Tuesday, September 28, 2010

How Great is Our God

How Great is our God, sing with me
How Great is our God, and all will sing
How Great, how great is our God

My mother was told by two doctors tonight that even though:

--she had 1/3 of her colon and 1 1/2 feet of her small instestines removed
--2 large tumors removed
--she had ovarian cancer in stage 3

That she does NOT have cancer.

One doctor said, "It can only be classified as a miracle. I want to cry."

The Last Thing...

The last thing my mama did for me before her cancer diagnosis was...

to dress up my door...

with a Fall wreath....

made out of the assorted junk in her craft closet....

because...and I quote...

"Baby, that ladybug thingy on your door has got to go. It looks kinda tacky. Please put this on your door so it looks seasonal, come on now. I can't have your front door lookin' bad."

Thanks mama.

But now, everytime I go through my front door,

I cry.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Thanks

It was quite a shock to learn that my mother, who is young, energetic, healthy, and full of life, has advanced ovarian cancer. We are still reeling from the news, but are resting in the embrace of our Savior. It may have surprised us, but it did not surprise Him. He is going to walk with us through this valley and sustain us when our strength and patience is gone.

We are still waiting on the pathology reports to return so we can get more details about the road ahead. She will be admitted to M.D. Anderson hospital as soon as she is discharged from the hospital in Lufkin. She is in good spirits and when you leave her hospital room, you are in a better mood than when you walked in. Sounds like my mom, right?

Please agree with us that she will be healed of this disease. The days of miracles are not over! Her life will be back to normal soon...running around chasing her granddaughter, sewing for others, and digging in the dirt.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

It Will Never Happen To Me

You never imagine that tragedy will strike your family.

You always think, "That happens to other people."

I've got news for you...No one is exempt.

No one.

My mother, who is the most loving, God-fearing, generous, caring, fun-loving, and geniunely joyful person I know, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer last night.

The pain I am experiencing is not describable with words.

The very thought of my life without her makes me cringe. It makes my stomach hurt. It makes me nauseated. The very thought of my mother not watching Sydney grow up is more than I can fathom. It makes me cry until the collar of my shirt is soaking wet. It makes me furious. It makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs.

I am a Christian. I am a strong Christian. I believe that God can and does heal. I am claiming healing right now for my mother. Will you join me? God can fix this. God can fix anything.

This is where verbal faith because physical faith.

You can "SAY" all day long that you trust God. But when a circumstance like this occurs, this is where the rubber meets the road.

I trust God to do what is best for my mother.

Will you trust with me?

Friday, September 24, 2010

Accustomed to Her Face


I've grown accustomed to her face


She almost makes the day begin

I've grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon

Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs...

Are second nature to me now

Like breathing out and breathing in

I was serenely independent and content before we met


Surely I could always be that way again and yet


I've grown accustomed to her looks, accustomed to her voice

Accustomed to her face


  

The song as only Nat can sing it...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Tuna Juice Baptismal Service

The best place to start with this story is the beginning. Yes, to get the full picture of the mayhem, the beginning would be my best bet.

I brought my dear child home from a frolicking afternoon at the park. She was dirty and sweaty head to toe, as all children should be upon returning from a playground. I bathed her, washed and dried her hair, put her in fresh, clean footie pajamas...footie pajamas with the lingering sweet smell of lavender fields courtesy of Gain fabric softener.

I proceeded to allow Miss Fresh and Clean to play in her room whilst I prepared a nutritious tuna salad. After all, Chris was on his way home from work and being my workin' man, he requested viands and beverages.

As a cat lover person, there are certain things I do instinctively. I have had felines in and or around my home since birth...except for a brief lonely period of time when I was first married and my husband refused to own a cat since, "CATS ARE NASTY." Those are his words, not mine. But being the kitty-holic that I am, I had certain habits that would not be broken...one of which is to drain off the tuna juice from tuna cans and set it aside for the dining pleasure of residential felines. Tuna juice is akin to kitty crack.

Simmy is our residential feline. Usually, as soon as Simmy hears the tuna fish can being opened, he runs with wild abandon to the kitchen and waits patiently for his tuna juice cocktail. I usually pour the juice into a small dish and within 45 seconds flat, he has lapped up his "gin and tonic" and has sauntered off fat, happy, and furry.

This evening, Simmy must have been in a comatose state because he did not bound into the kitchen; therefore, I set the rather full bowl of tuna juice (I opened 2 cans) to the side to serve to him once he became conscious again.

My freshly bathed, sweet-smelling, pajama clad child made her way into the kitchen. She is 33.5 inches tall and can reach things that are at least 5 foot high... I turned my back for one moment and then heard the sickening sound of liquid hitting the floor. You guessed it...Sydney grabbed the bowl of tepid tuna liquid and dumped it all over her head, neck, and completely soaked herself, head to toe. I turned to see her standing in a pool of fishy foam with tears and juice streaming.

I went to scoop up my Chicken of the Sea, but she ran from me (sensing impending doom) and flung minuscule tuna bits all over the cabinets and kitchen floor, down the hall, and into the bathroom.

I slung the screeching child back into the tub for Bath Numero Dos. She was not thrilled about this arrangement and began clawing her way out of the tub causing herself to fall and bump her head on the side of the tub...likewise creating more pain, wailing, and pandemonium.

Long story short....Sydney was rebathed, reshampooed, redried, repajamaed, and relieved once the fish fiasco was over.

Let's just say she went to bed early tonight.

And so will I.

As soon as I mop up Charlie the Tuna off my kitchen floor.

Where is that stupid cat when I need him? This was all his fault you know.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Bubbling Beauty

Bath time has become more fun than an amusement park.

I love the way she says, "Ba bubble!"

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Bubblicious

I was at my buddy's house and her little ones had a bubble machine in their bathtub.

I knew at once that Sydney must have one.

She absolutely has found heaven in a sea of iridiscent bubblies...
I will have to post a picture of her bubble kingdom soon.

Rush right out and get one of these if your child is between the ages of 12 mos and 12 years.

I promise you, the entertainment value of this little toy is beyond measure.



Monday, September 13, 2010

My Babies


We spent the weekend in Longview visiting wonderful friends that we've known for years.
A fantastic time was had by all.
I snapped this picture with my phone as my big baby and little baby lounged in the easy chair at the hotel.
Words cannot express how much I love these two human beings.

"God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me."

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

More Than Just a Scribble

I cried today...unexpectedly.

And no, not because my hormones are out of whack or because I was feeling weepy.

I cried tears of joy today from a thankful heart, bursting with gratitude and appreciation for what the Lord has done for me.

And if He never does anything else for me, He's done more than I can ever ask, hope, or dream because He saved my soul.

Everything else is just frosting on the cake...and I'm glad my God likes frosting. He loves blessing his people with eternal blessings that do not fade away.

I cried when I saw this paper today in Sydney's folder. It is her first official drawing. I hung it on the fridge immediately. Do you know HOW LONG I HAVE WAITED to hang a "drawing" that my child completed on the fridge? I may never take it off, since it is the FIRST one.

Doesn't look like much, does it?

But to me, it is a masterpiece.

This scribble to me screams, "ANSWERED PRAYER."

It is way more than just a scribble. It is a reminder of my miracle working, way-making, amazing God.

Can I get a witness?

Monday, September 6, 2010

Laborious Day

To the Tune of  "My Favorite Things"

And yes you must sing the song as you read my post or it won't sound right or make sense for that matter.

....with enthusiasm please..

"Laundry and lessons and washing and eating,
Gro-cery shopping that just needs completing,
I thought that I'd finally get to relax,
But not after I hung up 10 pairs of slacks.

Filing and typing and sorting and trashing,
Man this home office job 'round me is crashing,
Sometimes I think that I'm working 3 jobs,
Or maybe its just that I live with 2 slobs!

Off to Gigi's! Off to Pawpaws!
Let's go play a while!
I must remember how God's blessed my life...
And then I can't help...but...smile!"

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Bare Rear & New Career

Since we've introduced Sydney to the wonderful world of indoor plumbing, she finds it necessary to practice taking off her diaper. This disturbs me.


Although, I'm not sure what frightens me more...the fact that she CAN take off her diaper anytime she pleases...or...the fact that...

she is constantly in "REFILL" mode with the sippy cup.

*shiver*

On a completely un-Pamper related note, I am back in the swing of things behind the teacher's desk. I didn't realize how much I had truly missed teaching...I had worked as a Reading Coordinator for my local school district for a couple of years after being in the classroom for a decade.

My situation:
I am teaching 8th grade at a public charter school called Vista Preparatory Academy. It is the largest public charter in the state of Texas. Check out the website for info.

My pupils: I teach 11 lovely 8th graders...6 girls and 5 boys. They are awesome. Did you catch that number? 11. I am self-contained and teach the 4 core subjects in the mornings while their brains are still fresh and ready to receive vast amounts of knowledge. (I hear you snickering.)

My schedule: I am officially part-time and only work the morning shift which allows me to spend the afternoons taking care of the home business, playing with Sydney, running errands, sleeping, crackbooking, cleaning, putting out fires, and laying on the floor.

What I like about it: I have TONS of freedom curriculum wise. My only guide is teaching the state required skills...other than that..the sky is the LIMIT. I have many ideas for field trips, projects, and adventures for this coming year. I have access to a 15 passenger van which will allow me to take my darlings on mini field trips during the day. We are in the process of obtaining laptops for my class which allow us to be paperless and fully utilize web resources. I have zero interruptions during the class day. I am teaching like a house ablaze.

In the last week alone, we have covered: chromatography, performed a lab experiment, delved into pre-Algebra, conversions, fractions, percents, square roots, summaries, scientific method, M & M's, Reese's Pieces, conventions, learned 5 new S.A.T. words, researched places of geographic interests, tutored kindergartners, participated in a service project, studied literary elements, discussed character analysis, and enjoyed a cupcake during snack time.

Whewww...I am working harder and having more fun than I've had in a long time and Sydney is too!