Drought

Here in Texas, we haven't gotten much rain in the last 6 or 7 months.  People around here get excited when just a sprinkle comes down. I read in the paper the other day that we may have to go into phase 2 of the water conservation plan which would allow us to only water our yards on certain days and between certain times.  Makes sense...I appreciate that there are people out there who calculate this stuff and let us know when it is time to take some serious measures.

In the paper this morning, I read about a drought in Somalia where people were evacuating to other areas because the lack of water was so bad.  The article told about one mom who made the decision to leave her young son behind to die - she tried to get help from other travelers passing by, but nobody was willing.  Can you imagine?  Having to choose between waiting there with your son and most likely your whole family perishes or leaving him behind?  Talk about heart breaking. 

I guess it gives a whole new meaning to the word drought and what we are experiencing here in Texas.

Daddy's Little Girl

For the next week, we are taking care of our neighbor's pets and house while they are away on vacation.  They have 2 boys so as you can probably imagine their toys are a little different than ours - lots of cars, trucks, balls, etc.  Today we went over there to let the dog out and do our duties, I go about seeing that everything gets done and I don't see or hear my duaghter.  When I finally venture upstairs to their playroom, I realize she is sitting there at the pretend tool bench with all the tools out and she is fixing "something".  "Are you ready to go home?" I ask her.  She says, "Not yet, I"m still fixing this."  So, I wait.  About 20 minutes goes by and finally she says, "Okay, I'm finished, we can go." 

Her daddy would be so proud! :)

Is God That Statue?

Recently, my daughter has learned that God is everywhere.  As we are driving in the car, she asks, "Is God the road?" or "Is God that sign?"  To which I reply, "He isn't everything, He is everywhere!"  So, now she asks, as she is pointing in the air, "Is God there and there and there?"  I reply, "yes, God is everywhere, always!" 

The other day we were reading about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel.  We were talking about how King Nebachadnezzer wanted people to bow down and worship a golden statue and the 3 men wouldn't because God is the only True God!  Lilly says, with a big smile, "That is so silly, God isn't that statue"  Then, she thinks about it some more and laughs, "That statue can't help you!" 

I smile and thank God for allowing her to understand this concept. 

Tea Party

My mom started it, when we went to visit her in January, we had a tea party.  She really went all out.  It was a wonderful event with special teas and decorated cupcakes.

Then, on our visit in July, it happened again.  Another tea party, this one more fancy than the last. :)  We had name plates and honey sticks. 

When we got home, I wanted to have one with Lilly and her friends.  I wanted to make use of the tea set that our neighbor had given us after Lilly was born - I think she thought it was plastic, but it was porcelain.  Also, I wanted to practice manners and putting others before yourself.  So, today we had a tea party and Lilly invited one of her friends over.  Before her friend arrived, we talked about how we would offer everything to our guest first before taking anything for ourself. 

There were several things I need to do before my tea parties will match up to my mom's beautiful events - practice making the butter cream frosting for the cupcakes fluffy instead of soupy and getting a tea set that is actually functional instead of for show and lastly making name plates and other beautiful decorations.  All in all it was a great little party and I think the girls had a great time.

FYI - The cupcakes were a recipe my cousin taught us - you use a small package of instant pudding mix and make it like the directions say.  Then, add a box cake mix.  Stir and bake as the cake box says.  They turn out really moist and yummy!

Deleting My FB Account

So, I did it.  I deleted the account, I feel like I just lost a friend.  However, I felt this same way whenever we moved to Houston and decided not to pay for TV channels.  It is a time of withdrawal and just like any other addiction, it will take time for me to get over it, but I will get over it. 

One of my friends was concerned because she wouldn't be able to see updates on Lilly or pictures anymore and so I plan to start using my blog as a way to share those things.  Those of you who read my blog will be able to see the pictures and the updates. :) 

Now, what to do with all this free time I'm going to have?  I thought the same thing about getting rid of TV - what will I do with all my time - it is amazing how I have filled the days.  I can't even imagine having time to watch it even if we had it now. :)

My Love/Hate Relationship with FB

Arggggghhhh!  I have a problem with the amount of time I spend on fb. For some reason, I can't seem to control it.  I can limit myself to only signing on once a day, but even still it is a constant battle for me to stay away - it calls my name. In the past, I have fasted from it and it was great, but as soon as the set time was over for the fast, I was right back to it.  I had to catch up and see what I had missed.  It is literally like a soap opera for me - I can find out who is pregnant, who is getting married, who just had a baby, who bought a new house, who is taking a vacation, who is sick or in trouble...

Now, I do love that most of my friends from all over the world are on FB.  It is a great way to keep in touch with them.  Also, I use it to add people to my prayer list.  Until recently, I had an on-line accountability group on FB - we would send messages to each other about what we had read during our quiet times.  It was a wonderful group, but I felt I was using it as my excuse to get on FB.  I would say to myself, "I need to sign on and tell the group what I read"  So, I told them I would no longer be posting because I don't want to use the group as an excuse to feed into my addiction.  I know that is what it is  - an addiction. 

What is the cure?  I don't know...like I said, I have tried fasting and limiting myself, but I have little "self-control" in the area.  My next thought is to stick a post-it on my computer screen asking myself if there is a better way I could be spending my time - quiet time w/ God, cleaning something, spending time with my family, etc.  If that doesn't work, I'm afraid I might have to delete my account - I fear this option the most (reminds me of the scene in Fireproof where he demolishes the computer with a bat). 

Do you have any suggestions or things that help you?

My Husband

I am so thankful to have the husband that I have! 

He is a wonderful, godly man with many talents.  His talents have saved us many $s in repairs because he was able to fix the a/c in my car, install a 3 prong plug for our dryer, fix the circuit breaker for our dryer, and replace the break pads in my car - just to name a few. 

Ever since I met him, he's always had a strong sense of work ethic - he goes to work when he's supposed to and does what he is supposed to do.  My husband has always made it a priority to provide for his family, even when it meant sacrificing things for himself.  For example, he loves to work on cars and his dream has always been to open his own performance shop and make cars go fast.  When we moved to TX, he was going to attend UTI and pursue that dream, but since our daughter had just arrived into this world and I was nervous about putting her in daycare so I could work - he chose to take up a career working for the oil industry. 

Recently, he has changed positions for his company and now has a rotating position.  It's funny that he is away more now than he was when he was in the US Navy. :)  It stinks when he is away, but the benefits of the position out weigh the cons.  I love that despite his 12 hour days, he still makes it point to talk with his "girls" via Skype and find out what is going on at home.  He loves me and he loves his daughter - there is no doubt about that. 

I know a lot of people who say they couldn't handle having their husband be away so much, but my question to them would be, "Well, what would you do?" I love my husband.  I married him and I am committed to loving him (as our vows said) in good times and bad.  The times away might not be fun, but the time he is home is cherished. 

Like I said, I am so thankful that God gave me a wonderful, loving, hard-working, and handsome husband. 

I love you, Babe!