Dreamers

If you are a dreamer
Dream with big intentions
Don't let things hold you back
Insecurities will cause you tension
Aim high! Think big thoughts!
You can do anything
With the brain you've got!
You are a dreamer
God gave you this mind
To help you achieve feats
That are one-of-a-kind!

The Mouths of My Babes...

My two little boys are killing me this week
By what they say when they speak
My five year old told me this of his snout
"I just use my finger to get the snot out!"
I told him if he acted this way
He must wash his hands three hundred times a day
To this he said in no certain terms
"I know, because of OTHER people's germs!"
Though I may sigh, I can't lose hope
His nose is clear and he uses soap!

My two year old is using more and more words
Though sometimes his sounds are quite absurd
He really wants us to understand
And our attention he does try to command
He's struggling with saying his "please" and "thank yous"
Never quite sure which one he should use
Now he says "please" for everything
And I find his logic quite amazing
If he uses "please" over and over
The "politeness rules" he's sure to cover

Listening to my kids always keeps me guessin'
Though there are times I AM taught the lesson
That out of the mouths of babes you'll find
Logic and wisdom that's one-of-a-kind!

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 8

Well, I don’t have any loss to report. I let stress get the better of me this week. I was not staying “self-controlled and alert.” For this, I am ashamed. However, I am starting over again. Today, I am fasting. I am clearing my mind and getting my focus back on what it needs to be…not worry, not stress, not the what ifs in life, but on God. After all, he has the victory in everything doesn’t he?

I have to share with you a question my friend Tracey recently posed to her readers on her blog In Word Adorning. She said that when she was growing up her father would ask his children, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” This question has not left my mind since I read a few days ago. If I am acting with worry and fear in my heart, then am I acting as a Christian should? Don’t I know God is in control? I have also thought of David a lot this week. When he set out to slay the lion and bear killing his sheep, he did so with the mind that God would give him the victory. Then when up against Goliath, he didn’t wonder if God would grant him success, he KNEW.

I have to tell you friends, I have lived with entirely too much doubt. God is the creator of all things. God will take care of me, and give me victories. Doesn’t God tell me to “ask and you shall receive?” (Matt 7:7) Instead, I am like Peter when walking out to Christ on the water….my focus has not been on him and now Jesus is saying to me, “You of little faith, why do you doubt?” (Matt 14:31)

And if I am behaving this way, could I ever be convicted of being a faithful Christian? Who in my life is watching me and not convinced of my actions or my God because of my behavior?

I am starting over again today. Here are my verses for those of you who are also struggling with issues in your own life.

Philipians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Luke 18:27
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.

20 POUNDS LOST 99 DAYS TO GO

Commercials...

I should have been clear
When writing before
My involvement in commercials
Is nothing to get excited for
They were not big business
Not like McDonalds came calling
My "stardom" was local
Nothing much for recalling

When I was in high school
Sporting a smaller physique
I was asked to model
For a lady's formal boutique
During the time
I was modeling for her
She decided to film
A commercial to lure

Then in my twenties
After buying a car
the dealership filmed
A commercial to star
New owners of vehicles
Purchased there on their lot
Telling the public
About the new car they bought

As you can see
No real reason to freak
But it is a tidbit
People do find unique!

BEAUTIFUL BLOGGER AWARD Part II

REQUIREMENT #1: Pass award on to seven deserving bloggers

The Beautiful Blogger Award
Isn't just pretty
It comes with some rules
And responsibility
First I must select
Seven more bloggers to bestow
This Beautiful Blogger Award to
So here I go:
Tami at THE NEXT STEP
Is fun and thought provoking
e-mom at CHRYSALIS
Is as well, and I'm not joking
Mindy at MOMMA MINDY MOMENTS
Will make you long to serve the Lord
Ron at THE OLD GEEZER
Will strum your humorous and political chord
Tracey at IN WORD ADORNING
Makes you yearn to learn God more
Sarah at ETERNALLY GRATEFUL
Reminds us of what to be thankful for
Last but not least
'Cause I feel like I'm scrambling
Check out my other blogging friend
Over at ANDI'S RAMBLINGS

REQUIRMENT #2: Seven interesting things about me

Yet another poem
Fulfilling certain obligation
For the Beautiful Blogger Award
Rules and regulation
Not it is my duty
To give seven personal tidbits
Please bear with me now
As the items I will admit:
1) Mother of two beautiful boys
2) Working outside brings me much joy
3) Small-town Kansas -- I was born and raised
4) Can talk forever -- my husband's still amazed
5) Twice I have been in commercials on TV
6) Renamed our cat Butch to help his feline insecurities
7) No matter what we do, there's nothing better in my mind, than being with my family, I could do it all the time

There you have it
No more tasks to be completed
I'll give my brain some rest
As it is feeling quite depleted!

Beautiful Blogger Award

I have been blessed
These last few days
By the blogging community
In so many ways
First I get comments
Of praise and support
But this is not all
I have to report
I also get help
When I send out a request
My blogger friends voted
In a poetry contest
For this I am grateful
And feel fully loved
But my blog friends aren't done
The go beyond and above
I have now been given
The beautiful award
And this simple gift
Truly struck a chord
Hinting my words
Aren't filling voids in cyberspace
But touching the hearts
Of other people someplace
So thank you again
To those who read my rhyming writings
And can I be completely honest and say
"This is all SO VERY EXCITING!!"

I was blessed with the Beautiful Blogger award by Dana at Running Commentary this week. I have truly loved reading her blog about becoming a runner as well as her other blog Using 100 Words When 10 Will Suffice. You should all take the time to check her out! See my follow up post on who I have selected as Beautiful Blog winners along with fulfilling the obligations of this award!!

THANK YOU!!

Here's a little note
To Thank you for your vote
I appreciate the time
You took for my silly rhyme
My little blogging community
Showed GREATNESS in their unity
As many of you might have guessed
This blogger girl was blessed!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote for my poem last week! You truly touched my heart!

Super Hero

Most folks look at me and think
"Ah, he's just a little kid..."
But what they cannot see is that
I'm keeping something hid

SHHH! I'm a super hero
Not a single person knows
Underneath my jeans and shirt
Are super hero clothes

I cannot blow my cover
So when Mommy calls me in
I just try to act real natural
Without telling where I've been

My super hero power
Is something I keep a secret
But I'll tell you what it is
If you promise you will keep it

Can you believe I have night vision
And can see out in the dark?
So I can sneak out late at night
And fight the monsters in the park?

But just like Superman
I have my kryptonite
Inside my powers fail
So I sleep with my flashlight!

ATTENTION!!! I NEED YOUR HELP!!! This is the poem I wrote for Project OpenBook. This is a community-written book. The proceeds are going to help release a girl in Nepal from slave labor and to help fund her education once free. This is where I NEED YOUR HELP!! I need people to vote for my poem! If you would follow this link to the MarbleSpark blog and vote for me! You might also check out the MarbleSpark website and see how you can either join or contribute to this wonderful cause. Thank you my blogger friends!

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 7

Well, due to the stomach flu, which is slowly making its rounds in our house, I am a day late in getting this post out. I do have good news though -- I've reached my half-way mark!! I have lost 20 pounds, which means, only 20 pounds to go!! (Sometimes even the stomach flu has a silver lining, right?)

I also want to recognize my two dear friends who are joining me on this weight loss journey, Lacey and Tracey. They are amazing women. Lacey is down four pounds this week -- way to go, girl! And Tracey is just starting. However, you might want to check out Tracey's blog as she documents her own personal journey as well. Her blog is called In Word Adorning. You'll love this her words - she is a wise, wise woman. It won't take you long to realize she truly has a love for Christ in her heart.

Any one else interested in joining us? Let me know! I'd love to encourage you as well! God bless you all!

20 POUNDS LOST 106 DAYS TO GO

SHARING

I've tried for a while to teach my kids how to share
But up until now I couldn't get them to care
Then this last week they mastered the art
They shared all they had with all of their heart
And from their sharing, the whole family was blessed
With a bad case of the flu, who would have guessed
That teaching my kids to share could end up
With Mom, Dad, and boys all covered in throw up?!

CHUCK-E-CHEESE

Do you have little ones living in your home?
Is the Chuck-E-Cheese pizza and party place well known?
Our oldest son loves to go there
Though, a once a year visit is all we will dare
I understand why kids think it is fun
But after two minutes - I'm already done
It's not the noise, the singing, or food
It's how our YOUNGEST acts - which trust me - ain't good
Of course he wants to get up, play and run around
But disaster always strikes the moment his feet hit the ground
Our last visit there, he went on his way
And began grabbing tickets kids had won as they played
On the skeet ball game, he crawled up the alley
Then off to the next thing - he's not one to dally
Up in a jungle gym he refused to come down
He remained uneffected by our threats and our frowns
Knocked over some pop, lost a shoe in a crawl space
(Are you starting to see why I dread visiting this place?)
But then, my oldest smiles and I start to feel the guilt
Because his dreams are being made in the house that Chuck-E built

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 6

Well, this week was both challenging and rewarding for me. On a whim Saturday night, I went to what I call my I-USED-TO-BE-ABLE-TO-WEAR-YOU drawer to see if ANY of my smaller sized jeans would fit me. And, low and behold, THEY DID!!! I found three pairs of jeans that I was able to fit into comfortably that were a full pant size smaller. WHAT JOY!! The jeans that I am now wearing I haven’t worn since BEFORE the birth of my FIRST son (who will be 5 on Monday). So, I gotta tell you, this was exciting for me.

(Now, let me tell you, there are about 10 more pair still in the drawer I can’t wear, but I’m saving them as I plan to get into them by May!)

So this was the exciting news of the weekend…then came Sunday…Super Bowl Sunday. Our family didn’t have any Super Bowl plans, but my husband is quite the little “snacker.” I had bought him treats to munch on throughout the game. He also requested some of my fried onion rings – a recipe I just discovered and had made about a week ago. Though I wanted to indulge in all the treats at first, I found that my desire for food is decreasing. I will say that old habits do die hard though. I wanted to munch along with my husband, but when I realized I really wasn’t hungry the food lost the temptation it used to have for me.

This morning the scales showed I was again down two more pounds! In the Weigh Down Diet, losing weight and fitting into a new (smaller) pant size are referred to as “jewels.” Well then call me a princess, ‘cause I’m feeling covered in them! Praise God and the jewels He blesses us with when we are obedient to Him! Amen!

Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.

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

17 POUNDS LOST 114 DAYS TO GO

"What's for dinner?" PART II

For those of you
Frustrated like me
Take a trip
To this blog and see
Planning a menu
Can help you a lot
When trying to decide
What to cook in your pot
If at dinner time
You find yourself scrambling
Get some helpful tips
From Andi's Ramblings

"What's for dinner?"

I do not like this time of day
I never know just what I'll say
I feel as if I'm on display
When asked, "What's for dinner?"

I don't mind cooking if we have guests
It's fun to get the table dressed
And when my meal is praised and blessed
I feel like a winner

But the day-in and the day-out cooking
Leaves me panicked and always looking
Wishing it was reservations I was booking
Do you think me a sinner?

For now I will keep dreaming up meals
Even if they aren't ideal
I will eat less if there's no appeal
And then I'll be thinner!

It's the little things in life....

I have discovered something a bit new
And I am quite amazed at all it can do
I had seen it advertized on TV before
But after one day, I've come to adore
This product that is truly and utterly amazing
I still can't believe all the time I've been wasting
If you haven't tried it please go out and buy
Pledge Multi-Surface cleaner and give it a try
I promise it will cut your dusting time in half
And what could ever be better than that?
(Sure, gobs of money or a house in the Bahamas
Would be a nice treat for this stay-at-home mama
But since my life consists of home and Wal-mart
I'll be happy to enjoy products I throw in my cart)
I'm sure that by now you think me a quack
But I can honestly say, I'm okay with that
I'll be content with the little things in life
And bein' one stinkin'-fast-cleanin' stay-at-home wife!

I wonder if this could ever be an Olympic event???

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 5

I am still reporting weight loss, though not as much this week – only two pounds. However, as long as I am still losing, how can I complain? I must admit, I like seeing the scales down five pounds, but I will take anything as long as it is less!

Okay, two pounds down, that is good – but here’s the great part…drum roll please….

I now have a Weigh Down partner! My friend Lacey has joined me in this journey! I can’t tell you how excited I am! (I mean, isn’t always more fun to take a trip, with a friend?) I hope to encourage Lacey as we take on the challenge of living and eating the way God intended for us. Lacey is also an answer to a prayer. Let me tell you why I am doubly excited to have her join me.

Before I started documenting my weight loss via my blog, I started praying the Prayer of Jabez. For those of you unfamiliar, it is prayer that asks for God’s blessings in your life. The VERY short story of Jabez is written in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. A very insignificant man prayed an amazing prayer. Here it is:

“Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

And God granted his request.

Lacey is my very first blessing. How great is that? I am now able to encourage one more person in my life because I asked God to enlarge my territory. (Believe me, as a Nebraska housewife my territory is limited to my two boys and my husband. I am a far cry from being a Billy Graham type.) But, where I see limits, God sees miles.

So, this is my latest week. I lost two pounds, but I gained one friend. Are you struggling with weight? Would you like to join us? Please, join Lacey and me! Together we can encourage one another!

15 POUNDS LOST 121 DAYS TO GO

LOVE LIKE GOD

Want this button?

Marriage is hard
Feelings get hurt
Mistakes made in anger
Leave you face down in the dirt
Why do we expect
So much from our spouse?
When we’re less than perfect
Flaws we’re not without
It’s hard to love
Someone selfish like me
I want acts of grandeur
To soothe my insecurities
But why should I give
Any less than I want
My God loves me daily
Hold back love – he does not
So even when it’s hard
I will love every day
The way Christ commands
In a patient and kind way
I will not be proud, rude or self-seeking
When I need to change
I’ll let God do his tweeking
To make me a wife
Who loves even when it’s hard
Because true love with God
Is more than a Valentine card

To see more Marriage Monday posts, visit e-mom at Chrysalis.