Goals!

Just wanted to publicly declare a few goals that I have .... with attached deadlines. I figured if I "said" it outloud...then maybe I'd be more likely to do it so that I don't let you guys down! You know...all 4 of you that read. :)

1. Finish revamping this play kitchen set for the kids for Christmas. Deadline: well...Christmas Day! This is the before, and I hope the after looks the way it looks in my head right now!



2. Write a 9 week Bible Study for Youth on the Fruits of the Spirit. Deadline: End of Summer 2012. I just started a Beth Moore Study on Fruits of the Spirit/Being filled with the Spirit so I'm hoping that will give me some insight.

3. Read all the Harry Potter books. Deadline: End of Summer 2012. I've read bits and pieces, but need to read straight through. I know for some of you that seems like a rediculous timeline. If you are like my husband he could read all of them in one night! But I don't work that way. I really love to read...but I fall asleep very easily and when school starts...life is insane!

4. Make a blog or website for my name frames that I'm wanting to start selling. Deadline: End of August. I'm really excited about this! My friend, Randa, has a business called Karleigh Grace Boutique. She makes awesome clothes! She's a genius and so creative. Anyway, she saw my frames and said she wanted me to make a few and put them in her shop. She also gave me a few new and fresh and way cute ideas on how to make some different kinds of frames! I don't expect to make huge buckaroos off this. But just a little eating out money and such would be great!



So those are my goals. My goal is to achieve at least 2 of the 4 goals!

Now for a little side note. I would like to ask you guys to pray for my Colin. Its nothing too serious, but he's been showing signs of either a tick or mini-seizures. There also might possibly be some sleep apnea or something going on. Anyway, we are being referred to a child neurologist at LSU in Shreveport. Pray that we will be able to find out what's going on in his sweet little brain.

July 23, 2007

We had only lived in Marshall for less than 2 months. We lived in a teensy weensy married housing apartment at ETBU. We didn't really know anyone yet. We had visited our church only 2 or 3 times, but had not joined yet. I had JUST met my new teammates for the first time at a 3 day workshop.

I had been having "cramps," but didnt think much of it. Jeff began timing them and he starting getting really antsy and hyper. He begged me to go to the hospital. I kept saying, "I'm not going in there just for them to tell me I needed to fart! That would be so embarrasing!" And I still had 5 weeks to go, so I knew I probably wasnt in labor. We went home. He called the hospital and talked to a nurse who said I should come in. I slowly paced around the house not having a clue what to do while Jeff installed the carseat and grabbed our toothbrushes.

We called our parents and told them we were going, but told them not to come because we figured I'd just get some medicine and go back home.

We get there and they check me and say, "You are 5cm and 80% effaced. There is a 75% chance you are having this baby tonight." And I got a few comments of "How are you not in much pain right now?!"

So we called the parents. They came. I pushed for about 30 minutes, and by 5 am on Monday morning we had a 5lb 5oz relatively healthy baby boy!

He did have to stay a few extra days because of low body temperature, not eating, and pretty bad jaundice. But nothing too serious. I think back now about how lucky we are that he wasn't more sick than he was for being so early.

I love this boy. He is my first-born. He has taught me so much over the past 4 years about what true unconditional love is. About Christ's love. Being a mom forces you to learn what that is really like!

Let me describe this little man to you.

Colin is intense. He intensely loves, intensely feels, and REALLY intensely thinks.

I love Colin's brain! Its so unlike the way I think. He thinks deep and wants to really understand things all the way before he moves on to something else. Very much like his dad. He loves puzzles and problem solving games. He loves letters, words, and the next step for him is easy reading!

The boy loves him some sports! If we are watching a game on TV...it is not enough for him to watch. He must play too! So he gets all suited up for the game and copies what they do on TV. And dont EVER take him to a real game unless you are planning on taking him down on the field or court to actually play to. In his mind he is a part of that team.

He's been labeled by our friends as "spastic." Which is so true. He's got a ton of energy and when he gets excited...its kind of crazy. But Jeff and I get to see his "down time." He loves to just sit by himself and work a puzzle. And hes not too old (yet) to say, "I want to hold you," and crawl in our lap so we can sing to him or tell him a story.

I pray that as he grows up and has lots more birthdays, that he will begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and that this relationship will be "intense." Colin is a very different little boy and I pray that he will begin to find out what God has in store for him and how God will use his wonderfully made personality and gifts for His glory!

Happy Birthday, big boy! I am so proud of you and cannot wait to see how God uses you. You are my heart!

Wee Bit Wednesday

{one}what is your dream job?Gosh...I have quite a few. I would love to stay home with my kids/do youth ministry more than I do with my husband. But I would also love to do some sort of Family Help/Ministry. Like I would love to give parenting classes (not that I really know how to parent that well..I really don't ever know what I'm doing!) and just put on events for families!


{two}
how many best friends do you have?

I have lots! But I'm going to have to put my seester-in-law in the spotlight since she is about to crush my heart into a million pieces and leave me for Houston. I love my Jenni. We can talk about anything and everything or we could sit in silence for 30 minutes and its ok! We are opposites in alot of ways...and I like it that way! She's a fun gal.

{three}what’s the longest road trip you’ve ever taken?

Dont really remember it but we drove from Texas to Minnesota for a mission trip.

{four}if you had to do one single thing every day for the next year, what would it be?

Weird question...I guess I would choose take care of my family or read my Bible.

{five}what’s one story your family always tells about you?
Jeff always tells people about all the times I have tricked him into thinking I was pregnant. I'm weird I know. I don't know why I think its fun. I guess because I like the facial expressions I get from him.

{six}how did your parents pick your name?

I think my mom just liked it!

{seven}what’s the one thing that scares you more than anything?Rodents and seizures. But not those 2 things combined! I mean separately!

{eight}are you a good cook?

getting better! I have picky eaters in my family though, so there's not alot I know how to make because there's not alot of dishes to choose from when the men only like meat cheese and potatoes. There is only so many forms of that to make!

{nine}where do you see yourself in 20 years?I'll be 48. weird. I'm not sure! And I'm ok with not being sure! I would hope that I'd still be serving in some sort of ministry.

{ten}what’s your best childhood memory?I remember lots of children camps and Vacation Bible Schools. I remember going to the 4th of July Parade every year with my dad. And I can't help but remember all the memories of sharing a room with my sister. Like her singing in the middle of the night or getting up to take a shower at 2 in the morning...just because she felt like it. :)

Oh my goodness!

Once a month I meet with 3 other ladies in our church. 1 is my age, 1 is middle aged, and the other is a sweet little grandma. Every time we have met we have discussed a fruit of the spirit. We don't follow a bible study, we just each bring a verse or 2 and a thought or 2 about that fruit. I love those ladies and what they have taught me. So I thought Id share a little bit of what we discussed about this fruit of the spirit...

GOODNESS.

Now I am a word freak. I love scrabble, boggle, etc. But I also love word meaning games like Balderdash. I am on dictionary.com atleast once a week. Its not that I don't know what words mean, but sometimes I want to see a definition or some synonyms to get a deeper understanding of a word. So in preparation for this meeting, what did I do first? Looked up some definitions of "goodness."

Goodness, according to dictionary.com, is "excellence of quality" or "the best part of something." It refers to something that meets a certain standard or expectation. It fulfills the goal of the job. However, each person has different standards or expectation. But regardless of differing standards there is one thing in common - goodness brings about some benefit.

The Greek word for goodness is agathosune which means "good result or benefit."

Just think about it. We say, "That was a good sermon," because it benefited our hearts and hopefully resulted in a change in our life. We say, "That was a good hamburger," because that hamburger benefited our tummies and resulted in fullness.

But there is still that problem that each persons standards for good are different. What I think is good or good enough may not be what you say is good or good enough.

"A certain ruler asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good-except God alone.'' - Luke 18:18-19

We often talk about "good" according to human standards, but how often do we remember that God alone sets the standard for goodness. When we say our efforts or our works are good, have we considered what God has expected? When we say a movie or a TV show is good, is it really what God would approve as good? When we think we are being good parents or spouses, have we considered the standard that God has set for a Godly household?

Now I'm not saying that everything you and I have ever done is worthless and is a waste of time. But I know that I am often content with my roles and my work because I label it as good according to what I think is good. I often fail to remember that God has so much more in store for me and has called me to so much more.

Now, don't beat yourself up and think, "Im not good enough!" (which was one of my first thoughts when we studied this). Remember that your life in Christ is not about you and how good you are. Its about HIM and how good HE is! But it is our calling as Christians to follow that perfect example of goodness. And we are at an advantage as Christians. When we become children of God we are heirs to everything that is his. Which means we DO have some goodness in us! Romans 1:14 says this...

"I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge, and competent to instruct one another."

God has given us his goodness! But not, however to benefit ourselves or to boast about. But rather to benefit others and further His kingdom.