Krazy Kennedys

Spring Cleaning...a little early

2011-01-18T05:19:00.000-08:00

I told the kids that since we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend, yesterday was going to be spring cleaning...to which Kensey replied, "It's not Spring, it's Winter!" Tomato, tomahto girl....we're cleanin' this PIT!!!

So, we cranked up the Radio Disney...because that's the only way to motivate Kennedy kids...dancin' while we work!

Can I just say that I did not realize my son had that many fish hooks?? I found fish hooks in his "special" drawer, his sock drawer, Karis' doll house (??!!??), under the bean bags where they play Wii, even in his underwear drawer! (Wouldn't that hurt??! I mean seriously!!)

And, I realized my precious Karis Danae is a hoarder! Her mother is as anal retentive about cleanliness and decluttering as they come and she is an absolute, certifiable hoarder! What in the world?! I had to keep sending her downstairs to put stuff away so I could throw all her "creations" away! We really don't need to keep every drawing you've ever done sweetie!! And, she used an entire roll of tape on all the stuff she had taped on the walls! Really?! Quit taping stuff to my walls!!!! And...when I said "organize your dress-up clothes", I did not mean put the stuff that is preventing you from closing the lid between the box and the wall so I cannot see it!!
It is no surprise that we are missing the match to 3 pairs of shoes!! This child needs help!! How am I supposed to train her to keep her own house clean when she's grown?? I do not want to see her on some reality TV show seeking help from a professional! I am a professional organizer! I owned my own organizing business!! C'mon girl!!

And then there's the ever-independent Kensey...who decluttered her entire room on her own. And even though, when she proudly displayed her work, I found several things I would have done differently...I held my tongue and said, "Great job Sugarbear!!" (Small victories people...I was a little worn out from Karis' room.)

And so it was time for the 4 of us to head downstairs and try to put the laundry away that we had kept going throughout the day...oh but wait...WHAT IS STUCK TO KENSEY'S SWEATER?! Is that gum?! NO...it's silly putty!! And before I could yell at the usual suspect...Koleman, Karis sheepishly says, "I didn't mean to! I forgot!" AUGH!!! Well, you girls start hanging up your clothes while I remove this silly putty with this stinky Goof -off stuff! (awesome...rassum-frassum piece of monkey smack...I was muttering under my breath.)

Thankfully, Daddy came home from work and offered to make his fantastic spaghetti for dinner. I adore that man!!!! So I took off for my walk/run...cranked up the music...and let the stress sweat off of me. Glorious!

And I woke up this morning to a beautiful, decluttered home :)
The End...oh wait...I have to cook and clean today...again...like 3 times...(sigh)

Rah rah rah!

2011-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Well, today was Kensey's first cheer competition and can I just say I have traveled into some seriously uncharted territory? Competitive cheer moms are rabid! These teams had chants, lit signs, bells, whistles...you name it! I saw every kind of "Cheer Mom" accessory I could have imagined today! This is a whole new world, people!!

So, our sweet, precious Cornerstone Christian Academy girls came into this crazy arena and shone like stars. We did not win Grand Champions today. There were many things we can fix before we compete in Nationals on Jan. 29th. But our girls were joyful, supportive of each other, MODEST (which was a rarity today), and I was genuinely proud of them!

Dancing with Daddy

2011-01-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

Last night was a very fun family night at the Kennedy home. For some reason, everyone decided they wanted to help with dinner...and so we all crowded into the kitchen, turned on the music, and worked together to make dinner. There was lots of laughing, lots of spilling things, lots of singing, and lots of dancing...SOOOO fun!!

Need to vent...

2011-01-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

OK, I need to vent for a moment...

Now, before I do, let me be the first to admit that my children are not at all immune to this problem...

OK, so that being said, there seems to be a common problem among pretty much all the students I've ever taught...and parents, I'm not sure we realize this is a problem! (or maybe we do and we don't know how to fix it!)

I started back to school yesterday after a fantastic 3 week break. Our school is a University Model School, which means we go to class on MWF and we do our independent practice at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Monday, we had a snow day, so the students had to review on their own, at home, on Tuesday before they came to class on Wednesday. I was amazed and very dismayed at the lack of effort put forth from my high school students. They did the least amount of work possible and therefore, did not seem to ready for an intelligent conversation about the material when they came to class on Wednesday. To top it all off - they did not bring all their supplies. I teach High School Math classes - so they need a calculator...but so many said they forgot. What?! You had 3 weeks to get your stuff together and you forgot?! AND - in anticipation of the assumed procrastination, I sent an email on Tuesday reminding them to bring their supplies: vocab books, calculators, etc. So, you can imagine my frustration!

So, here are my questions of angst...parents and educators...
HOW do we motivate our students to WANT to learn????
HOW do we encourage them to take responsibility for themselves????
HOW do we communicate the need to be responsible, self-motivated, life-long learners????

Even yesterday - a student asked me "when am I ever going to use this?" We were discussing the quadratic equation that goes with a rocket launch and how to graph it on a calculator. So the answer is...unless you're an aerospace engineer, I DON'T KNOW!!! But, I do know, that you will need to go to your job PREPARED! I know that if your boss asks you to complete a report, he actually NEEDS the report on the day he requests it! I do know, that you will need to be able to figure out technology, so figuring out this calculator will absolutely help towards that goal. I do know that you will need to be able to make connections between things you learn, in order to solve problems on your own...so making connections now and solving problems now will only help towards that goal!

I saw some snippets from a horrible movie the other day...I don't even know the name of it...but the premise (from what I could gather) was that Americans had gotten so stupid from years and years of lazy education. This spoof, set in the future, was making fun of what the world would be like if we continue in our current pattern. Now, before you hear an attack on our education system - let me clarify! Our education system ROCKS!! American teachers are some of the hardest working, most dedicated people I know!! We work hours that you could never imagine. We are constantly being trained on the latest findings regarding learning and education. We are constantly researching new and better ways to teach. We are constantly evaluating and being evaluated regarding our effectiveness at actually seeing results. We push ourselves to the brink of mental and emotional strain every day...

...and then we walk into class, prepared, confident, ready to impart this awesome wisdom we worked so hard to make sure would be clearly communicated...

...and a student interrupts our introduction to say,
"Miss...I didn't have time to finish my homework."
"Miss...I forgot my calculator."
"Do we have to write this down?"
"Do we have to draw the diagram?"
"When are we ever gonna use this?"

...and so we walk out of the classroom defeated, down-trodden, and ready to cry because yet again, our research and study was for no avail...they didn't get it...they don't care...

...so what do we do?? We TRY HARDER!!!!!!!!!!

Alright...I feel better! Now, I'm going to make my children do their homework and do it RIGHT!! And, I'm going to make sure they are prepared to ADD to the class discussion tomorrow! And if they do not, I am going to pray and ask the Lord's wisdom for the appropriate consequences. Because God gave these 3 children a brain and He intends for them to use it to solve problems for HIS kingdom! And it's MY job to teach them how!!!

Scrapbooking

2011-01-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

During this past holiday season, I found myself MAKING memories rather than spending time scrapbooking them. The older my children get, the more I just want to spend time with them as much as I can. It's not as fun to sit in my chair and scrapbook, when we could be laughing and playing together. So, as a result, I only finished 2 spreads for my scrapbook during the entire holiday. It was fun to document Summer memories, sitting by the fire!

I'm very behind, so these first 2 pages were from way back in June. Our friends, John and Jill Holland, took us to Maui with them on vacation! It was such a wonderful get-away for the 2 of us, but my children had a wonderful time as well! They spent the week with my parents in Abilene. Mamaw and Papaw always have so many fun things planned for them! During this visit, they went to the park, played in Papaw's hammocks, cooked, played dress-up, played games, built things, went swimming, saw Toy Story 3 at the movies and just had all kinds of fun!

After that, I was working on a page about our Book Club. LOL!! Yeah - that was my brilliant idea this Summer to have a Mother-Daughter book club and read "Anne of Green Gables". Somehow, I forgot that Summers are CRAZY!! We ended up only being able to have ONE meeting! :) But that one meeting was very fun and ended up being a great play-date for the girls during the lazy days of Summer!

What a glorious Day!

2011-01-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE the body of Christ God has blessed us with!

This morning, the girls and I were able to serve in the nursery. We were in charge of the 3 year olds. They were so incredibly cute! I loved greeting them, singing "Deep and Wide" with them, doing puzzles and coloring. It was so fun to watch the excitement on their faces as I told them the story of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus and the Spirit descending on him like a dove and God SPEAKING! It was hilarious to watch the horror on their little faces when I explained that baptizing meant they had to put their faces under water. And to watch their eyes get huge when I said God spoke from the sky! Little Daniel Morgan was pointing to the ceiling and excitedly saying, "da sky, wain falling from da sky!" (It was raining this morning.) And then when I told them God said, "This is my Son in whom I am well-pleased!" They got confused. So I asked them what "well-pleased" meant and little Tanner Lewis said "I don't know." So I said, "Has your Daddy ever said, 'I am SO proud of you!' ?" And ALL their little faces lit up. (I love that! Good job Daddys!!) Little Grayson Owens said, "That means he loves me!" You're SO right, my friend! So we talked about how God basically said, "This is my Son and I am so proud of Him!" (What an awesome thought, by the way!) Anyway, we tried to keep "dove" feathers off the floor by blowing them, and we made some dove. It was so fun!!

THEN, we cam home and had the delicious pot roast Karis and Rose Hendley made for us last night. Oh man! It was delicious!! I love that Karis loves to cook!!!

It began to snow as we ate our lunch and of course the kids were ecstatic about the first snow of the season. I LOVE that people began to message each other so we could all play in the snow together.

My husband was, of course, the target of MANY snowballs. But, he is such a good sport!!
And now, I'm sitting here in my fluffiest, coziest jammy pants...a fire in the fire place...my family all around! Seriously?! What an absolutely glorious day!!!

Let's begin again...

2011-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

I think I want to start blogging again. There is just something very cathartic about writing down one's thoughts and memories. Also, I have been inspired by my friend, Tricia, to make sure I remember! I'll write more later, after church, but I knew if I didn't post this commitment, I'd talk myself out of it! :)

What a blessing

2010-04-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago, I had the privilege of witnessing a tremendous blessing...Kensey's praise team led worship for our entire church. It was so incredible to watch those 4th and 5th graders lead our congregation! My absolute favorite part was watching Kensey sing next to her friend Sandra. This is the little girl I blogged about earlier - that Kensey had been sharing with at recess. What an awesome picture of God's faithfulness!!
PS - I'm sorry I'm singing so loud - I couldn't help it!

4 day weekend

2010-02-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

We have had quite the relaxing 4-day weekend around here. I guess our time in Colorado makes this whole snow shut-down hilarious to me! We had 2 days of playing in the snow with our church family...I've also had lots of time to scrapbook by the fire...This was Kensey and Daddy at the duck lease on the last morning of duck season. They had a great time eventhough they didn't really see any ducks.

This was Koleman's first stitches. He fell when he was running outside, and hit his head on a landscaping rock. Good thing he's got a Kennedy hard head!!

And this was Kensey's preteen camp that she went on right before she went back to school and prayed with her friend Sandra. What great memories for my sugarbear.

I also did some pages for the church bulletin board:
These were the families that joined our church this month.

These were from our Valentine Banquet. Our "empty nesters" class each brought one of our senior adult ladies and they all had a banquet together. It was a BLAST! I laughed so hard I had a headache! Such wonderful people!!!

Khris and I were also able to celebrate Valentine's Day because our friends (the Hollands) took us to a very nice dinner with them. Again - I laughed so hard I had a headache! (I'm seeing a pattern...)

And last night, Kensey got to babysit (at our house under supervision) and she did such a good job! I'm so proud of how responsible she is! She had those babies laughing, making crafts, in jammies, teeth brushed, and in bed on time. She made a list of what they did...so cute!!

Of course, I did the usual umpteen loads of laundry and house cleaning for showings (since our house is on the market) - but that stuff's boring!! :) Although - I must mention that my whole family helped clean for the showings...I'm so blessed!!

And now, I get to go worship with my wonderful church family and hear about the D-Now weekend that our youth had. Several of my students came, so I'm anxious to hear how it went.

(contented sigh)...Life is just too good!!!

So proud I can't see straight!

2010-02-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

My sweet sugarbear, Kensey (10), has been sharing about Jesus Christ and how he died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, with a little girl who recently moved to her school. The little girl had never heard of Jesus' love for her. Kensey wanted so badly to be able to buy her a Bible, but she didn't have quite enough money. So, Khris and I decided to help her out and we found a wonderful Bible for kids that had daily devotionals in it. We bought Kensey a copy of the same Bible so she could do the devotionals with her friend. She and her friend have spent every day at recess having a little Bible study on the playground. Her friend was soaking it up! Kensey has prayed for her, prayed for her family, and studied different ways to share God's love with her. This morning, Kensey called her Daddy, crying, because she just had the ooportunity to pray with her friend as she asked Jesus to come into her heart and forgive her of her sins. How exciting!! I am so thankful for the wonderful teachers who have helped us teach Kensey to love the Lord and share the gospel. I am so thankful for our new children's minister taking our 4th and 5th graders to camp this weekend where they spent 12 concentrated hours talking about scriptures on how to share their faith!! I am so thankful for my Sunday School class who has been praying for my child and her evangelistic heart. My heart is full!! I am completely unworthy to be blessed with this precious little girl!! Thank you, Lord, for allowing her to participate in your kingdom today!!!

Competitive

2010-02-08T04:29:00.000-08:00

OK - so it has been brought to my attention that I am a little competitive when it comes to Nertz. Nertz is a very fast card game...speed solitaire against others, if you will. We played the game last night, at our Super Bowl party (um, no...I was not watching the game...SHOCKER!). Anyway, in my attempt to slam a card down before the opposing team (which I did, and mocked the poor lady while I was at it) I bruised the side of my thumb so badly, it swelled up and turned purple! Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right??

Bored...

2010-02-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

There's nothing good to watch on TV these days, I haven't found a good book to read in a while, my house is staying clean because we're trying to sell it, I did the budget and all the paperwork yesterday, and we're having another showing today right after church, so I can't make lunch! I've checked my email, read all my facebook, downloaded scrapbooking stuff, and drank my cup of coffee...and it's only 6:41 am! Gracious!!!

So, I decided to update my blog...

Khris and I are still waiting anxiously to hear from someone in Haiti who needs us to take care of one of the many children who need help right now. Our church has 11 families who are at the top of the list for 3 different organizations. But, there's so much red tape and rebuilding occurring, that they haven't processed any new children yet...so we wait.

Today will be our 8th showing this week!!! That's awesome if you like a clean house!! tee hee The good news is, no one didn't like the house...it just wasn't "the" one. So, we're still praying for the right family to come through. I'm so excited for the day when we are debt-free!!!

Kensey is still on a junior dance company and absolutely loving it! Karis is still in chef school...after a brief haitus in ballet which she hated...and she now says she will never quit chef school again! Koleman is back in karate, now that football is over.

Our church family is going through an awesome time of worship together called 40 days of desperation. It has been an incredible experience for all of us! God is definitely doing some amazing things in Prosper!! Last night, 2 of our life connection classes (the Senior Adults and our Empty-nesters) had a Vaentine party and it was SOOO much fun! We laughed so much my head hurt! What a wonderful group of people!! Today, we'll be enjoying the Super Bowl with 2 more life connection groups - mine and the other class of people our age. What a fun weekend!

I finally scanned in all the extra pictures people had given me from 2009 and finished scrapbook pages for them...

OK...I have talked about nothing ling enough...time to find another activity!!!

Koleman's first BB gun

2009-09-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

Our men's dove hunt at church was this weekend, and Khris took Koleman for the first time. Of course he didn't get any pictures, but he said Koleman was so funny! They didn't shoot any birds because everytime Koleman saw one he'd yell and point with flailing arms, "There's one daddy!" Or, Khris would look over and he'd be off shooting a cactus or a tree...LOL!!! So funny!!

But, I do have some pictures of his first shots with his new BB gun. Khris sat him down in the living room to make their list of what they needed to bring and said, "OK, son, what's the most important thing we need for hunting?"
Koleman: "A gun!"
Khris: "Well, I've got my gun, where's yours?"
Koleman looked like he was about to cry, "I use your Wed Widuh BB gun"
Khris: "No, that's my gun...go check the gun case for YOUR gun"
(Khris had the unopenned box sitting in front of the gun case.)
Of course his eyes were very wide and he was very excited!! So here's his first shots:

The last hurrah...

2009-08-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

I had the most wonderful day! Now...to be fair, we woke up to this this morning:
But the precious angels who did this (the girls in our church youth group) came back to clean it up at 10 am...well, 2 of them did - Kelly and Julie - thank you sweet girls!

Then my parents came for a visit and we had a great time. Momma and I went shopping and I got some GREAT deals which included 2 new pairs of shoes!

My Dad's birthday is Monday, so we made him some "chocolate greatness". Koleman was so excited, he sat in front of the oven for 8 minutes (that's right, Koleman sat still for 8 minutes!) waiting for it. He started counting down at 30 seconds left. So funny!

As always, the kids had a great time with Mamaw and Papaw, but the favorite today was my dad's new iphone. He and Koleman were having so much fun playing games! So cute!!
And now, my summer is officially over...Monday I start school. I really am very excited about it. Our team was awesome last year and I think it's even better this year!! What a great way to end the summer!

Koleman's playing football

2009-08-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

I just had to laugh last night at the dinner table, because I could not squeeze a word in between Koleman telling us about his first football practice. I haven't seen him this excited since he got his four-wheeler. Khris said he was one of the most aggressive boys on the team...he dove to the ground with abandon, and ran as fast as those little legs would carry him. He was talking about how he tripped his friend Cooper on purpose, so he wouldn't get his flag (it's flag football) and he asked, "Is that appropiate in football?" (I know how to spell - that's just how he says it:) ) And of course, my husband who is relishing every moment of this responds, "Whatever it takes, son!" LOL!! Koleman was one of only 2 boys on the team who caught a touch-down pass! I normally don't care anything about football (I'm so sorry hunny!) but I cannot wait to see his first game!

The Innertube Fiasco

2009-08-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

At the request of many...I have decided to post the innertube story in correct chronological order, so you can grasp the full hilarity of the situation:

We went to Splashtown in San Antonio and we wanted to go on the "lazy" river. Khris made sure everyone was safely on their innertube and then decided to get on his own, he picked a 2 person tube at first so he could spread out on top...he jumped on...and fell off...
Huh...OK...let's see here...
How, in the world, am I supposed to get on this thing?!
Let's try laying on my belly...WHOA!!
Ok...just get situated...almost there...
Alright...let's turn over...CAREFULLY...
AH...see...
Whoa...rassum frassum...
No wait...I got it!!
Um...no he didn't...he flipped right after that picture..."Are you serious?!"
Daddy...you just lay like this..."Thanks son!" (with a lip curl)...
So he kept trying....

And kept trying...this time I was laughing so hard, I forgot to put the camera down...

And kept trying...

And finally made it into the tube and decided it was not worth the effort...they don't make those tubes for men as strong and powerful as my man!!! (You like that hunny??) LOL!!!

We're home!!

2009-05-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

My sugar bear is home, safe and healthy. I want so bad to be overjoyed - but I'm actually feeling very humbled and sobered. As I walked around that hospital, I saw so many children who are not leaving healthy, so many who obviously have cancer or severe injuries, so many little bitty babies. I feel bad about saying, "Yeah - God answered our prayers!" Didn't all those families pray the same prayers? When my cousin died of a brain tumor when he was 11, it certainly wasn't after a lack of prayer. When so many of my friends have faced challenges and deaths of their children - it wasn't for lack of prayer then. Now - for fear of starting a very slippery slope - I FIRMLY believe God calls us to "pray without ceasing", and "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective", and that God tells the elders to come annoint with oil and pray - which we did. Our wonderful elders annointed Kensey with oil and prayed over her in the ER. I think what I'm trying to say is that I don't deserve for my daughter to be leaving healthy! I don't deserve to be home safe and sound. I am absolutely not any more righteous than any of the other mothers who are still sitting at the children's hospital! I am so thankful and feel so unworthy of God's faithfulness to my family. My heart breaks for every mother who is fearing for the life of their child! Would I still sing the Lord's praises if the outcome were different? If they found something horrible in Kensey's brain, would I praise the Lord? Would I still acknowledge that God is good despite my circumstances? I want to be able to say yes. I want to be able to claim that God is good no matter what, even when His answers to my prayers are not the answers I asked for. I can almost guarantee Mary, the mother of Jesus, prayed for her son's deliverance! We know Jesus prayed that "this cup" could pass from him. I'm confident He was a "righteous man" and that His prayers were powerful and effective! I guess what I'm trying to vocalize is:
"Thank you my Lord, for taking care of my Kensey this week. We committed her to you when she was born, and she is still Yours to use as You need in Your plan! May her life bring You glory and draw people to YOUR name!! Thank you for allowing her to stay in my arms a little longer! Thank you for the outpouring of love and prayers from the wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ You have allowed us to do life with!"

Waiting...

2009-05-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

Isn't waiting always the hardest part of any trial?? We are still at the hospital, waiting for the neurology team to read the MRI, MRA, and MRV and work their magic. Kensey and I both slept well all night. And the nurse put fresh coffee in my blingy mug this morning. I haven't had even one moment to worry from all the texts, emails, and facebook entries. It really is wonderful! I feel so incredibly blessed. People all over the world, LITERALLY, are praying for my baby!

Scary Night!!

2009-05-07T10:08:00.001-07:00

It all began last night around 6 pm. We were on our way to drop the kids off at the church so Khris and I could go to an elder meeting. Kensey said, "OW! There's something in my eye!" I told her to look at me and I noticed that one eye was fully dilated and the other was very small. I had her close her eyes and open them again - and the same thing happened. After we had her look into a bright light and the same thing happened, we decided to get her to the ER. On the way to the ER, she got a horrible headache, nausea, and dizziness. At one point, her eyes rolled back in her head and she couldn't make sense when she was talking to me. It seemed like forever by the time we reached the ER. Within hours, they were using very scary words...brain tumor, aneurism, stroke, cancer, blood clots, etc. They did a CAT scan and found nothing. Then, they did a CAT scan with contrast and still saw nothing. So, by 1 am, they decided to move us to Children's Hospital in Dallas. By 5 am, I was finally able to lay down with the thought that my baby will probably be OK.

Since we've been here, the doctors and nurses have been absolutely fabulous! The neurologist really thinks this is migraine related, but we're waiting for an MRI, MRA, and MRV. So, we still have no idea what's wrong, but the doctors really think it's much less serious than we first feared.

I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from our church, community, coworkers, friends, and family. It is a very good thing we have unlimited texting!!! :) Our elders were wonderful - they annointed her with oil and prayed over her. Tons of friends have come by!! We are VERY blessed!!

Please continue to pray that we find answers and there is a good solution that will allow my precious Kensey-bear a long and healthy life!

Not enough hours in the day...

2009-04-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

I know I'm doing a HORRIBLE job of keeping up with my blog, but there just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I need to accomplish! And, I feel guilty for blogging when I'm not done with important things like laundry and preparing meals!

But, here's pics from Koleman's test for his yellow belt in karate and the girls went the Daddy-Daughter dance.

Funny story...

2009-03-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

My friend, Jill, picks my children up from school each day and yesterday she had a funny story to share when I got there. Kensey and Joy had decided they were going to use their homework pass and not do their Math homework. Jill asked them if they knew where their homework passes were. Joy said, "It's in my binder, in my folder, where I keep all of those things." Kensey said, "If I were my mother, that's where mine would be too!" LOL!! (However - she is NOT her mother - and therefore she still has to find it!)

Back to normal

2009-03-23T04:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's back to the normal world, until Summer. This week was so wonderful. It was so nice to be home with my family, laugh with my babies, hold hands with my husband, and go when we wanted to go and stay when we wanted to stay. Ah....

But, today I turn back into full-time working mom. I am very convicted about not grumbling or complaining. No one will want to be back at school. I felt, in my quiet time, like God was encouraging me to be the happy highlight today. You know...make the world a brighter place for my kids, my students, my husband, my friends, etc... Obviously, we would all like to just live in Spring Break - but that's not reality. So, I'm praying this morning that God will empower me to be the light in a dark world!

Camping

2009-03-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time camping last night. We went to our duck lease land that we rent with Patrick and Emily Berg. It's only about 40 minutes away, near Valley View, TX. Patrick & Emily, and the Holland family came with us. The kids had so much fun exploring together! After we got the tents and kitchen set up...
we sat around and shot some skeet. It was so much fun. Koleman thought it was a little loud, but the guns were still cool!

Khris was so excited to teach the kids how to build an A-frame fire. Koleman was breaking sticks over his legs. All the kids were making the fire together and having so much fun!
It was so fun to cook out, sit around and roast s'mores, sing, laugh, and enjoy the outdoors. The weather could not have been more beautiful! And, aside from Kensey running into a tree in the dark, everything went well...except Khris couldn't sleep. Apparently, SOMEBODY (me..tee hee) snores like a bear. Oh, and when you put 5 people in a 3 man tent, it's a little squished! But it sure was sweet this morning to wake up and all snuggle together on top of Daddy - precious memories!!

I'm in love!

2009-03-15T04:09:00.001-07:00

I was just sitting here wanting to blog about something, but not really sure what to share about. I could tell you about what Koleman said this weekend. He was spending the night with a friend and they went to a family member's house for dinner. The man of the house said, "Well, hello, what's your name?" and Koleman replied, "I'm Koleman Dean Kennedy - I'm the preacher's son!" tee hee Our friend's response, "Yeah, cuz there's only one preacher in Prosper!" tee hee.

Or I could share about how precious Karis was yesterday when she came home from spending the night with her friend. She snuggled up with Daddy on the couch and I came over and started smooching her face and she let out a big contented sigh that made Khris and I both giggle. We love that our babies are so happy and content!

Or I could talk about how worried I was about Kensey yesterday. She had an allergic reaction (I think to cats) and her eye swelled shut, her nose and ears were all congested, she had hives, she was breathing heavy - you know the routine. I watched her and remembered back to my childhood. I don't want this for her! I don't want her to be out of shape because she's afraid to exert energy for fear of an athsma attack. I don't want her to be the weird kid that can't go to certain people's homes because they have cats. I don't want her to have to deal with all the itching, sneezing, coughing, swelling, etc. I don't want to worry as I drive to the emergency care place to get a steroid - and then watch her gain weight from said steroids - OH - I worry too much!!

But, as I looked at my computer screen, trying to decide what to write about, I looked into those beautiful steely blue eyes my husband has and I let out my own contented happy sigh. That man is so incredibly wonderful!! Did you know he has NEVER gotten on my case about the house being clean? He is always the first one to tell me to rest or take a nap INSTEAD of cleaning! Did you know he makes coffee every night so that when I wake up in the morning, I have fresh coffee waiting for me? (and it's all old by the time he gets some - if he gets any at all before he has to leave) Did you know he is constantly complementing me? Did you know he says in front of our children, "I sure do love your momma" so much that my kids now roll their eyes - "yeah, we know..." Did you know he clears the dinner table while I load the dishwasher every night? Did you know he buys me shoes and clothes alot. I don't even have to bat my eyes!! He just likes to spoil me! I have to be careful to mention anything I might want - because he'll go get it for me!! He is the first one to suggest getting something to eat at a resteraunt if I'm tired! He makes me breakfast when we're running late for school. He calls me and texts me just to say "I love you" or "I missed you today". He is absolutely amazing and I love him more than I can express in words!!! I am so incredibly blessed!!

Sleep over...

2009-03-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

I made it through my first 10-yr-old sleepover! Now, you have to understand, I was the kid who couldn't make it through sleepovers when I was young...my bra always got frozen!! (Which was fine because I didn't need one anyway until college - tee hee!!) But I was very pleased - the girls were sweet to one another, nothing got broken, they didn't keep me up past midnight, it was as wonderful as I could have hoped for! My cousin's fiance was so helpful - I couldn't have done it without her - THANK YOU CAITLYN!!!

Interviews with my babies...

2009-03-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you.

2. What makes mom happy?
Me kissing you

3. What makes mom sad?
Me getting spankins (Karis - which happens most of the time, Kensey - so she's sad everyday) tee hee

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
You kissing me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
A baby and she was never obeying her parents

6. How old is your mom?
uh...102

7. How tall is your mom?
102 feet

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Pick her boogers (hysterical laughter)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around
Go on dates and kiss Daddy

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Kissing me on the cheek (I'm seeing a pattern)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Singing to me when it's time to go to bed.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Makin' like chandeliers and windows, like that kind of stuff

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Um...teach kids in school

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Ravioli

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Vacuuming the floors (I AM appreciated)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Superman

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Kiss each other

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have eyes

19. How are you and your mom different?
We both are not a girl

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Cuz you always kiss me

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Go on dates with Daddy to fancy places.
1. What is something mom always says to you?
Go Upstairs

2. What makes mom happy?
People playin' with her hair

3. What makes mom sad?
When Daddy goes away on a trip

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
I'm not sure

5. What was your mom like as a child?
She never told me!

6. How old is your mom?
uh...34

7. How tall is your mom?
I don't know...um, 5.6

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
watch Smallville

9. What does your mom do when you're not around
Kiss Daddy

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Bein' President

11. What is your mom really good at?
Math

12. What is your mom not very good at?
History

13. What does your mom do for her job?
She teaches

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Uh...What is your favorite food? I know I know - Fettucini Alfredo!

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
That she's a great Mom

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Mickey Mouse - not Minnie, Mickey

17. What do you and your mom do together?
SHOP!!

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have the same hairdo!

19. How are you and your mom different?
I'm funny and she....(hysterical laughter) "Just Kidding!"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
cuz she kisses me

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Kohl's
1. What is something mom always says to you?
She says I love you.

2. What makes mom happy?
Going shopping

3. What makes mom sad?
Lying

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
When she used to say "Piece of monkey smack!" and she goes, "Rassum frassum rassum..."

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Everybody thought she was a geek

6. How old is your mom?
34

7. How tall is your mom?
I know she's 5 foot somethin'

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Shop with me

9. What does your mom do when you're not around
I'm not sure

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Singing

11. What is your mom really good at?
Singing

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Saying No to clothes

13. What does your mom do for her job?
she's a Math teacher

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Fettucini Alfredo

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
When she helps me with things and she helps me with Math and schoolwork and I get the right answer because she helps me

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Probably Daisy Duck because you get mad but you're really nice most of the time.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Shop

18. How are you and your mom the same?
I look exactly like her when she was a kid and I have the same personality mostly.

19. How are you and your mom different?
She's grown up

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
I know because she's really nice to me and she says I love you all the time.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
On dates with Daddy to fancy places.

My baby just needed some TLC!

2009-03-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

As you can see, my precious Karis Danae is feeling MUCH better - and just in time for her field trip tomorrow! And, Mommy is feeling MUCH better after being a caregiver and homemaker for a day! This is absolutely when I feel my most "worth"! Sorry for ranting the other day...I'm just glad so many of you let me know I was not alone!! Thanks my friends!!!

This is NOT meaningless!

2009-03-05T04:21:00.001-08:00

This is my precious Karis Danae - who is normally FULL of joy and life. But this baby hasn't eaten (except a couple noodles) since MONDAY and she is miserable! But, today, mommy is home - right where I SHOULD be!!! Mommy can wash sheets, stroke hair, make chicken noodle soup, etc...THIS is NOT meaningless!!!

What's the point?

2009-03-04T04:02:00.000-08:00

What is the point of my current insanity? I have to wake up at 5:15 am to spend a little time alone with the Lord before my family wakes up and my insane day begins. I rush my children through getting ready for school because I am more worried about being on time than whether or not they ate a healthy breakfast. Really?! When it's typed out in a sentence, it is so extremely obvious that I have those priorities backwards. Now, as a professional organizer, I'm sure I would have quipped (very self-righteously) about how you just need to plan your morning better so you can feed them a healthy breakfast AND arrive at school on time. (By the way, I am so sorry if I caused any undo stress to any of you who had me help you get organized!) ...sigh... Then, I head to my job as a Middle School Math teacher - I don't know if ya'll remember middle school, but learning Math is not high on their list of priorities. I used to gripe and complain about the pointlessness of being a stay-at-home mom, and being under appreciated, and repeating instructions a hundred times, yada, yada...um...I'm STILL doing that!! Except now it's with a room full of hormonal 12 year olds who hate my guts because I want them to find the surface area of a polyhedron and show all their work WITHOUT a calculator! So after the best hours of my day are spent, my feet are sore, my throat is dry, and my nerves are shot, I head back home to my most important position as wife and mother - except I have nothing left to give...sigh...(again)
So - I go pick up my children at my friend's house - and I'm greeted with, "Aw mom, do we have to go?! Can't we stay a little bit longer?!" (Ya'll know you see these children EVERY day right?!) And I'm sure my friend is thinking, "YES!! You have to go!! Please don't stay - you people are CRAZY!!" We FINALLY get in the car and head home with these questions, "What are we having for dinner? Can I have a sleepover this weekend? When are you going to plan my birthday party? When will it be summer? Can I play on the computer when we get home? Do I have karate tonight? When will I have karate? Is that after this day? Are my jeans clean? Don't forget we need to finish my project..." So, in the 1 mile we drive to get home I go from on the brink of crazy to full-blown lost her ever-lovin'! Sooo...let's go prepare a delicious healthy meal from scratch!! :) (Oh, and clean up the dishes so the kitchen is spotless when we wake up tomorrow.) And, don't forget, your students wanted their test grades back tomorrow - so you better stay up and grade them. Oh, and an organized mom would do at least one load of laundry a day. Wait, those kids didn't do their list?! Why do I have a list? (I'm sure their response would be a snotty, "That's what we've been trying to tell you - why DO you have a list?") ...sigh...well, everything isn't done, but we better go to sleep so we can do this all again tomorrow - YEAH!!...3 am..."Mommy, I threw up..." And instead of compassion, I think, "What? You can't be sick? Who's going to take care of you? Mommy and Daddy have to work!" WHY??? Why can't I stay home and rub the forehead of my sick baby?...What is the POINT?! Meaningless, meaningless, it's all meaningless!!!!! (Wow, I feel better - don't you?! tee hee)

Serving others

2009-03-02T04:04:00.000-08:00

It was so good for us to serve as a family this weekend! Our church combined with some wonderful people from around the community to help clean up downtown Prosper. I am so sore today from raking leaves, sweeping, and gathering trash!! But it was very fun to serve as a family!!

I was really amazed at how hard my kids worked! They did great until...Daddy and the men knocked down the tree these baby squirrels were living in. After that, the day became all about saving the squirrels. Our worship pastor's wife researched on the internet and found that momma squirrels never abandon their young, so after their tree was cleared out, our worship pastor, Wayne, helped them build a new nest in the hole, so that momma could find them. So cute!!

Watch this for a good laugh!!

2009-02-27T04:13:00.000-08:00

In case you were worried

2009-02-24T03:46:00.000-08:00

Just in case you've been worried about the repercussions of sharing my faith at school...I wanted to share that the young lady is doing awesome! Her mom was very proud of her after she asked Jesus in her heart! She went to her church this weekend and had a wonderful time. She said she and her mom had a great weekend - no fighting!! I bought her a new Bible this weekend (for teen girls) and she loved it. She redecorated her notebook with a verse in spanish. Keep praying for her - but I'm so excited to watch God work in her little life!!!

That boy will be the death of me!!

2009-02-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

My baby boy got his foot stuck in an escalator today!! We were at the mall, and he wanted to be like Elf - the Will Farrell movie - but his croc got caught in the stair and it started pulling his toe in. No matter how much I pulled, I couldn't get him out!! I was panicked! The man in front of us was screaming for someone to press the stop button. Karis was screaming, Koleman was screaming, I was screaming...AUGH! I can't remember being that scared!! Khris came running (he was at a nearby kiosk). They got it stopped right before we were at the bottom, and I was able to pull him out - but his poor big toe was dark purple and a lady that said she was a nurse said it was probably broken. So, someone got him ice from the nearby Starbucks and we had a chat with security before they had to dismantle the escalator to remove his shoe which was still wedged halfway into it. I don't know how - but he is completely unscathed! We took him to "A Cute Urgent Care" and got x-rays - but we knew right away (when he tiptoed to see the screen) that he was just fine. The whole ride home - I could barely breathe. My neck was all tense, I wanted to throw up...in those moments, you can't help but wonder "what if?" But, the truth is - God protected my baby once again - and we can further confirm that that crazy boy will probably be the death of me!!

Another sister in Christ!

2009-02-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

I am so excited!! One of my students came into my classroom during the lunch hour today and I was able to lead her to the Lord!! Woo Hoo!! She was frustrated and crying because she wants to be good but she can't do it all the time. So I shared with her that the only reason I can be good is because I've asked Jesus to live in my heart and be my boss. She goes to a Catholic church nearby and she is very involved with their youth group. She knew about Jesus and how he died on the cross. But, she didn't realize she could have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus. We talked about how Jesus died on that cross to pay the punishment for us because we just can't be good and we keep being bad. But, he took our punishment, so if we ask him to clean out our heart and be in charge, He promises He will and He will never leave us! She prayed all by herself and sweetly ended her prayer with, "well, I guess that's about it." So I said Amen and we hugged! It was so awesome!! We talked about how life wouldn't be perfect now, but Jesus is in her heart, so whenever she is having trouble, she can pray for the Lord's help - and that I would be there anytime she needed me, as well. Please pray for this precious young lady. She wants so badly to make good decisions, but she's just 12! Such a hard time of life! OOOHH so exciting!!!

Need a verse

2009-02-19T04:09:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how much like little sponges 12 year olds are! My last class of the day has several of my friend's kids in it - and so I take on a little bit different personality when they come in. For some reason, I feel the freedom to encourage them like I would if they were at my house or I was at theirs. One day, they were teasing each other - which is very "par for the course" in 7th grade - and it was one of my dear friend's sons - so I said kinda quietly, "Just remember what Eph. 4:29 says!" And he said, "What does that one say?" (more eagerly than I would have anticipated) And, so I quoted, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." I'm not kidding or dramatizing at all - that room got more quiet than they EVER are as soon as I started quoting the verse. Well, that was a couple weeks ago. Yesterday, they were teasing each other again, and 4 of them (not all my friend's kids) started quoting that verse to each other, and then they started correcting each other to get it right, and then they referred to one student's Math binder because he has written the verse all over his binder!! How awesome is that?! So...um...I need a new good verse - because those babies are eatin' it up!!!

I finally did it!

2009-02-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

I actually cooked tonight with no menu and no recipe!! I know you're thinking that's no big deal - but it is for me! I've never been one of those who could walk into my pantry and find something to cook. If it wasn't on the plan...I can't do it. But I've been unable to go to the grocery store because I've been so sick so I had to get real creative tonight or go out to eat. And, we had a YUMMY dinner, good for us and everything!! Woo Hoo!!!

Tons of tests - no answers

2009-02-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to the doctor and she had no real answers. She's testing me for mono but we won't know for 2 days. She had me go for a sonogram to check my gall bladder and all my other organs. And, they're testing my blood for all that stuff they test...anemia, thyroid, blood count, etc. UGH!! I just want to feel better!!

So frustrated...

2009-02-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

I'm at home, sick, today. I have no idea what's wrong with me. I just can't get up...but I'm not like depressed. I have NO energy. Last Saturday, I woke up at 6:30 am, went back to bed around 9 am, woke up at 1 pm, went back to bed at 3:30 pm, woke up around 7 pm, and was back asleep for the night by 8:30 pm. CRAZY! Yesterday, I had to come home from church because I felt like I was gonna pass out! And, this morning, I feel totally wiped out, when all I did was make a pot of grits! What in the world?! I have no sore throat, no headache, no fever, no nuthin'! Just no energy!! So stinkin' frustrating!!

Shared photo book from Valinda:

2009-02-15T15:52:00.001-08:00

View Project at Shutterfly

Valentine options

2009-02-13T03:59:00.000-08:00

Karis CRACKS me up!!! I went shopping last night for Khris for Valentine's...and Karis said, "You should get him some underwear with hearts on it that says 'I heart Vegas' on the back". WHAT?!! Where in the world did she see that????

People pleaser...

2009-02-12T03:51:00.000-08:00

I know this will shock you, if you know me very well, but I am a serious people-pleaser!! I have always thrived on kudos. I know this is not my best trait, and it has been a constant struggle. So, yesterday morning I was a little stressed because I had been told that the administrators would probably be walking through classrooms yesterday while we were doing our special TAKS tutoring. I was sharing my stress with Khris (during my quiet time) and he was encouraging me to not worry about it. He used the verse about, "if we seek to please men..." and talked about how I had the wrong motivation. My motivation should be to bring God glory. And I argued, that wouldn't my good teaching bring God glory? - and my precious husband who knows me all too well confirmed again that I was still looking for kudos and helping MY reputation. hmmm... After some prayer about it, I seriously did not worry about the "walk-through" again. But, the walk-through came. And I got my kudos. But more than kudos from my administrator, the encouragement God allowed me to hold onto yesterday, was when one young man said, "You make me feel like a genius!" Woo Hoo!! If that's my legacy as a teacher - I'll take it! (Now if I can just get my priorities straight and take care of my own family first - oh...too many things to worry about!)

Don't mess with us!!

2009-02-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend was Disciple Now weekend for our youth at church. Every year, they feel the need to TP my house...but this year, we were ready!! We got water balloons, shaving cream, buckets of water, water hose, water guns, etc...and ambushed them just as they were getting started!
It was so much fun - but we forgot to anticipate that they can stay up later than us! And oh...they got us good!!

WHY??

2009-02-06T03:08:00.000-08:00

Why am I waking up so early??? I'm more tired than I've been in a long time, yet I keep waking up at 4 am!! What's the deal??!

I have some theories ( no exercise, worrying myself to death, guilt, yada-yada...) but, I don't want to dwell on it too much because it will make my "to fix" list even longer!!!

A new perspective...

2009-02-05T03:18:00.000-08:00

I've had a defining moment week that has changed my perspective! Tuesday afternoon, Khris got hit with what he thought was a big thorn, in the back of the leg. The pain was excruciating and immediately started stretching up his leg. By the time I got home, he was shaking and nauseated from the pain. I wanted to take him to the ER but he just kept saying, "Do you know how tough I am?!" By Wednesday morning, the pain was even worse and we both started wondering if maybe it was a snake bite. (He was out in the field around the church when it happened.) He went to the doctor and he confirmed it was definitely a snake bite,and probably a copperhead. If we had called on Tuesday, they would have immediately sent us to the ER! The doctor said, since he was still alive, he was probably going to be OK - so they put him on antibiotics. There's only one puncture wound, so, there must have only been one fang's worth of venom. Who knows if Khris would still be here if the snake had gotten both fangs in?! He's still in a ton of pain - but it's getting better.

I just looked at him last night and thought - "what in the world would I do without that man"?! I can't and don't want to imagine it!! But, that thought started a reevaluation of my current priorities, which are seriously out of whack! Look at these precious babies of mine:
I've had nothing to post because I've had very little interaction with them this week. I worked almost 60 hours last week. This week, I've tried to work less hours, but I'm so tired when I come home, I just collapse! Now, for those of you who have children in my Math class, you know that I am not at all saying I want to slack off as a teacher! However, knowing those friends who read my blog, I KNOW that you would all agree my primary job is to raise my OWN babies.

Please pray for me when you think of it. I desperately want to be a blessing as a wife, mother, teacher, friend, pastor's wife, daughter, and sister. But, that's alot of hats!! I know I'm my own worst critic, a perfectionist, yada-yada...God made me that way for a reason and it has brought me far in life. But sometimes, I let those things take over - NO MORE!!! Pray that I am able to do my best as a teacher AND have enough energy to bless my family when I get home!

Sorry...

2009-02-04T04:16:00.001-08:00

I know I have nothing good to post...but I am drowning in teaching right now!!!

A conversation with Karis...

2009-02-01T04:21:00.000-08:00

As Khris drove Karis to chef school this week, this was the conversation:

Karis: "Daddy, what did you want to name your little girl when you were a kid?"
Daddy: "Oh hunny, I didn't think about it when I was a kid. What do you want to name your little girl?"
Karis: (looking at him like he asked a stupid question) "I don't know...I'm only 8! I haven't thought about it!" (PANIC crosses her face...) "Should I be thinking about it?!"

Khris was crackin' up!!

I love ice storms!! :)

2009-01-29T04:12:00.000-08:00

OK - I don't really love ice storms, but I do love the days off of school that they provide!! I had a wonderful day off! Look at all the cute pages I finished!

These were the winners at our church Turkey Bowl:
And here's the crazy faces we were making at my parent's house:
These 2 pages go together, for our church Thanksgiving meal:

And this is when I introduced Karis to Young Chef's Academy:
I LOVE this picture of my girls - they look so grown up!!!
And these 2 pages are for Karis' cheer party:

So fun!!!!

Oh Koleman...

2009-01-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

So...should I be worried about these pictures of Koleman and his little friend Jenna?

I am crackin' up...Koleman just saw me putting this on my blog and he said, "You better not put this on my friend's mom's blog...because I'm in a Barbie jeep and I don't want him to see it!" tee hee And, Koleman wanted me to make sure you all know, he does NOT like Barbies!!

FULL...

2009-01-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

I love serving a God who is constantly challenging me! I love that I never get to just sit back and say, "OK, all done..." How boring would that be?!

Our worship conference was more wonderful than I could have imagined! The team did such a good job! After each session, we had a time to reflect on what we just heard, in total silence. Each reflection room was decorated a little differently - and they were all BEAUTIFUL!!

So, what did I learn? I'm a worrier! Now, I never thought I was because my motto has always been, "Don't worry about tomorrow, today has enough trouble of it's own!" And, I really stick to it. I make lists and calendars and I don't worry about the future AT ALL! However, I worry about the present ALOT!! I just didn't recognize it as worry.

Our first session was about the need for simplicity. Now, those of you who know me well, know that I have a quiet time every morning, and I have a restful Sabbath every Sunday, I'm very organized and orderly, and I have NO problem saying NO and not becoming overly committed. So, it seems like I have this simplicity thing under control, but apparently not. I noticed, even while Steve was talking about the need for simplicity, that my mind was racing with worries about every little detail of what was happening. And I mean every little detail! I was not on the committee, and had absolutely no responsibilities this weekend - and I still worried about every little detail!

God has wired me as a detailed, orderly, planning, (pushy, control freak). The first 3 are the positives, and the last two are the definite negatives that I have allowed to rage out of control! I was so convicted that even in my morning quiet times, and my Sunday afternoon Sabbaths, I still allow my mind to race and make plans for things that God already has well under His control! I mean, do I really think that God needs me to fix all the details?! NO!!! He has a much bigger picture than me of everything that is going on!! He knows things I don't know about every situation!! I MUST take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. If I wasn't called to plan an event, then I just need to enjoy it!!! God has placed me in a season of taking a back seat...so I need to sit back and take the journey with others!! This is a unique opportunity that I have never had in all of our years of ministry and apparently I don't know what to do with it!

So, I am going to go get ready for church...on a day when I have NO responsibilities...NONE!!! What?! How does that happen?! I mean, aren't I the pastor's wife?! Don't ya'll need me to something?! Don't I need to be worrying about something?! Apparently not!!

God spoke loud and clear this weekend - that it's time for me to QUIT worrying and trust that He has HIS church under control - and He wants me to focus my attention on some wonderful 7th grade students who need Jesus desperately!

IN anticipation...

2009-01-23T03:57:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about what this weekend may bring for me, my family, our church...etc. We are having a worship conference at church and we are all fasting together while we we learn how to truly worship. I will not be openning my computer again until after it is over on Saturday night...so stay tuned for the amazing things God's about to do!!

Parting remarks...

2009-01-21T03:57:00.000-08:00

Last night, Khris and I got to go on a much-needed date with some wonderful gift certificates we got for Christmas! As we were leaving the kids with their babysitters, these were my instructions, "Kensey, no bossing - Karis, no yelling - and Koleman, no head injuries!" TEE HEE :)

Precious Karis!!

2009-01-20T03:57:00.000-08:00

My sweet Karis Danae had a playdate with her friend yesterday while I went to work. Her mom texted me last night to tell me to ask Karis what they talked about. Apparently, Karis was trying to get her friend to ask Jesus to come into her heart and she was trying to pray with her. The little girl wasn't ready, but how awesome is that?! Oh to be as bold as my 8 year old daughter!!

An epiphany...

2009-01-18T03:51:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love that word, epiphany?!

OK anyway, I just finished my quiet time and it was so simple, yet completely life-changing, I had to share. Now, for fear of not communicating it correctly, I'm just going to quote it completely. So, this is Day 25 in James MacDonald's devotional book, "Ancient Wisdom".

A contrary man spreads conflict and a gossip seperates friends. Proverbs 16:28

Don't be a pervert.

"Uh, okay", you may say, a little smack of sarcasm in your voice. "I wasn't exactly planning on it." In some translations of the verse above, the "contrary man" is said to be instead a "perverse man". Not the wild-eyed, drooling kind of sick-o, but one who for some twisted reason delights in stirring up trouble, in sowing conflict, in separating friends.

You can't spot this person right away. He's not the kind to drop a bomb in between people and be known as the perpetrator. Instead, he "spreads conflict". He "sows strife" as some versions of the Bible say it. He plants seeds that over time have the potential to grow into bigger issues with the muscle to pull people apart, to arouse suspicions, to invite unkind words and actions. It's subtle. It's sneaky.

But they're out there, these perverts, bristling with the power to separate even the best of friends. They're not out in front where you can see them. They're off to the side, out in the parking lot, on the phone, at the store, over coffee, whispering things: "Did you hear about-? Can you believe it? Isn't it just awful? How could she do a thing like that?" Theirs is a condition born of insecurity, jealousy, and anger but it reveals itself in treachery and distrust.

Why would God put this verse in the Bible? Was He thinking that a perverse person would be reading the book of Proverbs, would slap himself on the forehead and say, "Oh no! That's me! I've got to stop doing that!"

No, there's little likelihood that a foolish person is going to find much value in Proverbs, as if he was going to change anyway. This verse is for the person who wants to protect her friendships, who knows to be on the lookout for:

Bad reports. "Hey did you hear about such-and so? I know it's none of my business, but..."
Half-truths. "Did you hear that Bill lost his job? Did you hear why? I think the reason is..."
Exaggerations. A kernel of truth expanded into a bad report.
Motive assessments. "Do you know why she does that? You know why he acts that way?" No, do you?

I've learned to stop this stuff in it's tracks. If you're sincere about protecting your friendships, do these two things:
1) Stop the repetition
and
2) Cover the transgression.

Bad reports may travel fast through the grapevine, but they need to stop with us. When people come to me and say, "Pastor, did you know..." I usually answer back, "Why are you telling me this?" (That's a little nicer than saying what actually comes to mind: "What do my ears look like to you? A trash can?") This direct approach puts a strange, blank look on people's faces. "Why are you telling me this?" is the best reply I know of to a piece of gossip.

Only a few times in your life can you do something that you're absolutely sure God wants you to do. This is one of them. If you're serious about taking care of your friends, don't let the perverts have their way. "Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all offenses." (Prov. 10:12)

Do bad reports stop with you, or do they continue on? Are you a clog or a conduit in the personal injury pipeline? What makes this a challenge in your life?

I mean, if that doesn't hit you right square between the eyes - then you must not be living here in America! I can't think of any place we've ever lived, any job I've ever had, any ANYTHING where this truth did not apply! And, I could absolutely remember plenty of instances of "perverse" people in my world...but the part that was so huge for me this morning was this sentence: "Are you a clog or a conduit in the personal injury pipeline?" WHOA!! But, don't we need to be able to vent our frustrations?! Apparently not!! If I vent...doesn't that harm the one I'm venting to?! I was very convicted this morning that God has all the "problems" in my life well under control. Venting to other people only harms THEM. They can't fix it...only God can! I love my friends, family, and church DEARLY and I would never want to say anything that would harm their faith or make them worry for me!!

So, I'm posting this for 2 reasons:
1) To encourage everyone to quit being a "conduit on the personal injury pipeline"
and
2) To apologize for all the times I've been a conduit in the name of "venting".

God can protect our reputation and our church family very well...my job is to keep my eyes on HIM and the work He has set for me to do!!! (Because there will ALWAYS be someone or something else to focus on, believe me!)

I'm so glad I get to go worship God with my church family this morning...I just want to hug them all!!

The bad part of blogging...

2009-01-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

OK so the downside of blogging is that the only thing I have to share today is all the crazy stuff my son Koleman has done this week...and I'm certain I will not sound like SuperMom by the end of this...but it was funny...so I'm going to share:

Koleman is officially my first child to go to the prinicipal's office for a bad reason! He got in a fight at school the other day. Now, this story will lose something in translation, because when he tells it, he can't say his "r"s so it's much cuter! But, apparently, he and another little boy were wanting to play Star Wars and he said, "we didn't have light sabers and we didn't have guns, so we had to use our punches!" One of their "punches" was a little too hard, and it flipped a switch in one of those boys and it's all down hill from there. AUGH!! The good news is that we had a conference with his teacher and she assured us that Koleman is a good little boy who had a normal boy reaction and he is in no way a "bully" or "too rough". Whew - what a relief!!

I wish I were finished with the stories...um...but I'm not. He also has decided it's hilarious to draw "boobies" on the animals of his friends in Sunday School...great!! We have had to have a talk with him about privates are called privates because they're PRIVATE!!! Don't talk about that stuff with anyone but mommy, daddy and a doctor!!! Gracious, child, could you at least spread out the excitement??!

And...(yes, there's more) I got 2 phone calls from the school nurse this week for "head injuries". What?! Do boys really have to be so fearless?! He keeps falling off monkey bars and then yesterday he got pushed off his scooter, while he was on it and moving!! The nurse said he should get a "Golden Globe" award because he already knows how to come in and say he's dizzy and wants to "thwow up"!

So...aren't ya'll glad I'm back to blogging...so I can make ya'll all feel like better mothers than me?! :)

My Great-Grandpa's Funeral

2009-01-13T20:00:00.001-08:00

Finally!! I'm back!!

2009-01-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

My gracious - this has been the craziest ordeal!! My blog was deleted on January 1, 2009, because my SuperMoms account (the business I used to own) expired on the 1st and my blog was under that name. I have tried and tried to get it back - but no one will even email me back. So, then I tried to set another one back up, but the decorating site I used was down as well! AUGH!! So...I am FINALLY up and running again - but now I need everyone's blog addresses again because I don't have them anymore. So, please send me the link to your blog!