I had a conversation the other day in which some odds facts about me came up. The laughter that ensued made me think some of my stories would bless you with smiles. This is a little weird to just write about me, BUT you will at least have some ammo to use after you’re finished reading.
“Biggest” doesn’t really work grammatically with all of these but ya know- whatever!?!? Read the rest of this entry »
It’s 9:00 pm on Wednesday evening. Our carpets are getting re stretched in the morning and I had planned on shampooing them tomorrow afternoon myself.
However…. I JUST found out that the entire youth group is invited to our house tomorrow night!!! Steven and I had talked about starting an “Office” party and have kind of an open house every Thursday when it comes on. Mind you we had talked about it. I thought it was starting next fall or something… Nope guess not- it was announced Sunday in class and then tonight at the youth service! (I must have stepped out during announcements). I got the memo at 9:00 tonight. YAY!!!
I’m rejoicing that I found out today I guess, and not tomorrow afternoon. So hey– if any of you are up for hot dogs and some hard core watching of “The Office” come on over! We’ll have a crowd and it’ll be good to see you- my carpets will at least be clean. =)
My husband is the greatest!! (sarcastic smile inserted)… My husband IS the GREATEST!! (all sincerity added too) He loves people like I do so it makes it all good!
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Nothing terribly exciting around here. Just cleaning and more cleaning and still a messy house.
~However, yesterday I did find my cell phone laying in the grass in the back yard. It had started to draw condensation, so I’m fairly certain it had been dropped there by a little girl hours before…
~Steven and I made a couple of visits last night after supper. As we were driving around, Eli let out a big sigh from the back seat and proclaimed, “Mom, my underwear are KILLING me!” — We got the giggles from that comment!! It was definitely not what we were expecting from our 3 year old.
~Rosco (the family dog)- who I haven’t mentioned in awhile also caused a bit of trouble. Eli left his shoes in the backyard and I guess Rosco thought is was time for a good chew, because he chewed them to pieces!!
So like I said nothing much happening~ Just a normal day with my kidos!
Okay so I’ve been thinking on the names of God I posted yesterday. Steven and I were talking about it and he reminded me of something I learned years ago. It may be old news to you, but I had forgotten to be reading like this so I didn’t think it was a bad idea to post it.
Have you ever noticed that in Scripture the word “Lord” is written two different ways? You will find it like this “LORD”- all caps- and “Lord”- lower case letters-. Go ahead- check it out!
The first one is the proper name of God- it is the English word for Yaweh. The second one is actually the noun for Master or teacher.
So it’s like this- as Stephanie L. Smithson is to me, LORD is to God. It’s His name above all names. In other words it’s the name on His “birth certificate” (that is if He had one and hadn’t existed forever with no beginning or end=).
The second one is as girl is to me, Lord is to God. It’s what He is. He is the master and teacher but it’s not his personal name.
The excerpt below is the first three verses of Psalm 100 – try reading it knowing that it is God’s personal name that is used. See if it makes a difference to you.
1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD (yawheh) , all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD (yahweh) with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD (Yawheh –not mu hammed, Buddha, Joseph Smith ect.), He is God;
I LOVE that– I’m on a first name basis with Yaweh in every passage that “LORD” is used. Very humbling! What a great reason to lift my hands in worship!
The dreaded moment came and went today. I’m still alive and well so I guess it wasn’t sooooo terrible.
The nursery workers stopped me as we were leaving Eli’s class. They politely stated that they needed to ask me about something Eli kept saying. “He kept repeating it over and over again,” they said. “OH DEAR!!!”, I thought. They continued, “Bow chicka wow wow is his endearing phrase. Does he know what that means?”
… sigh… yet another thing he learned from the youth department! Actually Eli overheard a youth WORKER (who I will graciously allow to remain nameless) say it, not a student. Thankfully I’m told that the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie has a song or something that says that, so for uninformed bystanders we are hoping they will just think that he learned it from them. I was so grateful that the nursery workers thought it strange but humorous, at least todays workers did. I don’t know what next weeks will think…
Eli, mommy, and daddy will be having a talk.
We had a 
powerful service today at church. The choir special was a song called “Lord You’re Holy.” Pretty much it’s the names of God put to music- people were standing before we ever made it to the middle of the song!!! I can reflect upon so many different seasons of my life and remember different names of God that I called on. Each and every one of us is in a different season and wonder which name might mean the most to you right now. (The writing at the side of the page is the Hebrew lettering for Yaweh.)
I thought this list of God’s names was extensive so attached it here: Read the rest of this entry »
Eli took off his sandal while we were traveling today due to a “polka dot” that was bugging him. It took me a minute to figure that one out… Turns out one of his sandals was rubbing him wrong. We covered the irritated place and that took care of his “polka dot.” Yay for spider man bandaids!
My sister-n-law is an amazing person! I couldn’t ask for better!!! She is talented at so many things and has a heart like non-other to serve those around her. But one of the things I want to share with you is that she is also the best green bean cooker in the world- no joke– in the WORLD!!!! I asked her if I could share her recipe with you and she said “yes.” These green beans are to die for! (not really… but I needed an expression with great emphasis =)) You’ve GOT to try them–
Here’s the recipe- GREEN BEAN BUNDLES
2 cans of whole green bean
1/4 cup of butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. worcheshire ( I can’t spell this)
6 pieces of bacon
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In saucepan melt butter, sugar, and worcheshire sauce. Bring to boil. Set aside. In 9×13 pan bundle green beans with bacon and tooth pick. Pour sauce on top. Bake 30 minutes. Broil @ least 2 minutes to crisp.
* these are so good that I ALWAYS double it when I make for more than two people. You won’t have any left- trust me!
Thanks for letting me share Sarah!
Life is filled with so many blessings like funny children and sunshiny days. We serve a very gracious God that desires to show us good things and does so on a daily basis.
But as so many of you know life isn’t always a happy journey. There are often times of incredible suffering. Sadly, I’ve learned from personal experience, I can easily inflict some seasons of suffering upon myself . It’s not that our Father forsakes us but He allows us to endure these times so that we may experience Him in ways that we could have never understood before. I read these verses just last week, “Am I only a God nearby?” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?, Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 23:23-24
Someone very dear to me is in this very intimate place. It’s a fragile place, a place of returning and rest. A place of getting to know God in such a tender way but also a place very new and unknown. She shared with me an excerpt that ministered to her encouragement. It’s something Beth Moore wrote after making an exodus herself from a time of bondage away from God. It’s a bit long but I thought it was worth taking the time to type. Maybe the Lord wanted me to write it just for one of you. Here it is… Read the rest of this entry »
Many of you who live near me have witnessed the fact that Monica Grace “picks” people. And once she “picks” you she normally cries when I take her away from you. I know most moms would have a melt down because the ‘normal’ child (if there is such a thing) cries for their mom to get them.
Eli loves other people too. When people come over he is constantly asking them to spend the night and promises they can sleep in his bed. If they opt out on his offer, he requests to go home with them.
My kids are definitely not “attached at the hip” as some would call it. I was okay with that until yesterday-
We went to Chick-fi-la with one of my neighborhood friends. We went early so it wasn’t too crowded for the kids to play. Within minutes Eli had made a new friend. For about fifteen minutes I could see Eli pointing through the glass telling the little kids mom (not the little kid mind you) about me and our guest. When the mom got up to leave Eli raced out to our table and with great expectancy asked, “Can I go home with them mom??” Monica was right behind him ready to load up with complete strangers.
I’m just praying that my kidos lack of “needing” me is a sign they are super well adjusted and not something negative. God give me wisdom!!
