We were Dancin' and Singin' and Movin' to the Groovin'

This past Saturday some friends and Jon and I got together for . . . "Oh, what a night." We are all still laughing like crazy, texting one another about it, and planning for another outing real soon . . . THAT is how much fun we had together.

It was actually a free event. However, if you wanted a table you had to "buy" one. Suzanne got this shin-dig together. We all chipped in for the table and all brought a smorgasbord of food. In fact, we had so much food, our table runneth over!!

Here are some fun moments that the camera captured. . .

First of all the picture above. . . I dragged Jon onto the dance floor with me. Remember the 6 weeks worth of dance lessons we took? They had some good "Swing" music playing. My friend, Pam and her husband, are taking those very same lessons that we took, right now. She challenged me to a dance off . . . game on, baby!! I ran to our table, grabbed Jon's hand, and begged him to go with . . . I even tried to coerce him by telling him it was a competition. . . . No dice!! Dude was off the dance floor as soon as I dragged him on the dance floor. This picture had to have been taken very quickly . . . 'cause Jon wasn't out there long.

Me, Terri, and Lisa

Awww . . . sweet Tim and Lisa

Me and my hunny who wouldn't cut a rug with me . . .

Me and Lisa. I think I've mentioned before that Lisa was my very first friend when I moved here. She and I have such a special friendship. We can talk everyday (in fact, her hubby, Tim, used to refer to use as "phone friends") or, we can go weeks or months without talking, and our friendship just picks right back up where we left off. I just love this about our friendship. Since we've moved into our new house we all see one another much more . . . and I'm so glad. We initially became friends through church. Then, after they left the church and we left . . . our friendship stayed strong and has continued to do so!!

Jon and Tim . . . . I have to say, in my opinion, these are 2 of the nicest guys ever!!! Tim is the type of person who will not say a negative word about anyone. He has such a servant's heart too . . . always willing to help friends out when needed!!! Thank you Tim for taking down the fence off my cabinets and for being here when we discovered our termites - YIKES!

Here are Ms. Suzy Q and Andrea cuttin' a rug big time on the dance floor. Andrea is my friend that I wrote about here.

View of the band and dance floor from our table . . .

Suzanne and Barron . . . aren't they sweet looking? They are such a fun couple to hang out with!!! Our families mesh very well together.

Crazy Carey and Andrea!!! Oh me, oh my. . . what fun this couple is!!! I am just going to leave it at that!! Carey had everyone in stitches laughing. We live in the same neighborhood now, so they hopped in our backseat and rode home with us. Jon and I both ran to the car to clean it out (it was bad, I'm tellin' ya) before we'd let them in -hee!hee!

A great group of friends. You know what I love about these ladies? We all lead very different lives. One is a full-time, stay-at-home mom, one is at work-at-home mom, two work for their families' businesses, and one is busy working in a corporate environment. Three are Baptists, one is Pentecostal, and one is Catholic. But our common denominator is that we all love our children, we all love our families, and we all love Jesus. . . and we all are crazy soccer moms!!! We also all know how to have a good time!!!

Side note here: One of my biggest pet peeves in life is when a mom gets on her high horse because she stays at home and doesn't work, or because she works and doesn't stay at home; when she sends her kids to private school rather than public school. Even worse than that, is when a mom thinks she is a better mother because she homeschools rather than sends her kids to school. I know SO many people like this . . . and it literally makes my skin crawl!!! We ALL love our children. We ALL want what is best for them!!! We ALL make the best decisions we know how to make. I HATE the prejudice that moms have with other moms because they choose different roads for their families. Imagine if we, as women and as mothers, started encouraging and learning from other moms who are different from us, rather than shooting arrows at them, what the world would be like. I think sometimes people think they can only be friends with people who make the same decisions as they do . . . big, huge mistake. These sorts of people do not know what amazing friendships they're missing out on!!! Prejudice, in all forms, drives me nuts!!! I think this is such an issue to me because I know a good bit of people like this who are very judgemental about other mothers. It makes my heart sad. Okay . . . 'nuff said about that.

Me and my sweet, funny, and amazing, friend, Suzanne. Thanks, Suz, for always being such an awesome social coordinator for all of our outings. I am so very thankful for you, for our friendship, and for the memories we're making. You make life so fun . . . not to mention, you are wearing great accessories!! You make this Mama in High Heels very proud!

Okay. . . see the hand. I know I've mentioned several times that when my mouth moves, so do my hands. In this picture I can tell it is getting its motor running so my mouth can start moving too. I think Jon and I are sitting here listening intently to whatever that Crazy Carey is talking about.

This is the point in the night when Carey is telling us what an athlete he is. He is a runner, but has had a really bad injury for the last year now. He was talking about the Muddy Buddy. Jon informed him that he can't be an athlete because he never knew of an athlete that came from Ga Tech (Carey played football from Ga Tech). Remember we are HUGE Ga Bulldog fans and Ga Tech is one of our biggest rivals.

I love dancin!!! But . . . . unless you go to weddings . . . there just really is not a place you can go and tastefully dance. Dance clubs are not just an option!!! Things that go on in places like that is not a place I care to be. This band that was playing played great 80s music. It was so fun to be able to get out on the dance floor and cut a rug in an environment that wasn't drenched in sin and darkness!

I must've had my camera already put up, because my friends Stephanie and Emily were out there cutting rugs with us too. I can't believe we didn't get a picture together. We had such a BLAST!!! New friends met old friends . . . oh, how I love that!! It was such a fun, fun night!!

**Any of fellow old school Baptists out there . . . now don't go to judging us for being on the dance floor. Everything was very tasteful and fun . . . nothing raunchy or sleezy. I was dancing in the same way I dance here at home when we crank the music up with the kiddos.

He's Growing Up

Last week, my sweet, almost 12-year-old boy got contacts. We were all so very excited. Alec is very responsible and trustworthy, so I knew getting contacts would be something he could handle . . . something I wouldn't have to hound him about. These are some of the things he had to say about getting contacts . . .

"Mom, its like you have this old TV and it is all fuzzy. . . then you put your contacts in . . .and it is like you're watching HDTV."

"In my contacts, I feel like Peter Parker . . . when he takes his glasses off to become Spiderman."

I'm so proud of how he is followed everything the doctor has told him!!

Isn't he a cutie pie? I just love seeing those baby blues again!!

Mama in High Heels Goes Camping

No, that title is not a typo. Yes, you did read it correctly. Now, if you've read my blog long enough or perhaps have even seen pictures of me . . . I have one question for you . . . Do I look like the type of girl who will get in a tent and go camping? Your answer is probably, "No." But. . . looks are deceiving.

I grew up going to the lake camping, and I loved it!!! There is something about camping I like. I LOVE being outdoors. I love that there are no electronic distractions. I love spending time with those I love.

So, when Ash was invited to what I am now calling,"The Best Birthday Party Ever," I was quite excited about this one. It was called Camp Runamuck. My friend, Suzanne, was chief of this camp and she did a FANTASTIC job!! Boo Boo is one lucky girl to have a mom that will throw a party like this one.

The girls were divided up into 3 teams . . .blue, pink, green. They played games. They decorated picture frames. They decorated pillow cases. I actually dropped Ashley off, took Alec to guitar, took Alec back home, then came back. I was one of the lucky ones and I got to camp out with the girls. Truth-be-known . .. it made Ash feel better (she doesn't like to spend the night off away from home) to have me there. Suzanne was so sweet to let me crash the campout!

We went on a scavenger hunt that night around their neighborhood. I was in charge of the pink team. Yay pink!!! We had our flashlights, and the items we found were actually items for the goody bags. How cool is that?

We got back to camp and made smores. My sweet girl made one for me. . . and I didn't even ask her to. . .

The girls all decided what tent they were sleeping in and who was sleeping in the tent.

I was actually going to sleep in a lounge chair with my sleeping bag. As I got all cozy I started thinking about snakes . . . What if one crawled on me in the middle of the night? No sir re!! I hopped myself into a tent real fast.

Here are me and my chatty campers. They were the last ones to stop talking.

Here is the chief of this party. The party was so amazing I told Suzanne she needed to charge admission.

Here is my other friend Angi. She stayed the night too. She had her mask over her eyes to sleep. Suzanne and I were cracking up!!!

That morning we had coffee and biscuits and the girls all danced to music.

I haven't been tent camping in ages. This was so much fun. I can't wait until next year for Boo Boo's b-day to see what kind of party will await us!!

Our Biggest Laugh of the Year

Okay, so when you finish reading this post, please don't think we are horrible people.

Last Sunday we were at Jon's parents' house hanging out for the last day my nephews would be here. They have this amazing tree house with a zipline that goes from the tree house to another tree. Gigi wanted the kids to have another zipline so she had someone come and build this separate from the treehouse. . .

The kids were so excited. Now they have 2 ziplines to get on. After the kiddos tried it out, Jon gave it a go. I so wanted to get on that thing. . . but I still had on my white pants from church. . . and you know, Mama in High Heels, ain't gettin' her white pants dirtied up.

I told Gigi she needed to do it. I started chanting, "Gigi, Gigi, Gigi." The kids joined in with me. Gigi gave in. After she set off from the tree stand she got really close to another tree. I screamed. She started panicking and fell to the ground. Half of her pants came down. Jon and I could NOT stop laughing. Y'all we were laughing so hard, we didn't even ask her if she was okay.

Aren't we horrible?!?

After we were finished with our make-your-belly hurt so hard, can't hear anything coming out laughter, we asked her if she was alright.

She said her foot was a little sore . . . she's so faking it in this picture, but I had to visually document this moment.

The next day she call us to tell us . . . her foot is broken. . . she has a hairline fracture. OH.MY.WORD. we felt awful . . . but we did thank her for a good laugh. Does that make us a little bit better people?

My Week with 5 Kiddibos

The week before last my 2 sweet nephews came up and spent the whole week with us. Man, I sure do love these boys. In fact, last week, then they had gone home . . . I would count the kids and when I only came up with 3 . . . I really missed them. I felt a little empty. Here is what 1 gal does when she has 5 kiddos.

We spent lots of time at the pool. . .

Eating snacks . . .
Doing tricks on the diving board. . . .

Yes, even Mamas/Aunts can have fun and join in on the diving board fun!!

The kids made movies together. Alec grossed up their faces with sharpie marker to look like blood.

We had a "Make your own Pizza" night. . .

We tie-dyed T-shirts . . .

Gigi and I split up time. When they were at her house they played in the tree house, went to the park, and ate junk food.

Man. . . life with 5 kids sure is fun . . . and tiring!!! My kids get so excited because I buy junk food when the nephews/nieces come into town. I bought kool-aid drinks to take to the pool rather than water. After all . . . I want to be a cool aunt. I can't wait to see the boys again!!!

If you were inside my brain . . .

these are the thoughts you'd see . . .

. . . I'm hoping my bloggy funkaroo is over. I've really missed reading blogs and blogging itself. There's just been other things going on and I haven't made any time for blogging. Work has kept me pretty busy and when I get a chance to get off this computer . . . I'm gone. . . . hopefully though I'll be back in full swing tomorrow.

. . . The kids finished VBS this week and it was a huge success. They had so much fun, and I'm glad that I sent them. I'm still lonesome for a church family, and I can't wait until we know definitely know where God is leading us.

. . . Still studying Daniel. This week it is chapter 9. I'm learning so much, but this past week I've not been in the Word very much . . . that's probably why my heart feels a little empty.

. . . Jon and I are still talking about June Jam (post later in the week) . . . about how much fun we had.

. . . The kids spent the weekend with my mom. We went and got them this afternoon. Ash and Jon went and played soccer with some friends. Alec and Hanna watched, "Kit." I took a nap. We had tacos for dinner and played charades on the deck tonight. It was fun.

. . . I'm so excited about the rocking chairs I got for my front porch. I only have 3 right now and 1 doesn't rock right. I've got to take it back and get 1 more.

. . . Hopefully next week I will do a "Big Reveal" on my blog of all of the before/after changes of the house. We have one more room to do . . . the dining room. . . I'm putting extra pressure on Jon to have it finished by the end of the week. Something very exciting is happening next Tuesday (more to come) and I am hoping and praying the downstairs will be close to being finished.

. . . Alec has finished a whole month of guitar lessons. He's loving it and so am I. Our friend, Barry, is teaching him. Barry is a wonderful teacher and Alec has learned so much. I love it because I get to hang out with Stephanie every Monday night. She is so very funny. When I'm with her I feel very young.

. . . I need to make an appointment this week with a primary physician. I don't have one. Is that weird? My only doctor is my GYN who is an hour away. My back has been hurting me and I know my gynecologist can't help me with that problem. So, I'm going to find a local doctor.

. .. I filled up my car for $70 and bought 2 weeks' worth of groceries. I am refusing to spend any money at all until 2 weeks from last Friday. Jon has got us on a pretty strict budget . . . and I'm excited about it. . . how weird is that?

. .. I'm so itching to read a good book. I haven't read any this summer, which is a total bummer!! Next week the kids are starting back to school. We took a good long break when we were moving. Hopefully we'll get alot accomplished before we go on vacation.

. . . We are loving the pool we joined this year. I'm having a blast hanging out with my friends there. The added bonus is the kids are too!!

Hanna's Big Day

Although Hanna's recital was weeks ago I didn't want to miss blogging about it while I've been in my bloggy funkaroo. It is those little sweet details in life that are so precious to me, and it is so important to me to jot them down before I forget.

Hanna, my baaabbbyyy, as I call her, is my super shy child. She is really the shyest child, maybe even person, I know. So much like her Daddy that Hanna is. Last year she played soccer 'cause her big sister did and all. When she would run away from the ball I knew being on the soccer field was not this girl's thing. . . . after all, she is my priss pot.

I told her I was going to enroll her in ballet. She freaked out. I knew she'd love it if I could just convince her to go. I told her we'd do it until Christmas and if she hated it we'd drop out.

She loved it. However, there was one moment that gave Jon and I butterflies in our stomachs . . . recital . . . arggghhh!!! Now when Ashley took ballet this was her THING. She (in her best 4-year-old voice) "wuvveed bein' on da stage." She just didn't like the practices. But Ash is also our outgoing extrovert (I'll give you one guess where she gets this from).

Oh, but Hanna, poor, sweet, little Hanna. . . she is so shy some people may consider her rude. When others talk to her, she doesn't respond . . . she just looks down. She has a hard time looking those in the eye that she doesn't know well. Even to talk to me about things that are bothering her I have to drag them out of her. Again, she is just super shy.

Jon and I both were anxious the day of her recital. Now I am one of those control freak mamas who has to be involved in every.single.detail of my kiddos life. When Ash took ballet I was backstage with her at all times (unless she was performing). However, I knew if I went back there with Hanna she'd cling to me for dear life when it came time to perform on stage. I sent her backstage WITHOUT me!!! I do believe I deserve a medal for this *wink*wink*. Huge step in this control freak mama's life . . . huge I'm tellin' ya!!

I took her backstage to get her dressed . . .
I wonder what was going through her little head at this point. . .

All smiles for the camera. She was really, really hyper this day. I think it was to try to show she was not nervous . . . or maybe to take her mind off how she was feeling. . .

Here is Hanna with BFF, JuJu, and ballet teacher, Ms. Jena. Hanna will not have Ms. Jena as a teacher next year. She is so nervous the teacher next year will be mean (prob. 'cause Ms. Jena is so sugary sweet). Hanna at first told me she didn't want to do it next year . . . but, I got Ms. Jena to give her a good talking to . . . to tell her all the teachers at the studio were sweet. Hanna's in for another year of dance!!! Thank you Ms. Jena.

My sweet girls . . .

Posing for the camera . . . She's a natural, don't 'cha think?

You know Nanna and Papa drove up to see her.

Gigi and Grandaddy, of course, were there also

Here are some pictures just 'cause Hanna's so super cute!! The theme to the recital was Broadway Tunes.

In this picture they had to pretend like they were rolling dice. The song was "Luck be a Lady."

This is my favorite. Hanna so hammed it up! I was so excited. I know her little tummy was probably a bundle of nerves . . . but she did fantastic. I was so teary eyed watching her in the audience. . . so proud of her . . .

At the end when we went to pick her up, Hanna ran to Jon, jumped in his arms and said, "I want you." She knows she is like her Daddy . . . only those 2 can truly understand the ordeal she had just gone through . . . conquering those shy-girl nerves. She knows I will be full of words, enthusiasm, and hugs . . . but she didn't need that . . . . she needed someone who "gets" her . . . that someone being her sweet Daddy. Such a sweet moment!!!

Okay, so this next picture is totally posed. . . but when the actual thing took place it was not. . Jon dropped the girls and I off to get Hanna ready. Our bank is right down the road and he needed some cash, so he and Alec were going to walk. As he was walking away Hanna ran up to him and kissed him smack dab on the lips. My heart melted to butter!!! After the performance I had to recapture the moment with a picture. . .

My parents came back to our house after the performance to drink a cup of coffee. Here is a picture I snagged of Alec and her Bubby. (don't pay attention to those unfinished cabinets in the background:))

10 Things To Do Today

My bloggy friend, Meredith, hosts a 10 on the 10th carnival. This is one of my favorite things about blogging. I have not been a very faithful blog reader or writer in the last few weeks (hoping to get back into the groove soon), but I didn't want this day to get by and not participate. So . . . .here it goes . . . my to-do list for today.

1. Work.

2. Pick up Ash's friend, Beth, and take kids to VBS.

3. Pack picnic lunch.

4. Pick up kids from VBS and go swimming. Meet friends at the pool.

5. Finish painting Hanna's bed.

6. Go get Hanna's mattress and 2 rocking chairs for my front porch.

7. Do 20 minute Pilate video and run 3 miles.

8. Call my sister Melissa and help her plan her homeschooling year. Call my MIL and check on her and see if she needs anything. She broke her foot.

9. Put up already folded laundry.

10. Cook breakfast for dinner (one of my favorite dinner items).

My Wordy Week

WORDS . . . they have the power to hurt. . . . the power to heal . . . the power to scar . . . . the power to love. After all the Bible gives us warning on the tongue and its power . . . its' power of life and death (Prov. 18:21). In James 3:5-10 the Bible gives us warning on how hard hard the tongue is to control.

Early in the week last week I had started thinking about WORDS. . . how flippantly we use them. . . how sincere or insincere we are when we speak them. Do we really mean the nice things we say. . . or just say them because they are the right or nice thing to say? What about the not-so-nice things we say? Do we speak them in a heated moment . . . later to regret it . . .or are they truly what we feel in our hearts?

Little did I know at the beginning of the week when I started pondering on these things, how significantly the words of other people would affect the middle of my week.

Last Thursday I had an office meeting at my real estate office. I'm really not very good at attending these things. But thankfully I have a broker who is very supporting of my homeschooling. He is super understanding. There are some new things going on in the company and I thought it would probably be a good idea to attend this meeting.

For the first time all week I had put on makeup and somewhat fixed my hair (it was pulled back). I had on a cute outfit, cute accessories, and my high heels. I was feeling pretty good about myself. I get into my meeting and my broker had some of the nicest things to say about me in front of everyone. His sweet WORDS really made me feel good.

After our office meeting I had an individual meeting with him about a transaction that was taking place between another agent and I. As he told me her WORDS, I grew really feisty and defended myself and explained my side of the story to him. There are times when I think the feist in me has died (which I don't like), but that day it was brought out alive in me. I was very respectful to my broker, yet the feist that I thought was dead had just been sleeping and it was now very much awake!!! I left my meeting with him still feeling good. His WORDS were very kind and respectful to me also. He just needed to know both sides of the situation.

As I was walking to my car I went to take my cell phone off vibrate and saw I had a new voicemail. I was secretly hoping it was this other agent to give me a counteroffer on the offer I put in for my clients. It wasn't. It was someone else who I love very much. His WORDS he left on this voicemail were hurtful and cruel. He was literally cussing me out. . . .over nothing!!! But, this is something I've had to deal with off and on for all of my life. Usually it sends me into a pool of tears, shaking, and an urgency to want to call him back and resolve the situation. . . . even if its not my fault. But this day . . . there were no tears . . . I really felt no emotion at all. In fact, for there not to be any tears brought on a feeling of freedom in my heart. But, the good feeling that I had as I left my office had gone. I just felt numb at this point.

I immediately deleted the voicemail and called my sister. Her WORDS were sweet, encouraging, and Godly. She and I will get through this situation together. . . as we always have . . . and only she can understand the feelings I had. As our conversation came to a close I felt a peace. I am a pretty emotional person so I don't like not feeling anything!!! The numbness was gone and peace came upon my heart.

The following day, the real estate agent involved in the transaction I had been working on gave me a call. At the beginning of our conversation her voice was peppy, sweet, and kind. After she told me the news regarding her seller the tone of her voice changed . . . and so did her WORDS. Now remember, this is the same situation yesterday that I was a ball of fire over. The 5-minute dissertation she said to me was clearly planned and rehearsed. As she started off talking my heart started racing, as I felt this attack of WORDS coming from nowhere. I thought the situation was resolved. I had already spoken with her earlier in the week, and she was nice to me then. But not this day . . . I felt like a boxer in a boxing ring . . . that they had called off the fight and I'm walking back to my trainer . . . and she comes up behind me swinging . . . and she was attacking me with WORDS concerning my integrity. She does not even know me!!!! She must have used this WORD, integrity, 5 or 6 times.

But, God was really good to me. As I had not prayed when she started her attack on me, I was just dumbstruck, totally unsuspecting. But God came to my rescue. He gave me such a peace in my voice. Now my heart was still racing 90 miles a minutes, but you would not know it by the tone of my voice. It was the kind of peace that only could come from Him. There were lots of WORDS I had in my mind that I wanted to say to her. But God closed my mouth with these WORDS. I couldn't get them out.

Instead I spoke very calmly and peacefully to her. I explained things from my point of view. If I would have matched the tone of her voice, this would have quickly turned into a cat fight of WORDS.

I left the conversation feeling a lot of peace of how I. . . I should say. . . how God handled the situation for me. On a side note . . . and a funny note. . . I did think about sending her a gift card to Bruster's saying "I hope this helps you cool off." But, I know that wouldn't be the right thing to do. Jon and I got a good laugh off of it though (and so did Steph and Barry)!!!

Isn't it AMAZING how WORDS affect the way we feel about our situations in life, how we feel about ourselves, how we feel about others? This makes me more mindful and more purposeful on how I use my WORDS . . . the way they should be used . . . to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) . . . to build others up and to encourage others(1 Thess 5:11) . . .to love one another (1 John 4:7-8) . . . . even those who use their WORDS to hurt our feelings or tear us down or attack our character.

Thank you for reading about my very WORDY post about my very WORDY week. I just want to encourage anyone who reads this post to please be very conscious of the things you say. They mean something . . . whether you want them to or not. Little ears and big ears are around . . . . listening to the things we say . . . and they are being affected by them. . . . and so are we who speak them.

Have a blessed Sunday!!!

Rainwater Creek

A couple of weeks ago here in Georgia, we got a monsoon of rain. We peered out our window one afternoon and we had a little creek in our yard. We were so excited!!!!

I told the kids we had to name our little creek. Alec came up with Rainwater Creek.

I liked it since we only have it when it rains . . . makes sense?!?

The girls had to go and out and explore.

I went on the porch, and it was at that point I realized the porch is covered (is that an indicator or what of how much we've been working and not sitting?). I can actually sit outside while it rains . . .and not get wet.

I've always told Jon in our final house I wanted a screened-in porch. The kind that gives you the feeling of being outside, yet not wet when it rains. I just love to listen to the rain. . . . it is very soothing and peaceful and calm. I even like thunderstorms (not heavy winds though).

When I went out onto the porch I realized this was just as good, if not better than a screened-in porch. I can watch my kids play in Rainwater Creek now and not have to even get wet!!!

And to think . . . I said NEVER!!!

"Never, ever, never will I NOT wear a 2 piece swimsuit."

"It makes me feel young."

"I work hard for how I look."

"I want my husband to KNOW he has the best lookin' wife at the water park."

"I love it when people say to me I don't even look like I've had even 1 baby, much less 3."

Yes . . . confession is good for the soul. The above quotes are things I have said outloud, and, if I haven't said them outloud . . . I am very much ashamed that I have thought them . . . many times.

For as far back as my memory goes my stomach has always seen Mr. Sunshine during the summer. Even when I was preggo with Hanna, when there was no one at the pool we join, I'd pull up my 2-piece maternity bathing suit and get some sun on my belly.

I have always said that swimsuit shopping is not fun for any woman. . . whether you are a size 2 or a size 22. We, as women, have branded ourselves to find things about our bodies we dislike. For me, it is my small chest size . . . just keepin' it real folks!! But other than that I have always loved the way I looked in a 2 piece.

So, why in the world, would I have bought a tank top swimsuit this year. Yes, it is still a 2-piece, but my stomach is covered. I look like I have on more than just a thick material version of my bra and panties. Why? It is called conviction. Conviction of the very truest sense. . . the deep down in my heart kind of conviction.

Now every summer my girls always want a 2-piece like their mom. Jon will not allow it. I've always kinda stayed out of this argument they've had with him over this. I just felt hypocritical telling them they can't wear something that I'm wearing myself. Jon would tell me, "You are a grown woman. You can do what you want. They are little girls, and they are not going to wear a bikini. The tank top 2 pieces are fine, but nothing that shows more skin than that."

Okay, 'nuff said. I cared more about the way wearing a bikini made me feel more so than being a good example to my girls.

That is . . . . until about 2 months ago. I've been doing an extremely in-depth Bible study on Daniel since January. God has given me a ferocious appetite for His word through this study, and He has changed my heart in places I didn't even know needed changing.

The study of Daniel is broken into 2 parts . . . 1) being IN the world but not OF the world 2) prophecy. During the first part of the study God started dealing with me about modest dress. I dress pretty modestly. Don't get me wrong . . I will accessorize like crazy, but when I wear a halter top it has a shirt under it that covers my shoulders. I am 5'8" so finding shorts is rather hard for me. I wear the knee-length shorts or jeans (even in the hottest of the Southern heat). But the Holy Spirit really got to me when He started addressing the issue of my swimsuit.

Ouch, it hurt. But I realized and I cared way down deep in my heart . . . that I am setting a poor example to my girls about how they should clothe themselves . . . even in a swimsuit. My son is on the verge of puberty, as are most of his friends . . . I always thought I wanted to be known as the "pretty mom." God has changed my heart. I now want desperately to be known as the "mom who aggressively pursues the very heart of God." I told God this was going to be extremely hard for me . . .to give up my bikinis . . . weird maybe? But it is something I have always symbolized with youth . . . a word our culture cleaves to. I told God He was going to have to help me not cave in and wear them this summer . . . that I needed Him to keep after my heart about this issue . . . and I asked Him over and over again to not let me ignore this conviction of His Holy Spirit.

As I would talk to God about my bikini and ask for His forgiveness of my immodesty, He began to show me things I had never even realized before. Like .. . . a bikini is no different than my bra and panties . . . just thicker material. I am showing the world a sexy middrift that should only be kept private between my husband and I. Why in the world would I want to expose myself in this way? Who knows, God could have been telling me this for years? It just took me this long to get it through my hard head.

So before summer began, I went to my kids and talked to them about what God had been doing in my heart. I told them I had been wrong wearing a bikini all of these years. . . . that I was dressing inappropriately and immodestly.

Now, please don't think I judge those who wear skimpy bikini bathing suits. Judgement is the last thing you'd get from me in this area. . . .after all I was just there.

I have a very cute tankini that I am sporting this year. My tan line will be different this year and for the years to come. No longer will those around me see my middrift. . ..

. . . . and to think. . . I said NEVER!!! Never say never. . . . especially when God captures your heart and gets ahold of you!!!

Scattered Brain Mom Trying to Remember

Okay, if you've read my blog for any length of time, you know how much I love pictures. While I'm a visual kind-of girl, pictures take time to load . . . time I'm just too lazy to put into the ol' blog right now. I have pictures to document all the things I'm going to bullet out here (this is written just so when I go back to scrapbook I'll remember). Anyhoo . . . .

• Our first night in our house was Mother's Day. For the first time EVER Ash and Hanna have their own room. We were placing bets to see who would end up where . . . They all started out in their own rooms. When I got up the next morning, Hanna was wrapped up in her comforter outside of Ash's bedroom door. . . So very, very sweet. The sisterhood is such a special relationship and I'm so glad my girls have one another. There is NOTHING like a sister!!! She told us later she got scared, but didn't want to bother Ashley. Night #2 all of them camped out in Alec's room. He actually wanted the girls in there, which was HUGE!!! He admitted to being a little scared himself. We've gone from 2200 square feet to 3300 . . . so it is an adjustment . . . for all of us.
• By the sweet grace of God we sold our other home. We originally had it rented out. The girl who was going to rent it could not pay what we needed her to. An agent from my real estate office called me one day (as I was painting the new house) asking to show my house (not ONE person had even looked at it since it's been on the market). I told her it was trashed. . . she said, "don't worry about it. Yours is not their favorite one anyway." So I wouldn't be the talk of the office . . . having a dirty house and all . . . I hurried home, push dirty laundry in the tub/shower, etc., stuffed everything I possibly could stuff under beds, put dirty dishes in the oven, microwave, etc. I had one last thing to do . . . vacuum the floor . . . they pulled up . . . I apologized for the floors being dirty . . . they looked at the house. . . I answered their questions. . . they put in an offer . . .. bada bing . . . bada boom . . . the house closed 3 weeks later. TOTAL GOD THING . . . I'm telling you!!! It was truly the easiest real estate closing I've ever experienced. The house that was their favorite was outside of the area in which their lender would lend them money . . .it was the type of loan they were using. . . Praise God for that!!
• Last week we took a field trip to the Atlanta Aquarium. The extra bonus was Jon went with us. It was a wonderful time!! We all had so much fun. The food was expensive though. . . $60 for pizza, french fries, and chicken fingers. . . but whatdoya do? The otters were our favorites . . . such personality those little guys have!!! We got to pet sting rays, sharks, sea anemone. Hanna was super hesitant about doing this. Towards the end of our time she said she'd go and do it . . . that chicken head . . . she hardly even put her fingers in the water. She gave us all a good laugh though.
• Last night I had a girls' night out with some great friends of mine. It was so much fun!!! We went to this new seafood place in town. My food was good, but the place is still trying to work out some kinks. We all laughed so hard. Then we went to see a play of Steel Magnolias. It was so very funny. The lady who played Wheezer was H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S! A fun night out on the town with my girlfriends always puts a pep in my step. We had to go back to the restaurant after the play to pay for our food (they couldn't get our checks out in time before we had to go). They were cleaning the place up. The owner looked at me and said, "You look like Jennifer Aniston." "Thank you, thank you," I said. Who wouldn't want to be told they look like Jennifer Aniston?!?. Honestly I was on cloud 9 (hee-hee). When I got home everyone was in bed. I had this note on the floor on top of a book that said, "Open Me." Inside was another note that said, "Good night. We love you. Ashley and Hanna." Oh my girls have the sweetest little hearts! Sometime during the middle of the night Ash came into my room and kissed me on the cheek as I was sleeping. She crawled in the bed beside me and I snuggled up next to her. This morning I asked her if she did this just to make sure I got home okay. "No Mama. I just HAD to come and see you." This girl is my biggest cheerleader, my super encourager . . . always!!!
• I have finally gotten back on a regular exercise routine. Exercising is my happy juice and when I'm not exercising my endorphins die. I'm so grateful to be somewhat getting back into a routine.
• The pool is opening up next week and I'm so excited!!! The pool we've joined for the last 7 years is about 30 minutes away from our new house. We joined a new one (much closer) with my friend, Suzanne, who has been a member there for years. I am so excited b/c this pool has a diving board and is in the shape of an L (so it is extra big). The one we've gone to in the past was just a plain pool (we loved it though). I will miss my old "pool friends" (friends that I only see during the summer). But, I am superdedooper excited about hanging out at the pool with my "all the time friends." (friends I see all the time . . . the same friends I went out with the other night).
• The kids and I are starting back school next week. Yes, we will have some summer school this year. We got too far behind with the move. I'm actually anxious to get back started.
• We did not get cable at our new house. For a long time now Jon has been wanting to get rid of our cable, but just could never bite the bullet because he's a huge sports nut. I never would have considered us big TV watchers before, but it has been GREAT not having cable. . . even Jon says so. We spent a lot more time together talking and playing games. We spend extra time at the table after dinner just talking and goofing off. I don't care too much for TV anyway, so I really love not having it.
• Has anyone heard of Ooma? It is a phone service where you pay a one-time fee of $200 -$240 and then you never have another phone bill again. We just got ours, and we love it. The only problem would be if they went out of business. Jon hates monthly payments (and after being together so long, I do too), so anything to take away another monthly payment is AWESOME in our house.
• We got rid of our English bulldog, Max. He stunk. He was aggressive. His shedding was horacious. We just didn't want him in the new house. Bulldogs are high-maintenace dogs and have to be kept cool. In the South this means they must be inside. Now Max is my first dog love, and I loved him dearly, but I didn't want him stinkin' up my new house. He went to a great guy. In fact, several other people called about him and we were uneasy about them. This guy we knew would love and take care of Max and treat him like he should be treated. We took $400 less for him from our asking price . . .that is how good we felt about this guy. There were many, many tears the night he left.
• We did get a new dog . . . a Bichonpoo (half Bishon, half poodle). His name is Cookie. Hanna got to name him b/c she spent the most time with Max. He is precious and he has captured all of our hearts. When we first got him and went into Pet Smart I would not allow myself to get too excited. I actually felt really, really bad. I told Jon I felt like I was cheating on Max. I'm big about being loyal and I just felt like I was being disloyal to Max especially giving him up for a small dog that doesn't shed and doesn't stink. Jon assured me that I was not being disloyal. I shook off my bad feelings and just got plain giddy over Cookie.
  

I think that's it for now. Knowing me . . . there'll be a few more addendums to come . . . things that I'll remember as I lay my head down to go to sleep.

Hello . . . .

I've missed you bloggy world. As you probably know by now I haven't blogged lately, nor have I been reading blogs.

I love lots to say, but so much has been going on. . . .when I sit at the computer. . . . I have to fight myself not to fall asleep.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be back in action. I can't wait to read and find out what you all have been doing.

So . . . . until tomorrow morning . . . as my good buddy, Tigger, says, "TTFN. . . tata for now!"