remember.

As the clock is winding down on another year of life, I reflect on the lessons, the people, and the blessings that have come my way.

I was just starting to get to know my baby boy, who was only a month old this time last year.
My family was getting used to our new geographical surroundings, having relocated to this area in September of '05.
I began a new business--a school of my own where I can teach music privately. Since beginning in the summer, I have gone from one student to twelve. And what a blessing each student has been. I hope I have been a blessing to them too.

We had some financial struggles, but through them we learned what it really means to depend on the Lord, and were miraculously blessed and provided for. As a result, we no longer tremble with fear when some difficult circumstance comes our way.
I watched my now ten year-old learn how to swim.
We were given an old vehicle, which we drove until we couldn't drive it anymore, and were then blessed with a new vehicle, which was one that I had specifically asked for in prayer.

I was pushed out of my comfort zone, going on outreaches, preaching the Gospel in English and Spanish, in neighborhoods, trailer parks, and at high school football games. Seeing the fruit of those outings is tremendously humbling. I am so grateful to be a part of what's happening here.
We saw really cool healings, remarkable salvations, and were constantly encouraged in our walk with the Lord.

Seeing my son take his first steps at nine months old was a trip.
Celebrating his first birthday was so much fun. His first milestone birthday. It was my oldest son's milestone birthday as well, turning double digits. Hubby also had a milestone birthday, turning 30. No milestone for me, but it was cool to see the three men in my life mark important milestones in their lives.

We learned how to truly abide in the Lord, to soak in His presence. It is so much less work than I ever thought it was. So fewer "steps." We just sit, turn up the worship music, and soak. No wonder I never could seem to keep my peace before.
We had encounters with angels. I can't sufficiently describe how cool that was.

I could go on, but this would end up being a really long post.

what's new.

Lots of people make New Year's resolutions that they attempt to keep but never do. I never make resolutions. I do make a list of goals at some point during the year. Those goals are things that I hope to accomplish by the end of that year. Then I go back the next year or a couple of years later and see what I was able to accomplish and what I wasn't. I cross off the list things that I did, or saw, or bought, and I'm surprised at what I actually did get done (even if it's only a couple of things...I tend to set pretty lofty goals!).

On the list for this coming year are some familiar goals--save more money than I spend (why is that sooooo hard??), find time to read some of the books in my library, learn to be a better artist, write those books. But there are some new goals too:

• learn how to disciple my students and not just feed them information
• do not be afraid to prophesy to a complete stranger
• make Christmas gifts for my loved ones this year--a recorded CD, calendars, book plates
• rejoice in watching my boys grow older with no regrets about how fast the time flies

I'm looking forward to crossing things off of this list.

nostalgia tuesday.

Being the day after Christmas, I decided to reminisce (did I spell that right??) about some of the Christmas gifts I received as a child. Some of them were extremely popular at the time, and some of them have stood the test of time and are still popular.

• a Mickey Mouse watch (wish I still had it; it would be collectible EBay-able material now.) I really wanted a Strawberry Shortcake digital watch (digital watches were the new thing then), but I ended up being perfectly happy with the Mickey Mouse one.
• a Baby Alive doll. With the powdered baby food and diapers and everything. I named her Maya. She had a little yellow dress and curly hair, and I remember I loved her very much. I think I was a pretty good mom too.
• an Easy Bake oven. I baked several cakes with that thing, including a birthday cake for my dad. I really thought I had it going on, like Betty Crocker or Julia Child or something.
• a black and yellow race-car big wheel. It had a timer on it and came with orange road cones so you could time yourself. I would go really fast, then pull up the break and spin around. It would make this schreeching noise just like fast cars spinning out do. That thing was so much fun. I wore it out.
• a pink Huffy Princess Power bike. I wore that thing out too. It was for me at the time to pop wheelies on it, even though I wanted to. I figured eventually I would upgrade to a BMX bike. Never did.
• a Malibu Barbie. I had so many Barbies. They were great fun. Never got the Dream House or the RV or the McDonalds or the Pink Corvette, but I did get the Silver Corvette one year. That was cool.
• a little Strawberry Shortcake playhouse. It was shaped like a big strawberry and would close up and you could carry it like a little case. Inside fit Strawberry Shortcake (who smelled like fruity goodness) and her furniture, which included a stove. She also had little pies with fixings that you could mix and match. I loved that toy.

When I was little, cable tv and Sony Walkmans were the in things to get, along with Ataris and Commodore 64's. And Apple Computers were just beginning to get popular. Now I've got a MacBook Pro on my wish list this year, my son loves his new IPod Nano and is begging me for an XBox 360, and cable tv just wouldn't be the same without Tivo. I guess we've come a long way.

Christmas cheer.

Well, here it is, not a week later, but a MONTH later!

Who knew I needed a month-long hiatus?

Apparently that's what I needed, because the three weeks after Thanksgiving and my son's birthday were spent nursing his illness, or my oldest son's illness, or MY illness. I couldn't even fully enjoy my own birthday on the 1st.

That's right. The three of us were dreadfully sick. And we kept re-infecting each other I guess, because it was about three weeks or so of straight misery before the baby's nose finally stopped running with slime. There were several days where at least one, if not all of us, were pretty much bedridden. I had trouble breathing for about a week and a half. Sudafed and Benadryl became fast friends of mine. Thank God my husband never caught it, whatever it was. It seems there was something horrendous going around; some of my students were sick too.

Fast forward to the past week, when we finally got our tree and decked our halls, got our Christmas shopping done, and took care of whatever else we needed to that didn't get taken care of yet this month. It was a blur. And now, here I am, about to don my Santa suit along with my husband and put the gifts under the tree before heading to bed.

Now that I'm feeling normal again, I've got to get cracking on all of the good stuff I had planned on posting this month. But for now, I will say Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

birthday baby.

This one has turned one.

Two minutes ago, he was staring up at me with swollen little eyes and a little beanie cap, meeting me face to face for the very first time. And I, in spite of my tiredness and even a bit of pain, was falling head over heels in love all over again, wondering what was in store for me and my life with this beautiful little one.

Now those two minutes have passed. He's so independent yet still dependent at the same time, wanting to discover how far is too far, how high is too high, how loud is too loud, how big is too big, how much is too much. All the while he knows I am right there if he needs me to catch him.

Well, honey, one day you will discover what's too far for you and maybe what's too loud for you, but I want you to know that you can never reach too high, dream too big, or love too much. In life there are limits, but the most important things are limitless. Our love for you is limitless. The joy you bring into our lives is limitless. Your potential is limitless. And the Lord's love and grace for you is limitless. He too is always right there to catch you.

How fortunate I am to have you in my life. I wish I could bundle up all of what I feel for you and give it to you as a birthday gift, but there isn't a box big enough in this universe. Only hugs, kisses, and these words will have to suffice: Mommy loves you.

Happy birthday boo.

poultry.

I'm sure everyone will be having lots of it! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I'll be gone for the next several days, probably until Monday or Tuesday of next week. Busy time for us. But I'll have a couple of new blogs to put on the "found" list plus a new series of New Year's reflections. Until then, God bless all of you! And try not to burst from all of that good food!

nostalgia tuesday.

Not sure how old I was when my dad took this. Maybe five or six. I do remember going to the airport a lot, because my grandfather worked for Eastern Airlines. Eastern Airlines is no more, and the old airport is now one of the runways of Hartsfield-Jackson. I have no clue what became of that hat.

can you tell me how to get?...

I read this post earlier, and was informed as well as entertained! Here it is for all of you 70's and 80's babies out there...

20 Things You Didn't Know About Sesame Street

end of the tunnel.

Two classes down, one to go...

I finally finished all of the evaluations for my vocal coaching class and sent them off! Whew! Now I need a break. I think I'll tackle the Spanish class tomorrow. I'm starting to see a light at the end of the grading tunnel...

I'll tackle the recital planning tomorrow too. I feel like just chilling and watching some tv now. No more working!

I had to send hubby to get me some more Boost. He got me Vanilla this time. Yum.

found.

Okay. If the images on this blog don't make you swell up with glee, then few things probably will.

Geninne's Art Blog

boost.

I bought some this week, using a coupon that was advertised at Publix. I love this stuff. I discovered it when Bobby was a baby. I would get to feeling really run down, and I would have a can of Vanilla Boost. It was way too small of a can. It just didn't last long enough. It tasted so good.

Now they've got bottles. I thought I had picked up Vanilla at the store, but got home and realized it was Chocolate. No biggie. Chocolate's good too, just not as good as Vanilla. What matters is that I've needed a boost. Several boosts.

This week has been so busy I've hardly had time to write any quality posts. It's all due to school. I hate midterms. I have evaluations to write for three classes: a music appreciation class, a vocal coaching class, and a high-school beginning Spanish class. The music appreciation class is done. The other two are not, and I am not looking forward to writing all of them. Not to mention the chorus that I direct is performing next week for our Fall Concert, and I am in the midst of planning a Winter Recital for my private students. Not to further mention keeping up with all of my son's schoolwork.

This week has really kicked my butt. And it ain't over yet! And even when it is over, there's still Thanksgiving to prepare for! Then Ian's birthday! Then my birthday! Then my mom's birthday! Then my wedding anniversary! Then Christmas! Then Bobby's birthday! Then New Year's! Then winter break is over and everything starts up again! Only I don't see a real BREAK! Aaarrrgh!

Calgon, take me away.

Or Boost take me away.

Okay, don't really "take me away," but keep me well sugared-up.

he says mommy!

Baby Ian has begun the transition from saying "Ma-ma" to "Mommy." He's said it several times this evening. He sounds so cute! What a gem.

...and the pork chops.

So here's what I did to make my Potato Souped-Up Pork Chops (I gave it a catchier title) earlier in the week last week.

I took some thin, boneless breakfast chops (I believe there were eight of them), dipped each one in extra virgin olive oil, and put them in a pyrex baking dish. I then gave them a sprinkling of sea salt and fresh-ground pepper. Then I took some dried organic garlic seasoning and sprinkled that over them. I wasn't too heavy-handed, but heavy enough (I actually feared at first that I may have put too much garlic on them). I put them in my preheated 325-degree oven.

While they were baking, I whipped out a can of Broccoli and Cheese Potato soup and set it on low heat. It had all kinds of chunks in it, and smelled really good. When the pork chops were done (I just eyeballed them), I took them out and let them cool for just a couple of minutes. The garlic smell was fairly strong. I was still a little afraid that it was too much garlic.

Alas, it wasn't (as tasting them later proved). I plated them alongside some sweet English peas, then spooned the soup over them. I sprinkled some French Fried onions on top for crunch. (That ended up being so tasty, I decided to use them again for my Reverse Shepherd's Pie.)

Again, Barefoot Contessa it's not (I do love her. She's like Martha Stewart's little cousin or something), but that hardly matters. My guys were asking for seconds, as was I. The pork chops didn't taste over-seasoned at all. They were delicious. And my husband actually thought that I had made the soup from scratch. I guess he didn't notice that dinner was ready in just over half an hour.

I love pork chops. The other white meat INDEED.

found.

I love food. Who doesn't?

I like to eat good food. I also love trying out new recipes, and I delight in the results. I also love pictures. Pictures with lots of color and detail are my favorites (aside from black and whites).

So, I have stumbled upon several food blogs that have lots of good-looking recipes and good-looking pictures of good food, which I know I probably would enjoy eating. Here is the first:

Pinch My Salt

I swear, I am chomping at the bit to call up Williams-Sonoma and order one of those mini-cheesecake pans so that I can make these mini pumpkin cheesecakes for Thanksgiving. My pumpkin pie is pretty scrumptious (so I've been told anyway), but those cheesecakes look like little bits of pumpkin heaven. Cute blog title too. Check it out at your leisure.

what a week.

TGIF.

This week has been such a blur. I don't know why, but I was, like, upside-down or something. Just didn't feel right. It's probably due to the change in time. I hate Eastern Standard Time. Getting dark at five is just wrong. By 7:30 you feel like it's 11 and you want to go straight to bed. Everything's just "off."

Which leads to why I haven't posted much this week. I've felt more tired than usual. I think it will take me a couple of weeks to get used to being out of Daylight Savings Time. Now that it's Friday and I can veg out for a minute without having to worry about being up early tomorrow morning, I'll catch up on these posts.

...Actually, I do have to be up early tomorrow morning. Darnit.

leftovers.

We polished off the last bit of the Reverse Shepherd's Pie last night. I reheated it and it was still yummy. We ate it while watching Heroes. Have I mentioned that that's a great show?

Anyway, here's what I did for the "pie."

I boiled some rice with a little bit of butter. While it was cooking, I browned two packages of ground beef, seasoned with a few shakes of sea salt and fresh-ground pepper, then drained it. I returned the meat to low heat, then added two small cans of garlic and herb-flavored tomato sauce. I seasoned it again with a few shakes of sea salt and fresh-ground pepper, and added some basil, probably a small palm-ful. I then added some parsley that I had chopped up, about half a cup. I mixed it up, and spooned it on top of my then-done rice. For garnish we sprinkled parmesan cheese on top, and added some of those french-fried onions that are used in green bean casseroles for crunch.

Barefoot Contessa it's not (I love her, by the way), but it was tasty nonetheless. It was simple, off-the-cuff (I really didn't feel like peeling, cubing, boiling, and mashing potatoes) and good.

too tired.

Not a whole lot to report this week. Baby had a teething spell starting Wednesday--the fever, runny nose, CONSTANT crying, and that consumed just about all of my attention and energy. Now here it is the end of the weekend, and I am exhausted.

No football game Friday either. It was the boys' turn to go, and there was an excursion to North Carolina planned. Everyone was going to meet up with a group up there that's learning to do outreaches the way we do them. Well, the weather SUCKED Friday, and not just here, but there too! It rained and rained and rained. And rained.

And rained.

Unfortunately, I had to take my two boys out in it that afternoon. That was a major drag, considering baby boy wasn't feeling well. I love rainy days, but only when I'm cozied up at home. Thank God it was just Friday. Saturday was completely clear and beautiful, and today was even more so. It got up to the 70's.

On a brighter note, I hit several home runs in the kitchen this week. I've always been a decent cook, but this week I tried a brand new recipe and made up two of my own. Luckily I've had zero disasters in the experimenting department in my adult life. That's quite an accomplishment. The last mistake I remember was when I was twelve or thirteen and I put flour in the cornbread recipe.

Anyway, on Tuesday I made Potato-Souped Pork Chops. Friday I made Pasta Carbonara. Saturday I made Reverse Shepherd's Pie. I'll share the recipes for the chops and the pie later...I made them up and they're super easy. Which brings me to my next found blog, which I'll post later as well (getting tired of typing). I'm thinking food blog, and wow there are quite a few awesome ones out there...

icky.

I woke up this morning around 5:30. Said goodbye to my husband as he was off to work. Was ready to turn back in for some more zzz's. Couldn't. Sweet baby (who still sleeps with us) woke up and pretty much cried all morning. I think he's teething again...non-stop crying, low-grade fever, runny nose. Bless his heart. I prayed for him earlier, and now he's taking a good nap, finally. He was all dressed up in this adorable little shirt that says "I'm cute." and jeans with corduroy patches on the knees and a plaid button down shirt, to take pictures with big brother at school. Now that will have to wait. I'm just glad he's sleeping. Maybe I can take a short nap now too. Lord knows I need one.

found.

Here's another awesome find...

I actually discovered Decor8 a few months ago, and it's pretty much a daily read for me. Holly had a workspace contest a few weeks ago, and ohmygosh. I really need to get on the ball with finishing mine, but her pictures were super-inspiring. She's got all these stellar links too, including some of my personal hometown faves! Her site is off the chain. Do check it out.

Decor8

On a more random note, let me just say that I am loving that new show "Heroes."

nostalgia tuesday.

Me at age four, wearing my favorite Winnie the Pooh dress. There was a matching cardigan as well, but I wasn't wearing it in this particular shot. I was at home, I think after church or something.

fruit.

Yesterday was fruity!

I know, I know. What does that mean?

The actual word should be 'fruitful,' but I want to convey the thought of being able to actually smell and taste the fruit. Big fruit. Wonderful fruit. It was so exciting.

Let me back up to Friday.

I went to a football game with several others Friday night. A large group of us split up into three (or four, not sure which) smaller groups and each group went to a different game. This was my first football game outreach, and I was a little nervous. But I kept asking the Lord to show me His heart for these kids.

We got a couple of words for people, and prayed for some people. After talking to this one kid, three cheerleaders came up to me later and said, "We just want you to know that we think it was cool what you did back there." I asked them if they knew the guy that we had been talking to and they said yes. So I ended up getting some stuff for them too and they gave me their undivided attention. I felt like a revival would break out right there starting with them, but another cheerleader came and tugged on one of them, beckoning for all of them to go back to the stands. I was a little disappointed, but at least I got to minister to them for a moment.

It was cool. Saturday hubby and I chilled. We both needed rest. Then Sunday we went out on outreach after church again. On Sundays we go to different neighborhoods, mostly trailer parks. We are concentrating on the Latino community. Anyway, my husband and I went with another guy from our church to one neighborhood. We got to pray for one guy's wife, another guy who I really felt was being overrun by depression, and a sweet old lady who had lost two sons to premature death.

After leaving the sweet old lady's house, my husband said, "The next person we talk to is going to give their life to the Lord." So we stopped at the next trailer. A young guy answered the door. He was from Michoacan, in Mexico. (I've been there. It's pretty.) He basically spoke no English. Since I was the only one out of the three of us who could speak Spanish, they just let me do all of the talking. I didn't have to translate for them. I asked the guy if he knew Jesus and he said 'no.' I wasn't expecting that for some reason, so I continued, and ended up leading him to the Lord.

He gave his life to the Lord!

I prophesied to him, gave him a Spanish New Testament, and that was it. We went on our way. We continued to pray for him after we left, that the Holy Spirit would overshadow him and ignite a hunger in his heart for all that the Lord has for him.

Now, I've prayed for lots of people. I've laid hands on people and seen them healed. That's exciting. I've also prophesied to people and watched in amazement when they tell me that what I've said is spot on. That's exciting too.

This is the first person I've ever led to the Lord.

There's no feeling like it. It was fruity.

blech.

So, they tell her that her clothes are clothes that every woman will want to wear.

Then, they give the prize to...the punky punk.

I cannot believe Uli did not win Project Runway. Michael was my favorite, but his collection was, admittedly, lacking. Uli's, however, was fabulous.

Apparently, fabulous was not what the judges were looking for. They were looking for stuff that people with mohawks who love 1980's Cyndi Lauper and Madonna videos would wear. Since that's what Jeffrey's clothes look like, he was the clear winner.

My husband has decided he won't be watching the next season. Who can blame him?

nostalgia tuesday.

Here's the Atlanta skyline again, but at night.

Same hospital window.

My dad took this one too. He took all of the Fotomat photos.

Remember those Fotomat booths? The Kodak digital kiosks at Wally-World and Target (read: Tar-zhay) are the Fotomat booths of today; you just don't have to drive up to them.

friday night lights.

My husband and son went to a high school football game Friday night. It was one of the weekly outreaches that we do at our church. Here's what happened...

Bobby ministered to several kids, even getting one kid's name. He actually thought it was the kid's brother's name. He said, "Your brother's name is Tyler, right?"

The kid said, "No, MY name is Tyler! How did you know that??" That opened the door for my nine year-old son to share the Gospel with him. After that, several other kids were lined up at my son, saying "Do me!" or "Me next!" or "Pray for me!"

They were all around my husband too. One kid had a broken rib sticking out of his shirt. My husband laid hands on him and prayed for him, and his rib went back in!

My guys, needless to say, are hooked. This Friday is MY turn at a football game! Hubby stays home with the baby.

found.

I've decided to start a new thing on this blog, called "Found."

I'll highlight a blog that I've found and include the link, and you can click on it and go somewhere pretty cool, which is that person's blog.

I don't have much time at the moment to start a comprehensive list or blogroll, so I'll do it like this, posting the person's link here and then adding it to a blogroll list one at a time. That way I can actually get a list done!

Through posting these links, you can catch a glimpse into the different interests that I have, or the ideas that I find thought-provoking, or just the stuff that I think is cool.

The first link, I guess, was posted a couple months ago, when I posted a link to my associate pastor's blog, Kingdom Power on the Street. That blog is already on the sidebar. So,...

The first link to begin the new blogroll list is...Meaghan's blog!

Meaghan, I really enjoy reading your posts. You're a booklover like me, you're a Calvin and Hobbes lover like me, and you're a mom like me. I could list several other "like me's" but you get the point!

Meaghan's Daily Ponderings

a day in the life.

Well, it's way too late to be up and I've got a squirmy sleeping baby in my arms and I feel like I've been drugged, I am so tired from Monday. I've got a cool testimony about something that happened on Friday night, but I think I'm going to trust my better judgment and write about it later on today when it's normal operating hours and I'm coherent.

What I wouldn't give for one of those Tempur-Pedic beds...

slowly but surely.

The new pad is coming along nicely, allbeit slowly. We finally got Bobby's room put together last weekend; his closet just has a bunch of stuff in it that isn't his (baby brother's stuff, stepsister's stuff). Now all he's missing is a desk and a chair. I scoped a cute folding desk at Target a few months ago that was on clearance last time I saw it; maybe I can get it this weekend if it's still there. And Wal-Mart had this cute wooden egg-looking chair on clearance. I'll have to check that out too; if it's gone I can always just go to IKEA. I LOVE IKEA.

My studio/office (read: the sunroom) is coming together too. I have a few more art pieces and photos to put up, but then I'll be set! All of the artwork in this room is done by Bobby, and the photographs are mine. I'm looking forward to posting pictures of everything once I'm done.

Then there's the laundry. No comment.

bobbyisms.

New Bobbyisms today:

"I'm looking forward to the Fall Festival, but I don't think I'll be riding the mechanical bull this time, because I got hurt the last time [two years ago]. Riding the mechanical bull is fun. Until you fall."

"What do you mean, it's my own fault? I realize it's my own fault! Why do you have to disencourage me?"

nostalgia tuesday.

This is what the ATL skyline used to look like. It was taken by my dad, from a hospital room, in 1977. The tallest building in the photo is the Peachtree Plaza hotel, now known as the Westin. It was once the tallest hotel in the world. Now, you can't even see it because it's dwarfed by all of the other skyscrapers. Atlanta now looks sort of like Gotham at night. It's nice. Certainly a far cry from this. Looks like it was a pretty muggy day too.

the truth.

When God says something, it is an invitation to act. You must act in faith. You are deciding to crucify your flesh and accept the invitation and move.

Miracles happen when you're on the move. They don't happen in the prayer room. Revelation comes in the prayer room. Once you get out of the prayer room and on the move, acting on the revelation you've received, that's when opposition comes. That's also when miracles happen.

(Incidentally, one of the words that Bob Jones gave us a couple of months ago was "Keep moving.")

Destiny is a matter of choice. It is not a matter of chance or an accident.

I wish I could take credit for the challenging and motivating nuggets written above, but I can't. My pastor said it all in his sermon this morning. I was writing feverishly, trying to make sure I got it all down.

He said we all choose to step into our destiny. We do it by obeying what the Lord says at every turn. We do it by moving, not by being inactive, expecting our destiny to just fall into our lap. If a person feels that he is being called by God to go to all nations, the first step he must take is to get a passport. If a person feels that she is being called by God to play the guitar, she needs to buy one if she doesn't have one.

These things seem like obvious no-brainers, but sometimes we as Christians get this "by the by the pie in the sky" mentality and just think that by virtue of us breathing in and out that our purpose will be fulfilled. We must be active. Faith requires action. Faith without works is dead. Love is an act. We cannot just say we love but not demonstrate it. God wants us to be active believers. How many passive believers heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, or preach the Gospel?

Okay, that last paragraph was me.

I'm through with being a passive believer. I will step into my destiny.

macbeth.

Remember that phrase, "Out, out, damned spot" from Macbeth?

Well, I have felt like saying that this week, only to my computer. Apparently there's some kind of virus on it.

It's had my computer acting freaky the past few days, thus no Nostalgia Tuesday this week. Heck, I haven't even been able to scan my new photos. It's really frustrating.

It seems to be working okay at the moment, so I've got a lot of catching up to do on this and my other two blogs. Plus all the photo scanning. I'll also call a good computer-tech friend of mine and see if he can help me with this virus drama.

On a more random note, I did catch a glimpse of both Comet and Spic and Span at Wally-World (read: Wal-Mart) yesterday. They do still exist. Sigh. Glad that's all cleared up.

reality tv.

I'm not a big reality TV watcher.

...Well, let me make sure that's true before I say that.

Let's see...I've watched (and enjoyed):

• The Amazing Race (great show)
• Fear Factor (back when it was super-popular)
• The Real World (some seasons, when I was in college)
• America's Next Top Model (I think the first two seasons, marathon-style on VH-1)
• American Idol (okay. I'm pretty much addicted to that.)

So that makes five reality shows of which I've seen multiple episodes. Considering how many reality shows are on the tube these days, I would say that's not too bad.

Until now.

I think I'm officially addicted to another show. I say this because, in the last twenty-four hours, I have gotten completely caught up on this show's entire season, and am going through slight withdrawal for the final episode. Even my husband (who can't stand stuff like this), after asking "What is this crap you're watching?" was sucked into its vortex, and is now anticipating the final installment with me.

What show has us all twisted up in the game like this? PROJECT RUNWAY. YIKES.

Just thatquickly we were in all too deep. And it's all because of better cable (we couldn't get the Bravo channel in our old apartment, for some strange reason) and Tivo, which is, like, the best invention EVER.

So, we'll be tuning in, or Tivo-ing in, with bells on, to see who wins. We hope it's Michael. Way to represent the A, Michael!

blessings six and seven.

We've been completely moved into our new apartment for almost a week now, but we've been living here for almost two weeks. Two Sundays ago, a lady that works in our rental office came down to the old apartment while my husband and a friend were moving the big furniture. She was all teary-eyed, and my husband wondered what was going on, since she was there to see him. She informed him that the Lord told her to bless us, and she was really afraid to do it because she didn't know how we would react to something like that. She doesn't know us very well.

Anyway, it turns out that she and her husband have a ministry and she's learning to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and obeyed his voice. She and her husband accompanied my husband and our friend to our new apartment and delivered several bags of groceries, from frozen meats to milk to paper towels to sodas to laundry detergent, and everything in between. Even fresh flowers. Then they prayed for us. I was floored. It was so unexpected, it was overwhelming. We haven't needed anything from the grocery store since we got here.

Then this week, my husband was given a $100 AMEX gift card. That was also completely unexpected (as most blessings are, I guess), and awesome. He wasn't sure what we should do with it, so he decided to just hand it over to me and let me decide. Yum. Stuff for our new spot. Discount design, here I come.

This week has been cool.

spic and span.

We never actually used Spic and Span in my house growing up. We used Comet. Comet was pretty good for cleaning, but you had to make sure you used enough water, otherwise you just got a chalky green mess all over the bathtub or sink.

Years later, we began to use Soft Scrub. I don't know why we switched. Soft Scrub wasn't quite as good. It left a chalky mess regardless of how much water we used. I hated it. There's nothing like the feeling of taking a bath in sandpaper-y water. But hey, at least the tub's clean! And I was probably a little extra clean too!

We also used SOS pads to scrub the cast iron skillet.

I use Brillo pads now. And for cleaning the bathtub and sinks, I use the Method Home cleaners. I love those. They smell so good. They have good hand soaps too.

I don't know why I brought all of this up. I was thinking about cleaners for some reason earlier and realized that I don't remember the last time I saw Comet or Spic and Span (which I never used) at the store.

They're probably still sold; I've just never looked for them. Never needed to.

nostalgia tuesday.

This is me and Bobby, when he was about five months old. We lived in New Hampshire then, which is where he was born. In the previous Nostalgia Tuesday picture (when he was two), we were back in Georgia.

It's hard to believe this was taken almost ten years ago. It doesn't seem that long in my mind, but it was 1997! I can't imagine sitting somewhere ten years from now and looking at pictures of my little one who's been walking for a week and who is sleeping in my lap at the moment.

day of the dead.

My pastor gave quite a good butt-kicking sermon this morning. It was all about how we so often get our focus off of the Lord and onto ourselves, onto what's wrong with us, onto changing things about ourselves. That's pointless; why try to change a person who's supposed to be DEAD?

Being dead to Christ means there is nothing left to focus on but HIM, not us. We focus on how we can do all things through HIM who strengthens us. We focus on how nothing is impossible with HIM. If we yield completely to HIM and DIE to ourselves, He can and will use us in incredible ways. We begin to look more and more like HIM as we keep our focus on HIM. That's how we are changed from glory to glory. That's why there is liberty where His Spirit is, which is in us.

I cannot put it quite like my pastor did, and something is definitely lost in my delivery where the humor is concerned. I'll see if I can learn how to link to audiofiles of his messages. They are definitely worth hearing and applying.

We finally finished moving out of our old apartment and into our new apartment yesterday. It feels so good to finally be finished. It's so hard when you've got a baby! I kept asking the Holy Spirit to help me put one foot in front of the other when we were having to load the last bit of stuff (mostly the kitchen). He did, and gave me the energy I needed to finish the task. Now I'll just need help unpacking everything. Ugh. One box and one bag at a time. Once that's done, I can get on with decorating and making it "home." I've got a lot of ideas; let's see if they look as good off-paper as they do on.

baby steps, revisited.

Two days have gone by where I have been too busy/too tired to sit down and post. I haven't even hooked up my printer yet! I have several photos to upload to my Flickr page, but haven't scanned them yet. So we missed Nostalgia Tuesday. Not to worry; it'll be back next week!

Two days ago (Tuesday), my nine month-old did two things for the first time:

--he nodded his head
--he walked

No longer the Three Step, or even Four Step, King. We're talking slow, deliberate steps, at least eight or more. He did it again last night! And this morning! HE WALKS!

He WALKS??!!!...

Yikes.

There'll be no keeping up with him now. The quick bulldog-like crawling has been bad enough. He gets into EVERYTHING, despite all of my best efforts to keep him away from ANYTHING.

Sigh.

He's still really cute though.

bobbyisms.

New Bobbyisms for the week:

"Four hands are better than three. Or three hands are better than two...?"
He was referring to the three of us (him, Daddy, and me) moving some of the furniture upstairs to the new apartment, as opposed to just Daddy and me or Daddy and him.

"This is an area where really expensive people live."
He meant rich people. He corrected himself immediately, but it was still hilarious.

No wonder my heart is in such good shape, with all of the good medicine it's getting.

i dig my new digs.

Moving.

It's never easy. Or fun.

This time has been especially hard for me. We are moving into a new apartment, in the same apartment complex. We are downsizing from a three-bedroom to a two-bedroom. It makes sense for us, since we never actually got around to using the third bedroom, except a few weeks ago when some friends crashed with us for a couple of weekends. It was supposed to be a nursery for our now nine month-old.

He never slept anywhere but with us. And still does.

So, we opted to save a couple of hundred dollars a month and downsize. Our new apartment is just as huge as the other one was (and with a bigger sunroom!), it's just missing the other bedroom.

I had a hard time because I was attached to our place and the memories there. That's where we brought our newborn son. It was his first home. Our nine year-old is used to moving; his first home was in New Hampshire, where he was born. Leaving there was hard too.

I kept going over in my mind the things that I would miss about our old apartment, simple things like the dimmer light in the dining room, the desk drawers in the sunroom, the extra cabinets in the kitchen. I know that sounds silly, but those things are associated with some of the memories I have of our family living there. It was hard to get used to the idea of leaving, even though we chose to leave. And coming into the new space was upsetting at first.

Not anymore.

I'm constantly finding things that I like about this place. Like the bigger sunroom (and I thought our other sunroom was nice!). The larger bedroom (and our other one wasn't small). Living on the second floor (which has its disadvantages, but for me, the advantages far outweigh them). And watching my baby enjoy himself crawling all over the place! He's now up to four steps, by the way.

I can already feel the peace in our new home, and I know we will be blessed here. The angels have followed us from the old place to the new one, just like I asked.

And I'm serious about the angels. My son sees them all the time.

no sweat.

Have you noticed that no one uses that phrase much anymore?

nostalgia tuesday.

My son at age 2.

What's hard to believe is that I now can't really remember him being this small. His clothes and shoes are so tiny. And his hair was so long and so much that I had to pull it back into a ponytail. Those days are long gone, but praise God for pictures that I can step back into anytime...

grace.

That's exactly what the Lord has shown us this week. This month. This year.

He's always good to us, but sometimes I'm just floored anew by his grace.

Such was the case this week.

In the past couple of months, random people have given us money. My husband has been given money a couple of times on his job. (He's been so busy the last couple of weeks that he has not had much time or energy to sit down and write about it on his blog, but he will!) One week, he was given $100. Two weeks later, he was given another $100.

Two weeks ago, we were given $300.

Last week, someone gave us $30, and wished that they could give us more. Can you believe it?

These are people who felt the Lord leading them to bless us. It's pretty humbling.

We love to be a blessing to others too. We just get surprised when we reap what we sow. Why we get surprised, I don't really know, but we do.

Well, THIS week, we got a small windfall from people WE DON'T EVEN KNOW. It came at a time when we really needed it, and it was just what we needed: two thousand dollars.

TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!

I am still dumbfounded. The Lord provided in a completely bizarre way. It really was above all we could ask or think.

We're told to count our blessings, and I think I will meticulously count all of mine and RECOUNT them, on this blog.

Let's call these Blessings #1-5. I've got quite a backlog to share. But I've got to start somewhere!

yummy bits.

Here are a few more nuggets from the Bob Jones meeting at church a couple of weeks ago (I did score the CD last week):

We are winners. We may be beginners, but we are winners.

Those of you that have had a hard year, full of rough times and stressful circumstances, be encouraged: it has been a worse time for the enemy.

If you have been struggling, know that you are headed in the right direction. You are making a bee-line straight for God. If you have not had any struggles, you need to evaluate which direction you are headed.

The Church has a greater impact than we realize on what happens in the natural. Our intercession can make things happen or keep things from happening. We must intercede for these coming elections, so that the Lord's will can be established in the earth. We must pray for His will to be done here on earth just as it is in Heaven.

I need to listen to the CD again, so I can post some more bits. I want to get it all right. There was just so much!

Good stuff.

the baby's toys.

First, let me say that as of last week, my son is the Three-Step King.

Nothing over three steps in the walking department yet.

Last week I bought him some noise making balls from Target, to replace the little green ones that came out of big brother's Nerf gun. We can't seem to find those. Apparently, they all vaporized.

Anyway, each of the six balls has something in it--tambourine discs, balls, gears, a ringing bell, tiny balls that make a rainstick-type sound. He likes them all. Not as easy to mouth as the green Nerf balls, and not quite as easy to crawl around with, but he likes them.

He's got some pretty nice little toys, one of which is this Sunshine Symphony thing. He likes that too.

And he's cool with his Baby Einstein blocks.

So how is it, then, that his FAVORITE toys, the ones he goes for most often, are these?

• my cellphone
• daddy's cellphone
• my keys
• the remote
• empty water bottles
• the tube of Aquaphor
• big brother's Pirates of the Caribbean sword
• big brother's light saber
• big brother's (empty) Nerf gun

I'm spending money on the wrong stuff.

nostalgia tuesday.

I have no idea how old I was when this photo was taken. I don't remember posing for it. Oddly enough, however, I do remember those ball-clamps in my hair (my hair was just about always in ball clamps unless it was freshly pressed-n-curled or freshly braided-with-beads) and I remember that shirt. So I'm gonna say, age six or seven.

My teeth are really white! That's always a good thing.

My father took this picture. He died of lung cancer when I was eleven. He was an amateur photographer. He took a few classes for it at Emory and learned how to develop his own pictures. Our den was turned into a darkroom, and I vividly remember him waking me up late at night just to show me the process. All of the chemicals were in milk gallon jugs in the hall closet ("Don't touch them!" he would warn). How absolutely fascinating it was to watch all of those photos come to life in a matter of seconds! Most of the photos that he did were black and white. I grew up wondering if that was all there was. That one could do at home, that is.

This photo was developed at the local Fotomat.

I'll add this photo to my Flickr page at some point, and maybe Nostalgia Tuesday can be a regular feature here, as sort of a "Flickr Preview." I've got TONS of old photos. My dad would flip if he could see all of the fun stuff one can do with them now. Gone are the days when they served as mere fodder for magnetic photo albums and slide projectors, rarely to be seen again.

Yeah, Daddy would totally flip.

And DIGITAL CAMERAS? Oh my gosh. Don't get me started on what THAT invention would have done to him. He'd probably have about ten Digital Rebels laying around, all of which would see more traffic than the Google search engine.

a good word.

Check out this post from the assistant pastor at my church...


KINGDOM POWER on the street: The Real Deal

out of the mouths of babes.

I love my son Bobby. He’s awesome.

He says the funniest things sometimes. I’ve decided to refer to them, affectionately, as “Bobbyisms.” Some Bobbyisms are just slips of the tongue; others are akin to Jack Handey’s “Deep Thoughts” of old. Here are a few Bobbyisms…

“So, what are you going to go over me with?” (said during school, when he meant to ask me, “What are you going to go over with me?”)

“What’s that old saying? ‘All lunches cost money?’ Or something like that? Or is it ‘Every lunch costs money?’”
He was referring to the adage, “There are no free lunches.”

“I’d rather pack my own lunch than buy the lunch that they serve [at the co-op that he attends twice a week]. Those lunches may carry a sickness and I wouldn’t want to catch it.”

“We were playing football outside today and the other team won. They were really good. The older kids would create an aversion and pass the ball to one of the little kids who would score the touchdown.”
I'm pretty sure he meant "diversion." He swears now that that's what he said.

He’s very articulate, but sometimes his brain flies ahead of his mouth.

A merry heart does good like a medicine, and my son's an excellent doctor.

kingdom as usual.

We had Bob Jones come to our church Sunday. He had just finished a weekend conference with Kathie Walters down by the Atlanta airport, and stopped at our church on the way back home. We consider him a spiritual father to our church, and he and my pastor’s family are very close. What a blessing he was. I cannot remember everything he said, as it was a great deal of information, and it was pretty meaty. I’ll be getting the CD recording of the service on Wednesday. A couple of things I can remember off the top of my head are as follows:

The Lord is calling us to spend more time laying at His feet. As we lay at His feet, He will go before us and bring us victory in our trying circumstances. (That was a great encouragement, as we are going through a trying time right now!)

In a year (around June), a season will begin where we will cross over the Jordan. We will begin to enter into the promises that we have been given but have yet to see manifested.

There was just so much. It is one of those messages that I will have to listen to repeatedly to be able to really digest it all. I will post more yummy bits of this message over the next several days.

school bells ring.

And so ends our first week of school. Sure, we homeschool year-round, but fall begins a new year in a new grade, as well as the beginning of co-ops. My son is in a new co-op this year that we're trying out called The Hedge. He likes it so far, and so do I. This is also our fifth year at Master's Academy. Luckily, we don't start there until after Labor Day. I have become the kind of person who needs to ease into things one thing at a time, instead of jumping into everything at once. Therefore, having a two week hedge in between one activity and the other is a good thing.

I teach high school Spanish at The Hedge. Pretty easy stuff for me...I really need to get going on writing my own curriculum! It's been "in the works" for over a year now. I will put that on my list of goals for this coming year: "Finish Spanish Curriculum!" We're using Rosetta Stone at school though. From what I've seen so far, it's a great program, allbeit expensive. I always heard good things about it but never bought it because of the price and well, I really never needed it.

I'll also be teaching Spanish to adults out of my home in a few weeks. I plan to have at least one beginning Spanish class, if not two. It will run for about twelve weeks I think. Most of the material I will use will be stuff to help people preach the Gospel in Spanish-speaking areas and neighborhoods. It's a desperate need. I go out on the streets on a fairly regular basis as a translator, and it is an awesome experience. I want to be in on miracles, and what better way to do it than this? But it would be great if a translator weren't needed because everyone spoke a comfortable amount of Spanish.

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to go on outreaches now that school has started, but I do hope to hit some of the fall high school football games! We heard some awesome testimonies at church last year about the goings-on every weekend, but I never went because I was pregnant and perpetually sick and tired. Looking forward to it this year!

Let's hope this school year doesn't kick my butt.

baby steps.

Okay. Today the baby takes TWO steps.

He's so ready to walk it's unbelievable.

I, however, am NOT ready.

Why do the past nine months seem like nine minutes? I'm not ready for my baby to grow up. I can't stop him from walking when he's ready, nor would I want to. I just wish I could get back a few of those precious moments when he was this teeny tiny wonder, lying asleep in my arms. I'd like to go back for a few minutes to the day when, at a month old, he smiled at me for the first time. Or the first time he screamed out in laughter. Or even the moment they put him in my arms, with that tiny beanie on his head and his tiny swollen eyes. My, what a morning that was. I wish I could keep in the forefront of my memory those moments, so that they never collected any dust in my mind, never got fuzzy. The memories of my now almost ten year-old are practically a blur, and once upon a time I thought that would never happen. It's bittersweet. I'm excited to see the marvelous young men that they will become, but hopefully in Heaven I can go back sometimes to when they were my little babies...

$3.50 saved is $3.50 earned.

I sort of re-discovered Starbucks at the beginning of the summer. In the past, I would go there once every blue moon or so, just to splurge on a Chai Latte. But I ended up getting two Starbucks gift cards at the end of the school year, so I was a Star-bucks-spending fool. I discovered my new favorite (and my husband's and son's favorite) drink--the Vanilla Frappucino (read: the souped-up, glorified Vanilla milkshake). My, that's good. My new favorite, however, was soon to be replaced, within a week actually, by my current favorite--the Blackberry Green Tea Frappucino. Now, that's bliss in a cup.

Suddenly, I realized I was going to need more Starbucks money, and soon. I now understood the addiction of so many. But I just could not justify going once or twice a week and spending that kind of money on...a drink. My former beloved Chai Latte fell out of favor with me long ago upon discovering a much cheaper (89 cents!) version at QuikTrip that tasted every bit as good. (The QuikTrip version, by the way, was soon to replace my former favorite there, the French Vanilla Cappucino.)

Here's the rub: there is no QT version of the aforementioned Blackberry Green Tea Frappucino. I'll be getting no Bliss-in-a-Cup for 89 cents. If I want Bliss-in-a-Cup, I'm going to have to pay out the nose for it, by George.

Or will I?

I bought some Green Tea Chai Latte at Wal-Mart the other day. I used to buy the regular flavor pretty often, but had never tried the Green Tea flavor. I figured I'd get some to have with milk in the evenings, like I used to with the Original. So one evening I mixed up my Chai Latte drink--half Latte, half milk, like I had done so many times before, and tasted it. My, that was good. And oddly familiar.
It took a minute before I recognized the flavor; it tasted, uncannily, like my STARBUCKS BLISS-IN-A-CUP!
Then I thought, "Hmmm...what IF....I put some of this Torani syrup in it?....Just a shot....not too much.....It's not Blackberry, but maybe Raspberry will taste just as nice?..."

Nice.

This is certainly not to say that I won't ever return to Starbucks. That would be, well, silly. But.

I'm a bucks-saving fool, now that I've discovered I can knock off my own Bliss-in-a-cup.

my son's firsts.

Two days ago (Wednesday), my sweet little nine month-old baby boy did three things for the first time:
--he tried to take a step
--he clapped
--he tried to talk (prolonged gibberish, not the usual "gah").

Yesterday morning, he waved for the first time (after being waved "good-bye" to first).

I'm pretty excited.

And he's pretty cute.