Book Review

"Sometimes You Are What You Wear"

~ An Argument for Tzniut - Modesty

by Eliyahu Safran

I just finished this book yesterday, and I really enjoyed it!
One of the most interesting things is that it comes from a Jewish perspective, one that I'm not terribly familiar with. Not being Jewish, and all.
However, the passages from the Old Testament that he quotes throughout the book WERE familiar. And I loved the whole attitude that he conveys about modesty.

"Clothes are like costumes. You become the kind of person who would wear the "costume" you are wearing."

Hmmmmm.

Not sure what that says about my Nike yoga pants and t-shirt that I wear each and every day.

"The glory of the daughter of the king lies on the inside. It is not put on display for the entire world to gawk at. It is hidden and protected."

He says that when we dress immodestly (to draw attention to ourselves or our sexuality) that we are saying to others, "This is all I am."
However, when we dress modestly, we are saying, "There is so much more to me than my physical appearance."

Isn't that awesome?

He addresses many different perspectives on modesty. But I like the thought that the greater the treasure, the higher the wall. And when we dress in a way to protect our physical selves, we are conveying that our souls hold great treasure. Wow.

"Dressing modestly removes you from the vicious cycle of fashion and self-loathing that seems to dominate our culture."
". . .by observing tzniut [modesty] you are making a very clear statement that you are more than just a physical presence. You are a complete person, inside and outside, physical and spiritual."

Although this book had some concepts that I don't agree with (like that man and the world are inherently good), I liked the whole idea of modesty being a spiritual issue. And I like the depth that it brings to realize that what we wear does show who we are, in a sense.

Just hope I don't have to get rid of those Nike pants. Gotta love 'em.

O How the Years Go By/Thankful Thursday

Today is Thursday, and therefore this should be a list of what I'm thankful for.
But this week we also have two birthdays. One is my #1 son's 12th. And I'm having trouble processing that.
I AM thankful for my precious kids.
Looking back, it seems to have gone so quickly. So many babies, so many sleepless nights, so many diapers and laundry and peanut butter sandwiches.
I don't remember a lot about the first half of our eldest son's life. He was only four when our fourth was born. His Kindergarten year I homeschooled him and had our fifth baby (the birthday girl in this picture). His first grade year his third sister came (our 6th). A lot of haze in my brain from those days.
But I know what he's like today. His growing strength, his character, his hard work and responsibility. His dependability. His desire to do what is right.
He does ALL of the mowing on our 1 acre lot.
All of it.
Every week.
Since he was 7.
I'm so proud of him. Not just because he's our oldest, our firstborn son and bears his daddy's middle name.
I'm proud of him because of the young man that he's growing in to.
And I do mean growing.
Did I mention how much he eats?

This picture is also of our daughter (#5) - she turned 6 this week. SIX. As in, "I am completely grown up and independent now". She's sweet and fun and spunky and bright and TINY.

So here are the birthday kids.
The (almost as tall as his mom) eldest, the 12 year old, the "Can I have an IPod or a rifle for my birthday?" boy.
And the tiny little six year old that bounds out the door to Kindergarten every morning girl.

I'm telling you - it goes so quickly.

The BIG play

I know, you've been holding your breath!

Here are some long awaited photos of the wonderful Oklahoma Centennial Play, titled "There's No Place Like Homa" that my five children participated in the week of Thanksgiving.

This first picture is Daughter (#2) and her class singing.

The second picture is of Daughter (#5) waiting to go up on stage.
She came home after one of the rehersals and told me, "Mommy, our part is when George Washington comes out and says, 'HAIRY, HAIRY'." I had to explain that he wasn't talking about the boys in the white wigs, he was saying, "Hear Ye, Hear Ye." Have to clarify a few things when you are 5 going on 6.

The third is Son (#1) and his class singing.

Now you can all get up from your computers and get on with life. I know you've been sitting there for about a week. Sorry to make you wait so long.

Are You Well?

OK, Friends.
Just read this post and decided I have nothing to contribute today that could compare.
I'm so glad God is Sufficient.

http://debbieshealthupdate.blogspot.com/2007/11/november-12-2007.html

Cousins, cousins and more cousins

The weekend isn't over, but we've survived so far!

The Coach's brother from Colorado, along with his family, were here for the week. That made 13 kids here most of the time (although they stayed with Coach's M & D)! Along with S & B and their three who come and go. And so many other family and friends!

We spent Thanksgiving with the Coach's Mom's family - so much fun! I have no idea HOW may were there, but it was a crowd. Friday night we had most of the Coach's family here for pizza. At our house. 48 (I think) people. It was fun! And loud! The kids all play like crazy - they have so much fun! And we all slept really well last night!

I am completely overwhelmed with the goodness of God. His amazing, unearned grace. His unconditional love for and undeserving people. The blessing of a family of which the majority are following God and serving Him. Wow.

We went to meet with our pastor this morning, in preperation for the baby dedication service at our church in the morning. At eight months, Baby Boy should be somewhat cooperative! I was convicted by Pastor M's words. Committing ourselves to raise this baby to know and serve God. To be faithful Christian parents. And our church to commit to that as well, realizing the seriousness of leading a little one astray. How Jesus loved the children. What a blessing they are!

Of course, more in the front of my mind today is getting eight children ready in the morning, making sure the baby is fed and napped and happy for the service. And what WILL I wear? Truth is, even though I know that all of those things are not important in the eternal perspective that I always hope to have, they still have to taken care of. There is work to do!

So for now I'm back to my half Thanskgiving/half Christmas decorations everywhere house. A husband who is gone watching football, three heads of hair to cut, and groceries to put away. What AM I doing posting?

The Biggest Thankful Thursday of ALL!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Before we head out with our kids to the Coach's BIG family Thanksgiving, I wanted to be sure I didn't miss the chance to post on Thankful Thursday. So here goes:

1. Our Home

God's provision of this house was truly a miracle - one that I think of EVERY day. It's so beautiful here and is such a perfect place for us.

2. Our Church

Leaving our church home of 18 years was hard, to say the least. But over the last 1 1/2 years I've really grown to love our new church. It's been so good for us to go to a "community" church that is near our home.

3. Our Nation

In spite of the current state of things, the freedom that we enjoy each day is because our nation was founded on the principles of God's Word. We have liberty (the freedom to do RIGHT) because of those who have gone before, many of whom gave their lives for that liberty.

4. Our (LARGE) Family

It truly it is wonderful to have parents and grandparents so close by. And aunts and uncles and cousins, galore! FUN!

5. Our School

It never fails - we go to a school program, I cry. Every time! I am overwhelmed at the tremendous blessing of being able to send our children to a school where the Bible is taught as God's inspired Word, the teachers love God and our children, the curriculum is from a Christian world view. They learn scripture, character, all in the setting of a very rigorous academic environment.

6. The Coach's job

He is, I know, a blessing to all of his colleagues, and they are to him. I'm not sure if I could be away from my 5 school kids all day without knowing they are with the Coach! And it sure is nice to have him take them to school every day!

7. Amazing Friends

It's wonderful to have friends that stick closer than a brother. Who are there with you through good and bad. Who love you in spite of your many faults. And whom you can laugh with, cry with and eat Panera with. I love you, Girls!

Be sure and leave me a comment and tell me what you are thankful for. We'll just send a sweet savor of praise up to our Heavenly Father together today!

The day of the BIG PLAY

Today is the day, folks. My five school age children have been preparing for weeks for this day. The all elementary school play titled, "There's No Place Like Homa" to celebrate our state's centennial. I've scrounged Wal-mart, Target, the Internet and more for the required "costumes".
And here we are.
Aside from Son #1 refusing to wear his suspenders (he's a pioneer school boy), the morning went well. And who cares about suspenders? Just hope I can return them.
Everyone was excited.
I'm not sure if they were excited about the play, or getting to come home at 12:30. I'm just excited because I didn't have to make six lunches! Yeah!
So, I will try to post some pictures, later. Or sometime this week.
Should be fun.

Life is a lot of work

So much work, in fact, that I haven't had the time to write at all in about three days!

It's a dire situation, for sure.

This picture is one thing we've accomplished this weekend. Fun!

The Coach (isn't he SO handsome?) and I looked at this photo tonight (I've spoiled it for our card, I suppose, by showing ALL of my readers!) and we both said, "Can you believe all those kids?" Hee hee.

And tomorrow is the BIG play at school!

Of course, in the meantime there is still laundry and meals and laundry and cleaning and naptime and homework and laundry and bedtime and dishes and groceries and. . .

I have been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving. What should I cook? Will the baby take a nap while we are there?

Will we have time to get the tree up? What about Christmas lights - a cold front is expected.

And do I look fat in this picture?

As you can see, lots of really useful thinking going on in my head.

But underneath that all, there is Peace.

In spite of the work. In spite of the busyness. In spite of the scatterbrainedness! In spite of the ringworm (another story for another day!).

Peace.

Strange to think of that. Maybe not so much at 11:15 at night when it's perfectly quiet in my house. But from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and often in the night, there is noise in this house. Chaos. Lots of people. Often extra people besides our 10. Often crying. OK. Lots of crying. Fussing, fighting, laughing, yelling (hate that, but sometimes it's even me), talking, working, reading, writing, washing, laughing, yelling. . .

And PEACE.

Where does that come from? That underlying sense that all is well and God is in control?

One of my dear, sweet, friends (whom I have known since we were 13) tells of her mom, who died of heart failure 6 1/2 years ago, saying, "God is in control. And I'm glad."

I think of that a lot.

I'm not in control. God is.

I don't want to be (well, at least I shouldn't). I don't have the wisdom, the eternal perspective, the right heart motivation, to know what is best for anyone.

Am I glad about that?

It's not always easy, mind you.

But I'm grateful for the peace. I can rest in HIS control. I would fail, for sure, on my own. But I can trust Him. He is, after all, my Savior, my ROCK, my Deliver, my Comforter, my GOD.

Peace.

A Blessed Day

You know, some days start out really bad and they only get worse.
And others don't turn out so bad after all.
The Coach and I are going out tonight with friends. Our sweet sitter, Allison, is coming.
No matter how tired I am, I'm going to put on make up and something presentable and leave this house.
Yeah.
I would use an exclamation point, but I'm too tired.
Truth is, today was a blessed day.
Our sweet sitter, Michelle, came and played this morning.
The baby slept until 1:30 in the afternoon (from his morning nap).
Grandmother picked up the kids for me.
Now we have cousins over to play.
And shortly I will be enjoying a meal I didn't have to cook, with good friends that always make me laugh, and the Coach. Have I mentioned before how handsome he is? :-)
The kitchen is clean, the laundry is all folded and put away (I should take a picture) and I'm on my way to get pizzas before the Coach gets here.
Life is good.
And I won't have to cut up any one's food or clean up a spilled drink or do the dishes, or put the kids to bed tonight.
OK. Things are really good!

When I Get to Heaven

Do you ever think about what you will want to ask God when you are finally with him for eternity? Or wonder if we will have to ask? Or will we just know the answers when we see the face of Christ?
I think about it a lot. The older I get (yes, I know) and the more struggles we experience, the more I long for heaven. And sure, I think about the important stuff like: What WAS Noah's wife's name? And did Abraham and Sarah argue about where they were going? And what WERE those children of Israel thinking when they made the golden calf?
But today I have a question that's different.
Lord, why, when we have the greatest opportunity to impact our children for Christ, do we have the least to give them?
Let's face it, I'm tired. Not just "Yeah, a nap would be nice" tired, but bloodshot eyes and head ache kind of tired.
The baby cried most of the night.
I'm sure he's fine. Stuffy nose makes it hard to suck his pacifier and I'm sure he was uncomfortable. I have to think I was MORE uncomfortable trying to keep him quiet so he didn't wake everyone else.
I'm at the end of my energy and it's only 8:00 in the morning. Full day ahead. Lots to do. And I don't have anything to give.
Yet, I know that right now is when my children need me most. They are so young and tender and they long for lots of hugs and words of praise and book reading and cuddling and having me color and play games with them.
Ugh.
So, Lord, I don't understand, but I trust You. I know you will only give me what your grace can enable me to do. I accept it, and I rest in you.
Rest.
Hmmmm. Wonder if I could put a movie on and go back to bed?

It's HERE! Thankful Thursday!

It's so easy to think of things I'm grateful for. Some big, some small. In no particular order of importance!
Leave YOUR list in the comments - I know all of us are so very blessed.
And today I am thinking about how sometimes the "hard" things are what we should be most grateful for. They keep us on our knees, dependent on our Savior. That's a blessing really. Although I'm not going to list any of them today!

1. Leaves, Leaves, and MORE Leaves

2.The feeling of a baby nuzzling your neck when you get him up from a nap.

3.The END of football season (at our school, that is!)

4. Special K Chocolate Cereal

(what a way to start the day!)

5. Pansies. My favoritist flower ever.

6. My washer and dryer. We spend SO much time together!

7. Cousins

8. My treadmill. We're getting to be fast friends.

9. Weight Watchers (20 pounds off and 15 to go!)

10. God's Grace (the only way I'll lose that 15 more!)

11. My amazing, strong, handsome, kind, hard-woring, helpful, loving, done-with-football-season husband!

12. Swivel sweepers

13. My Bible

14. Naps (I'm GOING to get one today!)

15. That tomorrow is Friday!

So go out and be thankful! It's an attitude, folks. And it makes all the difference.

Seven Shining Smiles

We all went to the dentist today, oh yes we did!
I fell asleep in the waiting room holding my sleeping baby. Oh yes I did!
No cavities in the lot. No cavities at all.
Of course the Sonic drinks on the way back to school will fix that!
Time for a nap.

My Life Flashed Before My Eyes

One of the drawbacks to having a husband who is a football coach is that you are single every Friday night from August to Thanksgiving. I've adjusted to the fact pretty well over the last 13 years. Sometimes we go to the games (if they are close by) and if not, we have a "fun" night. $5 pizzas and a free kids movie from our local video store.

As much as I love watching the Coach in action, I really enjoy the nights at home a lot. It's fun time with the kids, no pressure, no cooking, no to do list. And usually I can get them to bed at a regular time, unlike when we go to the games and get home at 10:00.

So Friday night was going to be a stay home night. I'd even invited our sweet Allison to join us for the evening. Thought it would be a nice way to end the week.

Well, as mothers are known to do, my mother called.

They had company in from out of town, and would we come to the family farm (about 20 minutes out of town) and join the four of them for dinner?

Well, as daughters (at least this one) are known to do, I felt compelled to go.

Things started out crazy. I got the children dressed in presentable "play" clothes and socks and shoes and got the baby's food and bottle and such, and then gathered some food that she asked me to bring, and went to get my Sweet Sitter and then to my parent's house in town for some more food, then to the store for Fritos (my kids won't eat chili without them) and by the time we got there it was almost dark.

Can you see it? Me and 7 of my kids (minus our boy, #1), my parents, my Sweet Sitter, and the guests from Boston, all sitting around eating chili. Now, my kids can behave when the need arises. And they did. Eating, visiting (quietly, for the most part). No flailing arms or legs or back sides, no food flying or drinks spilling. Almost brought tears to my eyes.

As soon as daughter (#7 ) finished her dinner, she moved to my lap (as she often does) and I was still trying to maintain some decorum in front of these guests with a wiggly three year old on my lap.

Then it happened.

She let the biggest toot you've ever heard (or so it seemed) escape from her little body.

Right there.

On my lap.

In front of the company.

Truly, folks, I wanted to crawl under the table.

I managed to compose myself, and keep the other children from losing it completely. Whew.

I suppose this is just a consequence of having precious, Godly parents who have precious, Godly friends come visit.

And me feeling compelled to answer when my mother calls!

My House after the Clean Up Fairy

By now we've established, folks, that I, myself, am the Clean Up Fairy at this house.

Or at least my children think so.

Just to prove the point, here are some before and after pictures.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who goes through the house in the morning and makes things presentable!

To give the kids credit, they were really rushed this morning, since the Coach had to leave early. Normally I would have had time to send them back into their room (the boys, anyway) several times. That's what it takes!

And to give the little girls credit, they always clean up their room WITH me. So that doesn't really count. However we all know it's less work to do it yourself! HA!

Boys Room Before the Clean Up Fairy

Boys Room after the Clean Up Fairy

Boys Bathroom Before the Clean Up Fairy

Boys Bathroom After the Clean Up Fairy

Girls Room Before the Clean Up Fairy

Girls Room After the Clean Up Fairy

It always scares me for a moment when I enter the boy's room in the morning. It looks very much like the rapture happened and left me with the mess!

Did you recognize the decorating theme we have going on? It's called BUNK BEDS.

Thanks to my friend, Lori, at Crazy Daisy, for suggesting I add some pictures to my blog! Little did she know they would be so inspiring!

And just to end on a positive note in a happy place (all this mess is giving me a head ache!), here is my sweet daughter's room when SHE left this morning. Thank you, Jesus, for 10 year old girls!

The Clean Up Fairy

Do you ever fantasize about having a perfectly clean house?

Everything put in it's place. No dust on the piano. Nice vacuuming stripes on the carpet in every room. Sparkling bathrooms. Clean sheets on all of the beds. A clean and orderly kitchen. Fresh smelling fridge full of everything you need for dinner. Clothes all washed, ironed, mended and hanging neatly in the closets. Windows without hand prints (or nose prints), mirrors without splashes.

Some women, I hear, love clothes, shopping, scrap booking, going out with friends, spa treatments, vacations in the Caribbean, etc.

Me? I just dream about a clean house!

Sometimes I think the answer would be to have help with the cleaning. Surely, I reason, if someone else got everything clean twice each month, I could keep up with the maintenance in between. And there have been times that I've done that.

But I'm over wanting a housekeeper. I can dust when it really irritates me.

Or have one of the kids do it.

What I want is a Clean Up Fairy!

I'd never see her. When I leave the room, she would fly in. Straighten the beds, put the clothes away, organize the toys and books. When I walked back into the room, it would be neat and clean.

When dinner was over, I could just get up from the table and go read a book. When I came back in a few minutes later, the table would be clean, the dishes washed, the food put away.

After I take a shower, I could just leave the towel on the floor. After all, she'd be in shortly to hang it for me!

And make the bed? Why? She'd do it.

And I'd never have to pay her, thank her, or do anything myself any more!

Talk about fantasy. I guess it's OK to dream.

And wonder what it would be like. . .

Maybe I'll just ask my kids!

Make your man smile!

When you analyze it carefully, it's rather simple to make our men happy. Yeah, maybe they'd like us to be thinner, work out more, or even start a money making venture out of the home. But they know by now that's those things are somewhat unlikely.
I propose an easier solution.
Cook meat.
Really. They love it. And it's easy. And it doesn't require any time on the treadmill or lost sleep.
So give it a try.
Here's our favorite.

Famous Pot Roast

Any type of roast - I usually get whatever is a good deal. Actually two or three of them.
1 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Honestly, the generic kind works just as well.
2 cans of Campbell's Golden Mushroom condensed soup
Baby carrots
Peeled and chunked potatoes
(Onions and celery are good, too, but the Coach isn't a big fan)

First thing in the morning, or after you get the kids off to school and breakfast cleared, wash the roast and trim any excess fat. I cut mine into big pieces so it fits nicely in the crock pot.
Place the meat in your crockpot and sprinkle with the soup mix.
Pour soup over the top and turn onto high.

Sometime around lunch, add the vegetables and turn down to low.

If you really feel like earning some points, the afternoon is a great time to bake some whole wheat bread.

Then all you have to do is put the roast and veggies on a platter, slice the bread, and steam some green beans in the microwave.

He'll love you.

I promise.

If not, I'll come eat it for him.

Waging War

"You knew this would happen."

The Coach had pity on his face.

He saw my bleary, bloodshot eyes and could tell by the way I moved about the kitchen that I was exhausted and yes, at a mere 6:30 a.m., I'd already had it.

I stopped for a moment. Wondering where this was going.

I'd been up half the night with kids. Various kids. Lost track of how many different kids. I know the baby cried several times. At one point I fed him half a bottle. I know someone was sleeping on the floor because I almost stepped on her every time I went to check on someone else. After that it's all a blur.

"What do you mean?"

I felt sure he had a point, but honestly, there were pb & j's to make.

"We should never doubt that we are in spiritual warfare. It's a fight."

A fight.

So maybe the fact that we set out this week to rise early, exercise our bodies, spend time with the Lord, drink more water (and don't get me started on my Diet Dr. Pepper that I haven't seen in days!), and go to bed earlier - has something to do with this?

"For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens."

Whew.

Somehow I don't think I've had enough sleep to battle with all of that.

Fortunately the passage continues:
"THIS is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand."

Good thing it's not up to me.

I wouldn't make it.

The Brownies called. . .and I answered.

I'm blaming the Brady Bunch.

You know.

They had six kids, they all got along and worked things out.

Great show.

But they had Alice.

My life would be great, too, if I had an Alice.

Today was half day of school. Nice to have the kids home. I look forward to it. Usually they aren't home at 3:00 when Brady Bunch is on. Except for Wednesday. And they really get excited about the treat of watching TV. Big deal around here. Big deal.

Today they didn't get to watch it. None of them. It was terribly quiet at 3:00.

You see, about 2:50 they started fighting over the couch. Yes. I know, it makes no sense. But apparently my three older boys all thought they should get to stretch out on it. Two of them figured out how to share, but when the third plopped down, it got ugly.

It went downhill from there.

It wouldn't have been right to let them watch after that knock down drag out. So I didn't. I spent the rest of the day regretting my decision.

But in the spirit of June Cleaver - who didn't need television to control her kids - I made brownies.

We'd all be happy, I thought.

Me included.

"For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this principle: when I want to do good, evil is with me. For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God's law. But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin." Romans 7:19-25

So therefore with my flesh, I am a slave to the brownies.

OH for the glory of heaven. When my body (flesh) will be redeemed so that with my spirit the struggle with the flesh is forever ended.

That's the hope we have in Christ.

And don't you think there will be brownies in heaven?

Without the guilt!

Coming Soon: Thankful Thursdays

For all you readers out there, an idea has been born! My friend Lori, at CrazyDaisy, and I have been encouraging each other to be thankful!

Well, without my creative friend, I might have made the horrendous mistake of starting "Thankful Wednesdays". Painful, isn't it? Instead, because we are in it together and Lori is the talented half, we will launch "Thankful Thursdays".

Not until next week, since I posted a list today.

But now, audience, you have something to look forward to!

And make your own list, too.

Because we all have so much to be thankful for.

Like friends.

Who keep us from sounding stupid. :-)

The Thankful Game

Sometimes life really wears me out. You know what I mean. The ENDLESS laundry. Did I mention it never ends? The kids that keep thinking it's time to eat. Didn't we just have lunch? And the dishes, toys, homework projects (did I mention a poster board with pictures and descriptions of games they played in ancient Egypt?), messes, dirty diapers, etc.
Thanks to my BFF, Lori, I'm learning to turn these "ugh" moments into "ahhhh" moments. How, you ask? How do you transform a disaster of a day into a shining success? With Thankfulness. It's that simple.
So in the spirit of starting my day right (as I've already given it to the Lord and walked 45 minutes on the treadmill, and eaten my Special K, and had two glasses of water, and taken my SuperMom pill. . .), here are 15 things I'm thankful for. And to make it more fun, let's just assume you already know the big things I appreciate and let's mention some of the things that make me smile.

1. A Baby that sleeps through the night! Thank you, Jesus!
2. Waking up with the Coach beside me. Ahhhhh.
3. The best school in the world (ask Coach) to send 5 of my kids off to this morning.
4. That my 5 oldest LOVE going to school every day.
5. Lunches at Panera (I'm going today to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday!).
6. Granddads who will pick up the kids from school and take THEM to lunch on their half day.
7. Wednesdays - half days at school - I love the time with my kids (and honestly, it's nice to have a day off from making lunches)!
8. FALL - can I say BEAUTIFUL? Every time I look out my window I am speechless.
9. A big crock pot of beans and family that stays for dinner (Thanks, Brooke, Seth, Baylor, Ford and Crew - we had fun!)
10. Hot Chocolate for snack time with 7 kids and a cold Fall afternoon.
11. Hot showers - I'm headed that way!
12. Kids who make their own beds (OK. Not all of them do, yet, but we're getting there!)
13. The pilgrims (A little deep, I know, but still)
14. Michelle, Corrie, and Allison (That's three things, but I could spend all day on how much I love these girls!)
15. The unconditional acceptance, friendship, encouragement, kindness, sympathy, fellowship and just plain FUN that I share with my Friend, Lori.

Of course we all know that these lists could go on and on. And they should. And maybe I'll just start doing "Thankfulness Wednesdays!" That would give me a chance every week to transform my day.

So go out and be thankful!

Football Season Ends

This is the last week of our school's football season. And somehow, I'm a happier, less-stressed me!
Every year (for the last 13) it seems to go more quickly. This year was no exception. It is, however, harder to survive the season when we have a baby! I'm grateful for the safety that God has given to our family through these months. Traveling to and from games, often late at night, and God's protection here at home without the Coach.
Although I'm thrilled to be almost done with the stinky clothes, late nights, and dinners without Dad, football season really is a fun time. I've learned to enjoy the games (a challenge with a baby and three little girls hanging on me), the cool air, and when I stay home, the descriptions that the Coach gives afterwards. Always fun!
This will be my last year as a spectator. Usually the most exciting part of the game for me is checking out my HOT coach on the sidelines. But next year I'll have a boy out there. Getting hit, making plays, and more likely making mistakes. It will be a whole new season in our family. One that will last a LONG time. I'm sure I'll have my scared to death, anxious moments. But I hope, too, that I will enjoy the step my boy is taking towards becoming a man. Ugh.
For now, it will be fun next week to have the Coach home earlier, less tired, and with us on Friday nights. Another good season.
That's what life seems to be about, for us, these days. Seasons. Some easier, some harder, most rather difficult. But they come and go. For that I'm grateful. Just reminds me that the Lord knows what we can handle, and gives us the grace for it all. Thank you, Jesus!