a fast week

I can't believe a whole week has gone by!  It's going by with lightning speed and I really don't like it.  I wish I could freeze time...especially summer!  But it's life, and all we can do is enjoy every last drop, right?  So, speaking of that, I thought I would catch you up on what's been going on here in the Goodwinville.

FRIENDS!  That has been the theme of the week.  Starting with Saturday, when I spent the day with my mom and later on my friend Christa.  She came over, we ate at Chili's, walked around Home Depot, came here and watched a dumb movie. 

Monday we ate lunch at Cici's Pizza with my dad, saw Toy Story 3 and came back home for the evening.  Just as I was about to lay down and probably fall asleep (at 7pm, mind you), the doorbell rang.  Our friends David and Sunny dropped by to return a couple books, and ended up staying until 10:30!  I love nights like that...we talked and got all caught up (it's been ages since we've all been together), then sat around the kitchen table playing Chicken Foot in dominoes.  Fun times.

Tuesday we saw another movie-the Kids Fest thing at Malco for $2 a ticket-with Sunny and Andy, who is the same age as Jonah and Noah.  We saw Aliens in the Attic.  It was cute.  We swam later that day with our friend, Carol, or Mimi Carol, as all the boys call her.  Because she's a Mimi.  Jonah and Noah spent that night with Andy. 

Wednesday I (WE, as in my mom and me) got up, dropped the older boys off at church, went to her house and whipped up some cute little curtains for Jonah and Noah, came back to the Ville and bought some paint, picked up Jonah and Noah, then got ready for church.  WHEW.  And I need to insert here that I love my church family.  The group of women that I have the honor of being a part of are amazing people, and I am SO EXCITED to be starting a Bible study with them for the first time ever-Beth Moore's Esther study. 

Thursday my sweet Mom and I painted the little boys' room.  And painted, and painted, and painted, and painted.  It wasn't that bad, but if you know me, you know I do not love to paint.  But I sure do love the outcome!  We painted from 9 until 4:30, breaking only for lunch.  We washed out all our supplies, then revamped some things with spray paint and started moving things back in.  Well, this was after my sister Lisa and her husband Jim came over to hang the curtains.  And moved the beds back in place.  And put the drawers under the bed back in.  It was like Mom and me were so tired that we couldn't do anything anymore.  So I was thankful that they came to help.  :) 

We hung everything, had dinner (thank you, Bill!!!  He brought us take out from Yum's!), and got everything put just right.  And then we did the big reveal for Jonah and Noah when they got back home.  I also need to thank my sweet mom-in-law for keeping the boys while we did this!  Jonah and Noah were SHOCKED at their room.  I loved their eyes when they saw it.  It looks really cool, like a big boy's room.  They loved it.  They kept touching everything and saying thank you!

Wiley, my father-in-law, and his 3 wives (HA!  Phyllis, and her friends Sherry and Nita) had come over, our neighbors were here with their little nephews, my mom and Bill were here...it was a lot of people.  They all left and my friend Mandy came over.  And brought me the most delicious dessert from Carrabba's.  YUMMMM.

We talked until 12:40 a.m.  Seriously.  I could talk to that girl all night.  She's my best friend from middle school, and things have NEVER changed between us.  She lived here briefly, then moved back to her hometown in Georgia while I was in high school.  Her and her family (hubby and 2 sweet kids) moved back here two years ago, and our friendship picked right back up where it left off.  I love that girl, you will NEVER meet anyone nicer than her. 

So here I am at today.  I am meeting another sweet friend, Marcia, at the Germantown Community Center for some pool time.  :)  I'm spending tonight with another sweet friend, Amy, who invited Jonah, Noah and myself over for homemade pizza making.  I am rich in friends...not because I'm some great person, but because God knows that I need good girlfriends, ones that are strong and kind and loyal, and He answered my prayer for just that.  Women like this are few and far between.  I am blessed to have them in my life and I thank God every single day for them.  And for my family...because they're not just family, but so much more.

Love to all.

A DAY FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

I am so stinkin' excited about tomorrow, I could cry.  Todd and all his boys are going on a canoe trip on the Buffalo River!  WAHOO!!

Guess what I get to do the whole day???

ANYTHING I WANT TO!  To steal a phrase from one of my favorite Travis Cottrell songs, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!"

A whole day.  That sounds like heaven.  Unfortunately, I'm going to spend the earlier half of it trying on dresses.  :(  But after that, I can do whatever I want!  I have a friend coming over for a girl's night tomorrow night and I'm hoping to watch a chick flick!  And just catch up.  Ya know?  Especially since she's moving away in a short while.  :(

Alright, well, I'm off for now.  I am going to watch one of my instant queue movies from Netflix.  A girly one.  Since the hubs is out doing his sheriff department stuff.  And since the kiddos are in bed.  And since I need to get off of here before my eyes cross. 

Good night.  Love to all.

this week's devotional theme...

...is avoiding the comparison trap.  How many of us compare ourselves to others?  To people we see on television, movie stars, other moms, friends...

You get the drift.  How crazy is that???  Why do we do that to ourselves?  Not only did God create all of us differently, He created us all in His glorious image!  And how wonderfully complex we all are. 

I loved this week's devotion theme.  I am going through (again) The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional.  By Cheri Heath Fuller and Sandra P. Aldrich.  Each week is given a theme, and throughout the week there are daily devotions with verses that support them.  I thought I would share a few of the verses.  That I love!!! 

Ephesians 2:10  We are God's masterpiece.  He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. 

I love that word 'masterpiece'.  I automatically think of an artist working on a piece that has taken days, months or years to create.  All the thought and care that the artist puts into it~that is how our God created us.  With much thought, care, or precision. 

1 Corinthians 15:10  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 

I love this one, too, but it's kind of confusing.  The easiest way that I can think to explain it, is that when we go through something difficult or trying, it is not OURSELVES who get through it.  If we are saved by God's grace (which we are when we pray the sinner's prayer, acknowledging that He is who He says He is-the one, true God, asking forgiveness of our sin, and asking Him into our hearts), then it is HIM who gets us through those times. And every other time, the good and the bad.

2 Corinthians 3:18  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 

I love that word:  TRANSFORMED.  God is not done with us-we should always be changing!  We are constant works in progress.  This reason alone is why I stay in Bible studies.  I like to do them on my own sometimes, as well as in a group, but I love nothing more than studying His word.  He is constantly changing me, working on me, improving me, TRANSFORMING me.  He is making me more and more like Him...the more I study His word, the more He teaches me.  Life is NEVER boring as a Christian, even though to some it might seem like it is.  He gives me new revelations almost every single day.

And last...

2 Corinthians 12: 9 and 10  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  10  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Without Him in my life, I am nothing.  N.O.T.H.I.N.G.  I cannot stress that enough.  All that I am right now, in this very moment, is what He has made me into.  A better person, an ever-improving wife, a sometimes good and fun mom.  He directs my steps ("The Lord directs the steps of the Godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives."  Psalm 37:23 New Living Translation).  He strengthens me ("I can do everything through Him who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13).  He guides me. 

My prayer for you today is to know Him.  To truly know Him and love Him.  And to tell everyone you come across what He has done in your life.  I've never shared my complete testimony on here, but I will if you ask.  Maybe not on here, but in person or over the phone.  I am not at all who I used to be, and I thank God everyday that He drew me back to Him.  Five years later and still going strong. 

Love to all. 

a quiet week

Isn't it funny, how when there's a holiday on Monday, you spend the rest of the week trying to figure out what day it is?  Even in the summer?  I have done that all week.  I can't believe today is Wednesday, already.  We've had the most lazy week.  I haven't been feeling good-my ear has been giving me fits, but I think today it's finally starting to feel better.  We haven't been swimming, either, which is just about unheard of.  I've been allowing time for our ears to heal.  Mine, Graham's and Jonah's. 

And then of course, there was yesterday morning when Jonah woke me up at 3a.m. to tell me he'd thrown up.  I had to clean it up, get him settled on the floor of our room, then spent the next 2 hours trying to go back to sleep.  I should have just gotten up to read.  When I finally did sleep, by the time I woke up, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.  :(

It was one of those mornings that when my feet hit the floor, they were running.  I had to do all that laundry that Jonah.....well, you get my drift.  In order to do all that laundry, I had to take care of all the laundry from the day before.  When I finished, I spent the rest of the day on the couch.  I caught up on my dvr shows since the kids were playing upstairs, and did absolutely nothing else.  I never even got out of my pajamas.  So uncharacteristic of me.  It was one of those blah days.  I'm honestly glad it's over.

Today we're going to be more productive.  Todd has a long workday today.  He has to drive several hours to get to one of his jobs.  Graham wanted to go with him-even though he knew how many hours would be spent in the car.  I'm pretty sure Todd was glad for the company, and I'm positive that Graham is loving the one on one time.  I'm thankful that Todd is able to do this-take the kids with him occasionally.  Jonah has already informed us that when Todd has a "normal" work day here in Memphis, that HE is going to go with Daddy that day.  Today would have been too hard for him, though.  I don't expect them home until 9:00 tonight. 

So while they're gone, the other boys and myself are going to swim with my sweet friend, Carol.  She called last night to invite us over again.  My boys LOVE going to her pool.  Can you say saltwater????  They love that they can open their eyes underwater without it burning.  Plus they love playing with her grandkids.  In fact, they're asking if they can come back and spend the night with us.  Connor is going into 4th grade, and Jordan is going into 2nd, like Jonah and Noah.  They all get along really well, and I promised that if I was feeling better, they could come back home with us. 

Last week I was telling Carol about one of my favorite authors-Karen Kingsbury-and found out that as much as she loves to read, she's never read any of her books.  So today, I'm going to bless her with Karen's books.  Because they are a blessing-not because I'm giving them to her and her daughter in law to read, but because the books are called Life Changing Fiction.  And they are.  So, sitting on the kitchen counter are 14 books.  Because the books are all in series, and there is a specific order they go in.  If you're interested, you can go to her website to find out about them yourself.  I'll even loan you mine-if you promise to take care of them and give them back.  I'm picky about my books, and unless I give them to someone forever, I usually do want them back.  Because I love to share them with everybody!  Not because I'm selfish with them, lol, although right now, it may seem that way. 

Anyway, to get to her website, click HERE.

The books I'm talking about are the Redemption series, the Firstborn series, the Sunrise series, and the Above the Line series.  I'm giving her the first 3 of the mentioned above series.  Above the Line is her newest, and I can't loan those yet because my mom and mom-in-love haven't read the last book.  If you're looking for some recommended reading, I highly recommend her.   :)  I know.  I'm a nerd.  A book nerd.  I love any and all books.  And as cool as the new Nooks and Kindles are, I love the actual FEEL of a book in my hands.  The feel, the smell, the pictures on the cover...insert happy sigh here. 

I also LOVE these authors:  Robin Jones Gunn (I've read every book she's written, including some that were written for young girls.  I actually bought them all one year and re-read all of them.  My favorite series she's written is the Sister Chicks Series.), and Neta Jackson (The Yada Yada Prayer Group books).  That's what I'm reading right now.  Neta Jackson's Who Do I Talk To, the 2nd book in the Yada Yada House of Hope series.  This series comes after all the Yada Yada Prayer Group books-of which there are 7. You can find all these authors on Christianbook.com. 

Okay.  Well, I'm done talking about my books.  I did that because I get asked all the time what I love to read, and that's it.  Plus, I have a new friend that is across the world and I thought she might like to know.  Because we seem to have lots in common.  AHEM, JO. Even though distance separates, God allows hearts to befriend across the miles.  :) 

So that's about it.  As I'm writing this, the boys are making forts out of their cars.  And Drew keeps talking about weird it is without Graham here.  Different, indeed.  But I'm thankful for the time he gets with Todd today.  And I'm thankful for this time that I have alone with Drew, Jonah and Noah.  If this is what our day is going to be like, then I'm excited.  I love peaceful mornings. 

In fact, I'm going to take advantage of this quiet right now, and go do my devotion and read some of God's word.  My most favored book of all.  :)  I hope all of you have a glorious day.  Love to all. 

my kids are growing up

Noah used to hate fireworks.  Even until last year.  He used to hate them so bad that we had to borrow Big Daddy's ear things he wears on the tractor.  I thought about this Saturday night as we sat directly under the Ville's annual firework show.  Heck, they scared the daylights out of ME because we were so close.  But him?  Nope.  He was fine.  Except for that one time when a spark landed really close to us, he jumped up and ran over beside us.  But other than that, he was fine.

See?  He's fine.  Even lighting them all by himself this year!  Drastic improvement over the last seven years.  I wondered this time last year if he would ever get over the fear of the fireworks.  He would always run inside when we shot them, and Nana would go inside with him and keep him company.  :(  I hate when they grow up.  Kinda.  I'm also kinda happy b/c of all their new-found independence.

I know.  I'm confused.

We had the best day yesterday.  I had the honor of helping lead worship yesterday morning at church (my favorite thing to do!), then Todd and I got to share in the Families on the Rock class about our trip to Iceland.  Talking about it brought back loads of good memories, and it got me excited about next year.  And whether or not it will be in God's will for us to go back.  :)  Because I REALLY hope that it is.  In His will, I mean. 

After church we came home to let Andy the WonderDog out and to change, then we headed to Nana's and Big Daddy's.  We ate the most delicious meal EVER.  They made 2 kinds of ribs, potato salad, slaw, baked beans, homemade angel biscuits, corn that my mom forgot to cook until later, homemade oreos and homemade banana icecream.

Sweet Mama, I get hungry just thinking about it.

It was so good that we had the exact same thing again last night...along with the corn that Mom forgot to cook, fresh butter beans and fresh boiled okra.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It was sooooo good.  Ridiculously so.

We talked and laughed and napped and ate and ate and ate.  And the kids swam and shot fireworks.  With the 2 older kids that joined in.  Todd and Big Daddy.

It was one of those magical days that we will remember for a very long time to come.

I hope all of you had a wonderful, happy, blessed 4th.  I know we sure did.

just for fun...some things I would like to do soon

paint Jonah's and Noah's room
get our playroom in (somewhat) order, as opposed to the disarray it's in currently
go back to Iceland
fix up our backyard and deck...too much HGTV is a bad thing
finish our living room-yes, it's painted, but the walls are naked.  I can't seem to get motivated.
get over whatever is wrong with my ear
watch more movies
get together with our friends more often-we've let this area slip, and I'm missing it
go somewhere as a family-anywhere
be with a girlfriend that is hurting right now...to be able to do better than just the phone conversation we had tonight
paint my kitchen cabinets (GASP!)
take everything out of my kitchen-off the counters and walls-and start all over (insert motivation here, please)

Okay, well, this one's short and sweet.  The hubs is asking for his computer now, so that's my cue to head upstairs to bed to read.  :)

Hope you all had a happy 4th of July.  We did.  It was amazingly relaxing, spending the entire day (almost) at my mom's house.  Eating the best food.  Doing what the boys love most-swimming and shooting off fireworks.  And eating.  Did I mention that?  Holy cow.  Big Daddy could open up his own restaurant with the ribs he cooked today.  Oh my GRAVY.  Heaven, I tell you.  Pure Heaven. 

Okay.  Good night.  Love to all.

what do you love?

I am doing this because my kids, Drew especially, have the kind of personality that is obsessive.  What I mean by that is when he is "into" something, he is into it heart, mind and soul!  And that is all he thinks about, talks about and does.  Recently he's been into Alcatraz, Al Capone, WW1&2, all things military, cars, spy stuff, ninjas, karate, origami and now....

Baseball cards.  The kid has bought and bought and bought and now he has close to 400.  All acquired within the last 3 months.  He loves them so much that he's also gotten Graham, Jonah and Noah in on it, and now, everywhere I look, I see baseball cards.  Funny, huh?

So that got me to thinking...what is it that I love the MOST?  My most treasured possession is my Bible.  And not just one.  Many.  I have them everywhere.  At least 1 in every room in my house.  Not including bathrooms.  I love to hold it, to feel it, the smell of it, the wrinkled oft-turned pages, the marks, the highlights, the underlining...I love all of it.  I was sitting with my dad at the dinner table at church last week and noticed his Bible looks just like all mine.  Much loved.  Much used.  Treasured.  And my heart got all happy and warm inside. 

When we were in Iceland, for one of our devotions, we were talking about faithfulness.  Jeannie was giving this devotion and she started talking about her son in law's Bible.  Both of his parents died within a very short time, and his dad's Bible was one of the things that he had to remember him by.  And it wasn't a mint condition Bible.  It was a much loved, much used, TREASURED Bible.  And with tears in her eyes, she explained how he'd written in all the margins, and how alongside one verse he would write how God had worked in that situation, the date and the outcome. 

Isn't that cool? 

So all of this to say...not only what do you love, but what do you want to leave behind?  I hope to leave a legacy for my kids...I hope they can say that the one thing I loved the most wasn't a possession that I had, but a relationship that I had with my Lord and Savior. 

I guess I'm just in a reflective mood today.  And I had some moments of thankfulness with my kids as we poured over His written word together.  And studied it.  And began memorizing some of it. 

So, what do you love?