The Cottingham Home

Love is in the air!

2012-02-13T13:12:00.000-08:00

Don't you feel it??

All types of love is surrounding me :) Not just the love for my dear sweet husband...but also the love for my children, my life, and most of all my Lord.

Husband

This weekend, Justin and I were BLESSED to be able to go a marriage retreat called Weekend To Remember presented by Family Life. Were it not for the love of some dear friends this trip would not have been possible for us at this time in our lives. Its kinda strange...I think the idea of the conference is to strengthen individual marriages. I can honestly say that even though Justin and I went into this weekend in a great place in our marriage...we walked away renewed and strengthened! God certainly spoke to me about areas in which my heart could use some adjustment. More than anything...I think God gave us some unexpected clarity about some things. Things we had been praying about. He provided clarity...not really answers. But, if He gave us all the answers at once why would we need faith??

I was reminded more than ever why I love my husband. How grateful I am for our love; which really is a gift from God. He is my gift from God. I will never cease to praise God for all that he is. I am so blessed to have Justin to love me, to guide me, and to stand with me! The past 6-8 months have not been the hardest years of our marriage...but they have been a hard time for us. Justin has loved me through the loss of a job, the difficulty in finding one, and all of the emotions that go along with all of that! He has been patient, loving and kind. He has loved me well!

The conference ended with a vow renewal ceremony. How fitting for us as we prepare to celebrate 10 years of marriage this year!!! This will be the 15th year that Justin will be my Valentine!

Children

Seriously people! I know most of you have kids and I am sure you love them and think that they are great and everything...but these are the BEST kids in the world. I guess it because they are MINE :)

I could not be more in love or more proud of any two kids!

Carys continues to grow into a young woman. She loves to learn and observe the world around her. Last night at church her lesson was on Queen Esther. She told me that her teacher did a great job but that she wanted us to read the story straight from the Bible (love!) So, I grabbed the first Bible which happened to be KJV and as we fumbled through I had to summarize every verse :) I asked her what did she think made Esther so desirable or beautiful to the king. She replied, "because she loved God." AMEN! Love that answer!

Sawyer is such a neat kid. Anyone who talks to him always comments how funny and interesting he is. I will ask for a bit of prayer for my Little Guy. He is going to the ENT this week to have his hearing examined. We have noticed some issues over the past few months and we feel that it needs to be addressed now. Please join us in praying that whatever we discover will have a major impact on him. That may seem like a strange way to phrase my prayer but it is my heart. I know that God has a plan. I pray that my Saw-Man has NO major problems or disorders. But even more than that, I pray that whatever we discover that we (as his parents) and he (as God's child) can "count it all joy" knowing it is a part of God's plan!

Life and Lord

I am one BLESSED lady. I don't have a job...but I have work. I don't have much money...but I am rich. I don't have life it all toghter...but I have it!

God has a plan for me. Because He loves me. And He made me for great things!

These are the words from a VBS song and they are the song of my heart. I don't know if you have ever been without a job. It is hard. And not just because you need money (which you do)! But because for the most part in today's culture...you are supposed to have a job. God has provided something for me to do. It is something I am good at and I can make money for my family. But I do not think it is my CALL...

I have known what that is for a while. I have even worked at it before. However, I have let attitudes of fear, selfishness, pride, and even the opinions of others rule my life. No longer. I know (and so do you if you have ever read my blog before) that God has called me to serve. To enter a vocation in which it is my job, my mission, to serve Him by sharing Him.

Now, as awesome as this sounds (and it is!) there is just one problem. I don't know when, or where, or how. I am waiting, and praying, and seeking. This is scary. I want to be clear in this next part. I do not want you to get this picture in your mind of me setting at home doing nothing more than praying for a job. No, I am still actively looking for employment...even secular work at this point. Like I said, I do not know WHEN or WHERE God is going to place me. I guess place US would be a better way to put it. Justin agrees that in fact it is not just me, but US that God is calling.

I want to make the public because we NEED prayers. We need support. We need love!

We have two verses we are claiming right now.

"I know the plans I have for you declairs the Lord"

and my version of Romans 8:28

We love God...We are Called...We are waiting for it to all work together!

He's my son...

2012-01-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

and I love him!

He's the funniest kid I know.

He's (usually:) honest. He thinks that telling the truth is important...even if it means he will get in trouble.

He's amazed at the world around him. He thinks that God's creations are amazing and interesting.

He's a thinker. You better watch out if you see a face like this! It means he is analyzing, considering, and maybe even planning!

He's also a fisherman :)

I know I am his mom and all, but he really is an old soul. He brings joy to my life everyday. In the mornings he wants to start the day with a hug. I know this will not be the case forever, so I am doing my best to cherish these wonderful days. He's growing and learning.

He's my son!

2012-01-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

Four years is a long time. Don't you think?

Four years ago today (January7) was one of the most difficult days of my life. It was also one of the best days of my life! It was the day I truly placed Carys Jo into God's hands. It was the day of her "big" surgery where she lost her right kidney, part of her liver, a LOT of blood, and gained her freedom from Wilms Tumor.

Typically, when children are diagnosed with Wilms they go within the hour to surgery to remove the tumor and the affected kidney. We were told right away that would not be the case with Carys. Her tumor was too large and too involved (Stage IV) to be extracted. She would have to undergo chemo first and once the tumor was "ready" they would go ahead with the surgery.

Carys' tumor had grown out of her kidney, into her renal vein, and into her inferior vena cava (which carries blood to the heart). It was like a weed; like a vine. Because these veins were involved the surgery would be super risky and we were told upfront there may not be a surgeon in Birmingham that would want to attempt such a feat. As with everything during her journey...we trusted God to work it out...and boy did He!

We met with Dr. Douglas Barnhart in late December. He showed us Carys' most recent CT scans and explained EVERYTHING about the tumor placement and his opinion about how the surgery plan should go. He then told us something I would never forget. First, he told us that because he would be cutting veins, pulling tumor out of veins (which could be very well be attached to a vessel wall) there was a great chance that her heart could stop, she could lose too much blood, she could need to go on heart bypass, or she would not survive the surgery. He actually told us that there was a better chance that she would not survive the surgery than her dying of any other cause; ever.

However, he told us that he had prayed over Carys' case for three days. That he would do commit to doing the surgery until he felt that God was guiding him and that he could do more good that harm. We knew right then that GOD was in this and Dr. Barnhart was his tool.

We made it through the holidays and prepared get the tumor out!

The night before surgery was the worst. I remember thinking, is this the last time I will see her smile, hear her say that phrase, kiss her, have her kiss me...and so on. It was tough!

The day arrived, January 7, 2008. God held us the whole day. We were surrounded by friends and family but it was the grace of God that held us that day.

She defied the odds. Although they stopped the blood flow to the bottom of her body, although she received 5 units of blood during the surgery, and although we were told he could not remove the cancer than had metastasised to her lungs...she came out of that OR cancer free!

It was a long few days in ICU and then in the hospital but it really did not slow her down very much!

I don't tell you all this to scare you or make you feel sorry for her (or us)...I share it so that you may know...

God is good..."But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, so I can tell about all You do." (Ps 73:28)

God is faithful... "Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever." (Ps 106:1)

God is strong..."For who is God besides the LORD? And who is a rock? Only our God." (2 Samuel 22:32)

God is powerful..."Yes, God is mighty, but He despises no one; He understands all things." (Job 36:5)

That you may know..."This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.” (Joshua 4:24)

I am so unworthy of everything God has to offer me. His love, His salvation, His mercy, His grace! Despite my wretched self...He offers it all to me...and to YOU!

There was a day...

2011-10-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

There was a day; not so very long ago. On October 12, 2007 my life changed forever. On this Friday, I woke up just like every other Friday. I woke Sawyer and then Carys. When I changed her pull-up there were clots of blood inside. She was happy, cheerful, and anxious to play with her baby brother. The blood clots confirmed that the blood we had seen days earlier was something serious...but what?

Justin came home from work, we called the doctor, and upon his advice headed for Children's ER in Birmingham. Doctors came in. They drew blood. They pushed on her belly. They asked questions. Nothing seemed wrong. More doctors came in. They pushed on her belly...still, nothing. We waited. They made us an appointment with on of the top pediatric urologists in the country...for two weeks later. They prescribed more antibiotics and prepared us to head home. At the last minute they decided that since we would need an abdominal ultra-sound before she saw the urologists, and radiology had and opening, they would let us go upstairs for the ultra-sound before we left.

Justin went into the waiting room with his dad to tell him we were going home. I took Carys by the hand and let her up to radiology. She laid on the table and the tech began scanning her belly. I will never forget the smile on the technician's face as she looked at us and said, "I am going to go get my doctor and let him take a look at you."

I am no doctor. However, God blessed me with deductive reasoning skills. This was the one moment in my life I wished that I was ignorant. In that moment, if I knew one thing it was that radiologist read film. They do not examine patients...unless...

He entered the room. A doctor with and Indian accent can be difficult to understand. However, I had no trouble understanding his words, "Which side is it on?"

It...the word that changed our lives.

We spent the next year looking at it, thinking about it, praying about it.

It...in case you have never met us...was a tumor. A tumor that had over taken my 3-year-old daughter's right kidney, attached to her liver, grown out of her renal vein and into her vena cava, and metastasized to her right lung...It.

I don't know that I have ever really told the story of that day. You have probably read or heard tell of all of the events between that day and this. If not I will give you a quick recap. She was diagnosed, treated with poison (aka. chemo), treated with the stuff that is a by-product of nuclear power plants (radiation), received who knows how many people's blood and platelets, and was cared for by the most wonderfully amazing people on the planet. People all around the country interceded for her. Went before God and pleaded for healing for Carys, for strength for her family, for peace for us all.

He heard. He listened. He healed.

I know that as I type this there are those out there who are hurting. I do not write this this for pity. I don't write it so that when you see her picture below you will gawk at how beautiful she is. I write this so that you may know...

I just described one of the few truly bad days of my life. You must know what brought me from that day to this one. It was HIM.

Although I fail many time each day, I strive to live so that everyone knows what God had done for me. It is hard to explain but the best thing that God has ever done for me is not healing my daughter. The greatest thing is the work He had started in me. In the fall of 1991, I accepted His free gift of salvation. It was free to me, but only because the price was paid in full at Calvary.

We all have our October 12ths...our days that will live in infamy. If you are so blessed that this day has not yet come for you (and I promise the encouragement is coming)...know that the day is coming. However, you do not have to face the storm alone. 2 Samuel 22:2 says, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer." He is, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

If yesterday, today, or tomorrow turns out to be your Oct 12th...I pray you will seek refuge in the One who has already made The Way. I pray you will find yourself grounded in the Rock of His Word. And, I pray you will find strength in the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Tonight, I pray.

His Way Is Perfect...

2011-09-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I am not going to devote more that one sentence to the fact that I have not written in a long time. Admittedly, I have wondered over my blogging "break" if God really still had stuff for me to share in this way. But, I was reminded this week that my blessings are too great not to share them. What often seems like the non-sense of my daily life is, in fact, the perfect Will of God. So, I write...

Sunday, September 4, 2011 marked the 3rd Anniversary of the day that Carys received her first "off-treatment" scans and was, for the first time declared cancer-free! My father-in-law described it best when he stated that if that Carys' healing was the only blessing we ever received for the rest of our lives...we would not live long enough to run out of blessing from that one act of God! Thankfully, God has chosen to do so much more for me and my family that just this one blessing!

So, three years later I live to make sure that I nor anyone else who knows Carys forgets what God has done for her; for us! The most obvious thing is that she is healed. I speak this as fact. Despite the fact that we will return to Children's next month for a check-up...I choose to believe that she is in fact completely healed. But today as I write I hope to do one more thing. I hope to make everyone aware of the one of the other great blessings that came from our journey.

"As for God, His way is perfect" Psalm 18:30

Because of all that happened to my daughter over three years ago...I have no problem BELIEVING this verse. It means I don't get discouraged easily. One of the biggest blessings that came from her illness was the spiritual growth that occurred. I mean, during that time in my life I HAD to have faith. There was no other option. No doctor or nurse could tell me for sure that my daughter would survive or if she would have any long term effects from her treatment. I learned the God's ways, however foreign they may seem to us, are ALWAYS perfect.

I think too often we get caught up in the circumstances we face in life to realize that God knew we would be where we are before we got here! He has prepared a perfect beginning, middle, and ending for each phase of our lives. Nothing happens by accident. I could give you details of things that have happened to me over the past few months that would show you this is true. They would not mean as much to you because they are my things. So, I challenge you to think...

Where has God brought you to today? What is your attitude about where God has placed you? Are you truly believing that He has put you there? That He has prepared everyone and everything for you? Are you trusting Psalm 18:30? Is His way perfect or would you do it different if you could.

Think about these things. Pray. Seek God's advice about your attitudes, your direction, your faith. His word says, "seek and ye shall find!"

If you have a few minutes...go back and look at some of my old post over the past few years. Look where God has brought me through and it will prove Psalm 18:30 over and over!

~God Bless~

What I Learned This Week

2011-07-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

This week I learned a lot! I would probably surprise you really, how much you are capable of learning in just one week...Some of the things I learned have a lot to do with insurance, others are just life lessons, while still others are confidential matters that friends asked me to keep between me and God. I just learned so much.

The first thing I learned is something I already knew. Sometimes I get that attitude, you know the one. The "Yea, yea, I already know this stuff" attitude. Well, sometimes I think God repeats lessons to us so that we can really know them...or really know Him...I'm not sure which. This week He taught me, yet again, that His plans are always perfect. Over the past few months I could have never predicted where I would be right now, how I would be feeling, or how big I would be blessed. But guess what? God knew it all along! (Jeremiah 29:11). "Duh, Alison!"

I also learned that it hard (long) work will not kill you. In fact, it might actually be the very best thing for you! I worked about 42 hours this week. This work was not laboring, but it was a doing a task that is completely new to me. Mentally, it was very tiring. Also, many of these hours were in the evenings when I am usually with my family. This too, was different. However, I never once felt exhausted and better yet...I did not have one single headache. You know, sometimes God gives you "signs" and "wonders" to let you know things. Sure, we know He did this in the Bible...but when is the last time you have looked for a sign from God? The past 8-10 months I have been plagued with unexplainable headaches. I know deep down it was stress and the fact that I was not following God's plan. I was not letting Him lead. I was trying to stay in control of my life rather than let go and let God. I believe wholeheartedly that the headaches are gone...for good.

I also learned that it is possible that God created me to be good at more than one thing and to help people in more than one way. Some of you may not be aware of this...because I was not very translucent with my life...but in May I was told that my contract with the school board would not be renewed this year. The primary reason was because of a test that I took in December of 2009. The results of this test were never reported to the State Department of Education. I went to UA on that day and took that test. However, for some reason unknown to me the test results cannot be found. It is a weight I carried around for about a year. I know I took the test, but I struggled with others thinking that I was lying about this. It really bothered me; the idea of people thinking I was a liar. The Bibb County system was wonderful to help me in any way they could. ACT (the writers and scoring agency) for the test had employees digging in two year old files in a warehouse looking for my test. It was not there. I was not wronged by anyone and I did not do any wrong. It just happened.

Today, I describe the events that led me to this point in life unexplainable. But, I no longer think of ,y situation as a negative thing. Think about it...how many things God does that are unexplainable! How is Carys healed...unexplainable! How is it that Jesus was conceived of a virgin...unexplainable! How is it that God gave up His Perfect Son for me sins...unexplainable. So you see, I refuse to take the life God has given me and be ashamed or sad at anything that He puts in it! Unexplainable or not...He has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11)

So, I have started a new career. Its so strange because I would have never thought of myself as anything other than a teacher. I guess that is why I struggled so much. I was really good a teaching; honestly, I was. And, I really loved the students I taught. Even now as I think of them I know I will miss them! However, God has started a new work in me. I know that He has all types of plans for me. You might remember me writing a while back about being ready to GO wherever God sent me. Its kinda funny now because although I am not going to Africa on missions...with my new job I am going! Going to whom ever he sends me in front of.

I pray that who ever I meet from day-to-day that they will see HIM. Please pray for that. Pray that I will be able to be a light for Him and that in everything I do, others will see Him!

"Thank you Lord for teaching me this week!"

Months...

2011-07-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

It has been months since I posted...but you all know that. The past few months have been an interesting time in my life. Many things that I have prayed for and prayed over for years have taken place. And...all in God's perfect timing.

I will admit that it was selfish of me not to write. I was not being transparent which is a major goal of me having the blog in the first place. To share with you the journey that God is leading me through. The truth is there were scary periods of doubt and fear over the past few months. Many times I thought of writing and letting everyone in. I now know I did the right thing by holding off because those posts would have come from a place of desperation. I would have been looking for encouragement and maybe even pity from those who read. God knew that I needed to take a break so that HE could be my source of comfort, encouragement, and strength.

But now, I have perspective. It is like when you climb a really tall hill and look back over the terrain you have just covered. Things always look different from the "other side." And that is where I am today. On the mountain top! I am here not because I did anything spectacular or special. I am here because I serve a spectacular and special God! The only thing I can claim is faith. I endured. I persevered.

If I listed all of the blessings that I am enduring right now, you would be astounded. I am sure that things like great friendships (old and new) are flourishing, my marriage...never better, my family...happy and healthy, my career...starting anew, and my dog...healing...and on and on. However, it is non of these things I would classify and my "biggest" blessings. It is the state of my heart! I am able to take a deep, deep breath and be still and know that He is Lord! Its unexplainable to know what if feels like to "count it all joy!"

I am so thankful for the difficult times in my life. I really mean that. I feel honored to have experience God in such real ways. I have seen, heard, felt...experienced God. Sometimes people say things like, "I am so sorry you have had to go through so many things in your life." I understand their empathy, but I am so tempted to say..."DON'T BE!" God is in control of this thing called my life. I am guilty of not always letting Him take the lead role but thankfully He along with being my judge and administrator of my life...He is also my Loving Forgiver. When I left Him down, He picks me up and brings me right back into the fellowship of His love.

So, I guess I can say..."I'm Back!" I plan to share many of the things God has done over the past few months. Hopefully, these things will help in some small way.

~God Bless~

Today is the day...

2011-05-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Please check out my Caring Bridge post for my thoughts on today.

God Bless!

This Week's CVS Deals

2011-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have had LOTS of questions about couponing over the past few weeks. I would like to answers these and clarify a few points about 'my" couponing.

One of my favorite things about couponing is that it is fun! I have always liked to shop, but in recent years with money and time restraints I have found that shopping (especially grocery shopping) has become a burden. I hate to see the shampoo bottle empty becuase that used to mean that I would have to find a way to squeeze that into my shopping list. Couponing has given me freedom to buy things that I preciously would not have. It allows me to SAVE money on the things I NEED and therefore opens up opportunities for me to do things like SAVE, SHARE, and ENJOY the "extra" money.

Questions Answered...YES, it takes time. I try not to let the clipping, internet browsing, and list making take time away from the important stuff like Bible study, prayer time, family time, or dog training:) However, both Justin and I can see the benefits of devoting a little time each week to this savings.

YES, I have help. I often get people who already get Sunday papers to save their coupons for me AND I have my mom help a lot. She prints coupons and has "value" cards at the same places (like CVS) that I shop. When we work together we can save more and share in the benifits!

YES, you have to spend a little money to save money. But I work hard to plan and organize the trips so that I am spending the LEAST out-of-pocket cost (OPC) as possible for the maxium amounts of item. I will not spend more than my "normal" weekly budget for groceries...and

No, I do not stockplie. At least not like you see on TV. My rule is that if I (or someone in my immediate family) cannot use the item within the next Three Months...I won't buy it. It is pointless (IMO) to spend even a dollar if the item is not useful.

So, my mom made the first CVS trip of the week for me. CVS sales run from Sunday to Sunday. However, if you call the store you might find out that the computers are already set for the sale on Saturday evening. If this is the case...you can shop early.

This was our first "haul"...

This was split into three transactions. You have to plan based on the OPC and how much ECB you will get back. For all of this (plus two cans of peanuts) we spent $13.00 and left with $9 ECB to spend on our next trip! I was after the Dove body wash which has totally helped my skin. They were on sale for $6ea so we got ALL of these items for what I would have paid just for the body wash!!!

Today, I went in for ONE deal and realized that I had another money maker on my hands. I don't have a picture so I break down the items for you.

First I bought...

(4) Airwick Double pack Oil refills (which I used all over the house) for $5 each
used (4) $1/1 coupons
(3) Airwick Oil Warmer Units
used (3) Get on Free with purchase of refills coupon
My total was $20-$4(coupons)-$9ECB= $7 out-of-pocket and got $10 in ECB plus a $4 ECB coupon that randomly prints!!! They paid ME $7 to takes these items out of the store!

Then I bought...
(1) 12pk Scotts Bath Tissue ($6.88)
used $1/1 coupon
(2) CoverGirl Lipstick (which I was in BAD NEED OF) $6each
used (2) $2/1 coupons
(2) Mars candy-filled eggs $.99ea
used $1/1 coupon
My total was $20.86-$6(coupons)-$14.00ECB=$.86

I am proud of my $7.86 "haul". The items I needed were the toilet paper and the lipstick. I got all of this for less that I would have paid for those TWO items on their own!!

Can you tell how much fun I had???

Mid Week Deals

2011-04-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

I guess technically Monday is not mid week huh! My "couponing" week starts on Wednesday with the release of the Publix circular; so to me it seems like mid week!

Today, school released early due to the possibility of tornadic weather later this afternoon. This gave me a chance to enact the CVS/Walmart plan I made yesterday when the coupons came out.

First, I used the info from coupondivas.com to see the match-ups from the CVS paper and the weekly coupons. I found some really good prices on things that we totally needed anyway! I did not buy ONE item that was not on my grocery list for this week!

Walmart Purchases

If you are going to REALLY coupon you must check prices! CVS had toothbrushes on sale. With the coupon I had it was going to be $5.98-$2= $3.98 for 2. But when I checked the price at Walmart it was $3.00-$2.00= $1.00 for two! That is $.50 each. I was happy as Justin needed a toothbrush and he is picky about what type he uses. Also, I found these Ziploc containers that I use everyday in Carys's lunch marked down to $1 each. I had a coupon for $1.50 off 2 which made them $2.00-$1.50=$50. That is $.25 per pack!!!

Total Wal-mart Bill = $1.50 :)

CVS

This was my first attempt at REAL couponing at CVS. I have been using my mom's CVS card for years. I decided that we might both need to get in on some deals so I got my very own today:)

I decided to try my hand at "stacking" my purchases to get the most reward points that I could. I must say that if I had been in need of laundry detergent or toilet paper I think I could have left with a profit. But, I was not so I settled for these deals.

In my first transaction, I bought (2) Irish Spring Bar soap and (1) Softsoap hand wash re-fill. These were 3/$9 and I got $3 Extra Care Bucks to spend on the next transaction.

My next transaction was Dawn ($.99-$25 coupon=$.74), (2) Listerine $3.48-$2.00/2=$1.48/2), Bounty Paper Towels $5.98, (2) Ziplock Bags $6.00-$1.50=$4.50/2) MINUS $3.00 Extra Care Bucks

Total for both CVS Transactions $18.70

I figured up how much all of this would have cost at the lowest regular price. At the very least, I saved $18.35...which means that I paid HALF of what I would have normally paid if I had shopped at one store (walmart) with no coupons! That may not seem like much savings but it is about 1/2 of a tank of gas for me. As much as I drive that is awesome!

Also, I stated this in my last post, but some of these items allow me to stock-pile items that I won't need to buy in the near future (ex. bar soap). I bought two 8pks for the price it would cost be to buy one normally which means (a) I did not spend any extra out-of pocket money and will SAVE by not having to buy it until I can get a super good deal on it in the future! Remember...

I did not buy ONE item that was not on my grocery list for this week!

REAL Couponing...Week One

2011-03-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have been playing around with coupons for months...maybe longer. I would casually go though the Sunday paper and clip what I think I might use and put them away until I need them. I have read over and over how you can really save (even make) money for your family by really researching and using the coupons to get the maxium for your dollars. I began to think about the extra money that I could put in savings, use for family outings, or better yet give to help others if I would just simply put the coupon system to work.

If you do not like planning...don't even bother with coupons. If you are not careful you will end up buying things you don't need or even spend MORE money my not looking for the best price/deal...shopping around.

One thing that helped me decided to go for this "life-style" was when I lucked-up on a few websites that help with the planning. These sites help to put the deals right at your fingertips and make is easier to get organized.

I suggest that you start clipping coupons a few weeks before you want to begin super-saving. See, the manufacture coupons ALONE won't save you very much. You need to use the coupons when the items are on sale and in combination with other coupons to get the greatest discount. There are many different ideas about ways to organize your coupons. I don't like the binder method because I don't want to be in the store flipping through coupons. I have an according folder I keep all my coupons in...by week. Before I shop, I compare sales prices with the coupons I have and place the coupons I need for each store in an envelop. I also take along coupons of items that I "might" use if the price is right.

I am not going too deep into the vocabulary in this post. You can read up on this on the websites I give you and soon you will know the lingo. If you have questions about each store's coupon policy you can goggle that or check their website, but you need to know...

Wal-Mart:

will take mfg coupons only (can be printed from online),
matches any competior's advertised price except BOGO

Publix: a

ads run Wed-Wed and
they have great BOGO (can use TWO coupons; one for each item),
they have great 10/$10 buys and you DO NOT have to but 10 to get them for $1!,
they STACK coupons or allow you to use a store + mfg coupon, the accept competitor's coupons,
they double all coupons up to $.50 (so a $/50 coupon is really worth $1.00 off!)

CVS:

has great sales!!,
ads run Sun to Sun,
has a rewards club that gives you extra cupons,
has Extra Bucks that you earn on product and can spend on anything in store

Before I show you this week's buys I want to give a disclaimer. I am a coupon newbie. I have short-term as well as long term goals for couponing. This week, I did not spend any more $$ that I usually do for shopping. I did however "stock-up" on some items so that in the near future...I will be able to have lower weekly grocery bills :) yeah!!!

Week One: Publix

One two items here were purchased that were not "on sale" or with a coupon, or BOTH!

Gain: on sale $9.50, coupon $3 =$7.50

Motts: BOGO

Scotts 12pk TP: on sale $7, coupon $1.50 = $5.50

Slim Jim's: on sale 2/$6, 2 coupons $1 = $2.00 ea

Dove's new Body Wash: on sale $5.19, target coupon $1.50, mfg coupon $1= $2.69

Luzianne Tea: BOGO

Publix Ginger Ale: BOGO= 2 for $.86

Del Monte Fruit Cups: 10/$10, 2 $1/2 coupons = $.50 each

Juicy Juice: $1.50/2 coupon = $2.25 each

Truvia Sweetener: on sale $1,99, coupon $.50 (which doubles)= $.99

Publix Bread= $.89

Grapes= $1.99/lb

Hillshire Farm Lunch Meat: $1.00 coupon = $1.98

Toaster Strudel: coupon $1/2

Cantaloup= on sale 2/$3.00

Ballpark Franks= on sale 2/$6, coupon $.50 (which doubles) = $2.50 each

Kraft Cheese: On Sale 2/$4, target coupon $1.50/2, 2mfg coupon $.50 each (which doubled)= $.25 each

Boston Butt: on sale $2.39/lb

Cresent Rolls: coupon $.50/2

Shrimp: on sale $4.99/lb

Ragu Spaghetti Sauce: BOGO

Spaghetti noodles: $.79

Alfredo noodles:$.99

Success Rice: coupon $1.00/2

DentaStix: publix coupon $1.00, mfg coupon $1.00= $1.34

All together I spent $120. I saved $89.19!!!

I am happy. I could have gotten a better deal on the Scott's TP if I watch the CVS sales (I still have a coupon and I am watching!) but we needed TP! I could not tell everyone to stay on the toilet until the sale!!

A Few things I learned this week...

**Check prices: ex. DentaStix are $2.49 at our Walmart. The price was $3.34 at Publix. Without the "competitor" coupon it would have been cheaper for me to get these at WM than Publix.

**Stock Up: avoid buying things you don't use or need. But if a good deal on an non-perishable comes up...snatch them! (ex. spaghetti sauce)

**Don't be too brand loyal. Sometimes you have to "switch brands" to save. Don't forget to check the store brands they may be cheaper than the name brand WITH a coupon!

Sites you need to visit:

The Krazy Coupon Lady

My Four "Big" Meals for the Week are:

Spaghetti with toast and green beans/or salad

Garlic Shrimp Linguine with cheese grits and salad

Homemade HotPockets (using crescent rolls) Ham & Cheese

Pot Roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes

Must Love Dogs...

2011-03-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

In our family, we believe that you must love dogs!

I know some folks are "cat people" but to me there is nothing quite a nice as having a Fido to love!

I think you must love dogs because...

Dogs Love You

Dogs Follow You

Dogs Explore with You

Dogs Wait for You

Dogs Ramble with You

Dogs Make You Wonder About Things

Dogs Entertain Themselves When You're Busy

Dogs Look for Ways to Make You Happy

Dogs Play Make-Believe Without Ever Questioning Your Sanity

Dogs Want to Work For the Price of a Petting

Dogs Just Make You Feel Good Inside

All These Things...

2011-03-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

These words have been in my heart a lot the past few days.

We have just closed out the scheduled services for our Spring Revival at church. From the atmosphere, I feel like revival is far from over! This is true for me especially! I was so touched by each and every service and am grateful for having experienced each blessing.

Matthew 6:33 states "But seek first the kingdom for God and His righteousness, and all these things hall be added to you."

That's a well know verse. I mean it is probably right up there with one of the first scriptures I memorized. Remember in this post when I confessed to you guys that I had been selfish and tried to control various aspects of my life. Knowing full well that God was hoping I would just give it all to Him to work out? And then in my last post I took the time to tell you how blessed I was for the peace that God had put in my heart.

Now I feel its time to reveal a little more about what God is doing in my heart. If you go back a read blogs from the past several years you will see that over and over I have made statements like :"God is about to move" or "changes are in store for my family." I was reading over these this weekend and I was struck by the fact that some of those times (although I was fully expecting God to move) I did not ALLOW Him to much of anything.

Well, I'm ready. I was reminded that the BEST feeling in life is when I remember that my life is not my own and I should just give it to Him already!!! That's what I am ready to do. Give Him my life. Not just my marriage, not just my talents, not just my kids, not just my money, not just my time, MY LIFE...all of it. I am at a point where I not only know but BELIEVE that I might as well not have life if I am not going to give it to Him. I mean in my head I know that I can do nothing that comes anywhere close to what He can do with me.

I have hobbies, interest, and goals for my family. I love to live in the country. I mean, I go to neighborhoods and I think how nice the homes are but geez-louise to not be able to take the dogs out half-dressed, or allow the kids to romp partially unsupervised. Who would want to live where you could NOT hear coyotes for goodness sakes! I like to hunt. I mean, if I lived anywhere else I would have to (gasp) drive somewhere to hunt. That would seriouly limit the time that Justin and I could spend in the woods. I like to train my labs. Where could I go that I could have space not just for them to live but to train them??

Y'all may be laughing at me right now but this is seriously thoughts I have. Then I think about money. I mean, IF anything were to ever happen to mine or Justin's jobs what is out there for us to do? I mean we have to have clothes. We have to have food. We have to have all of these things...

That is when it hit me! Re-read Matthew 6:33 again!

Duh! If you start reading in Matthem 6:25 you find instructions not to worry. If God gives you a something to do to serve Him you should not stop and ask what will I eat? what will I drink? what will happen to my body? what will I wear? The end of verse 25 says, "Is not life more than food and the body more that clothing?"

God brought me into this world. He gave me a set of abilities. He saved me (redeemed me), He set me apart for His use (sanctified me), and He has kept me (prospered me). All things He promised He would do if I trusted Him. Personally, I think it is about time that I start REALLY living out Matthew 6:33

"Seek Ye First the kingdom of God..."

For me, right now, today, this means seeking out what direction He wants me to go. Be listening, watching, and waiting for Him to let me know what I should do and then........

Jump, go, do, be, share, love....what ever verb is approrate for the task He sets before me.

I! AM! READY!

I will not stop to consider all these things (as listed above). I will believe...

"and all these things will be added unto you!"

Father, please help me to find what it is You have for me to do. Help me to see that nothing in life has value unless you are at the center of it. Give me strength to face those who might be negative and keep me focused on seeking FIRST Your kingdom and your righteousness. amen

Peaceful

2011-03-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Lately, times of turmoil have found their way into my life. Noting major...just tons of little things that when added together seem to equal stress. I know that stress is my enemy. Or maybe stress is just a weapon of my enemy. Either way I know that God has plans to prosper me. {For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11} To me, this has nothing to do with money, station in life, or even health. I think God is referring to spiritual prosperity which includes the cultivation of the Fruit of the Spirit in my life.

I learned a long time ago that inside of me {and each soul, I believe} lies a fertile field. A place where God plans to create a mighty harvest of love, joy, peace...just to name a few. Often our sin-nature confuses us into believing that this empty field is destined to be filled with hobbies, careers, family, and even things..."stuff." Sometimes we settle in our lives for this "stuff" rather that allowing God to use this space to honor Him and therefore filling every desire with an everlasting goodness!

Of all of these things that God working out in my life I have been particularly focused on the peace that He has provided. All of the stresses that are in my life, when examined, are found to be things that I {not God} brought into my life. The little things in life that seem to pile up and make me want to hide my head in the ground are actually works of God! Yes, I believe He is using these things to teach me to be more peaceful.

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD,
make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Its just like I have mentioned before with trials in life, God can use everything in our lives to gain glory...if we let Him! I know that changes are coming for my family. Justin and I are standing together on faith that no matter what direction our lives are headed it is the perfect will of God. We are peaceful about the future. Actually we are kind of excited!


The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

I don't want to mislead you and make you think that we never worry. Never have conversations that begin with, "What are we gonna do if..." because we do! We worry, we cry, we even stress. But that is when we pray and hold fast to Jeremiah 29:11 and know that

no matter where we live or work,

no matter what we have to eat,

no matter how much gas cost,

no matter how our children preform in school,

no matter how good our retrievers are trained,

no matter if all the clothes/dishes are washed,

NO MATTER WHAT

our lives are in His hands!

It is the act of trusting, of acting on faith, that honors God and makes the harvest of our lives so pleasing to Him. I am working hard to act on faith and have peace today!

So my prayer today is the words of Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Pondering Love...

2011-03-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

This is my husband...my love...

He is everything you might imagine. Wonderful, strong, handsome, kind, and very loving. It is an honor to be called his wife. I love the picture above. It so captures him. He is a not a big fan of being photographed so when I catch one like this I cherish it.

I could not begin to describe all the ways he loves me. I know that he loves me no matter what. It is a type of love that mirrors the type of love that God has for me. Most people do not realize that marriage was designed by God to help us become better Believers. It was made to be work because through this type of love both parties learn so much about themselves. Being so close to someone helps you identify the areas of life in which you are in need of improvement. You practice love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control...just to name a few. Its not like Justin says,"Hey, you need more kindness today" but God sometimes uses our circumstances to teach me just that!

I'm not sure if you guys know this but Justin and I do just about everything together. We are blessed to enjoy the same interest of which serving God, loving each other, raising God-loving and kind children, having labs, and hunting top the list! I have realized that not all couples have this type of relationship which is fine. But, it makes me respect Justin that much more for truly letting me into "his" world.

The Bible tells me that I was made to be his helper. I pray that I live up to that title. I pray that my very existence makes his journey easier.

Our almost-nine year marriage has been blessed beyond belief. I love to quote Psalm 126:3 "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!" I feel that this verse was written just for me! It applies to so many different aspects of my life; including my marriage.

I am not sure I conveyed any of my feelings in this post. I just love that man SO much and I want the world to know that I have THE.BEST.HUSBAND...EVER :)

Happy Birthday Sawyer!

2011-03-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

Five years ago today Justin and I were welcoming our second child and first son into the world. We were discovering the amazing way God provides exactly the amount of love you need when you need it! Its funny how in those early years I would get caught up in things like his weight, how much he was eating, what he was eating and all those wonderful things you think about it the early years. He had a lot of things to overcome to become the little man that he is today. It is not easy on an 18-24 month old to be separated from your mom, dad, as sister like he was. Thankfully, he made it though those hard times.

Today, he is an unpredictiable, hilerious, thoughtful, serious, fun-loving little man!

Sawyer,

It has been a joy to call you our son! You are truly one of the most interesting people that I know. We are so proud of you on so many levels. Just yesterday, you made me simle when you put you dollar, that someone gave you for your birthday, into the offering at church. From the day you were born, we have loved you. No matter where life may take you, we always will! We know that you will make us proud with your contibution to the world. We know that God has a plan for you and He made you for great things. We are honored that He chose us to help guide you to this purpose. Thank you for being you!

Sawyer with his birthday present Luna! He was so suprised. He kept saying "my own dog!" We made the right choice we know for SURE!

Welcome Luna! We know you will take good care of Sawyer!

A prayerful and honest post...

2011-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

At the current moment I am upset, hurt, maybe even a little heartbroken. Usually this would NOT be the time that I would write a post for fear that I might write something I would later regret. However, I feel led so here goes...

A few moments ago, I got word that someone was bad-mouthing our Wilms Warrior Team t-shirts for this year's Relay For Life (as seen here). It seems that the theme "Cancer...Happy Trails To You" is unclear. I want to clarify its meaning. I have not idea who started these statements but I feel in my heart that it was someone who is hurting. Someone struggling to deal with the crazy roller-coaster emotions that cancer evokes; emotions I know all to well. I feel that the words CANCER and HAPPY in the same sentence seem like an oxymoron to this person and may have even offended them. They seemed to think that there is nothing happy about cancer and I can see their point. I would never hope to offend someone who is dealing with cancer so I want to be clear.

Anytime I have ever heard the song "Happy Trails" used it is to tell someone/something goodbye. In my design of the shirt I hoped to relay this message TO cancer. Goodbye, so long, get lost...may we NEVER meet again.

I did want the shirt to be uplifting. Because that is something that people dealing with cancer need. Trust me...I know.

Maybe this person does not really know me. Maybe they see my beautiful, intelligent, glasses wearing, no front tooth having, kindergarten daughter and think..."sure they are happy, cancer is all over for them." Maybe they don't know that there is a hole in my heart and in the heart of my family where this disease took my father 3 months after his 40th birthday. Maybe they don't know what it is like to hear "she has a mass on her kidney" or "there is a high chance she might die in surgery"....maybe they just don't know.

Maybe they can't see anything HAPPY about this...

or this...

but I can!

If this person is hurting I want them to know that I am praying for them, whoever they are. That they will allow God to come into their lives so that they can once again experience the happiness in the world around them. Cancer and what it does to those we love is NOT HAPPY. However, I am a happy person because God has blessed me...the chief of all sinners.

Supporting Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society is something that is very special for my family. One of the small reasons we participate is so that we can show Carys what it means to be involved and give back. We try to make her a big part of our team. Our t-shirt are always inspired by her and in honor of her fight. This year she wanted a western theme so that she could wear her cowboy boots. We have happy looking children on our shirts because she wanted them there. The shirt was not ment to imply that cancer or its journey are happy.

I hope that this person will join us at the event. I must warn them that if they do not want to see people having FUN or being HAPPY while fighting cancer they might not want to come. Relay is designed to inspire Hope and Joy for people dealing with cancer and the possibility of ending cancer forever! That is the message of our shirt and I pray that message comes shinning through.

What have I gotten myself into???

2011-03-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

It all started a few months ago. Carys came home saying that there was going to be a beauty pageant at her school. I have never even considered putting who I know to be the most beautiful girl in the world in a pageant. I always said that if she REALLY wanted to, she could. I am not aganist pageants, I just want to be sure that it is for fun and that she KNOWS that she is beautiful!

Well, she asked...and I attempted to get her not to do it. I told her how she would have to get up in front of everyone. See, Carys can be very outgoing when she is comfortable with all the people who are around, but she is also like her Daddy and can be a little leary of large groups of people.

But no, she was persistant. We went to pick out the dress. I only had a few guidelines and I let her have fun trying them on and picking out "the one." She loves the show "Say Yes to the Dress" so this was like a dream come true for her. Then she decided all on her own to ask Leah Downs and Meagan Watkins to help her get her hair and makeup done. This was another part of the experience that Carys LOVED!

Of course she looked like an angel but I was still not sure how she would do on stage.

Needless to say she did well and had a BLAST!

Oh my, now she has been bitten by the bug! What have I gotten myself into???

Relay for Life...

2011-03-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

So it is that time of year again. To raise awareness for a cause that is very, very dear to me; cancer research. The American Cancer Society does a great job of raising money to fund research to help put an end to this terrible epidemic. I call it that not because of research figures that I have, but because of experience. Last night I began making a list of all of the people that I relay for. I sounds like a pitiful thing to say..."My father and daughter had cancer." But folks...that is just the tip of the iceberg for the ways that cancer has effected MY little ole life. I have grandparents, aunts, uncles, church family, and close friends who have been effected. That does not even count all of the people that we met through Carys' journey! I want to lead my children my example that you should not wait until someone you know is diagnosed to take action and you should ALWAYS work hard to help those who helped you in troubled time. So, if you must know THIS is why I Relay...

Our team...the Wilms Warriors are in the process of fundraising to try and meet our goal of $3000 this year. We are on our way and I MUST say thank you to everyone who has pitched in so far! If you would like you can visit our team page Wilms Warriors and sign up to be on our team. You do not have to live close to help in this way. You can raise funds and enter them all on-line. You can also follow this link to make a one-time donation to help us reach our goal.

Another way to help is to purchase one of our 2011 Team T-shirts. You can help us fight cancer with research $$, support those currently fighting the war with cancer, honor Carys Jo...all with a $10.00 t-shirt!

Full Back Design

Front Pocket Design

If you would like to order a shirt, email me at cham4him@gmail.com asap. We will be ordering soon. They come in Youth M-L and Adult S-XL for $10. Adult 2XL-3XL are $12 each.

If you can please help us support this cause we hold so dear!

Winter Wonderland...Deep South Edition

2011-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

So, we have grown pretty accustomed to hearing the forcast of snow for our area and either seeing nothing...or ice{which is no fun to play in...we know becuase we tried!}

This time, when they started talking the "S" word {snow} we did not get excited or even think twice. It started raining at our place around 5:45 on Wednesday night. It rained for about 2 hours before we spotted the first flakes of snow. Even then we were sceptical of accumiations. But then it started snowing hard and conituned for a few hours. We were excited to have a "fun" snow that got us a delay for school starting but was not dangerous and brought LOTS of joy to our house!

We did wake up early in the am for fear that the snow would be gone with the daylight. The kids were happy to rise early to go out and play. We played for a few hours before going in to get ready for school. Here are a few of our pics.

Oh, Happy Day!

2011-02-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Our Bill is HOME!!

We are one happy family tonight!

Funky Time of Year...

2011-02-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

This must be the longest winter season known to ~~man~~ ~~Alabama~~ me! I mean I usually love wintertime...coffee, fire-places, sweaters, hunting and etc. Although I am super tired of "wintery mixes" I know that God is in control!

It is, in fact, a funky time of year. I know that not everyone's life revolves around hunting season's but ours seems too:) With duck season over, we now await turkey season. I have to invest in some cheaper practice shells cause I cannot go without shooting for several weeks! But since this probably interests no one reading...I shall move on!

Carys has made a really big decision in her life. She has decided to participate in her first beauty pageant. I am kinda shocked. I am not anti-pageant, but I never wanted to put her in one if she did not want to. But she loves getting all dolled up and when they sent the paper home from school explaining there was to be a pageant, she jumped at the opportunity to be in it. We have been practicing walking and smiling and we went and selected her dress this week. I just want to be sure that she knows how beautiful she is and that these things are just for fun!

So, I have been snapping pics of her to enter into the photogenic portion. Here is what I have so far...

Of course these are beautiful but I am going to keep snapping! Can you believe Carys was outside in this sleeved dress just last Sunday!!!

God Bless!

Confession is good for the soul...

2011-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

As this New Year is already off to a roaring start I feel the need to share. Part of that sharing involves letting you in a little deeper than I have in recent times. If you read the description portion of my blog you see that I have stated that the point of this blog is to share and encourage others...my intention all along was ministry.

However, for the past year or so, I cannot really claim to have done much encouraging. I am sure that you have all enjoyed seeing pictures of my family and hearing about what goes on in our crazy lives. But the truth is, that is not really why I have this blog. I could do all of the above on Facebook (which I do not have). No, this blog was started at a time when my life was very focused. I was focused on finding truths from God's Word that would help me to grow closer to Him. If you look back, the first year or two of postings are full of scripture and truths that God offers so freely. Lately, that has been missing.

This is not because I have stopped searching for these truths or because God has stopped supplying them. It is because I made a conscience effort to not share with you the "real" stuff that has been going on in my life. And that was not because I did not want you to know, but because I did not want ME to know!

A few years back I made a decision. It was a pretty big life decision and I did it because I knew in my head that it would be the best thing for my family. It was, in fact, a good thing; an opportunity that seemed like it had been placed in my lap for the taking. I was right in the middle of one wonderful mountain top experience with God when I knew exactly how real He was and exactly what it felt like to know Psalm 37:4 fulfilled in my life {Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart}. My daughter's health had been restored, my marriage never better, and I felt like everything was heading in the right direction. Then the real test of faith came.

See, it was in no way difficult to be faithful and fully rely on my Savior when He was my only hope. But then, I was offered the opportunity to live a happy and comfortable life. Free from worry, free from stresses I had in the past, and full of opportunity to make something important of myself. When this opportunity was given to me and I had a decision to make. I could take this life changing opportunity immediately, or wait patiently and listen to what God was laying on my heart.

The confession of this post it to say, with much regret that I choose the first. I jumped on this opportunity only looking to what God was going to do for us in the future. I knew that several doors would have to be opened for this to work out and if they did...I would give all the glory to God! Sounds great huh. Well, the problem was that I never took the time to make sure this was the path God would want for me {and my family}. I did what others expected me to do; what I thought was best for my family. Those doors I mentioned, they did in fact open but with much anguish. Again, I believe God gave me the opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit telling me this was not God's "perfect plan" but I moved forward. I even got others in on the prayers for this to all work out. And it did. And I praised God.

This "opportunity" has become the single most cumbersome burden I have ever carried in my life. How, you might ask, could such a God given opportunity be a burden. Well...that's easy. I now believe that it was never in God's plan for me to pursue this opportunity...or at least at this time in my life. Recently a very divine set of cirumstances took place. Things that you would not believe if I told you. And since I cannot really give details at this time I will do my best to explain...

So the "opportunity" required me to do a checklist of things. And I did them. One by one as painstaking as they were I completed the tasks as they were presented to me. One of them was a really important thing that without which, the opportunity might very well go away. I did it an although it was important it was not at all difficult.

A few weeks ago, I got a call stating that I did not do this important thing. No problem, I thought, because after all, I did do this thing {without which the opportunity might go away}. Well, after much anguish, many phone calls and many sleepless nights, I realized that it was a big deal and it appeared to all parties {except me} that I did not do this important thing. I looked like a liar.

This horrible tragedy must have been of satan. I mean he was trying to rob me of this opportunity when God had been so gracious to give it to me in the first place. I prayed. "God, do not let satan win this. Do not make we look like a liar when clearly I am not. I did do the really important thing that I had to do so why is this happening to me?"

Over then next few days I spent much time in scripture. Everything was about lying and listening to God and fulfilling your call. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me..."you are a liar." This shocked me. I knew {and still know} that I did not lie about what happened with the really important thing. I also know what Titus 1:2 says...GOD DOES NOT LIE! So what was God trying to tell me?

I figured it out pretty quickly, but I was NOT ready to admit it. Not to anyone...

See, I had been lying for a long time. I had been lying when I told everyone that I was sure this opportunity was God's will. I was lying because I never really asked Him. I just began praying for Him to work it out like He owed it to me; how ridiculous and sad. I lied and tried to ignore the fact that it was a direct act of favoritism that brought me the opportunity in the first place. And the worst of all {at least to me personally} what that I lied to my family, my husband, and even to myself that this opportunity was what I wanted to do. In fact, it was not...

I mean part of me did...the wrong part. The part that wanted to do better {materially} for my family. The part of me that wanted status and reward for myself. That part of me wanted this opportunity.

But the other part of me did not. The part that seeks to honor God, who seeks to fully seek His will...did not. The part who wants what is absolutely best {spiritually} for my family did not. The part that wants to spend less time pursuing status and things of this world in order to spend more time focus on sharing God's love, mercy, and grace...did not. And here is the kicker...

If you don't get anything else from this, please listen to me now. When God saves us He saves us from our flesh {aka the part of me that did want the opportunity}. I do not understand exactly why, but He chooses to leave with us the very part of us that He saves us from. While we are redeemed, He leaves in us that old nature that requires us to deny our flesh in order to fully follow after Him. And, as I have discovered, it is only in fully seeking after Him and deciding to listen to His council that we can find fulfillment.

I have now admitted to myself and my husband that I lied. That the "real" me did not want this opportunity nor the life, stress, or other "stuff" that it brought. I have apologized for seeking after the wrong things in life and therefore bringing the consequences of sin into our lives. I have more importantly recommitted to following after my Lord and Savior.I have confessed to Him my shortcomings and find myself in a place of grace and comfort. But I know I can't stay here long.

God did not save me to be safe and comfortable. I feel great changes on the horizon for my family. I have no idea what they are...but that is what faith is all about. I covet your prayers during this time in our lives. God has blessed us in innumerable ways and I praise Him for that!

One of my biggest fears in sharing has been that I would be labeled a failure on many levels. I am no longer afraid of that because I know that I am more that the sum of mistakes I make in my life. I am more than the number of times I choose not to follow His direction. I am the child of the King and His blood has been, is now, and will always be sufficient!

I leave you with the most precious song...

He's still working on me.

To make me what I ought to me.

It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,

the sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars.

How loving an patient He must be...

Cause He's still working on me!

There really ought to be

A sign upon my heart

"Don't Judge Me Yet There's and Unfinished Part!"

But I'll be perfect just according to His plan

Fashioned my the Master's loving hand!

Christmas Slidshow

2010-12-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

I decided to play around with the slideshow option on Picnik (a site I use for light photo editing). I really like how it turned out...you can be sure there will be more of these as Christmas goes on!

"Christmas 2010"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Sawyer's First Deer Hunt

2010-12-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Its hard to believe that as much as Sawyer loves shooting his Bow and BB gun he has actually never been on a deer hunt. So, Saturday evening they loaded up for the first big hunt.

Although as Sawyer says "we did bnot have any luck" I know my boys enjoyed their together time!

Oh, the weather outside is...

2010-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

~~frightful.~~ crazy!

No, really. Yesterday we were out of school due to icy roads at it was 55 this morning! We turned on WAY too much heat in the house last night and we all woke up sweating. I think it may be the cause for the major sinus-type headache that I battling at the moment. I had to resist the urge to put on the fleece socks this morning, I did not pre-heat the car, and I did not bring a jacket today; what a crazy turnaround from yesterday.

It is certainly the most wonderful time of the year. Having family and a wonderful church to share the celebration with makes it special. Having to beautiful kiddos to help you decorate, wrap gifts, sing carols, and share in the true meaning of the season is unexplainable. We have really tried to focus each of our activities around thankfulness and thinking of ways to help others. The kids were excited at the fact that they could help others by selecting someone from the angel tree and buy gifts for them. Sawyer wished that he could help every family who did not have presents and Carys felt that God would be proud of us for helping. Of course He would. This year we are going to set up a savings bank during the year so that next year we can help more families. Don't be fooled, my kids are little and at times it is hard for them to understand why they should give of their own money. But that is the point. I think it will be much easier to teach them this now that when they are older. Cleaning up Sawyer's room yesterday helped them to see that in fact they had WAY more that enough "things" and they are double blessed because they also have an abundance of loving people who surround them each day.

I am so proud of Justin and myself. Have you ever watched the news around Christmas and gawked at the sights? You know like, "Who in their right mind would be in the mall on Christmas Eve?" Yeah well, that's usually us. Not that we wait until the last minute to buy everything, but we are usually missing a gift or two right up to the big day. And we ALWAYS stay up on that night wrapping presents for the next day. Part of it is that Justin's work is always REALLY busy this time of year. I always joke and say that it is due to the fact that there is a paper shortage this time of year due to all the wrapping paper (he works in the wood industry). As you may know, the two of us like to do everything together...see...

...and of course duck hunting takes up most of our "spare" time which leaves little room for shopping!

Well, I got three words for you ~~War Cam Eagle~~ ahem, I mean...NOT THIS YEAR!

We have one present left to buy and all of our gifts are neatly wrapped and tucked under the tree. Well, when I say neatly you do understand that Carys and Sawyer insisted that they wrap a few "on their own" and so neat is a relative term! Man, kids think you need a LOT of tape!

Anywho, I am proud of us. We also stuck strictly to our budget this year. We always do a cash only Christmas. I mean we do know the meaning of the season! Jesus gave all He had and I think he wants us to celebrate that fact within our means. This year, we did a lot of internet research on the items we wanted and searched out the best price. I made a detailed list (with prices listed) and off we went. I had a budget for each store and in the end we still had about $80 left! That we will use for gas money to drive to all of our holiday destinations. Justin and I do not give each other gifts because we take a trip in February each year. BUT...I did snag him a couple of inexpensive items that I think he will love. I would tell you, but that would be the one time he would read the blog (hehe). So, wait for pics after the big day.

(here is my darling hubby, My Duckman)

I am having difficulty taking in all the blessings. I mean everywhere I look I see ways that God has touched my life. He had blessed, He has taught, He has used us this year. Who could ask for more?

(Next Generation Hunters)

Okay people...

2010-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I have not blogged in two months! It is NOT because there has been nothing to blog about! I have been so busy finishing up my school work, working on my job school, taking care of my little sweet things {yes that includes Justin}, preparing for Christmas, and working on the sin nature that remains in me despite the fact that I serve a Risen Savior!

Whew~ and I did not even mention the EXTRA stress that came with rooting on MY team this year! More on that in a minute...

I have been praying lately over having joy in all of life's circumstances. It is so easy in this stressful journey I call my life to slip into a pattern of being overwhelmed at all of the tasks that I face each day. Instead, I am choosing to be overjoyed with the seemingly mundane things in life. It is such as blessing to have two healthy kids to clean up after and a pure joy to have a caring husband to attend to.

Please pray for me though. This journey of finding true joy (not the kind you fake) in life requires me to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit. I feel changes in life coming. God is speaking this to me through scripure and truths that are playing out in my life. I am not even sure what this changes will be or what they will mean for my family. But I do know that HE is in control and I CAN (and will) trust Him to lead and take care of all the details. Bust even as I write this...satan whispers in my hear how, why, when...so pray that I can push fear and doubt out of my life.

Have you heard of this guy???

If not, this is Cameron Newton. This picture was taken after the Auburn win at the SEC Championship game. I was there! FRONT ROW and after the game I was able to TOUCH Cam :) No matter how you feel about Auburn or Cam I think it is awesome that I TOUCHED the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner! This game was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I love Auburn football and I love spending time with my family. This was our 16th year to Atlanta and the SEC game. My Grandfather made this possible and 'Thank You' seems very inadequate. I also have to thank my 3 uncles for taking a girl along to the game!

I only took 300 pictures at the game...

Also...

Preparing for Christmas has been so fun this year. The kids are so into buying presents for others, decorating, wrapping, and baking cookies (which they want to do EVERY night:) But it still touches my heart when my 4-year-old tells me that it does not matter what he gets because, "Christmas is not about getting presents as stuff it is about Jesus' birthday." Just melts my heart! We are so blessed...there are no words...try Psalms 126:3 to sum up my feelings about life!

God Bless!

P.S. I am now on twitter so follow me if you tweet! I am Cham4Him...

Another Brave Member of the Family...

2010-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Although I think it would take a lot to knock Carys Jo out of the "bravest person I know" category, Sawyer decided to try out for the leading role. Well, I suppose it was not something he tried to do...but you get the picture.

Wednesday, I arranged for Justin's mom to pick Sawyer up from school. I had a nail appointment and she did me a great favor. Sawyer's Pop was very excited to spend the afternoon with him and they did all sorts of "boy stuff" as Carys would call it. One of these things was to feed the horses. After Pop put the feed out for one of them, Sawyer decided to try and pet the horse {who was eating} on the nose. Well...the horse thought Sawyer was trying to get his food so he snapped at him. Caught in the crossfire was Sawyer's right hand.

A couple of painful shots, five stitches, lots of gauze, and some pain medicine later he is doing well. This was what his hand looked like when wrapped.

This was Sawyer's setup before I left for church last night. He was all comfy with his pj's, blanket, pillow for a prop, chicken noodle soup, and coke in an UA cup. He took the doctor very serious when he told him to keep it elevated. At first, he was holding it straight in the air! We finally convinced him that the doctor meant to prop it up, not hold it over his head.

He had a good night and so far a good day. He was a little disappointed when I told him he could not go to school because he wanted to tell the story to his friends...He will be fine, just keep him {and his fingers} in your prayers! P.S. pics are from my phone.

Hold on Tight...

2010-10-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

...becuase I am about to ~~tell~~ show you way more than you ever wanted to know about labs and retriever training! I am hoping that you will love the pics so much that you will pay no mind to the content...

I would also like to preface this retriever training session by saying that all of these pics are un-touched, un-edited, raw images from our adventures. You can either congratulate me or beg for edits next time :)

P.S. this is more about the pics than the "training" those parts, which contain some truth, are just to set the stage for my pictures:)

Retriever Training Part One

It is such a shame when you stumble upon a gorgeous setting for a picture and you have no people to photograph!

When working with your retriever, you should first find a picturesque locale. This location will help the dog practice swimming in deep, but still, water. Also, the dog will be able to practice jumping from a dock.

A properly trained retriever will swim to the bumper with ease.

He will grip the bumper in his mouth and proudly return to his Man {or Woman it just all depends}.

You should often try and include some "cover" for the dog to work through. You never know what things your dog will face when you are in your favorite hunting hole!

Obedience is one of the finer qualities of Labradors. It must be practiced every day.

Never, ever forget to stop and observed God's wondrous creation.

You and your retriever should be as one.

Retriever Training Part Two

I cannot stress the importance of a training in a beautiful location. You should always look to your left...

and then to your right to ensure that the spot is indeed appropriate!

"Hmmm..."

"Yes, I think this spot will do." But...

"...I better test out the water before Bill!"

Have I mentioned...

That Labs are...

the quintessential...

companions. Especially,

for rambunctious children...

such

these. Anyway, I digress...

As mentioned in Part One, obedience is the key. If you do not think this is a well trained dog, just look at the pictures above. His kids were splashing and playing, but he was obeying his Man's command to SIT and STAY. That was hard for even me to obey!

Properly trained retrievers will remain at SIT when their ~~bird~~ bumper is ~~shot~~ thrown {even when their Man is barefooted.}

A properly placed ~~bird~~ bumper will ensure that the dog must...

run through shallow, but moving water...

exit the water on land, swim in deep and moving water...

and make the retrieve.

A retrieve is not really complete, however, unless...

The ~~bird~~ bumper makes it back to the Man!

And of course praise is always necessary.

So, there

you

have it.

A good retriever...

is always more than happy...

to, well...retrieve!

I also loved these shots of the native "wildlife" at this training location!

Where has the week gone...

2010-10-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over a week since I have posted. It is not because there has been a lack of things to post about. It was a busy week.

Sawyer had a class field trip to a pumpkin patch. We usually take the kids to Clanton to THE Pumpkin Patch but I hated not to let Sawyer go with his friends. Carys also has a Pumpkin Patch trip coming up later this month.

We also packed in some fun in the evenings. We have had a warm spell {Indian Summer I suppose} this week. Add that to the fact that we had Bill home and that makes for some fun afternoons in the yard...and in other places. We even took Bill to the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge for a bit of training and he and the kids loved it. I have great pictures of all of this, but they will have to come later...

BCHS Homecoming was Friday. It was a beautiful day for the parade and we loved the fact that they were allowed to throw candy this year {the first time in many years}. The kids were so excited to see all the floats and beauty queens. We ended the night with a 49-0 win over the Green County Tigers. It was fun!

So, I leave you with some pictures from the Pumpkin Patch

Action Packed Saturday...

2010-10-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

I love days where I get to be with the whole family for the whole day!

Today was one of those days...

I was even able to catch some of the great moments on film...

But then I uploaded some of the best shots sideways and it was too late at night to try and fix them...

We went to CCA for Sawyer's Fall Festival...

Sawyer got to pet a pony...

And paid one dollar {of his own money} to ride a horse...

And then we went to our very own Cottingham Pumpkin Patch...

And I got some ever beautiful shots of my always beautiful daughter...

And then an evening of pizza and football left us ready for bed!

God has blessed us beyond compare! Thanks for wanting to share with us!

Can you imagine...

2010-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

A world without these shots?

As if my life has not given you enough reason to know that prayer works!

I searched the web for "Free Photo Recovery Software" and came up with several. Recuva is what worked for my CF card. All 1168 pics were recovered!

Photography Prayers Needed...

2010-09-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I believe that God wants us to talk to Him about the "little" things in life. I figure that by my acknowledgment that He is in total control of ALL of the parts of my life {both big and small} He gets the glory.

With that said, I need prayer for a "small" thing. Actually, it is about 1128 small things.

First, I need to tell you that today has been one of those days. You know the ones, where you want to just ~~throw something at~~ turn off the alarm and pull the covers over your head. Not really because there is anything wrong; but just because. It was a long weekend and first part of the week caring for Carys through her recent virus {which started as a rash/fever but has since morphed into a horrible cough.} I cannot remember the last time I had to get out of my bed at night to check on either on of the kids. That is, until this weekend. Satan used this unusual situation to get into my head and attempt to steal my joy.

I could not sleep for this deep down feeling that something terribly wrong was about to happen. I would awake quite certain that Carys had stopped breathing, or have a vivid dream concerning Sawyer and his bunk bed (enough said). Of course each time I would have to go into their rooms, place my hands on them and pray. That took a lot out of me.

So, back to the photography...

My mom was nice enough to pick up both kids from school today. I feel guilty to say that I arrived home about 20 minutes before they did. Each year about this time I cut back my ferns and let them come back out with new foliage for the fall. They are beautiful for October and November. So I sat down trimming them and praying. I asked God to prune me and my life just like I was doing to these ferns. I want Him to take all of the old stuff, habits and thoughts that I might have that keep me from being beautiful in His eyes.

The the kids got home. We spent the afternoon outside playing. I grabbed the camera and shot some absolutely breath taking shots of them. It was like a gift from God. It was like He was showing be His goodness through my lens. So why am I asking for prayer.

I came in and got the kids in the bath for church. I was trying to view my pictures in my computer when the message that NO photographer wants to see popped up "CF needs formatting" In case you don't know, this means that somewhere in the transfer, the files have been corrupted; inaccessible.

I am was heartbroken.

Sometimes you can put the memory card into another reader and it will work. I put it back in the camera, same result. I am going to take it to the store and see if the files will open there tomorrow. If not, there is some software out there that claims to be able to retrieve erased, corrupted, or formatted files. We shall see. I am not just upset that the pictures are gone, but they were so lovely.

If you have nothing else to pray for, please, pray that somehow I can retrieve my precious memories.

P.S. Carys' birthday pictures are on there as well...

Happy 6th to the Bravest Person I Know...

2010-09-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

That of course being Carys Jo Cottingham!

I just had to break the blogging silence (caused by nothing more that life:) to wish my beautiful darling a happy birthday. She is nothing short of amazing. To let her know how I feel on this day...

My Darling Carys,

About 6 and 1/2 years ago, God blessed me with the best birthday present ever. You see on that day, my 22nd birthday I discovered that God had placed a tiny life inside of mine. The joy, thankfulness, and honor that your Daddy and I felt at that time we thought could not be topped. Boy, were we wrong! I hope that you can one day understand how God used YOU to start a mighty work in your parents lives. When we were hoping to have you we discovered this verse:

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

We knew that we must set God and His ways at the center of our lives if blessings such as you and Sawyer were ever to be. We have not been perfect, but we hope that with our every step we set an example for you on how to delight in the Lord.

My prayer for you is that one day you realize what so many people already know. God has chosen you, my dear, as an instrument through which to reveal His power, His love, His grace, and even His beauty. You have made me proud in so many ways, the least of which was your courageous spirit through your cancer journey. What blesses my soul even more than those days is you faith and love for God. You probably will not remember being upset to learn that you would not be required to have memory verses at school this year, or wanting a copy of the 10 Commandments for your new Kindergarten Friend who you felt was using God's name inappropriately, or even how you cried when you could not go to church because you were sick with a rash. You may not remember these times, but they have been defining moments in your life so far. Times when God confirmed to me that despite my many faults, you understand what in most important in this life...Faith, Service, and Dedication to God.

It is so hard for me to look at you and think that you are only SIX! What a full and blessed life you have lived already. But guess what!?! I just know that if you live by Psalm 37:4 you will have many, many more blessings in store. I have loved having you as my child, and I cannot wait to watch the rest of your life unfold.

I love you!

Momma

Yes, I Do Exist!

2010-07-31T05:16:00.000-07:00

I mean did any of you doubt that seeing as gow I've been MIA for a few weeks? You can calk that up to Greaduate school! I have NEVER do so much writing! This is my first mobile post:) I just got a new phone today. Verizon sent me an early upgrade offer and I jumped on it. I made the. Leap from blackberry to a droid platform. I do not want to bash Blackberry because it served me well. I kept the old phone as a backup. So far, I am so pleased. I can browse so many more sites tham before! I could check and read blogs, but no posting or commenting. Now I can do it all!

Afternoon at Home...

2010-07-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

It is almost like I can feel summer ending. I have to admit, I am more than ready for some aspects of fall {particularly mums, the evening sun, football, and slightly lower temps.} But others, particularly the increase of the pace with the start of school, I am not so ready to welcome.

We spent a wonderful afternoon/evening at home. It was lovely. I had a full supper planned, but Justin convinced me {okay, okay he did not have to twist my arm} to change to chicken fingers and fruit for the kids and a la carte for the two of us. This allowed me more time to sit outside and enjoy the view, the animals, and the family!

I got an email yesterday asking if we still had chickens.

Well, YES!

And, turkeys! I enjoyed just setting on the ground and watching the chickens {and turkeys} peck the ground. Aside from my kids, shooting nature {both wild and domesticated} is my favorite!

After our river trip the other day, Justin's truck needed washing. The kids were very excited to help...

Brother got soap...

Brother washed...

Sister rinsed.

Sister rinsed Brother, and thought is was SO funny!

Sister can dish it out, but it is another story when Daddy turns the water on her!

And, just so that you know we are not child-slave drivers, here is Daddy washing the truck.

Not Me Monday

2010-07-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to join in on all the fun over at one of my favorite blogs MckMama.
This will be all about the things I did "not" {aka did do}.

For example, I did not just return from spoiling my kids to their third beach trip this summer. No, not me!

I did not forget to place my memory card in my camera on the day we were at the beach and miss ALL the memories from that day. I would never do something that crazy :(

I have not taken so many pictures of my children that it is almost impossible for them to ignore the camera and just act natural. I mean, I have not ruined them at all!

As soon as we got home from the beach, we did not almost immediately head to our local body of water, the Cahaba River. No, not us. We were totally tired of water.And I certainly did not allow my kids to ride in the back of the truck once we left the highway. No responsible parent would ever do that!

And finally, I have not totally turned my blog into a photo journal. No, I always have great commentary on life that I blog about. I would never just post pictures for everyone's viewing pleasure!

It is Official...

2010-07-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

We are...

Professional travelers ,

Ready to sleep in strange beds,

Swimming pool critics,

And...

Exceptional

Beach

Bums!

And lovin'

Every minute of it!

At Last...

2010-07-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy, I have been putting this post together for several days. I have been up to all hours of the night working on graduate schoolwork. I am doing well, but boy! I have learned they don't call them detailed lesson plans for nothing!

Anywho, it seems that I must post these pictures from our recent beach trip today because we are leaving tomorrow to go again! No, we have not won the lottery or anything like that. It is sort of an accident that we are going, but hey I don't really believe in accidents!

First, just let me say that if you ever book a room using online services such as Hotwire.com be aware that you cannot {under any circumstances} cancel or change the date of your reservation. My brother made a reservation for this Friday and Saturday night in Destin, FL. Something came up that he cannot cancel, so we agreed to take the rooms for him. {Aren't I just be BEST sister?!?} Justin is setting this one out, and my mom and I are taking the kids down. We are headed out in the morning.

Second, I have had NO time to edit the pictures. I can see a thousand tiny things that would make them awesome. But I want y'all to see them and I am sure there will be more where these came from!

Sawyer has gotten really comfortable in the water as you can see. He will swim under to you now. He is so strong that I knew he would do well once we got that face in!

And of course, here is our resident fish!

Here is a shot from our balcony of the little swimmers!

And this hunk of a man is my darling husband!

I cannot take credit for this shot. Justin took this. We are, as all families with small children, all about some Toy Story. This is also a tribute as we lost Woody's hat in the sand:(

Can you spot Justin? We stayed in the Phoenix All Suite Hotel. It was really just a mini condo. We really enjoyed it for this quick trip. It is right on the public beach. The room was nice, but it would be noisy during a busy time as it it right beside the Hangout.

The overcast days made for some beautiful shots. Aside from my kids, nature is my favorite thing to shoot. You can't look at this and not see GOD!

We had a bit of a surprise awaiting us when we got to our room. We were expecting the kids would sleep on the sleeper-sofa, but there were bunks in the hallway and they were so pumped about them!

Okay, there is nothing particulary amazing about this photo; but there is a super funny story that goes with it. See the pelican? Well about two minutes after that pelican left, we decided to have a family sit-down and watch the boats in the bay. When I got up, I had the strangest feeling that something wet was on the seat of my pants. Let's just say the pelican left its "mark" on my pants. It was soooooo groooooooss.

This is what I have to resort to if y'all want to see a picture of me!

Next time we are out here, I am going to be prepared for a full out photo shoot! There were some awesome shots to be made. When we went "riding" this afternoon, I {for some crazy reason!!!} did not take my camera, so these are all with Justin's point-and-shoot. Man, It is so hard to frame a shot and get everything balanced without an eye-piece to look through!

By the way, the reason there are so many of Carys and not of Sawyer is because the boys left us to go exploring. I can't shoot them if they are not there!

Please pray for safe travels and good weather for our journey to FL this weekend!

Vote for ME!

2010-07-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I have entered my first photo contest. Most of you know that I use the site Shutterfly.com to store and print a lot of my photos. They had this summertime contest and I entered two entries. Click below to vote for each.

The main reason I entered was for the 20 FREE prints they offered. Anyone can enter, so if you have some shots piled up on your card that you need to print, head on over and enter the contest!

Contest details

Becoming Everything to Everyone...Paul's Challenge

2010-07-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

^{1 Corinthians 9:19-23

19}Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

This was part of our text for our Sunday School Lesson last week. It spoke to me so much and the challenge that Paul's words presents was very real to me.

In the preceding verses, Paul was explaining to the Christians at Corinth that although many things were permissible for them to do or take part in, not all things were profitable to them or for those around them. Just because you can do something, does not mean that you should do it.

As I prayed over these verses, I realized the greater truth that God was speaking for my life. I think that too often I am too concerned about what "I want to do." I often stop to consider if the action or thought is allowed by God. Because I have claimed the redeeming blood of Christ, there are lots of things that I can do. Lots of things that might not effect my relationship with Christ. However, this scripture reminds me that often my actions and thoughts impact others who are either lost or less mature in their Christian walk. If my actions present some sort of stumbling block for them, even though it might not be "wrong" I should not do it.

In this verse, Paul reminds us that he becomes all things to all people. This does not mean that he changes who he is or changes the rules he lives by when he is around various people. It does mean that he is prayerfully aware of the needs of others. He constantly keeps his eyes on the prize of winning others to Christ and by doing so puts himself, his wants, aside to become what other people need in order to show, to live, the love of Christ to them.

I had to stop and ponder on this for a while. Maybe you can ask yourself the same questions I asked myself...

Am I putting my wants above those of others and their spiritual needs?

In what ways am I becoming all things to the people who most need the love of Christ {the Lost}?

Is the focus of my life making me happy or following through with the Great Commission.?

Oil Spill

2010-07-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

First, let me just say that we have had an amazing trip. I have taken well over 300 pictures in less that 24 hours! I decided to share some of them in groups. I just could not see posting the oil along with our happy trip pictures. There is no way you can grasp what it is like if I mix the pictures.

I want to share this with all of you who may not be able to come down. Someone has already told me they were waiting for the post because their pictures of the oil did not do it justice. Your mood should at least be somber after viewing this.

So we arrived late Thursday night. Friday morning, I took these from our balcony.

I would say that from a distance, it looked much like really bad seaweed. There were large brown patches on the beach and the water was a little brown as the waves broke.

What I did not really think about was that I was looking at a lot of beach from 7 or 8 stories in the air. I will admit,that Justin and I both thought that maybe it was not as bad as we expected.

Here you can see a "slick" out in the water.

Around 7am the clean-up crews began to arrive.

FYI, in Gulf Shores, AL double red flags indicate that the water is CLOSED. Swimming while double red flags are posted is illegal and you can be arrested.

Once I got down to the beach {and saw this} my heart just sank. It was all too real to me now. There were millions of these "tarballs." As best I understand it, when the oil is out in the cold water it forms "balls" but once these hit the beach and warms up, they look like these globs. This may be a horrible analogy, but if you have ever see chicken, duck, or geese poo, it looked like that. Some were dime-sized while some were the size of dinner plates.

That is a child's beach toy.

This is what is left behind when the surf hits the sand. This is impossible to clean up.

There were several of these crews along the beach. As I type, it is 11pm and there are crews still out there working with lights. They set up these huge rolls of "garbage bags" and go to work shoveling the tar and sand up. That huge tractor would take the filled bags down the beach to a pickup location. I am not sure where they took them after that.

I'm sure at least one person will call us bad parents for letting the kids go out on the beach. I thought it was so important that they see what had happened. They have a lot of background on the oil rig and the spill. They were both very quite and they concentrated on where to step to avoid the oil. Carys was absolutely heartbroken at how the water looked and that she could not go in the ocean.

We managed to find a place where the kids could sit and play in the sand for a while. They discovered that no matter how careful you are, if you go on the beach, you WILL get oil on you.

These crews worked in shifts. We were told that they only work for 20 minutes at a time and then swap and break and do that all over again. It is very hot and humid and they faced a daunting task. We watched them work all day, and I would say {this is my guess} they cleaned about 200-300 yards of beach that will be covered again in the morning after high tide.

From the balcony I could not put into perspective exactly how much of the beach was covered in oil. It was a lot.

This is one of the saddest pictures to me. This is a shot of the public beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. On a Friday morning the weekend of the Fourth of July. I am not sure if there were any other people out there or not. So sad. It did pick up a little bit later in the day, but still it was no where near a normal sized crowd.

More Tar Balls

The clean-up.
You have to SCRUB the oil off with soap. Justin took a great deal of time cleaning Carys and Sawyer's feet, but later in their baths they still had a tint to the bottoms of their feet. I scrubbed more and {just so you will not think we neglected them} they are completely clean now!

Here is another slick that you could see mid-day.

Helicopters flew all day. Before we could really see the above slick from our balcony, this crew arrived to try and keep it from coming ashore.

The remainder of these pics are from the Mobile Bay from Fort Morgan.

Here is an oil rig in the bay. Although the kids had seen pictures online and on the TV, it was great for them to get to see a real rig so that they could understand the accident and why the oil was leaking. There was a LOT of oil in the bay out here. It was very sad. We stood on the pier and just looked. The grandeur of how vast the bay looked and how broad and area that was {and will be} impacted is just well, sad.

Also at Fort Morgan we met a crew working on clean-up efforts. They were making absorbent contraptions {for lack of a better word!} They had these large cotton pads and they layered the pads and some sort of screen. {Ladies, these absorbent pads looked like mattress pads for a king sized bed.}

Here you can see the contraption.

Please pray for the people on the coast. Pray that an answer to the actual leak will come soon. Looking at the oil, it was easy to forget that it is still leaking. This is not the last oil that this area will see. Pray for the clean up crews, the local business owners, and everyone involved.

Other than praying, making a trip down and supporting the businesses of the affected areas is the best thing you could do.

P.S. This is the longest post I've ever compiled!

Post 200

2010-07-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

This is my 200th post. I admit that I write mostly for myself. My blog only has 7 followers {for whom I am very thankful:} and I rarely get comments. I know others read, but usually, that is not why I write. I do not always find the right words, and even more often misspell the ones I do use:)

But today, I am writing to be read! If you read this and feel any connection, please, pass my blog address on to someone. What I have to say today, the whole world needs to hear. This will be a post about God's love, His grace, and His mercy.

As I type, my dear family and I are at the beach! Yes, the beach again. Justin called yesterday and told me that he would be off both Friday and Monday for the 4th of July and that we should get away. I have been asking for a short trip to the gulf to witness the oil spill and clean-up efforts. {I will blog about that later}. As usual, the plans we had for this trip turned out not to be the plans God had for us. I sat down and considered our $$$s and what we could manage for this trip. It was during this process that I cried for the first time.

As I was looking at our savings and checking accounts and thinking about what we could so, it hit me. Not that long ago, we had no savings and usually just enough in checking to pay bills and get us well fed. God as ALWAYS provided for our every need. I do not want anyone to think any differently. I have always been blessed. But, when I consider the point God has brought us to, I am simply amazed. I also do not want you to think that we have some sort of unlimited budget, ha! Come on, I am a public school teacher for crying out loud! But, after many money mistakes and praying for God to provide us with the discretion and wisdom to make better choices we are reaping the blessings {which we do NOT deserve} of following His plan for our family and our lives.

The second cry came later in the day. Sawyer had some sort of allergic reaction to something. His entire body is covered in this horribly itchy rash. Did I say his WHOLE body? It was at its peak Thursday around noon. I had just gotten out of class and we were all in Tuscaloosa and I realized (a) our doctors office closes at 12pm on Thursday, and (b) I did not have my insurance card with me. I called a local walk-in clinic and they were able to look up our insurance information via and on-line system {thank you Lord for technology.} Carys and I took him. Thankfully, even though it was a really bad reaction it seemed to be limited to his skin. So, he was given meds and we were on our way home.

At one point during the visit I looked over at Carys. I asked what she was thinking and she said it was strange for her not to be the one at the doctor. Amen sister! Here is where the tears came. I have no idea why God healed Carys. But I do know that it was a total act of mercy and grace. Then the new came of new occurrence of tumors in our dear friend Hannah Grace Harrison.

I do not know how to describe a heart {mine} that contains such joy and such heartbreak at the same time. There are no words. God's Word says...

Ephesians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Every spiritual blessing. That is what I feel like I have.

Sawyer was so sweet about his rash. When I told him that we could not see his doc but needed to see a doctor he was a bit upset. He looked up with me with a heart full of faith and said, "Momma, I don't have to go to the doctor. We can just pray really hard about this and God will take care of it." Wow. How was I gonna explain this to him, when I cannot completely wrap my mind around how God works.

Later, Carys wanted to know if God "makes" people sick. I took a deep breath and we talked about Job and how Satan was out to get someone, and God said, Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." {Job 1:8}

I explained to my wonderful children that while God does not "make" us sick nor does He find any joy in our painful times, He does have a master plan. See, God knew Job's heart and in a way He chose Job to face what satan had in mind. We can apply this to our lives. It is hard to see loss, difficulty, sadness, loneliness, heartbreak, or sickness as a gift from God. But, if we find ourselves in difficult times like Job did we can consider ourselves chosen. God is waiting for us to show our faith and trust in Him and fully rely on His all sufficient Grace.

The blessings I experience today I could have never imagined when I started this blog. If you go back and look at my first post I talked about Jesus being the Rock. He has sustained me through so much and I want the world to know about all the spiritual blessings that God has provided through my simple and often inadequate faith.

I am going now, to swim in the pool with my kids. I pray that you will find something here that will speak to you. I am not sure why God allows all the "stuff" to come into our lives. In fact, that is not even important to me. But I do know that God uses these time to make the blessings in life so much sweeter!

I'm off to savor the sweetness!

This and That...

2010-06-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

We have been going non-stop around here! I mean really, non-stop.

I am so blessed and content with life right now. I mean, I would love to have a break from graduate school, but that is a part of life that will not go on forever and ever, so, I shall Endeavor to Preserver!

But in every other aspect of life, I am so blessed there are not words. My kids are growing up so fast. Sawyer and Carys we talking about God's love and power today. It blesses by soul to hear them talking about such things on their own and with such accuracy.

We had a nice visit to the Cahaba this weekend. The kids are just old enough to enjoy the water and for us to stay a few hours. We were equipped with beach umbrella's and lounge chairs. The kids loved swimming and playing in the river. With the water and the shade we were able to stay cool. Beside getting to enjoy our lovely Cahaba, we also had the pleasure of seeing four bald eagles. I got some shots of them, but even with the longest lens I had, they are a bit blurry. I will post them later. It was a awesome experience!

It was a bittersweet day as well. It was our last family outing with our best friend Bill {for a while}. He is gone to the trainer for a month. Yes, as the kids would say, THIRTY DAYS! Although we know he is in good hands, we miss him terribly!

I noticed this is my 199th post. I will have to develop a good one for #200!

I have accomplished a lot this weekend. I've been working on school work, Justin and I trimmed all the hedge bushes, I made pickles, and put up a 5 gallon bucket of corn. Its all in a day's work {make that a weekend's work} for a country gal!

Super Retriever Series...

2010-06-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe not, but let a dog dream!
A couple times per week Bill travels to various bodies of water with his daddy to retrieve. He lives and breathes to retrieve!

This evening, I was able to tag along {me and my camera that is!} I am particularity proud both of Bill's Skills and the photos I "retrieved."

Hope you enjoy!

Various Cottingham Happenings

2010-06-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

So, as I mentioned we have been SUPER busy.
The kids had a week of swimming lessons. At the end of last summer Carys was jumping of the diving board and very confident. The first few weeks of swimming this year she was a little unsettled in the water. One week with Mrs. Jan did the trick! She is back to jumping in and swimming under. She loves to give underwater kisses!

Sawyer. Oh, Sawyer. When we opened our pool and when we were at the beach Sawyer still has his fear of the water. Even during his week with Mrs. Jan he was VERY hesitant to put his face in.

Something changed the week after lessons and he decided that the water was more fun than scary. He will now swim under with me holding his hands and he loves to explore how things look underwater.

Okay, since starting summer school we have been around the house a lot. The kids have been great to play in their rooms while I try and complete assignments. Many days, Carys changes clothes fifty times while Sawyer stays in his sleep shorts all day (with no shirt!)

Here, Sawyer on one of the rare occasions when he pealed the computer away from me. He was on Starfall.com and he was upset because he wanted to "save the planet" but he did not know what to do; again, shirtless!

For those of you who might wonder if the family you read about on the blog is our "real" family, her you go. This is what the scene normally looks like in Carys room. When I ask her how paper got all over the floor, she just smiles and says that the babies were learning to cut. She was sure to tell me that they are not very good at it yet. She thinks they are too young. Summertime means we (need to) vacuum every day and our rooms get cleaned at lunch, and then again before bed!

We consume an unbelievable amount of fresh fruit and veggies in the summertime. Here is a morning snack for the kids. Fresh peaches sprinkled with Splenda.

This is another "normal" scene in our home. We have a very strict no-kids-or-dogs-in-our-bed policy. It seems this rule only applies when we are IN the bed. As soon as Justin and I vacate, others take over. Carys is listnening to her "iPod." Which is not really an iPod, but a Phillips MP3 player. Santa brought both kids one as we decided they were too young to care for the iPods the requested, but these Phillips ones were great (spell that CHEAP) alternatives. I recommend them for young kids like ours. They are easy to operate and have adequate memory.

Have I ever told ya'll that Sawyer has some weird quirks? He prefers to sleep without a pillow case. I have tried to explain to him why he needs one, but I often find him like this (missing his pillow case) in the mornings.

Anyway, here are a few moments from our lives! God is Good!!

VBS Round-Up

2010-06-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

This year our theme for VBS was Saddle Ridge Ranch.
The western theme sparked us to have a Round-Up for our kick-off.

Of course Sawyer thought this was the best VBS ever! Everyone was encouraged to dress in western ware, but that was difficult due to the heat.
Games included a "barrel race" where the dads became the horses. It was hilarious!

This is my favorite shot of the day!

It was a wonderful party and VBS was a great success.

Could Someone Please STOP the Coaster...

2010-06-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

So that I might get off!

I feel as though I have been on a non-stop roller coaster ride for the past few weeks. I am not sure what all will make it in this post, just know it will be random!

College, a have moments where I think a graduate degree is WAY over rated. I know this is not true, its just a passing thought. I have spent the past few days staying up until midnight to try and complete all of the necessary assignments for my three courses. Two are totally on-line. Now, if you have never taken an on-line course, let me explain. Everything is written. All class discussions, written. All projects, written. You would think as much as I love to blog and participate in on-line communities replying to comments would be easy. Not so. I find myself obsessing over every verb (is that in the passive voice), every formatting issues (should I put that word in bold type?), everything!

When I signed up for these courses my objective was FINISH AND FINISH FAST. That was, excuse my language, stupid! {both of my children would shun me for using that word!} Now, in the mist of the work I remember my over all Graduate school goal; to have a 4.0. Somehow, I don' think that will happen if I continue to overload myself. I thought it would be easier to complete one extra course while I was not working. What I was not thinking about, was the fact that I am working the summer. It is more difficult to keep a house clean when you have three people living in it ALL day than when they are gone to school. There are more dishes, more clothes, more trash, and more toys everywhere. SO, I think I am going to drop one of the courses and take it again at a later time. :) I am smiling just thinking about it!

I have so much to share about Justin's birthday weekend, the kids summer fun, and more. I just don't have the time right now. Maybe later today...

Execllent News!!

2010-06-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who thought as though I had maybe fell off the planet, I am here!

I do have exciting news!

We are the proud owners of our very own satellite dish for internet service. It is a bow-hunkin dish too! I told the guy it reminded me of the "big dish" that we had growing up!

This "should" mean more lovely writings from Yours Truly, but there is a LOT of school work on my plate as well.

On that note...I really don't think I am cut out for on-line classes. It has made me realize (and question) that my communication skills are maybe not quite what I thought they were. I mean, you guys understand what I am talking about when I write. Right?

Anyway, the thing about grad school classes is that you are in there with people who are working on the doctorates and hopefully the teachers acknowledge that these students have had a little more practice with wordage and phrasing than have I {at least I hope!}

Yesterday was my darling hubby's 30th birthday!! You all know how I feel about him, but in case you don't...

Justin, you are my EVERTHING. My one and only LOVE!!!!

We are going to spend an evening at the "condo" AKA Drury Inn in Birmingham tomorrow night. The kids are finishing up swimming lessons tomorrow, so they will get to share their skills with dad in the hotel pool. Justin loves staying at hotels {**and this is our favorite**} I am sure we will have a nice meal out as well.

Guess what I am looking forward to doing late tonight after the kids go to bed and all is quiet and still...

No, not THAT! I was talking about uploading and editing pictures:) I am way over due for that relaxing activity. I have almost completed a t-ball book for Sawyer. I will post a linc once it is complete.

God Bless Everyone!

Remembering God's Deeds

2010-05-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

There was a time, not that long ago but which seems like a lifetime ago when I...

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah

You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. Psalm 77:1-4

October 12, 2007 is a date that I will never forget.

It is not a birthday or the day I was married.

It was the day we discovered there was a tumor growing in side my three-year-old daughter. I was surprised, although God was not.

Last night, I learned of a family in our community that may hear today those same words, 'Your child has cancer." They will face a flood of emotions that nothing, not even my words can prepare them for. It will be surreal, it will be frightening. They will feel the love of those around them, yet they will feel unloved. They will have many present with them, but they will feel alone. All of these moments will come and go, but they will surely come.

When I got the news at the beginning of our church service, I could barely sit through the service. My heart was broken. Partly because all of those emotions came flooding back, and partly I felt so saddened that anyone but especially people I knew would have to experience this. I wish I could carry this burden for them. I am prepared. I have been there. I began to think of all of the things I could say to them, or do for them. And then I though...

Then I thought, "To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High."

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

Psalm 77:10-14

This is all I can really do for them. Call out to God. The God who in his mercy and grace choose to make a way for Carys to recover from her illness. To me the greater miracle of Carys' journey is the work He accomplished in our hearts. The closeness I found to Him. The many people who were {and still are being touched} by my daughter.

In good time I will see them. I will pray over them and make myself and my family available to them in any way they might need us. Yes, I could flood them with hospital advice, treatment advice and on and on and on...But I know that it will be weeks before they can process this type of information anyway. Before their hearts are ready to begin the fight. Before they are able to comprehend that their three-year-old just became the family, make that the community, missionary. This is going to change the way their world views God; it will be awhile before they can see this.

I am not sure what time they will be in clinic today. I am praying for another miracle in Clinic 8 like I witnessed on THIS DAY. Please join me in lifting up The Steele Family in your prayers.

David, Jennifer (Wallace), Mackenzie-5, and Kilya-3

Prayer and Perspective

2010-05-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

For some reason, perspective seems to be a theme in the writings God sends me. He has revealed to me in a very real way that the Free Will He allowed mankind, requires that we be actively involved in the choices we make about how we look at and/or react to the situations God places before us.

I do not want to mislead you to think that I have always taken the right perspective on situations. No, I have not. But God has taught be from those times and I feel that it is so important to share what God has done for me! I am a VERY visual learner. So, I decided to use a visual aid to help drive my point home. Look at the following picture...Okay, before you go on talking about what a horrible photographer I am, lets think about this. What is this? {you will find out later}

I will tell you that it is just a small piece of a larger picture. Imagine that the whole image was the size of a huge wall. The image took up every square inch of that wall. And you, the observer, were forced to stand with your nose against that wall. What would you be able to see. Perhaps something like the picture above.

It would be a very small piece of the whole picture that you would be able to see. Also, it would be hard to put the picture into focus. Just the shear size of the thing and your position to it would make it nearly impossible to figure out what the artist was attempting to do with this "mess."

This is exactly how our lives are. Life is like a masterpiece of art that fills up a whole wall of time. We, often try to observe and analyze what God {the Holy Artist} is trying to do with this "mess." Particularly during the difficult times, we stand there with our nose against the wall of God's Plan trying to make sense of it all. "Why God?" and "What does all this mean?" are often our questions.

This is where FAITH steps in. The Bible says,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." Isaiah 40:28

See HE knows things that we cannot comprehend. He is the only Person big enough to stand far enough back from the "wall" of His Plan to see the whole thing. So we must...

"Trust in the LORD with all {our} heart and lean not on {our} own understanding; "Proverbs 3:5

When things see crazy, out of focus, and just plain unfair we have to learn to lean on His understanding. This is difficult because our minds are made in the image of his. I believe that we have the physical capacity to understand what God understands...{you can read plenty of studies about the amount of un-used matter in our human brains.} What we lack, is the spiritual capacity to understand like Him.

I challenge you, especially if you have something going on in your life that you do not understand, to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."1 Peter 5:7

Let him handle the details in your life...remember, only He can see the BIG picture!

{The first picture was a piece of Carys' shoulder as seen in the picture above.}

How to Kill a Mockingbird...

2010-05-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

**No animals were harmed in the making of this post or the pictures contained therein. Furthermore, one Sir Sawyer Cottingham was duly warned against the slaughter of all types of song birds.**

Sawyer got his first REAL gun this weekend. It is a tiny Daisy BB gun. On Sunday after church, Justin took him to the shooting range to practice. Upon their return, Sawyer took me into the yard to show me how to "kill a bird with a BB gun" Here goes...

First you gather your equipment.

CALLS

Retriever

Gun, which you must load with ammo. {and hold your mouth right}

Begin to call your prey.

Hand motions are imperative.

If no luck, step up your calling efforts.

Wait, patiently, for your pray to respond or appear.

Aim. FIRE!

Send your retriever after the kill...

It is really quite simple.

Fingerprint Friday

2010-05-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God.

You all know what a wonderful time we had at the beach. When I look at this photo and think about all that is revealed to us, about God, through nature I am amazed.

God is the beginning of life. All life. All form. All meaning.
I cannot help but think of the following scripture.

Genesis 1:1-9

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. ⁶ And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. ⁹ And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Visit the Rusted Chain for more Fingerprints!

Senior Portraits

2010-05-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

I believe they speak for themselves.

Whew!!

2010-05-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am really feeling the effects of the end of the school year. I will be much better prepared for this next school year. This is the first end of the year in this position by myself. I am trying to stay focused on the fact that I get the next two months off, something many would love to have.

I am so ready for my time with the kids the summer. I have a lot planned for us to do!

I will update later today with pictures from Carys' graduation. She is officially a First Grader!!!

My prayer for today is that I can find a way to...

¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. ¹⁷But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. {Philippians 2:14-18}

Final Beach Post

2010-05-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

We are home.
It is very bittersweet.

There are no words to describe the level of blessed that I feel. I just got back from a wonderful vacation. I have such a wonderful family {both that were on vacation with us and at home!} My mom stepped up and took care of all of our plants and animals while we were gone. THANK YOU Mother for doing that! The kids were absolutely wonderful while we were on the trip. The were together 24/7 for 4 days straight and did not get into any major skirmishes! My dear husband suffered from a toothache {he is on his way for a root canal this morning} the entire trip, but was a trooper and spent LOADS of time the kids which they LOVED! He even afforded me a little alone time to just sit and pray or be on the computer and edit photos! We stayed up late and slept in. We ate well and just took a short breather to get me through the next week or two of school. It was wonderful.

I hesitated before posting all of that. I know that there are people reading who's lives are not so blissful. Who have all sorts of things going on right now. They are just as bogged down with work as I am, but there may not be a beach vacation in their near future. They may not have the loving, devoted husband I have. Or, {the one that hits home the most} they may not have two happy healthy children running and playing like mine.

I stopped for just a moment to remember the moments when I felt hopeless and desperate for something to happen. Anything. Just anything that would make me feel better than my circumstances. But those were only moments. Then I realized {even back then} what I HAD. Life, given to be by a Savior to live out for His glory. And I realized that I HAD to post all of these wonderful things so that everyone can see what GOD CAN do. He is wonderful! Trusting in Him provides all that you need to carry on through the tough times and really soak up the glorious times. I realized that were it not for those "dark" times in my life I would NOT be able to see how truly spectacular my life is today!

Back to the beach...

Here is the boat we went on.

Here are the boat's Captain and Co-Captain!

Daddy and Sawyer enjoying the view from the front deck. It was so interesting to see how the sails work and how fast the boat moved through the water using just what God had provided!

Pop on deck. It was also very relaxing.

Grandmother Cottingham really enjoyed herself. And looked amazing!

Grammy and Carys on the boat before we left the dock.

Justin loves the water and this was also his first time on a sailboat.

Sawyer was very intrigued by the boat. At one point, he asked where the captain's "pirates" were. It was so funny! He is a really comical {but serious} child.

If you do not know, sailboats lean. As the winds shift or the captain changes directions and the sails move, the boat leans. Our captain was great to tell us when this was going to happen. I quite liked it, but it could make some people queasy I'm sure.

Carys loved the wind.

Isn't she lovely!

Beach Post Two

2010-05-14T20:21:00.001-07:00

Here I am again! With more pictures from the beach!

Everything had been perfect for our trip. The weather is great. Also, the beaches of Alabama have yet to have any effects from the gulf oil spill.

The kids have reached the golden age where they love EVERY aspect of the beach {water, sand, and pool.} In the past, they liked one aspect more than the other and have never enjoyed the water as much as they have this year. Both have been slapped in the face with a good wave or two, and have come through it with flying colors. This is the moment when as parents, we knew we had arrived! I keep telling myself that this trip is not ALL about the pictures, but golly gee they have been awesome as well!

Sawyer has spent a great deal of time hunting for sea creatures.

Success!

Can you tell which pictures I did not take? HINT: they are centered:)

After this trip in the water, Pop knew why they had the red flags out today!

Sawyer's face here sums up our trip so far!

If you are loving these posts, check back tomorrow night because we are going on a sail boat ride tomorrow afternoon! We are all very excited.

Beach Post One

2010-05-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Who knows how many of these posts there will be. We have only made one trip to the pool and one to the beach and already I have 90 some odd pictures!

Also, we have LOVELY wireless internet so wahlah...I could go on for days!

PLUS, I have a completely empty memory card!!!

Here are a "few!"

Tragedy and Paradise

2010-05-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, you must know that I am VERY emotional as I write {and title} this post.

I do understand that there are MUCH worse things in the world that what has happened to me. I really do.

HOWEVER...

I just lost about 800 pictures from a camera card. "Most" of them I have in other places such as shutterfly or the computer. But the 200 or so from the past two weeks are GONE, FOREVER. {sob}

I was trying to upload the pictures from Carys' Kindergarten Spelling Bee and Relay for Life {sob,sob} I needed to clean up my card so that I could have plenty of space for the BEACH pictures as we are leaving this afternoon for Gulf Shores.

I was going to prepare the wonderful post from the spelling bee and relay. {sob}

I am not as ask why kinda girl, but why oh why did it have to be my baby girl's memories that were lost? I have decided to list {here} what I know I lost. Then, I am going to put this behind me so that we can enjoy the rest of the week-end!

Carys and Ben at the spelling bee. Not only did I loose my pictures of Carys, but I was also taking pictures of Ben that are, well gone! {sob}

I lost a GREAT preggo picture of my best gal Mira who is {sob,sob} going to have her baby TOMORROW while I am gone {sob, sob}. Mira and Justin, I am going to do a full on newborn shoot when we get back {if you will allow me to!!!!} I also loss some super cute pictures of Jenna who is going to be a BIG sister...did I mention I won't be there?!?!?!

I also lost a valued picture of the kids with my MawMaw Bea. She will be 87 this year and every picture of them with her is precious.{sob}

Every year at Relay for Life, I take picture of Carys in her "survivor" t-shirt. It is such a precious thing for me to see the word SURVIVOR plastered across her back! Not to mention the wave of emotion that I get when I see that it is the SMALLEST shirt there. I also had pictures of Carys, Justin, and myself walking the survivor lap...another emotional moment.

Okay, I am done sobbing. It will NOT bring the pictures back. I know there is a REASON this has happened. I am now headed off for a wonderful weekend with my precious family. I will be sure to take LOTS of pictures, and {Lord willing:} will post them here for you to see!

Y'all Have To Know...

2010-05-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

How much I LOVE this man!

I teach a great deal from a model called Talents Unlimited. Various thinking skills are broken down into "talents" which can be applied to all sorts of things. The point, is to help gain a better understanding of something. This list is (a) for my husband to see just exactly what I think of him (b) y'all to see exactly what I think of him and (c) for my students to see that Communication #1 can be used in "real life!"

Think of many, varied, and unusual single words to describe something. {Justin Cottingham}
Tall
Loving
Handsome
Devoted
Funny
Personable
Honest
Manly
Moncho
Goofy
Caring
Hairy
Hardworking
Compassionate
Fun-Loving
Unpredictable
Kind-Hearted
Faithful
Crazy
Mature
Interesting
Hairy {did I say that already?}
Quiet
Considerate
Outspoken
Welcoming
Attractive
Clean
Self-sacrificing
Humorous
Child-like
Spirit-filled
Blessed
Sufficient
Dependent
Nurturing

These are just a few of many words I could use to describe my husband of 8 years!

I believe that God created us to love each other, just as He made us to love HIM! I am living the DREAM! This does not mean that my husband is perfect - that he does not forget things, or make a mess, or do things that aggravate the mess out of me - it just means that I find comfort in those things because I know that if I can love someone through all that we have already faced together, that there is a force greater than myself that has sealed our love.

Justin,

You understand when I say there are no words. Too often I try, and fail. I will simply say that you are my love! Today, tomorrow, and forever!

Happy Anniversary!!

Raising Adults...

2010-05-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am sure that I have posted on this before. I MUST set down and decided that I WILL label my posts so that I can find them in the future!!! Anywho...

When I read this morning's post At The Well, my heart was blessed. This is a topic that I feel very passionate about. Not in the judgmental "you should do it this way" passion, but in the "come on and show me some love for the way I do it" passion.

I believe that my job as a parent is to "raise up" my children {Ps. 22:6} That is, I am to carefully guide my children through the stages of life and always be aware of the end result. You know, I don't plan lessons at school or begin projects around the home without thinking about what the final result will be. With my children, I have to remember that I am raising adults, not children.

This is a difficult balancing act. I must be careful not to set adult expectations for my young children, but rather gauge the exceptions I set now, for a future adult goal.

For example, I do not expect Carys {5.5 YO} to be able to balance a checking account or pay bills. However, I set reasonable goals for her to learn to manage money in a way that will not hurt anyone, if she fails. She and Sawyer both have piggy banks. They are regularly given dollars and quarters from friends and family members. They are given choice on what to do with some of that money {all birthday/holiday money goes into their savings.} If they choose to spend their money now, it is gone. Or they can choose {independence} to put the money in the piggy bank and I help them{teaching} set up a purpose for that money. We always have some sort of "event" like a vacation or trip to the zoo or something where they can spend their money on an item of their choice. If one has money and the other does not, so be it. They have to be responsible for their choices to spend or save.

This "lesson" is designed with two future goals in mind (1) money management and (2) to see value in delayed gratification. See, I think too many people in my generation {including myself} did not learn this life lesson. That the feeling when you have prayed, saved, and labored over a purchase often bring so much more joy and satisfaction that when you rush to buy something that you think you need {want}.

I was stopped in a store recently when a woman witnessed the following conversation:

Sawyer {4}: "Mom, can I have this toy?"

Me: "How much is it?"

Sawyer: "Carys how much is this?"

Carys: "Um, let me see. Oh, it is $10."

Sawyer: "Carys says it is ten dollars, I guess I cannot have it today."

Me: "Yes, I think we should wait. I am buying groceries and you do not have your money with you. If you decide you want it, I am sure it will be here tomorrow and I will bring you back with your money."

Sawyer: "How long until our beach trip?"

Carys: "Two weeks, I am saving all my money for something from the beach!"

Sawyer: "Yeah, me too!"

The lady seemed appalled that my 4 and 5 year olds (1) understood about money and (2) did not expect me to buy it for them.

I will say they ARE 4 and 5 and things do not always go this nicely {just ask their grandparents} but they are learning. That is what parenting is all about! Teaching them, preparing them for the next stage in life.

There are so many other examples of how we try and teach our children about life. I could write all day! So, I have summarized some of the BIG life lessons that I am aware that my children learn from me and that I must focus on teaching them these things.

They get their ideas about God and faith from US. By my actions they will form opinions on how big God is and what their relationship with Him can/should be.
What marriage is all about. How wives should treat their husbands and vice versa.
What Christian service looks like? Is it okay to be so caught up in our own lives that we forget to serve others?
Ideas about government and law.
They learn about Work Ethic.
Health and Well-being.
To be stewards of ALL that God gives to us {time, money, talents, etc...}
How to be parents.
How to love.

And so much more. I was so blessed to read about others who share the same ideals about raising up adults! Check out that post for some great advice on checking up to see how your parenting is going.

The Power of "Thoughts"

2010-04-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to say that most times during the day I would claim that I {we} have the perfect marriage. Our love is something that has always been very natural, and amazingly grows each day.

At the same time, I am always struggling for new ways to make SURE that Justin knows how I feel about him. Sometimes this task is hard because of the way I think.

Lately, I have been flat out overwhelmed.

The end of school for Carys and Sawyer means LOTS of notes to return and five dollars here and there for this and that. I must openly admit that YES, teachers are the WORST parents for other teachers to deal with in regards to these matters because we are so busy keeping our own class in line, we sometimes neglect these tasks for our own children. {It is possible that this is just my own fault and I am trying to bring other teachers down with me, I admit that!} Trying to keep up with their school events is tiring for me.

The end of school for me means LOTS of paperwork. This is my first year to do this paperwork on my own, and it is more than we had last year. That means that I have to juggle lessons and teaching with the paperwork side of my job. I am not complaining, just stating that it takes a lot out of me.

I have also committed to serve in our developing ministry Bibb County Sav-A-Life. This is a ministry I have always felt connected to and had a passion for. It is one of the only missions where you have the potential to save TWO lives at once {the baby and the mother}. But it takes time. I prayed over this decision and proceeded with Justin's blessing but it is another time consumer.

This is my last weekend of Graduate School for this semester. I have devoted a LOT of time this semester to my two classes. I set out to make A's in everything. I truly believe that you should do everything to the Lord so that others can see Him in everything that you do. This kept me going this semester when I had thoughts of just doing things "enough to get by." I have done well and expect good grades. I originally signed up for four classes this summer. My goal was to finish this degree ahead of schedule to save time and money. Upon further reflection, I have decided to cut back and enjoy some time with my family this summer. At this age my kids need me. They want me. And as I understand it, this won't always be the case so I am going taking advantage of them this summer!

I find that I have very little to give to my family. This bring thoughts of sadness, because they are my first and most important mission. These thoughts of sadness lead to negativity and before long I am not far from full out depression. I have thought things like, "I have so many things going on and I am not good at any of them." I began to worry if I was doing all that I could should for Justin. I have become very worried about my appearance and the thought of being attractive to my husband. I started to worry about all of the bad behaviors/habits of my kids {which to be honest are few and far between.} I began to take every negative comment that Justin made as a personal attack {which they were NOT.}

I read this post over At the Well. Once again God prepared in the heart of someone else the words I needed to hear. I was so humbled at this thought. Even though the author of this post was a Titus 2 Woman, I felt God speaking these words to my heart.

I realized the power I was giving these thoughts. None of these are true. It took a moment of confession for me to get over the fact that I had allowed satan to use my nasty flesh-drive mind to plant seeds of sadness. More guilt came as all of the blessings of God began to roll across my mind. I mean lets face it people, for whatever reason, I am one BLESSED gal! The guilt did not last long because God in His mercy took it from me the moment I asked. He came in and "renewed a right spirit in me" {Psalm 51:10}

So today, I am re focused on becoming more of a Titus 2 Woman :

³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

I must get back to the place where my thoughts are such that I can be the help mate to Justin that I KNOW I was created to be. The one who he KNOWS he can count on to help him when he feels down or negative. The one who is not only the keeper of his heart, but the encourager to his spirit. Back to the place where I am the solid place of rest and comfort for my children. This is where my thoughts are headed today!

This post was for myself, or at least I think so. It was highly personal and telling. I cannot help but think that maybe someone needed these words, this scripture.

Is there any thoughts that you are letting rule your life that are dragging you down rather than lifting up your spirit. Things that are preventing you from being all God has for you? Trust me when I say, you can doing something about these. All you have to do is PRAY!

Praying for my friends who I might not even know are dealing with this, I pray for you.

A Brief Message...

2010-04-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

He is absolutely the BEST.

I LOVE you Justin!

Enough said!

Post of a Lifetime...

2010-04-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is gonna be tough to write.

Not because it is sad, or difficult, but because I cannot stop crying long enough to type a complete word.

They are tears of joy.

God's Word says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

We know this, we believe this, we trust this.

Many times over the past few years I have asked you to be in prayer for my children. For lots of different reasons, but most importantly for their salvation. I prayed that the very day they realized that they were in fact sinners in need of grace, they would accept Christ's free gift of the most amazing grace ever known.

I have also mentioned to you many times that I felt the time for Carys and Sawyer to understand and seek God's forgiveness would come sooner, rather than later.

I was right.

I will try and recall the events of Wednesday, April 21, 2010 as clearly as I can remember them. But just know that as in Luke 19:9...

Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

After church Wednesday night we were rushed {as we are all Wed nights} to get baths and get off to bed. I helped the kids bathe and get into pj's and off to bed I sent them. I hugged and kissed each one, and told them their daddy would be in there soon to to the same and say prayers with them {we rotate each night to say prayers with them at bedtime.}

As Justin was praying, Sawyer began to talk. Justin paused his prayer and corrected Sawyer saying, "Son, you know that you are not supposed to talk during our prayer."

Sawyer looked up at Justin and said, "Sorry Daddy, I was just trying to as Jesus to come into my heart."

At which point I was summoned into the room. We talked for a few minutes about what sin was {Sawyer said anything the Bible tells you to do but you don't or anything the Bible tells you not to do, but you do it anyway is sin}, and why each of us need a savior {Sawyer said that we are all sinners because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and now we are born sinners too}. Then we talked about what it means to ask Jesus to save you.

Sawyer prayed, from my prompt, a very simple prayer... and asked God to save him based upon what Jesus did for us on the cross. After the prayer, Sawyer was on cloud nine! He was excited saying "I'm a Christian!" and "Jesus is in my heart!"

How could this night get any better?!?

I was so wrapped up in explaining that now, Sawyer had an important job of learning all the wonderful things in the Bible and sharing them with others, that I did not notice Carys.

I looked up at her and she was almost in tears. She said," Momma, will you help me say that prayer so that I can be a Christian too? I want to go to heaven with you and daddy and Sawyer."

So we repeated the above process all over again.

It was most undeniable, the BEST night of my life, of OUR lives.

Since then, we have been having the best time being a Christian family. The next morning when we got in the car for school, Carys announced that there were now THREE Christians in the car. Now, when we get in I say, are all my Christians in the car?? They just laugh and laugh.

Sawyer could not wait to go to school and tell EVERYONE!! Carys is very excited, and has been asking even more questions about the Bible than normal {which was already a lot.} We have been reading about John baptizing Jesus. They are a little unsure of that whole process, but we are taking it slow. I want them to FULLY understand WHY baptism is important and want them to WANT to do this to SHOW their obedience to God, publicly.

I want to tell YOU thank you. For all of the prayers that went up for my kids. I know that they are very young and Lord willing they have long lives ahead of them. Please pray that our lives will play out in such a way that this will be the beginning of fruitful Christian lives for the both of them.

There are NO WORDS to describe how Justin and I feel. I must remind you all of this verse,

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Amen and Amen!!

I my heart is so full of JOY right now that there is no room for any other desires!!

God Bless you All!!

Show Me Your Weekend!

2010-04-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

We had a VERY full weekend. Although there are LOTS of pictures here, there are other activities that I was unable to capture. Besides all this, we were able to get our yard nearly perfect for Spring/Summer. We still have not planted the garden, but that will be done this week.

Saturday morning, I took the kids to see/ride Thomas the Train.

They had lots of activities for the kids to enjoy. My kids favorite was the "petting zoo" {naturally}! Sawyer's first comment was, "Look momma, they have all the same animals as us!"

They had ducks.
This is Carys enumerating her qualifications for holding a baby duck!

I guess she gets an "A" for her negotiating skills!
Okay people, I know I am a push over. I paid ONE DOLLAR for my kids to feed, well KIDS! Never mind they have 4 goats of their OWN!!!!!

There was sand...
and trains...
and mini golf {please don't tell Coach Mike. He specifically said NO golf until AFTER t-ball season! oops!}Music {he really was quite good and the kids liked him}

Oh, and our first visit to a Port-O-Potty.
We were super blessed to be the first ones to use it that day!!

And the train ride. The kids really enjoyed the ride! We rode in the "open-air" section.

It was worth the $18 bucks per ticket. If the weather is nice, I suggest the open air cars because you are more engaged in the ride and closer to Thomas. Also, be sure to bring extra cash. Several things are free {bouncy jump, tattoos, games to play, mini-golf} but they have lots of extras :)

The kids could stand and move about freely. They liked this!

God had a wonderful surprise for us! Our friends Nikki and Scott {and there two sweethearts} had tickets for the SAME time and SAME section of the train as us. We were able to ride with them and catch up on things. I told Nikki, if we had tried to plan this it would have never worked out!
Here is darling Quinn!

Remember the "extra" cash I told you to bring? Balloon- $9 Yes, I bought it :(

I spent most of the weekend like this, camera-to-face!

God is SO Good!!!!!!

Fingerprint Friday

2010-04-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

So, I stumbled upon a blog The Rusted Chain as I was blog jumping this afternoon. Even though this is my first time on the blog, I felt the Spirit move in me as I read her challenge for today.

She was inspired by the Steven Curtis Chapman song that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprint of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God.

She challenged everyone to look around them and find places where each of us sees such fingerprints.

Because I am always behind the camera, I don't have many photos of my whole family. I certainly see God there.

Both of my kids I know were knitted together perfectly by God as well.

But I made a promise long ago that I would NEVER pass up an opportunity to remind people of the might work that God did in Carys Jo's little body!! So without further adieu...

"The Fingerprint"

Mark 5:34
"He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be healed from your suffering.'"

Please understand this, cancer did something to Carys' body that we could see outwardly.
Sin is very much like Cancer. It eats away at us until we barely resemble the people God created us to be. And sometimes, despite our best efforts, it keeps coming back.

BUT,

Jesus can take care of that! The same way he touched Carys physically, He can touch YOUR heart and take away the unwanted burden and restore you to a place of acceptance, love, happiness and peace!

Please, NEVER forget what God did for Carys and what He wants to do for you!

Gnats, sun, and all things spring

2010-04-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I LOVE spring. I also love the fact that I can capture images like this!

We serve such an AWESOME GOD!
Isaiah 40:20
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tried or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."

Another of God's BEAUTIFUL creations!

Isaiah 64:8
"Yet, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

Here is what happens when you attempt to take pictures when there are lots of gnats around!

Look at this little beauty. She is a few weeks away from being a BIG sister!!

"The Spot"
That is what I call this shot. As a child I loved to play here. I still do. But now, it is one of my favorite spots to shoot pictures.

See why?

Flowers from around the home. My second favorite thing to shoot {besides the kids} in nature. MUCH easier to get these to be still!

I hope you all have a WONDERFULLY blessed weekend!

"Child Training"

2010-04-14T12:17:00.001-07:00

With all of the recent debates about parenting methods and advice, I was thankful to read today's post over At The Well.

"And I’m realizing that “child training” has been equated with spanking or the use of “the rod”–and that is quite unfortunate. Instead, child training should be understood as the process by which we impart to our children not only the practical skills they will need upon emancipation, but the spiritual as well. As Christian parents, we want our children to embrace the truth of the Gospel and grow in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. “Child training” is just a small (but vital) part of that equation."

This is only a small excerpt from the post. I hope you will jump over to The Well and check out the whole thing.

I am a spanker. It is an approach that has worked with my children. They know what "spank-able" offenses are {them being ages 4 and 5.5} As they have grown over the past two years or so, spankings have become less and less. Now, my children know that certain behaviors toward myself, each other, our home {like Sawyer writing on the dinning room wall}, or to others will bring spankings. Often, if I see these behaviors starting, I can remind the children that would be a choice that would result in a spanking and that THEY are in charge of (1) making the choice and (2) obtaining the reward/consequence that follows.

That being said, we do not spank for everything! Sometimes setting in silence or doing someone else's chore works better. For us, "training up our children in the way they should go is so much bigger than spanking...even than behavior. What I know is that I must help them to become people who (1) God is pleased with (2) who can function to the height of their ability in society and (3) can be happy and healthy adults.

Anyway, this post just struck a cord with me. I don't care if people spank their kids or not, really. I do not think they are lazy, loose, or uncaring parents if they do not. But I have been told one two many times that I am hard, or unrealistic with the expectations I set for my kids. Can't we just all respect each other!?!? Right Kimberly:)

Reality

2010-04-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those moments when reality hits you in the face?

That happened to me yesterday when I had my taxes done. Let me preface by saying that I am not against the idea of taxation. If you don't know I am {and always have been} a civics junkie. Like my Dad got me a copy of The O'Riley Factor book for a Christmas present when I was still in high school. I took extra history classes in HS {just for fun} and majored in History the first time in college {political science was always my fav!}

With all that said, I am completely astounded at the changes that have taken place in our country over the past few years. I am a good example of how our country encourages folks to better themselves, go to college, move up in the world - and then penalize them for doing so.

I don't even care about that. I want good roads, schools, protection, infrastructure in general and I don't mind pitching in my fair share. I made "slightly" more money this year than I did last year while Justin remained about the same. However, when I had our taxes filled-out, we got less back from the FED and had to pay MORE to the silly State of Alabama. I was a bit puzzled. Again, this is NOT about the fact that we have to pay taxes, it is the stupidity and level at which we are taxed.

Did you know that due to recent changes from the federal government that employers may NOT be deducting the maximum amount from your pay check even though you may have marked for them to at an earlier date. The lady who filled out my taxes told me to check on this. When I looked on my W2 I could tell that there was not as much deducted as I was used to.

Also, if you live in Alabama, the states with a Constitution containing 1000 amendments, you had to count your 2008 return as income. Again, I knew this, but the more I think about it, the MADDER I get!!! Think about it... I got a return because I OVERPAID my taxes in the first place. Now, call me crazy, but if I underpaid the IRS or decided not to pay on time, they would lock me up {or slap me with bigger fines!!} I think that the IRS should pay me INTEREST on the OVERPAYMENT that spent without my permission. What kinda crazies do we have in Montgomery/DC anyway?!?!?!?

Anyway, I decided to be raw and honest this this post. You may not care. That is fine. You may think I am WRONG. That is fine too. I just had to get this off my chest!

My Children...

2010-04-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have been more photos and less talk lately. You may not care. In fact, might prefer that I hush and give you some cutie pie kids {and animals} to look at.

But, this blog is for me. My therapy as an overworked, under-appreciated, well loved, BLESSED, and happy woman. So here goes...an update {probably too long} of my life.

My husband is the bomb!! Have I told you lately? He has always been awesome, but over the last few years he has really grown into the type of hubby that the Bible describes. Never taking me for granted {and apologizing when he does:} He has stopped complaining about the house being a mess, and instead decided to support me either by helping or keeping his mouth shut! :) He is a wonderful father who is very active in the lives of our kids. I don't just mean like stealing Sawyer away for an afternoon of exploration at the creek {yesterday afternoon} but more important things like listening to the kids, praying with them, lots of praise and lots of loving! He is my MAN :)

Then there are my kids. Amazing. That is the word that describes them. I have been thinking a lot about why they act the way they do {both good and bad.} I always get so many comments of "they are so smart" or " they are so well behaved." I began to reflect on just why it was this way. They are smart, maybe too smart. For example,

Carys had 50 million {no exaggeration here} questions about the "Easter Bunny." From "how does he open the door?" to "If he is real, they how does he carry the baskets?" I mean come on kid. Can't you just "believe" something?

I thought about just telling her the "truth." I mean, that has been my philosophy with her all along. But I knew that with their lovely {truly} inductive reasoning abilities {the ability to grasp a general concept from a specific set of facts, i.e. there is no Easter Bunny therefore Santa and the Tooth Fairy must not be real either.} would come back to bite me. I mean, she has fun with those and is that not the whole point!

So, Justin and I talked and decided to tell the kids that this would probably be the last year the Easter Bunny would visit them since they were growing up to be such big kids and all. We told them and paused and waited for the fall-out...would their be tears? wailing? But no.

Sawyer proudly said, "That is okay, Easter is not about all that candy stuff anyway and you and Daddy can still get us something. Right?"

Then came the tears, but not from the kids; from ME! I knew in this moment how truly blessed I was. We followed up with a discussion about how incredibly special the holidays of Christmas and Easter were to us as Believers. They were cool with it, and so was I.

Whoa these kids....I LOVE them truly!!