Let's talk...

GORGEOUS

2008-11-29T17:27:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving at Mimi's.
I love my kids.

(I don't know why the picture is so pixelated. Click on the photo for a larger, clearer view.)

nineteen

2008-11-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

I have now been with him for half of my life. That is just so exciting for me--probably because none of our parents made it that long...

How are we spending our anniversary? Why, at the softball fields, of course! ;)

Here's to 19 more, Freddy. I love you.

PROVIDENCE

2008-11-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

providence-- noun.

1. (often initial capital letter) the foreseeing care and guidance of God or nature over the creatures of the earth.
2. (initial capital letter) God, esp. when conceived as omnisciently directing the universe and the affairs of humankind with wise benevolence.
3. a manifestation of divine care or direction.
4. provident or prudent management of resources; prudence.
5. foresight; provident care.

Ephesians 1:11
"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."

Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Romans 13:1
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

Regardless of who you voted for, I encourage you to pray for our leaders.

Oh I'm so holdin' out for these!!!

2008-10-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Recycled glass countertops...oh baby.

2008-09-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

&^!%$#!@~!

I.hate.Mondays.

Lessons Learned From Ike

2008-09-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

1. I can cook just about anything on the grill and it tastes great.

2. Next hurricane I will stock up on unscented candles. Vanilla, clean cotton, cinnamon, and pineapple do not mix well in a stagnant, hot house.

3. I can read 2 books in 4 days when there is no electricity.

4. God is still God.

5. It is impossible to shave in a cold shower. Ouch.

6. I don't ever want to go a week without electricity again.

7. It can always be worse.

8. The guys from the power company in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, are my heroes. They left their families to come here and help restore power to our area.

9. I really love my husband. (Yes, I knew that before the hurricane, but I was reminded every day how lucky I am to have him.)

10. I am proud to live where I do. Everyone pulled together and helped in any way that was needed.

Priceless.

2008-07-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

Yearly team dues: $500

3 softball uniforms: $258

2 pair of cleats: $100

2 Catalyst bats: $600

TPX Infielder's glove: $80

Hotels for 'away' tournaments this summer: $925

Gasoline/Food to and from tournaments: A LOT

Being there when my daughter hit her first homerun: PRICELESS

---

2008-05-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today I was blindsided by the realization that my understanding of God and His character is so limited. It is hard to understand the depth of His love, mercy, and grace for me, a wayward child of God, when I feel none of those things for MY wayward son. Sure, I love my son, but most of my feelings toward him these days are those of anger, resentment, hostility, and even indifference. Indifference is a scary feeling, wouldn't you agree? How does God do it? How does He, day after day, extend grace and mercy to His undeserving children? I wish I knew how. I wish I had the strength.

Me... in a nutshell

2008-05-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

We read this in Bible Time this morning. I hated every word of it because it is me.

Matthew 23
Seven Woes
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

16"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.

23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

33"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.

37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

I can't seem to find my Christmas Spirit...

2007-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

...maybe it got lost in the move.

happy birthday, sister

2007-11-25T06:14:00.001-08:00

Erin Marie Elliott
Born November 25, 1974
Died October 27, 2005

I miss you...I can still hear your sweet laugh...Erin, you would be amazed at how much Melanie reminds us of you. What a blessing that is...

Thoughts

2007-11-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

1. I think I like Thanksgiving leftovers better than the first time around.

2. My 10 year old got up and made coffee for us this morning. I had no idea she knew how to do the coffee pot.

3. Insomnia sucks. I fall asleep just fine but wake up and can't go back to sleep...and I REFUSE to take anything for it.

4. I am blogging right now in order to avoid the piles of laundry that are taunting me.

5. We close on our house in 3 days...YIKES!

6. The things I will miss most about this house are the windows, the fireplace, and the kitchen.

7. One of the best things about our new house is Freddy and I will have a bathroom in our bedroom.

8. I know most parents freak out when their teenagers start driving, but I am LOVING it.

9. Teenage boys make your car insurance premium go thru the roof.

10. It's killing me not to already have our Christmas decorations up this year.

Any thoughts?

happy turkey day to everyone!

2007-11-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

...except for you, Tina, my vegetarian sister-in-law. It's Happy Tofurky Day to you!!!

LET'S EAT!

encouragement...

2007-11-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

...for all you mamas out there during this busy, hectic time of year. Think on this verse as you face sinkfuls of dishes, laundry out the wazoo, and as you go about doing the little, sometimes unnoticed things that make your house a home. Be blessed, ladies.

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands."

Psalm 90:17

fab.u.lous.

2007-11-14T05:11:00.000-08:00

What an amazing weekend. It was nice to get a glimpse of what our life together will be like when all the kids are grown. Sorry that I don't have any pics to post. Freddy brought his camera but left the battery charging on his desk at home. The lake house was beautiful. It could definitely be featured in Country Living or Better Homes and Gardens. One of my favorite things about it was that it had a Dutch door. One day I will have a Dutch door!!! Again, sorry no pictures! :(

While there, Freddy and I decided not to eat at any chain restaurants and only eat at local places. Good decision! Friday night we ate at River City Grille. Our table overlooked the water, the food was yummy, and we made it in time for happy hour. $1.50 drafts! Saturday we went to Fredricksburg and ate at a Mexican restaurant called Mamacita's. All I can say is that it was way better than Lopez! We found an awesome hall tree made out of an old door at one of the shops for so cheap, but we brought the little car, not the Expedition, so we had to pass it up. It would've gone great in the entry way of our new house--I will blog about our new place later. All I will say about it now is that we are BUYING our first home and it just happens to be right next door! This will be the 3rd house we've lived in on this same block!

I love my reality, but it was so nice to get away with my man. I really do like him! We had a lot of...fun. ;)

18 years today...

2007-11-09T04:44:00.000-08:00

...here's to many, many more. I love you more than ever...

The coolness that is Freddy...

2007-09-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Every couple of months or so Freddy has this excess of creativity that can only be dealt with in the middle of the night. This is what he did last night (this morning, actually). They are both for bands that we know.

1 Peter 4:7-11

2007-09-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ...

Sometimes I wish verse 9 wasn't even there. Why is it so hard?

Sexy and Premenopausal

2007-09-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Can you be both?

Only in Texas, y'all...

2007-08-29T07:12:00.001-07:00

http://www.click2houston.com/news/14001700/detail.html?taf=hou

My New Toy!

2007-08-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

My new laptop came today...it wasn't supposed to be shipped until September 5th!!! My old one died awhile back. Actually, it was murdered by my two teenagers.

It.
Is.
Beautiful.

It's a Dell Inspiron 1520. Alpine White with Spring Green accessories. We are definitely a Mac/Apple family, but I am lovin' my Dell, baby!

Now I don't have to fight for computer time on any of the other computers with anyone else in this house. I have my own!

And I have one rule--no one under 37 can touch it.

...I think I'll start blogging more. :)

It's no secret...

2007-08-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I hate most Christian music and how 'bubblegum' most of it is. But I'm loving this band right now...especially this song.

Pray for me...I'm goin' in!

2007-06-29T11:00:00.001-07:00

In just a few hours I will join all the other crazies who are standing in line for the iphone. All for the love of my husband, who has to coach 2 games tonight. :)

Yes--I'm still alive :)

2007-06-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Long time no bloggy blog, I know. Just haven't felt like it. I've wanted nothing to do with the computer. Do you ever feel that way? No blogging, no emailing, nothing. If I hurt anyone's feelings I truly am sorry. It was just something that I had to step away from for awhile. Maybe forcing myself to post today will get me back in the blogging mood!

So here's what's been going on with me:

We have been spending every weekend at the softball fields. I really do love watching Holly play. She is amazing. There's even been some interest in her from an 18u select gold team. I watch in awe as I see her using the talents that God (and probably a few genes from Freddy!!!) has given her. We went to the State tourney this weekend. The girls placed 4th out of 22 teams. 1 place higher than last year. Awesome. We go to Regionals in a couple of weeks in Wichita Falls. I can't wait!

Holly turned 15 on the 19th. We threw a surprise party for her with her friends and teammates complete with a Kelly Clarkson bday cake. She is a Kelly Clarkson fanatic. A blast was had by all. If you would like to see pictures you can go to Freddy's site at www.webtoastmedia.com and click on gallery.

Joey has discovered golf and fishing. He is quite the golfer and can outdrive my father-in-law. Hee-hee.

Melanie is filling in on a 10u allstar team when they need her. She's not as natural as Holly, but has an outstanding work ethic. She will work harder than anyone on her team. A coach's dream.

Benjamin is trying to get his band thing going. He's caught between boyhood and manhood and trying to figure things out. 17 must be hard for boys.

I have been thoroughly enjoying my kids and our pool this summer. I don't think I could've picked 4 better kids.

A special thank you to Darla and Michael--you know why. We love the bracelets and had big plans for a video thank you that we have just not had time to put together. How considerate you two are.

I got a new kitty for mother's day. Her name is Kitty, but at any given time you can hear someone calling her Petey, Gata, Petey McDoogle, or Smelly Cat (seriously). The dogs love her. Our other cat, not so much.

One more thing--I highly recommend going to Pappasito's for sangria and nachos...and then on a whim getting a hotel room for a few hours with your husband/wife. Seriously. You must do this. ;)

Love to you all--if anyone still visits my blog!

2007-05-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Freddy said something beautiful in Family Bible Time this morning. He said, "It is not our burden to 'get people saved'. It is our privilege to show the people around us who God is by how we live our lives."

I love that man.