My new journey

Well, I have decided to change my lifestyle. I am trying to lose weight with Weight Watchers again and be more committed to getting exercise. Between WW and watching Biggest Loser and am encouraged. I lost almost 5 pounds my first week which is great and so far this week (I weigh in on Tuesdays) I am doing really well at sticking with my points. Now I want you to know I can say all this not to brag but to of course give credit where credit is due and that is totally with GOD! This time when I started my new journey I emailed several friends and asked for not only their prayers but accountability. I had a friend say to me the other day..."is that a real pop?" To which I answered "diet caffeine free". I have had others email me and ask me how my week with food is going etc. It is so refreshing to have friends who are asking me and keeping me in line. But this is also only week 2 and everyone including me is still praying. God is currently delivering me from the desire to want to eat sweets all the time. I just have to remember that I have to do my part for Him to keep me where I am. I have to pray and I have to keep praying. Isn't it amazing that all the parts of our lives that we fall short (yes sin) can be fixed by doing what we are created to do? All we have to do is worship Him-pray, be in the word and share it. We do we have to resist it so much? Why do we feel that while we are resisting it that we are winning some sort of a struggle, that we are in control when we are so far from it? Then when we really are where God wants us in that struggle it is so clear we were so far from control. It's so clear yet so muddled.

Anyway, today I went for a 2 mile walk/jog. I went on Tuesday with Haven. I told her and Aspen I was going and she wanted to go with me. It was fine but I told her I was taking my ipod. She said "oh that's fine". Then she proceeded to want to talk. Of course I had to do my mom duty and talk when I had enough air and listen the whole time. Side note-that is one of the hard thing about having 4 girls...they want to talk all the time, I know I have to give them my attention and listen but goodness gracious it gets taxing! Anyway, today I went alone as Haven was at cross country. I listened to my music (and had my arms waving in the air in praise at times) and ran much more then I would have without the music. I try and run down the hills and walk up them but I pushed myself up a little bit of a couple hills because I was deep in music and thought. I have decided I like to jog even if I am slow and have to walk in between. Once again, God has made something good for me...ALL about HIM! Imagine that, if I just take care of this temple he has given me...it will all be good!

Well, I have rambled long enough and it is bed time for my dreary eyes and my aching legs.

A wonderful ministry...

I thought I would share this with some of you in case you think your church might like to adopt the idea also. My friend Kim came from a church that had a prayer ministry for the kids. She in turn started the same idea here at West K. The basic idea is this, they took pictures of all the kids and had the parents fill out permission slips. Then they took the pictures, put them on a small card with the child's info: Name, address, DOB, grade, school and parent's name. Then this evening we had a special service where couples went up and picked a prayer card and will pray for that student all school year and into the summer. At the service she tried to get a boy and a girl each to represent lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, high school and home school. They got up and just gave examples of things that they struggle with at their school at their age so we had ideas of things to pray about through out the year. We all ended up picking 2 cards and those that could not be there, signed a list and we picked for them too.

I just think this is going to be such a blessing for our children so it thought I would share it with all of you too.

The fine line...

You know what? I have decided I hate "the fine line". Some of you may call it the gray area. I call it the fine line. I am a very visual person and a line works for me. You know the fine line I am talking about about, I know all of you do. It's there for all of us. The fine line between the right and the wrong decision, the fine line between the Holy Spirit talking to me or Satan totally deceiving me, the fine line between being a good, fun parent and being a push over, the fine line between giving my kids privileges and being too busy and the list can go on.

The most important 'line' is of course the one between the Holy Spirit nudging me and Satan deceiving me. Sometimes I just don't listen closely enough. Sometimes I listen to my sinful nature and try to take control myself. We all know only God has control! I even give it to God, pray about it, and then I go to thinking it through and taking it right back only to realize I have to give it back to God. It's what Dr. Emerson Eggerichs in LOVE AND RESPECT calls the crazy cycle. He of course is referring to marriage but this is the same thing. But instead of it being me against my husband, it's me against God.

I just hate the fine line. I want to move the line over so much that Satan ceases to exist. I totally anticipate with joy the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ if for not other reason then that I can get rid of this ever dreaded fine line!!!

P.S. Since it came to mind, I have a plug for a GREAT book!!! If you are married (I don't care if you have been married 60 years) or about to get married, I strongly suggest the book LOVE&RESPECT by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I do not comprehend self help type books well because I am so visual but it was a great read and I got so much out of it, I need to start again.

The rains has stopped...

We have gotten double our September allotment of rain in the last 3 days. Lost of rain=lots of flooding. We are actually on top of a knoll so we do not flood but my van won't start. Because I still have the stuff in the garage from the garage sale and was in the process of packing things up to give to the Gospel Mission, my van was parked outside. We don't know what happened or if it was rain induced but my van that has lived a good life is dead. No, not necessarily dead for life but dead for today. The tow truck just left to take it to the van hospital. I think it is begging to be retired from the Black family who is forever running it into the ground. But apparently we are not ready to do that yet. So we shall see if it can live on! :O)

You don't realize how dependent on a vehicle you are till you don't have one anymore. Thankfully (Totally in God's plan for me this week) I have nothing scheduled all week through the day when Andy is at work.

I have to confess...

I have to confess that I am struggling. This if the first year in 9 years that I have not taught in the preschool wing for Sunday School at church. I have always taught 2's, 3's or 4's except one year I took a breather and worked in the baby nursery.

My friend Kim and I did VBS this summer, we are serving on the fellowship committee for Women's Ministry and we are working for our new Wednesday night kids program called Solid Rock Kids. I know that is probably enough serving at one time (and they are just trying to prevent burn out) but I still miss my little ones down in the children's education wing. I am working with 2nd and 3rd graders for Wed. night and I had all of them when they were little. I know I have to move onward and upward and server in other areas as I grow. I know God is growing me more and more through this but some things certainly don't make sense while we are smack dab in the middle of them.

I guess I should add with a sigh that the preschool children are in very good hands without me. :O) Thanks for listening to me 'let it all go'.

I have also had a garage sale...

It's not a huge thing to have a garage sale and I was actually going to continue it today and tomorrow but we are having rain and storms so I hope to finish it up next week. I have 2 reaons to mention this garage sale. A lot went into it. I spent 3-12 hour days sorting through my basement to get to the garage sale. I still have one small area of baby/kids clothes and Christmas stuff to go through. But that won't take long and I may get that done before next week. But also with the garage sale we decided to get rid of all our baby things. It was a sad day for me to decide we were not having any more babies. I mean I had already come to that conclusion but selling all my stuff makes it real. I lived my whole life wanting to be a mom, loving kids, as you all know I am a baby person! I know I will always be a mom, I will always have kids but I am very sad to give up being able to have a baby. I know it's not a good idea at this point, I am almost 40, my hip is bad from time to time, and I am over weight. I know I cannot have babies forever but I miss it and always will. I was always told I would know when I was done...I don't think that applies to everyone! So now I have to wait patiently for 10+ years to be a grandma. :O)

I think it is time to update a little...

As I said we went to the Corvette Museum. I like this one, isn't it cute.
Here is a picture in the caves on our second day. It was so wide open compared to the day before when we were taking stairs down an old water shaft (my camera battery died that day)
Here is something that growes on the ceilings of the caves we were in. I was going to remember what it was called...of course I don't. The girls probably do though. I thought it looked like flowers here.
Here are my girls with the Stauffer kids. Left to right in back: Carson, Haven, Makenna, Aspen, Cameron, Coleman and Camille is in front. They had so much fun together!!!

I have not posted for a while because I cannot add my few pictures from our Kentucky/Ohio vacation. See, I am now using my old laptop and have no photos on it anymore. My good laptop was sent in to be repaired. We did have a great time on our vacation though. We took our vacation with our friends the Stauffers that we go to church with. Kim and Jared have 4 kids. Cameron who is Aspen and Haven's age, Coleman is in 3rd grade, Carson is in 1st grade and Camille is 3.5. We stopped first in Louisville, KY to go to the Louisville Slugger bat museum and factory and we found a couple letterboxes (if you want to know what this is, let me know I would LOVE to share it with you!). We then went to spend the night in Elizabethtown, KY where the kids got to swim at the hotel and we found another letterbox at the Coca-Cola museum. The next day we headed to Cave City to go on a couple tours at Mammoth Caves National park. We also took the time to go to the Corvette Museum. The kids were a little bored but the adults really enjoyed it. We found some more letterboxes while we were in the Mammoth Cave area too. We were there 3 night and we then went on to Maysville, KY. We spent 3 days there. We got to show Kim and Jared where we are from. They were amazed by the hills and curves. Jared really enjoyed Chicken Hollow Road. How could you not? :O)

We were all amazed at how well behaved the kids were and how well things went. I will try and add photos when I get my laptop back. :O)