What it's all about...

Today, I have very little time to write (no, I'm not decorating for fall). I am seriously beginning to wonder if I'll even get to that this year.

In the last month my life has picked up with a pace that I haven't experienced in years. It's all good stuff....(bible study, making a little extra money doing childcare, parents groups, etc). I love it all, but it's definitely left me running through each week.

But, this week God has helped me to remember what it's all about. You see, last night Donn and I were overly blessed to have a couple sit in our living room to discuss adoption. They are a couple that are in the beginning stages of praying about God's plan for their family and they needed to talk it all through. What a blessing to be a part of that stage of someone's life! We went to bed feeling overwhelmed at God's goodness.

Tonight, I will ask you to pray because we will be sitting on the other side of the fence.

You see, tonight Donn and I have been asked to come to the local crisis pregnancy center to speak to the girls who are facing an unexpected pregnancy.

I am completely and totally overwhelmed that God has allowed us to be a part of this. Don't get me wrong...I think that sometimes girls are called to give their babies up for adoption and other times they are called to parent themselves...the bottom line is that they let their babies live. Each one of the girls we will be meeting tonight have already made the decision to let their babies live!

What an opportunity to thank these girls (who are not much different than my little Elle's birthmother) for their decision to give their babies life!

Please pray for us to be emptied of ourselves and for God to use us how He has planned. Please pray for God to bless these girls as they now figure out their next steps. Pray for these little lives that will one day join us in this world and grow up to be our future.

Welcome to Fall!!

Oops...I probably should re-title this post.

"Welcome to REALITY!!"

I know; I know... I had high aspirations on Friday...

I always have high aspirations on Fridays! Why is that? As if having a weekend actually means I will have MORE time on my hands to get things done...HA!

Weekends in our house typically mean life gets busier! I don't know why I ever thought I would get tons of festive decorating done.

Nevertheless; I told you I would show you my beautiful house on Monday, so here is my "beautiful" house on Monday...

These "fall" decorations I actually use year round. They tend to show up all around the house. Sometimes even under couches and in closets. :)

Notice the amazing assortment of orange pumpkins and beautiful apples adorning my mantle....oh wait...nope...not there. :)

I personally am quite fond of my festive kitchen...I mean, come on!...I think there may be a pumpkin bowl mixed in that mess somewhere (oh wait...nope; I haven't pulled those out of the back of the cupboard yet). Hey, wait! Is that an apple I see there in the background!

And of course, who can imagine a Fall Festival without crocs and flipflops! I mean, come on!

What screams Fall like dirty old shoes?

The bottom line is; please don't sit at home and cry if you can't decorate for fall with as much skill as I do.

It's a gift ya'll. It truly is. :)

Accountability!!

AHHH!!!!!

If you are a blogger as I am; you have probably also noticed the trend.

September 22nd rolled around and everyone and their brother's uncle was posting blogs about their amazing Autumn decorations...

UGGH...

Meanwhile, I was busy posting about smudges on my windows. :)

And yet, reading all of these posts did actually make me stop to think about that lonely little Autumn decorations box that sits up in my attic and gets pulled out once a year (if he's lucky).

For days now I have told my husband to expect an Autumn Festival when he gets home from work that evening. I have had the best of intentions; but I just can't seem to pull it off.

For now, that lonely little box cries out to me from above...

BUT TODAY IS THE DAY! Okay, well; maybe not today...I've got a lot going on today.

But, this weekend is it!

I've decided to post my aspirations to transform my home into a Fall Paradise because it will keep me accountable to actually put on my homemaker's hat and get busy this weekend.

And so begins the challenge...what are you doing this weekend? :)

If all goes well, I will post pictures of my amazing home transformation on Monday...if all goes well.:)

How I spent my day...

Okay, not exactly a true story.

I didn't actually spend my day in this massive line of cars; however, I did spend my day this way on Monday.

You see, about a week after Ike hit Texas, just about every gas station in the area seemed to run dry. Our streets are spattered with cars on the side of the road that were in pursuit of a gas station but couldn't find one in time.

Just tonight I had to make a run to Walmart and this is what I drove up to see. The line went on beyond my view and cops were all around.

Apparently, fights are breaking out all over town as people wait up to 5 hours for gas from one of the few stations that are still open.

I had heard about these stories on the news, but I never expected to see it. In all of my years in this city I have never seen an aerial police surveillance unit anywhere, but today, I got the treat of seeing one at the Walmart gas station.


Who whoulda' thunk?

I can only praise God I was not one of the people who had to wait in this line!

Let's pray we get a shipment soon...

Slime, slime everywhere...

Remember the post I did a few days ago about fingerprints?

Apparently God is really trying to bless me with little reminders of His presence.

This morning my 9 month old discovered the joy of a frech door.

She entertained herself for a good 15 minutes blowing zerberts on the glass and leaving precious slimy memoirs. Go figure...I had just cleaned this window yesterday:).

I'm not kidding!!

I really think God wants me to have dirty windows to remind me of His fingerprints in my life (at least, that's the story I'm stickin' to if you show up at my house and are appalled by my slimy windows)!

Does it get any better than this?

Are you kidding me!?

There's just no excuse...

If you have a twisted sense of humor like I do, this little video will have you laughing hysterically.

There are just soooooooo many things wrong with the video...granted; the words of the song are completely true, but I seem to have trouble getting past the three piece suits and the horrible taste in stage decorating (GASP!)

Who ever said gold shag carpets should ever be put with pink walls!! I mean, COME ON PEOPLE!! There's just no excuse for that!

So, if you dare...take a little trek back in time and smile as you think about how dumb our clothes and styles will also look in 30 years!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Fingerprints...

I am doing a bible study with an amazing group of Godly girlfriends and it has me doing a lot of thinking.

The best way I can describe the study is to say that we’re taking a look at God’s fingerprints.

Through a variety of exercises, we are drumming up memories all the way back to frizzy haired pig tails and big girly bows, and we’re looking for all the ways that the Lord has directed our lives and equipped us to better serve Him.

Phew! It’s been a wonderful (albeit exhausting) glimpse into my life of 30 + years.

Today as I arrived back home from the study I was caught up in the ‘to do’ list for the next few hours:

1) Wash the car
2) Clean the kitchen
3) Pick up around the house…

As I parked the car in the driveway, I realized I had forgotten to run through the car wash.

‘Oh well, I guess I’ll run out later and get that done.’

I slammed the car door shut and looked back over the dirty car…a thin coat of dirt covered the entire surface and a lovely “artistic” smear was slapped across the window.

I turned from the car and stuck my key into the lock of my house door and my stomach dropped when I realized how nasty the glass on my door had gotten over the weekend of kids running in and out.

‘Great, one more thing to clean up I guess.’

I plopped my purse and keys on the kitchen counter and turned my head to see another glimpse of ‘mess’ that needed my attention. This time it was the slimy little mess that covered the stainless steel of my dishwasher.

“Man, is there any surface in this entire house that isn’t covered in fingerprints!!” I said to myself in exhaustion…

And that’s when it hit me…

Immediately, I felt God saying to my heart… “Cyndie, those fingerprints are my gift to you.”

As I thought back over the “messes” of fingerprints that covered my car window, side-door and dishwasher; I realized they were in fact God’s gifts to me.

Sure, to the naked eye, they just looked like “messes” - areas that needed attention and cleaning.
But, in reality they are little gifts left by my family – the people whom I love the absolute most in my life.

I wonder if that’s how God looks at me. Sometimes my life can seem “dirty” or out of control. I can feel like I am smeared and covered in a thin layer of “gunck”. But, God is looking down at me saying,

“Precious child…you are not a smeared mess…you are my daughter and I am going to take the ‘gunck’ off of you and help you to realize it is my fingerprints that are covering your life– my little reminders of who is actually in control.”

And so, today I say, praise God for fingerprints!

I think I’ll actually bypass the car wash for a few more days…

Sometimes you need little reminders that your Daddy is watching over you!

A Few Prayers...

Dear 'Faithful 3'

Well, Friday has arrived! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only thing is....this is the busiest Friday of my entire year.

I have my huge fundraising event for the Adoption Agency that I work for today. It's an event that I have been working on since July and today is the big day!!

Therefore, no shallow thoughts to share (I know you already weren't expecting deep thoughts, so I'll just clarify that there will be no shallow ones either)!:)

So, if you think to, please say a prayer today.

Pray that I don't sweat ridiculously sitting outside at a a golf course for 12 hours today.

Pray that I still smell pleasing when it's time to welcome fundraisers and pray that, above all else, there will be no misting rain that could frizz my hair up to the skies and scare away our guests. (Like I said...shallow).

Well, I guess one other thing you could really pray for is that God would use this event to raise funds to go toward this incredible Christian ministry that brings babies 'home' (Maybe you should start by praying this prayer).

Just promise me that somewhere in there you pray about my frizzy hair also (God hears them all Sisters!):)

Happy Weekend!

Taking Satan's Power Away...

Sisters,

Sometimes I read things that stop me in my tracks and make me sit staring blankly at the wall.

Today I read something like this.

You have probably heard me say many times that I think it's time the masks come off.

I fully believe that one of Satan's greatest tools is convincing Godly women that they're not good enough.

How many times have you had the thought, "What would people think of me if they really knew the truth?"

How many "secrets" have you kept hidden in the dark?

How many "burdens" have you carried on your shoulders?

I am sick of allowing Satan to have this hold over my life... I have committed to doing my best to be real with you and real with myself...

Today, I was reminded of the beauty and healing that comes when God's daughters stop living with "secrets."

Please click here to read an amazing testimony by Lysa Terkeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries.

It's time we stand up and admit who we are...

It's time to take the power away from Satan and allow God to transform our lives!

Lord have mercy...

Somedays I wonder what God was thinking when He made me a mom.

I mean, it’s one thing to be ridiculously weird and to be able to laugh about my own idiosyncrasies; but it’s a whole other ball of wax when you realize that you’re training your children to also be weird.

Have mercy.

You see, today I was out running some errands when I ended up driving down a country road.

First we passed the beautiful field with horses grazing and Brekyn yelled, “Mommy! Look at the horses!”

Remembering that horses are not a normal part of my child’s life in the “city” I smiled and thought about how neat it was that God gave us the blessing of seeing these serene horses.

Brekyn and I began chatting about how great it was to see the “countryside” when all of a sudden he began yelling from the backseat:

“Mommy!! Mommy!! Look! It’s Swiss Cake Rolls!”

Now, if you know me well; you know that swiss cake rolls are my weakness.

You could put a life-sized chocolate cake in front of my face and I could walk away.

BUT, if you put a swiss cake roll within 33.3 miles of my home, I am guaranteed to sniff it out with my nose. (yes, it is in fact 33.3 miles...I've tested this) :)

So, needless to say, the car began swerving as I peered out the window trying to find the swiss cake rolls that apparently some country bumpkin carelessly discarded.

(No offense if you're a country bumpkin. I really have no problems with country bumpkins...though if you were a country bumpkin and you did carelessly discard God's precious gift of swiss cake rolls then we might need to sit down and have a heart to heart talk.)

That’s when I realized what Brekyn had spotted.

And again I say, Lord have mercy…my kids are turning out just as weird as I am!

Long live the swiss cake rolls!

Teddy Bear...

I was planning on posting something for you all right now, but I've changed my mind.

You see, my little blonde haired, blue eyed teddy bear has just begged me to cuddle with him while he takes his nap.

I'm terribly sorry; but none of you can compete with the joy of cuddling with the world's greatest little blonde haired teddy bear.

And so I must go...

Have a great Tuesday!

Take some time to cuddle with your teddy bears.:)

Door Number 2

Do you ever feel like you're on a game show?

I sat around today feeling like I was waiting for something to arrive.

What exactly?

I can't say for sure.

It's kind of like I was sitting around saying, "Big money, big money, no whammies."

I checked my email and looked for the miraculous email that would bring me great joy.

Nope…not there (no offense to any of you who emailed me today).

I checked the mailbox wondering if there would be an envelope that said:

"Cyndie! You are the winner of a gazillion dollars and you've been selected to be a world traveler and you're also getting a free tummy tuck!"

Can you believe that envelope wasn't in my mailbox?

At one point the phone rang and I jumped wondering if God was going to deliver the ‘big news’ via my phone line…

Nope. Not exactly. Well; unless you consider purchasing a new subscription to a magazine I’ll never read ‘big news’!

And then I sat down.

I hate when I get this way.

It’s horribly embarrassing to admit, but some days I act as if my life really is a game show and around the corner I’ll run straight into door number 2 that opens up amazing and miraculous adventures.

Luckily, I know myself well enough to know what it means when I get this way.

Typically, it means that I need a deep down, drag it all out, bring it before God coffee talk.

And that’s just what I did.

I sat on my couch and chatted it over with the Big Guy.

“God, forgive me when I get this way. Forgive me for acting like a good old fashioned ‘normal’ day isn’t good enough for me. Forgive me for not turning to you sooner and for feeling discontent with the blessing that this day holds.”

And so, now I’m back.

That’s the cool thing about the Big Guy...He’s one- stop shopping.

A little chat with Him and life seems to snap right back into place.

And then the tooth fairy fluttered away...

Tooth fairy, Santa Claus, what to do???

It’s the age old question that seems to cross every parent’s mind at one point or another. Do I let my kids believe in these precious little gems of childhood or do I tell them from the start that it’s just folklore and rob them of the childhood imagination, while at the same time sparing them from feeling deceived….uggh.

Well, in our case, Donn and I both grew up “believing” so it seemed like an easy decision to get excited about the tooth fairy’s arrival after Ayden lost his first tooth. We put the tooth in an envelope.. left a little note for the fairy and anxiously awaited lifting the pillow the next morning to find what gem the tooth fairy had left. It was really a precious memory.

And then tooth number 2 fell out…

We repeated the “exercise” and lifted the pillow with bright smiles and anticipation yet again.

And then tooth number 3 fell out…

By that time, the anticipation was clearly not as exciting for Mommy, because it wasn’t until 5am that I realized I had forgotten my 'duties.' I jumped up from bed to grab some cash and stealth fully slid it under Ayden’s sleeping head. Crisis averted and we lifted the pillow in anticipation yet again.

And then tooth number 4 fell out…

This time, Ayden came home from school carrying a tooth and claiming that his friend said the tooth fairy wasn’t real.

“Mom, is that true? Are you just the tooth fairy?”

GULP…

“Why do you say that Ayden?”

“Because my friend says that you’re the tooth fairy and you just stick money from your wallet under my pillow.”

“Really…what do you think Ayden?” (Of course, I’m completely unsure of what to say at this point.)

“I think the tooth fairy is real. I’ll put my tooth under my pillow again and if she leaves money then I’ll believe.”

Slightly cringing now as I wonder if I’ve scarred my child for life…I smile and move on with our day.

Later that evening, I tucked Ayden into bed and said prayers. I then scampered downstairs to enjoy my few hours of ‘freedom’.

You got it…

5:11am

Ayden walks into my room and all I could see through my tired eyes was a child.

“Who is it,” I asked.

“It’s Ayden.” He responded.

Assuming Ayden had a bad dream; I reached for the blanket and threw a pillow on the floor.

“Just sleep right there,” I stated as I flopped my head back onto my pillow.

AND THEN MY MIND WOKE UP.

“OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!! I never put the money under his pillow!” My mind began racing as I figured out my battle plan.

It’s okay, I’ll just wait until Ayden falls back asleep and then I’ll sneak upstairs and leave it under his pillow. It’s not like he noticed yet anyway. No big deal. I’ve got this covered.

“Mom.”

Gulp.

“What Ayden?”

“Mom, I know the tooth fairy isn’t real. She never even came! She just left my dumb tooth in the envelope under my pillow.”

Mind racing now……….stink, he noticed!

“Ayden, look how dark it is outside. It's still night…I’m sure she’ll be here. Just go to sleep.”

A few minutes later…

“Mom, I’ve got to go! If I’m not in my bed she won’t leave the money! I’ve got to go!”

“No, Ayden"…I reasoned. "Just stay here…she’ll figure it out.”

(Of course all the while I’m thinking that if he goes back up to his bed, I’ll never know if it’s safe for me to sneak in.)

“Mom, I need to go!” He shouts as he runs out the bedroom door.

Great…now this is really a mess.

And so, what is a Mom supposed to do?

Option 1: Devastate the kid by letting him know that there is in fact no tooth fairy (which will mean a grumpy sad kid all day at school) or

Option 2: Claim tooth fairy negligence and perpetuate the lie, I mean folklore, a bit longer.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I opted for door number 2.

I jumped out of bed and grabbed the nearest dollar coin and stuck it right under the pillow that was still lying on my floor where Ayden had been.

This morning when Ayden awoke he immediately began groaning about how the tooth fairy isn’t real and how she didn’t even move the envelope under his pillow.

I listened to some of the complaints and then nonchalantly stated,

“Gee, I wonder if you confused her by moving around so much.”

At that moment Ayden shot like a dart back to my bedroom and lifted the pillow from the floor.

“Great he said…she is real! I really don’t get how she could be so confused though…I mean, come on, I only moved once!”

What do you think???

How many counselors will I need to straighten my poor kiddo out after this one?

Who came up with the idea of the stupid tooth fairy anyway?!

Thanks so much!:)

Sesame Street Followup...

This is the email I received from my mother in law after yesterday's post...

"Dear Cyndie,

I didn't know they had greeters at Target...

And how about that computer tech guy?

So sorry you're having a bad day.

Love,
Mom"

It was truly the first laugh I had all week...and they say Mother-in-laws are bad!?

Not all the time!:)

Just kidding Mom!

Thanks for making my day a bit brighter!

Real...

When I started this blog, I had one goal in mind.

Be myself…

I hate fakes.

I know that ‘hate’ is a strong word, but I really don’t know how to better describe how much hypocrisy bothers me.

Someday, if you were sitting at my funeral (hopefully a ways away), I hope that you would hear stories about how transparent I was in life.

I never really did have much of a poker face.

What you see is what you get.

On good days…you can tell it’s good.

On bad days…well, I may try to smile for the crowd; but it never fails that someone pulls me aside and says, “Cyndie, what’s wrong…you just don’t seem to be yourself.”

I’ve come to realize that I am what I am; and, quite honestly, I’m okay with that.

I would much rather be someone who was real than to live behind the mask.

And so; today here I am.

Real as ever and willing to admit that it’s not a ‘happy Cyndie’ day.

Today is a grouchy, grumpy, Oscar all the way day.

As a matter of fact…it’s been that way for a few days now.

The other day I was in Target running errands when I apparently grabbed a cart from the parking lot that was not a Target cart (gasp!).

Can you believe they stopped me when I got into Target and told me to move all my belongings and my kids over to a Target cart!?

The sweet woman (who really was just doing her job) didn’t expect me to snap back at her.

I believe I said something to the degree of, “FINE! But not until I’m done doing what I’m here to do…otherwise I’ll just take my business elsewhere!”

Ouch.

You see, that’s the reality of who I am. I am far from perfect. Come on, who am I kidding…I am SOOOO far from perfect it’s pathetic.

For almost a week now I’ve been fighting with some internet problem. Countless hours, phone calls and trips to the computer technician have been made.

This morning I was on the phone with the friendly people over at Linksys and the man actually said to me, “Why are you so upset?”

My response:

“Because I have been dealing with you people for a week!”

Ouch.

The fact is…life is frustrating. There are things in this life that I will be happy to give up for Heaven one day.

But, the bigger fact is that I am an imperfect creature living by God’s grace in a fallen world.

I wish I could say I had it all figured out.

I wish I could be “happy” with every breath I breathe.

I wish I didn’t have a tongue that snapped or eyes that rolled in anger.

But, I am who I am.

Lord, please help me to be someone who shows love despite the way my heart may be feeling.

Please help me to shine for You no matter what circumstances are surrounding me.

Please forgive me for my shortfalls and fill my heart with peace.

As for the rest of the day…well; I’m headed to Target (yet again)….let’s just pray that I pick the right cart.

Do you remember?

Why Women Should Vote.

I received this email today...unfortunately, I must admit that I needed the reminder.

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

So, refresh my memory.

Some women won't vote this year because- -why, exactly?

We have carpool duties?

We have to get to work?

Our vote doesn't matter?

It's raining?

The Noble Steed...

Have you ever thought about it?

If Jesus came to earth today, what kind of car would He drive?

Would it be an SUV? Maybe a really nice Lincoln Navigator with leather seats and an electric starter? (Yup, that’s for you Mom)!

Naaa… probably not…Maybe it would be a very basic, run of the mill pickup truck suitable for helping out neighbors in need.

Or, quite possibly it would be a beautiful 1973 Fire Red Mustang with white racing stripes down the hood (Yup, that one’s for my studly hubbie)!

Who knows…I suppose He could drive anything He wants…after all, He is in fact God.

Nope, I don’t know what He would drive if He had the choice, but I can say what He was driving last night!

It was a tow truck…a great big white tow truck ya’all…and oh was I ever happy to see Him!

You see, a few months ago, my studly hubbie was leading a soccer clinic for a bunch of kids (cuz that’s just what studly hubbies do). Anyway, said ‘studly hubbie’ thought it would be cool to rev the kids up with some tunes, so he pulled our minivan right up to the field and opened all the doors and blasted the music.

Long story short…ever since that day, our battery has been bad.

So, last night as youth group ended, I walked out to the car with 3 very tired little kids and found that the battery was dead.

Of course, my studly hubbie came to the rescue and used his 1973 Mustang to jump start my Minivan (I know…it just doesn’t seem fair does it)?!

Of course, because this is my life, you know it can’t just end there.

You see, earlier in the day I noticed that my gas light was on. However, because I’m a mom on a mission, I was too busy at the time to stop and fill up.

I reasoned to myself that I would stop and get gas on the way to youth group that night.

Of course, on the way to youth group that night I was ridiculously late (because that’s my new life with three kids) so I didn’t have time to stop for gas. In essence, I prayed myself into the church parking lot and then reasoned that I would stop at the first gas station on the way home.

Soooooooo; here I am, my minivan was just jump-started and I am almost out of gas.

Therefore, I get a mile up the road and stop at the first gas station.

Can you figure it out yet?

Some crazy person made up some rule that you need to turn your engine off to pump gas!

I mean, COME ON PEOPLE! With a rule like that, what are busy moms in bad battery minivans to do?!

And so, wouldn’t you know it…8 minutes later I found myself stuck AGAIN (this time at the gas station with 3 VERY unhappy little kiddos in the back).

Once again I picked up my phone and called my “studly hubbie” to come and rescue me with his steed…well, mustang…still, WAY cooler than a minivan.

Only, this time the beloved mustang didn’t do the trick. It didn’t even budge.

Elle began screaming in the backseat as the boys started whining that they were hhhhoooooottttt.

What can I say…it’s only 90 degrees outside with humidity of a million….WELCOME TO THE SOUTH!

With the noble steed letting us down, we finally caved in and called for a tow truck.

At this point we realized that Donn’s ‘way too cool mustang’ was certainly not going to fit a family of five after the tow truck arrived; so my studly hubbie headed on his way to pick up our other car to give us a ride home.

It was at this point that I sat behind my steering wheel and had a little chat with God:

“Lord…you knew this was going to happen. I’m trusting you. I really didn’t want to spend our money this way. Don’t get me wrong; every gal loves a nice tow truck…but this just isn’t the best time for repairs. Lord, help me to trust you…after-all, it’s your money.”

And then the tow truck arrived. However, just my luck; the guy in the tow truck pulls right into the parking lot and directly past me as he runs into the gas station store.

What are the chances?! Here I am waiting for a tow truck and here comes a tow truck but it isn’t even mine…this is my life.

A few minutes later the nice man emerges from the store and walks over to my car.

“I see you’re in a bind.” He says as he points to my open hood.

“Yup…bit of a bind.” I say, with kids bellowing in the back seat. “I’ve called a tow truck but apparently you’re not mine.”

“No” he replies. “But I can try my jumper cables if you want.”

“Well, at this point, I’d do anything to get out of here, so take your best shot.”

And with that, the nice brown haired man whips his jumper cables out of his truck and within seconds my minivan is purring again.

What’dya know…

As I drove home, all I could do was thank God.

Afterall, it truly is God’s money.

He really can spend it however He likes.

However, I must admit, I am thrilled He chose not to spend it on a needless tow.

Instead He decided to drive his tow truck right to my aid and rescue me inTRUE Noble Steed fashion.

So much for the cool mustang!

Just so you know...

Yes; I'm still alive and No, the blogging monster hasn't crept up and forced me to banish myself from blogging (though we all know that is always a possibility).

The fact of the matter is that our internet has been off and on for a few days now so I am grabbing a minute (while it's back on) to let you know that I do still have plenty of random thoughts and dumb musings to share with you.

Of course, today is Sunday (which means "day of rest" to many people) but to a youth pastor and his wife it actually means that I am again running back out the door to church.

And so, we'll have to wait until tomorrow to chat again...if you can really call this chatting:)!

Of course, that is all dependent on whether or not my internet is actually cooperating tomorrow.

If not...just look out your windows.

I'll come up with smoke signals to tell you all about my weekend!:)

There's more than one way to skin a cat!

The "Real" Life...

Well, I must admit..I'm no political guru by any stretch of the imagination and it's not too often that you'll catch me posting too much about politics on this here blog...but,last night my world of "Mommy Mommy Mommy" clashed with good ole' fashioned politics and I am so excited about it!

Say what you want about any of our current Presidential candidates. Each one has their strengths and each one has their weaknesses (as we all do); but never before have I sat and laughed so hard during an acceptance speech.

I'm sure that most of you saw the moment I am referring to; but just in case you were sacked out after a long day of chasing kids, let me enlighten you with the true life of a mother....



My goodness! Piper Palin is already a little Mom!

Come on, admit it...how many times have you licked your hand and cleaned up your child or fixed their hair!

I dread to think of the amount of boogies I have wiped from my child's face!

But, that's life isn't it?

It's about time the white house experience a little taste of "real" life!

Oh Yes I Did!

I hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as we did!

We had a ton of fun at the annual labor day carnival (which is more like chaos times a million).

It's a good ole' fashioned street carnival complete with nasty corn dogs and rides that make you throw up.

I'd say it's like any small town carnival except for one itty bitty fact...it draws in 250,000 people!!! THAT'S RIGHT! 250 THOUSAND!!

It's pure pandemonium to say the least.

Add in temperatures of 95 degrees and a few bad chili burgers and it's just delightful!:)

In all honesty though, I really loved the time with my family.

We had a great time this year and the kids enjoyed free rides (thanks to an amazing family at our church that surprised us with tickets - you know who you are!!).

And of course, the parade was definitely a highlight!

After sitting on the scorching float trying not to sweat my mascara down my face; we finally got word that the parade was beginning and we were about to begin moving.

Keep in mind; at this point, we'd been sitting in the ridiculously hot sun for over an hour.

Just as everyone begins taking their "positions" I smell something...hmmm...what could it be?

You got it!

It was my precious little Elle who decided to wait until this moment to poop in her pants!

I jumped off the float and made the nice man who was driving us let me grab the diaper bag.

Right then and there, little Elle got her first diaper change on the side of the street.

Of course, by this point; mascara is dripping down the side of my head (praise God I had my 'big' sunglasses on!) and the kids are beginning to complain that they're hot and tired.

And yet, somehow, despite a few hissy fits along the street; we managed to make it to the end of the parade without any major meltdowns.

All in all, I'd have to say it was a great day!

More than anything I just couldn't help but sit and think about how blessed I was to be holding my daughter as we celebrated adoption.

God is good!

Notice the wave!:) Oh yes, I did! (well, at least for this picture!)