Beach Life

Wake-Up Call in the Blink of an Eye~

As Thanksgiving week comes to a close, I find I am more thankful than usual.  Yes, I am thankful for many things, but so many times we just ride through life taking those things for granted. Sometimes we need a, "Wake-up Call," to bring our life back into focus.  Our family received a LOUD wake-up call Monday night, November 19, 2012.

Although I am not the first to have ever been involved in something traumatic, it's amazing how something like this makes you reflect back on your life...and how you are living it. Am I living on auto-pilot or truly living for God? What a wake-up call!
* Thanks to my God, that allowed Haleigh, Malia, and I, more precious time on this earth. He still has work for us to do. May we not fail Him in our tasks to glorify HIM. I am ultimately thankful that Haleigh and Malia were not hurt worse than they were.
* Thanks to my Mama, Daddy , Tony, Mom (Ms. Alice), and my girls, for putting up with me in more ways they ever dreamed they would have to. I love them so much and their love for me was shown through all they had to deal with. Thanks for my brothers calling to check in on me to make sure I was alright.
* Thank you to friends and family that came by to visit me, as well as those who stopped by to check on my two sick babies at home and take them soup, even though they were risking the flu or a severe cold.
* Thank you, Hannah, for caring for Holleigh, even though you were not feeling well. You proved yourself mature beyond your years, but I hope never to place that task on you again.
* Thank you for the prayers of my friends and family, those who called, sent texts, Facebook posts, made hospital and home visits. All was appreciated more than you will ever know.
* I am thankful for ambulance drivers/first responders, firefighters, etc. for quickly removing us from the chaos and hospital staff, nurses, doctors, etc. for caring for us. Also, two nurses in particular, Dinah and Mrs. Mary Ann, that came through just to check on us.
Hopefully, I have not left a thank-you out. We continue to ask for your prayers as we are still healing, physically and emotionally, from all this. Everything happened in the blink of an eye and things are still being sorted out.  May God's glory shine in all of this and may we continue to praise HIM in this storm!

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 7

I am thankful for the sweetest, most giving, loving, mother-in-law I could ever ask for.  She has always loved me as if I was her own daughter, even though there are plenty of times she probably would have loved to have wrung my neck :) For as long as I've known, her she has been a "superwoman!" I don't know too many things that woman can't do AND she's an awesome cook! I love her and am blessed to call her my other "Mom."

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 6

I am so thankful for my Mama and Daddy. When I think of God's plan for our family and how we came to be, it still amazes me no matter how old I get. It took a special person to take on our family and God blessed us the perfect one. Unconditional love and support was always shown no matter what any of us were going through, as well as forgiveness for our mistakes. Having daughters of my own made me realize the overwhelming job my parents had in raising ONE girl. Multiply me times three...WOW!  I love them so much and am so thankful for the things I've learned from them and still learn from them the older I get.

Deuteronomy 5:16 ~ Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 5

I am thankful for my three brothers. Being the only girl in the family, I am certain I got on their last nerve on occasion while growing up.  Even so, they have always looked out for me in one way or another throughout the years. Life would have been a complete bore without them! Between threatening one of them with a spoon, burning ant hills with gas and matches (catching the yard on fire), being a passenger in a speedy, "hot rod" car, or spinning an old, Monte Carlo car around on River Road coming home from Pep's Point,  it is still a mystery how I managed to survive them!  We don't see each other often, but I love all three of them dearly and am proud to be called their sister.

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 4:

I am thankful for my daughters, the three precious blessings God entrusted to us as parents. They keep our lives on the exciting edge and it has been an amazing task  to teach, encourage, and watch them grow into beautiful, Christian young ladies. 

(Psalm 127: 3-5)
3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. 5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 3:

I am thankful for my husband, Tony,  the man I married 19 years ago after God decided to make our paths cross again as young adults, who still puts up with me everyday, who loves his girls, and tries to spoil us to no end.

(Mark 10:6-9 ) 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together , let not man put asunder.

Countdown to Thanksgiving~ DAY 2:

I am thankful for my Christian parents and grandparents that taught me about my Savior through their words and through a living example.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Speaking of Christian grandparents, I experienced a heart tugging experience being at an estate sale in a house full of so many memories. Most everything I see I can remember where or how it was used. How I miss my Mamaw and Papaw...

Countdown to Thanksgiving~ DAY 1:

I am thankful for a Savior that loved me so much (and unconditionally) that He died on the Cross for my sins.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Building Our Daughters' Faith

Having 3 girls, ages 12, 15, and 17, I struggle with knowing what to say or saying it at the right time. I KNOW they aren’t getting as much of God’s Word in as they should due to our busy schedule. There are times when they are questioning faith and I feel completely dumbfounded about how to encourage them scripturally. I muddle through with scripture I remember and then have to search for the rest.  Somehow we deal with whatever is going on. Then in hindsight, I think, "I totally missed the mark on that teachable moment."

We don’t always start our mornings off on a positive note…Reading God’s Word at breakfast will probably be the key that sends my girls into the world fully “armored” and ready to face the day in love! I found a giveaway to help with building our girls' faith on Proverbs 31 ministries author blog.  Thought I'd share!

Faith Builder's Giveaway by Lynn Cowell from Proverbs 31 Ministries

Pink Saturday~

My oldest daughter turned 17 years old the first of June. We honored her with a "Sweet 17th Surprise Party." The look on her face was priceless!
I dropped Hannah off for the ACT test that morning, then her boyfriend, his mom, and sister took her to eat at Olive Garden. After that, he pampered her with a trip to the spa for a manicure and pedicure. She texted me that afternoon, "You know you trust your boyfriend when he hands you a blindfold and says-GET IN THE CAR, we are going somewhere!"
At the appointed hour, they placed earphones on her, and blasted the Ipod music...all to drown out our chocolate lab's incessant barking. Still blindfolded, they assisted her up the stairs, into the house, where she heard screams of, "SURPRISE!!!!"
I think we got her~

Pink Saturday was hosted by How Sweet the Sound

Prayer for My Daughters

I was searching for Christian websites to add to my repertoire of Bible study, devotions, and inspiration and came across this beautiful blog post. The author perfectly conveyed the words my heart could have spoken... Lisa Notes: What I want for my daughters 

A Walk Down Memory Lane (with God)

Worship at church today was a little overwhelming and tearful for me today...Every hymn that we sang, right down to the piano/organ offertory duet, were hymns that flooded back memories of my sweet Mamaw, Josephine T. I closed my eyes and it was as if she were sitting right beside me.  They are the very combination of hymns that I remember her singing while sitting beside her in church or in her home as she went about her daily tasks. On the very verge of tears, I wasn't sure if I could handle sitting there because I miss her SO much.
Then came the sermon, titled, "Walking with God..."  and subtitle, "The Best Exercise."  Mamaw was a walker for the physical benefits, walking with her sweet friends daily, but anyone that knew her, could attest to the fact that she "walked" very closely with the Lord and she spoke with Him often. She was such a Godly example to grow up with.
What a wake-up call for me because I've hit a wall in my walk with God...a spiritual dry spell to say the least.

Think maybe God was speaking to me this morning in a very big way? I know He was!

 I will always miss her, but thanks to her wonderful example, I can look forward to seeing her again one day!

Five Question Friday

Busy weekend planned! No rest for us as we travel for show choir competition on Saturday and fundraise for summer camp on Sunday after church. Right now, Friday's are the only days I can kick back and relax for a few hours.

For my Friday morning fun from My Little Life...

'1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why? The beach is my favorite vacation spot. It calms my soul with the mesmerizing sounds of the crashing waves, the sea gulls calling from afar, and the wind whooshing all around.

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure? An opened can of Eagle Brand condensed milk and a big spoon.The smooth, sweet, stickiness is savored with every spoonful!

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Or, in the past? Gemstone jewelry, Miss Me jeans, and my all-time favorite blast from the past is BIG 80's hair!

4. What are your spring break plans? Hanging out my 3 princesses and a few days in Gulf Shores.

5. What baby names do you hate? Gertie, Ralph

Mean Girls and Blind Judges...

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.


This weekend has been chocked full of competition on the individual level and group levels. Emotions have been stretched from one end of the spectrum to the other. My 12 year old was in the school pageant and my 16 year old in show choir competition. Both experiences have been a tug of war with mean girls and questionable judges. It is no wonder my head feels as if it is squished in a vice...well...the sinus pressure and congestion kind of ices the cake as well.

Contestant #1

To the left, is my beautiful baby girl. Hair curled, but pulled back in the sweet way only a 12 year old would wear it. The dress sparkly and fitting, but sure to cover up all of her innocence. For the pageant, she is wearing a little more make-up than I normally prefer, but we needed to accentuate the features for stage lighting and such, or so they say.

 Her school pageant was touted to be a "natural" pageant. Administrators were stressing the importance of age appropriate hair, make-up, and dress. The judges were going to be told  to only look for age appropriate. Natural also means, " what you are born with." Nothing fake...or so I thought.

The night of the pageant we learned an entirely different definition. All of the winners had fake spray tans. You know, that special orange glow you can only get from an airbrush.  Mascara, coal black eyeliner, and lipstick caked on so thick that not even 40 year old women should attempt to wear so thick. Hairstyles were also formal and older looking styles. Of course, there are thin lines when it comes to hair. Some of the dresses worn lacked the modesty that any 6th grade girl should have.

As far as the judges go, for this "natural" pageant, nothing but "glitz" judges were commissioned.  Glitz are so used to seeing fake hair, fake teeth, and fake tans, I believe they have lost touch with how beautiful a young lady without all those paid for, add-ons could be.  To clarify, I am not saying my baby girl should have won or that I am angry she was not the winner. I simply feel that all girls should have been given the same advantage. If overdone, non-age appropriate was to be frowned on and taken out of the running, then there should have never been winners picked from the sort.

Ok, so you ask...where do mean girls fit into all this? The winner, in all of her glorius, fake attire, made a point to tell my daughter that she was going to lose.  Not once that night, but several times.  Then proceeded to tell all the other little girls that she was only in the pageant to beat my child. They all felt that my daughter needed to hear that right before she took the stage.  Yes, our own production of , "Mean Girls," right here in our small town school pageant.

I am happy to report that my girl took the stage and modelled all the beauty and sweetness she could muster. Unfortunately, the judges were unable to see into the hearts of the girls on stage or their chosen winners would have been a little different. While those girls were painted beautiful on the outside for the one pageant night, my daughter is naturally beautiful---inside and out--everyday of the week. She is a princess because her Father is the King!  She studies God's Word, prays with an honest heart, and tries to follow Jesus' example. For that...I could not have been more proud! Well, proud without being too prideful. It is the inner beauty we are striving for...the outer beauty is just an added perk!

Show choir competition and judging? That's a whole other story...

No Stressing Required!

I have a sweet friend dealing with some issues similar to some of my own. So to share an encouraging thought with them and any others:

As Christians, we have to live our lives to the best of OUR ability, the way that God reveals to us in His Word...no matter what area of your life that may be. OUR ABILITY is a key phrase. We are human, we are not perfect. We will NEVER be perfect. We are not Jesus. We can only strive to be like Jesus. God knows this. He sent His Perfect Son to die on the cross for us...our imperfections...our sin. So, what others think of us or say about us, due to miscommunication, misunderstanding, is not worth the weight we place on it.  If you have attempted to appease the situation with an honest heart, there is no need to stress over it any longer. Give it to God...
CORRECTION: Give it to God in the first place, not after you have spent weeks stressing over it. Of course, humans want to fix everything on their own before asking for help. As many people say, "Let go and let God."

God knows your heart and what is true.  All you can do is to pray that truth is brought into the light.

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” ~ Oswald Chambers

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

 

My Monday Madness

Usual Monday...late for work, coworker issues, and stress from the doctors in clinic.
Then a busy evening of a quick supper before heading out to my daughter's football game. Thank goodness I made some healthy food choices early in the day. Unfortunately, by the time this evening rolled around, I had only racked up 16 minutes of a brisk walk, and overate my share at the supper table.
My positive outlook for today? I got 16 minutes of a brisk walk and even though I overate my share of supper...I'm still under my calories goal of 1300! And it was my daughter's last football game to cheer for this season! More time added to my weeks now!

I CAN DO THIS! By God's power in me...He will strengthen me!
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I'm going to kick this Monday's Madness out the door!

For My Girls...

Okay...for my husband, too! Ultimately, for me. Time to lose the rest of this weight-- Physical weight and emotional weight.
Here I go again! Praying for strength that THIS time I will stick to a healthy eating and exercise plan. Of course, prayer is all I need, but I'm sure God wants me to do my part in making the right choices. My health has been such an issue since 1995, but I can't seem to shake the weight to improve it. My willpower is pretty much non-existent.
Plexus Slim has been helping control my appetite, but since I didn't take it yesterday or today, I've not fared so well. Tomorrow, I will start back into an exercise program. I've joined the Rookie to 5K Plan on Spark People to keep track of how I'm doing and have some sort of plan in place with certain goals to achieve.
It is way past bedtime so I'll close for now. I'll have to start getting to bed at a decent hour as well. No sleep makes me want to binge!

Christmas 2009 builds up my Prayer List

Whew! I blinked and Christmas was over! December 25 seemed to take forever to arrive, but it was gone in an instant. The girls were happy with their gifts to the best of my knowledge, but there were a few remarks  concerning items they didn't receive. WHAT? If they only knew the monetary amount spent on Christmas this year.  That's when it occurred to me...my girls are spoiled! Yes-I mean SPOILED ROTTEN! How did we get there?

I've tried to teach them the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus is the most important gift of all, giving is better than receiving, yada yada dah, but each year their gift lists are getting longer and more expensive. Several friends tell me they limit their children's gift list to three items. It feels like we've dug a hole too deep to drop back to three gifts each. They would probably go into shock.  Then again, what do you expect from girls that receive cell phones at the the ages of 10, 8, and 6 years old? We are to blame, no doubt about it.  The question is, how to fix it? We will definitely have to pray about how best to approach this situation that will take the focus off of the gifts and commercial hoopla surrounding the time of year that should project more emphasis on the birth of Jesus.

This Christmas was a little more emotional than usual.  The loss of my Mamaw (although a wonderful addition to Heaven), the declining health of my Papaw, and the negative issues of part of my family who shall remain nameless.  The first two can't be helped. The latter group should have acted as adults and come together as family for the sake of my Papaw regardless of what their problems are. This is the first Christmas without my Mamaw. Papaw had enough to deal with on that alone. Besides that, with his health, only God knows whether He will allow Papaw to be with us next Christmas.  Okay, I've vented! They will never read this blog, but I do feel better. I will have to keep this one on my prayer list as well as my attitude concerning it.

Although my Christmas had it's moments, I have to be thankful for the loved ones I have still on this earth...thankful that God has blessed me more time with each of my girls and my husband.  My heart breaks for a particular family that has lost a child. He's in Heaven, but the pain here on earth for mom and dad has to be unimaginable. I'm praying God gives them comfort while trying to live each day without their baby boy. I'm praying for those who are sick and still waiting on their miracle.


Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
Psalm 71:20-21


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5

With only girls in the house, we are never concerned of a drama drought on the horizon. Growing up, I was the only drama queen amidst four kids...multiply that by 3! My life has been blessed by having three girls and there are daily lessons handed down by God reminding me HE is the one in charge. I certainly could not do this without God. Even so, there are times when my heart breaks because I cannot do anything to help my girls through times, that to them, it feels like it's the end of the world.
Friendships among girls can be the sweetest thing and they can be the, well...end of the world. One of my daughters is finding out the value of true friendships and while she understands, Christian values must come first, it's still hard to lose someone who was considered a close friend. She's realizing that honesty and sincerity are wonderful traits to treasure in a friend. When that's gone, it is probably best to move on after all measures of reconciliation have been tried.
It is amazing to watch this transformation in my child, as she prays for God to work on her heart and show her faults within the drama of the moment. She's got that part right...turn it all over to God, let Him do the rest. Me? I'm trying, but it's not keeping me from wanting to take on the world on her behalf. It's heartbreaking to watch her pain...but...God's teaching me and her some life lessons. Trusting Him is top of the list!