So Blessed!

My muscles are sore today, so that must mean my workout is working! I nearly didn't make it through my workout today because I was so sore and I may not be able to walk tomorrow!

But on the brighter side, it feels so great to feel healthier already. It's amazing what a good mood just a little exercise can out you in.

The Christmas decorations came down at our house today. Traditionally, I leave you our decorations until after New Years, but instead of rushing about this weekend cleaning everything up, I decided to do it now, when I had the time to do it right!

But the house just seems a little sadder without the glow of lights. We had them everywhere...the tree, the mantle and outside. It's crazy to think that Christmas has already come and gone.

A new year is upon us but I am hanging onto this week as long as possible because the new year also means back to work for me! I have so enjoyed this time off with my family. Seth and I don't make alot of money, but you just can't buy this time back with your family. It is so great to have two full weeks off to enjoy each other and our 3 little blessings. We are truly blessed!

Let's Start Today

Have you made your New Years Resolution yet?

I personally really dislike making resolutions. Over the years, I resolve to do things, but then fall right back into my old ways. There is just nothing magical about the 1st of January. It's just another day, so why do we act like a major transformation will happen on this day?

Seth and I both really need to work on being healthier (the traditionally #1 made resolution!) I had lost 5 pounds earlier this month, but saw all 5 were back when I stepped on the scale this morning.

Seth was out feeding the cows, so I texted to ask him if he wanted to do the grocery shopping today and he texted back: "Ok. Make a list." Then not a minute later, he texted, "I think we should start our diets today."

Absolutely! I couldn't agree more! Why wait until the 1st? I do already plan on cheating a little on New Years Eve! But what's the point in waiting for a "magical" day, when there's really nothing special about it at all?!

One thing Seth and I do agree on is eating right and exercising to lose weight, rather than using pills or quick-fix schemes.

So, here's the plan: The Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise

Of course, Seth doesn't follow any diet exactly as he should, but I am a big fan of this because it's not really a "diet." It's more of a guide to healthy eating. It's about watching the amount of sugar and carbs you eat. Most people eat far too much sugar because it is found in so many foods you don't even think about having sugar at all. I also tend to eat too many carbs in one day, so this guide helps me count the appropriate amount.

And, in addition, for me, (not Seth! lol!) is The Firm workout. My dad gave me this workout several years ago and I have done it on and off for years. It's one of those workouts that you know works because you can hardly walk the next day! I personally like to feel that it's working!

So, we are ready to start...today!

A funny Christmas memory

Merry Christmas to you and yours today! Here's a laugh for you. This video is from last year. This is Mann (our most "spirited" child, by far) with his new toy! Enjoy!

Surrender!

I just bought a new CD by one of my favorite Christian bands, Third Day. The album is entitled, "Move" and it is hands-down the best Christian CD I have ever purchased. The song I am sharing is called "Surrender."

Earlier this year, I surrendered to God and changed my life. No, it's not like I was on drugs and got clean or like I was an alcoholic and stopped drinking. My testimony isn't all that exciting, but it was the little things that I was doing that were not God's will for me, and I definitely wasn't putting God first in my life. I also realized that God needed to be a central focus in our marriage and family, and in the eyes and hearts of our children.

I could probably make a list of people that I could dedicate this song to today. People who like me need to put their hands up and surrender to God's amazing grace. I am by no means close to a perfect Christian, but I am trying to walk with the Lord on a daily basis and make the best decisions according to His will for us.

There are so many who ignore God because it's just easier, or go to church on Sunday for show, but don't give God a second thought Monday through Saturday. My prayer is for these people to wake up and surrender to Him.

Your life will truly turn around, believe me!

How do I explain this one?

We live in the country. And one thing that I learned quickly about country men is that they like to urinate outside. You can have a perfectly good toilet inside, but a country boy prefers the great outdoors as his toilet.

Raising little boys, peeing outside actually helped out with potty training because they thought it was so fun. Of course, we had to teach where and when outdoor peeing is OK.

Outside our house, in the country, when we don't have company, yes.

In the middle of a public waterpark, no.

The sand box you are playing in, no.

So, it was no surprise today when I looked over as we were playing outside and Mann was peeing in the designated "pee, no play" zone, off the front porch of our home. But when I looked away and then looked back, this is what I saw:

When I asked Emma Jo what she was doing, she said, "PEE!!!" So I picked her up and we rushed inside to the potty. I took her diaper off and set her on the potty. She screamed until I let her off and then she stood infront of the potty and peed all over the floor. Hmmmmm....this is going to take some work!

Is He laughing at me?

I love that song by Garth Brooks, "Unanswered Prayers." We always think that we know exactly what we need when we pray, but so often, I picture God just smiling down saying, "Oh really? THAT'S what you think you need, huh?"

Earlier this year, I was thrown a curve ball and was forced to make some decisions about the way I was living my life and who I was hanging around. Someone once said, "Show me your friends, and I will show you your future." As I continued to pray about the situation, I just could not in my mind come up with a logical solution. I felt there was no way out of this sticky mess I was in. But then several months later came news that I knew was the answer to my prayers. Never did I see it coming....never would I have known to pray for that specifically....but God knew what was best, for all people involved.

It's so neat to see God working in people's lives, even when they don't notice or want to admit that He is in control.

But it's also neat when God straight up answers a prayer, just the way you asked! This happened to us this last week. As we celebrated Christmas early with my dad and stepmom, we crowded around our small oval breakfast table. The table actually belongs to Seth's sister and she has been requesting it back as soon as we could find a new one. However, the last thing we have extra money for is a new dining table. After that crowded Christmas lunch, I prayed that God would provide a way for us to get a new table. It wasn't but a few days later that Seth's aunt gave us a larger, nicer dining table!

WOW! The power of prayer is amazing....even for the smallest or simplest requests, God is there and He is listening!

Tell Him what you think you need....and listen for Him laughing at you! ;)

Five years down, 70 years to go!

Let me take the opportunity today to brag on my husband, Seth. Five years ago, I walked down the aisle to marry a man that I thought I could never love more than at that moment. Of course, over the last five years, we have grown to love each other more deeply, especially as we welcomed our three beautiful children into the world.

I could never list ALL of Seth's amazing qualities, but here are just a few of my favorites:

-He is quiet, but confident.

-He is honest, whether it hurts or not to hear the truth.

-He is an incredibly loving and affectionate father.

-He does not look down on others or get into others' personal business.

-He will do anything to benefit his family and friends.

-He does not care what others say about him.

-He knows who he is and does not work to please others (except Papa;)

-He is good at managing money and is not frivolous.

-He is appreciative of me and what I do for him and the children and he tells me often.

-And lastly, he is the most handsome man I have ever known! :)

I could not have asked for a better match as a husband, and as a best friend.

I love you so much, baby! Happy Anniversary!

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which people sew together over the years. -Simone Signoret

Success in a marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but by being the right mate. -Barnett Brickner

A good marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person! - Author Unknown

The Real Gifts

I am wonderfully blessed. I really believe that I have the best little family in the world. My children are healthy and happy. My husband is an amazing man who puts his family above all else. All of the things I have are not from luck, or even from hard work, but from God's amazing grace. This holiday season, when so many people give thanks for the material items they receive, I have to acknowledge that my most precious possessions cannot be bought in dollars.

Lord, thank you so much for the gifts you have given me: my children and Seth. Thank you for blessing me.

"Why you gotta be so mean?" ~Taylor Swift

When you upset Taylor Swift, she will make you famous in a song. Well, when you upset me, I will write a blog about you. Now, you won't be made famous because I am certain I can count my regular readers on one hand, but I feel better after getting my thoughts out. :)

Insecure people are very dangerous to others. They want you to question yourself. They want you to feel as bad about yourself as they do about themselves. A year ago, I was easily influenced by these types of people. I not only let them insult me, but I actually believed them.

I have grown so much this year and I know it is because of God's influence on my life. I have chosen to put Him first and by spending time with Him daily and consulting Him throughout the day, I am able to deal with these types of people more effectively.

But we are all human, and sometimes the insecure ones around us can strike a nerve. This recently happened to me. I let some one's hurtful words get to me. Instead of turning to God, I turned to another person, who also decided also to be hurtful, instead of helpful. Finally, I went to the Lord, who calmed me and pointed me in the right direction. One more phone call to a trusted person and I received the counsel I needed to hear. (Thanks, Trish!)

God likes to test us. When you get settled in your ways, He will throw challenges at you, just to keep you on your toes! I'm a circle (if you don't know what I mean here, see my old blog post about circles here: http://powerfulpositiveperson.blogspot.com/2010/08/im-circle.html)

Circles like to just nod and smile and do as they are told, but as I follow God, I am learning that he wishes for me to stand up for myself. He is putting these challenges before me to test my strength.

Lord, please give me the strength to stand up for myself and the confidence to believe in myself and my abilities when faced by those who wish to do me harm.

The Season of Reason

I love the Christmas Acura commercials. Seth was so annoyed with me the other day when I insisted he couldn't channel surf because one of my favorite commercials was on. Here it is:






It is so easy to get caught up in the stockings and the lights and the festivities.

But Christmas is not about the "stuff" or even the family get-togethers. It's about Jesus coming into this world to save us.

Even in my own family, we have four different family Christmas get-togethers. FOUR?! Seriously, that seems a little excessive. Especially since two of them are planned on Seth's birthday. He claims it doesn't bother him, but I know it does. His birthday is typically forgotten among the Christmas mayhem.

There was but one Christmas....the rest are just birthdays for Jesus! Let us continue to remember the reason for the season!

I'm a Mama Grizzly

I have never really been into politics. I grew up in a conservative family, so naturally, I swayed towards the conservative side myself. I have become even more conservative after I started my own family. But I have never really felt strongly about our nation's state....until recently.

I'm not an Obama hater. I think his intentions are good, but I strongly disagree with our government having to give so much support to its people. As Thomas Jefferson said, "A government big enough to give you everything that you want is big enough to take away everything that you have."

Would it be great if everyone had health insurance? Of course it would! Would it be awesome if everyone had enough food on their tables to feed their families? Absolutely. But do I think that it is the government's responsibility to see to it that these things happen? Absolutely not!

Here's where I lose some people....where are our churches? Haiti....Africa....Ecuador. What about Murchison, TX? What about Athens or Tyler? There are people right in my own backyard that need a new home built or food on their table. I have students in my classroom who do not own a warm coat. I have students who come to school in dirty clothes everyday. But we have churches sending people around the globe to build homes. Please don't misunderstand...I think those trips are great, but what about the people right here at home that are in need?

The founders of our country looked at everything on a much smaller, local scale. It was a different world, a different time.

But maybe we need to go back to that mentality. It's not the government's job to take care of everyone. This just causes your people to become lazy. Why would you go to work when you are being paid to stay home?

I am not saying people do not deserve assistance. But what if they were getting it by a knock on the door, rather than a check in the mail? There's something about looking your donor in the eye that just might make people more appreciative of what they receive.

What do YOU think?

If he's anything like Daddy ;)

This song goes out to my little boys. Lord, help us. :)

Do no evil

“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:10-12

He trusts me. But Seth knows me and my mouth tends to run. I am usually kidding, but those who know me well, have heard me rant about Seth.

"So, there I am, chasing two naked boys covered in bubbles around the living room, while Seth obliviously lays on the couch, and actually has the nerve to turn UP the volume on the football game he's watching on TV!"

or

"Oh yeah, you want us to come to a marriage retreat? Sure! Come on over about 2am, and we will drug and duct tape Seth so we can get him there."

I have the intention to be a good wife and do no evil to my husband, but my sarcastic nature tends to get me in trouble there.

The truth is that I have a great husband. He is funny and smart. He tells me what he expects of me, as a wife and as a mother, and he stays on me when he (& I) know I am not being the person I need to be. He is affectionate and sweet behind closed doors, so as to not tarnish his precious "tough guy" rep, which I find so adorable.

I do need to work on not speaking negatively about Seth to others, but I find it easy not to betray him. I love him dearly and I would never want to hurt him or our family. It saddens my heart to see other wives who do not cherish their husbands and their marriages.

No wife is perfect, no marriage is perfect, but let us strive to be the best we can for our husbands.

Just deal with it!

"There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right." Psalm 106:3

Deal with others, but do what is right.

I have never been a confrontational person. The holidays can be a difficult time for people like me because we rarely express our desires outright, whether it be where we should celebrate or what dish we should bring or simply what we would like as a present. I have been working on speaking my mind more directly to others, but there is a delicate balance in saying what you think.

As I am having to teach my young children, you cannot always say what is on your mind, as that is not always the polite thing to do, nor the wisest decision in some cases. Mann recently got in trouble for addressing an elderly gentleman as, "Old man!" Mann's defense was of course that "the man was old," and it was challenging to explain why this wasn't appropriate to a stubborn 3 year old.

Such a decision came upon me today as I was having a discussion with Seth's grandfather. So badly did I wish to speak directly and honestly to him, but I gritted my teeth and smiled and nodded as he spoke. What I had to say would hurt others and it wasn't my place to say anything, but it sure was a difficult task to make the wise choice.

Dealing with people and choosing your words wisely are important lessons to learn and even at 30 years of age, I am feeling like a beginner! When should I speak and when should I stay quiet? Should I say my opinion about where and when we should celebrate the holidays or do I just go with the flow? And why do people get so upset and wound up about the little things? Even if your intentions are GOOD sometimes, people can misinterpret your words.

It's all just very exhausting, so I guess the only fool-proof solution is to ask God and wait for guidance. Letting Him guide my words and my dealings with others is the wisest move I can make!