Season 6 Episode 15

I know I've been kinda absent lately. Just been going through my things on a private plane. It's weird, sometimes I'm totally outgoing, others I just retreat.

Tonight I've been watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I'm not in the habit of watching it, as I just don't watch much TV. But this particular episode that aired Sunday featured Chapman. Chapman is a small town about 30 miles SE of Manhattan. When the Tornado came through back in June, before taking out a section of Manhattan, it basically completely leveled Chapman. It took out both schools, and just left a lot of people devastated.

You know, it's different watching that show, when you recognize the businesses that helped out. Most of those businesses are located in Manhattan. A lot of the volunteers came from Manhattan. And it's a fabulous thing, that the show acts as the gathering force to orchestrate the coming together of so many people, but it truly is the people, the volunteers that make that whole thing possible.

It was kinda weird also, to see the interview parts in the first section of the show that took place on Ft. Riley. My friend Chara used to live in that same neighborhood that the family lived in. I drive through another that was shown on the show a good percentage of my visits. It's just different when it's so close to home, and not a bunch of people that live somewhere else you've never heard of.

Anyhow, if you want to see what I'm rambling about head over to abc.go.com and check out Episode 15. It brought tears to my eyes more often than I'd like to admit.

New Years Resolutions

Yeah... so it seems a bit late for New Years Resolutions, but these aren't mine, they are apparently my seven year old's. Yesterday while going through his backpack, I found it, and I just had to share!

On the paper it says he's looking forward to 2009, and here's why. He'll be 8 years old, he hopes to grow 2 inches. He hopes he gets better at behaving at school (this is something he's struggling with). But at the very bottom is what made me smile from ear to ear. "This year I plan to do some of my favorite things: love on my mom."

Come on now! I want to hear all the "awwww"s. He pretends to be hard and tough on the outside, but deep down he's a softy!

Today I have two Sunday School lessons to prepare and a presentation to give to the congregation. But my mind is just not cooperating. I can't seem to focus on anything. I think it's the messed up sleep schedule that's taking it's toll on me. :(

Just sharing...

Uh-oh. Looks like I'm becoming a once a week blogger! Well, it happens to the best of us from time to time. The Lord's been working on me and I've realized I have to prioritize things in my life. With four kids, a hubby, children's ministry, crazy dog, and household duties... it just goes on and on. But you know, God is good... and as long as I continue to seek after His will, things will be all right.

I've been struggling a lot lately on my scrapbook business I'm trying to get off the ground. Okay, ex that... wanting to get off the ground, cause let's face it, I haven't spent much time on it at all. I've been feeling so much guilt over that. I don't want to give it up, because it is something I love so much, not to mention I am notorious for starting ventures and not seeing them through. But with prayer and Godly friends, I've finally come to a decision.

Our woman's group at church is doing a study about true freedom in Christ. Previously when I'd hear the word "captive" I'd think something big. Like a childhood trauma that you can't seem to shake, or drug use, or alcohol, something like that. But I've come to understand that anything in your life that does not allow you to live in the fullest riches of Christ, a Spirit filled life is a sort of captor. For me... that's my busy schedule.

Let's take yesterday for example. (Warning, I know this is already a boring post, but it's about to get worse!) Hubby's alarm went off at 4am, and I struggled to get back to sleep. Finally got up just before 7am. Get the kids off to school and return home for an hour to do speech exercises with my youngest. Head out the door to run some errands, pick up some silk flowers for the church, go to library story time with my daughter, head out to base to have lunch with my hubby, go into walmart for a few necessities. We returned home for an hour, of which I spent making sandwiches for the evening and watched a tiny bit of the inauguration activities. Then it was promptly off to pick up my children, drive out to Wamego for Kirsten's gymnastics, do homework with the boys while we're there, get Johnathan to Takewando, let Michael eat his food. Load them all back into the van allow the rest of the kids to eat while we're on our way to Michael's basketball. Drive out to meet hubby in Manhattan where we traded vehicles and thankfully (oh so very thankfully) I was able to go to women's bible study. But in a week hubby leaves, again, for six weeks, so it's back to doing it on my own. Anyhow, I return home at 9pm. A good 13 hours after I left in the morning.

Life is just busy! Sure, not all my days are spent out of the house, but there are times when I allow that busy-ness to overwhelm me. I loose my joy, loose sight of what is truly important in life. When I reach the end of my life, will my biggest regret be not pursuing my business? No. I will be happy knowing that my children had a mother that they knew without a shadow of a doubt loved them. I don't want to be that mom that is only there to yell at and correct them when they do wrong. Likewise I want to be the wife that the husband looks forward to coming home to. My family is my most important ministry. They have to come first.

So anyhow... as to my decision. I'm giving myself the six weeks hubby is gone to get my act together. With him gone I'll have my evenings to myself (that's the theory any way) and I should be able to get it all up and running. I'm praying that if God wants this in my life, then He will go before me and smooth out the bumps. If this is not something in his will, then I want a whole lot of obstacles in the way so it will be obvious to me.

Any whoo... I'm not sure where all that came from. lol I'd just like to point you to the text below the "Simply Shenanigans"... ramblings... questionable sanity... yeah. That's my disclaimer! This week, I'm praying for my friend J... may contractions come and you have that little one! My friend Lisa... praying for God's provision and peace in your lives, and a clear vision for you to return! My friend Nona... keep her, her boys (including hubby) safe. My church kids... may they get excited about the party we're going to be throwing, and the congregation as well. And myself... may I keep first things first, and second things second!

A little bit frustrated

I'm just a little bit frustrated. It seems we have this bright ideas, and they just don't come to fruition. Hubby and I had been working the phone this last week, wanting to refinance our house since interest rates are so low right now. We qualify for big loans, but we don't have enough equity in our home. So it looks like right now we're stuck with our 7. and 8. APR home loans. It's just very frustrating, because three years ago they loaned us the money for the very same house that now they're saying no to.

Yesterday I spent two hours adding inventory to my new store site. I had gotten the mental determination to do it. Then I decided to check how it was looking. Borked. It is all borked. When you click on an item it just bring up a blank page which is frustrating the heck out of me. Things that worked before now didn't, and I was upset to say the least. I walked away from it and promptly wasted an hour and a half playing on the wii. It's just got me wondering if this business is in God's plans for me. I thought it was, but maybe I was listening to my own heart and my own desires. I don't know. I'm just growing frustrated.

Oh and add the fact that something is wrong with my s key on my keyboard. I have to press it harder than normal for it to register. I'm a rather quick typer, and this just throws me off. I guess the bright side is I'll have an extra strong ring finger!

The events of today are kind of up for grabs. I have to spend time working with Caitlin on her speech patterns. Her teacher said it seemed she went backward Tuesday, so we have to spend extra time working on it at home. There's eating at school with the kids today, Taekwando, and a meeting at 7pm. Maybe add in there trouble shooting my website to see what the heck I did wrong. I really don't want to start it from scratch all over again!

Well, the first child just crawled out of bed, time to get the day going!

Weird Feeling

Well, hubby went off to work this morning. It's a weird feeling in the house, just me, my youngest and the dog. It's quiet, it's weird. On my to-do list is catching up with dishes and laundry, hopefully figuring out the shipping modules on my new website I'm building. But I'm so tempted to waste the day away. Oh... sooooo tempted.

Not a lot going on today. I think I'm going to put my Toby Mac CD in, maybe some upbeat tunes will help get me into gear.