Worried

I am worried for a family member. He has made some bad decisions that have put him somewhere he does not belong. I pray with my whole heart and soul that he will ask God to give him another chance and that God will show mercy.

All we can do now is stick together as a family and stand firm in helping him climb out of this hole; give encouragement and support.

I am thankful for my relationship with God; it has allowed me to see hope and light in this darkness. It literally makes my stomach hurt to think about it. I don't want to go into detail because it isn't my business to be saying. All I can do it pray and give it to God.  This morning I saw this:

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (NLT).1 Peter 5:7

Thank you God, for the words on encouragement.

Have a bless day friends.

Sweetly Broken

I heard this song yesterday and I am in love with it... I would recommend looking it up and listening to it. I wish I knew how (or even if I could) post video on my blog, because I would totally post this one!! :)

Jeremy Riddle - Sweetly Broken

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

A Perfect Word

This morning, I was (kind of still am) missing Holly. For some reason, she is on my mind and I couldnt shake it. So I did 'what I do' and I wrote to Mrs. Janet and told her I was missing Holly. (She always has a good cup full of inspiration for me, and this morning was no different). She simply said "I am praying for you. I pray the Lord will come to you today and you will sense His great love for you. Look for Him in unexpected ways today."

Ok, now either she is psychic or God just that good?!?! YES HE IS!!

First of all, I am totally blessed and lucky. My life isn't perfect but I feel His presence and his blessings all around me.

Secondly, I am having lunch with Meagan and Haley....so looking forward to that. :) That will definitely clear my mind.

And finally, (the reason for the blog ) I check my facebook page and there it is....like a beaming light from God saying "Miranda...read this, soak it in. You need this right now. Use it and move on!" It is a post from 'She Cooks'.

When something robs you of your peace of mind, ask yourself if it is worth the energy you are expending on it. If not, then put it out of your mind in an act of discipline. Every time the thought of "it" returns, refuse it.~Kay Arthur~

When I think of Holly...it only creates bad feelings. Sure the intent behind my thoughts and feelings is good, "why cant we be friends", "I miss her"..yada yada yada..." But they make me feel bad inside. I know that it is satan trying to make me feel depressed about loosing a friend. It is satan trying to make me feel sad and lonely inside.

But I am not sad and lonely. I AM HAPPY!!!  I have great friends, great family, a great God. What more can I ask for. I have peace of mind....when I don't think about her. So I will refuse thoughts and press on. :) 

That word came at the right time to the right person.

Ok, I am done for today! Have a blessed day friends.

Sunday School Breakthrough

I had lunch with Mrs. Janet on Friday and so much enjoyed it. She gives me hope and encouragement. :) We talked about all that had happened that week, including my amazing experience with getting a perfect word from God on Sunday night. (I blogged about it....titled "Feeling Alone".) Saturday night, she text me and asked if I would mind sharing that in Sunday School, that she thought I should and that it would be a great start for me opening up. I prayed about it and decided that if the chance came up, I would.

Sunday morning came and I sat in Sunday School...waiting. Janet started the lesson and it was about 'when you get discouraged, do you go to the Lord or to "other idols".? (It seemed like she made that lesson just for me.) I knew that I would be saying what had happened. I was still feeling really nervous and anxious, thinking that maybe there was a slight chance that I didnt have to say anything, that maybe Mrs. Janet would forget...ha ha ha. Then Mrs. Janet said "I had lunch with Miranda this week and she told me about a discouraging experience she had and the amazing word she got from God, and I was hoping that she would share that with us this morning." I said, yes I will....and right then at that moment I got hot and flustured.

The second I started talking was the second I started crying. I hadn't expected to cry. I had prayed about God giving me the courage to speak up but crying never crossed my mind. I can write a blog about it and not cry....but speaking to a group of people who have what I want so badly was MUCH harder than I thought.

I had practiced what I would say but forgot all of it. I had points I wanted to make but cant remember if I made them. I saw a few friends with tears in their eyes and that made it touch my heart even more. I tried to explain why I felt dicouraged and the great word God gave me, but not sure if I did. You see, I was shaking inside and when I was done talking, I couldnt remember what all I had said. 

After that, I was super emotional during Sunday School and service. When Mrs. Janet said the closing prayer for us, she prayed for Brandon. And yep, you guessed it...I cried like a desperate child of God. 

My Sunday School class is full of amazing people. This is has opened a door to my heart. Right now it seems like a very heavy door; it certainly take some effort to open. But will TOTALLY BE WORTH IT!!!

So, thank you to all who listened to my crying, mess of a story. I hope it was understandable. Thank you for the encouraging words (Meagan and Julie), they mean a lot to my heart.

I originally titled this blog "Sunday School Breakdown" but it wasnt a break down, it was a breakthrough.

My sweet treat!!!

Peanut Butter Cupcake!

What makes my heart happy!

Today is already a great day....it is going to keep getting better.

I have a lunch date with Mrs. Janet at Jason's Deli (I always say "Jason's Deli get in my belly")!!!

Then going to pick up cupcakes from Bake Cupcakes for us ladies at work!! Peanut butter treat for me? Why I think I will!

Slow by steady day at work, makes me happy!

The best part of my day comes around 345....when I pick my love bug up and give him a kiss!

We will go home and I get my "clean on". Yes, thats right...I said it...cleaning makes me happy!  Tonight we will relax and watch movies in a clean house...my ultimate favorite! :) 

This weekend is going to be good. I will put highlights in my sisters hair...sure hope that goes according to plan! LOL. My moms dogs will keep Landen occupied...he loves them so much, he loves all dogs that love him!  He can follow them around all day! No, we are not getting another dog. We already have two and I cant help that they dont care for Landen much! lol Mazzie is an uptight, crazy female and Dexter is just an old man that doesnt care! lol  I cant wait to hangout with my boys and do whatever we please. Maybe we will go to the park and fish...that sounds good! Church we will attend Sunday and then more family time. It doesnt get any better than this.

Hope you all have a great and safe weekend. Spend it doing what makes your heart happy.

God Bless!

Thoughts to Ponder

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5: 6-10 NIV)

Amen!

Thank you

I have a good friend, Randi, who has told me a few times, "your blog is so inspiring, it touches my heart. Thank you for being brave enough to share it." I don't want to discount all the other friends who tell me that my blogs have spoken to them. Words cant even explain how hearing that touches my heart. To know that, what I write effects peoples life....in a great way, is an amazing overwhelming gift.

I have many thoughts on me being "brave"....so here they are.

It all comes down to my old and new life. I distinguish the two by before and after I knew Him.

Before I knew him, I would find myself, trying to be something that I wasn't. Trying to fit into others shoes and act like it was me. It was not obvious to me that what I was doing didn't truly fit me. I would hear someone try something, cook something, wear something and I thought that I needed to do that and see if I could, or see if it worked for me. I am sure my husband got tired of that. ha ha ha. I wouldn't say what I felt. I was scared of what others would say or think of me. I had a good life, don't get me wrong. I was happy....even caught up in all the "earthly things or earthly feelings". All of these things were not apparent to me.

I really thought that I was living my life, all awhile I needed to be living His life.

Now, I feel that I am an open book. That I know myself so much better than before. My decisions are still not perfect and I am learning as I go, what is and what isn't right for me. I am learning what I truly love and what my heart desires. Before Randi said that I was brave...I hadn't really thought about it. But saying what is on your heart for others to judge is...well it is brave. Some may be inspired by it, others my say "I don't believe she has changed...I knew the old her...."  What I say to those people is this: Do not judge, or you too will be judged. - Matthew 7:1.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. - Matthew 7:3.  What astounds me is that I don't really care what "others" think of me...or what they say...what truly matters is what He thinks of me and He loves me just the way I am. I choose to please Him.

Blogging is something that I choose to do because it gives me a chance to express myself and release my thoughts. Being open about it gives others a chance to know the new me. Some times it seems that I rattle and the thoughts just come so fast pouring out of me. So if sometimes I don't make sense; just 'chalk it up' to God pushing the words out to fast! Ha ha ha

I strongly believe that being open also lets me feel more connected to God.

My life quote is "Before I knew God, I had a good life. Now that I am a strong believer, I have a profound life.

So, THANK YOU to those of you who support me.  I will continue to write my blogs, I invite you to come along with me on this crazy, yet fulfilling and most definitely educational journey!

Start of My Journey

Today is the day that I will start working in the nursery at church. I am so excited that God has given me this opportunity to reach out and help children grow; we can grow together.. :) It is truly a blessing to me.  I am nervous because it is a break in my "routine life"; nervous because I will be teaching something that I, as a new believer, am not very educated on. It will definitely be a learning experience for me as well as the kids.

Oh and yep, you guessed it, I will be blogging about all my "nursery moments"; how could I not!

Have a Blessed Day friends! :)

Feeling alone

So the deal is that I attend church and sunday school by myself (with out Brandon).

For those of you who don't know, we have different views on religion. I don't push it because I love him and I cant change his beliefs. So there is no reason to fight my husband about it. (I cant do anything about it, but God can). I have just recently became a believer myself, in Feb of this year. I often wonder why it took me so long to find this relationship! I feel closely connected with Him.

Brandon doesn't put his beliefs on me. He doesn't try to talk me out of going to church, he is supportive of it. He believes that raising Landen in the church is the best place for him.  He lets me talk about my feelings, experiences with him and doesn't judge me. You see....he is so amazing!!

So for the past few months, I attend church alone. (My sister started going with me, which is AMAZING!!) My Sunday school class (which is also amazing) is for young couples. Everyone is a couple, except me. I have a husband, but not at church. It is so weird, awkward and emotional for me. I don't speak up in church, although I have many, many, many thoughts that I want to make, but for some reason I haven't been able to let them out. The people are so friendly and welcoming but I just cant get out of my shell. I want them to know me and see who I am but I haven't had the courage yet. So, I sit there and feel as if I am about to bust open with something to say, but yet I cant say it. Mrs Janet (my spiritual mentor and Sunday school teacher) knows the new me well. We meet all the time and talk. I am not a shy and quiet person. I just love her so much.

Yesterday while I sat in Sunday school class, waiting for it to start, it hit me. I miss my husband. He is my partner. My other half. He is the one that encourages me, makes me feel comfortable, bring the "me" out. I sat alone and missed him.

So after church, I was fine. Enjoying my family time and then later that night it started thinking of it again. I started to feel sad for my situation and almost got depressed about it.  So as we got into bed, I opened my bible. I kissed Brandon good night and when he shut his eyes, I began to pray. When I looked down to my bible, I flipped to the page in John where I left off...or where I thought I left off.

John 14:1 says "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Could it get any clearer?!?! At that  moment I froze my mind around it and began to trust in the Lord. I trust that he will see me through this and shine His light upon my wonderful husband. I can do ANYTHING through Him. He is always with me, always beside me. When I feel alone I know He is there. Having my husband there would be the ultimate gift and maybe in time, he will be. For us to be partners and parents in this life with God guiding us would be my ultimate wish.

I felt a sense calmness come over me. I wasn't worried anymore. It was like God was right there beside me in the bed saying "Miranda, Trust ME"!!!  Oh man..how powerful  it that...as I type this, I want to cry. It is just so overwhelming!!!  It is a wonderful feeling! If you are reading this and you don't have it, then I recommend you getting it!!  

I finished reading my bible and went to bed (first I posted on facebook about it because I was SO excited).

God has answered me...

I wrote a blog last Thursday, "A Strong Feeling", about having this feeling that I need to do something. That God was putting it heavy on my heart to help. I had no clue where to start but God would not let me get rid of it; that thought crossed my mind about 10 times a day for about 1 week.

I didnt find it; God brought it to me!!

Sitting in church Sunday, after service, they played a video of the nursery. It was so cute and of course Landen was in it. Seeing God work in my child's life; makes me cry. That video was awesome. The have snack time, bible time, music time, outside time. Even better is that my great friend Haley works in the nursery. She has done some amazing things for the kids. God put her in there for a reason. She is an amazing inspiration. Seeing her on the video holding Landen and reading the Bible to the kids.....overwhelmed me. 

So after the video, Haley gets on stage and speaks about how God has touched her life and how she greatly enjoys being in the nursery BUT how they need help. How they need about 2 more teachers to help teach the kids!!!

When she said that, I started to tear up and felt that pressure of needing to so something lifted off my heart! I knew at that moment that I needed to be in the nursery helping teach the kids about Jesus.

So I talked with Haley and she said that would be wonderful. I am so looking forward to it!! :)

Thank you Haley for being so inspiring!

Thank you God for putting that pressure on me!

Father's Day

This year was Brandon's second fathers day. He is a wonderful dad. Caring, loving, teaching, nurturing, supportive, a protector, he is everything that a dad should be. I am so proud that he is the man that gets to be my child's father. Landen is a very lucky boy.

Fathers day has been something that I always overlooked. I do have a great step dad, that I have known since I was about 15-16. He has been a dad figure in my life and I am very thankful for that. Thank you Jason.

For the past 27 years, I have not celebrated Fathers Day for my father. I have not known him as a father. My "relationship" with him as been a very rocky one. He would come into our lives and then leave. When he would leave, I would hold it against him and it would be one more cut in my heart. After a while all the feelings I had for him were hurtful and bitter. My sister would always be the one to give him another chance. I just couldn't do it. I knew that I would get hurt again and didn't want to go through that over and over.

Once I became a mother, I felt that I needed to protect my son from dissapointment over his grandpaw coming and going. I didnt want Landen to feel the pain that I had....after all, Landen has a Papa J that he loves very much. But my father is missing.

I would fight with my heart, "I want to know my dad, but I cant let him hurt my family."  My dad says that he has changed and that he wants to make an effort to be a dad and grandpaw.  That is music to my ears, if he can hold true.

Before I found Jesus, I really had no intentions of really ever having my dad back into my life. (Saying that now, I realize how sad I am about it.)

I forgive my dad. I forgive him because Jesus forgives. I will give him a chance and pray that Jesus will work in our lives. I have said some hurtful things to my dad. Those things may have been true but he didnt need to hear them from me; I am sure that he felt those things every day of his live.

While I am super nervous to mess this up, scared that he will leave again or "loose intrest" and anxious to step out of my comfort zone. I need to start this journey with my dad, I pray for the best. The road to distroying the relationship was rough, I am sure that the road to repairing it will be rough too. To start building a father/daughter relationship at the ripe age of 27, is going to be hard. We have a lot of time to catch up on. Slow and steady wins the race. 

So dad, if you are reading this.....Im ready. I want to say that I love you and mean it. I havent said it because I dont, I cant force a lie.  However, I want to fix that.  

Perfectly said...

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Gal. 6:9...Sometimes one little spark of kindness is all it takes to reignite the light of hope in a heart that's blinded by pain.~Barbara Johnson~

Just what I needed to hear.

A Strong Feeling...

All week I have had this feeling of "I wanna do something more". I dont know where to start. My mind keeps saying "you need to do something more.....do something more....." I dont know if that means, I need to sell, create, build, teach, ect.  I am not a mind reader but I know my heart is telling me that I need to put my abilities somewhere to touch others. I have no clue what that would be; or where the first step would be to finding out what I want to do. I feel anxious and nervous when I think about me stepping out of my comfort zone but on the flip side, when I think about helping others or doing something else....I get excited.

It kind of feels like I am at a stand still and need to extend my hand.  If anyone who reads this has any idea (any at all), please comment and let me know. I would love any and all advice.

Each day the feeling grows stronger and I might explode if I dont figure out something soon! :)

Im a Big Boy Now!!

My sweet Landen totally emptied his bladder in the potty this morning!!  YAY!!!!  He is wearing pull ups and we are going to start working on this potty training thing!  He shows major interest in it, so we need to take that and motivate him!! 

One more sign of my baby leaving...ha ha ha.  I am sad but so very excited for the things to come!! 

To bad we are at home sick today.

He woke up with a fever of 102.5 :( but it is down to 100.2 and he is acting fairly normal, just sleepy......I am hoping that it isn't tonsillitis again. 

It feels weird being home and just relaxing. I find myself feeling anxious to get back to work. Wait a minute.....that feeling didn't last long...I found many things I would like to do. :)

Have a great day friends!

Today...

Today I am sad that my baby boy is growing too fast.

Today I am sad that I wont have my new born; cant sleep through the night; needs me every 3 hours; just sitting up; learning to "army crawl"; taking his first step; needs mommy to feed him Landen again.

I love the moments we have now, but to think back to when he was so dependent on me and know that those days are gone; it makes me sad. Now he is dependent on me for "big boy" things: to teach him morals, manners; his respect towards others; discipline, the word of God...the list goes on and on.

I cherished each and every moment when he was a infant; but looking back, I would have cherished them even more. I wouldn't have complained...just enjoyed the moment and situation we were in. 

I love my son with all my heart. He is the joy of my life. God blessed me beyond measures when He gave me Landen. 

I love the feeling in my heart when I think about picking him up from daycare and he runs to my arms saying "momma" over and over again!  I now cherish every moment, just a little bit more.  I make sure that I am in the present with the two most important people in my life.

I am so very thankful that Landen Kyne Allbright is mine and that I am his mommy!!!!

MOMMY LOVE YOU LANDEN!!

Wendsay Food for Thought

Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love... ~Col. 3

I have always loved this verse, it says so much. It takes a faithful and humble person to forgive others that have offended you. My life is too short to hold grudges. These are things that I work on everyday, with each day becoming easier than the last. May you all have these qualities as well, for mixed together they create an awesome soul.

Unbroken Promise

[I was thinking about the ultimate promse I made this morning and wanted to get some thoughts off my chest, so thanks for listening.]

About 1 month ago, I wrote a blog called "Open Hands".  In the book from our church, the passage that "spoke to me" was on day 29, "Open Hands, living a generous life':

What are you grasping tightly...trying to keep under your control...unwilling to give to the Lord? Perhaps its a relationship? a possession? a plan, a goal, or a dream? Maybe its an attitude of bitterness you should have release months ago? Perhaps God isn't able to bless you because your hand isn't open to receive his blessings.

     A closed hand is based on the faulty assumption that we know more about what;'s best for us than our all-knowing God who's wisdom is unfathomable. An open hand, however, reflects the humble awareness that the Lord Jesus can do more than we can do and that His plan for us is better than any we can devise. An open hand says "Lord, You know how precious this thing is to me, but I acknowledge You as more precious. You have a greater plan for my life, and I don't want to miss it by clinging to my own tarnished treasures. I am opening my hand to You in surrender and trust."

So, I did what I said...I wrote her an apology and stepped far away. I gave God the reins and control of our relationship. This is a true testament to my faith in Him. I want our friendship back so badly....but I know that He has a good plan for me; a plan that wont hurt me, that will guide me, build a better me and open more doors for me. Maybe down the road in the future His plan involves her; but right now it doesn't. I made a promise to Him, "not to try anymore, not to try and fix our friendship. Just let go." 

I am not going to lie, it is hard. I want to talk to her, but I am not. Every time I think of her and I think that "maybe she will respond with a kind heart if I contact her", I don't! I remember that promise I made to Him and I wont break it. It is testing my faith in Him...I accept the challenge. Even though it is harder some times than others, I wont break that promise.

What hurts the most (and probably what is holding me back) is that she has let go so easily and it doesn't seem to be bothering her, having that feeling makes it that much harder for me (the feeling of the ending of our friendship is only hurting one of us).

But with the help and guidance of Him (and my amazing family) I have learned that "I can grieve over loosing my best friend, and it will take a long time, but what I will NOT do is to let it affect my life. I refuse to let it get my attitude down and make me sad, to where I damage what I have in front of me. I have grown so much through this; I hate that I had to go through it at all; I guess what I should say is "Thank you Holly".

She had said that she wanted space and time; she now has it; I intend to keep my promise to Him.

I know God is GREAT!!!!  God is GOOD!!!!  I am BLESSED and LUCKY!!

Have a great day friends! :)

Scentsy Bulbs

Here is the deal....I got two plug in burners a loooooooong time ago. The bulb in one has burnt out but the other is still burning bright. So, I replaced it. I got a big warmer for a house warming gift and the bulb burnt out, so I replaced it! After about 4 days, I noticed that the big warmer isn't melting right and the plug in isn't melting at all.....Who knew that you had to replace it with a "scentsy bulb"?!?! It isn't melting the wax and it had become apparent that I need to get some new Scentsy special bulbs. ha ha ha 

So.. for those of you who know...do I need to order them from Scentsy or just get a special kind from the home depot store? Please help if you know. I want to smell the amazing "White Sand" wax again!!! 

Fabulous Friday!

[Let me start off with some notes about yesterday. It was a great day, had lunch with my husband and had a great day at work. For some reason, when I got off work, I fell into a slump with a bad attitude. I tried not to show it on the outside, but on the inside I wanted to SCREAM! It was the little things....Landen throwing his cup while driving down the road and then screaming at me to get it. Even though I explain to him that momma is driving and cant get it, he continues to scream. Why cant he just understand what I am saying...ha ha ha! For the last few days he has been in a really fussy mood...morning and night. We don't know what it is but I want my Landen back..PRONTO!! I had to go by Wal-Mart, my sisters house and then back across town to pick up Brandon from work, while his truck is in the shop. The whole time Landen was yelling because of this, because of that.....he wouldn't stop. So that made my mood worse. Then, it was like God told me that he is my son, I am to teach him what is right and what is wrong. I cant teach him not to yell but yelling at him or with showing him attitude. It was a valuable lesson for me. Even though my first reaction is to yell back or pop an attitude, I am so blessed and I need to be more gracious in how I deal with my rambunctious 19 month old!  :) He learns from me and I need to watch myself, because just when you think he isnt looking at you....that is when he picks up on what you are doing. ]

So today is FRIDAY!!!  Landen has his follow up appointment with Dr. Holman (asthma and allergy doctor). I am the only legal assistant at work today(...hoping that goes ok!). Then tonight is Miss Reagan's 1 year party!!!  I can not believe that she is already 1! It is a swim party, Landen is going to LOVE it. He loves to swim!! We got him a life jacket so he can go crazy in the pool. That is what he wants to do but with regular floats or me holding him...it is hard. So how he can do what he wants to. Around 730 we will take him over to my moms house and he will stay the night there, while Brandon and I go back and hang out with Melissa and Allen. I haven't seen them in forever!!!!!!  It is going to be so much fun.

We were suppose to get out family pictures taken tomorrow but had to reschedule them. I am now thinking that I want to reschedule them for October. Get Landen's 2 year pictures made while it is cool....we can do the whole family. I think its a good idea.

Sunday is church and then off to Shreveport, Brandon's mom is going with us :). We will go to Landen's favorite place to eat, Joe's Crab Shack, and the Brandon's favorite place Bass Pro Shop....hey...I think we need to go to my favorite place too...The Chocolate Crocodile! :) Naw, probably not but we will see :) It may pull me in there when I walk by! 

Monday is Brandon's 33 birthday, so we will celebrate it this weekend. I can not believe that when I met him he was 24!! Almost 10 years of knowing the best man I have ever know. He is an amazing father to our son and a terrific husband. He is caring, loving and supportive. He would never hurt me and I completely trust him, his decisions and motives. He knows every crazy thing about me and though sometimes he would like to change a few things, he loves me more and more every day. I am so glad that I don't have to live my life without him and that he is mine forever! May I strive each day to make our relationship even better than it was the day before. I love you Brandon! :0 Happy Early Birthday!!

To my friends, have a blessed and safe weekend.

Allbright Out!

Wednesday Food for Thought

Humble - not proud or arrogant; modest:

I love so much of James 4 that I couldnt pick just bits and peices of it...so you guys get it all!! Being humble is a great trait to have. I was convicted of this right away. I never thought of myself as better than others, but now I see it in a whole new light. Being accountable for your actions with out justifying the reasons why you did what you did. Dont defend yourself; just be more like Jesus and appologize for the wrong you have done; be humble. [If you strive to be more Christ-like, and think before you speak or act every day, then you wont have to defend yourself.] Dont exalt yourself or be arrogant about being right. Dont think that you are better than someone else because you dont agree with what they do. "Who are you to judge thy neighbor?"

It is hard to stay humble 24/7. When I slip up and let my emotions ge the best of me. It is anger or when my feelings get hurt that makes I loose the humble trait. After I have said what I didnt want to say, I cant take it back and I hurt other people. It is a loose loose situation. So...this was suppose to be a small blog about being humble....but I couldnt help it. I felt inspired. I hope you all have a great day!

James 4

Submit Yourselves to God

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

"God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Tuesday Food for Thought

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33...Who is in charge of your life? If it is you, then you have good reason to worry. But if it is I, then worry is both unnecessary and counterproductive.~Jesus Calling~

[When I was in control of my life, I had stress levels above normal. Now that God is in control, I know that He will provide and I have peace. When I was in charge of my life, I messed up the best friendship that I had. Now that God is in control, I pray he will give it back to me. When I was in control I took things for granted; now that He is in control I know that I am very blessed and lucky. When I was in control of my life, I was lost; now that the LORD is in control, I am found!!]

*Have a blessed day friends!*

Ice Cream Review

Early this morning at work, Brenda and I were talking about ice cream. She mentioned that there is a new place in the mall that does it like Marble Slab does (with the slab and mixing and I love me some Marble Slab) but that it is a off brand name. I said, ok well I will try it after I eat my sandwich.

So all morning I was thinking of this ice cream. I love food and get excited about it! If anyone of you know me well, you will definitely know that! So, I ate my yummy sandwich and off I went.

I got there and got plain chocolate with rainbow sprinkles mixed it. I got the medium size because my eyes were bigger than my stomach, you all know how that goes! I take my first bit and ......blah....its not that good.....really?......$4 bucks for this.....never judge something by what you first see, so I ate more; maybe the next will be better. But it wasn't! LOL. It was ugh, ok but store bought is way better. So, I will buy a carton at walmart or elsewhere and bring it to work and have good ice cream when I want it!



I give it * (1 star)



Monday's Food for Thought

 As I just got the normal x-ray and blood work results back from one of my doctors (Dr. Gasic, the GI) I wonder "What is happening inside my body". The results being normal is good news, right? Well that just means that I have to do more testing to figure out what is wrong. The pains I have are worse than menstral cramps. These are very sharp! There is something most definatly going on. Even while I am taking the medication, I am still cramping. It seems like it has been happening for a long time, with little answers. Is it a cyst again, is it my colon? I was feeling sad, confussed and depressed about not having answers....then I saw this: (both from Proverbs 31 Ministries facebook page)

"When self-doubt tells me I shouldn't get my hopes up because I'll only be disappointed, I will focus on God's promise that He has plans for my life that are filled with purpose and hope (Jer. 29:11)."

"You're not alone in the waiting and hoping. He's with you 100%. {The LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. ~Psalm 32:10}"

It reassures me that I am not alone, and He does have a purpose for all this.

My pain will be healed, in due time.

What a Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was full of great memories.

First off, I kept Landen up until 730 (whoop whoop - big rebel..haha) Friday night, with hope of him sleeping past 6. It worked!! He woke up at 615!! :) Happy momma!

Saturday, I made us breakfast and we cleaned the house. Mostly I did the cleaning and he did the "taking stuff back out" ha ha ha. It was fun! We did some errands and  I couldnt let my flowers in the front yard die, so Landen and I watered them. While I was watering them, he wanted to run through the water.....so.....momma let him have it!!! It was so much fun! He was fully clothed but loved every minute of it. We played in it until my mom and neice showed up....then we played in it some more. He would take the srapyer and attack us with it!! He thought is was hilarious! I have many pictures of that, just havent had to time upload them to facebook yet. After his nap, we went to chick-fil-a (my faviorite) and went shopping (also my favorite). Us three ladies wore him out....he took a nap and when he woke up...DADDY WAS HOME!!!  YAY!!!  It was so sweet because he was sleeping in my arms...that NEVER happens. He had woke up from his nap crying, so I figured it was time for him to get up...he had other plans. He fell asleep in my arms, on the couch. I loved every single second of the 20 minutes! He has not done that since he was about....lets see....5-6 months old. It is a memory that sticks out in my head, I will never forget that! The little things make my heart so very happy. When he saw his daddy sitting there, he was so happy!!  Brandon and I cooked steaks for dinner and caught up with each other. Saturday was a wonderful day. :)



Brandon and his sting ray. It was a 25 minute fight to get him in but it was well worth it!! SO COOL! GO BABY!!



Sunday, I decided to skip church so that I could have a day with my boys. I was being a little selfish....I missed my husband!  So we did our errands, watched Gnomeo and Juliet. It was really cute and Landen really liked it. He sat there about 85% of the time (which is HUGE for him). So he must have really liked it! It was a sweet moment, Landen sitting between us on the tiny couch. We were all snuggled up close! :) A perfect family moment. Landen showed daddy how he loves to play with the water hose. He also shower him how good he is at spraying people! :) He got to swim int he afternoon. loves it but he kept wanting to stand up and flop down. He is not allowed to do that and would not listen to us, so that was cut short.



Brandon made homemade cinnamon rolls.....they were great!!

We made dinner for an awesome couple in my Sunday School group (Sidney and Allison). They just had twin girls (Rylie and Reagan). Those little girls are so cute...and so tiny!! Only 5 pounds now, they are growing great! I haven't known Sidney and Allison long but they are wonderful people. Their oldest daughter, Maddie, was so sweet to Landen. She is almost 3 and was showing him her room and all her toys! He loved it!  to bad when it thundered he would freak out and come running to his daddy! It was a blessing to be able to cook them dinner....ok, so the chicken we brough was cooked by Albertsons, but we did cook the mashed potatoes and green beans! LOL

Landen helped us make tacos last night...he is such a big boy. He is now more flexable with this night time schedule. That is a wonderful thing because now we can do more things!!  Our family is perfect....I am so blessed and lucky to have them!

Today I am going to call and hopefully get results from all the test that I did last week. I hope so because my bloos sugar was so up and down all weekend. lowest was 65 and highest was 103. At 65, I was bad but not as bad as I have been lately. I cant let me self get that bad just to see what the number is! My cramps are still here and bad. My stomach is still in knots and my colon is stil spazzing. I have been having a abnormal period for about 3 months now and this month is no different....Oh man, I am falling apart and I am only 27!!  At least I have good insurance to get me through this. We still get those medical bills that are not pretty but it is so much better than $30,000 for an appendectomy!! WHOA!!  I know I am blessed.



I died my hair.....a light brown that would take the darkness out...hahaha, I dont think my hair wants to change colors! So I will forever and always be a brunette , the way it was intended!





*Have a great and blessed day friends.*

Update from Doctor

Went to see my doctor and he suggested me getting a glucose meter so that I can test my blood sugars when I am crashing; so we can identify that this is for sure hypoglycemia and nothing else since I am having other problems too. I told him about my heart palpitations and he did an EKG (results are unknown). He took blood so he could test for all kinds of things. I am anxious to hear the results. I didn't get out of there until 11! But when I told my doctor that I was feeling better than I had expected; he said that hypoglycemia is very unpredictable. It will come and go sporadically. 

I cant wait for Brandon to get back home. I miss him :( So does Landen! Every morning when I go get him out of bed, he acts like he wants it to be his daddy. I let him know that it is me or no one and he eventually gives in and lets me pick him up! Hard headed little boy!

Landen has developed a rash around his face. I wasnt sure what it was from until last night. For dinner every night this week, he has been eating my chicken tortilla soup (which he loves and it is so cute watching him eat it...he does pretty good - the mess is never too big). Last night I realized that the soup is causing the rash. When he eats it, it gets all over his face and sits there. The acid from the tomato must be breaking him out. So last night I tried to keep his mouth clean, and this morning it looks better! Score 1 for mom!

Looking forward to getting home with my boy and putting on our pajamas! I think that we will have a pajama party (if he is in a good mood and wants too...ha ha...he kinda decides what we do or don't do).

Tacos for dinner. Landen loves my taco meat (or anyones taco meat) so dinner will be a hit! :)

*Have a great and blessed weekend friends.*

Friday Food For Thought

"Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him." Ps. 37:7a..If you want to hear God's voice clearly and you are uncertain, then remain in His presence until He changes that uncertainty. Often much can happen during this waiting for the Lord. Sometimes he changes pride into humility; doubt into faith and peace...~Corrie Ten Boom~

I love this!!  Speaks to me so clearly!

Hypoglycemics Nightmare...

It is a hypoglycemics worst nightmare to have to be fasting until 930!! This morning I have a 930 appointment (so I actually wont get to eat until probably 11...yep, I am doomed.) to get my blood tested (and doctor visit) for hypoglycemia, anemia, diabetes and/or other things.

I have been fasting since midnight. Oh but you know that I sure did set my alarm for 1130, woke up and ate! LOL I had to, other wise there would be no way I would make it past 930 without eating. Even though I ate at 1130, I am still weak, hungry and I feel the crash coming. Wish me luck!

Yesterday my lovely sister informs me that on our dad's side, we have diabetics. I didn't know that; not surprising because I don't know much of anything about my dad's side. I told my doctor that we were diabetic free. Oops. I know that doesn't mean that I will be, just means that my chances are higher. I feel bad all the time. I hate it. I would like to get it under control so that I can live normally and not have to worry about where I will be when it is time to eat, and if I will have food. My head always feels foggy and dizzy. Oh Boy!

[I have a lot more to say on other subjects, my chest feels heavy right now, but I am not ready to say it yet. I am missing people, trying to figure out some things in my head, praying to God about it and praying it is in His will to make the outcome the one I want. I know it will be a good one either way, but I really want the one I want! LOL Dont we all! When I worry, I turn that worry into prayer.]

  Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful. - Colossians 4:2

                

 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34

Food for Thought:

Trust that whatever action God is taking - or not taking - in your life right now is for your highest good. God knows what he's doing. ~ Marilyn Meberg~

It is hard to let go and not control the situations in our lives that we "want to fix". But the best thing you can do is trust the Lord, for he will never leave you and only wants the best for you.

It is especially hard for me to "live by the words I am preaching" but I try and I try hard each and every day! One day at a time!!! He has a purpose, put your trust in Him, and He will show it to you!

Gastroenterologist Visit

I'm slightly nervous and anxious today....I am going to see a gastroenterologist this morning. I am still having cramping pains (like before they removed my appendix) and so now my doctor thinks that it has to be GI related. We will see....only God knows whats in store. I have been cramping for about 3 weeks now and they are not stopping. I didn't say anything at first because I thought, that it was in my head and wanted to make sure that it was legit, because "how could I be cramping when they removed the problem?". Well obviously that was not 100% of the problem.

I am also having more troubles with my blood sugar. I went to the doctor two weeks ago and he suggested life style changes, such as eating healthier snacks and recognizing the times when I do crash and trying to eat before that. That had been working for a little while (a week). Well this past weekend was not good at all!!! Crashed so hard that I was dizzy and almost fainted. Once I do get to eat, I was shaking so bad I couldn't hold the fork still. When I finally do eat, I eatway more than I should because the "normal" portion does not satisfy the crash needs. Then once I am back up and running normally again, I feel miserable because I ate more than my stomach can handle. Which then lead to another crash because I didn't need to eat for a while, my belly was full but my body needed more.....SO CONFUSING!!!

So one crash Friday night, two Saturday and one Sunday and mini ones off and on. It takes a long time to recover from them. Being hypoglycemic is no joke man. This is no bueno! So I go Friday morning to get my blood checked to make sure that I am not anemic or becoming diabetic. I wish that the appointment was sooner (I could have chosen an appointment for Thursday, but I cant fast until 11:10....not unless they want to to pass out!) So Friday morning it is.

And no top of all this, Brandon is out of town until Saturday. So I need to make sure that I eat right and stay on top of it, so that me and my baby boo can make it! :)

Have a greatly bless day!

Miranda