We Bleed Maroon

Texas A & M 96
Texas 98

After double overtime.

Therefore, we mourn.

Out of that Pit

I'm trying to be patient during this time without my personal computer, but I sure do miss the convenience of being able to hop online at any moment. And I really miss some of my documents and pictures! I wanted to post a picture here tonight of Jackson in his first pair of glasses, but I don't have it on this computer. Argh! I will definitely post a photo of Jack next week. He is irresistible, I tell you!

I have to tell you that I found myself in a pit today. I was grumpy, short-tempered, negative, and downright ugly from morning til early afternoon. When I put the boys down for their afternoon naps, I decided to take my Bible and journal to a quiet room. I felt certain that Satan really wanted me today. He doesn't like the fact that I spent time being delivered from some issues on Saturday, so he chose today to try to bury me in depression and anger towards my kids.

But I fought back with the aid of my Savior. I reread Psalm 18 and claimed each verse over myself by the authority of God, because I know that He wants to deliver me (v. 2) and that He delights in me (v. 19). As I prayed and cried out to Him, I felt peace wash over me. I began to sing praises to Him, and then I asked Him to train me for the battles of this world that I will continue to face (v. 34). As long as I live in this world, I will continue to face days and seasons where Satan wants to bring me down. But I fought back today and allowed God to deliver me from the pit of depression and exasperation.

If you are finding yourself in a similar situation, I encourage you to read Psalm 18. Claim that chapter for yourself, especially verses 1-6, 16-19, 34-36. Don't allow Satan to rob you of your joy!

If you would like more encouragement in this area, please email me or leave a comment. I'll be happy to converse with you further via the internet. Blessings to you!

Perhaps Too Many Changes

Not the best of days around here.

  • No computer all day. Began twitching from withdrawal by 10 am.
  • Began counting points on Weight Watchers again today in an effort to lose 5 pounds. Sigh.

Those two complaints make for a fussy mommy. I have a good life, so I really shouldn't complain. I hope to be more chipper tomorrow.

Lord, Have Mercy

Our computer is on the fritz, so we took it to the repair shop today. It could be 1 1/2 to 2 WEEKS before it comes home. Lord, have mercy on my soul! In my life, I must have 2 things every. single. day. My computer and my Diet Coke. Without them, I become very cranky. Thankfully, hubby has his business computer at home this weekend, and he has promised that he will bring it home every night for my personal use. When he gave me that promise, I thought, "Now, that's a good man." But now that I give it more thought, he's doing it for his own good, as well as my own, because he knows how cranky I could be without email and blogging for TWO weeks!!! At any rate, my blogging schedule will change for a while, but I do hope to still keep up with all of you, so please be patient with me.

While I've got this computer, I'd like to tell you what I did yesterday. My mom and I attended Beth Moore's simulcast of "Get Out of That Pit". Although I couldn't see her in person, staring at a larger-than-life version of her on screen was a huge blessing! Whether in person or on a screen, she is beautiful and has an amazing ability to share her passion for Christ. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Beth Moore event, I encourage you to go running!

Her topic yesterday was centered around Psalm 18, where David cries out to God, and He delivers him. Here are some highlights of the day, which I hope will minister to someone out there:

  • God wants to rescue all of us from the pits where we reside. There are many different types of pits, but some are addiction, repetitive sin, illness, victimization, etc. No matter what your pit may be, if you feel "stuck", He wants to rescue you, because He delights in you.
  • How do we get rescued from the pit? We call to God, and He reaches his right hand for us. We, then, must respond by grasping His arm and allow Him to set us on the solid rock. Beth encouraged us to "let desperation be your gift." If you're feeling desperate, don't be silent. Call out to God with your pain, and allow Him to deliver you.
  • She also said that every day of disaster is meant to be a day of deliverance. The next time I am in the middle of a disastrous season of my life, I hope to remember this point. When I'm feeling defeated, that's when I feel most tempted to give in and be depressed. Instead, I need to seek God's deliverance at that time and allow Him to rescue me.
  • The most important lesson I learned is this: "Anyone who messes with you, messes with Christ." Let Him deal with those who have hurt you.
  • After deliverance, comes joy!

I'm no Beth Moore, so I can't express it nearly as well as she does. If you would like to see about her upcoming events, go to livingproofministries.com.

Blessings to you all! I hope to check back tomorrow evening. You might say a prayer for me, something to this effect, "Lord, have mercy on Ami and her family, while she lives without her computer." No, we'll be okay. I imagine the Lord orchestrated this to work on me some.

Another Contest

I never win anything, but just in case my luck turns around, I'm signing up for a jewelry contest over at 5 Minutes for Mom. Go here to join me.

Friday Funny

Rick was trying to air up a flat bike tire yesterday with a rather dilapidated air pump. He became frustrated and said, "This is a piece o'..." (and left it blank). Liam quickly filled in the blank with "Paper!"

Spring Fever

We've had glorious weather this week with temps in the upper 70s and lots o' sunshine. The boys and I have played outside a lot, and it has been simply wonderful for my outlook on life. Today is just another sunny and warm day, so I'm headed to the backyard with a book while the boys nap. If my wireless router were working, I'd take you with me and write something awe-inspiring, I'm sure.

Wordless Wednesday: The Boys

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, please see 5 Minutes for Mom.

It's All Fun Until Blogger Decides to Pull a Fast One

I'm so mad! I was proofreading a long entry here on Blogger, until BOOM, it's vanished! I have no idea what I did or did not do to make it disappear.

Well, I don't have time to reinvent that entry, so I'll just say this:

  1. I am happy to report that I did not hear any baskets calling my name during the night. But I have thought about them many times today, so I think I have a fetish instead of an addiction. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, please see yesterday's post.)
  2. Murphy's Law continues. Rick left town today, and my back has decided to act up on me. So, I need to leave the computer and go rest.

Talk at ya' tomorrow!

For the Love of Baskets

I admit it. I have a fetish. Or maybe it's an addiction. I should attend BCA. That is Basket Collectors Anonymous.

I love baskets. Any shape, size or color will do. When I stand in the middle of my living room floor, I can spot 6 baskets within plain sight. And that does not count walking into bedrooms or closets. Although I will not bore you by naming each basket's specific use, I could. No basket goes unused around here.

So, if each basket has a specific use, is it really an addiction? Or could it simply be a fetish when I walked through Garden Ridge today and I spotted another 6 baskets that I would really like to have? And truly, hubby, I can think of a use for each one! And they were all on SALE! Gasp! But I did not buy any. I repeat, I did not buy one. Because I did not think that I could face my husband tonight and tell him that I bought just one more basket.

But I cannot get my mind off of them. They are calling my name. What if I can't sleep tonight?! Okay, if I lose sleep over them, then I'll know it's an addiction, and I truly do need to find my local chapter of BCA. Anyone care to join me?

Friday Funny

Jack often has a hard time waking up in a pleasant mood in the mornings. (Where in the world does he get that problem?!) On one particular fussy morning, Liam asked Jack, "Are you huffy?" Jack replied with a whispered "yes".

The Faith of a Child

The boys and I had a play date at Chick-fil-A today with some of our best friends. Profound things happen to us at "Chicken-fill-leg", as Liam calls it. We met these friends at that chicken diner almost a year ago. They're not just "any" friends. They are a trans-racial, adoptive family just like us, which is a rarity. But I'm digressing already.

As we sat in the play area, [Clarification: we moms sat, the boys definitely did not!] a young girl started up a conversation with us about Jesus.
Little girl: Jesus talked to me.
My friend: He did? What did He say?
Little Girl: He said, 'Charity, I love you.' [some inaudible words] My name is Charity.
My Friend: Charity, that's a great name. I'm glad Jesus talked to you.
Little Girl: Yes, He talks to me. Do you know Him?
My Friend: Yes, I do know Him, and I'm glad you do, too.
Me: Charity, how old are you?
Little Girl: Four.
My Friend and Me: Wow!

And so, this little conversation showed me a few things.

  • There is, indeed a huge difference between boys and girls. I mean, obviously, there's a difference, but since I have all boys, it is very easy for me to lose sight of this. My three boys are all off climbing the play structure and not thinking once about Jesus, as far as I can tell. Liam is not much younger than this girl, and I guarantee you that he would not walk up to strangers and begin talking about Jesus. When he walks up to strangers, he wants to talk about silly things, such as putting peanut butter pickles on their heads. (Yes, he's 3 1/2, and his sense of humor centers around gross combinations of food.)
  • I'm also thinking, "Did her parents have reason to name her 'Charity'? Did they have any idea that she would be so giving of her faith?"
  • All the while I'm thinking about the above, my mind is also saying, "Whoa! Wait a minute. This four year-old is witnessing to us!" I'm an adult, and I don't have the courage to walk up to strangers in Chick-fil-A and say, "Hey, Jesus talks to me. Do you know Him?" This young child has an amazing faith, yet I don't think she has any more faith than I. So, why don't I share my faith in such a bold manner as she?
  • Then, I think, "I want my boys to have such bold faith." I immediately prayed about that, but I also realize that I must exemplify such faith for them. It is my job to teach them such things.

So, along with my chicken sandwich, I ate a serving of humble pie. Little did I know that a four year-old stranger could teach me so much in a matter of minutes.

Father, forgive me for not being bold for You. I know that the faith of a mustard seed can move mountains, so I know that my faith could cause others to turn towards You. But I must be bold enough to speak my faith. Please strengthen me and prompt me to share my faith with others. Above all, show me how to teach my boys such bold faith. Amen.

February 14


Yes, it's Valentine's Day, but did you know that it's also National Organ Donor Day? I am an organ donor, and I hope you are, too. If you need more info on organ donations, please visit http://www.organdonor.gov/.

Thanks to Melanie for the cute button!


Works for Me Wednesday: Quiet Time

I hear so many moms comment on how they struggle to find time to read the Bible and pray on a regular basis. I, too, struggled with this, until I implemented blanket time. While the boys play independently on their blankets, I sit in the same room with my Bible and prayer journal.

This works for me for several reasons:

  • This gives me a guaranteed 45-minute time slot every day, in which I'm spending time with God.
  • I am showing my boys the importance of reading the Bible.
  • By journaling my prayer requests, I am showing my boys how to take concerns before the Lord.
  • Because blanket time is usually in the morning, we are beginning our day on the right foot.
  • Because I also play worship CDs during this time, my boys see/hear me praise God.
  • Once I finish reading and praying, then I use the last few minutes to read non-fiction. It is important that our children see us enjoy books. (I'm currently working on Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, which I recommend to every parent!)

I hope you found this helpful. Shannon has many more ideas, so please visit Rocks In My Dryer.

The Pink Panther

I saw the pink hair lady again today.

Because There Aren't Enough Hours in the Day

I need to skip out on the blogging world today. The time that I usually spend in Bloggityville needs to be spent on some important things this afternoon. (I'm not sayin' that this blogging world is not important, because it is truly how I stay sane most days.) However, there are some things that must be done from time to time like preparing dinner and cleaning house. I am certain that I will not get it all done today, because there are not enough hours in which I can scrub three toilets and showers, vacuum two stories, mop all the tile floors, dust, and what else was it, oh, prepare dinner! But I'm off to get started. I'll be back tomorrow, or later today, if I give up and decide to blog anyway.

Friday's Funny

On Tuesday, Liam spent the morning with Daddy, while I took the other two for their check-ups. When I returned home, Liam told me a secret.

Liam: Mommy, I not tell you that I made a heart card for you. It's a surprise. I not tell you.
Mommy: Oh, okay, don't tell me.
L: I not tell you. Do you want me to show you?
M: No, let's wait for Valentine's Day.

Waiting

I have attempted to write on three different topics today, but the words just aren't coming to me. Instead of frustrating myself and you with ramblings, I'll leave you with this photo. All four boys rush to the front window when we tell them that their grandparents are coming to see them. (from left to right: Liam, Garrett, Jack, Winston)

Sunny Days

Although I prefer snow, we have all enjoyed the warm sunshine this week.

Murphy's Law

You know the phrase: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. In my house, that is especially true when my husband travels.

He left our house at 11 this morning for a business trip. He wasn't gone one hour before Jackson had blood oozing out of his ear and Garrett had diarrhea. I kid you not! I'm also not kidding when I say that both of those boys were in the doctor's office earlier this morning for their two-year check-ups, and they were both fine at that time.

I am also not joking when I say that since that 9:00 check-up, our pediatrician has begun labor. During Jack's second appointment, the doctor and I were both laughing at how much could happen in two hour's time! We even had to stop laughing so that she could focus on breathing through a contraction! (She's full-term, so it's okay that she began labor today. And I imagine that, should the baby need to be delivered on-site, enough pediatricians and nurses could handle such an emergency.)

Jack's ear had too much blood in it for her to know if it's an infection or an injury. He has been perfectly happy through all of this, so he doesn't appear to be in pain. She prescribed some ear drops to be administered for a week, and then he'll go in for a re-check in another week.

Garrett's tummy seems to be cramping, so I fear that he's caught a stomach bug. Dear God, help us all. I do not do well with stomach bugs. I really, really don't! I have been known to run the other way, when Rick or one of the boys vomit, I kid you not. My blood pressure and heart rate sky rocket, and I lose sleep for days until I see that everyone in the house is healthy again. Truly! So, Murphy's law (or Satan) must be wreaking havoc on us right now, being that Daddy is out of town.

So, let's see what else can go wrong today?! Anyone out there have a story to top this one? If so, please post it in my comment section.

I Love Jewelry!

I love jewelry, so I've put my name in the pot, so to speak. Go here to see the details and to add your name.