Sunday School Picnic and Blessings Galore

It seems September 29 was the day for SS picnics. Our church had ours that day, too. It was a GORGEOUS fall day. A little cool to begin with but PERFECT by the early afternoon. We had around 35 or 40 to attend. Our pastor's children and grandchildren came and so did Sister Gretha's children and grandchildren. Jackson had a blast and I was on pins and needles almost the entire time. There was a creek there that looked more like a river to me with a strong current because of the recent rains from Ike. It was very pretty, but the older kids couldn't stay away from it, and, of course, Jackson wanted to follow suit. I had to stay by him and hold the back of his shirt while he threw rocks in the rushing stream. Thankfully, the Lord kept him and all the kids safe.

Sister Emma, our Sunday School superintendent, planned some games for the kids a litle while later. They did the egg on the spoon game and the water balloon toss. The kids had a blast. Jackson was the youngest and didn't quite understand what was going on. He ran with each kid as each one took his turn. It was pretty funny.

Here are some pictures from our day:

You see how that water's rushing?

The kids had SUCH a great time.
Jackson ... always in the middle of the action. *rolling eyes*
I love this picture.
There was a playground area there, too.

Brother and Sister Bentley and Sister Gretha

The Lord has been sooooo good to us and especially these past couple of days. Last week on Wednesday, Anthony came home from work and walked in the door with looking rather upset about something. Then I noticed this bright orange sticker in his hand. It seems the lease we signed for this apartment has a covenant that says you can't have a vehicle on the property with expired tags. Our Trailblazer's tags had run out at the end of August and we hadn't had the money yet to renew them ($225) because we also had to renew the tags on our car this month and it's been a little tight with only Anthony's income. The sticker warned they would tow our car at our expense if our tags hadn't been renewed in 72 hours. I called the office and asked if we could have a week extension on that because of when we'd get Anthony's next paycheck. I told them we weren't doing anything illegal because we weren't driving the car, we just needed a little time to save the money to get the tags. Au contrare, she informed me, that we were indeed doing something illegal. Apparently it's illegal to have a car without updated tags EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT DRIVING IT! (Remember how much I love this state? Grrr....)

So I called the BMV. They informed me that since our title was with our leinholder in TN we couldn't even get our tags yet. We would need to come in and fill out a form to request our title be sent to the state of IN and pay the fee to get the tags (the $225) PLUS a $15 fee for a temporary tag that would keep us legal for a 15-day extension. So I got paid today my measley little check from the college that took care of only part of the now $240 we needed to fix this pestilence, we scrounged up the rest, and Anthony headed down to the BMV. That's where the Lord took over!!! When Anthony got out of there, he called me and said, "Honey, go get some groceries!" Wooo hoooo!!!! He said for some reason, (and we know why and how) :D the guy gave him a 60 DAY temporary tag, didn't charge him for it, AND told him we could wait until the title was received before we had to worry about paying the taxes and fees for the tag (the $225). Isn't that just ... God? :D We are sooo thankful. AND I get to buy groceries. It was getting pretty low in the pantry, let me tell ya.

As it that weren't enough blessing for the day, I got a phone call too. I have an interview Monday at 10:30 for a job I had almost given up hope for. I'm soooo excited.

And my mom emailed me and said she's coming up the 14th of Nov. to stay the weekend with us, which I'm very excited about.

And God's giving me some ideas for ... I don't know if He's wanting me to write Sunday School material or if it's for sermons or ... I don't know, but I'm excited. It's good stuff. Of course it's good stuff ... it's from the Lord.

I almost feel giddy. God is soooo good. I love Him so much and I want to please Him at all times.

Welcome to a sweet baby girl

My cousin Shawna just had her third little girl. First there was Allison, then Isabelle, and now baby Madelyn. I couldn't wait to show her off. :D

Here she is, little Madelyn Grace, born September 10.

Take the Poll and Visit a Blog

I've been getting onto my son lately for being bossy and just look at that title. Well, I'm not DEMANDING.

Anyway, I created a poll on the left here that I thought'd be neat to see everyone's response to.

And you all need to take a look at Sister Angie Munoz's blog (www.angieshouse.blogspot.com). There's an urgent prayer request there that I'm sure she'd be happy to know all of ya'll are helping her pray for.

Until next time ...

Is It a Full Moon Tonight or Something?

I've seen that two people are out-a-blogging at this unreal hour and I'm awake too. Hmmmm.... something's weird there.

Anyway, I just saw something very interesting. I was surfin' the net and there was an advertisement that had some ethereal looking white light with translucent-type words that said, "What will happen when I die?" And then it flashes over to an advertisement claiming that you could chat live with a Mormon person. Of course, I don't have any interest in chatting with a Mormon, but I thought ... how difficult would that be to set up something like that for the Church? What a ministry that could actually be if it were done right.

Grayson, if you're out there, it might be an idea for you or some other internet-savvy people in the Church.

Anyway, Anthony and I had a very good prayer tonight. The devil's attacked again in another way because he's mad at the step of faith we recently took, but we're not giving in. Jesus is just down the road ready to step up and speak the words that'll bring the miracle we need. I know it. At this point, we're thinking the job interview Anthony had yesterday probably isn't where it's at. Not positive, but it's just one of those "nyeh" feelings, you know. BUT Anthony's got another one set up for this Saturday afternoon, so we're just praying and believing. We really do need that miracle now AS OUR HUMAN EYES SEE IT, but we have surrendered this thing over. That's why ole Lucifer's ticked. But he'll just have to get over it, though, because God's in control. TOTALLY in control.

Anthony's not lost his job or anything, but there's a reason we feel God's gonna give him another one. And as to whether or not I'm supposed to get a job, we don't really know, but we're trusting the Lord. I'm flexible and willing to accept God's will. I'm not puttin' Him in a box. He's God and He's got the reins on all of this, so we're patiently waiting and looking for the answer.

Like Sister Kasey commented once, "It's always darkest before dawn." That's such pretty imagery and sooooo very true. Well, it's pretty dark right now so dawn's just an hour or so away. I'm ready to see the Son arise and experience all the glory and majesty those sunrises can bring. I'm ready.

Praise the Lord.

Ladies and Gentlemen ...

May I present the man who could quite possibly be our next President.

I Know It's Been Awhile

And I'll catch up with ya'll soon.

Pray for us. Pray for Anthony. He's interviewing for a different job right now. We want God's will more than anything. We sought God, took a major step of faith, stomped on the devil, bruised his stinkin' head, and now we're believing for God's will to be accomplished. HALLELUJAH!!!

Love ya'll.

BTW, I cannot for the life of me find this Bible story, but I was wondering if someone out there could tell me where it is: A story about an angel of God with a message for someone that is held up for ????? 21 days ????? by a ??? demon ??? Somebody wanted me to find that story and I don't know.

Thanks.

Art and History

I thought I'd share about this really neat program I just found out about called Picturing America that is a neat way to use art to teach American history, culture, music, literature, science, math, etc. It looks really cool and it has a teacher guide book with activities adapted for different levels (grammar, middle, and high school). It's free if you're selected and homeschool parents are encouraged to apply. If you're interested go to picturingamerica.neh.gov for info. The deadline to apply is October 31 so you still have some time to apply. The website gives lots of info so you can check it out if you think you'd be interested.

Enjoy!

Olive Garden Salad and Classes

I had a request for how I make Olive Garden salad dressing. Well, I cheated. I was going to buy all the fancy ingredients and make my own, but I decided to go the cheaper route. I would have RATHER made my own. I like to do stuff from scratch, but I don't like the cost that's sometimes involved. (Sometimes it's cheaper to make things from scratch, I know, but on this ... it's not!)

So ... I bought a bottle of Kraft Italian Vinaigrette made with olive oil and added a little bit of vinegar, a couple spoonfuls of sugar, and some fresh-ground pepper. I just played around with it until it tasted right and I actually got it really close to the real deal :D. Then I tossed in thinly sliced red onion, some whole pitted black olives, and some chopped tomato. Tossed that in the dressing and threw in the lettuces and some grated parmesan-romano. Tossed slightly and there ya go. Olive Garden salad minus the banana peppers. (Who eats those, anyway?)

My night class is going GREAT so far. I'm so thankful the Lord is helping me. About half of my class are non-traditional students (older than your typical 18 year old college freshman) and are looking for a life change with a degree that will help them get into better careers. It gets them out of the poverty-ridden or close to it existences that many of them come from and just helps them feel better about themselves and have better financial situations. If you look at the big picture, my little role in a classroom with 24 students helps create a better society for all of us in even a small way. Maybe with their new way of life after they get their degree, the temptation to engage in criminal activities will be alleviated. And I don't mean to be prejudiced. We all know that the worse the circumstances people have to live in, the easier it is for the devil to entice them to unfavorable lifestyles. It's just true.

I'm inspired by my students. Many live in grim circumstances and are determined to rise up out of that. I'm helping them to do that. I know my class is the tiniest of stepping stones for them, but it's a step none-the-less. I thank the Lord that I can be a part of that process. I take my job seriously and I feel honored that God has chosen me to make that much of a difference in these people's lives. I pray they see Jesus in me. I pray that the small role I play in their lives is the part of their lives where they see that God truly does love them. By some of the class discussions we have, they know that I'm a Christian. And they know that I'm committed to their success. And they're smart enough to put two and two together. I pray each one of them who hasn't already (because I know a few in there are definitely Christians) will turn to the Lord because of a tiny seed the Lord enables me to plant and because of any other seeds the Lord plants in their lives.

I praise the Lord for my education. The Lord knew when He enabled me to get my education that I would one day use it for Him and His glory. I pray before each of my classes and I ask Him to help me to show them Jesus during that class period. He's helping me to do that and there's glory in soul tonight because I know it!!!! Praise the Lord.

My Kid is the Weird One!

Last night I made an Olive Garden salad to go with our vegetable lasagna for supper. Well, we sat down to eat and I put a little bit of the salad on Jackson's plate. The kid really likes salad, but I didn't think he'd like the dressing (you know, he normally only eats Ranch or French or some other kid-friendly dressing). Well, I was right. He didn't like the dressing ... but he did like the black olives. Sat there and ate like three or four and asked for more!!! Now, how many kids do you know who like whole pitted black olives? Weird kid.

Oh, and, Houston, we have a problem! For the past several nights, Jackson has been sneaking into our room and getting in our bed. He's so good at it that some of those nights I don't even know it until I wake up the next morning and see the little rug rat next to me all snuggled down in the covers. Usually I do know it but I'm having a horrible time forcing myself to wake up enough to take him back to his bed. Well, last night before I went to bed, I determined that when he did come in our bed, I was going to make myself take him back to his. I mean, this has GOT to stop. Well, I did, and boy, was it ever a fight. Had to take the little twerp back to his bed THREE more times. Kicking and screaming and carrying on the whole way. The last time I rocked him in the rocking chair and sang the little lullaby I've sung to him since he was a newborn, laid him down, and prayed with him, and that's all it took! He was fine after that and went to sleep. Now why didn't I do that the FIRST time? Why? Because I wasn't awake enough is why. I think I'm getting old. Last year this time I could wake up at the drop of a hat and be on my feet. Now it's like you'd need to drag me into the shower and turn on the cold water full-throttle and I MIGHT wake up. Ugh. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

Also, I'm getting worried about something else with him. The kid's almost four years old and doesn't really have a friend and, of course, doesn't have any siblings around to play with. There's just me and then his daddy when he gets home. And before anyone says or thinks anything, we DO want more children, I just have some health issues that kind of prevent that right now. I'm praying for healing from this. Please pray for me. I want God to heal me. I've tried doctors and they don't know what to do except they want to put me on the pill and I refuse to do that. Anyway, I'm done with doctors on this one. I'm just waiting on the Lord. Back to Jackson, I think he needs some friends. Some playmates. I think he's lonely and that's partly why he acts the way he does sometimes. It breaks my heart. So I'm praying for the Lord to send a family to the Church up here who has some kids Jackson could play with. Will ya help me pray for that too?

Well, gotta go. I've got some papers to grade for my night class I teach, a little bit of laundry to do, and some phone calls to make. Not to mention the kitchen. I sort of let it go after supper last night because it was so hot in there from the oven being on for so long baking that lasagna. Now I'm kicking myself because I've got the mess to clean up today. At least I cleaned the rest of the house over the weekend. Ahhhh, that feels good to know. Oh, and I've got to take the rent check over to the office. THAT's very important to remember. ha!

Have a good day, all.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!!

Melissa actually posted on her blog--with pictures, even! It's true! Go take a look.

www.daveandmelissa4.blogspot.com

BUT what is NOT true is a statement made on a certain person's blog a few days ago. Someone said that when you post pictures, you tend to get more comments. Well, I posted a BUNCH of pictures and got three commenters. That's not very many, now is it? And I comment on other people's blogs all the time. *sniffle* I feel rejected. *sniffle* ;-)