Stuck At Home

Yes, I am. Trace took the van, left me the carseat but didn't leave a key to the car. I had a long to do list and now it will all be pushed until tomorrow. OK.

It wouldn't hurt anything for me to stay home a day. I am always going, going, going. There are so many things to do here! I can go through the kids' clothes and toys, clean out closets, dust, read and play with my babies, etc...

So, anyone want to come over? I've got some fresh cucumbers, squash and cookies(in my best luring voice)... Come on! You know you want to!

Ooh, Ooh That Smell...

AAAHHH! I am forever smelling pee-pee! I don't think if you were to walk in my house you'd smell pee, but its in my nostrils.

My three-yr-old, who is the culprit behind all the pee, is challenging (putting it nicely). I like Maja's term for her- "The One God Uses to Sanctify Me". Anyway, she is potty trained, at least most of the time. She never wets the bed, never has accidents in public or at MDO, but for some reason she will pee in front of the toilet-in the floor! Yeah, IN FRONT OF THE TOILET!!! Then, she proceeds to walk around in it before she comes through the house to find me and tell me of her deed. So, I find pee-pee footprints in the carpet, usually by stepping on them! Darn it!

It wouldn't irritate me so if she was playing and forgot and even peed in the floor of her bedroom. That I can understand. But, its worse when she stands IN FRONT OF THE TOILET (I just have to cap that everytime because its so absurd), pee always gets on the hand wash only bathroom rug and I end up not knowing where the pee is on the carpet throughout the house (until we step on it).

Why such a frustration? She does all the time! Its happened twice in three days! At least twice a week she does this! And we just cleaned all the carpet in the house because we need to sell it. (Hope no potential buyers are reading this!)

Highlights From Today

My last post was a little heavy, but my day was light and fun! So, here are some fun highlights from my day:

1. Went swimming at Maja's - That's always fun! I love being with all those special ladies! The crowd was light today, which was nice because with less children, the Mommas could actually get in the pool and have fun too!
2. Getting a swimsuit!- Yeah, I know, that's not usually an enjoyable topic. Heather and I went together (post-swimming) with our kids. Wasn't sure how smart of an idea that was, but to our surprise they were excellent! We went to TJ Maxx, where we found millions of swimsuits and they all fit, except for the whole cleavage thing! So, then we headed to Wal-Mart where I found the one I originally liked, so I bought it. It covers where it needs to, so to celebrate, we split an Almond Joy! It was so fun trekking across B'ham with ya, Heather!
3. I got to talk to Kim! She called and we got to chat for a few minutes and the boys talked. Cully and I both needed that! We miss the Hills terribly!! As badly as I need the time to prepare for Camp Cornerstone, I want it to be here so we can see our friends!
4. Eric is spending the night with us! - Eric is really a funny, sweet kid. It is always good for Cully to have a friend over to keep him busy! They have played nonstop, and now they are watching Star Wars in their sleeping bags. Yes, its almost 11pm (Sorry Heather) At 9pm, Eric asked if they could stay up late. I asked "What time do you normally go to bed?" He answered " On days I have school...7:00". Well, little guy, you're already staying up late. At least they showered and brushed teeth, I'm not all fun and games! It's summer!
5. The house is dark and quiet and mostly clean. I am sleepy, but I want to stay up and read and savor the quiet. I'm reading I Capture the Castle again. Umm, so good! If you haven't read it, you must borrow my copy immediately(well, when I'm finished or if you can refer me to another excellent read)!

Good night all!

Mercy

This topic has really been on my mind the last few days. Trace is the Mercy Ministry chairman, so he handles the mercy calls. He really doesn't tell me much, but there are some tough cases that he needs to share sometimes and we'll pray together for them.

Sometimes the people who call are con artists from way back and need a good, swift kick in the pants (at least, that's what I think). That's where I see God's call on Trace to do this job is so evident. He is a gracious and merciful man and will try to show them the gospel, even when he has to tell them "No". My first reaction is to roll my eyes and dismiss them. I can be skeptical and cynical at times.

Then, there are times of real need. This week, there seems to be a real need to rescue. Please pray for this family, as there are a lot of children involved and its very messy. That's what grabs my heart, the helpless children who don't understand, still trying to deal with very real emotions and changes in their life with little or no support. And how will this effect them as adults? I hope that we can help rescue these people and they will see Jesus and He will change their lives for the next generation. I'm so glad He uses His people to do this! How wise He is!

From this, I see our spiritual need for mercy. But, beyond that, I have had to deal with fears in my own heart. I've mentioned before my struggle is God's Provision. I deal with anxiety that He will one day pull the rug out from under me and we will have nothing. That's ridiculous, I know. But it happens to people everyday, one big thing happens (losing a job or in an accident) and they lose everything and struggle to obtain any kind of stability. I've had to pray for the Lord to help me work through those thoughts this week and trust Him. We are about to be at a place in our lives where we will own very little, during a time when people work their whole lives to have every possession. I want to give up any need for control and just rest in Him.

I'm thankful for all the beautiful things He has blessed me with and a relationship with the Creator, that I know I can rest in Him. Most people don't know the goodness of God, the loving Father He is. We need to tell them! How has the gospel impacted your life and don't others need to be rescued? Then, why don't I live that way?

God, help me, that I am so anxious of losing my wordly possessions, and not anxious enough that people are losing their souls.

Among the Living Again!

About 10:00 last night, we got our service back! Too late to call or be called, but I'm just glad its not something wrong that would require effort and money on our part. Just a temporary technical difficulty!

Call me...please!

Dead Zone

Have you ever seen the Verizon commercials? The Dead Zone. That's where we live tonight. A few hours ago, while expecting an important call and needing to make an important call, we noticed our cell phone has NO BARS! Aaaahhh! Trace drove around town trying to get a signal and never did. He even saw a lady walking around her front yard raising her phone in the air and looking at it (clearly looking for a signal) and he stopped and asked her "Are you looking for a signal? Are you a T-Mobile customer?" Her answer was "Yes" to both. So, at least its not only us! Its frustrating and nice at the same time. We need to connect with the outside world, but its also kind of nice that we can't.

Videos from Hoo-ville

I love to watch my children play and entertain themselves! I was secretly taping Ansley playing and she saw me! I love her reaction!

It was a toss up between this song and Cullen singing "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend Was A Freak Like Me".