Queenies Little Kingdom

This is THE week! The one she and the other 25 girls have been waiting for. The Fair Queen Pageant is this Saturday night. Everyone is so excited! Me included! They’ve been dancing, retreating, interviewing and friendship building all month. Now it’s down to the last few days of preparing to walk across that scary stage and show us what they’ve got!

But, we have a problem with our contestant…..

Booboo’s on her feet! Ouch!

This happens a few times a year. Allergies! They take over her body. Her hands and feet seem to take the blunt of the attack. It’s been like this since she was born. (Yes, I nursed her!) She still had terrible allergies. Nuts being the number one killer in her long list. She cannot be near any kind of nut. Not counting me, that is! 🙂

Something happens when the seasons change (besides the weather). She suffers with an outbreak almost every time. For over a week she’s been nursing the bottoms of her feet. They break out like a blister and hurt something awful. Unfortunately, one of the only ways to bounce back is through desperate measures known as Prednisone! Dund dun dun! We hate it! But that’s what clears it up.

We’ve used every over the counter and prescription cream known to man. Nothing makes this go away. Only the steroids! So, today at 4:00 we will head to the doctor. Pray that he can help us get her back on her “feet” again. Literally.

This is how she had to shop yesterday during our outing to Big Lots!!

We loved calling her Mamaw! No offense to our beloved Mamaw of course! 🙂

I have a great guy! He loves me beyond words. Sometimes he’s a bit bossy and other times he’s a little immature. But all in all…..I love him! He isn’t perfect! But neither am I! Only one man owns the perfect crown and that’s Jesus. I believe it was Jesus that brought us together. Only He could work out such a pair. Goodness knows, we’ve done our share to wreck the relationship. Thankfully, God is and always will be our center! So, honey…..when it comes to you and me…..Ain’t no mountain high enough!

On your special day…..I thought I’d share a few reasons why I think you’re a great dad. You’re the only dad I’ve known that’s been in my life consistently this long. So, thank you for sticking with me and loving me like you do. You’re wonderful!

—When I found out I was pregnant with our first baby, Gavin….you stood straight up out of the chair in the doctor’s office and hugged me with excitement. I’ll never forget that! It made me feel amazing!

—You sped like a madman all the way to LRMC when I went into labor with that same sweet baby. You were not going to have any mishaps on your “dad” watch. Who knew there would be problems?

—You insisted that Gavin needed siblings! I felt satisfied with the one God had given us. You won! Those two girls……owe you more than they know, huh? I’m glad you were pushy on this one! 🙂

—When Ally was born….you raced out and bought all sorts of pink girly stuff and brought it back to the hospital. There was no way you were gonna let “your” girl be mistaken for a baby boy! That started that princess syndrome up right then….thankyouverymuch! 🙂 ps. oh thank you for all the times you had to carry me to the bathroom when I was pg with Ally!

—From the day we brought home our first baby…..you did everything to help care for them (except you know……nurse them).

—You have a power over all three of them that no one else on this earth will ever have. They adore you! They think you are incredible (even when you fall short)!

—When we found out we were having a third baby…..you were cool as a cucumber! Me, not so much! You taught me alot about trusting God through that.

—Every opportunity you had…you willingly wrestled, threw baseballs, played frisbee, shot guns, brushed curly haired girls heads, rocked babydolls, and listened to countless “shows”. They’ll never forget!

—As a dad of teenagers now…..you’re there! Just about anytime they need you for something, they know you will do whatever it takes to help them out. Thanks for the many school runs you’ve made over the years.

—You’re openly loving with your kids. Therefore, they are openly loving people too. That’s a great quality to have.

—You’ve got a great mind…..and you’ve shared it with your family. Sometimes you act a bit crazy….but the smartness is appreciated!

—It’s fun to watch what you come up with for entertainment. Over the years….you’ve made some wild adventures a reality for our kids. Remember the zipperline? The many pools? Camping trips? Snorkeling? Burying punks in the sand? Fires? Home repair jobs? And so many more…..gotta love ADHD!

—You’ve made it clear to your kids how important I am to you. They have also heard your complaints. But I bet they forgive those. Thanks for honoring me.

I hope you have a greater understanding how important you are to our family. No one else can be you. You’re irreplacable! Thank you for being a father that your children can look up to and admire. Thank you for loving God and making Him the head of your home too.

I love you, Happy Father’s Day.

YOU ROCK!!

Have you ever made a deal with God? It sounds funny to even say it. Mainly because I don’t think God is in the “deal” making business. He’s God! Why would he need to wheel and deal? He’s all-knowing! Especially when it comes to his children. But I know people do it all the time. If you’ll work this out for me God….then I’ll do _________! The funny thing is, most of the time this deal isn’t upheld by the person vowing it before the Lord. They get out of hot water and move on to the next fun thing in their life.

In Judges 11, Jephthah the Gileadite made a deal with God. He was foolish and desperate enough to make a vow so rash that it cost him something very valuable. His only child! He wanted victory over the Ammonites and bartering with God for the win was a crazy idea. He then had to live with his decision….or did he? Instead of sacrificing his daughter, he could have sought God’s forgiveness for the foolish vow. But as we see, he is too caught up in his legalistic decision and goes through with it. How sad!

Jephthah believed his deal was a covenant with God. His daughter did too. She submitted obediently to him and only asked for the freedom to go with her friends to weep never being able to marry. More sadness. As a parent, how guilty would you feel over this? Over the top, I bet. I can’t even wrap my brain around it. It’s insane! But this was Jephthah’s reality. Foolish reality.

Which leads me to something….just because we have God’s spirit doesn’t mean we won’t overreact or do something rash. We are flesh and blood humans. We goof up! We think we know what’s best and sometimes we even do it out of what we think is a holy decision. I have made my share of mistakes. When I look back, I see the foolishness of my choices and I’m glad for God’s grace and mercy. I’ve learned not to make deals….especially ones that I don’t really want to keep.

God doesn’t need a deal with me. He only requires my obedience. If I’m trying to convince Him to do something for me, that may not be what I need anyway. I’d rather let Him do His work in my life and stay within the moral boundaries He has in place for me. Aferall, I trust Him….don’t you? He is my deliverer!

“I love you O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” Psalm 18:1-2

THIS GIVEAWAY WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WEDNESDAY! (hence the WFMW banner) Doesn’t anybody want a free book?

What works for me today? Is giving stuff away that’s what! I’ve been meaning to do a little book sharing and today seems like the perfect time to do it. If you’re interested in reading Robin McGraw’s newest book then leave me a message saying so. Some bloggy love would be nice too. I’ll take any form of flattery you got, people!

I’ll pick a winner…….on Saturday (6/20) at noon! 🙂

Oh…make sure I can reach you back if you’re chosen as the lucky winner!

I’m so sick of people making their own decisions about what is wrong and what is right! For the last few weeks I’ve been watching a little situation unfold on Facebook between some folks I know from back home. It seems that one of them has embraced the homosexual lifestyle for himself and he wants the rest of his “old” friends to accept him as is.

That’s not really the problem though.

He wants to smear it in their face (or so it seems from what I keep reading) and dare them to speak anything against that decision. It’s pretty frustrating to see. I’ve really wanted to say something….and I have poked in a few comments here and there. But nothing that REALLY stirs the water like some of my other friends. I didn’t mention…..but this guy is actually a distant relative of mine as well. So, I’m trying to be sensitive to him and his needs. But honestly, I know that his biggest need is CHRIST!!!! Oh he claims to be a follower and he knows that God just doesn’t feel about his choice the same as these friends do. He’s all out there with his “beliefs” and unfortunately he’s been lied to.

Satan has a way with the flesh doesn’t he? He convinces our mind to believe what our heart deep down knows is wrong. I have experienced this tomfoolery myself during the course of my life. It’s a matter of convincing ourselves to lighten up or cut loose. It always ends in destruction. Which leads me to some really amazing verses that speak clearly how God feels about our foolishness.

Proverbs 6:16-19
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”
Can you see anything in there that you might have a problem with? Maybe you’re a superhuman and you’ve managed to avoid any of those issues in your life. I really doubt that’s the case. But for me, I’m convinced that I need to do a personal heart check. One that involves asking myself and God to reveal any and everything that is not in agreement with Him. I want to be pleasing to my Lord……and I never want to be a part of something that I know my God hates or detests.

I’m still praying for and watching my FB relative. I know that God doesn’t want me to stand by silently. But I also know he doesn’t need me going after him with my hair on fire (in the name of Jesus Christ) either. What would you do? I see other Christian friends trying to speak the truth to him and he’s rejecting it and making it a “christians” are the bad guy issue. What’s new right?

Lord,
I want to obey you. I want to honor you. I want to reach other’s with your love. My flesh is weak and I tend to get a bit fired up when I feel passionate about something. I believe what your word says about this lifestyle and I need a gentle and loving way to speak your truth to him. Help me to do that. Use me to make a positive impact on him and all who might see what I say to him.
Amen.

Before….

This was about an hour before the actual parade began. They were lining them up. Notice how nice and sunny it is? Well, about 10 minutes before the parade start time…it started to rain. Do you think they would hold off for a few minutes? Umm NO!

Poor girls! All of them had to squeeze into the convertible’s and ride with the tops up. You could barely see them. Bummer! Oh well, she still had a great time! As soon as they made it back to the parking lot….the hot sun came right back out and the rain stopped! Can you believe that?

During…..

After…..NO KIDDING!