Queenies Little Kingdom

I’m not a cat person! Sorry to all of you out there that are cat lovers. I like them….OUTSIDE! I like them….KILLING MICE! I like them….naaaahhh, I really don’t like them. They’re the weirdest animal in the world. They aren’t nice and they glare at you suspiciously. Oh and their fur…….oh my goodness! Don’t even get me started. It is horrible! It drives my allergies crazy!

If I pick up a cat or pet one……my hands and eyes start itching like mad. Then I feel like I swallowed all the fur and my throat goes gaggy! So see? I’m not a cat person. I do like having them outside…lounging around on my porch and dragging up their many kills to proudly show me. But that’s it! If they act mean or unkind….then I don’t want them on my porch anymore.

Originally when we moved here. We brought a beautiful white cat named Me-meow (yea…it’s very unique, huh?) along. She flipped out after the whole move in and ran off. Months later, she came back! See, cats are WEIRD!!! We had an appointment to have her “fixed” but she missed that due to her wandering the world trip. You guessed it…..she had kittens. She went to the doctor and came back a new cat. Fixed!

We have one of her offspring…..oh she was so pretty! Suckers!

The pretty cat? Has been a wild breeding feign! Yes, I am the reason for the CAT POPULATION OVERLOAD!!! Trust me when I say….I have tried everything to end it. Even things I will not mention on this blog! Extreme things! It’s overwhelming me. I’m not an animal hater or one to hurt them…..but this cat and her shenanigans? She’s got me ticked! I’ve fantasized about shooting them out of a canon (to the next cat lovers house of course!)!!

Today some innocent cat loving people came over to pick out a kitty as a new family member. They fell in love with one in particular…a female. Of course the kitties were running back and forth as if they were aware of a kitnapping! We caught the one AND IT WENT CRAZY!! It bit not only the lady who wanted it….but then it bit the lady’s mother! I grabbed it to help out and it scratched the snot out of me! Bloody people all over my back porch! So embarrassing! SEE? CATS ARE MEAN!!

Now you tell me…..do these look like killers?

Some things…..just get to me.

—Messiness & clutter
—Arguing
—Fibromyalgia
—Money stress
—No vacation
—Lack of direction
—Rainy weather
—Poor communication
—Not being able to do for my kids
—LITTERS of kittens
—Shaky unreliable cars
—Family problems back home
—Loss of ministry/understanding
—Bills that just keep growing

I’m barely hanging on.

Praying.

Trusting.

Gee, it really is depressing….huh?

I love being part of the SBC! It is by far….the greatest denomination ever to belong to. Each summer thousands of Southern Baptists travel the country to meet up at one location and take care of business. My whole family loves going. It’s a great time to catch up with far-off friends that we don’t get to see normally.

One of the big highlights for me? The Minister’s Wives Luncheon! It is always fantastic! We converge on the largest room available at the convention for some “girl” time. A yummy salad and dessert are the meal and the table is always decorated in a cute theme. This year the theme was Quiet Influence (Romans 12:1). Each table had a purse shaped gift bag that was surrounded by the six-week Bible study book, Quiet Influence and the most beautiful note-taking hardback Bible. Every lady at the table received the Quiet Influence Bible study book as a gift. Nice! At the end of the luncheon, we were given cute little silky bags filled with goodies. Even a strand of faux pearls! (I’ll post a picture soon of me wearing them!)

It’s a sweet time to connect with other ladies that understand ministry life. Even though we’re not serving at this time…..I still have that same ministry heartbeat. We miss it! My kids miss it. They love hearing their dad preach and teach. It’s pretty special! We feel privileged anytime that he gets to these days. Another interim position may be in our future soon. But if not, we are at peace. We only want to be where God wants us to be.

Here’s a few snapshots from the luncheon. Both these sweet lady’s are Indiana pastor’s wives. They serve alongside their husband’s up near the Chicago area where it’s really cold. I love them both. They lead with such love and joy. I admire them and all they do to serve as ministry wives. Oh…and both have the cutest blogs too.

Darlene …. The Frog Pond

Debbie…..Life Inside the Fishbowl

I can’t wait for next year. It’s in Orlando! I needed a good reason to be in Florida during the “beach” season! Woohoo!

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