Soccer Girls

The girls are all in soccer this year...first time for all of them. And so far everyone is having fun! The scheduling is completely insane a little crazy (they're on 3 different teams) but it's over the end of October, so we should survive ok.

Jessica is in the little kids group (U6, for "under 6" years old) and they are the Red Bobcats. Those little guys are just so cute! But I am pretty sure I couldn't coach them. I'd have no hair left on my head if I did. But they are fun to watch.

In this pic, Jessica is in the bunch...on the left side



Run! Run! Girl! (That's her coach behind them.)

Ah, a break.

Looking at the pictures I took (I took a bunch!) I realized Jessica has the tendency to hang her tongue out when she plays. I didn't get any good shots of it though. Every time I got the camera focused, someone would run between me and her. So I have several shots of all the other kids! Also Jake was NOT a happy camper and did NOT understand why he couldn't go play with the ball too.

He's not a good camera man either...or a camera woman's assistant. He's fired.

Mackenzie is in the U10 (you guessed it...under 10) group. Her team is the Orange Attackers. (They get to pick their team name...everyone keeps saying "at least they aren't the fluffy stars like last year." I'd have to agree.)

She's the blond with the long ponytail:

I'm surprised these turned out. Being the perfect mom, I had stuck Mr. Whiney Hiney (that's Jake, not Stan...he was working) in the car with Ice Age The Meltdown on DVD keeping Mr. Meltdown himself content while I made like a carousel and watched Mackenzie and Jessica play their games at the same time (the fields were next to each other) and keep an eye on Rebecca playing on the playground and keep an eye on Mr. Strapped In The Car With The Windows Down. (Then they wonder why I'm so exhausted after their game.)

So anyway...I'm surprised these turned out because I had to max out the zoom on my camera to get them because I had to stand strategically to see all 4 kids at the same time. That strategic spot was at the other end of the field from where Mackenzie was standing.

Get it, Mackenzie! (That flying pony tail was the only way I knew I was taking pics of the right kid.)

She was a defensive player, so she got to stand on her team's side and help keep the ball away from their goal. She likes that position. Not as much running.

Yes, that orange splat in her hair is on purpose.

So there you have it. Rebecca plays on a different night so I'll get her pics tomorrow, Lord willing and the creek don't rise (that creek thing actually has some merit in this area...I never quite understood it living in west Texas). I couldn't have been smart and remembered the camera on her last game...the one that Stan got to come and watch too. Jake sat perfectly content on Daddy's lap the whole time.

Well, there are more games...LOTS more...but I wanted to get pics before they're all bundled up with parkas under their jerseys from the cold weather.

Braces Braces Everywhere

Is it really true?! Tell me it's not! Please!!!

Tell me we don't have a child old enough for BRACES! Just. Not. Possible.

I mean, it was just the other day we were laughing at her wild bed head, right?

No? Well, "they" say enjoy kids while they're little because they grow up so fast. I guess "they" are right.

Mackenzie got her (ahem...first round of) braces yesterday. She was actually really excited. We'll see if she's just as excited on the next round a few years from now. (And if you mention we've got 3 more in line you better duck while I swing!)

Of course I got a before picture, considering she's going to be metal mouth for a year or more:

And here's the after pic. Naturally, she chose pink bands. And these days you can choose what shape of bracket you want...stars, hearts, flowers, footballs. Wow! What is this, Lucky Charms?

She chose stars. No! Flowers. No! Hearts. Yes, hearts it is. Definately not footballs. Ick.

She still has wild bed head. But she'd probably protest very loudly if I tried to put a picture of it on the www. (Even though I'm always asking her if she brushed her hair today...because it doesn't look like it...)


Mackenzie isn't the only thing in our life getting braces. Our backyard got braces too!


No open range on this land!!! Ok, so that really wasn't a problem. We're more interested in keeping animals and little boys IN.

I'm amazed that Stan got most of the wire up while I was out honky tonkin' reverently studying God's word with Beth. Not only did he keep all the kids that weekend. By himself. He also built a fence.

I mean, when he goes out hunting for a weekend the kids and I stay in our pj's all day. Not him. He got something DONE!

And Jake learned not to stand too close to a hammer in action. Life lessons are hard. And thankfully noses heal.

My Beth Moore Weekend

I went to Beth Moore's Living Proof Live event last weekend...my first time...and it was SO GOOD!!! I've been a huge fan of hers since I did the Believing God study with a group of women a few years ago.

If you haven't heard her or done any of her studies. You should! You'll be blessed! Also, she does a great job of going back to the original language to capture any part of the definition that might have been lost in translation.

For her Living Proof Live events she has a different topic each time. For this one we looked at Isaiah 32:1-8 and our memory verse was verse 8, which says:

"But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands."

She made 8 points concerning these verses. I'll try to do it justice (and I know this is long, sorry). I've still been processing it all.

1) Every life needs a noble plan.
She has us ask our selves what are you hoping for in 5 years? (life for you, where you'll be, who will you be) Then...ask if you're on your way that direction. We can get in a position where we might be thinking "Yall just go on, this is not what I signed up for." But we've got to get up and do it. Do the plan.

We spend our life reacting so our life feels like a train wreck. We cant get ahead, cant get a plan. Sometimes we're caught in the past, wishing to change it. A stronghold of regret. Well, you cant change it. Move on. Job 17:11; Prov 14:22; 16:3-4; 19:21

What if we planned to fulfill the Lord's purpose? And what is that purpose? Jesus came to save, but there's so much more than that. What would happen if he were reigning king in our lives? This plan is for those whom Jesus reigns in their life, not just saved it. Until we're in the kingdom, the kingdom is in us.

2) The noble plan is to show God to your fellow man.
Verse 2 says "Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land."

We're here to be a benefit to a lost world. To be a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, a stream of water in the desert and a shadow of a great rock. It's not about "being" good. It's about "doing" it. We know a tree is good by its fruit...not by just being a good tree.

Selfishness robs us because we're looking in and not out. Tragedy and crisis causes the strong to become weak. We live in the land of exhaustion. And we want to make ourselves comfortable...no conflict or arguments. But if we do that we'd be lonely and miserable because problems come with human interaction. That's why He wont exempt us from difficulty. How can we be a shelter from the storm if we've never been in one or needed one?

Don't force shelter on people who want to stay in the storm. There are many that do want shelter, so open your eyes to them.

3) All it takes to be noble is to be a willing volunteer. Judges 5:1-9
What does it take to be noble? To be a shelter, refuge, stream, shadow? The Hebrew word for noble means to be willing, free, large hearted. It means to be a willing volunteer. Ex 36:2-6

Nothing will give you more paralysis in ministry than a spirit of perfection. (Ouch!) Don't wait to be great to do something good. God's not here to pressure you. He offers life to the full...if you want it.

4) The opposite of a noble is a nabal.
Hebrew for noble is "ndb" or "nadab" which means free will (offering), willing volunteer. Hebrew for fool is "nbl" or "nabal" (remember the story of Abigail and Nabal?) which means...fool, stupid.

5) Any nabal can become a noble.
You make that decision. The mark of a nabal is he/she just doesn't get it. But God gets it...gets us. Even when we don't get ourselves. When he's reigning king of our hearts and minds we can see it and God gives us a little insight.

If we're going to benefit others (be a shelter, etc) we've got to start listening to them. Let them talk it out and not be thinking of the next thing we're going to say. If we don't, we wont get insight into what they're not saying, but wish they could. Nabals don't listen. Nabals are rash and just react to things.

If we're going to be a shelter, etc we're going to get told things. What will you do with what you know? You've got to have discernment, which means you've got to pray, get in the word, and let God direct you.

6) Any noble can become a nabal. Gal 6:1; 2 Cor 11:2-3
We can never get so spiritual that we wont end up in a ditch. When you grow, Satan attacks because you're a threat. Learn to fight! Don't be a wimp, be a warrior. He deceives to get you away from pure hearted devotion. There's nothing Satan loves more than to turn a shadow (a refuge, etc) into darkness.

We can become a hiding place for someone who comes to us with their sin because they trust us. Be their refuge, but don't still be their refuge in that sin 6 months later.

Sometimes people call carnality as "being real." No! It's not. Only carnal people think carnality is cool.

Don't let a group of people you're supposed to lead intimidate you into not leading. If God put you in that position to lead. Lead. This includes parents. Be the parent! Don't let your kids intimidate you into not parenting.

7) The power of a noble trumps a nabal. 1 Sam 25:32-42
It's a tricky thing when you're trying to be a noble, under the authority of a nabal. Don't loose heart. Don't forsake the wisdom of God.

Hosea 14:1-2, 4 He's a willing volunteer in your life. Plan to be faithful, a shelter, refuge, stream, shadow. Plan it in advance.

8) A noble man sustains noble plans by knowing when to hide.
Commit to a new plan, but how can you keep it up for the rest of your life? We cant maintain that position if we don't get that from God. Know when to take a break and hide in the shelter of our God. Sometimes we need to check out for a while (beyond our daily time with him). Mk 6:30-31

If we commit to this life we will wear out. So take a "time out" with God. Know when you get that signal. We cant be a shelter, etc if we don't have one. The trap is we try to get a little from God then do a lot for him.

Ways to know when you need to go to time out (not because you're in trouble, but for rest):
~ when we do it but no longer feel it. Prov 119:32 (NKJV), 2 Cor 4:1
~ when we start thinking we're the only one. (you're taking too much credit!)
~ when we start developing a stronghold of negativity. (when we get gripey!)
~ when we cannot get full...of whatever it is we indulge in to make us feel better. Binge on God!

She closes by reading out of A Beautiful Fight by Gary Thomas where he says our private life affects us in our public life. What we do in secret shapes us.

What if our secret life was intimacy with Christ. It will come out!

Glacier

This weekend I'm heading over to Billings to see Beth Moore with her Living Proof Live!! I can't tell you how EXCITED I am! I've been dying to go see her, and now she's actually coming close enough for me to go. Not many events flood the Montana area, and when they do, they go to the thriving metropolis of Billings (with a whopping 100,000 population, our largest "city")...aaaaaalllll the way across the state. But that's ok.

I'm meeting up with my dear friend Melissa so we can go together. Can. Not. Wait!

And speaking of Beth, who lives in Houston, please remember those in the wake of Ike. So many people's lives have been affected.

Now, since I'll be gone I'm posting this for your viewing pleasure. Here are pictures of our trip to Glacier National Park...uh...three weeks ago. If you're ever in Montana, after you come see us of course, you must see Glacier. And Yellowstone.

Breathtaking!






As you travel along the Going To The Sun Road (yes, that's what it's called) for several miles you're scaling the side of the mountain. Wall on one side, steep cliff on the other. And you can see in this picture where they cut a tunnel under the road to allow the waterfall to continue on its way:

If you're afraid of heights (like I am) your best plan of action is to grip the door with one hand, and grip the arm of your seat (or your husbands arm) with the other hand. Be sure your knuckles are white, or you're not doing it properly. And. Don't. Look. Down.

Well, that won't work. You have to look down at least a few times or you'd miss this:

But once you cross the Continental Divide you're not scaling the wall and you can start breathing again.

And even check out some of the mountain lakes:

Isn't it gorgeous?!

You can also travel north and head into Canada, eh? No way, eh! But don't you need a passport for that now?

Have a good weekend and I'll see you Monday!!!

What is she talking about?

The other day Rebecca was SO excited:

"Mom! I met this guy by a tree and I didn't have to make him happy and he gave me SO much money!!!!!"

Pause.




Care to guess what in the world she was talking about? Because my first reaction was:

"Oh! Hey, cool!"

But then I realized exactly what she'd said and started laughing my head off!

Ok, not to leave you hanging. My sweet, darling 7-year-old isn't in some kind of twisted, horrible secret life.

She was playing My Sims on the Nintendo DS. And I promise it's wholesome. I've played it myself.

In the game you meet other townspeople and when you talk to them and they are upset you can make them happy by choosing the correct response (i.e. listening, conforting, encouraging, conversation, etc). And if you succeed they give you money...or something...it's been a while since I played.

So...apparently she didnt have to to through all that nonsense and the townsperson gave her money anyway.

Lesson we learned today? Don't take stuff out of context!!! ;o)


By the way, if you have a DS I do recommend My Sims for the kids to play. They dont have to be able to read and they have to solve puzzles and such too. For kids who do read, Animal Crossing: Wild World is another fun one. Even for non-kids, because I'm currently hooked on it! (But I suggest you google the tips and tricks for it to get the most out of it)

In The Shadow Of Lions

Welcome to the blog tour for In The Shadow Of Lions by Ginger Garrett! After you get a feel for the book and the author, be sure to read my thoughts at the end.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ginger Garrett is the critically acclaimed author of Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther, which was recognized as one of the top five novels of 2006 by the ECPA, and Dark Hour. An expert in ancient women's history, Ginger creates novels and nonfiction resources that explore the lives of historical women.

Her newest release is Beauty Secrets of the Bible, (September 11, Thomas Nelson) based on the historical research that began in her work on Chosen. The book explores the connections between beauty and spirituality, offering women both historical insights and scientific proofs that reveal powerful, natural beauty secrets.

A frequent radio guest on stations across the country, including NPR and Billy Graham's The Hour of Decision, Ginger is also a popular television guest. Her appearances include Harvest Television, Friends & Neighbors, and Babbie's House. Ginger frequently serves as a co-host on the inspirational cable program Deeper Living.

In 2007, Ginger was nominated for the Georgia Author of the Year Award for her novel Dark Hour. When she's not writing, you may spy Ginger hunting for vintage jewelry at thrift stores, running (slowly) in 5k and 10k races, or just trying to chase down one of her errant sheepdogs. A native Texan, she now resides in Georgia with her husband and three children.


ABOUT THE BOOK



"I am the first writer, The Scribe. My books lie open before the Throne, and someday will be the only witness of your people and their time in this world."

So begins the narration of one such angel in this sweeping historical tale set during the reign of England's Henry VIII. It is the story of two women, their guardian angels, and a mysterious, subversive book ... a book that outrages some, inspires others, and launches the Protestant Reformation.

The devout Anne Boleyn catches the eye of a powerful king and uses her influence to champion an English translation of the Bible. Meanwhile, Rose, a broken, suicidal woman of the streets, is moved to seek God when she witnesses Thomas More's public displays of Christian charity, ignorant of his secret life spent eradicating the Bible, persecuting anyone who dares read it.

Historic figures come alive in this thrilling story of heroes and villains, saints and sinners, angels and mortals ... and the sacred book that will inspire you anew. Fans of Francine Rivers and Karen Kingsbury will love Ginger's intriguing combination of rich character development, artful settings, and inspiring historical insights.

If you would like to read an excerpt from In The Shadow Of Lions, go HERE

My thoughts:

Wow! Ginger Garrett takes a subject that we've all studied about at one time or another in school (whether or not we remember it is another matter...ahem! I admit, my memory was sketchy at best. I'll just chalk it up to too many diaper changes!).

Anne Boleyn. We've always known her as the deceitful and manipulative woman trying to get her hands on the crown.

But what if we were wrong?

That's what Ginger asks in this book. What if she was actually a martyr for getting God's word to the people? And as if that's not enough to get your attention, the way the story is told is phenomenal! At first I was completely confused about the Scribe, but once the stories started to unravel I couldn't wait to hear more. Basically, the Scribe gives a NYC editor a "second chance" by showing her Anne's and Rose's stories for her write. And what we get is very thought-provoking, both from the historical story lines and from the spiritual world.

Oh Dear Fiskars!

Oh Fiskars,

You are so funny! What you won't do for a good laugh. I'm glad you got a kick out of the letter I sent you about my daughter cutting up house and hair with her Fiskars scissors.

It appears that you laughed yourself silly because among the various goodies you sent were a 24-pack of scissors! Twenty-four! Really?

You must not like me. Was it the letter? Because I really wasn't going to sue you. Or maybe you liked my story so much that you wanted to hear more.

And with 24 pairs of scissors in the house and one 5-year-old crooked banged girl you're looking at a LOT of scissor stories. Not to mention her 2-year-old understudy. Please be sure to add my email address to your safe contacts list to ensure you receive every one.

So by this gesture I take it that you opted against my suggestion to return to the days of the crappy difficult-to-use, hand-cramping, metal scissors. I beg you once more to reconsider.

Sincerely,

Frazzled, Practical Mom

P.S. It appears that after I opened the package I must have fallen over and hit my head because soon I was surrounded by four little mischievous faces and eight little hands gripping scissors in a rainbow of colors. After checking to see if I still had all my hair and socks I realized it must have been a nightmare dream.

If only I had printed out your Learning To Cut worksheet sooner...

It's Finished!!!

(I'm doing it again...reposting! To be honest, I posted this earlier this month when I thought maybe we weren't going to do the Before/After thing at BooMama's and I just couldn't wait any longer. Shows you how far lack of patience gets you! So...want to see more Before and After? Go to BooMama's and check out what everyone else has done!)



I've been dying to show you the flower garden I worked on this year, so here it is! Enjoy the before, middle, and after pictures!



Here is before...taken a year ago May. We moved into this house 3 years ago and this is pretty much what it looked like, minus the bike:

Not that I have anything against rock gardens, but with the loooooong Montana winters I decided I needed something with some POW! I needed bright colors and lots of 'em during our short summer.

So we got rid of the rock. It was a full family event and the kids loved it. Loved. No, actually they hated it, but they do love the results now and beg me to let them water it.

We took out the weed paper, broke up the dirt, added compost, put on new weed paper, and topped it with soil pep:

And....voila! Three months later all these wonderful flowers magically appeared!

Ok...not quite. I actually did a lot of research on what flowers grow well here and what color scheme I wanted and what height the plants would be and where to put them. Because I like to throw caution to the wind like that.

But what I finally decided was to go with red, yellow and purple. I wanted a mostly perennial garden. I like it when they come back. And I'm not into high maintenance. But the front row are all annuals so I can change them out each year and get a different look if I want.

Here's another shot at the before...

And this was taken the end of July, after they'd been in the ground over a month...

It's amazing how much they grew since then! This is what we have now and I absolutely LOVE it! It was a lot of work in the beginning. A lot. But it's been so fun since then. It's like therapy.

My Therapy Garden.

So here is what you see when you walk up to our front door:

Now for some details...

These are some of the plants I grew from seed (the only ones that made it, I'm embarrassed to say). Salvia and Black-eyed Susan. It's fun to see them now, but I probably wont go from seed any next year.

Here are the columbine. I was worried for a while that they wouldn't make it, but they hung in there.

Here are the Prairie Sun Rudbeckia. Some of these got almost as big as my hand, fingers spread out!

I planted day lilies and they are some of my favorites. I planted purple and yellow and next year I'll get red, too.

Now these are my very favorite! Blanket flower. The bees love 'em too. Hey, as long as they don't love me, I'm good.


Here are some close-ups of the whole garden. The salvia were in between blooms so they aren't as bright in these pictures. And you can barely see the coral bells in the back...they were disappointing, but maybe they'll bloom next year.

Of course I'm already planning for next year. I want to transplant some of these into another bed I'm preparing. This fall I'm also planting more bulbs in the back...purple iris and some gladiolus (red, purple, and yellow of course). There are a few other types of plants I need to get to finish it off. I already cant wait for spring!

I know you're not as excited about all this as I am. It's just so wonderful that they turned out ok, considering I had no idea what I was doing...and that I've managed to kill every single house plant I've ever had. Every. One. Not to mention the plethora of grasshoppers. It was like the plague!

First Day of School

This is it! The first day of school and this is also the first year that all 3 girls are in school full day. Some of you know that last year Rebecca was in K and it was just half days here. This year they switched to full day K and Jessica is in that group. It's kind of a big issue here...some for it and some against it. I'm all for it. Not so that I get them out of the house, but I think it gets them ready for 1st grade so much better.



Anyway...



The girls picked out their clothes...a few days ago. We've had their backpacks stocked and ready for a couple weeks now. And Mackenzie wanted me to get her up early so she could "do her hair." *sigh*



Here they are getting ready to leave this morning...Rebecca in 1st grade, Mackenzie in 4th, and Jessica in K:







Jessica only started asking to wear her hair in piggy tails just yesterday. She insisted she wear them today. It's taking me a while to get used to it.


And remember that little scissors incident? Back in APRIL!?! You can see that her bangs still have not grown out from that...and they have quite a ways to go. School pictures ought to be interesting this year.




Here is Jessica with her Kindergarten teacher. I'm SO excited she got this particular teacher. Not that the other K teachers aren't good...it's just that Jessica needs this teacher. Those of you following the many infamous Jessica stories (just click the label "Fried Mommy" and I'm sure she's the subject of most of those posts) will understand my concern.


I thought I should probably send a peace offering to her teacher ahead of time. Jenni suggested I put her on a weekly 1-800-FLOWERS delivery! I'm not sure that will be enough. LOL


Ok, but really...I think Jessica will do well this year. But I may have to swear her teacher to secrecy for anything Jessica says/does. She will probably have lots of Jessica stories of her own by June.




Oh and get this...


Outside the school they had a table set up with muffins and juice...the sign said it was the "Boo Hoo Breakfast" for the Kindergarten parents.


In case you're wondering...no I didn't cry.