Reading

Franklyn says he doesn't like to read.  But, for a kid that doesn't like it all that much, he sure does a lot of it.  Right now he is working on earning some Pizza Hut pan pizzas, so he is reading his heart out.  The form sent home by the school says that he has to read 10 books in order to earn a pizza.  He's now read 20 and he is hoping that means he gets TWO pizzas!

Last night he read to me while I was doing my sit-ups and weights in the living room.  Then he followed me to the kitchen and read to me while I popped popcorn.

LUIGI

Franklyn developed a love for Super Mario over the summer after spending countless hours playing a Mario game on his DSI.  While flipping through a costume catalog someone brought to church one night, he discovered a Luigi costume.  All I heard for the next several hours was, "Mom, can you pleeeaaase find me a Luigi costume for Halloween?"  I was sure it was a pretty original costume and that, if I could fine one on the internet, he would be the only Luigi at school and at our church's Trunk Or Treat...  So, one warm day in August I searched the internet for a Luigi costume.  I finally found one and was sooooo excited!  I bought it and was thrilled to rush home and have Franklyn try it on the day it arrived.  I thought for sure that it would be one of the most original costumes...  Several days later, when WalMart started putting out Halloween costumes, I was horrified to see rows and rows of Luigi and Mario costumes!  I am the type that likes Franklyn to have a fairly original costume.  I usually find his at Marshall's or TJ Maxx because I figure everyone else hits WalMart and Target.  So much for that... 
That being said, I got him dressed in his costume this morning for the costume parade and Halloween parties at school today.  He looked so adorable.  Nothing like a Korean Luigi!  Even if the costume isn't original, an ASIAN ITALIAN certainly IS!

Pumpkin Time

Scott and Franklyn carved our pumpkin last night.  Pitiful looking thing........

BOO!

                                                            Posing with the pumpkin!

PERFECT BROWNIES!

If you're like me, you love to bake brownies because you love to EAT them!  However, I DON'T like to make brownies when they are for other people to enjoy, simply because I am embarrassed by how they look!  I have never in my entire life made a pan of brownies that didn't end up looking like a chopped up chocolate gooey mess by the time I finished cutting them and putting them on a tray.  Not even thinking, I signed up to send brownies for my son's class Halloween party.  As the day to actually bake them drew near, I started to get more and more anxious about sending a pile of chocolate goo with him to school.  I could just imagine all the moms in attendance looking at the plate and saying, "Who made thoooooose?"  Sad fact that I am actually worried about what other people think about my brownie baking skills....  ANYHOW, the night before I had to bake them I decided to purchase one of those Perfect Brownie Pans.

This is definitely one of the BEST purchases I've ever made!  I had my doubts as to whether or not this AS SEEN ON TV product could live up to the commercials, but it seriously outdid itself!  I have posted pictures of my perfect brownies for you to enjoy.  If you don't have one of these things and you love brownies, you need to get one!!!!!

                                       Look at those perfect sides - NO clumpy, gooey mess!

                                                          Like I said, perfect brownies!

Notice, two are missing.  Franklyn insisted on trying them out before taking them to school!  As much as I wanted to try them, I resisted!  

Franklyn's Baptism August 14, 2011

Franklyn professed his faith in Christ on Mother's Day at the age of six.  It was one of the most special days of my life and I would venture to say it will remain the MOST incredible Mother's Day ever for me.  I can't imagine anything that could top my son becoming a Christian.  We decided to wait until August to have him baptized because we wanted our families to be able to come.  It was a special day for all of us.  Scott was nervous about baptizing Franklyn and there was good reason for it.  Scott cries whenever something truly touches his heart and I knew he would barely be able to speak that morning in the baptismal.  It was so precious how Franklyn looked up at his Dad the whole time.  He was so comfortable and wasn't bothered at all by the fact that he was up there in front of the whole church.  Scott could barely say what he needed to say, but somehow he managed.  Afterwards, a church member came up to Franklyn and told him how beautiful it was and Franklyn said, "Well, Daddy got a little emotional...." 

After church we went to O'Charley's and then to our house to take some pictures.... 

                                                My beautiful boy.  So much love in those eyes....

                                                                        COUSINS

                                                                 MORE COUSINS

Franklyn and Aubrey...  Two beautiful six year-olds.  Look at the difference in those teeth!  This was before Franklyn lost his first front tooth.  Obviously it's after Aubrey already lost hers and got her Chiclets! :-) 

Sleep Deprivation...

We went to visit my parents in Jefferson City, Tennessee over Franklyn's fall break.  I only THOUGHT I was lacking sleep prior to the trip...  Our entire family (Scott, Franklyn, myself) has to sleep on my mom and dad's bed when we visit.  Not fun.  It's an antique full size bed and I swear the mattress is as antique as the frame!  When three people are on this bed, only the person in the middle gets any sleep.  The other two, those on the outside edges, are constantly fighting not to roll off the sides.  I told Scott I think I might have lost 10 pounds overnight just from contracting my abs to stay on the stinking bed!  I ended up only spending a few hours in the bed each night.  Between the ab work and Scott's snoring I just couldn't take it.  Thank God my mom has nice couches...

How God Works

What an amazing God...
I have been feeling very stressed and overwhelmed today because of issues at work, commitments beyond the norm, and convictions from God that I haven't dealt with properly.  I was feeling very anxious while out and about on my lunch break today and felt several times like I was going to have a panic attack.  I've been praying for God to give me a Word to help me simply rest and trust Him.  I emailed Scott and asked him to pray for me.  Then I started working on some paperwork here in my office.  Out of the blue I thought, "I need to hear the song 'Give Me Jesus' by Fernando Ortega."  I pulled it up on YouTube and started it playing.  Then I returned to my paperwork.  The first words of the song are "In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise...  Give me Jesus."  Well, there you go.  God basically laid it out.  The first thing I do every single morning of my life is get on the treadmill.  I dedicate so much time to taking care of my physical body that I neglect the spiritual.  The "Power Of A Whisper" study I've done with the high school students the last 4 weeks already had me convicted of that very thing.  God sure has a way of making you face things head on.  From this day forward, I commit to giving the first portion of my day to the Lord.

Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You. 
Psalm 143:8

Saturday Excitement

Saturday excitement?  Not quite.  We actually had a little free time this weekend and we took full advantage of it.  Well, not like some families would.  Full advantage to us is getting to run errands and not having to worry about having them done by a certain time because of other commitments.  Scott had a deacon's meeting Saturday morning so I cleaned the house and planned my Sunday School lesson while he was gone.  Franklyn slept late which gave me plenty of "me" time that morning.  I love my "me" time.

While I was working on my Sunday School lesson I heard Franklyn down in the den reading a book out loud.  I couldn't believe it when I found him reading a book Mimi sent him a couple of weeks ago.  It's a book called "Room On The Broom" and it has lots of big words in it.  Not only does it have lots of big words, but it's a LONG book for a first grader to actually sit and read.  

He read the whole book and I only heard him struggle with a few of the difficult words.  Every couple of minutes he would yell, "Mama, what does..........spell?"
After making our weekly Cracker Barrel trip we went to WalMart to pick up a few things.  Franklyn was being a bit lazy and decided he needed to ride in the buggy.  We had to buy snacks for the youth to have Sunday night during small group study so we just loaded everything on top of Franklyn.  He didn't seem to mind that much until the 2 liter Cokes were thrown in!

This is how we roll!

Saturday night Franklyn hopped up on the counter, grabbed my iPod Touch and wore the battery down playing Angry Birds and Downhill Bowling.  I wasn't a happy camper when I got up to get on the treadmill Sunday morning and found a nearly dead battery on my iPod! 

Worship In The Woods (and a little Taco Bell)

Saturday night we took a small group of youth to Worship In The Woods.  Not sure why, but for some reason not a lot of kids signed up.  It's the first time we've ever gone, so none of us were quite sure what to expect.  I got to drive the church bus for the first time in a few years, so that was an experience in itself!  I'd forgotten how incredibly stinky those things are... 

Worship In The Woods is an outreach event hosted by a church in Smyrna.  We arrived to find a bouncy house, mechanical bull, rock climbing wall, LOTS of free food, and a mudpit tug-of-war competition!  They also had a fantastic worship area set up for the concert and the speaker. 

Franklyn clung to the youth the whole night and really wanted nothing at all to do with Mom or Dad!  I guess we know where we stand in the pecking order!

Franklyn and a few of the younger boys tried out the bouncy house first! It was dirty, sweaty, stinky and nasty....  All I could think about was the filthy socks I'd be bleaching later that night!

My brave little one even tried out the mechanical bull.  Now, that was a sight!  I wish I'd gotten it on video. 

After bull riding we decided to try out the rock climbing wall.  Unfortunately, they shut it down when we were about five people away from our turn.  So, no pictures of Scott flailing madly from 20 feet in the air.  Sorry.

We did, however, find time to take some candid pics.  I took a few and Franklyn took a few.  See if you can tell who took which ones.  :-)

Around 7:00, when it was time for the concert to begin, we started feeling a few little rain drops.....  Prayer ensued....  The rain drops died off... for a short time.  Adults ran for cover and the kids stayed in the rain while the band played.  However, by the time the speaker got on stage to share the downpour had begun! 

We all got slightly wet....  Well, this was a group of teenagers so some got SOAKED.  We waited around for about ten minutes and then decided the rain and cold were too much.  We decided Taco Bell was calling our name!

Scott and I walked in with the group and one lady turned around and said, "Wow, THAT'S a big family!" 

FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My absolute FAVORITE season arrives in TWO days!!!  WooHoooooooo!!!!  Mums, pumpkins, changing leaves.....  Is there anything better on God's earth than fall?  Not to me!  A tad premature maybe, but I began putting out fall decorations this past weekend.  I had Franklyn pose with a few last night.  I think He loves fall as much as his mom!

The Dance

A couple of years ago I was at a point where I was completely disgusted with myself and with the sin I had allowed in my life.  I had gotten to the point where I was consumed with self.  All I thought about was me.  I was more concerned with my weight, my image, going on vacations, etc. than anything else.  God had completely been placed on the back burner.  Unfortunately, it took over a year of self indulgence and some discipline from the Lord before I stepped back and took a long hard look at the way I had allowed culture to infiltrate my thought process.  This is a poem I wrote while still completely immersed in the sin of selfishness....

I’ve danced ‘round this sin
And I’ve watched it take root.
How enticing these branches can be!
O’ I tangle myself in deceit as I dance,
Still I let it take lead willingly.


My embrace is so tight
Yet I long to let go.
This grip on my flesh is so real!
How can such pride be found in this dancing?
Could it be that I like what I feel?


I feign such perfection
With each step I take.
But my heart is not hidden from You.
I yearn for retreat from this willful defiance.
Yet this is the dance that I choose.


Lead me, my Lord,
Draw me back to Your sway.
Let my dance bring you glory once more.
Take lead, for the dancing is nothing without You.
Be, God, the One I dance for.


I am so thankful for a God who disciplines those He loves.  I'm dancing a new dance these days.  I'm holding tight to my Savior and letting him lead.   What a merciful Savior is He.

NFL Day at New Union Elementary

Franklyn has been so excited about going to school today!  It's NFL Day at New Union Elementary!  I spent my entire lunch hour yesterday running to Old Navy for Atlanta Falcons gear for Franklyn only to find out that Scott needed a shirt as well.  He's helping out at the school today.  I stuck around the house for a while this morning before leaving for work to get a picture of my boys in their Falcons shirts. 

Scott looks half awake and Franklyn looks like he's been crying.  Boy, we are NOT the most photogenic family!!!!!

TOOFLESS!

Franklyn had a front tooth that was loose for over a month.  Dr. Taylor had to pull his last loose tooth back in March because it simply did not want to come out and the permanent one REALLY wanted to come in.  Same situation this time.....  So, Scott picked him up from school today and I met them over at Dr. Taylor's office so he could work his magic.  Franklyn was a little nervous at first so I knelt down and prayed with him before Dr. Taylor came in the room.  Once Doc Taylor gave him laughing gas, the nerves were gone, gone, gone!  Out came the tooth!  Of course, being the awesome Mom that I am (wink wink), I took him directly to Baskin Robbins for a cool treat to soothe the gums.  He was all smiles. 

 

Better Focus

It's been a realllllly long time since I've posted anything to this blog.  I apologize.  Life has been busy, and too many things have taken precedence.  Some good things.  Some bad things.  Overall, the last year has been a mixture of joy, sorrow, pain and struggle.  I haven't blogged because my life has been so full of so many insignificant things and so much of the unknown that I was kind of afraid some of that would leak out!  Oh well.  I guess I'll just leak!  God has done some unbelievable work in my life in the last nine months.  It's been painful and I have to admit that I was fighting Him with all that was in me for a long time.  But, He saw fit to show me mercy and to continue to draw me to Him and draw me back to the close relationship that I missed and desired deep down for so long.  I can remember, over the last five years or so, thinking "When's it gonna happen?  When is God gonna say He's had enough of my selfishness and pride and just let the hammer fall?"  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when it finally happened.  A series of events last winter literally brought me crashing to my knees.  God is so good.  He allows things in our lives that are painful only to bring us to His feet where we find ultimate peace and unbelievable joy, even in the midst of the pain.  At one point during all that I was going through, I told someone I was thankful for my thorn.  I said that I was glad God had allowed me to go through the things that I had been going through.  The person pretty much thought I was nuts to say that.  She said that I should be glad for where it brought me, but not be thankful for the pain.  Well, I know that the ONLY way God ever brings me back and humbles me the way I need to be humbled is through the kind of pain He has carried me through over the last nine months.  I HAVE to be thankful for that pain.  And, I am.  My relationship with Christ is so much richer and so much deeper.  I go to Him with each fear as it comes and each insecurity.  I trust Him and rest in Him.  I fill my mind with His Word and His promises, guarding my heart at every turn.  I can honestly say that I would rather lose this life than lose the intimacy and the passion that I have for Him right now.  He is my closest friend and my only hope.  He is good.
The other night Scott and I were watching an episode of The Love Boat on dvd.  Franklyn wasn't too excited about the show, so he decided to sit and draw and color at the pub table in our den.  When the show was over, he came over to me with his writing tablet.  He held up a page and asked, "How's this, Mama?"  I glanced his way thinking it would be another picture of SpongeBob or something similar.  That's when I realized he'd written out some of the words to a song he sings in children's choir at church.  So precious.  Franklyn became a Christian on Mother's Day of this year.  Since then he has honestly had such a heart for God's Word.  I do a devotion with him every night and his insight sometimes amazes me.  All I could think while I stared at this page of verse written by my six-year old son was, "That's what he's had on his mind this whole time?  We've been sitting here immersed in a flighty seventies tv show, and he's been sitting thinking about God....?"  The words to the song, shown above, are:

He is my rock
He is my shield
He is the hub in the middle of the wheel

Franklyn spoke my heart with those words.  All that I've been through in the last year brought me back to where I could truly say those words and mean it.  He is my Rock.  He is my Shield.  He is most certainly the hub in the middle of the wheel.  Without Him, my wheel would be extremely off balance.  I thank Him for securing me, defending me and drawing me back to the center of His will.  God is good.