Prayer Request

My sweet sister Margie recently gave birth to her third child Ethan 3 weeks ago. He is beautiful and healthy. Sisters Madison and Makayla are so proud of him. Unfortunately Margie developed mastitis. On top of receiving the wrong antibiotic for treatment, she ended up requiring extensive surgery last night to treat the infection. She is in the hospital to monitor the infection and receive antibiotics to hopefully get rid of the infection. When she is released from the hospital, she will be on bed rest for many weeks in order for her body to heal. She was told by the surgeon that this was the worse case of mastitis he had ever seen. Please pray for her to heal quickly. We are so thankful for the family members who live near her who are willing to care for Ethan as well as the girls. (She lives over 8 hours away) I want so badly to be there for her. I do have peace knowing that while I am unable to help her, God is always there. He is the great physician!!



Also, please go here to view a video from Profoundly Seth. Pray for this family as they are trying to raise money so that Seth, their youngest child, can receive cochlear implants.

Love

Don't you just LOVE finding forgotten money in a pocket? What about discovering a long lost sock who's mate is all alone in the bottom of a drawer? I also love the feeling that you get when your house is clean and all the laundry is folded and put away. What about children who obey the FIRST time?

I really don't like when the dispenser on the hair spray pump is clogged and I'm not aware that I'm seconds away from being accosted with a cold, sticky spray in my face and eyes. I also REALLY don't enjoy getting my teeth cleaned. I still hold on to the arms of the dental chair fiercely as if I may fall out at any time. I could go on and on, but for the sake of time, I'll stop here.(You can thank me later!)

When I have a spare moment to ponder what love is, I am amazed at how I use the word love to describe many things and how I feel about them.

1st John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Christ laid down his life for us..."

I'm so thankful God has defined love for us and has shown us in the most beautiful, sacrificial way what it really means to be loved. Aren't you?

Project Pond

Chloe has completed a series of science lessons on pond habitats. The last lesson included a project to build a small pond. It was to be constructed as if it were real. She got to gather dirt, rocks, twigs, leaves and even a tiny snail. You can see the finished project and be sure that she loved every minute of it. Creativity is her niche!

Handmade Cards By Jeannie

Please check out this new site. Jeannie is a friend of mine who makes beautiful handmade greeting cards. Check out her web page and I'll bet you'll find something you like!!

Prayers

Please pray for this sweet family who recently lost their daughter to cancer. Their story reminds us to cherish our loved ones because we are not guaranteed to always have them with us. Let your family and friends know what they mean to you... TODAY!

Make-up drawers and Other Things

Chickadee at A Familiar Path motivated me to share what a disorganized state my make-up drawer is in. Every time I open the drawer I think to myself, "Self, you really need to organize and clean this drawer." I then proceed to close the drawer and go on my merry way. Well, when I visited my favorite blog, A Familiar Path, she had mentioned the very same thing!! I was inspired for a split second to move into action. So, here are the pictures and, well... I haven't cleaned it yet. I will when I finish this tiny project. I know I'll feel better when it's done. My entire bathroom needs help too.

Would YOU be willing to display your make-up drawer?

Snuggles

My children love soft, snugly things. These sweet snuggles were a gift to them from our friends in Georgia and have quickly become treasures around here. Thanks Jennifer!!!

This week will soon be coming to an end and I feel as if nothing I planned to do has been accomplished. But, there's always next week, right?

Sophie's Shenanigans

It's a wonder anything gets done around my house. Sophie is quite BUSY! Anyone who has a toddler toddling around knows exactly what I mean. She seems to constantly be on a seek and destroy mission. Yesterday while I was attempting to catch up on laundry, she was into everything. But I couldn't help but laugh. She is too cute. One day, I'll miss her busy hands and pattering feet. (Boo-hoo) I will enjoy this time of craziness that God has given me!

91

We had several errands to run today. The last being the post office so I could mail a few letters. As I was waiting in line I noticed an elderly gentleman who seemed to be talking with everyone. He obviously knew them by the familiar way he interacted with them. He was fascinating to observe. When the time came to leave, I noticed he was standing by the door. He said, "You looked like you could use some help seeing that you have the little ones. Would you allow be to hold the door for you?" Yes ladies, chivalry is NOT dead! We began to talk as we made our way to our cars. He informed me that he was 91 and loved being alive. I was struck by the genuine warmth in which he spoke to me. He said that he had just returned from taking the youth from his church on a hunting expedition because he really enjoyed being around young people and the joy they brought to his life. He then said that the reason he was so happy was that he lived his life in service to the one who saved him. He truly loved God and gave back because of that love. We bid each other farewell, but not before he reached in his pocket and gave the children a shiny silver dollar. I was so touched by his kindness.

I was also moved to my core with gratitude to God for allowing me to meet this man. In our short time together, he taught me several things. One is to always make yourself available. He did not have to wait on me to hold the door. He saw an opportunity to serve. Second he showed me that how we live our life will speak volumes about who we are and who or what we serve while on this earth. I am reminded of a song called "The Blessing". It contains the words, "Let it me said of me, I chose Christ." When we are gone from this earth, that is precisely what I want my family to be remembered for. In the seasons of joy or sadness, I desire to always choose Him.

What about you? What do you want to be said of you?

Friends

This weekend our friends from Georgia came to stay with us, so we prepared by cleaning, organizing, cooking and then cleaning again. We also had to plan for Sawyer's 5th birthday. (Sniff, sniff, can't believe he's five) Chloe & Sawyer could not wait until they arrived. They kept asking, "How many more hours and minutes until they get here?" The moment finally arrived and we welcomed them with open arms. We spent Saturday at a park near our house, eating, shopping, partying and ended the day with the guys going to the South Carolina/Georgia basketball game. Go Gamecocks!! Sunday our church hosted a marriage seminar that was absolutely fabulous. We all need encouragement in our marriages. Our friends left, we rested and returned to church for the remainder of the seminar. Ray, Jennifer, Corey & Tyler are SO much FUN. We love them. Isn't it a true blessing to have friends who REALLY know you and love you anyway?

Girls in Glasses

To those of you who don't know, both my girls have to wear glasses. Chloe, who is seven, has been wearing them since she was 3. I noticed that one of her eyes turned in when she was watching TV. After taking her to the eye doctor, she was diagnosed with amblyopia and strabismus. So began our journey with glasses. She has done remarkably well with being compliant about wearing the glasses as well as patching. She had surgery in March of last year to hopefully correct the strabismus. So far so good!! Sophie was born in September of 2007 and we noticed that her eye also turned in, but we prayed that it was just a newborn thing. But after 4 months of no improvement we headed to the eye doctor. It was confirmed that she too had strabismus. The good news was that she had not developed amblyopia (weakness in the eye). She donned her first pair of glasses at the age of 5 months. Her first pair were a joke! Too large for her tiny face... hysterical. I did much research to find the best pair for her. Finally we ended up with the Miraflex brand and have been tickled pink. No pun intended because they are PINK! She HATES the patch and will take it off the moment I turn my head. I pretty much have to sit with her for 3o minutes and do nothing but be on patch watch. It's worth it because I know it will help her increase her vision in the affected eye.

Having both my precious girls in glasses has been a humbling experience for me because I have always prided myself on the way my children look... on the outside. God has shown me that He is really interested in our hearts and our desire for Him and Him alone. Thank you God for allowing me to learn a valuable lesson. I want to spend my time cultivating my child's heart and not worrying about what the world considers to be important. After all, isn't that what God desires?

1 Samuel 16:7..."The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

My Manic Monday

Can't believe the day is over! It seems as if I just crawled out of bed and I'm about to crawl back in. Mondays are always busy for us. It's the day we grocery shop, teach preschool Spanish, stay with my father who is in poor health and try to get in a little school. It's crazy, but I love the life that I've been given.