God Still Moves
Nothing brings me more excitement than seeing the work of God in the lives of those I love and care about. It means they are being obedient to His will and allowing Him to do what He does best in their lives. And when He is free to work, His righteous Right Hand moves mountains, heals sick, saves the lost, and utterly changes for the better everything it touches. I get excited just seeing it happen! I was blessed to see several examples of His handiwork tonight, alone. My heart is overwhelmed with His goodness. But it shouldn't surprise me.
I Hope I Never Forget…
I hope I never forget the way Addie talks all day in her little four month old way - with a long string of "ah-goos" and raspberries. I hope I never forget the way she lights up when anyone she loves is near, smiles a big, toothless smile and squeals with delight. I hope I never forget how she looks on her big brother with a longing to be right in the middle of whatever he is doing. I hope I never forget how Virgil says, "Good night, sweet dreams, I wuva you," every night when I close his door
It Just Takes a Little Discipline
For those of you who are parents out there, you know first-hand that it's not very easy. Kids can get the best of us when we're not looking and throw a wrench in even the most pleasant of occasions. Those of you who are parents of toddlers are keenly aware of this fact. But I'm no first-time mom now. I'm a mother of two. It's a whole new ball game these days. My attention is divided. My time is cut in half. My patience is tested at triple the pace. It's tough business, this mothering stuff. And anyone who says
You Know You’re a Tired Mom When…
As a follow up to yesterday's post, I thought I'd make a list of some of the silly things I've done as a tired mom. I have to admit I've been guilty of some pretty ridiculous mom laziness in my time, moreso lately it seems. Some of them, when I think about them, make me literally laugh out loud. So I thought I'd compile a list of my lazies in hopes that it will serve to remind me someday of the craziness of this era of motherhood, and remind some of you that you're not as bad as you think.
Mother of the Year
I've been quite tired lately. Tired, cranky, incessantly hungry, so much so that for a few terrifying days I thought I might be pregnant again. Don't get me wrong, we want more kids. Just not yet. Dear sweet Jesus, not yet. I love being a mom. It is far and above the best thing I've ever done. I'm no super mom. But I love my babies and they bring me more joy than I ever could have imagined. But they wear me out. I'm beginning to come to grips with this as my daughter turns three months old. We're through
Miracles Still Happen
It was a Monday like any other Monday during the end of my pregnancy. I woke up that morning one day past my due date and about ten days past my wit's end. Yes, I was mentally and emotionally done being pregnant. But I was apparently not physically done. Now before you go judging me for my ungrateful attitude, please let me explain that I am a relatively complaint-free pregnant woman, up until the last few weeks. Being that I'm only five feet tall, I'm convinced that my tiny frame just makes carrying around a seven pound baby and twenty
Star-shaped Quesadillas and the Resiliency of a Two Year Old
There are no pearls to offer on this particular blog entry. I have no divine wisdom to impart on you after countless hours of observation and months of postulation. What I have for this entry is the right hand of motherly camaraderie, extended from me, the first time mom, to you, my faithful reader-mom, to remind you that you're not crazy, you're not alone, and you aren't failing as a mother. A friend of mine said wisely, "In comparing ourselves to others, it's important to remember that we are comparing our insides to their outsides." In other words, when other
It’s a Hot Spiced Tea Kind of Day
I'm in Texas. It's November 12 and we're just now cooling off. Such is life in the Lone Star State. But I can't complain. It's gorgeous and crisp outside, the perfect weather for my mom's hot spiced tea. And since I love this time of year so much, I thought I'd share the love... and the recipe. It's delicious! Ingredients: 1/3 c. Tang 1/3 c. Instant tea w/ lemon (I use decaf so that I can drink it at night and not get the jitters) 1 t. Cinnamon 1/2 t. Ground Cloves Mix dry ingredients in an airtight jar or
It’s My Favorite Time of Year
Fall. It's the best. When you live in Texas like I do, it's the best for a lot of reasons. Namely, you've just come out of what was quite possibly the hottest summer you've ever experienced (even though you say that every year) and you're so desperate for relief that when it finally comes, all you can say is, "Thank you, Jesus!" But aside from the falling temps, there is something so magical about this time of year to me. Maybe it's that the days are getting shorter and the nights are crisp. Maybe it's the pumpkins and general feeling
$1.58 Later, Dinner for the Whole Family
I'm all about using what I have on hand. I'm also all about saving every dollar possible. Some might call me cheap. I call it thrifty. I like to think of myself as The Frugal Wanna-be Gourmet. So on on tonight's menu: dinner for the whole family for a whopping $1.58. Now that I have your undivided attention, I shall reveal my magical goddess of the kitchen secrets to you. 😉 The other night I didn't feel like putting a lot of effort into dinner, so I grabbed a rotisserie chicken, some fresh asparagus, and some new potatoes (my personal
This is not a competition
I've been a part of many churches over the years, but after over six years of being a part of my current church, I have to say that I have never seen a church grow and thrive as healthily as Gateway. It blows my mind how it has practically exploded over the last 12 years (yes, it's only 12 years old and it is already in the top five largest churches in the country.) I'm not saying all of this to brag. I'm saying all of this to point out that Gateway is doing something right. I've made my own
I’ll Never Underestimate a Toddler Again
I was in my room putting on my make-up at my dressing table - my typical morning routine. My son was playing around the house, in and out of my room with random toys and gadgets he found impressive - his typical morning routine. He walked up to me with his winning smile, the one and only remote control to our precious, smart 3D HDTV in his hand. That was the last time I saw the remote control. Honestly, I have looked everywhere: the toilets, the closets, under beds, in drawers, in trash cans, in toy chests, in nooks and
For everything, there is a season
Recently, my husband and I made a huge decision. After several years (yes, years) of praying, considering, questioning, and praying some more, we decided that it's time to say goodbye to the band, Lately. I've been playing in a band since I was sixteen years old, starting off in my little youth band at the Baptist church I grew up in. A band is a lot like a marriage - a lot of ups and downs, a lot of good times, a lot of struggles, where communication is crucial and emotions have to be the caboose, not the engine. We
Just Believe, Somehow
A few years ago I lost my dear friend, Stacy, to a blood clot that led to her sudden passing during childbirth. This is America. Things like that just don't happen very often thanks to modern medicine and all its marvels. So needless to say, we were all shocked. We wondered how something like this could happen, especially to someone who was bringing an innocent little baby into the world - a baby that will never know his own mother. It was a tragedy to say the least, and in the midst of it, I wrote the song Somehow. You
From Here to Eternity
My sweet grandmother passed away this week. We knew it was coming soon. Two and a half months ago, she fell and broke her hip. (I mentioned it in my previous post.) She went downhill fast from there and after what seemed like an agonizing two months, it was over. Just like that. It was all over. I've been reminiscing a lot the last few days. I keep looking at the picture of her (above) and thinking about her life. After 88 years, she must have seen a lot. She lived through the Depression and World War II. She worried
Heaven Is a Little Closer Now
My husband and I have been trying for another baby. We are so madly in love with our first (Virgil) and it only seems fitting to add another little angel like him to the mix. He will make an awesome big brother. So when I found out last month that I was pregnant, I was stoked. I had a sense that I was pregnant a week and a half before I finally tested positive. Starving, nauseous, tired, cranky, crampy - all the regular symptoms. I took a pregnancy test the day I was supposed to have gotten my cycle, but
Christianity is Rebellious
I am a goodie-two-shoes, ok? There, I admitted it. Ever since I was a kid, I've always strived to please my parents, do what's right, not lie, be home on time, dot my i's and cross my t's. Seriously. It's kind of sickening. Now, as I write this, I'm thirty years old and I can honestly say that I've never really strayed from my perfectionism. That's not to say that I've been perfect. It's not to say that I've never made any mistakes. It's only to say that I've truly always wanted to be pleasing to both my parents and
At Its Purest
I've spent the last few months pondering what worship really means. I've been leading worship now for almost 15 years (I started when I was 5...) 😉 and I have definitely made my share of mistakes along the way. I've admittedly led worship from the wrong place, focusing on my career more than the anointing. There was a time I didn't even understand what anointing was. But as I embark on a new chapter of worship leading with Lately, I've been in prayer daily about what that looks like and the fruit it will produce. I cannot say that I
Pickin’ and Grinnin’: A Follow-up
I would like to follow up to a previous post I made about worship. I was reading over it tonight and I felt it merited a little more insight. In my previous post (Pickin' and Grinnin') I mentioned how God had used some of my experiences to teach me what worship is supposed to be about and what it's not supposed to be about. So this past summer I started leading worship again for the first time in years. I have to say that it has been such a blessing to lead worship again separate from self. It has taken
You Should Know That I Am Indeed a Christian Nerd
We either are or we aren't. It's not both. Admittedly, in the recent years of my Christian walk I have been under the impression that it's not effective to be overtly Christian in the eyes of an unbeliever. I thought that the best way to make an impact was to be relevant with a perfect amount of "worldly" peppered in. Not too Christian. Not too secular. Of course, the problem then becomes defining what that means because it can get pretty convoluted pretty quickly. But I digress. In my honest and earnest attempt to be as "real" as possible, I
A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life..." My favorite Beatles song and the subject of today's entry. Okay so it's really not a post about a day in my life... I just thought of it, thought it was clever, and chose to name my entry for today after it. After all, what's in a name? I thought it might be interesting to share what has been the most challenging aspect of parenting so far, and what has been the least challenging. My son turned nine months old yesterday and I must say, it has been a surprising journey. I suppose the most
Thank God for the Midnight Pharmacy
I know I have a lot of lessons to learn. But last night was definitely a lesson I can check off the list. That lesson? NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT INFANT TYLENOL. It was a night like any other, I thought. Virge and I were staying at my parents' house for a little fun weekend with them. He went to sleep with no fight at about 7:30, a little early for him, but he didn't take a long nap that day so I didn't think much of it. At about 10, I went to bed because I knew he'd probably wake
Milestones
Today Virgil is 8 months, 12 days old. So many milestones, so little time. I wish I would have started this blog when he was younger because so many amazing things have happened since that day. First roll over (in the hospital, seriously). First flu (not quite 3 months old). First sitting up (5 months old). First crawl (7 months old). First time to pull up on something (two days ago). First tooth (two days ago). Okay so there has been more firsts than that, but at least you get the idea. Being a mom has been such an amazing
Original Art – Now on Etsy!
Hi friends, I just wanted to share with you that you can now purchase some of my original artwork on Etsy now! I'll be adding new stuff all the time so check it out often! You are all awesome!! ~Captain http://www.etsy.com/shop/minor5captain?ref=pr_shop_more
Pickin’ and Grinnin’
I took a break. I took a break from the band. I took a break from leading worship. It was for different reasons than what I now realize I actually needed a break from. My pregnancy gave me an excuse to take a break because I was tired. But I didn't know what I was tired from. I thought it was just drama and the sometimes thankless job of the indie musician. But that wasn't it at all. I needed a break from me. I stepped down from leading worship four years ago. [blockquote align="right"]I needed a break from me.[/blockquote]