The First Frost

Well, October is nearly over and we finally got our first frost. I'm looking forward to really seeing the changing leaves now! M has been talking all about the leaves and colors of fall! In fact, she's been learning and practicing her spanish colors that way. She amazes me with her little spongy brain!

So much has happened since I posted last and I feel as though I owe some type of explanation for why I've been silent, but I know that technically I don't owe any explanation, so I'm not giving one! Ha! Is that mean or what! No, seriously. I haven't posted cause I haven't wanted to take the time, because I have far more to say than I can, and cause I've been in and out of a funk. So there it is.

Trying to figure out the upcoming holidays! This is still hard after 6 years of marriage. We know we like to reserve Christmas for our little special family! It's our coveted time for making memories and such. But Thanksgiving is hard this year cause my FOO and extended family (FOO is family of origin) are all getting together to celebrate a bunch of uncles turning 60 and cousins that I haven't seen since before M was even a thought are going to be there with all their children (and when I say ALL I mean they all have soooo many). I really want to be in the middle of all that and I love seeing my Grandmother, Mamaw, but it's a pretty long trip for a 2 year old not to mention the massive amount of gas (aka money). Then we have the issue that to get to Jackson from here we'll have to pass through B'ham, so that is good and difficult. That is where my whole in-law family lives which is great cause we would get to see them too. But we'd have to keep getting back in the car to keep going further! Who knows...we are going back and forth. Either way we are definitely getting to B'ham for Thanksgiving. We rarely get "enough" time there when we go though...you know how it is.

Do others still struggle with this? I know you have to. I think I put this question into the Mom-to-mom round table discussion box. Speaking of that...IT'S TOMORROW! I'm thrilled. Seriously. Mom to Mom this past week was the highlight of the entire week (just about). It was like that moment in Steel Magnolias where Truvy says that laughter through tears is her favorite emotion! What a blessing! We cried with one gal in her struggles and we laughed with everybody trying to talk about S-to the -E-to the -X in church with our Titus women! It was a riot! Precious times of being real and vulnerable. I'm glad God worked things out the way He did. Oh, He knows...every little thing that we need or even will need eventually. So tomorrow is round table where the Titus ladies (the older wiser ones) try to answer our generally anonymous questions that have been collecting in a box since September. Love it. Can't wait.

So much more to say and tell, but I've said enough for now. Time to go sew. working on decor for my friends home. so fun. A little indigo girls, a little heat (finally), a lot of concentration, and hopefully lots of prayerful thoughts, as I work to get to the end of several projects which will be so satisfying to see those end products. bedskirt and duvet and curtain.

The Post About the Post

Today was monday...I say was because for me it is basically over. Mondays are generally tough for me maybe because I'm generally confined to my home. Maybe because I generally have no useful thing to do. I seriously don't know. But the redeeming part of Mondays is bible study!

Can I just say, "We made it through week 6!" Hopefully, maybe we are on the up and up now.

Bible study was great! Of course everydays' entry was remarkably precise for me right now. I talked about the "church" as the Bride of Christ last week in blog and sure enough we talked about that in this weeks study.

On that note, that particular blog came into question privately. Some were disconcerted that they may have been the receptors for some unnecessary falsehood or fingerpointing. I assure you that though it was a specific event that got my mind rolling in that direction, none of the comments were directed at anyone or any collective whole except maybe the American Church (and denominations). I hope that no one felt personally wronged by the words, but the point was to ruffle the feathers of those who find themselves satisfied with the way things are.

Please keep in mind that things expressed in this blog certainly are not the end all be all. I don't pretend to be much of an expert on anything, so if something strikes a chord, be a skeptic, search your scriptures and find the truth. I hope to always speak it, but I am human and I too make mistakes.

Back to the study, SIL and I were able to connect with some other gals and were reminded that we are accepted and ought to feel safe. There is a trust issue at hand here which is healthy for group interaction, and the truth of the matter is that we too, have what is best for the group as a whole as our main goal. God has brought us all together for a reason, and I for one, am glad that He did.

Thank you Lord for bringing those together in your perfect way even tonight. May you be glorified.

Big Saturday

Today has been a BIG day in so many ways. Me, my SIL family, my parents had a huge yard sale. We always use my house cause it's on a main road and gets a lot of traffic. I couldn't sleep cause I had the yard sale jitters that someone was up early sifting through my stuff while I was sleeping. I woke at 3:30, 4:30, and then just stayed awake in bed till 5:30 when I finally drug myself up and out the door to set up.

It was soooo cold this morning too! Good thing my SIL brought me some yummy breakfast and HOT coffee. My parents overslept, so I had to call them (not like they don't deserve to sleep in after the month they've had!). Still I needed organizational help.

AND I didn't get to go to my $6 box sale which I was really hoping to slip away too. That helps so much with the budget usually. Oh well. I'll have to play sweep the pantry till the next one in 2 weeks.

Altogether we made a hair over $450! How bout that for a yard sale where in we didn't put up signs or post it in the paper (we did do craigslist though). In fact we didn't even try to sell a good deal of furniture cause we knew we would get a better deal on craigslist. So that's our next project. AND I got something I've been looking for to organize M's purses and hats (free from the pile). I also got a Christmas gift for hubs from my BIL's pile and a scarecrow to go on my porch as I have been heavy into the project of bring fall to my house. One annoying thing happened...I had set aside (at the end of the sale) a slew of maternity clothes and baby girl things for my friend who is pregnant, and while I was putting M to nap, Hubs sold the entire tub full to some old ladies for $2.00! I was ill. At least if he was going to sell it he could have asked a good price! Oh well. I tried.

We made a family trip to ALDI and I ran into BiLo for the few things we can't get at ALDI. I'm starting to like shopping together. We are trying the cash system again and it really helps having Hubs there tallying as we go. We use our list and I even menu plan. This helps cut down on unnecessary spending. M was delightful too. She was so happy she was singing songs aloud! It was fun.

To top it off, we stopped at my friend Sarah's house cause she so kindly scoured around for an old phone I could use. See, I don't remember if I posted this or not, but I laid my phone on the hood of someone's car at the party last saturday and never saw it again. Totally my fault, but you know...if I could help not having to spend money on a new phone, that's great! So Sarah got her FIL's old phone and charger. It's nice too. I'm thrilled and can hardly wait to activate it. I'm sure the text box is full if not the voice mail. So, if you think I don't like you cause I haven't called you back, it's not true...it's just that I have no idea you called! Ha! I hope to remedy that soon. And M kept saying "Mommy, you got a present?!" To which I replied "Oh yes! I got a new phone!"

And She Does It Again...

So I thought my sister's post about self control was great! And it was...but she jumped on one of my all time favorite soap boxes in her next post so I have to link again! This is a must read if you are interested on her thoughts about True Christianity! She is far more eloquent than I and/thus all I can say to this is Right On Sis! Wish I could put those same thoughts and feelings into words in the same way that you do!

Love my Sis!

I'm not sure if I've ever linked to her blog before as my own post...but that is my post for today. Please read this post I found over there. I was so impressed with it in so many ways! Especially if you struggle with self control and eating...check this out! I know I needed to hear it!

Lip Service

I have been mulling over a recent event that just about ruined one of my favorite times. In this mulling process I have pinpointed the righteousness that comes in the midst of the anger (which is kind of odd generally). I'm tired of the Christian Crap. Let's just call it like it is. In the book I'm reading the author calls it "Chicken poop for the soul." I'm struggling with our humanness in the midst of our Christianity. Do we truly want to live as Christ calls us to live or do we settle for second best so that we can protect our little world.

I got news people!!! God is not out to protect our little world! He is there to shatter the boxes that we try to place him in! He is here to ruffle our feathers and make us so uncomfortable that we can't deny him any longer! He is the great revolutionary of all time and I'm ready to join the revolution!

Rock the boat! Get out of the bubble! You are missing it if you don't. God did not intend for so-called Christians to be the very reason that the lost and even other believers turn away from Him. And unfortunately this is the case more often than not.

I can assure you that if I were not secure in my God that I would have kissed this craziness goodbye long ago. But Christ calls the church his bride! Can you imagine?! Sometimes I think it is a lot more like Bridezilla!

Get this...that building...that business...that organization that calls itself the church, it isn't. The church is the body of Christ. A collection of believers that work and interact so closely together that they become as one entity, unable to function properly without all of its member being in working order.

I was recently made to feel as if I were the appendix. My presence was practically useless and possibly hazardous! THis just isn't the case. God has called me to fight to the death for His bride. And I will regardless of the feathers that are ruffled.

Please if you consider yourself a Christian and especially a member of a church, don't just give God lipservice. REGARDLESS OF THE COST, seek the truth, love justice, and walk humbly with God. LOVE (in word AND DEED) your neighbor as yourself.

Who is your neighbor? Christ was also asked this to which he responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Read if you will Luke 10. Where do you find yourself in this story and be honest. Consider for a moment if the injured person were afflicted with something else. We'd all like to think that if someone were physically injured that we would stop and help, but what if he/she were shunned by those around you for one reason or another? Would you be the one to tell your friends to get a grip and then in deed reach out to help carry that persons burden? Or would you shy away cause you have reputation to uphold, a job you'd like to keep safe, a family to "protect"?

God is speaking to me constantly through his word right now which is unbelievable and oh so comforting! I wish I could pass it all on, but this post is long enough. Please be in prayer for me and my family as we fight diligently for the Lord through an unexpected and unwanted trial. Pray that God ALONE will be glorified!

Halloween Hoopla

My bloggin friend Jamie, posted on halloween. It was an opinionated post (not necessarily a bad thing), but it got me thinking. It jist of it was that she doesn't do halloween. At least not yet cause her kids are young and don't really care or know about it. She says that people spend too much money on it and that it's foolishness anyway.

I definitely understand your point of view, but the same could be said for most holidays! And what's so bad about a little "foolishness" in moderation. They are kids! M has had a costume every year. I too did the first time mom thing and ridiculously bought her a pea pod costume that first year. Uh...we wore it to Ruby Tuesdays. I admit that was dumb. At least that first and/or second year you can get by with wearing a halloween themed tee. I would definitely suggest that. But after that kids know about it. They don't get it really (neither do I really) but it is a memory made none the less.

For kids its more like imagining and playing dress up. It is hard to find the balance between make believe and reality. To practice imagining and make believe is not avoiding reality, it is growing cognitive thinkers...more creative minds. Minds with less man-made boundaries. Do I think it is important to tap into reality with kids. On a certain scale sure...depending on their age even more so.

Do I think we shouldn't waste money? Absolutely! Do I think there are tons of better things we could do with our money, always! But we need to remember that it's all in what we make of it. Maybe part of your halloween tradition could be spending a whole day as one of your favorite people doing something for someone else. You could dress up and bring goody bags to the hospital to cheer those children who would love to but don't get to participate.

All these things are teaching opportunities for you and your children. There is no need to spend crazy money on candy and/costumes. Thrift stores baby! They have all kinds of costumes that were only worn one time! And they are cheap! Wear the same one twice if it's the kind you can grow into. I did this for as many years as I could be pink panther. Then I fell off someones front porch into a prickly bush and my plastic costume was severed beyond repair! Ha!

Get creative and make a costume out of things you already have! Borrow one from a friend whose kids is bigger than yours! We could wear Grace's Dora costume from last year! We are just going to have our own though cause it is a pink shirt, orange shorts, yellow socks, and a purple backpack! All useful items individually.

This subject is tricky and as a Christian there's the whole supporting evil things issue. Again...it's a teaching time for you and your family. It's a building memories time for you and your family. Make it what you need it to be so as to promote your beliefs. But don't forget that it doesn't hurt to have fun!

The Poopin Place

M has a poopin problem. She is always constipated. It's a battle to figure out just what or a combination of the things that actually cause it. Regardless, our friends David and Suzette are to whom we run during the crisis. Not because they have all knowledge and wisdom on such things. Not because they have been through them or know someone who has had a similar experience. No. It's because no matter what M always poops at their house!

Tonight was no exception. After a very unsuccessful week with all that, She actually pooped on her own Saturday a.m. but she still needed to do some more. She's been strainin off and on since then but with no success. We hadn't been at their house more then 7 minutes when she took the biggest poo...And that's as far as I'll go! I was actually excited about this!

I hope she feels like a million bucks now. I hope that the doctor actually calles us back on Monday about this. I hope that her teacher lady does bring us some of the all natural stuff she was telling me about last Wednesday. I'm ready to nip this in the bud so that we don't have to be so poop-centric! And so we can finish up the potty training thing!

In case ya'll didn't know, we took down the crib this Saturday and she's doing the big girl bed thing. Course, she initiated and the beds been in her room since she was an infant. She's done really well. In fact, we put her to bed in Nani's big girl bed at her house so that we could sneak out for some long overdue adult time. Believe it or not we snuck to Starbucks and both of us had drinks for a total of less than $4. Thanks Shayna for the coupon!

Things I Wish Everyone Already Knew

• Things aren't always what they seem
• Don't believe everything you hear, read, etc.
• Your sins really will find you out
• God's vengeance is always better.
• God's way is always better
• Just because a person claims to be Christian doesn't mean they are always Christ like (unfortunately)
• In general, the culture doesn't accept people who are different (even if it's different good)
• Ignorance isn't really bliss...it's ignorance
• Most things are not better left unsaid
• The truth really does set you free
• Money really is the root of most things evil
• Unfortunately people aren't always as they seem
• A true friend ought to love at all times (if he/she doesn't then maybe he/she isn't a true friend)
• The American church as we find it today is not exactly what God designed.
• Just because something is good doesn't mean it's best.
• Just because something is good doesn't mean it is of God
• 
  

Keepin Busy

Sometimes I like to be busy. Don't get me wrong I ought to live for the uneventful days in my life cause they seem to be so few and far between! Ha! But seriously, I suppose one of my defenses against heavy anxiety is business. I don't necessarily think it's a good thing, but it works for a while. So here's what I've been up to.

• I made M a fleece jacket (had a pattern that I got for 25 cents and had saved) Had the fleece left over from my cloth diaper making days, had ribbons to finish the edges from a project I'm working on with my girl Sara. Did this Monday.
• Aided Sara in cleaning out her garage...more like organizing, but will you believe that we actually got it done in a matter of 4 hours or so?! I wasn't sure it could be done. Today.
  
• Consigned bunch of M's toys and equipment on Thursday.
• Organized my mom's garage Thursday as well.
• Clean swept and organized stuff for yard sale.
• Help Sara do the same
• Prepping for Sara's b-day party (Thurs.)
• Went to My Child's Closet for Grace's b-day present
• Took M to the big party (Saturday)
• Went to the big baptism (Sara and Grace)
• been cutting, pinning and prepping S's duvet.
• Tea dyed an old sheet for Grace's bed side table
• reading Irresistible Revolution
  

That's all I can think of...EXCEPT improving my marriage which has been fabulous! So on that note I'll go spend some more time with hubs.

See Post Below

My Truth Shall Set You Free post was delayed so don't miss it! You'll have to scroll down past the $6 box post to see it. Please read though. It will help you better understand "where I've been" the last 3 weeks. I don't have all the answers to what's been going on, but I can provide the basic information. If you need more info, please contact Dad's previous employer.

$6 Box Sale

I did it. I finally went back to the $6 a box sale. It was insane! Word of mouth can really draw a crowd. Wherein we were able to go to and fro the aisles a good 3 times on our last visit, this time there were so many people that we barely made it down 3 aisles before there were slim pickins. I will definitely have to take pics before it starts next time. There is no way to take a pic once it has started unless you are uninterested in filling your box with things you need.

BTW this is not shopping for the tenderhearted. It's push and shove to get to the juice before the next gal gets it. I really didn't get to some of the things I really needed, but I still filled my box with useful things. And here is my list...REMEMBER all of these combined only cost $6!

1 glass jar of Lime juice (lemon juice was on my grocery list, so this is great!)
1 large jug of Gatorade
1 medium jug of strawberry banana juice
Hogsen Mill Soy flour (I use this all the time for egg substitute in baking)
1 baking soda
4 balance mix protein bars (my fave believe it or not!)
1 pack of quaker granola bars
2 liter ginger ales
1 ensure
1 pack bud's best animal crackers
1 pack sugar free animal crackers
18pk. pampers diapers
1 box of swiss miss hot cocoa w/ marshmallows
buttermilk pancake and waffle mix
1 pack of rice cakes
2 jif to go peanut butters
2 spaghettios
3 green beans
1 family size green beans
1 carnation evaporated milk
2 campbells chicken noodle soup
1 kraft mac n cheese
1 easy mac
1 ranch style beans
1 oatmeal squares cereal
1 fiber one type cereal
1 vanilla sandwich creams
2 bars of dial soap

So fun! Love a good shopping experience.

The Truth Shall Set You Free

So I've been asking you to pray for my family for a while as they have been going through a difficult time. In general, it's over and done, but the after quakes are in full swing.

My dad was asked to resign. He did not feel that God was leading him in that way. There were some reasons, three to be exact, but small in my opinion and certainly not requiring resignation, maybe just guidance. If you need to know more specifics, I suppose you'll need to ask dad or the others involved. In no small way did I chose to post in order to make sure those that have heard understand that according to his employer THERE IS NO MORAL ISSUE HERE. Dad's godliness and integrity were not in question. Simply put, certain accusers had lost confidence in his leadership.

He did not turn in his resignation. His only request was that the situation be handled in standing with the bible and in truth. Since there was no assurance given for this, he refused to hand in his resignation and thus was terminated.

That's it. There's the story. Now you know better how to pray. Please continue to do so for my family.

____________________

Now those of you that know me...well need to know that I am not necessarily O.K. with all that has occurred. I am handling my emotions day by day and only with God's help. Scripture helps the most. Please continue to encourage me to keep things real, to check my attitude, mood, actions, etc. with scripture. Even and especially in the midst of trials I want to identify with Him.