I don't wanna brag, but--

my girls totally rocked the house on awards night at SCA!

Virginia's class quoted a passage from Ephesians
Then she collected her smart girl awards with her 4.o GPA

She also got an awards for Christ likeness- must get that from her Daddy!
Leslie and her pals quoted a passage from Revelations. She did great and I was really glad she did not throw up in front of all those people.
She's not just a pretty face, she got an award for mentoring younger students. May be a preschool is in her future.
Best of all, school is over!

When I feel overwhelmed....

I love to read this verse:

Isaiah 41:13
I am the Lord your God,

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you,

DO NOT FEAR!

This has been an overwhelming week.
I am a natural born worrier.
I cannot worry when God is holding my hand.
He even told me,
DO NOT FEAR!

Piano Girl

She played "Ode to Joy" and it was beautiful! I am so glad that she let me talk her into starting back on piano lessons. I could listen to her play all day. When I'm lucky, she asks me to play a duet!

Birthday gifts......

What is the best birthday gift you have ever given? By far, it was my husbands 24th birthday, when I woke him up about 5am in labor. I would venture to say that 11 hours of labor to produce his offspring was the greatest birthday gift he ever got. We were both 24 and actually very unprepared to try and parent a screaming red haired baby girl. She was a gorgeous baby with red curls all over her head. She is even more gorgeous today, and she and her daddy share more than just a birthday. They both:
1)have VERY long legs.
2)get a kick out of teasing/tormenting people they love.
3)are very quiet and kinda just watch what's going on around them before jumping in.
4)think things through for a long time before making a decision(wish I could master that one!)
5)are loyal to people they love
6)have beautiful blue eyes
7)love to sleep in
8)enjoy making and creating things
9)are the biggest gifts from God to me!

Yeah, actually, I think I am the one who got the best gift!

Happy Birthday Wayne and Leslie!

Life in psychadelic color

What if we viewed life in psychedelic color? That's exactly what I was thinking when I reworked this picture of my day lily on picnik. I found this super cool site from my friend Hollie's blog. This day lily looks so much more exciting than it really is. I hid all the dead edges of the petals and it looks so cool!

We could have used some psychedelic world view this afternoon when we got caught in a hail storm. The girls and I were TERRORSTRICKEN! There are more storms predicted tonight, but the fear has been eased by the promise of no school tomorrow!

More than I can imagine

This verse has occupied my mind for the last two weeks. Why do we limit God? Is it our lack of faith? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it being too comfortable with the way things are? I am glad that the God that loves me wants to blow me away with His goodness. Listen to this word from Ephesians 3:20-21 (MSG)

God can do anything, you know- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down through all the generation!
Glory through all the millenia!
Oh, yes!

Happy Mother's Day

Lord knows I am not the perfect mother. I have many regrets and sure wish I could have a couple of do-overs, but being a mom to these two girls has been the best 15 years of my life! It is really amazing to see the best of you and the man you love make a whole person. Time is flying by so very fast. I saw the mamas and new babies this morning at church and it made my heart hurt to think that those days are already over. These days are filled with science projects, drivers permits and lots of spend the night company. I've traded in rooms strewn with toys for rooms covered with clothes. No more Barney on TV, now it's Ipods and Facebook. Instead of goldfish crackers, we consume huge amounts of chips and salsa. No more peek-a-boo, but we can laugh ourselves to tears over practical jokes.

I hope they know that while I've made mistakes, I love them more than life itself. I am so proud of them, and all that is good in them comes only from the grace of God. He takes our weaknesses and shows Himself strong.