at our local Jr. Miss (now known as the "Distinguished Young Women" program) pageant. I could write a whole blog post about that experience. :) Sarah and Dianara performed their tap dance from last year's recital while the girls changed into their dresses. They did great and I was so proud of them!

I was planning to leave after they performed but of course Sarah wanted to stay and see who won. It ended up being almost 9:00! Josh went with his parents and took Kate and Eli out to see the youth group from our home church who were camping out close to us. We met them at Burger King for a late night supper and had a great time chatting with them. 

* This morning the youth came to our church service and it just blew me away to see them. One of the 6th graders was in the preschool when we went to church there. I felt bad, I didn't even recognize her, but she came up to give me a hug. Two of the Moms who were chaperoning are extra special to me. They were MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) leaders back in the day when I had a 2 year old Sarah and was expecting Eli. They were such awesome mentors for me as mothers and ministry leaders. I went on to become the MOPS leader the next year when their babies were too big for MOPS.  I am so thankful for those sweet ladies and thankful that they are still serving God, now in the youth group with their kids WHO MAKE ME FEEL REALLY OLD!!!!! :)

* After church one of our ladies offered to take all 3 of my kids to play with her granddaughter until evening service. It started out just Sarah, then turned into Eli and of course Kate turned on the crocodile tears and ended up going too. I felt so blessed. It is not often (okay, ever) that I have a quiet Sunday afternoon. I will be eternally grateful to that sweet lady!

* At church, the kids were exhausted. Kate crawled up in my lap and fell asleep. Eli and Sarah both cuddled up. I got to hear them sing. I realized I really missed them this weekend and I found myself admiring their freckled faces and being reminded how much they look like their daddy. It was a magical moment kind of deal. :)

* Now, it's Sunday night and there is no school or dance for the next two days! I don't know if I've ever been so excited for fall break. But I intend to observe this holiday in it's fullness and TAKE A BREAK!!! We'll see how that goes......