Oil

NWF Daily News reports that there is an oil sheen 7 miles from Pensacola, FL shores. They have tar balls washing up on Dauphin Island, AL shores and I don't even have to mention Louisianna shores..that news is all over the place. I'm very sad for our coast. I'm sad for the creatures that live in and around the ocean. I'm sad for the people who live on the coast because the ocean and it's life is their bread and butter, whether it be by fishing or tourism, etc. Between the massive hurricanes the last few years, the already suffering US economy and now this...I'm just sad. The Gulf Coast beaches are so special and unique. I have memories that span from my childhood all the way to last summer of our coast and I know that those beaches may never be the same for David and I to share with our daughter. Do I think we will recover??...Heck Yeah! We're Americans! We're strong and resiliant! Do I think it will be easy or quick??? No...that is the sad part. I pray for the entire southeast because this will have a lasting effect on us all.

Practicing

Black is slimming...what can I say. I was 26 weeks in this baby bump picture. Still have my "lazy hair" going. That is what I call the curly hair because I spread some goop in it and leave the house with wet hair. That gives me at least an extra 20 minutes of sleep. I will eventually, one day, hopefully soon get back to the hairdryer. I don't actually like the curly hair.

This is where the blog title came from. Last night as I was sitting in the office doing some paperwork, David came in to check on me. We are keeping the car seat/stroller in the office so the dust from working in the nursery doesn't get all over it. David spotted Bones sitting there minding his own beeswax and decided to try out the new car seat. After we finally got him strapped in (without any scratches, I might add), he decided it wasn't such a bad way to live. =)

Power in His Name

This was my devotion the other day from Encouragement for Today (http://www.proverbs31.org/)

"Parking My Mind on Truth

Lysa TerKeurst

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:32 (NIV)
Devotion:Whatever we are facing in this moment we can choose to grab on to the truth. Let everything else go. Let go of the anxiety, fear, uncertainty, and frustration. Park our mind with what is true. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). What truth can do for us is really amazing. A few weekends ago I was wrapping up at a conference where I'd been speaking. My friend Beth and I were talking about where the team would be meeting for dinner that night. Suddenly, a very frantic arena staff member came over and told us there was an emergency and we were needed right away. A lady attending the conference had just been told her two grandchildren had been killed in a fire that day. We rushed over to find a lady surrounded by her friends. She was sobbing to the point she could hardly breathe. She'd just been with her grandbabies ages 8 and 4. They'd spent spring break with her last week. She'd held them, rocked them, stroked their hair, and kissed them all over their faces. How could they be gone? It was too much for her brain to process. The EMT stepped aside so we could hold her hands and pray over her. At first I stumbled my way through requests for Jesus to pour His most tender mercies into this situation. I prayed for comfort and the reassurance that these children were being held by Jesus in this moment. It was so hard. My mommy heart ached so deeply for this woman. My eyes welled up with tears refusing to stay contained. As Beth took her turn to pray I noticed something miraculous. Every time we said, "Jesus" her body calmed, her crying slowed, her breathing stopped sounding so panicked. So, when it was my turn to pray again I just said His name over and over and over. This sweet grandmother joined me, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." As we said "Jesus" over and over, truth flooded my mind. I remembered what I'd written in last week's devotion about fearing death... Death is only a temporary separation. We will be reunited again. I remembered this truth from 2 Samuel 12... When David's infant child died, David confidently said, "I will go to him, but he will not return to me" (v. 23b). David knew he would see his child again- not just a nameless, faceless soul without an identity, but his very child. He would know him, hold him, kiss him, and the separation death caused would be over. The only thing that seemed to calm my devastated sister was the name of Jesus and His truth. What a powerful reminder to us all. Hold on to His Word, sweet sister. Speak His truth and the name of Jesus out loud in the midst of whatever you are facing today. Our souls were formed to recognize and respond to the calm assurance of Jesus and truth. Never has this been clearer to me. Please pray for my friend and her family. And remember in the midst of whatever you face today... We can choose to grab on to the truth. Let everything else go. Park our mind with what is true. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," (John 8:32). "

I love it when I get the point of the devotion, but it wasn't the only thing I got out of it! It is just funny to me. It reminds me that when we work for the Lord, sometimes what we think we are accomplishing isn't really what He's even having us work toward. He is using our work for His purpose, not our own. The resounding message I got from this devotion was that there is Power in His Name. Philippians 2:9-10 says this, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ". There is real and true power in the Name of Jesus.
Satan is the Master of Lies. He can invade your mind and cause you to believe lies as the truth, but I know that speaking out loud the name of my Jesus will cast him out and bring to light the real truths. The truth is that nothing is too big for my God. He loves me. I am precious to Him. He wishes good and not harm for me. He wants to cradle me in His arms and give me peace. I am amazed by the power of His name.

Happy Memorial Day

First and foremost on this day, I would like to remember those who have given their life in service to this great nation. Their sacrifice (and that of their families) is the reason we walk in freedom. Thank you.
This is the one holiday we don't get off that everyone else and their mother does. Blah! Oh well, I had things I needed to get done. David and Joe went fishing. I love it when David gets to hang out with his brothers and have a little fun. I hope they catch something, but I hope he doesn't expect me to eat it. Fish is not happening for dinner at our house...YUCK! Fish sticks, maybe.
We finished priming the walls in the nursery this weekend. This ended up being a big oops on my part. I didn't go with David when he purchased the primer, so I didn't realize it was oil based until I had already helped with the first coat. I wondered why I couldn't get the paint off the brushes and rollers....and me, DUH! Thankfully I did have my mask on (which probably didn't help keep the fumes away anyway, just the dust), and the room was very well ventilated. I wasn't in the room very long and didn't help with the second coat of primer. I stayed on the other side of the house in our bedroom. I watched Dear John while I folded laundry. Dear John didn't make me as weepy as I thought it would, but it was pretty good.
Saturday evening we went to the theater to see Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. I really liked it! It is way too violent for kids to watch in my opinion, but it is a pretty good adult movie.
We had family dinner on Sunday as usual and David and I ended the evening watching DayBreakers. That one wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but we enjoyed it. It is very sad, our Movie Gallery is officially closing now, so we tried the Red Box for the first time. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that one of the movies I wanted to rent wasn't available. It was on the list, but I guess they were all sold out. A friend told me early in my pregnancy that if there were any movies we wanted to watch, to watch them now, because that would soon be a thing of the past, so I'm taking her advice. It is a fun and relaxing thing David and I can do together. I just need to lay off the movie popcorn from now on....talk about salt cravings!

3:00 in the Afternoon and Tired already

Whew! I am tired already! So far we have been to the In-laws to check on their kitchen renovation progress. Looking Good! Gone to Lowe's to pick out flowers for the flower beds out front. Cleaned out the flower beds (OK...David did that pretty much by himself while I taped the walls). Taped up the walls for the primer coat of paint and painted the first coat of primer (which stinks to high-heaven I might add). We ate the famous Taco Casa for lunch and are watching the Crimson Tide baseball team beat Florida in the SEC tournament while we are waiting for the primer to dry. Roll Tide! We are going to attempt some more sanding after it's dry. I hope this works. I'm already achy, sore and tired, but I REALLY want to get all this done. I'm running out of free weekends. I did not sleep well last night. I woke up at 1:30am with feet cramps again. I know what to do for calf cramps and cramps at the bottom of your feet, but I am getting cramps on the TOP of my feet. I think it is a circulation thing because it happens mostly when my ankles have started to swell. Maybe we'll take a break tonight and do something just for fun!

Meet Tom

The much awaited for introduction of Tom Cat! I told you he was scraggly...can you blame me for not letting him into the house. He has really grown on us!

I wasn't kidding when I said the Nursery is a disaster right now! Last night I sanded the walls, so tonight I will tape them up and prime them. Here are the before pictures. Pray it doesn't take me too long to get to after pictures!

On a happy note...here is the diaper bag. How silly is it that I am so excited about a bag. :) I think it is less the bag and more the monogram. Ashlyn's first monogrammed item. She is officially a southern belle!

The Land of Milk and Honey...

I think that is what our house is becoming to these stray cats! We kicked Tom and Duke out of the garage and since Duke actually has a home...he went there. We haven't seen him in a few days now. Tom, however doesn't have a home so he has stuck around. He is pretty nice to us, but doesn't really get along with other cats as far as we have seen. This morning David opened up the front door to leave for work and announced we have another one...cat that is. Tom had brought home his little friend, who was obviously starving too. She is tiny and so sweet, but it kind of surprised me she was hanging out with Tom. It was almost like Tom introduced her to us, then led her to the food and water. It was such a sweet little moment. Yesterday, my devotional directed me to Mark 12:31 "The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." While I was watching this scene unfold this morning, that verse came to mind. In his own little cat way, Tom was teaching us a lesson.