Queenies Little Kingdom

In the blog world…..I am learning that each person links you to another world of people. I could click all day….and never run into me again. That’s how many bloggers are out there. I just happened upon a blog today that led me to this dear lady. God bless her as she deals with a loss that tugs at my heartstrings, her 18 year old son, Daniel. He was killed this last week by a drunk driver. Senseless!
Pray for this family and for those that love Daniel to feel God’s peace and understanding.
Another reminder to hug a little longer and speak the words you want your loved ones to hear. This world is not our home.

Yes…..It’s true! I really do. My kids would say…not, but I do! My blog may look like it’s all about my kids….but I have cool stuff going on besides just them. I blog about them because I love them and I think they are pretty awesome. So, tonight….it’s all about me!

IT’S GAME DAY!!!!! Colts vs. Bears

When the COLTS are playing…..this girl will be sitting in front of the game! This is the season we love the most around my house. Sunday afternoon football + INDIANAPOLIS COLTS = warm fuzzy satisfaction. All is at peace! If you haven’t figured out by now…..this team is special to my heart. I love them and I love their coach, Tony Dungy. This team is just rockin! The new stadium is only one hour from my house and it’s so amazing! I hope to go this year and actually scream my head off in person at one of the games. Yes, I have no shame! I’ll really scream!

I leave you with this……whatever you do….do it with passion. Whether it’s love for others through sweet friendships or your work. Do your best to make it honorable to Jesus. Please him and everything else will fall into place. Sounds simple, but it works.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COLTS!!

Don & Ally -How well do you know your teen game….the question? Is your kid a morning or night person? Good one, huh?

Today went great! Even though, my family…..NOT MORNING PEOPLE!! This happened to be one of those extra busy long weeks. So, we all really needed some sleepy-in time this morning. Everyone was dragging. Sweetboy was headed to IU to perform during half-time. So we went on our way to be transformed! It was worth it.

God used several people to speak to my heart today. It was really neat. I felt loved and affirmed by fellow moms during the sharing/teaching time. They were inspiring! I needed that! Honestly, we all need that. Never pass up an opportunity to lift someone up, friends…..it is awesome! I’m feeling energized to do more for Christ because of it. The program was filled with relevant and Biblical truth and the leader delivered with great passion. She was kickin! We plan to go through the curriculum again and make a pledge together (as a family) very soon. Including, sweetboy.

Speaking about him…..our sweetboy. Last night was our first home game. He is a lifter (cheer boy, we call him) and is in the band. He’s all over the place at any given sporting event. I managed to get a few pictures of him in action. He has such a great smile…..I’m sorry if you can’t see it. He smiles because that is what is in his heart. He’s always been a happy kid. I just love it. It inspires me to smile too.
Psalm 119:2 “Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart”.

Be lifted high….

Just smilin!

Flying high…watch the teeth, please?

End of show….

Tomorrow is an important day!  Our church is hosting a purity program for the youth, called Transformed.  Since three teenagers live in my home, my whole family will be there.  The leader of this program is a friend that serves on the Pregnancy Care Center staff (my husband recently came off the board of directors for PCC).  So, we know a little about the idea of this program.  It is a wonderful and well thought out curriculum.  As parents, we love the concept of purity for our teens based on what Christ wants for them (not just our hopes….but God’s plan for them).

The curriculum is based on Romans 12 (MY FAVORITE!!!) and is filled with excellent tools to succeed in the area of purity.  It’s not enough to just tell your kids not to have sex….they need more than that.  This program is designed to TELL them the truth about sex.  Something else that I really love about Transformed is that parent + child involvement.  We will be making that commitment along with them.  One of more than just holding them accountable, but openly communicating with them about what temptations they face every single day.  Scary, but very important in setting them up to live victoriously.

I’m really excited and nervous at the same time.  I can’t tell you how important this issue is with me.  Since the day I found out I was pregnant with these kids…..their future sex life has been of utmost importance to me and their dad.  That may sound crazy…but honestly, it’s critical to everything they will ever do or be.  I want the best for them, God’s best!  We have been very open in our home on this issue and have tried to equip them with the knowlege to protect themselves.  Each one recognizes the world around them sensationalizes sex and has chosen to be different.  Wow!  It makes my heart sing!

We must pray for our young people.  We also need to speak up about purity.  I love Vicki Courtney and her ministry.  She tells it like it is.  Her passion for our youth is contagious!  It makes me want to spread the word….to not just kids but their parents too.  Go check out her site, Virtuous Reality.  Honor God with your own boundaries regarding purity.  Pay attention to what you tolerate on a daily basis.  Ask God to show you any weakness you may have in your life.  You may be surprised at what He reveals.  It could be watching certain t.v. shows or movies.  Or maybe even certain friends you associate with.  Guard yourself!  And your kids!  Take some time and read Romans 12……these verses just blow me away.  I want to offer a pure me as a living sacrifice.  That’s my goal today.  To be a living sacrifice.  What about you?

Sweetboy has joined the ranks of money-makers! He has been trying for a year to get hired at our local YMCA. Finally, right before school started, the manager called him in for an interview. He was so psyched! I can’t blame him, I remember my first job too. I could NOT wait to make my own money. I was in the same shoes as him with my parents. They handed me every dime that I ever spent. Depressing! I just wanted to not feel guilty spending money for once. He often feels the same way. I can say that he is much like his mama. TIGHT! We can stretch some dollahs, boy. I can make my cash last forevah! So can he. God love him!

He has only worked three days in the last 2 weeks. So getting rich, he’s not. But when he went to pick up that first paycheck….I’m thinking he heard angel wings. Making money is important to a man even if he is in high school. Just think back to your first check…..ahhhhh sweet, huh? He told us that he actually put gas in his car with some of the money. We asked how that felt….and he admitted it hurt. He watched that money tick by so fast and it was painful. We laughed sooooo hard! Now he knows how we feel. Hahahaha! He said, just like that, it was gone. All that he had worked for. It is hard, don’t we grown-ups know? Every hard earned dime seems to just fly from our hands.

I am proud of him. He understands tithing/giving and is grateful to give back. He’s also a thankful employee and will work with honor and integrity. We have always felt that his job was school and he has been an outstanding student. But we also knew that he wanted to make a little jingle of his own. So we agreed to a limited work amount, one that he could still live as a normal teenager and meet all his responsibilities. This job seems to do that. So, sweetboy….keep on working…make that money and learn what the value of a dollar is. You will be glad you did. We love you, son. You’re a great kid!

I live in one of the greatest neighborhoods. It’s like living in a beautiful park. Full of trees and shade, lots of hills and homes filled with happy families. On Sunday afternoon, we were sitting out on our back porch admiring a new chair we had scored at a yard sale downtown. When all of a sudden, BOOOOOOOOOM! major explosion! We were stunned! What in the world? Then seconds later, another boom. It was eerie…..we knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. Some neighborhood boys were riding bikes and came screeching down our driveway……yelling, FIRE!!!!! The house is on fire! My heart just sank.

In a matter of minutes, a lifetime of memories were gone. A family BBQ had the owners away across town at the time of the fire. Praise God! The fire supposedly started from a hot battery on a golfcart. He had just brought it home to charge it. He was going to lay down for a nap, but decided to go back with his prized Mustang car to show the folks at the BBQ. He was only gone a few minutes when it exploded. All was lost, even a beloved pet. But the family was safe. Thank you God.
It got me thinking….what is it that I can’t live without in my house? I decided, nothing! Just my family. I would be able to replace everything but not them. Pray for this family as they regroup and rebuild.