Get up at 5:00 to participate in all the hub-bub of "Black Friday".
Check.
Wait in line with impatient, grumpy people who OBVIOUSLY have NOT had their first cup o joe.
Check.
Get irritated with husband who is not easily separated from his wallet and uses such foul words like; budget and...."did you get paid yet?".
Check.
Witness a crazy woman screaming at a sales-person for not having the item which was pictured in the ad.
Check.
Wait in line out in the cold to buy an electronic toy because it was the deal of a lifetime only to find out there are only 5 of them and we are approximately #63 in line.
Check.
Stop by "one last place" to see if we can score a "new deal" only to find out it went off sale last Tuesday and buy it anyway.
Check.
Get 90% of shopping done in one fell swoop with husband(who completes me) and get home before children even know we are gone.
Check.
Drink coffee with vanilla cinnamon creamer and eat left over pumpkin pie for breakfast with the girls who have no idea what you've endured for the sake of finding the perfect gift for them.....
Priceless.

happy wednesday.....

What are you taking to Thanksgiving dinner?
We will be going to the in-laws at 12:00 and I was told to bring(not jello)mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and pies(not apple).
Yeah.
Then at 4:00 we will be introduced to gluttony when we try to eat again at my dear sister's house where my entire family will be(approximately 48).
We are very excited to see everyone together because that simply doesn't happen but a couple of times a year.
Yesterday my nephew, Jeff, and his boys, AJ and Cameron stopped by for a visit and it was so great to see them. They live in the Seattle area and we just don't see them very often sadly.
My other nephew, Dax, and his family have moved here from New Mexico to look for work and so my brother, Chuck, has 9 people living under his roof!!!!! and they will be there as well.
Also, a little bird told me that we will have a surprise visitor from Minneapolis!!!!!
Don't try to get me to tell you cuz I won't!!!!!
(call me later)
Anyhoo, today is a baking day with my girls.
Lacey will make her killer pie crusts.
Nevada will mash the taters like nobody can!!!!!
I love Thanksgiving because it reminds me to be thankful of all that we have.
To all my blogggy friends I wish for you to have a very wonderful Thanksgiving and know that I am so thankful for you!!!!!!

for Jill.....

I am feeling shallow so here is my best imitation of Facebook.....

Lori is.....thankful for the 1% spandex in her Levi's after eating a HUGE meal at church.

;0)

dark days.....

See how I am?
On the one hand I can go on and on about a subject which inspires me to babble and rant and rave until I am positively spent and left panting.
Then....nothing.
How is it that I can have so much to say one day and feel completely irrelevant the next??
I fear that my flair for the dramatic pours over into my ability to maintain a status-quo.
I am either "all fired up" or I feel obtuse.
I am either hot or cold.
Is there something wrong with me????
Maybe I am bi-polar, you know, high..then low.
???????????????????
Here are some song lyrics from Ginny Owens:

"What's wrong? What's right? Absolute confusion.
What's black? What's white? Everything looks hazy.
Such scenarios bring me to only one conclusion-
Maybe we've all gone crazy.
Oh, it's so clearly cloudy in the land of the grey."

I have moments when the "land of the grey" sounds....peaceful....free from decisions, obligations, turmoil.....integrity.
Sometimes I loiter there for days and weeks before I realize that I have believed the lie the enemy has served up for me; the lie that was complacency.
That is my struggle.
But, I believe that God created in me, in fact in all of us, a desire to be either hot or cold, not lukewarm or complacent because he knows that the enemy dwells in that place known as the "land of the grey".
What is the opposite of love?
It is apathy.
Most would say it was hate, but, I would argue that hate can be changed to love in a "New York" minute whereas apathy is devoid of emotion, it is a hard-heartedness.
God is showing me that when I feel obtuse, it is because I am not seeking Him and not seeking to stay connected to the Vine, therefore I shrivel up and become dry and weary and suceptible to attacks from the enemy.
And, so I need to stay connected to the Vine for he is my source of strength. He is my inspiration, my muse.
I am nothing without Him.
Thank you Father for your love, your salvation, your grace, your forgiveness.
Thank you to my sisters who inspire me to stay connected to the Vine.

Get it????

I was going to dress up as a communist for halloween but Obama stole my costume....

my election reverie....

OK, so Kim had some great insights into the whole political picture considering she is living out of the country and I think that it is great to keep informed.
And it got me to thinkin"....
Kim had some great verses on this matter and one in particular jumped out out at me:

I Timothy 1:1-2-"First of all then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petition and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

Let's consider the historical background of this passage of scripture:

Nero was the Roman emperor at the time and history has shown his cruelty and his barbarism toward his fellow man especially after Rome burned and he blamed the Christians for that, which only served to make him more cruel and barbaric.
The Christians to whom Paul was speaking were seeking a "quiet and tranquil life" so that they could live godly lives marked with dignity.
They were under attack!!!
They had to meet in secret for fear of reprisal from the Romans who hated them because of their beliefs.
They were not free to worship God openly for fear of reprisal from the Romans who hated them for their beliefs.
They were isolated from secular society and all that comes with that for fear of reprisal from the Romans who hated them.......
Let's just say what it was; the world around them hated God and His Son, Jesus.
Are you sensing a theme here?
Not to the extreme, but, does it feel familiar to anybody???
This country hates God.
This country doesn't acknowledge Jesus.
This country has a strong disdain for evangelical christians.
CHRISTIANS ARE UNDER ATTACK IN THIS COUNTRY FOR THEIR BELIEFS!!!!!!
We, too, seek to live quiet and tranquil lives where we can practice godliness and dignity and yet, we live in a society that calls us "dangerous" and "radical" and "narrow-minded" where we cannot intergrate our places of work and education with any outward expression of faith in God for fear of reprisal from the "Romans who hates us for our beliefs".
Paul was speaking to his brothers and sisters in Christ words of encouragement because they lived in fear of the government that hated God. He urged them to pray for their king as well as all men in authority over them so that they could live tranquil and quiet lives.
And yet, did that generation ever experience those things that they sought???
No.
Peace and tranquility and living for God without fear of reprisal did not happen for several hundred years until God placed a new emperor on the throne, Constantine, who declared Christianity legal.
Just like that generation Paul was speaking to, we should fear a government and a "king" who hates God and devalues the people whom he supposedly serves.
We, too, cannot hope to live lives filled with peace and tranquility until God places men who love Him and serve him on thrones.
Does that mean we have no hope?
Of course not!
We are called to be thankful for all men and in all things.
We are called to have joy in our circumstances.
We are called to know that God is sovereign and to serve Him and Him alone, for He is worthy of praise.
We are called to pray.

"The fervent prayers of the saints availeth much."

I urge you , my brethern and sistren(hehe), to think soberly and sincerely whom you would see put in power over the people.
It IS a weighty issue not to be taken lightly or with the complacenct attitude that says; "well, anyway, it doesn't matter who's in office" or "God places kings on thrones" and leave it at that.
Yes, God is sovereign but sometimes when we have turned from God and we begin whining about what we think we need, He says," you want it, you got it".
Look at the Israelites when they wanted a king even though God gave them judges to preside over them.
God said, "You want a king?"
Yes, the people cried.
So, He gave them Saul.
Yeah, that didn't work out so well.
Was that God's best for His people?
UHHMMMM....NO!
But, it was what they asked for.
Please, please, please...we must be careful what we ask for.
We all have a voice and we all have a responsibility to be informed about whom we deem worthy to be placed in positions of authority over us.

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Homecoming.....

This weekend was Homecoming...finally!
It all came together beautifully and the kids looked stunning.
It was so cute when Colton saw Nevada he had these big ol' wide eyes and all that he could manage to say was," Wow."
Not to be outdone, Nevada replied, "You look schnazzy, too."
Please enjoy the pictures....








After dinner with their amazing friends, Dominique, Chrystal, Brandon,and Nathan, Colton and Nevada went to the Homecoming celebration and then everyone + 2 more met up at our house afterwards for nighttime airsoft games, snacks, Guitar Hero, jammin', and great fellowship.
It was so fun to see the bonds that these kids genuinely have for one another and how much fun they have together.
I cannot thank everyone enough for allowing this night to happen so that these young 'uns could have this very special night together along with their very special friends.
I feel very blessed to watch over these young people who are growing up into these amazing people who love the Lord and who are seeking His best.
Now I'm getting verklempt.(sniff, sniff)