More confusion-

I have an interview at a daycare tomorrow. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I have no desire to do so, b/c I want to be at home with Ruthie, but I have to do what's best for our family.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wanted to post this on my blog. I know there are few Christians who read this! Brother Troy said something in church today that made me think twice about gas prices.

"Maybe God is using the gas prices to make America slow down and focus on Him instead of running ourselves ragged and not having time or being too tired to attend church."

I know a lot of people who tell me that Sunday is their only day to rest b/c they are running all week long and they want to rest and not attend church. We have lowered our trips to town. Instead of going whenever we want, we go on Wednesdays and Sundays. That's it. I think what he said just might be true b/c it makes sense. When we weren't such a busy nation, we focused more on Him, but we have lost the desire and want to attend church and grow. He said that only 17% (17,771 ppl) of our county attends church (any church) on Sundays. Sad huh?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also wanted to add that I added that "live traffic feed" on my page and I see all kind of different people reading my blog. I love that you are reading, but I would love it even more if you left a comment! Please do! I appreciate you reading!

Not sure what's going to happen-

I have lost my 4 part-time children for the summer. I was depending on them for income this summer. It was my 2 part-timers I had already and each of their siblings. The funny thing, I am not stressed. I know we will be fine with whatever happens.

Part of me wants to figure out how to just stay at home and not keep kids. The other part wants to have kids at home to keep an income coming in. I have no desire to work out of the home. Since I have been able to stay at home with Ruthie (which I didn't get to do until she was 15 months) I have no desire to go back to work. There are days where I miss having adult conversation, but I know I will miss her more. So, what is a woman to do? Do we cut out trips to ballgames, eating out, internet, home phone, and satellite? OR, do I look for more kids? I will have 2 full-timers ( I think) when school starts back. No matter what I will have a little bit of money coming in b/c I will help with my niece and nephew. My sister (who is a teacher) and I always help out my other sister who needs a sitter during the summer.

I wish I lived somewhere that I could find a way to work from home and make good money without keeping kids. Ruthie's a totally different kid without the kids here. She's naughty while they are here and the moment they leave, she's back to being sweet. I sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing for her. It would be nice to have the extra money so that's why I want to find a job that I can work at home with. But, I wonder if we can make do if I don't. We need to figure it out soon. I just know that God will provide. I just need to trust Him and lean on Him. He's here for me, I just have to fully trust in Him and I am. There are very, very few times in life when I don't worry, and this is one time where I am not.

Church today was just awesome. He read an article in one of our newspapers. It was letting the parents know how to raise a child in a house that God built. It made me feel good b/c I am doing my part now, even though she's little. When Bro. Troy speaks of the moment you know your child has accepted Christ, it ALWAYS gives me chills. Some of you have lived that moment, but mine is still too small to understand. I can't wait for the moment she accepts him. There can not be a prouder moment for a parent. No moment can be sweeter than that.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I am very thankful for all who have served and lost their lives for our freedom. My heart and prayers go out to their families as well.

Since I haven't posted pics in a while-

here are a few!

We went to the air show. Ruthie had fun on Randall's shoulders!

>
">
">
">

We finally got out to fly the kite!

Here they are walking out.
">

The cows decided to meet them.


As you can tell Ruthie HATES cows! LOL!

">
So, she and I stood on the other side of the fence and she flew the kite for the first time!

Can I just say-

that I am overcome with joy for Jesus?! Things are going great right now. I am doing really good at seeing the positive things in life. Our church is allowing us to grow. I just love life right now. Randall and I have had some amazing conversations about what we are learning and experiencing. I feel so blessed and loved. I feel so honored to be a part of our church and a child of God. Don't get me wrong, there are trials and obstacles I face, but I know there are better days ahead. The life I am living right now will be considered no longer than a blink of an eye when I meet Jesus face-to-face. Our house is a just a "hotel" b/c I won't be here forever and I have a mansion built for me in glory. What an amazing feeling!

I love watching Ruthie grow as well. I can't get over the fact that she loves to look at her Bible. Now as you saw in the picture in this post, her Bible is just a small New Testament Bible. It has no pictures. I love watching her look at it. It's almost like she has peace looking at it. Her prayers bring so much joy to me, and I know they do to Him as well. I love knowing I am doing the right thing by raising our daughter to love Jesus.

Another crazy weekend-

Yeppers, another one.

We really need to learn to slow down. Friday, we actually stayed around the house. Saturday, we got up and early and went to see my mom and dad for a little bit. We went home and got ready to head to town and see the air show. I wasn't sure how Ruthie would like it. It was way too loud, so of course neither of us really liked it. Ruthie HATED it, so we weren't there for too long. We ate dinner and headed for the rodeo. Ruthie LOVED that. She adores seeing the cows and horses. Most of you probably don't know, but Randall used to ride in rodeos. He did bareback bronc riding. I will let you know the story of why he doesn't anymore-

We were at a local rodeo and he was on one of the best bucking horses of the year. The horse threw him off and he landed on the ground, then the horse stomped on his head, right on his ear. He was out for less than a minute, but for a few hours, he couldn't remember how the ride went and kept asking the same questions over and over. He had a dizzy spells for about 1 year until they found out what was wrong. He still has them, but not near as bad. Needless to say, now that he has a family, riding in the rodeo isn't a priority. He still says if he was single he would, but not with a family. What happened to him, rarely happens, but it still happened.

So, going to rodeos are hard on him b/c he has something in him that makes him want to ride and he loved doing it. He's only been to 3 rodeos since the accident and it's been almost 4 years. We still had an amazing time. It's hard on me to watch now, b/c I remember his accident like it was yesterday. The worst day of my life.

Sunday, we went to church. I feel really blessed and honored to be asked to be a Sunday school teacher for 8-10 year olds. I sat in with the teacher to get a feel of what she does to keep things the same for a while. I am a bit nervous b/c I feel like I am not knowledgeable enough, but I am excited! Next Sunday will be my first on my own. We had a wonderful service. You know it's wonderful when he has you in tears of joy. I have so much joy in our church and I can feel Him there every time. I have never been so happy in one place.

Afterwards, we had a family reunion on Randall's mom's side. I have never been to a family reunion, so I had no idea what to expect. Personally, I wasn't thrilled about going, but it turned out to be so much fun! We visited with family we hadn't seen in a while, played volleyball, frisbee, ate yummy food, and chased the little ones around. We laughed so much. Playing like that made me feel old b/c man was I worn out! I had so much fun!

Our vacation is PLANNED! YIPPEE! I am thrilled b/c I need a break so bad. We booked a nice hotel room in Hot Springs, and we are going to walk the strip that night. The next morning, we are getting massages. After that, we are heading down to where we took our honeymoon and staying in the same cabin that night. We are going to relax, relax, and relax some more. Words can't describe how excited I am!

Planning a vacation b/c

I am in NEED of a break. I have gone so long without a break. Randall has off Friday, May 30th- Friday June 6th. May 31st is our 5 year anniversary. We plan on heading back to where we took our honeymoon. It's still in the state of Arkansas, but perfect for us. I can't wait. They only have the cabin we stayed in open June 1, 2, & 3rd. I am hoping we are able to get it. I SOOOO need a break. I just hope things work out for the best.

We are also planning a trip to Branson. Randall's employer sends us to Silver Dollar City every year. This year the day he goes is on July 5th, which I am not happy about, but we are going to make the best of it. His sister, BIL, and 2 nieces are going to go with us. I am sure we will have fun. Let's just hope we don't run out of money with all these vacations!

So I had planned on sharing a video of Ruthie. I will give it a try in a little bit. It's not loading for me.

What a weekend-

Whew. We had a crazy weekend.

I'll start with Friday. I had my niece Josie (my 8 mo old niece) for a while. She was super cranky on Thursday and Thursday night. Friday she wouldn't stop crying. She was really upset and nothing I did made it better. I called Alisha (her mom) and told her. She came and picked her up and took her to the pediatrician. Turns out, she has pneumonia and they admit her to the hospital to give her an IV of fluids and antibiotics. My brother leaves work and heads up there.

Friday night, my 2 sisters, my mother, my SIL, and me were headed to a Mother's & Friend's Banquet at my church. My BIL was scheduled to keep Ruthie. My SIL, BIL, and niece were all sick, so I had no babysitter. My dad was keeping my nephew (Simon), but he wasn't feeling good enough to keep Ruthie and Simon. So, I asked Randall to see if he can go into work late. He gets a guy to work for him late. So, we all headed for the banquet. We didn't get to stay and eat b/c Randall had to get back to work, but we had a really good time.

Saturday, we had a graduation party to go to. My brother needed me to keep Alexis, while they were in the hospital. I kept her for a little bit, but he came and picked her up b/c he found out his dog was hit by a car while they were at the hospital. Things just weren't looking up.

Sunday, Randall and I head to church, and truly enjoyed ourselves. It was a wonderful sermon, and my mom joined us as well. It was my mom's first Mother's Day without her mom, so it was tough on her. She told me that Grandma "told" her she needed to go to church with me, so that touched me dearly. I miss her so much, and I can only imagine how hard it was on my mom. We had all planned to head to the lake and cook out for Mother's Day, but that changed since Josie was in the hospital. Randall and I visited his mom and his sister to give them their gifts and cards. Then we went to the hospital and saw Josie. She was looking much better. Afterwards, we headed to my mom & dad's. I missed my other sister's while I was at the hospital, but I felt I was needed there more. They hadn't had any visitors the whole time they were there. We FINALLY got home about 7 pm. Poor Randall had been awake since 3 pm on Saturday. He was up for so long and so worn out. He still did up the dishes for me and we ate dinner and headed to bed.

As you can see, it was a crazy weekend, but we had a good time visiting with family. I just received a phone call from my brother saying they just released them, so they are headed home. Praise the Lord. I just hope that Josie can continue to stay healthy. She's had pneumonia 2xs already and she's only 8 months. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few posts back, I mentioned I was making "chipboard" albums for Mother's Day. Well, they didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I did enjoy making them. I made 7 different ones.

I took cereal boxes and cut out the squares with my Cricut. Then I just made these little albums. I don't have ink in my printer right now, so I just wrote them by hand. I don't like my handwriting, but they are okay. I hope everyone who received one enjoyed them! Here's a few photos.

Wordless Wednesday

Daily rules and more

I received this email and thought it would be a great blog post.

Daily Rules from God for 2008

1) Wake Up! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

2) Dress Up!! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

3) Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3

4) Stand Up!!....For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10

5) Look Up!!....To the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

6) Reach Up!!...For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6
7) Lift Up!!...Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6

Couldn't have said it better myself!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had one of my proudest moments the other day. We grabbed some food on the go one night after church. We blessed the food in the truck. Ruthie didn't eat all her food, so when we got home, I put it on the table and sat her down. She looked at me and said, "Bless the food Mommy!" What a way to melt my heart. So, I sat down next to her and we blessed the food. I had to call Randall right away to let him know! Now, she always wants to bless the food. She won't say it on her own yet, but she repeats after me. It always brings a smile to my face!

Life is going well right now. We have a "ladies & friends" banquet to attend this Friday. I am truly looking forward to it! I just hope Ruthie does okay for Uncle Skeeter. i don't know how well that will go over!

I hope everyone is having a good Monday. I need to start on my Mother's Day gifts. I am make chipboard albums for my sisters and mothers. I am going to put inspiration quotes on them!

Tag- you are it!

Sweet Jamie tagged me for this six question survey.

The Rules:

* Link back to the person that tagged you
* Post these rules on your blog
* Share six unimportant things about yourself
* Tag six people at the end of your entry

1) I am drinking black cherry kool-aid.
2) I just went to a bluegrass in the park event. How nerdy am I?
3) I always wanted to be a marine biologist.
4) I would love some ice cream right now.
5) I need to be in bed.
6) I need to go grocery shopping.

I am not going to tag anyone in particular, just if you are reading this post, consider yourself tagged!