Outside My Window...

Outside my window... it's very dark and quiet.

I am thinking... that I probably should be in bed... ha.

I am wondering... what all I'm missing at home while I'm away.

I am thankful for... answered prayers, my sister getting better, and doctors that finally return phone calls!

In the learning rooms... I'm finding out more and more about the endocrine system and how much it affects every part of your body!

In the kitchen... a pile of now empty carry-out boxes that had lots of yummy leftovers from dinner last night.

I am wearing... black track pants and purple tech shirt - just about the same thing I was wearing the last time I posted. :)

I am creating... this blog post.

I am going... nowhere right now - well, except to my bedroom in a few minutes.

I am reading... a book called "A Redbird Christmas" that my Aunt Carolyn let me borrow at Christmas... I'm a little out of season with it now. :)

I am hoping... that my family hasn't forgotten what I look like. ;-)

I am hearing... a clock ticking and the hum of the computer.

Around the house... are lots of pretty flowers from caring friends.

I am praying... for wisdom and direction.

One of my favorite things... is being available enough at this time in my life to be where I'm needed... that's a blessing.

A picture to share... people that I miss the most right now!

Outside My Window

Outside my window... it’s beautiful and warm here in sunny South Carolina… feels like Springtime. :)

I am thinking... about the future.

I am wondering... what I can do to help.

I am thankful for... sunshine and the time for a long walk this morning.

In the learning rooms... I’ve been challenged this last week by Beth Moore in “A Heart Like His” as she looks at David’s fall into sin.

In the kitchen... I just finished cleaning and putting everything away… ahhh… :)

I am wearing... Track pants, tech shirt and jacket – and my favorite pink hat.

I am creating... not a whole lot these days – too busy. But I do hope to get back to sorting out things in my attic when I get home!

I am going... to Winterfest at the end of the week and really looking forward to it!

I am reading... a book called ‘Switch’ that’s making me rethink a lot of ways that I approach solving problems and change.

I am hoping... that my time here will be helpful.

I am hearing... Shelby’s footsteps up in her room – wonder what she’s doing up there?

Around the house... pretty sunflowers in a vase across the room, a puzzle waiting to be put together, too much Valentine’s candy. :)

I am praying... for my sister and and for friends who are hurting.

One of my favorite things... was spending this past weekend with Mackenzie up at Lipscomb and all the excitement that comes with that.

A picture to share... ‘Presidential Scholars Dinner’ at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Simply *Un*organized

OK, so this is my sister Lisa - master organizer extraordinare... :) Check her out at www.simplyorganizedsc.com. She actually makes money turning other peoples' disorganized messes into places of order, serenity and joy. :)

That's her business logo - cute, huh? :)

And then there's me... the great procrastinator extraordinare. ;-) I don't have a logo and I don't make any money with this 'talent' .... ha. So I'm turning myself in. I need some accountability. I'm posting a picture here of boxes and boxes of pictures and video tapes that I pulled out of my attic today. There may be more, I'm not sure - I *think* I got them all. But, hmmm, I only looked in ONE of the attics - there is another one. Oh dear...

ANYWAYS... here's the picture - my guest room is about to become a war zone... haha. There is no telling what all I will find - but it's close to 30 years worth of pictures. Anna's hope is that I will find more baby pictures in here somewhere - poor second child...

So if you are reading this and you see me, please ask me how this 'project' is going - I plan to start in full force on it on Monday... hopefully you'll see updates as I go along. If you don't, please feel free to call me on it and shame me into getting this done!! ;-)

Regrets

Sigh of relief. I'm glad January is done. I usually like it's approach -- the thought of a new year and a fresh start and resolutions and all that. But it packs a punch, too, like...
Regret

...over one too many deserts over the holidays
...the sluggishness and extra pounds from completely falling off the wagon on any kind of exercise plan you once had (and finding way too many excuses not to start again)
...the credit card bill telling you that you spent too much money on Christmas presents
...resolutions that you are already behind on.

Regret - I've been thinking about that recently. It's something I'm told I need to let go of, move on from. That spending too much time with regret is not helpful. God tells me that 'repentance leads to salvation that leaves NO regret.' (II Cor 7) But when I looked a little further into the subject of regret in the bible, I found out that even God had regrets. Really? Is that possible? How does God have regrets when He's never done anything wrong? Well, His regret was over our evil hearts (Gen 6) and rebellious ways (I Sam 15). It's sad that not even 6 chapters into the bible, God was already regretting that He had made us... wow. But it's interesting to me, too, that God, who has nothing to be sorry for and no need to change, seems to have 'changed' in response to His regret. After destroying all of mankind except Noah and starting over, He STILL knows that our hearts are evil, but this time chooses to make a covenant with Noah never to punish mankind by a flood again. And after Saul's disobedience and failure as king, He raises up David, who would not LOOK like a king, but would have the HEART of a king. That was a change, too.

So I saw this quote:
“I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person.” -- Rita Mero

I do agree that things happen for a reason and perhaps the hard times do build character, but no regrets? I wonder if this person ever had regrets over hurting someone? I'd admit that maybe it's cavalier to pull yourself up and proclaim that you have no regrets if the only person you've ever hurt is yourself with your potentially regrettable choices in life -- but when you've hurt others, and you say you have no regrets, it gives this quote a rather callous tone.

Here's another one:
“Regret is an odd emotion because it comes only upon reflection. Regret lacks immediacy, and so its power seldom influences events when it could do some good.” --William O'Rourke

This one speaks a bit more truth to me. Maybe if the regret could somehow play itself out before our eyes and heart BEFORE we jumped into the messes we find ourselves in, perhaps we would be able to avoid some costly mistakes. But then again, we are still human, so maybe not. I'd at least like to THINK that it would help...

That brings me to this last one:
“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” -- Mercedes Lackey

Hmmm... I think I agree. I have quite a few 'if only' times in my life. Times I'd like to get back and do differently. Some have cost me dearly -- but what I regret most is those that have cost the people I love dearly. That's the stuff I find hard to let go of.

When I was little, my mom used to have one of those sayings that moms like to say. :) You know the one... "Two wrongs don't make a right!" Well, if you turn that around a bit, I think you often find that no amount of 'rights' can make up for a 'wrong.' At least it seems that way to me. And I hate that, because I want so badly to undo or make up for the wrongs and hurts I've done to others.

I guess this is the point where a lesson on fogiveness and grace should start, but for now I'm just going to say that I'm so thankful for both, from God and in my relationships. What possible hope would I have otherwise?

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in His word I put my hope.

Ps 130:3-5

Rock and Worship Road Show

Tonight was the Rock and Worship Road Show at the VBC. I've just recently really fallen in love with The Afters and they were one of the bands performing tonight and I was so looking foward to hearing them. I wasn't disappointed - they were awesome! Thousand Foot Krutch, Jars of Clay and Mercy Me, along with Matt Maher, also performed. There was definitely something for everyone tonight. :) One minute we were rocking out with fists pumping, and the next minute we were singing worship songs with hands raised all around... There were prayers and moments of total silence - confetti and streamers - strobe lights and screaming guitars. And all of it was offered in worship and to give glory to God. :)

I'll be honest and say that I didn't expect to enjoy Mercy Me as much as I did - but they were wonderful and one of their songs tonight really moved me so I thought I'd post it here before I head off to bed for the night:



Beautiful

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
Cuz you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes

You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His

The New Year (so far) in pictures

It's been a busy 2 or 3 weeks since the start of the New Year... just thought I'd run it down in pictures...

I left town on Jan 6th for South Carolina to spend a week with my sister. I had no idea at the time that I'd get snowed in with them! While I was there, I got to be my sister's "business associate" when she unexpectedly got a call from the largest local TV station to come and be interviewed about her business, Simply Organized. We got to do an "office desk makeover" for one of the news anchors for "Organize Your Office Desk Day." That's him in the picture... Stuart Moore. I got his autograph! ;-) Anyways, it was quite an experience and was a lot of fun. :) Unfortunately, with all the snow going on for a week, it hasn't aired yet, but when it does, I hope I can put it up on here. :)

I got to go to one of Shelby's basketball games - I guess I was a little bit of bad luck for them since they had won all of their games until I showed up - oops! But it was fun to see her in action!

I also got to see Nathan play in one of his games - and they won, so maybe I redeemed myself. ;-)

As you can see in the picture below, middle school boys come in all shapes and sizes. I just had to put this picture in here because I think it's funny how tall Nathan is!! Obviously, my sister's kids got blessed with some height from their dad's side of the family! Nathan is 6 weeks YOUNGER than Anna and is 6'1" tall... yikes! ;-)

And this is me, my sister and Shelby after the Nathan's game.

And Huntsville wasn't the only place that got snow - we got a bunch in South Carolina, too. Nathan and Shelby were up and out early to go find friends to sled with.

After about 3 hours of snowball fights and sledding, it was time for a hot chocolate break.

Meanwhile, back at home, "Snowmaggedon 2011" was in full swing and Jack and the girls spent an entire afternoon building an igloo. :) The sad part of this was that it got destroyed overnight by some not very nice people who I'm sure thought they were having lots of fun messing other people's stuff up... :( I still think Jack is holding a grudge about that! ;-)

And I guess maybe I need to leave for a week more often, because I came home to the girls being most of the way finished with painting and redecorating their bathroom... and they really did it all by themselves! It came out great! :)

So I got home on Friday and Anna's birthday was Saturday - and we went very quickly from NO plans to sleepovers on Saturday AND Sunday nights with good friends. :)

Below: Anna, Leah, Leanna, and Belle being silly...

And dinner at Red Robin with Mackenzie, Natalie, Olivia and Kerry:

***The Birthday Girl***

And finally, the snow melted, MLK day came and went, kids went back to school and things were JUST getting back to normal... and tomorrow we leave for Disney. ha. This is Anna's BIG travel gymnastics meet for the year and we're pretty excited about the trip - this is the first time we've been there! :) So as I sit here tonight, we're pretty much packed up and ready to go as the sleet and snow begins to fall again - and I just hope and pray that it thaws out and goes away before our flight tomorrow afternoon... :)

A New Favorite Band

I 'discovered' a band this week that has become one of my new favorites - The Afters. I guess they're best known for "Never Going Back to OK" and "Light Up the Sky" which is the song that really got me wanting to hear more from them. I had about a 7 hour drive to my sister's house this last week and ended up listening over and over to their latest CD and it really ministered to my heart. Just thought I'd share one of my favorite songs off the CD, "You Lift Me Up":




And my new 'blinkie' button is in honor of the upcoming "Blizzard of 2011" that is supposed to be hitting Huntsville tomorrow - I can't believe that I'm going to miss it! Well, MAYBE some of the snow will make it over here to Columbia, but there's not near as much hysteria about it here as I've heard there is back at home... apparently Jack and Mackenzie even stopped at Walmart tonight to look for a sled - that's saying a lot. haha.