Post #99--Scenes from the Beach

In the morning , O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3

Isn't it great to know that God hears our voice each and every morning? Is our voice one of peace and relaxation? Or, is it peppered with anxiety and worry? God encourages us to lay our burdens at His footstool each day--maybe several times a day in order to receive that peace. Have you been to the Lord this morning?

While on vacation, a slower paced morning meant that I had plenty of time to spend with God before the day began. I could read my devotionals, spend time in the Bible and journal my prayers without hearing the clock ticking to remind me of another carpool session. It was lovely!

We spent hours on the beach digging holes!! And playing in them, and re-digging the next day after the tides had washed away our tunnels and army trenches.

We had time to leisurely stroll down to a creek and see the alligator pop out of the murky green water in expectation of a late afternoon snack!!! (No, not the kids!! Just cheese crackers!!)

Time--it was on our side! As I type this, I have already taken the boys and myself to cross country practice (I ran with some of the newbie young girls--they were precious!). We then drove to swim team practice. I ran again--at my pace and with my ipod and lost myself in my "She Speaks" talk that is coming up in 30 days!! Now, it's almost 11:00, and I still haven't had my entire quiet time. But, it is still morning, and the heat outside is still on "low!" I plan on sneaking out to my back porch and laying my requests before my God and King while it's still morning--dirty running clothes and all!

Y'all have a beautiful day! BTW, the little boy in the photo is my nephew--he's a trip! Love that child!

Blessings!

Post # 98--Tres Fru Fru!

Ya'll, my eyes--even with the dollar tree glasses and all--are crossin' on me! I have been on a painting frenzy this week! My sweet friend, Lisa, whom I highlighted months ago (she does the darling monograms), is going on vacation. The location happens to be a wonderful community at the beach where folks set up shop in their front yards and SELL their cute stuff! I don't mind asking people things (!), so I asked Lisa if I could send a few items down with her! Remember, I am a woman on a mission to buy a new camera!! So, hopefully, she'll be able to sell a few goodies for me!

I'm actually waiting on the E600 glue to dry--I will pass out in my car if I load up the stuff now and try to drive to her house and deliver my things! Mercy...it's potent! But, it works!! I wanted to let y'all see one of the cute ideas that I actually thought of on my own! Now, if you're a Susie or a Nestor or a Kimba or a Kjisa or just beautiful you---this stuff comes naturally to you girls! I truly have to focus! With everything else flying around in my life, that's sometimes difficult to do!

This morning, I had to make a detour to Wal-Mart for a laundry bag. The small ones that you use in the washing machine...the kind that never wear out or tear up! Well, after 15 plus years, ours did! Across the aisle from the bags were these darlin' little canvas bins! Too cute!
Hmm...what can I paint on this I pondered!! (Not out loud!!!) Then I came up with this.

I call it the "Tres Simple Canvas Bin." I plan on making more! They were fun!! It still takes me several hours to draw and paint and repaint and do a third repaint on these babies! I want to create a "Tres Fru Fru Canvas Bin" as well! You can store cleaning supplies or towels or crafts or pool stuff or books or snacks.....the list is endless! Lots of my friends will be seeing these for Christmas or birthdays with their initials on them or holiday motifs or scripture(that's the fru fru)!! Can ya tell I'm excited??

I would LOVE to make some for y'all! But I'm clueless as to how to ship them. I don't want it to cost you an arm and a leg!! They are very light weight but odd shaped. Let me know if you have any ideas. The "Tres Simple" ones are $18.00. The "Tres Fru Fru" ones will be $24.00. You pick your colors and ribbons. Holler at me if you would like to get one, and we'll figure out how to do the s/h. I will be at "She Speaks" in July and will be able to bring some with me if you're going to that wonderful weekend.

My dog is inhaling these E600 fumes!!! Bless Scarlette's heart...um, lungs! Need to let her out before she goes bananas!! Y'all have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs!

My QT Place--the Backporch

I'm linking up with a new friend--she's so cute! Edie from Life in Grace is hosting a redo for your patio. Edie's gotten into the spray paint and has had a glorious time by the looks of things!She has some really cute ideas as do the other gals who have linked up. Hop over there and check it out when you can.

Well, I DO NOT have a patio, but I do have a great back porch! Take a look at the top picture. If you notice the little lime green table with the pink polka dots and a flamingo planter on it, you will see my redo! It was on my grandmother's porch when my Mama was growing up. It is a true antique! It used to be an ugly green, but I painted it a fun and funky green!! The second picture is what I see from my plastic (Nope, not the real wood!!) Adirondack chair when I have my quiet time. And those phlox smell lovely! SO, no painting outside recently.I HAVE been busy painting my little canvases inside my house to sell!! I'm trying to save my nickels and pennies to purchase a new camera, people! And, they "ain't" cheap!

I promise to get to the back porch--hang on a second with me! Speaking of hand-painted canvases, I'm going to be giving one away--probably next week!! Would you like one? For free??? I'm going to be celebrating my ONE HUNDREDTH POST at the end of next week and would love to give one of my sweet peeps a prize! I can't believe that I've stuck with blogging for almost a year now! I have had a ball getting to know y'all. And, the things that you have taught me--thank you! I wish that I could give you all a big hug! So, be on the lookout next week for my announcement.

OK--back porch again! This is actually the quietest place I have to get away and spend time with God. I even keep a fleece blanket out there for cool mornings. Now, if it's freezing cold and a hard wind is blowing, you will find me curled up in a comfy chair INSIDE the house!!

I want to share what my scripture this morning was. "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints." Ps. 52:8-9. Friends, the only way that I will flourish like that olive tree is to have a relationship with God. For me, it has to be intentional planning! I have to plan to meet with Him in a quiet place on a regular basis in order to know Him. It just doesn't "happen." Life does happen....we all know that! I desire to know Him better, and the only way is by prayer, reading His Love Letter to me, and growing my faith with other Christians walking the same path. We're at different places along this journey, but we're all headed in the same direction! Praise Him!

So, I encourage you to grab your Bible and head out to the patio, back porch or deck early in the morning--before the rest of your darlin' families need you!! Spend some time with the one who loves you with an "unfailing love."

Hugs!

Dirty Laundry

This is the sight that greeted me today as I drove winding mountain roads to pick Child #2 up from church camp. This campsite had a major renovation over the fall and winter that would have made the writers at HGTV proud!! They demolished cabins that looked like cement blocks from the 1960's and designed super cool cabins with indoor plumbing and A/C! The kids were so excited! No more trips to the outhouse in the middle of the night carrying a flashlight!

But the aroma that permeated throughout the deck was overwhelming! After daily thunderstorms over the week, everything was soaked and smelly! Put 16 pairs of stinky tennis shoes in one area, and you've got a recipe to scare off any wild animals!

We packed up our camper's things (I just about went ahead and threw out all of his smelly stuff!), then met them under a shelter that must have had temps in the low 100's! And talk about humidity! Mercy me! I was dripping wet! I felt as though I had been running for miles...not just standing around waiting for the closing program to begin!

After signing out Child #2, we scooted to the mama mini van and took off. He desperately needed a "baconator" from Wendy's! And a Frosty! After a quick call to Daddy, he relaxed, and life was good again!

After a shower, he sat down to wait for his turn on the computer. Y'all, I promise I just sent one teensy weensy email! I turned to tell him that he could play a game, and look what I saw! Bless his precious heart! Child with long legs curled up in a ball on the tiniest chair that we own (still waiting for the slipcover to be made!!!)

It was time for the dreaded task--laundry! I proceeded to carefully take out all wet clothing from his suitcase, bookbag, dirty clothes bag, and Wal-mart bags that were thrown in for good measure in case something was still wet--ha!

Now, let me back up a bit. On the way home, he had explained in great detail some of the games that they had played. One involved teams using an obstacle course with those plastic baby pools. In each pool, you had either flour or Rice Krispies or other stuff to roll around in!!! I'm not talking one little bag or box--that pool was full! Of course, you were wet when you got in. Peanut butter was another yummy item slathered on kids' faces. Then marshmellows were thrown at said faces to see who could get the most marshmellows to stick. Gross!! But the kids loved it! Child #2 still had flour balls stuck in his hair and under his chin after bath number one.

Back to the laundry. I had almost all of the clothes in the washer when I touched something sticky at the bottom of one of the bags. Yucky sticky unknown item was pulled out. This used to be his cute orange bathing suit.

The white stuff was melted Rice Krispies--I told y'all it was hot! I felt like I was washing Rice Krispie treats! Oohh! Nasty! Tide did the trick though! I praise God for small miracles!
These had been brand new spanking white socks! I just chunked them! Not even worth it. He'll run around barefoot until school starts anyway!

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Eph. 5:1-2 A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about being stinky after a run. This scripture from Ephesians was on my heart as I sorted the smelly clothes. I wondered what type of offering my child had been to others at camp. Could they see the love that he has for Christ by his actions? Or had he been self-centered? Knowing his personality, I know that he hates having attention drawn to him, but while away from family, kids tend to act differently.

Later, during supper, I asked him about a certain activity that really looked fun from the DVD that we had watched during the closing program. I wanted to know if his cabin had done it and did he enjoy it? He said that his cabin DID do it, but not him. Hmm....did he get time-out? Then he finished the story. Another camper had gotten hurt during the activity, and he needed to go to the nurse. Child #2 offered to help him get to the nurse's office knowing that he would miss the rest of that fun activity. I was so touched at his actions. He made the right call--he sacrificed a part of his camping fun to help out another child. Bless his heart!

Child #1 comes home from mission camp tomorrow. Yep, more dirty laundry! But, we'll all be together again. We can celebrate Father's Day together as a family. I pray that your husbands and daddies will be blessed this Father's Day. Even if your earthly father is no longer with you, your Heavenly Daddy will always be there beside you.

Blessings!

Runner Mom meets Peace for the Journey

Hey, ya'll! Just a short bloggy post to let you see what I've been up to this week in beautiful NC with Elaine at Peace for the Journey. Elaine, her wonderful family, and gracious friends have rolled out the red carpet for me! They are all just precious! True Southern hospitality!! I have had a wonderful time getting to know Elaine. We are both about the most quiet people in the entire world! Heehee!

Here are some pictures from my visit plus a video that we wanted to share with y'all. Hope you enjoy!! I plan on posting again at the end of the week.

Sweet Blessings!

"...I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane...."

Yep, I've got another song stuck in my little 'ol head!! It's a very OLD song! Like from when I was a little girl! Not even sure who it's by...too lazy to look up the singers/writers!! It goes" I'm leavin' on a jet plane."....our family is leaving via Mama's mini van on Friday to begin our week long beach vacation!!! "Don't know if I'll be back again".... I know we will!! Child # 1 has a mission trip the next Saturday, and Child #2 leaves for church camp the next day! So, we will be back!

1. I wanted to share with y'all some of the things that I'll be taking with me to the beach. I am desperately searching for those little magnifying reading glasses in sunglasses form! I have seen them for around $20, but I want cheap!! I will look totally stupid sitting on the beach trying to read with reading glasses and sun glasses on top. My nose isn't big enough to support the two! So, let me know where I can find them with a tiny price tag!

2. Lots of sunscreen! I used to be a sun goddess! I would actually lay out with a fan blowing on me or set up the sprinkler to drip water over my baby oil and iodine drenched body!! Yep--I faithfully turned so I wouldn't burn! Mercy me! How dumb!!! I was slathering sunscreen on me, my child and his friends (who thought I must have been crazy!) Wednesday at field day! I'm starting my children out early in life to thinking that sunscreen is a necessity!!

3. Books!! When Child #2 finally got to the ripe age of 10 and was an accomplished swimmer like big brother, I was able to READ again on the beach and not chase down children!! Woohoo!! Give me those thick books that I love to read ( and now the glasses too!!) and let me go at it! I'm taking these wonderful reads with me. Abide in Christ and The Holiest of All by Andrew Murray, Just Give Me Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz, and An Untroubled Heart by Micca Campbell. I'm waiting on Wendy Blight's new book to come in hopefully in time to take as well! (Her on-line Bible Study starts on the 17th.) And, of course, my Bible and journal. I am beside myself!!

4. Running shoes...you didn't think that I'd leave them in the closet here at the house did you?

I will be taking a vacation from blogging as well for the next 2 weeks. I'll visit your blogs while I'm away because they are so precious to me!! God speaks to me through you and your writing! The week that the children are away--after the family beach trip, I am planning another road trip to visit a fellow blogger!! Y'all might be familiar with her awesome blog, Peace for the Journey! Yep, Elaine and I are gonna have fun talking and running (heehee!!) and eating to our little hearts content! I can't wait!

I'll be back in two weeks!! School is finally out, so have a happy summer!! Oh, and I hope that some tomatoes have ripened and are on the roadside stands on our way down to the beach!! They make the best tomato sandwiches for lunch after spending the morning playing on the beach!! Add a little salt and pepper and of course, mayonnaise!! Yum!!!

Many Blessings!

Perception Deception

Happy Monday, ya'll! I know that it's been a week since I last posted, but things are winding down at our house, and school is officially over on Thursday! And, I am subbing the last day of school! I'll try to catch up on my reading of your blogs this week--can't wait to see what you all have been up to!

Last week, I was taking a pilates class where I work out. I recognized a girl in there that I had not seen in quite a while. She introduced me to her husband as "the girl who runs all the time!" Now, I do NOT run all the time. I take days off whenever I want to! But, it made me think about how she perceived me. I knew her from swim team, and yes, I would usually run while the boys practiced. I guess we had never sat down and chatted. She never got to know the real me...the one who loves Jesus and wants to look more like Him each day. I hope that when I die, other people will remember things about me other than that I ran! So, I started thinking about that!

As for God, His way is perfect;the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:30-32

It is not my way that is perfect, but HIS WAY. Oh, I want it to be mine! Knowing this, I am really working on submission--you know, the "s" word-- right now! I am trying to be submissive to God and to my Hubby. At home, I am really struggling with the budget! Hubby has worked long and hard on this, and it is working. But I'm the part of the puzzle that makes it work. Y'all, I am selfish! I know what I want to spend my money from subbing on--a new camera! But, it is a "want"--not a "need." I struggle. Each paycheck, I struggle. But, my little extra $$ helps with things that our family "needs."I am thankful for that. Then, I struggle with that Quiet Time each day. I know that God desires to spend uninterrupted time with me each day so that HE can reveal Himself to me. And, I LOVE this time. But it doesn't always fit into my schedule. So, I have God on a time frame. I have once again put my Savior into my planner and not allowed His perfect plan and timing to occur! I hate when I do that! This scripture says that He is the one who give me strength--it doesn't come on my own accord! I am weak, and He is strong! Look at the last little part of these beautiful words. HE makes my way perfect. I can't do it! I don't know how, but He does!

I would hope that if I had the opportunity to sit down with this gal, she might find out that I have a heart for God. That He is my Lord and Savior! That I desire Him above all. That His plans are perfect, and I wait to hear from Him before I act (I really do!!). That I work with Him and not for Him because He lives in my heart. I am working on these areas of my life each day. Praise Him, I can start afresh each morning! Thank goodness He takes the yucky stuff and washes it away when I give it to Him. Oh, I love Him so!

What do people think of when they see you? How do they describe you to others? Just a thought for this gorgeous day! Enjoy!

Blessings!