Pesach Sameach!

Happy Passover!

Enjoy this great video - Hava Nagila, Texas Style

Coffee Friday March 26

Welcome!  Pull up a chair and grab a cup of your favorite beverage.

What a week!  I love my political talk radio.  Mark Davis, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham accompany me throughout my day.  Mark is a local guy (who sometimes fills in for Rush) and is even-keeled.  I love Rush's optimism and his sense of humor.  Sean reminds me of what is good and true in this country.  Mark fires me up.  I love that man's passion!  But the politics this week have worn me out and I was getting weary.  So I turned them off for a few days and turned on the praise music.  Just what my heart and soul needed.

I love that God put the Isaiah and Revelation precepts in my path at this time.  There is nothing like studying God's word to put things into perspective.  I wish I weren't so new to Bible study, but I am very glad that I'm there now.

This was the first week back to school after spring break for my older son.  He's 8 and in 3rd grade and ADD.  Getting him up and ready in the morning is like herding jello.  He was tardy yesterday - completely his fault.  So we are making him more responsible for his morning routine.  I put together a simple chart and printed it out.  So far, this morning went well.  He set his alarm and was actually awake when Andy went to get him up.  I want very much to find the right routines for him, routines that make sense to him and will become ingrained so that they are second nature.  I want him to succeed.  And I'm learning, as a parent, that his success depends upon his failures and how he deals with them.  So my prayer is that God will let me know when to step in and when to step back and how to help and teach my son to handle his failures.

I work at the zoo this weekend.  We have a grand new exhibit open called MOLA - Museum of Living Arts. It's a wonderful herpetarium and a great addition to the zoo.

Since my younger son starts kindergarten in the fall, I have applied to be a substitute in our school district.  I was a math teacher in my life before kids.  While I don't want to go back to teaching full time right now, I think subbing is right up my alley.  I'm excited!

Easter is just a little over a week away and I'm excited!  It's my favorite holiday!  It's my favorite Holy Day.

A Little Slice of Heaven

My inlaws have a ranch just 45 minutes west of us.  They don't live there.  It's a second property for them.  They've been redoing the ranch house (as in taking it down to the slab and rebuilding).  It's pretty much done.

The family and I packed up and headed there yesterday evening.  No TV, no radio, no phone (not great cell service).  24 hours of unplugged...NICE!!  We started with a campfire last night.  With just a small sliver of a moon, we could see so many stars.  Next time, we'll remember to bring the star cards so we can identify more constellations.

We slept in this morning until we were ready to get up (well, until the 4 year old was ready).  Andy took the boys out for a long walk to see what they could see.  Since I was behind on my Bible study, I stayed back for the absolute peace and quiet and worked on getting caught up.  (Never get behind in a precept class! LOL)

They came back for lunch and played for a while, then headed up the mountain.  They were specifically looking for tracks to report back on what kinds of animals were out and about.  Granddad specifically is looking for deer and turkey (turkey season is around the corner).  We had a wonderful day with no time constraints.  We left around 6 and headed to the best little pizza spot in Texas.  It's a hole in the wall joint in Mingus, TX.  But my oh my, they have WONDERFUL pizza!  You can easily founder yourself on that stuff!

That's how I spent the last 24 hours and I will definitely do it again soon!  Spending time with the family was soothing and peaceful.  (And next time, I'll remember the camera!)

Accountability

This week is spring break and I have a LOT I need to do.  It really could be done any time, but without the usual time constraints on my schedule, maybe this week is the best week to start!  I'm going to put my to-do list here and cross off as items are accomplished.  Monday, we are going to my grandmother's to spend the day.  She is giving me her car (what an incredible blessing!), so now I'll have a reliable car!

1.  Schedule DH's work week
2.  Put away laundry
3.  Wash and put away dishes (and keep it that way)
4.  Trim rose bushes and catalpa tree
5.  Put away all toys (and PURGE)
6.  Work out a written routine for oldest son (to hold him accountable in the morning and evening)
7.  Organize coupons (and keep up with it)
8.  Put away the papers on and around my desk
9.  Organize my craft area
10.  Sort through the boys' clothes (purge and donate)
11.  Find a happy home for 3 pieces of furniture
12.  Straighten and organize office area
13.  Organize and purge cabinets above washer and dryer
14.  Change out bed frame
15.  Get rid of trash on the side of the house
16.  Get all sticks and such in a pile for the next pickup
17.  Mail Flat Stanley back to nephew
18.  Take care of MOPS paperwork
19.  Mail back Neilson scanner (not what it's cracked up to be)
20.  Put together recipe cards to go with SIL's wedding gift

If I think of something else, I'll add it.  Kind of overwhelming, but it will feel SO GOOD to do this stuff!

On a Journey

I'm on a journey.  Well, we all are, aren't we?

My journey involves my faith.  I received a devotion yesterday from Proverbs 31 Ministries that really put my journey into focus.  She wrote about exactly with what I struggle.  She wrote how believing is much more than just acknowledging His death and resurrection.  That's where I have been stuck.

I "became a Christian" at Easter time when I was 6 years old (30 years ago).  I remember the day and making the decision.  But so many times, I wander far away from my Father.  I've been faithfully attending a church for over 3 years now.  It's opening my eyes to just how far from Him I am.  So far, in fact, that I rarely pray.  How can I possibly have a relationship when I don't speak to the other person for ages at a time?  Yesterday, I asked God to please keep me around long enough until my heart is right with Him.  I meant it when I walked that aisle 30 years ago, but I didn't understand the depth of faith.  I feel His tug on me.  He speaks to me and His truths whisper to me at the times I most desperately need them.  Sometimes they shout at me.  I can feel His guiding hand when I allow it.  So I know that I'm on the right road.  But I don't want to just be on the right road.  I want to be running toward my Father with abandon.  He has a lot of work to do on me, and, frankly, my flesh is scared of where that will take me.  I know wherever it is, He will be with me the entire way.

Am I alone in this journey?

Marriage Expectations

I chat on a couple of boards.  One is finance related, directed at people working toward and living a debt-free life.  Often, threads will come up that deal with one partner in a marriage that is shouldering a majority of the burden while the other sticks his/her head in the sand.

What saddens me is the advice frequently given.  It usually follows the line of "you're right, it's not fair, the other person needs to step up."  While I don't disagree with that if that is the case, it seems as if the root of the problem is often overlooked.  WHY is the other person sticking their head in the sand?  And what can their spouse do to help them?  Too often, the advice given is damaging to marriages.  "Make them do their share" seems to be the mantra.  If the spouse is being childish, then it's fair advice.  But if there is an underlying problem that goes beyond, the best fix is to address the root cause.  You can treat the symptoms or you can treat the disease.

What happened to marriage being a partnership?  If my partner is floundering, do I throw a weight on them and watch them drown or do I do what I can to help him back on his feet?  Is it "unfair" to expect me to shoulder even more burden while my partner is dealing with whatever is going on with him?  Well, maybe in a schoolyard sense of fair and unfair.  But in marriage, my role is to lift up my husband.  His role is to lift me up.

Recently, my advice to a wife dealing with this was to pray for and love on her husband.  Her husband has buried his head in the sand because, I believe, he feels like a failure for not providing properly for his family (or what he feels is properly).  And I was called unfair because I was asking her to do more while her husband apparently didn't have to do anything.  Except they forget that each person can only control their actions.  This woman can choose to be a loving spouse to help her husband through a difficult time so that he becomes aware and can take responsibility, or she can choose to keep hounding him on her point because she is right.  Which is better for marriage in the long-run?

No wonder there are so many divorces in this country.  We have a perception that marriage should be "fair" all of the time.  I am so glad that my parents didn't model that for me.  Really, my heart is heavy because so many people just jump to assure her that she is right and that he needs to man up.  Well, duh, that is all obvious.  The point is, how do you fix that problem?  By pointing fingers?  Or with love and patience?

I'm not perfect in this.  I've pointed my fair share of fingers.  Love and patience is HARD.  But I've discovered it works every time.  I still have to fight my finger-pointing ways and work on the love and patience.  I'm far from perfect...far, far, far.

Dead Car, Scentsy, Clean House and God

Come in and grab a cup of your favorite!  For me, it's a Dr Pepper this morning.

I sold my car yesterday.  I had a 94 Ford Explorer.  I bought it used in 1999 with 70,000 miles.  When it left me, it had 217,480 miles.  They paid me $250.  It had many problems including an electrical problem that cropped up Wednesday night on the way home from church.

God is good!  My grandmother recently moved in with my uncle and is giving me her car.  It is in the repair shop as I write this, waiting on a part.  So I'll be without a car for a week.  And I think that's a good thing.

When talking to my friend last night, I told her about selling my car.  She offered me the use of an extra car she has right now.  I was wondering how I was going to get to Bible study on Wednesday since my husband works. Now I have a way.

This deal is a great reminder to me of God's timing and God's provision.  It's not always what I expect or what I want, but it is always what I need and is always a great reminder of His love and care for me, even in the small things.  Because, really, a car is a small thing in the grand scheme of life.

God speaks to me through my blog.  Often, I sit down to write a post and it turns out as a lesson for me.  I don't plan them to be deep or meaningful, but that's where God leads.  And in that, I am humbled.

Well, I have an entire house to clean (okay, it's a small house and I'm not worried about certain rooms).  I am having a Scentsy party tonight and the house is a disaster.  And rather than work on it yesterday, I drove into Ft Worth to sell my car and then came home and we worked on a plumbing project (which we CONQUERED, by the way!).  So, before 5 pm tonight, I need to finish my kitchen, dining room, living room and bathroom.  The boys' bedroom and playroom just need to be straightened some.  I'm not meticulously organizing a room in which several children will descend and destroy enjoy tonight.  My room and the office won't be seen, so they have to wait.  And I need to mix up a batch of vanilla chai tea mix to have on hand tonight.

One more thought, after today, my room will have priority in cleaning.  It is sanctuary for my husband and me.  I want him to have a relaxing place to chill.  Eventually, I want to repaint.  Right now, the walls are a deep red (think Aggie red - and I'm a Longhorn fan).  I'd like to paint three walls brown and one wall sage green.  I'm also going to paint some furniture a coordinating color (a large dresser and nightstand as well as the headboard).  Or maybe I'll invest in a staple gun and recover some stuff.  I'm feeling crafty after seeing some simple projects on blogs (check out the crafty blogs and house and home blogs on my blogroll).

Okay, I'm off on my crazy day and tomorrow I work (I do overnight parties at the FW Zoo).

Have a great and wonderful and blessed weekend!

Fitting In

All my life, all I've ever wanted was to fit in.  To belong.  Sometimes I'm somewhat successful.  Other times, I make a fool of myself.  I wasn't always true to myself, and more importantly, to God.  I joined a sorority in college to fit in, in spite of reservations that I had.  I told myself certain things were okay just so I could have a group of friends.  Except that always backfires.

This week, I've been struggling with feeling like I don't fit in.  Along with wanting to fit in comes the self-pity.  I'm not good enough for that group.  I'm not thin enough.  I'm not quiet enough.  I'm not feminine enough.  I'm not rich enough.  I'm not "Christian" enough.

How sad is that ... that I allow myself to be put through the wringer based on lies.

God's been working on me this week.  I am me.  I am His creation.  I'm not meant to be someone else.  The only way the cycle will stop is if I take my eyes off of the world and focus on Him.  While it will be painful at times, my job here is to let Him chisel me into an image of His Son.  I belong - I belong to the most important group ever.  I am His!

So Lord, that is my prayer.  I ask for help in keeping my focus on You.  I ask that You will continue Your work in me and allow me to be a shining light for You.  I ask for perseverance, that You will sustain me when it's too hard for me on my own...and more than that, that it will never be me on my own.