The Thoughts in My Head

Yes, I am still here. I had big plans of resting and relaxing this summer and somehow that has totally gotten away from me. We have soooo much going on right now, that if I stop and think about it too much, I just may resign myself from adulthood. :) Our church is going through a transition time right now. That is both exciting and scary at the same time. I am working an upcoming Tres Dias weekend. I won't say what I am doing, but let me just say that God is finding great joy in stretching me on this one! We have birthdays and birthday parties, bible school, piano, swim days, music camp.....and on and on. All of these things are really good things, but if my focus is taken off my savior, then they can be detrimental. Some days my focus is where it needs to be and others...not so much.

Somewhere in all of this, God is trying to shave away some of my ugliness. Pride is a part of me that is a hindrance. I don't mean for it to be. It just is. Several times lately, my heart has been questioned. For me...that just hits hard. When it comes to most things, I could care less what others think, but when my heart is questioned, it "eats my lunch". (a quote from my friend Shana) :) So, why do I let that bother me??? It really shouldn't matter. All I should care about is how God sees my heart. So, how do we get there? How do we have close relationships and not think about how they see us? How do we do what we believe God wants us to and when others question our faith, not let that bother us? How do we go through this life and not believe the lies that Satan tries to feed us?

I really am not fishing for encouragements of any kind. And, although it may sound like it, I'm really not complaining. :) I love my life. I am blessed beyond measure. I am just thinking out loud...or in print. As others have said - I'm just keepin it real.

Quote for the Day

So....the other night Ella was saying her prayers. This is how it went:

She closes her eyes.
"Dear God,
Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Gran and Pop, Jenny, Nanna and Paw Paw. And thank you for letting me stay up late tomorrow night.
Amen"

She opens her eyes.
"Mommy, can I stay up late tomorrow night?"

All I could do is walk out of the room laughing. On one hand, she IS praying expectantly. One the other hand, if she can think to connive her way into things this well at 4, what are we going to do when she is 14 I ask????

Happy Aniversary Eric!

Today, Eric and I have been married for nine years. I've seen several people do lists about loved ones on other blogs, so I thought I would do one for Eric. Here are 9 reasons that I love him.

1. He makes me laugh. daily. I'm not exaggerating. Even in my darkest hours of depression, he could always squeeze a laugh out of me. I LOVE that!

2. He is absolutely head over heels in love with his girls - all 3 of us. Maddie and Ella just don't realize yet how blessed they are. Satan will have to work over time to get them to question their self worth. Eric lavishes them with more love than any humanly father could.

3. He is a hard worker. He is not afraid of breaking a sweat or getting his hands dirty. For a little over a month now, he has been working on our pool. Every night, he is flat exhausted. Yesterday, the guys that he hired to do the tile left early because it was so hot, but he just kept right on working in the 90 degree heat.

4. He is a good provider. Because Eric owns his own business, this recession that we are in could be very scary. But, I'm not scared at all. He is constantly "re-calulating" ways for us to save money. I know he will do what it takes for us to make it.

5. He is a finisher. We laugh because Eric almost always has some kind of project going on. But, He ALWAYS finishes what he starts. No mater what.

6. He loves to cook. Now, I love being a stay at home mom (most days), and I really enjoy cooking, but sometimes I get in a rut. I feel like I am cooking the same things over and over. Eric really loves to try new things. I absolutely love it when he is in the kitchen with me. It is just fun to cook together.

7. He has strong arms. Now, that may sound like a strange one, but to me it's important. Y'all know, this is a hard life. Don't get me wrong, we are blessed beyond measure, so don't think I'm complaining. But the enemy knows just where to creep in. I have 2 sets of arms to keep me safe. God's and Eric's. The world around me can be crazy and chaotic, but there is just something about Eric's arms being around me. I feel safe.

8. He is the voice of reason. Now, I am not always quick to say this one. And, this could very easily go on a totally different kind of list. :) Like a few days ago when we got our cell phone bill with lots of "roaming" charges on it. The person responsible for those charges will remain nameless. LOL! But, today I am seeing things pretty clearly. I like to jump into things head first. That is just who I am. I just think things will work out. I am not a planner or a thinker. Eric is. Guess that's why God put us together.

9. And most importantly, Eric loves God. Before we had children, I used to wonder if he would really be our spiritual leader. Cause I am such a spiritual giant and all. :) But, he is. He has allowed God to stretch him and change him in some pretty incredible ways. He is a high-spirited, strong man, but he doesn't hesitate to hand it all over to the one who gave him his strength.

So, Eric - Happy Aniversary! I love you more now than I did nine years ago. I stand in awe of what God has brought us through, and look forward to where He is going to take us.
Tammy

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Last Friday night, we had a slumber party at church for all the young girls. It was positively precious to watch all of our little girls treated like princesses. There is so much I could say about the night, but I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. Thank you to all who invested your time in our little ones. It will be a memory that lasts a lifetime.