The colors of Fall

Fall!!!

A change of seasons!


I was driving down I-20 coming in to Birmingham from Anniston and I noticed a hillside just on the side of the interstate that took my breathe away! The shades of gold, red, green, brown, orange all against a fall blue sky were beautiful! It brought to mind a random thought that I commonly have in my mind, and a conversation I have with my kids quite often: "How many hairs do I have on my head, Mommy?" I say, "Too many to count, only God can number the hairs on your head."

I guess that view reminded me of how God knows exactly what we need at all times even when we don't!

Just some random notes...

Well guys, it is SPRING!!! The first bar-b-que at our home will take place his weekend and I am super excited! The kids are stoked about the glow in the dark Easter egg hunt! AND hubby is ready to do some major grilling! I have learned the basics to cooking. Thanks to Pinterest! and have settled in to being what God wants me to be - although I am not sure what that is yet. However, it it a very relaxing and interesting mindset. There is so much I long for, so much I want and so much I want to do, but at the end of the day I feel so fulfilled... Like I said, Interesting!

I have been tugging with an internal demon known as the mommy side of me. Since I am now unemployed, being a Mommy is just what I want to do. I made the comment to someone today that hugs and kisses don't pay the bills. So I am going to be creative and find something useful to do with my time. Surely there is a way to have both?

A time of reflection..

My Pawpaw is constantly on my mind. He was my source of Comfort when I was a child. I feel such comfort recently and I often wonder if you can hear and respond to people from Heaven? I am sure that this feeling is the same peace I felt when he was near me as a kid. Amazing.....

Insanity

What is the difference in “Giving your life to God” and Giving CONTROL your life to God”? I use to think there was none. Boy was I wrong.

A young child was baptized in a small little Baptist Church in Irondale Alabama at age 8. Oh, she prayed and prayed. Told people of the love of God, and eventually all the bliss faded away. Then that same girl found herself in predicament after predicament over and over throughout her life, needless to say, she prayed and prayed and overcame time after time. Again and again, she would fall, pray, and be helped back up. Then after long periods in her life where God was there when needed, but pushed away when “not” needed, she realized that she never gave CONTROL over. She still ran things and he was her back up plan. Wow, some nerve, huh?

Addictions? I KNOW ADDICTIONS. Financial burdens? Yep that one too. Loss, Pain, Suffering, Betrayl, Abandonment? Boy I definitely know those!

But then, one day, I decided to let God run things and let me BE the plan

How did all this come about? Wow, who knows? It isn’t just like I thought it one day and said, you know, maybe things are so crazy around here because I insist on driving. The old adage has floated around my head a lot “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results”. YA THINK?

But then, things just started happening. Oddities I can’t put words to. Financial support and blessings I can’t account for. Positions and doors opening I didn’t know existed. My husband transformed into a man of God! That in its self should have told me something. But I am hard headed… Right? I continued to pull things back from him that I “gave” him to handle. Hello? Anyone else see what’s wrong with this picture?  I really think I can do a better job than HE? No, not at all, I think I can do it quicker, more efficiently and check it off the list. AH HA then, who holds the list? If I hold the list, and I am the “time keeper”, and I am the one who checks things off, how then can I expect God’s perfect timing to work in my life? Simple, I can’t!

I am not a “religious” person, but I am a child of God. I don’t know much about Theology, but I know that things work better when I let God Be in Control of what HE created! I also know that I personally enjoy all of the positives that have developed in my life because of this mentality. So call it what you will, I just want you to know two things: 1. God’s timing is PERFECT! And 2. HE will never take you to something and abandon you. He will always bring you through it if you trust in HIS plan.

Finally... Now we're playing catch-up

Well, we have been super busy! Jayson is done with tutoring for the Summer, Aleah and Will are, well, they just are! The adults are working - 24/7!!! We finally got moved.. whoop! whoop! The kids are super excited because of the space they have, playtime and outdoor time just took on a whole new attitude.... there are horses in the back yard!

Personally, I am facing some difficult challenges with the whole job/training/advancement process. I can do so much, and I am open to it all, but which will make me happiest in the long run!!!???

School is right around the corner.

Lessons I have learned - yes, even at 33 3/4 you can still learn lessons.
1. It's never too much hassle to PLAY!
2. Remember that EVERYONE deserves a chance.
3. Even when you are sad, happiness still exists and it is usually in the one place you aren't looking!
4. It is important to take advantage of moments that will soon be gone too fast!
5. When you know it's right, just do it.... no regrets!

Just random thoughts.... More to come including pics...

Dream Center

Tonight was my first night volunteering at the Dream Center. I had the overwhelming sense and desire just to do something. I witnessed the love of Christ thru water baptism. Ya know, I passed out towels to the new in Christ, and even tho it was just a towel, I can't tell you how it felt to give one of the first expressions of love to someone after they become new! This center thru God, is doing amazing things in an area where skeptics claim nothing good can come from.

I am pumped up and excited for the next opportunity. Yes, folks, my Thursday nights are now taken. I am looking forward to working the volunteer sign in table and meeting some awesome folk. Stop by and see me! Come and fellowship, have a little dinner, learn about our Creator and begin feeling the awesome feeling that can only come from giving of yourself!

Graduation

Well, as the kids graduate from one grade to the next, the teachers (well, Aleah and Will's) gave us these Virtual Memory Books, a slideshow. I love this idea! It is all right there. I upload on you tube, but as you can see from my page, the videos are streamed to here. Why do this, well, with all of the people I know (haha), someone is bound to look over this convinence and go for youtube instead of blogger.

Enjoy these videos and look for our summer to begin this weekend (Memorial Day).

Growing Up

As I watched Aleah Graduate from Kindergarden lastnight, one thing hit me hard - like a freight truck... They truly are growing up.

So you think, "Ok, what are the basics? Do we have those covered?" then immediately "What about this or that?" which leads you to the all important question "What if?" where that goes, well, it never ends.

So, now that Summer is here (well almost) and I am working  and doing my volunteer stuff, I am trying to find things that are educational and fun, because in the blink of the eye it will all be over.