Laundry Badge of Shame:-(

Right now our bedroom is where clothes go to die! It has been converted into
a laundry graveyard. I am quite ashamed and so I post pictures to hopefully
propel me into action.

So sad I know. I hope there are not any Laundry Equal Rights activists out there. They could build a case here with neglect of clothing or laundry abuse. For the last two weeks I have not been able to catch up on laundry. I just keep cycling through basket after basket without making head way. Tonight my Knight has declared an all out frontal assault on laundry. We are even bringing in reinforcements, the kids, to attack this mess. The boys normally help with laundry but I still usually do the organizing of it so they can take care of their own laundry and I handle ours. However, things got sloppy and now the boys are sifting through piles of cloths and accidentally coming across my "things" just to find a pair of socks.

A morning doesn't go by that I don't hear a yell or scream from our bedroom as the boys are struck by the horror of it all, especially when they accidentally come in contact with my "things". By tomorrow I vow to clean up my act and laundry and recover my Laundry Badge of Honor.

We will wait and see......

Panic In The Ladies Bathroom

Last Saturday night I was at church for our evening service. After racing around Children's Ministry making sure my kiddos were where they needed to be I ran to use the Restroom. Service had begun and my husband was patiently waiting for me in the sanctuary hopefully engaging in worship.

I quickly used the restroom and was getting ready to grab some toilet paper when I realized the roll in the dispenser was low. There was no toilet paper hanging down out of the dispenser to grab so without any thought I put my hand up into the dispenser to grab the roll and pull it down. After fumbling with the roll as it whirled round and round on the bar I finally grabbed the tail end of the toilet paper.

I pulled my hand down, still grasping the toilet paper when all of a sudden my hand would not budge. That's right my hand was stuck. I laughed nervously to myself thinking "Oh just move your hand around and it will come out." No such luck. The more a fought with the dispenser the more my hand became wedged inside. Of course in those situations panic strikes and you starte freaking out and pull and twist and make it all worse. I stopped and thought what do I do? Do I yell for help..."Help, help my hand is stuck in the toilet paper dispenser!" But I couldn't. I looked up to realize the stall door was locked how would they get in. Where was my Knight in shinning armor to rescue me.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Then I slapped myself silly ( not literally just figuratively) and said "Girl, pull yourself together!" I looked back at the dispenser and slowly tried to bring my hand out. I realized then my problem...I never let go of the toilet paper. I had a fist full of toilet paper. As soon as I released the toilet paper from my grasp I was able to manipulate my hand out. OK can you say "Go crawl under a rock silly".

I returned to service with my husband hunting me down. He was worried about why I took so long. I sheepishly explained to him my ordeal hoping he would have pity on me but no he just rolled his eyes and said "Only you Livin' would get your hand stuck in the toilet paper dispenser, only you." With that he laughed heartily and we returned to service.

So there you have it, don't stick your hand up into a toilet paper dispenser. Now I know and knowing is half the battle. :-)

The Signifigance of 33

Tomorrow I turn 33. I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. I thought my 30's would be difficult to accept but I am really enjoying this time of my life. Today while I was at work the team (the Founder, Director & Ministry Assistant) helped me celebrate my birthday with cake, cards and prayer. It was a beautiful moment for me. Their sincerity and love brought me such profound peace and joy. One thing that was mentioned was my age. They reminded me of how significant 33 is. The Founder of Teaching The Word Ministry, Brother Key as he likes to be referred to in emails, shared how he took his 33rd birthday as a year of identifying with Christ in his 33rd year. See Christ was crucified when he was 33. Leading up to that time though, it was a year of understanding His full purpose and destiny. He knew he would be united with His father through his death and resurrection.

In Jewish tradition a child, especially sons, were not referred to as sons until 30 years old. That was the age when a father stopped calling his son a child and now called him his son. It was the year that the father recognized the son's ability and responsibility to take charge of the fathers household. Hmmmmm...doesn't that remind you of a time in the Bible?! Jesus was estimated to be 30 when he entered his ministry. Many believe this because at the time of John baptizing Jesus, God spoke "This is My Son in whom I am well pleased." The Jewish people of that day would have recognized that as the Father giving the Son authority over the household. That would also confirm the age of 30. You could also not be recognized as a priest until you turned 30 as described in Leviticus.

So here I am pondering my age and wondering what will this year bring? I am excited and nervous about this new revelation. Christ did many great things at 33 but more importantly he died to himself for the purpose of redeeming creation. He laid down his life for his Father. What is it that I will be dieing to this year? How will the Father allow me to connect with Jesus at 33? I don't know what it will be but it will be interesting to look back next year and see what the Lord did. I also find it significant that Scott and I are celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary in two weeks. Wow!! Numbers, numbers, numbers. Nothing is a coincidence with God!

Ingredients for a truly Romantic Evening!!

Nothing says I love you like a romantic evening with you husband. After a long week or long day at work you both can just kick back and enjoy one another. So here are the ingredients for our romantic evening we spent together last night. I thought with Valentines Day approaching you all might need some good tips.

Romantic Evening

1. Choose a great romantic location - we chose our basement.
2. Food is essential - 2 cups of coffee.
3. Clothing can make a statement - Jeans & T-shirts, old stuff to be exact.
4. Lighting helps the mood - dimly lit Energy Efficient bulbs.
5. Gaze into one another eyes - we did.
6. Do something romantic like watch a great movie, read poetry or kissing -we went right to business and skipped all that...we spent the evening fixing our washing machine.

Yeah, not much romance really happening here. Are washing machine broke over the past weekend and the part just arrived yesterday. We did do a lot of gazing at one another but it was through a hole in the washing machine. Scott kept asking for tools and I would have to rumage through his tool box looking for things. He'd ask for a dingle hooper and I would inevitably hand him the thingy-ma-bob. Both of us tore up our knuckles trying to get screws out and bolts out. I love how the directions that came with the new parts have these few easy steps to follow. Appeartenly it's simple when the thing you are working on is outside of the washing machine. It's a whole nother ball game when everything is still attached.

Needless to say it is working again. We were given a $200+ quote for someone to come out and fix it for us. So my Knight in his "I will do it myself" manner found the part for $46 and figured out how to replace. I do love that about him. He can tare apart anything and put it back together again. He actually fixed something else that was wrong with the machine and we didn't know it and now it is working better then ever.

So please don't take our advice for romance. It just ain't happen around here lately. Maybe I should be asking for ideas on how to have Romantic evenings, any suggestions? Please don't include any suggestions related to fixing cars, appliances or replacing door jams in the house. Done that! :-)

My First Signs of Gray Hair

Oh...my...goodness!! It has happened! I am now faced with gray hair. It's funny, this morning I was getting ready to go to the hair salon to have my hair cut and colored and while brushing my hair I saw my first strands of gray. I think their gray, they might be white. I don't know I have a massive head cold so they could be blue for all I know, I just know they are not my younger looking natural color.

What better way to celebrate my 33rd birthday this month with the discovery of gray hair. It's not freaking me out as much as a thought it would. Scott has had white hair showing up for the last two years and many of my friends already battle gray so I knew it was a matter of time. Well, I just take it as a sign of wisdom. I will color the those blessed signs of wisdom but they are signs of wisdom non-the-less and I only need to know I have them.

So off to make my signs of wisdom match the rest of my hair color!!! I am getting older aren't I?!

I'm Bursting At The Seams!!!

My Knight is winging his way home today from Arizona!! I keep looking at the time thinking "Dang it! I could have sworn it was an hour since I checked last not 5 minutes ago. Time is slowly moving along here."

I have missed him and so have the boys. You just know it's a peice of you missing when family is not near. But soon he'll be home. I kind of feel bad for him. After a long week of business meetings and people he will probably just want some down time and when he steps his first foot in the door he will be overtaken by a family mob!! We'll just tackle him to the floor in love!

Yay! Can't wait until 5pm tonight, my love is coming home! I also don't have to sleep with DK's feet in my face one more night. That kid can't sleep still, he's like a perpetual Merry'Go'Round at night stealing all the covers. Yes when my Knight is gone DK gets really sad and thinks he needs to protect me by sleeping near me. So this time we had a big sleepover/camp out in the boys room. Not a good idea. Note to self "Not ever again!!!"

Think of Me

I am holding down the fort right now while my Knight is away again. I woke him up this morning with a wake up call my time 8am his time 5am. In great Drama Mama style I sang him my favorite Phantom of the Opera song Think of Me. All I could hear was my husband trying to cut in with "Honey it's 5am here...honey...laughter...ha..ha..please stop...I'm up OK!" You must realize I don't have an ounce of tone or melody in my voice at all. I just pretend to be an opera singer and belt it out with great flare.

Any way, he had a good laugh and he still loves me! Enjoy the song. This lady can really sing. I love this musical!! Leave me a comment if you have a good song I could wake my Knight up tomorrow morning with! :-) Hey don't feel bad for him...I have the three kids and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He on the other hand has himself and fine dinning for the next few days. I don't know but I think there should be some kind of "Mom" conference or training I could go to where they (someone other then myself would pay for it) would fly me some where warm, feed me good food and leave the kids behind. I would be ready to sit and listen to any old boring meeting:-)

"I Clean Therefore I Am" - Livin'

If Rene Descartes philosophized "I think therefore I am" then I would like to declare "I clean therefore I am" or so I feel right now.

I have cleaned this house everyday this week. Is this all I was created to do? If Decartes says "I am thinking therefore I exist", then right now I say "I am cleaning therefore I exist".

I hate cleaning. I hate picking up the same piles of junk six times a week and putting the same bazillion dishes away each day. My kids work around the house too but even with their help it still is unending. I honestly feel like my total exsistance this week was to clean. No thinking, no pondering just doing laundry, washing floors, scrapping food off plates and cleaning toilets.

This hasn't been the greatest week for me. Sorry to vent but I need to start thinking more and cleaning less. Or is it that I am only thinking about cleaning therefore I exist? Oh, boy! I need a day off. Someone email my husband and tell him to take out his crazy wife before she goes and gets books on philosophy from the Library and begins to write her own philosophical ideals on motherhood. Help me please!:)

Starting A New Year Now!!

I know this might seem silly but celebrating our New Year in January has always bothered me. By January much of your planning has taken place, kids have already begun their school year and routines are usually firmly in place by then. Also January is smack dab right in the thick of winter. Days are shorter, colder and some what gloomier. How in the world am I supposed to start my New Year then? How am I to begin and celebrate the coming of a new season in the midst of the death of winter?

I like the fall. Let me say it this way, I Love The Fall!! I love the season and the weather. I love the changing of the leaves and all this time brings. The fall represents to me the end of growth and time for harvest. It is the time for reaping and preparing for the winter. To me it just seems more like the end of a year and the beginning of something new. So why can't I celebrate my New Year now? So much has changed and new things are already happening. My New Year is not starting in January it has already begun.

Let me share with you what I mean. This Sept. I began my internship with Teaching The Word Ministries. This will go for a year from now not beginning and ending in January. I was given the opportunity to get a Gym membership and so now I am beginning a new fitness routine. I know that if I tried to start something like this in January it would be a lot harder for me with the cold temps. and dark mornings. If I can get in the habit now when winter hits full force I will already had this routine established and just continue on. The boys have also started their school year and daily routines and habits for the year have taken root.

So I am celebrating my New Year now! I see the great things the Lord has for us as a family and the blessings He has already established for us in this New Year. Why wait? So here's to a New Year! Cheers and Happy New Year everyone.

You Can Tell I Have Come A Long Way...

I have been sitting at our computer for 2 weeks now pouring over scripture and seeking the Lord about how to teach an upcoming class at our church. My Knight and I are teaching together for our church's Wed. Night Adult Education program. Years ago I would have been chomping at the bit to speak in front of people (many, many years ago). I would have vainly loved to show people how much I knew and how great I am. Not the case any more. I am humbled by this offer to teach.

I realize the gravity of what it means to teach God's Word and to represent Him to others. It is a weightiness. I keep going back and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to my Knight and I what is the truth you want to release through us? What are the words you want us to speak? This isn't about me any more. I once loved going to Public Speaking Contests and getting up in front of people just so they could see me. Boy, that isn't the case anymore.

I also think about how others will perceive us later. I understand in the smallest sense the feeling pastors feel when they and their families are scrutinized on a daily basis for the words they preach to their congregation. We are teaching on helping parents to help their kids hear God's voice. So how will people see us afterwards? Will they judge me when my kid is asked to pray and he doesn't want to? "Well that Livin', I thought she told us her kids hear the voice of God and he doesn't even want to pray."

I know that sounds silly but it is all running through my brain right now. The biggest weight is how I represent the King of Kings to others, how I use His mighty Word. I don't want to use it out of context or manipulated in any way. Does this make any sense? The Bible talks about the responsibility that comes to those who teach God's Word. Believe me, I feel that very strongly right now. I am not rushing head long into this thing believing for my glory. If anything I would like to run the other way. We are also teaching the same month that 2 amazingly gifted and anointed teachers of our church our teaching. In the room right next to ours. What could we even have to offer compared to these guys?

So bit by bit I type and continue with our outline. I keep sitting back in my chair covering my face with my hands and just asking "Does this make any sense God? Are we getting even close to what it is Your trying to say?" I think my eye brows may fall completely out by the end of May with as many times as I rub my brow in frustration with myself.

I also worry about my speech. One of my learning disorders is I say things wrong. I say phrases backwards. Sometimes I feel like my brain has a log jam and I can't get my thoughts out properly. I am sooooo glad Moses had issues and I have even heard it say that Paul may have stuttered. I am definitely in good company.

How's my Knight in all this you ask? Well he has done this twice now and is a little more at ease with this process then I am. Also he speaks more eloquently then I do with all his business meetings and conferences. Me, I talk to kids all day and even with pre-teens I still don't get full sentences out on a daily basis so my brain gets stuck in Mommy talk.

Basically I just needed to get that off my chest. I feel better just sharing that and hopefully you all can pray for us this Month. At least when May's done we can sit back and relax and not have to do this again. :)

A Mosaic of Me

This is a cool Meme I saw over at Comfy Denim's place and loved it so here goes.


It's actually a meme that answers these questions:
1. What is your name? Rebecca
2. What is your favorite food? New Favorite is Sushi. Love It!!
3. What is your hometown? This is a beautiful River close to our home in Central Pa.
4. What is your favorite color? I don't have a favorite either. I love all colors especially in respect to God's use of color in nature.
5. What is your favorite movie? I have so many but Lord of The Rings Trilogy has to be the top.
6. What is your favorite drink? Coffee of course, especially latte's.
7. What is your dream vacation? - Alaska on an extreme vacation.
8. What is your favorite dessert? Tiramasu...again with the coffee thing.
9. What is one word to describe yourself? Adventurous, daring(Oops, that's two)
10. How are you feeling right now? Thoughtful, introvert (there I go again with two words)
11. What do you love most in the world? Being a daughter to the King of Heaven & Earth
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Warrior for Christ


So that's the meme - here are the directions for how to - I am not going to tag since this takes a bit of effort, so please try it if you want too --- it was fun!

DIRECTIONS:
- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question below.
- Choose a picture from the first three pages.
- Save the URL links for all your images. You'll need these.
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.
- Save the image for use in this note
- Post and tag 10 people plus me.

Drama Mama & No Coffee

I have been trying to come off of coffee and apparently I am a little snappy or so says my family. They said I remind them off a crocodile. I have the appearance of a smile but if you get to close watch out I might take your head off.

How Can You Accidentally Bite Your Brothers Head?

Scene: I was occupied in the bathroom. Content with life while all was quiet in the Livin' household.

Then the quiet serenity was broken by a load scream and boys rushing to the bathroom. With a loud bang on the door DK enters with tears streaming down his face and a bright red mark on his forehead resembling teeth marks.

Me:(Very frustrated and disturbed) What is going on and please step out of the bathroom and talk through the door.

DK: Shaggy bit me on the head!!!! (Of course very dramatically)

Me: Shaggy Get Down Here! (Still occupied at the moment)
Enter Stage right into the bathroom Shaggy

Me: Get out of the bathroom and tell me what happened!

Shaggy: We were upstairs and I happened to have my mouth open when DK happen to lean forward. I then swallowed and accidentally bit his head.

Me:What do you mean he leaned forward and you accidentally bit him by swallowing? Shaggy come on here.

Shaggy: It's the truth mom, I didn't know his head was in my mouth and I just closed it and we basically bumped heads and teeth together.

Me:( Trying very hard not to fall off the toilet just yell out the bathroom) Shaggy apologize to DK and DK don't stick your head in your brothers mouth. Now please leave me alone!!!!

What Do You Do When You Are Weird & You Know It?

The other day it dawned on me how strange I must appear to everyone around me. I am weird, I openly admit it. I weave, do artsy strange things. I also dress weird. Yesterday it hit me about how others perceive me. I was walking to the van to drive to the bus stop when I looked at my reflection in the van door. Here I was in my camo knit pants that I mainly ware to sleep in but occasionally ware around the house. I had on my fuzzy slippers, a sweatshirt with a polar vest over it and toting my knitting bag. Wow, it made me jump.

I don't dress like everyone else, I kind of have my own sense of style. I march to a different beat. I have this sinking suspicion that I will be the mom who goes to pick up her kids at school and they will be like "Is that your mom dude?" "Oh no, that's my aunt twice removed from my dad's second uncle." So what do you do? I have always been weird. I was Cowgirl Rodeo queen when it wasn't cool. I was Science Fair winner when that wasn't cool. I was weaving and spinning my own wool when that wasn't cool (now it is!). God made me unique and a bit odd for a reason. I would some day like to know why but for now knowing He created me to be this way will have to do. Maybe I just bring a smile to His face with my crazy ideas and fashion ensembles.

 I don't know but it's hard because as much as I have wanted to change myself to fit more into society I realize I don't want to change. I like me and I like being weird. So I ask you the question what do you do when you are weird and you know it? Do you feel like you fit in this world or do you feel like an outsider? If you are different do you want to change or like how God made you? I think it would be one dull world without us weirdo's, don't you! :)

One Of Those Days

Warning: This is a girly post!

Last night I was hit with some really bad pain. By 12pm I realized I had a full blown UTI. I am prone to these and get 2-3 a year. We prayed and it seemed to be healed, then at 2 am it came back harder then before. So I arose this morning with a two hour school delay and called the Dr.'s. The only opening today was at 8:30am and it was 8:05am. The boys had to be at school at 9:30am and we had not had breakfast yet.

So I looked at the clock, looked at the boys and said "Sure I can be there in 20 minutes." Uhhggg! What was I thinking. Probably not thinking about much other then the pain at that point. So I race get everyone dressed, grab book bags, call the school to let them know they might be late and race out the door. Then I realized my van is frozen. So in the rain I start the van and chip the ice off. Now I am down to 10 minutes left and the office is about 15 minutes away. 

So I hurry but not too much because of the roads. Thankfully we make it on time but as I pull up I see my gas light go on. I drop that in the back of my mind and race in. The boys have been inquiring the whole time about what a UTI is. Nothing is sacred in my life. It's just one open book for these 4 men in my life. So then we go back to the doctors office. The boys asked a million and one questions that I just didn't have the patience to answer but some how did. The doctor was shocked when he came in to find me with three boys. He asked if I wanted to send them outside but I just smiled and replied "Unless you need me to strip, their fine." I think my answer took him by surprise. He just said "That's not necessary" and went on with the process. After a few pokes and prods I was out and back in the van.

Now the boys remind me they hadn't had breakfast yet. I look at my gas tank and pray. We run down the road and find a McDonalds. I pull up and order. You would have thought Christmas came twice for the boys. They were so thrilled to get breakfast at McDonalds. I grab the bags at the window and toss the boys their meals then run to the gas station. Finally we reached the school before the second bell and scoot them across the icy street and into their warm school. 

I am back now after going to the store and getting a prescription. Now I am nursing a sprained ankle to after I flopped myself down on the sidewalk trying to get our neighbors trash cans from out of the road. Oh brother, it's just been one of those days. By the way does anyone have any natural health remedies for preventing UTI's? I saw a couple at the store but didn't know if any of them worked. I really need help in this area.

More Embarrassing Moments At the Livin' Household

Just trying to exist in an all male household can be difficult at times but for some reason God placed these three amazing young men in my life to make life exciting and very humbling. Today a dear bloggy & in real life friend stopped by to drop of goodies and a christmas card. I was in the shower at the time while Shaggy was home from school (he was actually sick today).

She must have knocked on the door and Shaggy went to see who it was. All I know of what happened next is from the retelling of Shaggy so here goes...

"Mom some lady I think I remember but don't remember her name dropped these off for you while you were in the shower (he hands me the card and goodies). Because I couldn't remember her too well I didn't open the door just cranked out the window and she handed them through."

It was our broken window too so I asked how he shut the window afterwards. He told me he watched until she drove away ran outside and pushed the window closed and then ran back inside. Sheesh! I just laughed and called her up to leave a message  letting her know how sorry I was that she had to participate in our walk up window delivery system. I am so sorry.

Then later that day the delivery guy shows up to give us our new dryer. Not ready for this event I left my bra's and things hanging downstairs. I chase Shaggy down to grab them off the line  while I tried to keep them busy upstairs so he could get them down and hide them so they wouldn't have to see my under-thingy's. To my dismay by the time I get to the basement with the delivery men my wonderful son turns to us with bra's and panties in hand asking "Are these what you want me to hide?" (I have to explain that one of those undergarments so boldly displayed by my son had "All eyes on me" written across them) I turned every shade of red while I ripped them out of his hands and flung them into a corner of our basement and thanked Shaggy for his help a little sarcastically. The guys just laughed.

Oh my, nothing is personal in our house. Being the only woman is just so darn hard.

Crazy Days

Lets see...

I had to get ready for Shaggy's birthday this week.

I knocked a squirrel unconscious yesterday throwing out my recyclables.(I will post on that tomorrow)

I had lunch with some girlfriends this week! :)

I have a sick husband. :(

We had our furnace overhauled yesterday for 4 hours.

I have a haircut and color today. Yippee!!!! I am looking a little shaggy myself.

I have to sign the boys out of school early tomorrow and go through the whole "No we are not Jehovah Witnesses. We just don't celebrate Halloween...yada, yada, yada." They stare at me like I am the worst mom on the planet because my kids don't participate in their darn Halloween Parade and parties.

We are going out for the Streets Ministry again this Sat (if anyone wants to join us).

I am also trying to get the weaving project done for MIA in time for the Christmas Coffeehouse.

I have also been bogged down by the everyday occurrences of laundry, meals, cleaning and homework.

So I haven't posted too regularly lately. I am just trying to keep up with life. For some reason even with stepping down out of ministry obligations for a while things are still crazy. I guess my only chance of truly leaving it all behind would be to go to a deserted island.

Doing Something Girly!!!

I had a dear friend give me a treat about a week or so ago. She gave me nail polish and a bunch of other nail polish related bottles. Actually I was surprised because I only use one bottle of color. I didn't know there was an actual process for doing your nails. So I took some time this morning to treat myself to painting my toe nails. My finger nails are not worthy of polish.

So does anyone know what the stick is for. 

I actually don't know but used it any way.

 I have no idea if I used it right but it was fun. 

I will have to get her to give me a lesson next time.

My poor pitiful piggies. I think they look a little

stumpy in this picture don't they. :)

After chipping off the 5 layers of old polish I used each bottle,

hopefully in the correct order. The end result. Not too bad eh!

It was so much fun to do something girly again. By the way if you know

what that stick is called or what is used for let me know. 

My boys are using it for a 

weapon for their Star Wars figures now. It's

fun to be a girl sometimes!

Having A Mom Moment

It's one of those times when you feel discouraged and down about your parenting abilities. I know most of the time God works in spite of me and not because of me but I am having one of those moments. Shaggy is struggling with his pre-teen angst. DK is over the top this week with his dramatics and Rocker is struggling because he feels neglected. Oh, boy! This Friday two guys are coming over in the evening to interview the boys for a documentary about kids seeing angels. Although that's great I feel discouraged. One instant we are walking the streets of Harrisburg praying for the sick and the lost and the next minute we are dealing with attitudes. One minute they are telling us about the angles and supernatural things they see and then the next moment we are breaking up an all out WWF match in the boys room. Is this all normal? Did even the great men and women of God from years gone by give their parents lip?

My Knight shared with me that this is normal and it's life. He asked me do I always have it all together? Do I struggle? Of course I said yes but I guess as a mom I take this stuff as a reflection of me instead of realizing that these three young men in my house are now making decisions on their own. The days of just telling them what to do are gone and now it is the process of showing them that their decisions have consequences whether good or bad. They also need to determine their own beliefs and thoughts. So I see the larger picture and the Lord's hand through all of this but it is still hard in the midst of it. I don't want my boys to make the same bad choices I did or to have to carry their pain with them for the rest of their lives but I also can't do it for them. I guess this is my realization that I can no longer carry them any more. They need to walk on their own and even fall a few times to learn how to run. So there you have it. Again the good the bad and the ugly at the Livin' household. So very far from perfect but so very close to the Lord. Now I need some comfort food and coffee and praise music.

After thought... if we do make it through all this I think I am going to write a book about parenting. I will call it "If I Could Do IT So Can You". It will be about how God worked through us and not about our wonderful parenting skills or anything. I am ready for a book like that right now. Don't give me strategies just give me testimonies.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Water....

No, not talking about the movie Jaws. I'm talking about the bath tub. I thought my kids had out grown the whole needing toys in the tub but someone snuck them in. Toy sharks that is. Then they left them in the bottom of the tub. So as I go to jump in the shower I begin stepping on plastic dorsal fins and hard pointy tails. They were all over the tub. Big sharks, little sharks, mean sharks and smiling sharks. Boy for someone like me who has a fear of sharks, finding an entire school of them in your own bathroom is pretty scary(I have no idea if sharks school like fish any whoo). I think I may need some more therapy on this. 

I'm warning you all. It's not safe to go back in the water!!!!

And no I don't have pictures, have you ever tried taking a picture wrapped in a towel dripping wet? Not a pretty sight. Any way my husband would have really thought I lost it then.