New School Year around the corner.

The new school year is sneaking up on us quickly.  I love this time of year when we start getting ready for the new year.  We started looking at new curriculum for Sephy.  I can't believe my baby girl is now a jr. high kid.  Just seems like yesterday I was walking her down the hall to Kindergarten. This year is a special year for her.  She gets to be in the Youth Group.  She was so excited she gets to do what the BIG kids get to do now.  Plus with us having another exchange student this year she gets to do things with them.  I hope that Sephy and our new student have a good bond and get a long great.  I want this year to be perfect for both of them.

Our new exchange student come to Mississippi on Saturday!! I am excited.  This year is going to be a fun year.  Since I am now working for the company AYUSA, we use to host the student in our home, I am supervising 4 other students in my area.  One of them will be right here in the same neighborhood.  I am so excited.   I don't think I can say that to much.  =)   I am having a slumber party for them in August so they can get to know each other and me.  I am really looking forward to that.

Are you ready for the new school year to start?

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Women of Faith

I have been chosen by Book Sneeze to blog about the Women of Faith conference.
I am so excited.  I have always wanted to attend one of the conferences but have never had the opportunity.  It is a great time to fellowship, praise God, worship God and all with women around you sharing his love.

Here is a video about the conference.



Thank you Book Sneeze and Women of Faith for this opportunity.



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When is enough, ENOUGH?

I am the first one to admit I SPOIL my child.  She is my only one. It is very easy to say yes, yes, yes when you don't have to worry about saying no, no, no  because there is no one else to say yes to.  I am thinking that all the yeses are starting to pile up and its just getting to much for me.

Persephone is an animal lover, me not so much.  My husband really isn't an animal lover at all.  In fact if it was up to him animals wouldn't exist.  In over a year we went from no animals when we moved here to Laurel to having 4.  It started with a small caged animal our rabbit Midnight.  She is easy, in fact out of all the animals, she is Dusty's favorite.  He spoils her with fruits and veggies, even buys pumpkin seeds for her.  Then she wanted a dog, so we surprised her last summer with Captain.  He is a great, funny looking, rescue I got her.  He is a great dog. Minds, knows commands and tricks.  Just likes to visit the neighbors from time to time.  Then we got Macee, she is a cute little dog but pees every time she sees you or you talk to her or just walk out the door.  But she doesn't run off and she stays close to home.  Plus she is just cute.  These 3 animals are maintenance free really.

THEN,

She wants a horse, not a big horse just a Miniature one.  Okay I am thinking she can handle this little horse.  She has been showing her friends minis and does well with them so we said YES.  A friend of mine help me to find one.  She found him, he was cheap, just he was a stud, so we had to geld him.  So money is going right out the door left and right because, first, I have NO, I mean NO idea what all we need to have for this new guy.  So yes the horse is cheap but everything else isn't.  The money just adds up and it isn't like we can't afford for her to do it but it was just a lot all of a sudden.  But the money isnt why I am writing....

So here is Persephone with her horse "Mars the Star", I love this little horse but I think I love him more than she does, but the deal was, she gets the horse she has to care for the horse, right.   Well she goes every morning to feed him.  That is all she seems to want to do is feed him.  She hates to give him water because it is WORK.  Well today I had enough because it seems like the only time his water is actually filled to the top is when I am going down there to help her get ready for a show.  I had ENOUGH.   So I yelled at her and told her I didn't care anymore because I was tired and hot and I shouldn't have to get mad at her because her horse, yes YOUR HORSE, doesn't have water.  (he had water last night btw, his keeper verified that for me) But the point of my madness was that it seems that she doesn't care.  She wants to be able to show up at a show all dressed nice show the horses, get a ribbon, and go home.  That is what she thought horse ownership was like until she realized how much work it truly is.  A part of me wants to just sell the horse and be done, but what does that teach her?  If you don't like the work, just go to the next thing that is easy.  I don't want a lazy child at all.  I want her to know that she has to work and take care of the things that belong to her.

So when do I say enough is enough before I go insane because she just doesn't get it???

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Back to my First Love

Tonight while I was at church, I texted my husband, why do I bother coming when I feel so alone when I am here which is not normal.  He texted me back "Well if it is not normal then it would be the reason to go. You're just having an off day."  I was sitting alone with just Sephy, granted there are people all around talking and enjoying each other's company.  But I wasn't talking to anyone just sitting there eating my dinner. I could have gotten up and moved to another spot with other people to talk to but I just didn't really want to move.  In my head I was thinking why didn't anyone sit with us tonight to eat dinner.  Do I smell funny? I know I probably look horrible because my face is broke out. But it hadn't stopped people from talking to me and sitting with me before.  So I was sitting there and we had special guest tonight and listening to him sing it sunk in a little bit.  I needed to be alone, I need to hear God speak to me. We sang a few songs and praised God.  Then the guest speaker spoke to us about unity in the church and how we are all different and don't have a lot in common with everyone.  But we do have our love for Jesus in common.  He talked about getting back to your first love. He wasn't talking about your first boyfriend/girlfriend.  He was talking about getting back right with God. Your love for God.  Your Love for God will unite you with the people around you.  His first way to do this was to challenge the adults (elders) and the young people by the young people need to RESPECT your elders and secondly the elders need to LISTEN.  Then the second point was to get back to Remembering your FIRST love.

So after me going into church feeling alone, I left feeling refreshed and challenged.  So much that I felt like writing again.  It has been a long time.  I have plenty of excuses but I am not going to lay them out for you.  I just want to start getting back to my love of Christ.  Worship him with all my heart and praise him every day.  He needs to be the first thing I do in the morning when I get up.  I need to say Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be alive today. I need to study his word on a more regular basis.  Its nice that in todays world we can have devotions delivered to our emails and cell phones but it gives us the excuse not to sit down in a quite place and just worship him and study the word of God.

I will leave you tonight with a few verses that he shared with us tonight.
1 Corinthians 1:10  I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Acts 2:44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Revelations 2:2-5 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

   ⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

How do you go back to your First Love?? 

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HSBA MARCH SWAP

I am a little very late a posting this.  We moved and everything got crazy around here and I finally can breathe again.  My partner was Kristal again! Which is cool because I have gotten to know her better and was able to get her something she could use and vice versa.

I received some silicon cupcake liners a big tip for icing and an awesome pink flamingo made by Kristal.  The picture doesn't do it justice because it had a mind of its own.

I used my tip in Saturday to make an easter basket Jumbo cupcakes for a church dessert auction.  I made 4 of them and they went for almost $60 total.  That is really good!

If you would like to join in the fun head on over to HSBA and join in.  A new one starts this week!!! 

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Cancer Sucks!

Cancer is hitting my family like a ton of bricks the last couple of years. It makes me sad to think about all the pain they are having to go through.  How the treatments make them sick.  Just everything about it sucks!  

I have had a cousin battle cancer for the last 2 years and now a uncle and my MIL. 

I feel helpless because I know there isn't much you can do for the person but pray.  

So I PRAY.  I PRAY A LOT AND OFTEN for them.  I pray that God wraps his arms around them and comforts them through all of this. I pray for peace for my Aunt, my Cousin's wife, my Husband.  

I pray that my little girl really understand what is going on when the time comes.  

It is hard to explain to her about things when all I want to do is hide her from the world and protect her from everything.  I pray for my Granny.  She is a strong woman and needs a shoulder to lean on.  

I ask if you are reading this please just say a quick prayer for my family right now.  We could sure use all the prayer anyone can send up there!! 

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Edit Me

I decided to join in this challenge because it is featuring one of my favorite bloggers Amy.

This is the before shot:





This is the after shot:





Update:  I didn't know at first that you are suppose to put what you did.  I am going to try really hard and remember what I did.

First I ran PW's action Fresh and Colorful.  2nd I ran an action called Dreamy Soft Diffusion.  I found that on deviant art but its been a long time.

If you would like to join in head over to Ashley plus three.

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Grieving

On Sunday, my pastor spoke about grieving and how to deal with it.  My first reaction was I know this topic all to well after loosing both my grandmothers.  But, it did prepare me for the news I received last night that my Great Aunt Janice passed away.  Then today we received news that was really upsetting but I was asked not to share what it is on the internet.  I am full of sadness right now.

God has plans for us.  He knows when it is our time.  He also has a place for you in his kingdom when you die.  Last night I felt him wrap his arms around me and show me his presence when I heard the news of my aunt died.  I will trust him with his plans for my other family member that is going through something really hard right now.  I wish I could be the one there wrapping my arms around them and helping them through this difficult time.

I pray that God gives my family the strength they need to get through some of these difficult times ahead.  I pray that God shines his light to them and they will know him and that his plan is what you should trust.


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“May God give you

more and more grace

and peace

 as you grow in your

 knowledge of God

and Jesus our Lord.”

2 Peter 1:2

The picture is of my daughter and two of her friends at a recent field trip to a local dairy farm. They where listening to the farmer talk about the company and the cows.

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How do I answer a call from God?

I am really struggling with knowing if I am being called into missionary work. 

I have always enjoyed doing things for other people.  I am quick to help if I have the means to do so.  My heart has been heavy and I want to answer God's call.  

I want to put my medical training to a good use without having to take on a full time job. There are so many opportunities for me to go on mission trips as a medical assistant.  

So my question is how do I answer my call?

I have never felt so passionate for something.  

I want to do what is right for me and my family.  

I know that it means leaving my family behind while I travel the world but I really feel that this is what I need to do. 

Will you please pray for me as I struggle with this decision. 

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We got a new little girl!!

We got a new little girl puppy last weekend. 

 She is so adorable, I thought I would share her with the world! 

Her name is Macee Lou.   

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HSBA SWAP

Thank you Kristal for my package I got in the mail today!  It was full of neat things.  A Flamingo bookmark that my husband won't stop playing with.  Some really neat erasers that you can take apart and put back together, markers, gummy bears, mint chocolate chip gum, and some note cards.  I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

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