Blessed by Him!

I'm all about a party and a good time, but......

2012-01-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

Yes!!!!! It's almost time to head to Houston next week!!! I'm so thankful to be meeting Robyn in the Mexican eating capitol of the world! Many of you that are going I have been to conferences with before and I get to see your sweet face again and hopefully spend more than 5 hurried minutes with you! Some of you I will be meeting for the very first time and I may be slightly nervous about that. ;) We always wonder.......Will she look like she does online? Will her personality match up to what I think I know about her via twitter, facebook, and blogs? And really.....it's ok if we don't all match up 100% to what we think someone should be or look like or act like. We have one thing in common that is the BEST out of it all. We are there to celebrate Him.

Jesus!

We are flying into Houston from all over the United States to celebrate the fact that we have memorized 24 scriptures over the past year! Y'all....that is something to celebrate!!!! Grab your party hats and horns and bibles and get ready for a mighty fine good time!! I attempted this memory work thing two years ago with LPM and our beloved leader, Beth Moore, but didn't make it one scripture past summer. The lazy days of summer apparently destroyed any ability to memorize anything. I didn't feel good about putting down John 3:16 or "Jesus wept" as my memory verses so I just quit.

So here we are and my handy dandy spiral is full of very personal scriptures that I look back over and truly see a story being told from 2011. I can start at the beginning of the spiral and imagine a movie of my life taking place as I relive each reason or event why I picked that particular verse. It is truly a beautiful thing.

The Word came to life last year and He showed Himself faithful in ways I would never be able to articulate to you. The movie that I see in my head as I look through His Word this past year is full of fear, joy, anxiety, promise, and hope. The ending is glorious. The ending is His faithfulness shining brightly and the promises of Who He is pierces my heart like no other time in my nearly 42 years. As Beth taught me through her Believing God bible study, "God is who he says he is."

I would do great harm in my desire to bear His image well if I simply patted myself on the back, had a great time in Houston, having a fabulous time with friends, returned home memorizing nothing for 2012, and not sharing the power of the gospel to others.

Why are you going to Houston? What are you going to do about all that you have memorized this past year?

The journey has just begun for me....The Word is alive and active. Pass on its power and might in 2012. Every single one of us who have memorized these 24 verses can testify to the Lord's desire and ability to show Himself faithful over a period of time in our lives.

We are called to be sowers. I pray that we sow the most important Seed we know of into as many lives as we can.

Love y'all dearly!Now.....in your best "Cool and the Gang" voices lets all sing....Celebrate good times come on!!!!

I wish someone would have shared this nugget with me when my kids were younger....

2012-01-05T09:57:00.000-06:00

I'm all about this new year!! I mean I'm ALL OVER THE newness of a new year. I'm thinking and dreaming and planning and hoping and praying for all manner of "NEW" in this year of 2012 for myself and my family.

New Years Day night I took my middle son to Sonic for a milkshake and low and behold our local book store was open right around the corner. And what do you think I did?? Why yes....I went into this book store after we bought milkshakes and bought me a fancy shmancy new journal. In red. :) I'm in love. This is a part of that "newness."

Isn't she lovely? I have written something in this journal since the 1st day of January. I have no particular "thing" that I'm determined to write in it. It's simply a place to put my thoughts. Good, bad, and ugly plans to go in here. Where is that lock? ;)

Yesterday I went to my journal and with it being the 1st day of school, I recorded what I wanted for my children this semester. My oldest is 15, middle is 14, and the youngest is 11. I am praying these things over my children...EVERY SINGLE DAY....NOT AS NEEDED....EVERY SINGLE DAY.....

**confidence: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him." Jeremiah 17:7

**courage: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

**peace: "He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it." 1 Peter 3:11

**goodness: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1

These 4 topics are specific to each child, yet fit under an umbrella for the three of them. As I look back, each child has a specific reason why a particular topic came to mind as I wrote them down in my journal. Funny thing is...I didn't spend a whole lot of time wondering what the topic or theme would be. It quickly came and I had it penned in about 3 minutes.

This is what I want you momma's of younger kids to do...to develop and maintain a habit of....

Pray DAILY for specific things for your child. Pray for their day and whatever their need may be for that day, but also pray specific topics or themes over them DAILY!

If you feel your child needs prayer for self-esteem or discipline in an area, then you find you an oh so perfect scripture that meets that need and pray it DAILY for your sweet baby. Don't wait until you see a hole or weakness.

I think you get my drift here! Start praying specifics for them while they are young. Keep record of it. And commit to pray for your sweet son or daughter.....beyond what their need may be for that day.

Love y'all so~

Swimming in my sweet spot

2012-01-03T07:26:00.001-06:00

When I hear the words, "sweet spot" I think of a baseball bat. Having 3 boys that play a lot of sports, I'm pretty sure that I have heard them talk about this sweet spot on a bat and that is exactly where you want to hit the ball. It's that place where the ball hits the bat and makes the hit a really good one! It's also a tricky spot to find and a tricky spot to find on a regular basis. Seems to me a lucky thing, but what do I know. The environment is never the same....the pitcher, the speed of the throw, and the type of the throw all matter when it comes to that pitch finding the sweet spot on the bat. And apparently....it's a pretty awesome thing to a kid when that ball makes contact in the "sweet spot." A kid knows when they have found that sweet spot. The fans do too.

I'm a girl. I don't play baseball. I have no clue what that feels like. But, I do know this....as I enter into this new year there is one thing that God is impressing on me that simply won't let up. It kinda makes my stomach hurt when I spend a lot of time thinking about it. A stomach ache in a good way, I guess. Maybe more of an excitement. Regardless, it's that feeling in my stomach when I know it's time to DO and quit thinking.

God is pushing me into a sweet spot with Him. My pastor calls this sweet spot in our lives the place where we are living and serving Christ with great passion for Him and the Kingdom. And wouldn't you know....this is exactly what he preached on this past Sunday. I hear ya Lord. Ummmm.....what is that "sweet spot" place of ministry for you? Where is that "sweet spot" place of ministry?? Do I even know what my sweet spot in ministry is?

I've realized in the last 24 hours that I'm desperate to serve Him well this year. I mean serve really, really well. Time to get over my sweet, cushy, sort-of serve type of lifestyle. It's time to "rise up sleeper." (Eph 5:14)

God has that sweet spot for you. Do you know yours? If you have no clue, kind of a clue, already serving in that sweet spot, I pray you spend some time talking to Him about it. I pray we all rise up and serve Him well starting NOW! The days are evil. It's time to do the thing!!!

Let's jump into 2012 thrilled, awake, excited, anxious, full on faith, no holding back, ready to ride the roller coaster and serve Him oh so well this year.

I'm in!!! No more sleeping for me!

"this is why it is said:
   “Wake up, sleeper,
   rise from the dead,
   and Christ will shine on you.”
¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:14-21

A few Christmas pix!

2011-12-27T19:43:00.007-06:00

Ho Ho Ho!!! Merry Christmas!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!! Christmas 2011 is a wrap! All things were happy and grand for the ole Thomas family and momma Claus is pooped out. :) Here are a few snippets inside the fun. Enjoy!

This picture is actually my favorite. This is at my inlaws house and each of the grandchildren went around the circle and said a favorite bible verse and/or part of the Christmas story. Huddling is in the Christmas story, right?! It was so sweet though. These 5 kiddos really do love one another.

This is the gift to my parents. It was the picture we used in our Christmas card and the fabulous Erin Condren turned it into this!

This is my 70+ year old momma listening to some "beats!" She has no idea who or what she is listening to. Cute, huh?!

This guy got the Tim Tebow book.....kids version. I'll be reading this.

These are the infamous beats. Its the hot cool thing. Expensive cool thing I might add.

Here is stud with his new bat for the year! Watch out!

And then here we are Christmas morning by the tree. I'm still in pj's and therefore hiding in the back. ;)

It was really a great few days as a family. The kids are getting older so the Christmas fun and dynamics are seriously changing and after 15 years I'm truly ok with it. I'm now spending some time really really really thinking about this new year and what needs to be done.

I pray you use these days to thank God for where you have been and really seek Him this next year like no other time in your life. Its a comforting feeling and a crazy, hold on tight feeling all at the same time!

Happy 2012!! Hope your Christmas was oh-so merry!

My little turkeys...

2011-11-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

Oh happy day before Thanksgiving my friends!!! What am I doing to get ready for the big day? Not one thing! It's still true...I'm the person whose mom and mom-in-law still do all the cooking and I bring cokes or something!!!

Amen and hallelujah and thank you Jesus!!

And, I'm Thanksgiving lame at age 41.

But...we do have a great time and eat tons of food with a huge family that I still have to ask my husband, "who is that person or who are those people?"

And, I'm Thanksgiving lame. ;)

Here are a few pix of my growing like weed turkeys that I am MOST thankful for. Thank you God for pursuing each one of us. We are indeed grateful that you love us messed up people.

Eat tons of food and don't stress about carbs or count one single calorie mkay? It's not worth it....enjoy your peeps and thank God for all that you DO have and not about what you wish you had! We are blessed. And, I'm truly grateful.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:6 NLT

Gobble, gobble!

The garbage man ruined Christmas....kind of.

2011-10-04T12:03:00.004-05:00

Goodness...apparently I have a full plate. Poor blog. I'm going to come back to you. I swear. How is everybody? Me? I'm SO stinkin' excited to tell y'all about the absolute coolest story EVER. Seriously. I mean this.

Do you remember way back when over Christmas I told you about the garbage men taking something out of my garage? No? Let me tell you what happened....

I was trying to think of something so very cool and different to give my boys for Christmas that wasn't just "a thing" that they would have and maybe down the road of life they would get all mushy gushy toward their momma and say "Oh, yeah, I remember when she gave me that." I follow a fabulous artist on twitter and facebook named Lisa Gardiner and thought I would have her whip something up for the boys' rooms that they would like as much as teenagers can that is artsy and not too little boyish.

We exchanged some emails and had something figured out as to what she would paint and decided the best way to make this sneaky exchange take place would be to meet up on the side of I-40 just outside Nashville on our way to the Garth Brooks concert. Surely the kids wouldn't think that was strange. *Ahem* And they asked 100 times...who is this lady and what are we doing and what is underneath those trash bags?? Oh good grief kids its for work...quit with all the questions. And..yes, this was the 1st time I ever met the fabulous artist Lisa. This isn't weird at all is it? *Ahem* Meeting strangers with trash bags on I-40 is normal.

So, we went to the concert, had a fabulous time, and drove home the next day with the "thing for work" in the back of the van. Well...here is where the story gets good....

I had to take the "thing for work" out of the car because someone might be interested in what I had for work. I highly doubt that teen boys would give a flying flip about this trash bag, but you just never know with them so I took "the thing for work" and put it beside my garbage cans that are inside the garage. I guess they could have easily looked inside the van as opposed to outside the van as to what was inside the trash bag. At the time it made sense.

The next day was trash day and I was running late and didn't have time to take the trash to the curb. Oh well....they will be back in 3 days I will be fine. I was at home and heard the big garbage truck coming down the street, but let it go. They had one less house on the street to mess with.

I was ready to leave the house and went outside to notice that the garbage men had come inside the garage to "help" me out with my trash. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Yes. They got my trash out of the cans and grabbed my fancy "thing for work" right along with the trash.

Yes.They.Did.

I cried. I said ugly words. I called the company and probably chewed someone out. I can't remember exactly what I said, but I know I explained these were one of a kind Christmas gifts and can't be replaced and IT'S FOR THE KIDS MISTER TRASH COMPANY PERSON! IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!

My heart sank.

I was devastated. My favorite gift for my boys was gone. The gift was in the trash. Money down the drain. Talent and time down the drain. Excitement down the drain.

Bleh.

Well...that was the end of that. It was extremely close to Christmas, I was out of spending money, and the gift was not going to happen. I somehow calmed down and got over it.

Lisa, the fabulous artist, caught wind of what had happened and was just as sad for me. We exchanged a few "I'm so sorry's" and we moved on.

Well....guess what?

You won't believe it.

In late June I drove home from a ballgame I'm sure and there was a package at the front door with my name on it. And look what happen to be inside?

Be still my heart.

I screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed!!! I knew through facebook that Lisa was on a mission trip and I couldn't call her, but I found me a good old fashioned thank you notes and scribbled something that said "thank you for the most amazing gift ever and I love you so very much" and mailed it to her.

I sat and thanked God for this beautiful lady and her enormous generosity and selfless heart.

Seriously? Who does this anymore?

Goodness gracious. I'm inspired by Lisa to do something EXTRAordinary for someone. Go out of your way this week and bless the socks off someone. When we show love and kindness in this kind of way it will mean something to them months and maybe even years down the road. Lets be different y'all.

Blessings~

Seriously....it's time to fire her back up. Bye bye summer.

2011-08-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

Ok...let me have my moment. I'm hanging my head low. The realization has sunk in. The world as I know it is over. It's the "S" word....she is here. I thought I liked her. I'm thinking I don't.

Her name is school and schedules and serious lifestyle.

Boo hiss. She stinks. (first time I have ever said that...I used to love sending those babies off to school)

So...since I shut the ole blog down, way back when, to enjoy that fabulous other "s" word called summer...let me just share some of her joy with you in pictures. I've forgotten how to write thoughts anyway so bear with me as we turn the handle and crank this thing back up.

Here they are 3 years ago. 3 YEARS AGO. Time flies.

3 summers ago at the infamous Big Kahuna's (don't look at my hair)

Aaaaaahhhhhh.....they look so tiny.

Summer 2011.....Here is rascal #3 at age 10. Seriously. He's 10.

My beloved middle rascal at age 13. Seriously. 13.

Of course boy #2 played some baseball this summer.

Rascal #3 played ball too.

And this first born turned 15 y'all. Seriously. HE TURNED 15!!!!!!!!!!

And apparently you can get a permit at 15 AND DRIVE A REAL LIVE CAR!!!!!!!

How cute is this? Little guy really wanted to learn how.

Vince Young left the Titans. Hello fathead...you are dead to us now.

And I do not have a bump it in my hair....I just like to throw a clip up when its been 150 degrees all summer long.

This is pretty much our summer in a nutshell without making you look through hundreds of baseball and beach pictures and the 15 YEAR OLD CAN DRIVE PICTURES!!!! ;)

*I do have one extremely amazing story to tell you that involved the garbage men and the Christmas artwork that disappeared. You will not believe it. It will be told soon.*

God is good.

Welcome back to the blog. Welcome back to school.

Hugs and blessings.....

"Come to Jesus Meeting" Summer Edition

2011-06-02T07:32:00.003-05:00

Every summer I have a "come to Jesus meeting" with my kids over how we are going to make this summer gig work. It's such a hit with the kids. *Ahem*

So, here ya go...I tell it like it is.

1. I will continue to buy the same amount of food and drink that I do during the school year...if you choose to eat every last snack and drink every last coke in 24 hours....too bad. Suffer. Go for the water hose. Woe is you.

2. I will let you have fun this summer. I promise. I'm not that mean. However, I do have adult things that will need to continue throughout the summer. Ya know..things like my lunch or dinners with friends and coffee at Starbucks and shopping. ;) But, seriously....I don't want to hear any whining such as "but you get to have all the fun."

3. Never ever ever are you allowed to say you're bored. Don't wanna hear it. You have every gadget under the sun and anything you could possibly need so get out there and be your own social chairman or party person or whatever it takes, but you have plenty of people and things in your life to have fun!

And, really....that is it. Easy. Short. Simple. Can be done.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!

Lay the law down early and have yourself a summer full of sanity and fun!!!

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity." Amen!! Proverbs 133:1

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Amen!! Ephesians 6:1

Girls trip to the beach!!

2011-05-10T20:06:00.004-05:00

What in the sam heck have I been doing for nearly 2 months since I've posted???? OHMYWORD.....it's been a season for sure!!!

But, I'm not going to share the difficult, hard stuff I've learned these last few months because there isn't any fun in that whatsoever right now. ;) However....I will share with you a few pix from my recent beach pictures with THE GIRLS!!!!!!!!

Let me say....y'all know this is a new church, new people, new everything for us so it's fun to be included in a trip right outta the shoot. Love these people. They don't know just how much, but man have they been sweet to this ole heart.

Ok...here we go....Gulf Shores, Alabama!

This is me and Christy! She is my roomie on the trip and made me laugh harder than anyone! Mercy...this girl is a RIOT!!!

Hello....do we have something in our teeth?? I just knew I had some shrimp in my grill.

Let's get serious...

Sweet sweet Robyn and Christy...they have been so precious to me during this transition.

This was the crew in our car on the way down. Best peeps ever. I miss 'em. Let's go back! ;)

You can't help but smile when you see this. :)

I'm so thankful for these girls...for the new friendships....for the fact that they wanted me to be their friend. It's hard being the new girl, but these girls make it so easy and so much fun!

Y'all know my heart is tendered toward anyone going through a "new thing." I'm always mindful of those of you out there and praying God bring you to that place of peace and "home" again.

Baptism Day!

2011-03-14T09:13:00.006-05:00

Mercy.

What a journey we have been on as a family! We left our church after 10 years in August of 2009 and began months and months of trying to find us a new home. We all know or can imagine the emotions that are experienced when you go through something like this. It was especially hard for me because I was our Children's Ministry Director as well. I was experiencing a death almost when we left. However, God called us to leave and we left.

In January of 2010, we began visiting Englewood Baptist Church and visited for 9 months until we joined. However, when you go from Methodist to Baptist there is a small bump in the road that you must be willing to step over for you to be a full blown member into the church. This is NOT where we need to get into "but you were baptized as a baby or went through confirmation and why are you being baptized again" kind of thing. Ok? Thanks.

This is what I do know about the Baptist church and this whole "becoming a member thing." (And I stole this right from the EBC bulletin so I wouldn't say something wrong)

HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?

1. Present yourself for membership during any worship service when
the invitation is given.

2. Express your desire for membership through one of the following means:

Profession of faith: If you have never received Jesus as Savior
and Lord and/or never publicly confessed Him, you will be given
the opportunity to do so.

Transfer of membership from another Southern Baptist Church

By statement of faith: If you have previously made a public decision,
acknowledging that you have received Christ as your Savior and
Lord, we will be happy to receive you. It will be necessary for you to
be baptized at Englewood if you have never been baptized
Scripturally (as a believer, by immersion, in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, and as a symbol of your salvation).

3. Attend the Discover Englewood Class See inside for more info.

Soooooo....long story short, we were never baptized by immersion and so that was the small bump we had to overcome. Four of us have received Christ and baptized as babies, one of us, had not received Christ but was baptized as a baby.

Gosh...are you confused yet???

We discussed all this a lot and realized that we were simply saying before EBC that we publically confess Christ as our Savior and we will be baptized as Jesus was and we have the privilege of experiencing this as a family.....minus little man at 10 years old.

Well, as God would see fit, little guy started asking me questions and talking about how you become a Christian. He is in every church service at EBC and has heard the "Baptist language" which is different than the Methodist language that we had been exposed to for 10 years and he is also in a Christian school. He has been hearing about salvation for quite some time on a very regular basis. So, we get to this week and he is ready to take the plunge!!!! Being a momma who has never had this privilege before (because the older two had been in the Methodist church) of leading her youngest to Christ was the highlight of my life. :) Dad, momma, and little guy prayed and talked and talked and he asked the Lord into his heart on March 11, 2011!

Celebrate good times come on!!!! (KC and the Sunshine Band insert)

So...not wanting to go outside the logistics of what to do when a child is saved and the family is being baptized on Sunday....you hunt down your precious pastor on a Saturday at the zoo FOR CRYING OUT LOUD PEOPLE!!!! (felt so horrible about this, but what a wired woman to do?)

We talked on the phone and Pastor Ben was so kind and saw the unique situation and just asked us to send Dylan to their "Stepping Stones" class after he was baptized and allow the knowledge and further instruction about becoming a christian after the fact instead of on the front end.

"I PROMISE I PROMISE I PROMISE BEN!!!!" And, then I screamed a bunch of "thank you's" into the phone.

Bless.

So.....we had the opportunity for us ALL to be baptized on Sunday morning, March 13, 2011.

Praise Jesus what a day.

However, momma was a nervous wreck and running off of some kind of holy adrenaline that day. I was a mess. I felt sure I would be the first to die of a heart attack in the baptistry.

Mercy.

So, here we go....the precious little guy went first. I totally teared up. I watched the entire family be baptized as I was "in line" to go last. It was sight for this momma to take it all in. WOW!!! I saw all of their sweet faces go under the water and I saw the "new" come up with big ole fat grins attached. The Spirit was at work yesterday. Oh, yes He was.

So, there ya have it!!! It was indeed a special day for us. I cannot wait to see the video that the church will provide because I have NO MEMORY WHATSOEVER of what sweet Ben said over each of us. ;)

I'm going out on a limb here, but not really, and I shall say this.....

Regardless of denomination I pray you are in a bible teaching church and hearing the truth Sunday after Sunday and people are coming to know Christ. The end. Hell is real. Jesus is real. I choose Him.

Love y'all to pieces!
Fran and family

Shingles are stupid and I really wanna run away to the beach!

2011-02-08T12:48:00.006-06:00

This picture makes me soooooo very happy in so many ways. First...hubs is off looking at someone that I know for a fact was being silly in front of us. Clearly...his attention has been caught. I'm looking straight ahead with the other 3 and we are just smiling and happy. Aaaaahhhhhh....precious. It was also my birthday that day! And we are at church. Happiness.

Get this...I turned 41. For real. Embracing the birthday where I had the shingles. Did you catch that last sentence?? One more time..."embracing the birthday where I had the shingles." I mean really....that doesn't sound old does it? Nah...not one bit. I am sure none if you associate "the shingles" with old age. ;)

So I entered into this 41st year with shingles and intense stress and anxiety over a situation that is completely outside of my family and I'm sure it is all going to be nothing but butterflies and rainbows and ice cream from this point on right? Right. (Play along with me please)

What I do know about that thing that keeps me up at night and causes serious anxiety in my heart is this....

* God reveals steps in teeny tiny baby steps sometimes...He is patient like that and sometimes I want to scream because He is so patient and timely ;)

* God will stretch you into places and positions that you would never ever ever ever do on your own. Stretching hurts and causes you to be IN COMPLETE DEPENDENCE ON HIM! (mumbling under my breath over this one)

* When you believe in something and it starts getting hard you can do one of two things... 1) run away to the beach like I keep saying I am going to do or 2) dig your heels in and don't look back

This 41st year will go down in the record books as a very interesting year for me. Shingles are stupid and painful and stress related and I'm digging my heels in when everything in me says "I'm going to the beach and I'll be back later!"

Dang...life is hard.

Deep down inside I'm thankful for whats taking place here..... growing, stretching, increase of faith blah blah blah. ;)

Love y'all! *MWAH*

So some things happened

2011-01-24T11:09:00.003-06:00

I published the post on my parenting revelation, that is found below, and was ready to share some other cool things happening within our home and then BAM Joanne had her stroke. The morning was 1-11-11. If you are friends with me on facebook or follow me on twitter then you know that Joanne has consumed my every thought and request for prayer. I still can't believe what that sweet woman has endured, what her husband has endured, what her precious girls have endured. It just tears our hearts to pieces doesn't it?

Our friend, Holly, put up a post on her blog and I cannot get it out of my mind. These were Holly's words on what kind of friend Joanne is. If you are like me, I tried to find myself in these sentences. I was unsuccessful for the most part. Joanne is teaching me SO MUCH about life. See what you think. Are you in there?

This is the kind of friend who sends flowers, when she's praying for me.

This is the kind of friend, who invites me over for lunch and then gives ME a gift basket.

This is the kind of friend, who shares deep truths she is learning from God's Word.

This is the kind of friend, who tarries with me in conversation, never making me feel like I am TOO MUCH or NOT ENOUGH. She accepts me, as I am.

This is the kind of friend, who thinks I am special and lets me know in 100 ways.

This is the kind of friend, who loves to read as much as I do! She also loves Jesus, her family, home and Bible study--and makes me want to be fully committed and growing better in all of that.

This is the kind of friend, who prays with me.

This is the kind of friend, who rooms with me---even though I sometimes snore.

This is the kind of friend, who teaches me new thing, like knitting.

This is the kind of friend, who will take time away from her very busy schedule homeschooling, being a student in seminary, wife, mother and a host of other things and spend it with me--without a hurry or care. Just unrushed time, as friends.

This is the kind of friend, who will spend the day with me at a French flea market.

This is the kind of friend, who will take her mother's knitted project that didn't quite turn out, take it apart and restitch it--giving it as a gift to her mom this past Christmas. I told her, she is just like Jesus-making all things new. How beautiful.

Isn't this just beautiful?? I read these with no conviction whatsoever because I know Joanne's heart. I read this with more of a challenge. I read this wanting to be more like Joanne.

Take some time and swallow these and see where Joanne is in your life.

There is so much to say about what Jo is teaching me, but for now.....I just know I want to be more like her!

And we all shout HALLELUJAH! for what He is doing in her life right now. In all of our lives!
Mercy.

I totally neglected my kids.....but it is changing.

2011-01-02T19:18:00.005-06:00

I was one of those 2010 people who was actually ok saying goodbye to her. She was alright and all, but it was a year of "moving on and new beginnings" and we all know those seasons are somewhat difficult and you find yourself in places that you have never walked before. Soooooo.....see ya 2010! I will even throw in the "See ya wouldn't wanna be ya" to 2010.

I'm so happy to welcome 2011. (Deep breath)

Ok, one thing that was so cool over this past weekend was this.......I am hoping to live 2011 with GREAT intention when it comes to God and my family. And by great intention....I mean stretching myself past the normal laundry, shuffling kids around, grocery shopping, meal planning that I already do. I mean pushing myself to another place. I want to push myself into removing distractions and laziness when it comes to Jesus and my family.

This might be shocking to some of you, but here's the deal......I don't spend really good quality time with my kids. (shakingmyheadinshame)

I don't. I have lots of "nice" conversations with them, but no depth. Depth takes time. Depth takes being intentional with your words and questions and the direction of your conversation.

So....this is how I started tending to this matter. I humbled myself before my oldest and told him that I wanted more time with him and that I was sorry for neglecting him. He laughed. So did I. But...boy...hang on kiddo because we are about to have a blast and love each other as momma to son like never before. :)

We went to Starbucks and sat for an hour and a half. I don't take my kids to Starbucks because that is clearly an adult treat and gosh it's expensive times two. HA! However, this is all about to change. I introduced him to their hot chocolate while I thoroughly enjoyed my grande non-fat caramel brulee latte with light whip. Aaaahhh. And who cares if the fabulous drink kept me up until midnight.

We talked and talked and talked. This is what my notebook says for my oldest...and yes...I took notes.

14 year old....Here he is. I love this kid so much.

This is what we talked about in an hour and a half:

* I told him that I'm memorizing two scriptures a month. He said "that's cool." (insert grin)

* He told me he finished reading the book of Mark. HUH? How did I miss that? Wow!

* He said he wants to continue with his daily devotional book he has. Couldn't tell you what it is other than a sports theme for teenage boys. WAY TO GO SON!

* We looked through bible verses and he picked Hebrews 6:12 to carry him through school. It says this..."We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (I'm going to hang this in his room)

*We made specific goals in regards to grades for the next nine weeks. Each class has a goal.

*We talked about fear and what holds him back from embarking on a possibility at church.

* We then laughed and said that we will do this on a very regular basis so we can know EXACTLY whats going on in each others world.

Y'all, do you even know how fabulous of a time this was for both of us?

I'm going to do the same thing with the other two boys and I'm praying that you will adopt something similar with your kids. It really is the best investment we can give them.

Happy 2011!

Hugs and blessings~

Where did the babies go?

2010-12-27T08:22:00.005-06:00

How quickly our Christmas' change. The oldest is now 14. The next wild one is 13. The baby is 10. (Husband rolls eyes when I call him the baby.) Needless to say....this was our last year to "believe." KILLS ME!!!!!!!! I guess if we adopt the Polar Express theme....we will always believe.

Anyway....the hooligans got lots of neat clothes. They are apparently spoiled rotten and I am currently taking mental momma inventory of that. And yes....I'm going to read Radical starting this week. I need help. ;) These boys have everything under the sun. It's so sad that come Christmas you end up with a bunch of clothes because you have every gadget ever produced.
Shoot me.

Anyway....here they are. They really do love one another. They are as different as night and day.
Thankfully they don't know who David Platt is or ever heard of the book Radical and have no idea just how much their lives are about to change. ;)

Take a note of the "baby's" sweatshirt on the far left. I laugh every time I read it...."My game is money!" Don't you love it?

It's time to start thinking forward to 2011. This can be happy or it can be painful. I'm choosing the happy side of it all.

What in the world do we drastically attempt to do different this next year?? Just one. I'm thinking. And I don't like to think I'm going to do more than one drastic thing because I won't. It's kind of like reading the bible in a year thing. I'll fail.

Hmmmm.....what is my "one?"

Love y'all. Hope all is well in your wintry neck of the woods!

Greatest lesson learned at Deeper Still that DID NOT come from Beth, Kay, or Priscilla

2010-12-06T13:56:00.005-06:00

Oh, goodness. I hope you can hear my heart and feel what I'm about to describe when I have to leave out all sorts of names and manner of detail.

Sounds exciting, huh? Hang on....let's ride this out and keep our fingers crossed.

We all know what happens when you put a group of women together. There can be intense giddiness, excitement, fun, and a whole lotta anticipation. There can also be a great deal of fear, insecurity, and question of "Am I really as cute or funny as Suzy across the room?" Isn't it interesting how our minds are all over the place? Maybe it's just me. I'm highly doubting it though.

And, then the dynamics of your little group change. Maybe a new girl that noone knows walks in the room with a friend. Maybe someone starts telling a story about someone you know that rubs you the wrong way. Maybe someone tells something that you think "did she really just tell that?" Maybe, maybe, maybe....

It just happens. It just happens with a group of girls. No matter the age or demographic or status. It can happen just.like.that. Before you can even think or process or understand what is happening.....something has changed. And maybe the change involves yourself. Maybe you were the one who said or did something in that instant you are wondering, "Did I really just say that or do that?" Oh, I think I did.

It happens. And the minute it does....you just want to throw up and cry and run out screaming something completely inappropriate. It happens. And it's ugly.

But after some suffering and hurt and flat out conviction, God shows Himself through someone COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED. And her name is grace and forgiveness.

Her name is grace and forgiveness and she came clothed in the form of a person that you never saw coming. She showed me what it's like to truly understand someone and something without any kind of judgment. She showed me love when she could have easily ran the other way and made all kinds of assumptions.

I saw grace and forgiveness up close and personal this weekend and I will never ever forget it as long as I live.

I won't forget how it felt.

I won't forget how unexpected it came.

I won't forget what she looked like.

I will never forget how humbling and beautiful she was all at the same time.

I love those two words....grace and forgiveness.

I hope you extend it when someone is least expecting it because it just might be one of the greatest life lessons that person can learn.

Hugs and blessings y'all!

That girl may not like me.

2010-11-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Every week something happens in my daily life where I'm reminded just how insecure I am in the world of friendships and wanting to be liked. For example, here are just a few silly things that I have noticed.......again, I am stuck at age 12.

1. Someone I want to be friends with won't look at me or talk to me when we are in a group having a discussion about something. They talk to everyone else in the group BUT me.

2. Someone won't acknowledge me or give me the time that I think I deserve. Talk quickly and move it along. OR, they seem really distracted. Now, that drives me crazy!

3. No one calls and asks me to lunch. Boo hoo. Woe is me.

4. Friends don't call you as much any more.

You get the idea right? It begins to hurt a little. It begins to take a toll and make you question "whats up?" Is it me? Am I that busy?

In my defense I can say that I'm a wife, mom to 3 busy boys, and I work so that takes up all but 99% of my day. I KNOW. I GET IT. The time just isn't there.

But, deep down inside, we all desperately long to be loved, liked, and to fit in. And even sometimes the people you want to like you, love you, and fit in with them.....well, it just isn't going to happen.

I'm really, really trying to be ok with all of this.

I really want to be secure in who I am.

I'll be 41 in February and I'm wondering if we ever grow up and stop being 12? Sometimes I am just not going to be liked by that one person who for whatever obnoxious reason, I want to be liked by. Sometimes I just need to realize that not everyone wants to be friends with me.

Wow. A middle school lesson I'm still learning......

Not everyone wants to be friends with me and I'm ok with that. *gulp*

Insecurity, a 5K, and some pride

2010-10-17T21:03:00.004-05:00

These are just a few pix of my first 5k on Saturday. Let me tell you what I learned about this race. I was PETRIFIED PEOPLE!!! Why was I so scared? Let me tell you. I quickly became 12 years old again.

1. I felt so inadequate. This started Friday night with what do I eat the night before? What do I wear tomorrow morning? It's going to be cold at 9am. What if I finish last? What if I trip and fall? Blah blah blah.

2. I felt like I wouldn't fit into the "runner's world." And boy did I have a ball looking at all the pro's out there that morning who are clearly into the running world. I clearly was trying to act as if I was one of them. HI-LARIOUS! Boy, let's play that part real quick.

3. Every insecurity and ounce of pride I own surfaced that day. Now that my friends isn't pretty. I started off scared to death and thinking I would die before mile 1 was finished to thinking "WOW...look at me. Look how good I did. Look everyone...I finished the race!!!!" People, this was a 5k and not a half or whole marathon for crying out loud. I swelled up pretty fast. Woe is me.

While waiting on the race to start, I really felt like I was in middle school all over again trying to find my way.

During the race the pride began to creep in because I was hanging with my running buddy, Kristi, through 2 whole miles. And then the "stitch that killed" arrived and about did me in. But I will finish strong people. I WILL. I HAVE TO. MY LIFE IS AT STAKE. (whatever)

After the race, I was quite proud of myself. I loved all the compliments and all the praises and the "way to go's!" I actually thought maybe I could be a runner. Maybe. I had to be a little puffed up.

And, then guess what? I arrive to church on Sunday and listen to a truly awesome sermon on humility. Yep. Thanks God. I hear ya loud and clear. ;)

I'm learning to do this life with humility because after all....when I stop and think about that "race" I did on Saturday....I realize that life is just like that 5k. Life is full of insecurity and a whole lotta pride and I need to learn how to deal with both.

I'm thankful for this lesson on Saturday.

I'm thankful I ran that 5k.

I'm thankful I went to church on Sunday.

I'm thankful for the One Who shows me how to run the race He has set before me.

Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

Lets run the race with Him. Lets run it in such a way that people will want to follow us!! Because after all, they are seeing Jesus in us and not some insecure or puffed up chick who has the whole world fooled.

It's all for Him.

Hugs and blessings~

My peeps in Nashville!

2010-10-06T16:56:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday we skipped church....WHICH ABSOLUTELY KILLS ME.....and headed over to Nashvegas to catch the beloved Titans game. It was a fabulously cool day and felt just like football weather. Here are a few of the pix from the day.

Here we are before we split up as a family. Hubs and oldest had seats on the 5 yard line, 3 rows up. NOT FAIR. Me and the other two had seats on the....not 5 yard line 3 rows up.

If you look closely you can see the super stud himself who didn't play a single minute....
TIM TEBOW!!!!! He is 315 right beside the coach in the khaki pants. He is to the right of him.

This guy totally cracked me up!!! He jumped up no less than 623 times to yell something at someone. He was clean and sober and fine, but totally loving the game and thinking he could be heard. Great entertainment!

How about an upclose picture of a kid drinking hot chocolate. You may thank the 9 year old for this.

This is me and the funniest kid on the planet. He is the infamous 9 year old who thinks he is it on a stick. I love him to pieces. He did have a sweatshirt on. That is why you see the belt that is driving me crazy. ;)

Oh, and here is too cool for school nearly 13 year old. You can see him fighting the smile if you look closely.

And then here is the oldest. He is precious and ever so kind and will be a pastor one day. Maybe. I hope. Or a coach. Or on ESPN.

Crazy kid.

"I can't take it any more mom!"

My fabulous family of 5. I love these guys so much!

Hope y'all are well. Tell me how you are. I really do care.
Hugs and blessings~

Swimming in the shallow end!

2010-09-20T11:16:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my pastor said something in his sermon that won't leave me alone. And, I'm completely guilty of this right now and I don't like it.

Here is my observation....

If you are at all wrapped up in the world of computers, gadgets, iphones, cell phones, facebook, twitter, blah blah blah....my hunch is you read a lot of things throughout the day that go in one ear and out the other. Right?

Is there much depth in your day???

My day is shallow and empty right now and it's time to make a change. And when I say my day is shallow and empty I mean the conversations and relationships that are constantly before me day in and day out don't have much depth to them.

I'm wondering....are you swimming in the shallow end or the deep end?

I'm ready to get back into the deep end. It's where I get fed and grow the most.

Hugs and blessings y'all~

Slapped me in the face!!

2010-08-31T12:33:00.003-05:00

I had a very short conversation with a momma over the weekend at the ballfield and I CANNOT LET IT GO FOR THE LIFE OF ME.

What if we put as much time, effort and energy into our kids spiritual development that we do into their academic development??

Yep. Smack in the face.

Whatcha think??

We went and got all Baptist on ya!

2010-08-22T21:09:00.004-05:00

Well, we did it.

It's been almost one year and it was time.

For those of you who may remember a little bit of our church story you know that we have been on the hunt since early last September to find us a new home. This year has definitely been the most difficult for me personally, but also the most rewarding. I don't want to go back. I want to move forward. Funny how we wouldn't trade all that hurt and disappointment for one single minute. God has brought us to a beautiful place of healing and growth, but most of all a flat out love for Him like never before!

God is faithful to move you forward when you are willing to move slowly and diligently. The last year has been more of a slow and steady pace with me and God. That is a true test for someone that has to constantly work on patience.

Soooooo......this is a little bit about our new home. Yep...it's a brand new denomination....Methodist to Baptist for anyone interested or may have a question or ten about that. And, yep....we know a whopping 15 people there. And yep....I may or may not be having issues with "fitting in." But that is what women do. We worry about fitting in and it's completely ridiculous isn't it? Geeez....that is a totally different post called "Why do women still battle insecurity at the age of 40? And in church for cryin' out loud!"

So, if you are a Baptist or have moved churches....I would love for you to share some beautiful words of "welcome" or something funny or something I may need to watch out for. ;)

Thank you Englewood Baptist Church for being our new home. I CANNOT wait to see what God has in store for me and my family. We are here to learn, love, grow and serve!!

Hang in there if you are in the search for a new church home. Having walked the road, I keep you tucked in close to my heart. He'll show you the way.

Now, excuse me while I dance my way down the Baptist aisle!! ;)
Hugs and blessings,
Fran

Way to go preacher. Hit me smack between the eyes!

2010-08-10T10:41:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday we were in church. I love this church so very much. I love this pastor so very much. The guy can BRING IT!!! He is simply pouring out so unselfishly what the Holy Spirit is pressing on his heart. It's such an awesome thing.

He was rockin' and rollin' along with his sermon and then somewhere he stopped to ask us parents 5 questions that I CANNOT LET GO OF. Apparently I am clearly convicted over one or three of these and have some work to do.

Here is a snippet of scripture and then the 5 questions.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about then when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframe of your houses and on your gates."

Ben defines "impressed" as being put on them forcefully to where it leaves a mark. We also CANNOT pass along what hasn't passed through us.

Ok, 5 questions to think about and truly pray over.

1. If my child asked "what is the gospel" could I answer them clearly and quote scripture?

2. When was the last time my child interrupted me in prayer?

3. If I died today, would my bible be a keepsake for my children?

4. Do I want my children to enjoy time with God?

5. If you asked your child "what is important to your parents?" would they answer God, church or the bible?

I hope you can't let this one go like I can't let it go.

What truly matters? We have a legacy to live for generations to come.

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

Teenage years.....pray a lot and love your hair wizard!

2010-08-02T06:36:00.005-05:00

Well, detox is complete. And, I'm referring to the post vacation detox. Trying to get myself and these kiddos back on some kind of track, but I'm realizing they are having "end of the summer blues." Bless 'em. I think I hear a school bell ringing. ;)

I wanted to share a few pix of celebrating my oldest turning 14. Did you hear that? He is 14. Oh geez. How did I manage to have a child at 15? Oh, I kid. I'm 30 and not 29.

A few things to note when you have two teenagers that have really stopped me dead in my tracks...

*Not a shocker on this one, but parents do not parent the same. This gets especially interesting when you hit these teenage years. I'm learning just how conservative I am.

*This world is NUTS and you must know how to parents these teens. If you don't know what you are doing, find a friend or mentor who has walked the road and parents similar to you!

*I'm sick of beer and alcohol being "normal." I don't want my kids growing up in a bubble, but man we are competing against some pretty clever marketers. Movies and tv are just as bad. We gotta stay on top of what our kids are watching.

*GREATEST lesson at this stage....these kids are watching your every move. They are watching IT ALL. They are taking it all in. They want to see if things "line up" like you've been saying all these years.

*Talk, talk, talk, talk to your kids about EVERYTHING...and I mean everything. And not just the one time talk about sex, alcohol, drugs, bullying, mean kids, etc. Keep the conversation going and going and going. Find great resources for your area that can help you. It's a must!

Would you like to see some pix of the birthday celebration? Some are at my inlaws house and their pool. Some pix are here at our house with my mom and dad. Some pix are at Outback because the boy gets to pick the place.

Here is dad and birthday boy Clay and Dylan!

Me and Tyler!

The gang!

Swimming at the inlaws.......someone must be weird and mess up the cute pic. ;)

Playing some made up game that last FOREVAH!

His hair is like a porcupine when wet.

Handsome 14 year old

Oh great mom....this is stupid!

The homemade birthday cake!

Everyone but me and my dad :(

This makes me laugh because they are laughing. Awwwww!

I'll be writing a book on surviving the teen years. I need some distraction because I think all we do is pray every other minute, and sit in the hair wizard chair to cover all the grey that comes in by the day. ;)

Happy August!
Hugs and blessings~

Detox

2010-07-20T07:24:00.003-05:00

Time to get it into gear....but first a little detox.

We ate so much food while on vacation. Some was delicious. Some was not so delicious. My digestive system is in a bit of shock now that we are home and my boring routine food is back in my tummy again.

Sleep is whacked out. Digestive system is whacked out. But, what is killing me........

SCHOOL STARTS AUGUST 9th!!!!!!!!!!

As my friend Abby says....."what the junk?"

I'm going into vacation detox and then heading to Walmart for school supplies.

Stupid, I tell ya.

Please tell me we all start school this early. PLEASE!!!!

Beach, baseball, and friends!!

2010-07-12T08:25:00.002-05:00

Happy and then sad

2010-07-08T06:41:00.005-05:00

I'm happy and I'm sad.

I'm happy that we are at Orange Beach for baseball. But I am I sad that the beaches, roads, and restaurants are so empty. I will say that I really am surprised that the beaches look as good as they do. I was expecting A LOT worse so I'm happy that we can still get in the water with only a slight oil application to the skin. ;) It is funny to see people laying out in their just bought for vacation swimsuit and dude in a hazmat suit cleaning up right beside you.

I'm sad with you BP.

I am happy that we are here to watch 2 of my boys play in their annual "lets wrap this baseball season up by heading to the beach with our favorite families and happen to play some baseball too." I like this program. Sign me up all day long. And, the beauty of it is.....We are here for 12 glorious days. As my 9 year old says..."Praise the high heavens."

Aren't they a cute bunch?

This is where you will find me for the next oh several days. I know...woe is me. I do feel sad for my dogs though. They are with a darling college girl, but I'm thinkin' they may be slightly confused on the transition and when are they coming back concept? Oh, funny thing...last night, Sarah, sends me a text that says..."oh, everything is ok...just some cows in your yard and walking down the street." Silly me. I failed to mention the country life we live in. She wasn't freaked out too bad.

See....the gulf coast is still beautiful. Kids were in the water yesterday. But...wow...look at the slim crowd.

Breaks my heart BP. I'm sad over you.

Blessings y'all!! Lots of fun pix to come.

The info in my brain is about to BUST OUT!

2010-06-25T08:53:00.004-05:00

My undiagnosed ADD is in HIGH GEAR right now and has been when it comes to this blog so let me spit out some interesting, disturbing, happy info that continues to spin around in my head.

** I had to strategically place myself in front of some magazines at Target the other day. WHY? Because that nutty plastic surgery junkie from Hollywood/LA and I totally can't think of her name right now.....was plastered on the front of this magazine talking about her boob jobs. WHAT IN THE WORLD PEOPLE???? Shoot me now. Poor nearly 14 year old boy. I'm sure he was wondering why mom was standing like a fool and not moving until we absolutely had to.

** To date I have not watched one solid episode of the Bachelorette. This is huge. Could care less about these guys. They seemed so weird from the get go and I think I had some insight into this summer season and said...."no thanks...can't handle the stupidity." But, really...this is not new to this show and I know that.

** I miss serving in a church. Really really really happy with where we have been going, but I'm ready to jump in and serve again.

** I obsessively check my kids facebook pages 627 times a day and am amazed and what is going on out there and there is not one thing I can realistically do about some pictures and words and junk that is happening on THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL. Step up to the plate parents and stop some of this mess.

** It's too hot to eat.

** Call me crazy, but Spongebob really does make me laugh.

** I'm jealous of the iphone people out there. No denial.

** I get to go to Orange Beach/Gulf Shores/Black Beach in a few weeks. Lots of documenting to come. And, I'll be ticked about it too. ;) Watch out BP.

** I want to put my kids in a bubble. Oldest will be 14 next month and life is about to drastically change. I'm not sure if I can handle it.

Whew....I feel so much better. Thanks for playing along.
Happy Summer!!! Don't burn up and melt.

Love ya!
Fran

It's all I know thus far!

2010-06-14T08:08:00.006-05:00

This is what I'm doing this summer. It might seem a bit monotonous, but I'm totally loving it. It's my favorite people and I'm good with that.

The only thing I'M DONE WITH.....is this crazy, out of control heat!!! I mean we are melting down in the south people. What is up with the heat and humidity in mid June? I'm trying to stay grateful, but it's a huge challenge.

Ok, if you do not know what "Skinny Cow" ice cream is. PLEASE GO FIND SOME NOW!!! I bought these ice cream sandwiches at Target a few weeks ago and I'm in love. They are low fat and absolutely a gift from heaven. You'll be blessed. And, no....this isn't my picture. No way would I lay (lie) these sandwiches on their side and take a picture! ;)

Water of some kind is in order these days. Isn't he cute?

Little guy getting a baseball trophy last weekend. He is so precious. Love him!!!

Dude is saying..."please stop mom. You are so embarrassing."

Bwahahahahaha.....he has no idea I've taken 726 pix of this game!

Love these guys! Hope you are off to a fabulous summer. Please tell me what's your favorite part so far.

Or, feel free to share a favorite ice cream find that I might be missing too! :)

And, one more thing....still ticked at BP and the oil spill. I will be reporting live from Black Beach/Orange Beach in July.

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

We went from mad to glad and fun was eventually had by all

2010-06-01T07:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Summer y'all!!! Here is a series of pictures from Memorial Day that make me happy. The boys were playing "throw the ball as you jump off the diving board and try to catch it" game and they could do this for days I tell ya.

Also, notice that one cute little 9 year old is highly ticked off/crying and trying to hide as soon as we were ready to start the fun! He was quite confident that we didn't know he was there. He changed his tune and finally got in.

So, besides swimming, we ate a lot, got ice cream and milkshakes and other fun stuff, and just enjoyed being together.

On another note, I'm irritated with BP and not being able to deal with this horrible oil situation. We have our family beach trip/baseball world series in July down in Orange Beach. I'm thinking it's going to be black beach and no swimming in the ocean. There isn't a whole lot we can do about it because we have to go because of the world series. BOOOOOO BP BOOOOOOO!!!

Ok, happy summer. Have a wonderful day. Do something fun today!

Hugs and blessings,
Fran

I think it was July this weekend.

2010-05-24T06:47:00.004-05:00

We celebrated the end of school by heading to Alabama for a baseball tourney. Let me say that we went straight from spring to Hades in less than 24 hrs. Holy cow it was HOT y'all. The humidity caused me to not be able to breathe. I mean really. I swear.

I didn't bring my camera with me because it was clearly too hot to lug that thing around so here are a some pix of complete randomness.

Here we are back home. We have showered for an hour to get rid of the layers of dirt, sweat, and grime and headed straight to momma's bed.

The dogs are back from the kennel and apparently it wore them out too. Bless 'em.

Everyone likes my bed. EVERYONE!

"You are NOT taking this picture for real are you?" (of course not son)

This might be the best piece of randomness you receive all summer....if you followed my pillow situation while in Pigeon Forge a couple of weeks ago, you know this precious pillow case is sure to cure all hotel issues. Feel free to check out their site and create one for yourself or anyone else you might care about. :) Their website is here!

Have a wonderful day! And I hope you are in summer mode now. Or really really close!

Hugs and blessings~

Puh-leeeez!

2010-05-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, I am more than ready for summer. I'm ready for the no schedules, no early morning mad dashes to school, lots of late nights, friends, tons of laughter, playing outside until whenever we can't take it any more, and our annual summer beach trip, and on and on and on.....

Don't we all agree??

However, if you are like my friend Susan who lives in Virginia.....get this....they don't get out of school UNTIL JUNE 24th PEOPLE!!!!!

How is that for insane??

Bless 'em all in Virginia.

Ok, but here is a SUPER CRAZY THING I SAW TODAY....

Are you ready for these???

Do you realize what these things are???

They are insane if you ask me and I won't be buying any. And, really, I'm sorry if you have some. They are technically called the strapless sandal. These are sandals that literally just stick to the bottom of your feet. There is no strap thing across the top of your foot or in your toes. There is NOTHING on the top of your foot.

I just can't take them. Personally, and no offense, they are weird.

Puh-leeeeze just get you some darling Yellow Box flip flops and move on in cute style.

I do love y'all. Happy Summer!

And, here's to super cute flip flops with a strap across the top.

Full circle....and it's goooooood!!!

2010-05-09T21:13:00.005-05:00

Hi friends!!! Well, I know you are anxious to hear of the new gig I have going on since I left the Doc's office. And, boy am I sooooo very excited. It really is a full circle experience for me.

I am working for the coalition in my town that brings education and awareness to underage drinking and drug use. It is a phenomenal opportunity to give back to a cause that means so very much to me. Fortunately, but unfortunately, I know a little something about this area of a teens life.

Last week I had the opportunity to bring a guy into my kids school. His name is Blake McMeans.
Blake was the NUMBER FOUR tennis player IN THE NATION back in the early 90's. He began drinking when he was 12 and found himself involved in a drunk driving accident right before he was going to the University of Tennessee. He was in a coma for nearly 4 months and spent years in recovery. He is partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair today. Now he goes out to teens telling his story and pleading for them to not get behind the wheel of a car drunk. Please visit Blake's website and watch the short video that is just a glimpse into what he shows at his talks.

I had the honor of bringing him to our school, spending some wonderful quality time with him, his buddy James, who travels with him, and realizing just how passionate I am about this cause and this new "job."

Here is a picture of Blake coming to the podium out of his wheelchair to speak to the kids. You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet. The kids have just watched the PBS video that tells Blake's story. This guy is amazing. I know he made a difference in the life of at least one child.

Here is Blake talking to one of the High School teachers.

The line of students to come talk to Blake was beautiful to see. Some kids shared a lot, some kids simply said thank you. Some kids were emotionally moved and fighting back the tears.

This week I'm at a conference for this new gig of mine and feel strange being away from my family, but I'm thankful for this opportunity to learn how we can do the absolute best for our community in educating others about underage drinking.

Ok, on a totally different note, my precious neighbor made these for my front door! Behold the beauty! I'm thrilled!!! Thank you Beth for your service. You are gifted girlfriend!!

And, here are my guys that I miss. You know I miss hubs, but I didn't take his picture before I left. ;)

And, looky here....did you know that you can mail someone a ball of encouragement??? Oh yes you can!!!! How cool is this?? Found this at my backdoor one day with all my other mail. It is written on, stickers put on, stamped, and delivered!!! I love you Abby. You are so dear to this heart of mine.

Have a beautiful week! So thankful for each of you.
Be blessed and be a blessing to someone today!

Hugs~

Some questions

2010-05-03T09:18:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is crashing in around you??

Do you feel overwhelmed and simply can't understand why certain things happen?

Do you feel so scared of missing God's plan and purpose for your life?

Do you get so mad at "the world" around you that you wish you could go back in time and raise your kids in the '70's??

Do you wonder how life got so complicated and hard?

Do you wish you could do so much more than you are??

Do you ever just sit and wonder about it all???

Doing a new thing!!!!

2010-04-26T20:52:00.002-05:00

Y'all are such an encouragement to me. Flat out need to tell ya that. What a blessing the blog community is.....regardless of how many people read, comment, or read and move on....this is where community is and I thank you for being such a huge blessing in my life.

Ok, let me just say that GOD IS HUGE. Well, duh, but He is.

I've got me a nice little past that pretty much involves anything you could think of....except for robbing a bank or something. And let me also say that none of this "past" occurs after I met my AMAZING man. This is a nice chunk of time between the ages of 14 and lets say 21 or 22.

Sometimes God allows events in our lives to be used later in life to bring His Name honor and glory. The Creator of the universe and the One Who saved my life multiple times always has a plan....HE FINALLY SAW FIT THE TIME AND PLACE TO USE THAT MESS OF A PAST OF MINE.

So, what is it?

I'm so excited and clapping my hands over it. Day one is over and never in all my life have I been more at peace over something.

I was given the opportunity to work with the West TN Coalition for anti-drug use and underage drinking.

What in the world is that you ask?

We bring education and awareness to our county in regards to underage drinking and drug use.

THIS MAKES ME SO STINKIN' HAPPY!!!

This makes my heart beat. This is a platform that fortunately, but unfortunately I know a smidget about.

He will take our messes, our disappointments, and our struggles and allow us to use them for some good in Jesus Name.

This is phenomenal y'all. This is all God. This makes me thrilled to have endured years of junk so that I can speak, plan, and develop an awareness for our community and make a difference in the lives of others.

You amaze me Lord. I can never thank you enough for saving me from myself.

Love you all. Thank you for celebrating this time of "full circle" with me!
Hugs and blessings~
Fran

"It" happened.

2010-04-21T12:11:00.003-05:00

Ok, so let's see.

Where was I?

Oh yeah...life was changing faster than fast after I arrived at the hospital.

I told you in part 1 that I don't really want to spend a lot of time on the details of that night because that's not my "it." But, I will share these snippets with you....The "it" is in the story.

Once Dr. M got taken to surgery and the reality of "it" all was hitting me, I saw some things so beautiful in the trauma of "it" all that I want to share.

I saw a mom tell her son in the middle of a packed ER with us all staring and crying...."God has a purpose for you. For YOU! Don't ever forget how much He loves you and He has a unique plan JUST FOR YOU!! Let's live every day in search of Him and that purpose. God's hand was on that gun and He protected you, your brother and your dad. Let's live on purpose FOR HIM!"

Wow. When have you told your kids something like that? And really meant it?

I saw a woman walk the road of terror and the unknown with complete confidence in Christ. When someone asked "what if he loses that leg she simply said....he has another one."

Oh, Lord....teach me to walk in that confidence and trust every.single.moment.of.the.day!!

I realized just how much I loved the people around me. That's what happens when you go through something big together....love has a deeper meaning. I don't want to go back to loving the "other way."

I take the dogs out every night between 9 and 10, but something was different now. I remember looking up at the stars one night and tears filling my eyes. "It" happened. I saw God in a whole new way. He is massive and huge in all His creation, but He is tender and loving and present in every little thing we do.

I heard a man tell the story of that evening and what happened in a split second and how he realized that God saved his life. He shared details of conversations with his family members. He shared how he cried out to Jesus in the ambulance. He spoke of Jesus to anyone that was within his reach.

I want to have that type of confidence. I want to speak of Jesus to anyone within my reach. I also don't want to wait until something serious happens. I learned right then and there that it was time to get serious with living this life He has given me intentionally.

There are so many more things I could share, but I want you to think about this small list and see what you can do differently as you go through the motions of the day.

And, just so you know.....After a few days in ICU, moved to the in house rehab unit of the hospital, receiving countless units of blood, and dealing with the daily ups and downs of being in a traumatic, life-threatening situation.....this amazing Doc was given a 2 hour pass to head over to his clinic.

And...I was able to catch a glimpse of that beauty.

And, "it" was more than my heart could take.

God saved this man. Clearly he is a miracle. God also used "it" to change me completely and I'm begging Him to keep me this way and not let my humanness take over and slip back to the old way.

Have a beautiful rest of the week! Praying for you all!
Hugs and blessings~

"It" is happening.

2010-04-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

The night was April 7th. It was Wednesday night and I was driving home from church and literally watching the storm roll in. The lightning was fierce and I knew I wanted to get my kids in and out of showers before "it" came.

The kids were settled in their rooms watching the end of American Idol when I got "it." A text message from a friend was asking about my boss (my boss and his family are also friends). I didn't know what she was asking me about so I simply called my boss and he didn't answer.

Nerves increased. This was not your typical "I can't get in touch with so and so" text. The context of this text message was like one I have never received. Within 2 minutes.....everything began to change. Everything is still changing. "It" changed me. I don't ever want to go back to the way I saw things before 7:45 on the evening of April 7th.

I know you are dying to know what "it" is. And, "it," is so complicated, but I'll do my best to share what happened. However, this story is not about the event of my boss and his family. We are looking past the story.

My boss is a doctor. I worked for him up until I told him about a job that landed in my lap and I resigned on Tuesday the 6th! Oh mercy that was a hard conversation. Anyhoo.....I promised to work my two weeks and we managed to get through Tuesday's day of work without me crying.
Y'all I love this place and I love the people in that place. We are family.

Wednesday was a beautiful day (insert Cary rolling her eyes at me) and we had a ball at the clinic. However, I look back now and see just how quickly life goes from being all good and fine and ok....to.....EVERYTHING IS NOT GOOD AND FINE AND OK.

Oh, Jesus. You were right there with us all.

Ok, back to watching American Idol on Wednesday night. I'm in my pj's. I'm all comfy. I'm waiting to get in the bed and close my tired little eyes. And then the text message comes.

This is the "it." Apparently my doc and two of his oldest sons were involved in an accidental gun shooting at their home. They are huge gun people and can talk and breathe guns like I talk and breathe my husband and kids. They love it!!!!

But wait. Jesus, I'm scared to death.

I was shaking.

I cried.

The storm was the worst we have had all spring.

I remember thinking....."I'm getting in the car right this second. The heck with the storm."

I somehow changed clothes and drove in that mess of a storm to the hospital only to learn...

This was serious.

This was life threatening serious.

He had lost 4 units of blood. The gun went off 22 times in 2 seconds. He was struck multiple times.

Oh, Jesus. I'm so stinkin' scared.

I prayed in my heart over and over and over...

"Lord, please save this man. Please be with his wife. Protect those boys. Lord, they need their dad. She needs her husband. He's way too young. It can't be time."

God was definitely tending to the doc and his family that night. God was also tending to me that night too.

I just didn't know it.

"It" happened. And, I don't wanna go back.

There is so much to tell. Part 2 will be up tomorrow.

A beautiful moment to a 2 year old moment.....

2010-04-05T06:19:00.004-05:00

Well, I have another church story to tell. Last week I was brave enough to tell you about my fake chewing. Feel free to scroll down and catch that masterpiece if you missed it. This week, I've got a sweet story to share and, unfortunately, a not-so-sweet story to share. I tell ya, Jesus loves me this I know, but man He has to be a little disappointed in my 2 steps forward, 3 steps back action I had going on. ;)

Let me explain.....

Somewhere last week I had read Ben's encouraging words to the church to use Easter week to scatter the seed of the gospel somewhere. Or at least that's my translation of what I heard him say. I read this on his blog or his facebook page and it stuck. You know why it stuck? Because I honestly have never invited a non-believer or non church going person to church on Easter. OUCH. And, let me clarify, inviting someone to church is not all that Ben was suggesting. I think he was simply reminding us to use Easter week to share the gospel with someone.

So, on Friday night, my 13 year old and I were on our way back home from picking up the dog at the groomer and we drove by this place where a lot of homeless men will sit and ask for money.
We were waiting on a red light and our car was placed in just the right spot to read his sign but not be right beside him. Since I can't see all that great far away, *ahem,* the boy read me his sign....

"Any thing will help.
God bless"

Ok, hmmmm.....I've seen signs and homeless people before, but God did something in my heart over this guy. HE WOULDN'T LET HIM GO.

We drove on past and I think I told the boy something like, "I wish I had some money to give him, but I don't even have a dollar in my wallet right now."

I got about a mile up the road and the Lord WOULD NOT LET THIS MAN GO FROM MY MIND. I mean it's Good Friday and all and Ben's words of scattering seed would not leave my heart. The boy kept saying stuff about the homeless guy that I wasn't really paying attention to because I was trying to figure out what to do with this. And, finally I just said it....

"We need to go home, find some cash, and a bible or devotional and take it back to him."

Well, this is clearly God, huh?

And, so we did.....we zipped home and did just that. We got our goods and were heading back to the spot where we found him sitting. I was getting so excited about sharing the gospel with this man. We had to position our car in just the right spot so the boy could roll his window down and share the money and the devotional with the man. But wait....we got to the spot....and....

HE IS GONE!!!!!

WHAT???

NO, LORD!!!!

My brain was moving a million miles an hour and I knew exactly where to go. I drove right around the corner to a place where you might see other homeless men. And, low and behold.....

THERE HE WAS!!!!!!

It was a much less busy spot and we were able to stop. The boy rolled his window down and gently placed the money inside the devotional that was marked for those struggling. The boy quickly grabbed a pen and wrote at the top of the page...."He died for YOU today." I about lost it at this point.

The boy handed him the stuff and said something like "Happy Easter...may God bless you." And, I'm about to LOSE IT!!! I honestly wanted to talk to him more, but he was saying things like "oh thank you, oh thank you....God bless you....oh thank you, oh thank you."

My heart melted.

We drove away. I wasn't ready to leave.

I said to the boy that I'm glad we did that for that man and it felt good to scatter the seed....I said something like..."because it's Good Friday and all."

The boy quickly said..."mom, it's always the right thing to do...no matter what the day is."

My heart exploded with love and joy over that boy and my Jesus on that Good Friday.

Oh, yes....scattering the seed is gooooood.

Ok, real quick...I want to tell you about my most pouty moment on Saturday night at the Saturday night church service we attended for Easter. Shame on me, shame on me, I tell ya. I went from scattering the seed to acting like a bratty 2 year old.

The service was packed that night and we were clearly not early enough to get a seat in the sanctuary. And, honestly.....I had truly been looking forward to a really good word from Ben and having Travis lead you in worship isn't half bad either.

I WAS READY FOR SOME EASTER WORSHIP!!!

And, it's crowded and there is nowhere to sit. Boooooooo!!!

So, there are some usher people and some other pastors asking members to give up their seats and head over to the overflow room and they are telling my sweet family of five that we can go to the overflow room and I basically stomped my foot in front of another pastor/leader person and said......

"But, I don't wanna go to the overflow room!!!!!!!"

Yes.

Good one Fran.

And, then I went on to say something about us being visitors......

WHAT???

Rude.

Tacky.

Immature.

Most definitely pouty.

Ridiculous.

Then, God showed me His humor and said, "well, here ya go Miss Pouty Pants."

The front row opened up and the same pastor/leader guy walked us down to the front row.

And, there I sat with an embarrassed heart before the Lord. I sat there for the first 10 minutes praying I would see that kind man after the service and apologize for being such a jerk.

And then the music started and my heart was overflowing. The message was beautiful. And, I never saw that pastor/leader guy again to say "I'm sorry."

I'm sending him an email today...found it on the church's website. God isn't letting this one go either.

Funny how we can go from a scattering of the seed moment to a pouty 2 year old moment when things aren't going our way, huh?

Happy Post-Easter!

I just love y'all.

Ok, so I'm learning.......

2010-03-29T20:44:00.002-05:00

We have been visiting a Baptist church for the last several weeks. And, apparently, things are done just a smidget different when it comes to Communion/Lords Supper. ;)

Here's what homegirl did Sunday. I'm so cool.

I leaned over to my Baptist BFF and asked her...."So, anything different with Baptist Communion?" She basically said, "no, you are good." Ok......I should be fine. I know I have taken Communion 17 million times right?

Wrong.

Homegirl hasn't taken Communion/Lord's Supper in a Baptist church. And, apparently it is just a smidget different.

They blessed the elements and said a beautiful prayer and then they passed a bowl/tray/thing of the tiny square crackers. Ok, no big deal. I was so proud to take that bowl/tray/thing and grab my cracker bread piece and put it in my mouth.

Did you catch that? I PUT IT IN MY MOUTH BEFORE I HAD IT PASSED TO THE PRECIOUS CHILD BESIDE ME!!!!!

I quickly noticed that others have not eaten their cracker bread piece yet.

Just me.

I ate it too soon didn't I?

Yes, I did.

I prayed and prayed for forgiveness and asked the good Lord to remove that memory out of any one's eyes that might have seen it. I was borderline embarrassed and borderline wanted to laugh hysterically.

I am on the 4th row, ya know. I know some pastor or deacon had to have seen me.

Sigh.

Well, by the time the pastor asks us to eat our bread cracker piece together mine was already being digested. However, because I'm cool and all.......I just put two fingers up to my mouth and acted like I had that tiny bread cracker piece in my little hands and ate that imaginary piece all over again. I even fake chewed!!!

I FAKE CHEWED!!!!

I so wanted to bust out and I really wish I had Robyn beside me to laugh hysterically without getting caught. Its moments like those it's easy to be 12.

Anyhoo.....I was a pro by the time they sent the grape juice down the aisle. I clearly waited my instructions and drank with all the other folks.

I then prayed for God's forgiveness for breaking the rules and getting tickled and probably not having the right heart for Communion/Lord's Supper.

I will always think of that Palm Sunday where I learned how to do things the Baptist way. :)

Ok....any funny stories out there happening in your church? Come on now...I'm not alone am I?

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

To church members and staff....from the eyes of a visitor.

2010-03-21T20:11:00.003-05:00

Ok, these are my thoughts, feelings, and observations from the last 6 months of visiting churches and feeling my way through that process. These are a few things I have seen from within my own heart and a few things I have noticed through the eyes of a visitor.

Here is what I know....

1. People come into church looking all fabulous, cleaned up, put together, bibles in tow, and appear to have it all together. HOWEVER, we are broken, hurting, lonely, sad, scared, anxious, and insecure (to some degree) needing to meet people and Jesus in a REAL LIFE HEART FELT WAY!!!!! Yes, it's true. Every single one of us is broken. Every single one of us need relationships here on earth. Every single one of us need Jesus.

2. I might know 50 people or I may know 5 people in your church. Oh wait....I might not know a soul in your church. I need someone to acknowledge my presence in your church and recognize that I darkened your doors. I need to know that you really care and want me and my family to come back. And, I mean that beyond the "I'm glad you are here today and hope you come back and if you have any questions let me know" sort of thing.

3. I want someone to acknowledge my kids. Even though I might have middle school boys, their mom and dad still take them everywhere and I want to know who you are and what you do as a church to minister to these kids. I am very interested in that. VERY! Communication is good. Especially to the seeker. And do this more than once.

4. If we have spent months in your church and then all of a sudden stop coming, please call and say you miss us and let us know what is going so we don't feel left out and dismissed so easily. Remember #1 above? Read it again. Let me talk mail for one second. Please add us to your mailing lists or email lists or whatever your church has going list so I'll know what is going on. Call me needy, but I want someone to reach out to us. It's not fun to do all the digging as a visitor.

5. Finally, invest in your visitors when you see that they have been coming fairly regularly. Reach out to them. Call, email, mail, whatever. DO SOMETHING. ANYTHING. PLEASE. The keyword is invest. Act like the church and reach out to them. Go back to #1 again.

It is so hard to walk into a church with all the junk that you may be carrying, acting as if all is right with the world, and desperately wanting a place to call home. It is hard. Period.

If you are active in a church or on staff of a church, please take the time to invest in your visitors. And I mean, take the time to guide them, show them, share with them, include them, and invite them to everything you can think of when it comes to your church. And, don't forget about them when they have been coming for awhile too. ;)

I'm ready to be at home. My heart is all but crying out for it. Praying to find it soon.

Love you all!

Just a few pix to let you see heaven

2010-03-15T08:58:00.006-05:00

I don't need to do a lot of explaining with these pix. It looks like we have eaten a lot, huh? We have eaten at Acme Oyster House and Pompano Joe's since we've been here. The sand is gorgeous, the water is beautiful, and the sun is heavenly.

I'll share more later. Hoping you are having a good week. I'm learning just how important rest is. I've had to adjust to "doing nothing" and I like it! :)

Hugs and blessings from the sunshine state~
Fran

Can Christians drink?

2010-02-28T19:50:00.004-06:00

Wow. This is a tough post to write. I'm writing this all for myself as I learn, grow, and wrestle this out with God. I'm simply letting my thoughts come straight from my ever-spinning mind and heart. First, let me tell you some of my story. Oh, Lord....please help me here. This is hard.

I grew up in a small town in Arkansas. This town is smaller than where I live now, but reminds me so much of it. When we moved here 10 years ago (wow!), there was a huge piece of my heart that loved it here because it reminded me of home.

For all of us, "home" comes with many emotions and memories. And, here is a very tiny glimpse into a part of my home.

Ok, here comes a gulp. I was introduced to alcohol at a young age. I remember it like it was yesterday. I could give you every detail, but I'm not. My parents might have had beer in the house growing up, but I don't remember it being a big deal. Alcohol was always around, but not in front of me very much at all. I also remember a few years while I was in elementary school that my mom and some other moms got together for a "Back to school Bloody Mary party." I truly didn't think much about that either. I can also say that I don't remember any conversations about "stay away from alcohol" or "don't drink and drive" that occurred in my presence either. I guess my memory is a bunch of nothing when it comes to people talking about alcohol in my home or at church. I was 15 when I took my first sip of alcohol. That is where I gulped again. I just typed that.

I grew up in the Methodist church in this wonderful Arkansas town and it's all I've ever known.
I just turned 40 and the church in Arkansas, Christ Methodist in Memphis, and our church here in town is all I've ever known in all these years of my life. It's the only denomination I've ever known.

Now....Let me also say that I'm a HUGE church junkie and if I find a really good pastor somewhere I'm hooked on their sermons and their church whether I've been there or not. Most times I've never darkened their doors, but I feel like I might as well have. I could be slightly obsessed I think. ;)

Well, my family has found ourselves visiting churches here in town and let me say....it's been interesting. I would love to write a post on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the eyes of a visitor. No one is asking so I probably shouldn't. But, when you have been faithful to one church for a very long time and find yourself in a season of wilderness and wondering you see things with a whole new set of eyes.

This past fall, we visited one church. That church was non-denominational. Now, we are visiting another one. This is a Baptist church. This is part of the visiting process....trying different things.....where do you fit in....what are you looking for...what is best for the entire family.

Honestly...I want a biblically solid church.

Last Wednesday night, my youngest son wanted to go to this church so we did. Just me and him.
I went to a Discovery type class for people interested in this church. Alcohol was not the point of this weeks lesson, but it did find it's way into a small piece of it.

So....here we go....alcohol in the Baptist church...remember, all I've ever known is Methodist. We are joked about as having the "Ten Suggestions" instead of the Ten Commandments. Ha ha ha ha. We are also known to be ok with alcohol. Please don't ask me why I say that or how I know that. What I do know is...I have never heard a sermon on it so my assumption is....it's ok.

Ok...back to the piece of the message last week that WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE. Bear with me.

The passage of scripture was from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. One verse out of this passage says this.... Vs 9 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." Read that again. "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." The pastor went on to share a personal story involving his family and a drunk driving incident that involved a family member. He also said that there probably wasn't a person in the room who had not had a bad experience involving alcohol.

This is unfortunately where I could tell you story after story after story that involves alcohol and my life. Since I have an addictive personality, it's by the grace of God my life was saved multiple times and that I am not a recovering addict of some kind. That in itself is a story to tell, but I won't right now.

Back to what the pastor was saying....He also told a story about a Sunday school class at this particular church that had a Christmas party and alcohol had been served. (Not here to judge, just stating the facts). They were playing some games and having a cocktail or two. However, one person was at this party and alcohol was a HUGE part of her past and she was surprised to say the least that this Sunday school class was serving alcohol at a church sponsored function.

Vs. 13"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

This is where my heart was about to burst and I prayed in my head....."Oh sweet Lord...I have come so far and you have saved me time and time again years ago...I do not want to be a stumbling block to someone else and cause them to fall into sin."

The pastor when on to talk about being a parent. My husband and I are raising 3 boys. I remember someone giving me some advice once..."You don't want to shelter them from the world because they will go out into the world and have to digest a lot of worldly things. You don't want the world to hit them all at once and they freak out and can't handle it and become wild fools."

Is that real? Or is that my fear and imagination settling in?

So, as a parent, and in the words of this pastor, "We must protect our name and our character especially when it comes to raising our kids." I don't know that one of my children won't have a problem with alcohol but it won't be with me saying it's ok.

Does that make sense?

So...where am I with all this? I'm struggling. I don't have one bit of a problem if you like to have a glass of this or that. This is my personal journey that involves my messed up past and the work that Christ is doing in my life today as a wife, momma, and a woman who is ALL ABOUT SOME JESUS!!!

I'd love for you to chime in and say what you want....and please, let's encourage one another and not tear someone down. I'm simply trying to gain insight and wisdom.

I'll stop for now. I love each of you so much and value your opinions and thank God for where you are in your walk.

Keep after Him. He saves. He transforms. He redeems. He loves no matter what!!!!

Blessings~

I love my family but.....

2010-02-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

We have been homeless when it comes to a church since late last summer. No need to hash that all out again, but the fact is....we are homeless and I don't like it.

We spent the fall visiting a church and then we decided around Christmas that we should visit somewhere else for a few months. Must keep it fair and all. Or keeping it fair and all might turn out to mean we still don't have a church again this summer.

Well, today's sermon was FABULOUS!!!! I mean the kind I'll remember for a long while. One tiny piece was this.....

In Fran's words this is how I heard it and applied it to my life....

"I love my family sooooooo very much. I mean don't we all? I'd do anything for my husband or kids. We hear parents say it all the time and once you become one you'll do anything for those kids. Yes, I'd walk through fire and take death for them if I had to. I sacrifice left and right for those kids. I'll go anywhere for those kids. I'll do whatever I can for those kids. My entire family is my life.........

However, they are NOT MY GOD."

Ouch. You can read these for yourself.

Again....I love my job....but, it's not my god.

I love my house....but, it's not my god.

I love my friends....but, they aren't my god.

I love to workout....but, it's not my god.

I love my church.....but, it's not my god.

I'm going to make sure that I don't put anyone or any thing above or before the one true God in my life.

Let's take a moment to evaluate where our heart is. I know I need to.

Mark 12: ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'^f]"> ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^g]"> There is no commandment greater than these."

Blessings~

Turning the big 4-0....and please don't judge.

2010-02-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, so you want to know how I celebrated my big 4-0? You might be slightly surprised. I think I still am. Don't even know why I'm surprised, but I am.

Are you ready?

We went to a casino. Yep. That is correct. Please hear me out okay? There was a fun group of people going to a concert at one of the casinos and asked us and some other people to tag along and oh yeah...it's Fran's birthday so we can celebrate that too.

Ok...I'm good with this.

I took 40 billion stupid stupid stupid pictures and I really don't want to explain their badness so I'm just picking a few that aren't too bad.

This is a portion of us girl inside the concert joint place. I guess it was like a club, but not really. I don't know. There was a stage and all, but we had floor seats except there were no seats. You stood. What in the world is all this called?

Anyway...here we are. Had so much fun with everybody!

I love these people!!!! We spend a lot of time together during baseball season and have become the infamous two peas in a pod. Don't you love the folks who get your ridiculousness and still love you? Oh, and no I'm not talking about hubs on the far right. I see him all the time.

This is Gary Allen. I'll admit that I've never really heard of him. I only knew a couple of songs he sang. He is some country dude. He has an amazing story between him and his wife and the song had me crying. Nice. Don't cry when you turn 40....regardless of what is going on.

Don't you love looking at this darling couple sideways? No? Me neither. Not fixing it.

Don't ask. I'm not telling. Even if I did tell you....you'd roll your eyes and say "that's not funny at all Fran." My feelings would then be hurt.

Everyone needs a picture of themselves and some friends in a casino. The funny thing is...some "security person" told us you can't take pictures in the casino. WHAT???? We aren't taking pictures to steal something off the slot machines so we can strike it rich. Still a cute picture though huh? I wish you could have seen just how cute these two girls are. Adorable outfits!

And, last but not least...here is me and my man. We really had a fun time out of our element. I'm not sure when we will go back to casino land in Mississippi, but it was a sure fun way to ring in the big 4-0.
One big thing I'm seeing now that I'm a whole week into this 40 gig is this.....

I want to be very intentional in all that I do. I'm tired of wasting time in some areas of life. I really want to be effective and live this life for Christ. Because when it all comes down to it, I have only shot at this life and I don't want any regrets.

I trust and believe that He will provide me one heckuva ride and I'm holding on tight. I have a feeling the real fun and excitement is about to begin!!

Love you all so much. I thank God for having you in my life.

Blessings~

No explanation needed....this is awesome!

2010-02-09T21:30:00.000-06:00

Weatherman Freaks Out - watch more funny videos

Help me. I'm confused. Maybe I'm just old.

2010-02-02T06:00:00.003-06:00

Let me introduce to you Lady Gaga. You'll soon see her below. That is all I know about her. All I know is a weird name. Oh wait...she was born in 1986 and her name is Stephanie. Let me also say that my name is Fran and I was born in 1970. I'm quite a bit older than Miss Gaga. I guess maybe Madonna was the closest thing I had to a Gaga when I was in high school.

Let me also say that I'm not the creative type AT ALL. People who scrapbook and can paint on canvas and turn rooms around in a minute make me so very anxious to be around. I am the unequipped one. God clearly left that gene out of my pool and I'm ok with that. The world doesn't need a bunch of Fran's running around. Geesh.

But, I am having a hard time with the Gaga. Is this ok for her to dress like this? Am I just horribly old now? Have I become my mother? Please tell me no.

Now, I know Madonna wore some freakish things back in the day. I totally wanted to be her. Yes. Roll your eyes now. And, these might have been my favorite Madonna looks of all time.

Ok, so here is the first outfit of Miss Lady Gaga from last nights Grammy's. What is this? Anyone? Please? Help? She's in pain isn't she?

Ok, so what in the world is this outfit? Please explain to me. Or is it simply "art?" She does look scared to death and part of me feels sorry for her. But...hey! What about chick behind you? Don't you know she's ticked. I think it's quite clear that dude is totally staring. Don't blame ya man.

Again...slightly bizarre. I have nothing else.

And...then you have this one....all i can do is laugh. How hilarious is this one really? I can't help but think of what Robyn and I would side by side in the get up!!!!! Ohmywordabove this is great!

And then apparently there was a number with Lady Gaga and Elton John. I didn't see it. I read some stuff on twitter that kinda clued me in as to what people were saying. So, my question is.....

Do I just roll with it and the popularity of Gaga or do I think "what in the world is happening to society and the entertainment industry?" Or do I think it's all innocent expression of art? Or have we gone to far? Or am I 93?

Heck, I don't know what to make of all this. I wonder if my mom thought Madonna was just like this? I'm sure she did.

And, the next thing I wonder is.....be careful what you say about someone because someone WILL hear you and even possibly call you out on it. What if you said..."Lady Gaga (insert any name for that matter) is a fruitcake and has lost her mind!!" Someone might catch wind of your statement and then you have gone and lost your witness.

Geesh. The Grammy's and Pete Wilson's message on Sunday has messed with me.

Anyone dare help?

The snow...we were kinda excited!!

2010-01-29T20:20:00.010-06:00

Here is son 2 staring out the window....excited maybe??

This is the house across the street....it's starting to stick!!!! WOO HOO!!!

Just beautiful.
The field behind our house.

Look at Pepper fly!!! She loved every bit of the snow!! She didn't just run through it, she hopped!

Ok, son 2 has on my coat because it's warm. Ummmm....no, take that off please.

Starting to look pretty huh?

Here they are at the "big hill." It is coming down so hard by this point. I camped out in the car.

"What do we with this thing?"

"Man...this is crazy snow, mom."

You will notice that son 3 has this same look in the remaining pix.

Kid on left is a professional. Kid on right has no clue what to do in this stuff. ;)

Can we go now?

The baseball complex where we will be playing soon. Heading home.

Bye!!! Thanks for taking a look into our snowy day! And, if you are wondering where the oldest son is.....he woke up with a cold and stayed in. He was good with it. Don't feel bad for him.

Happy snow!!!

Just so precious. Period. And makes me smile.

2010-01-27T19:59:00.004-06:00

Oh my goodness. This is just beautiful and makes your heart feel all warm and fuzzy!

And, there is an awesome lesson and reminder for us all which doesn't hurt anything either. ;)

Loneliness. Ugh.

2010-01-25T06:45:00.002-06:00

Hi friends...

Just a passing thought on this hurried Monday morning.

I'm lonely.

I'm lonely because we are homeless when it comes to church. Sort of but not really. We have been visiting this church and we absolutely LOVE Sunday mornings of worship. This particular church has community groups and because we aren't members we obviously don't have a community group. I'm not in a bible study either.

Boo hoo. Woe is me.

I've learned just how much I need people. And I mean spend time with these people in a closer setting.

It ain't happenin' around here and I'm lonely.

We were made to be with a body of people, especially when it comes to church.

I'm adding any of you to my prayers that might not have a church home and are feeling a bit lonely.

Hugs and blessings~

The infamous curve ball...and how to handle it!

2010-01-18T20:53:00.006-06:00

Everyone who knows me at all, knows how much I love sports. I mean it's almost weird. Even when the boys aren't home, I'm watching an NFL game, or an MLB game, or the college basketball game. I LOVE SPORTS.

Two of my boys play travel baseball. I love each and every season because I love watching them love what they do and I never know how long this fun will last. Both of my boys are pitchers and as much as I love watching them pitch, I could throw up every inning they throw. It's way too nerve wracking for me. MOMMA CAN'T TAKE IT COACH!!!! ;)

The boys have taught me about a certain pitch.....the infamous curve ball. Basically it means the ball curves to one side or the other when thrown. "Its nasty." (that's what they tell me!)

The thing about the curve ball....it looks good until the end and then BAM! I love it when you are the momma of the pitcher and you say "I never saw that one coming." The curve ball isn't fun when you are batting and you never saw it coming.....a lot of times it means "STRIKE!"

Today I was thrown a curve ball. Didn't see it coming and not sure if I will strike out or walk on, but I'm trying to figure out how to adjust to the pitch.

I'm anxious to see how this plays out, so will you say a prayer for discernment for me please? I'm so grateful for each of you. It just means so much. Even if we've never met, I love you and I'm so grateful for your friendship along the way!!!

Ok, you've learned about the curve ball and you've learned that we need to hit our knees when we get thrown one.

Deep stuff, huh? Real life though.

And, please don't comment specifics if you know what I'm talking about ok? Thanks. :)

Love doing life with you!! (even if I just got vague and all at the end!)
Hugs and blessings~

What does the bible say about a bully?

2010-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

We have had some situations going on in school with my 6th grade son that has taken me to my knees more times than I can count. This, my friends, is not a bad thing. It is just realization that we aren't in control and we need His help.

These are the boys that I'm praying like mad over these days. Aren't they cute? And, they are definitely worth it. If you are a parent, I know you agree. And as these kids grow up, you find yourself praying things that you had never considered before.

We were in church this morning and started a new 6 week series called "The Good Fight." The first week was today and was about conflict. GOT ME INTERESTED MR PREACHER!!!! KEEP ON TALKING!!!!!!!!

"I'm listening Lord. What have you got to say to me."

Basically...in a nutshell let me recap 30 minutes into something much shorter....like a few sentences. But first...some questions that we all wonder.

How does Jesus fight? When does He fight? Is it ok for Christians to fight?

First of all....isn't Jesus the Prince of Peace? Yep. Isn't God a God of order and not disorder? Yep.
Somewhere in Hebrews it says that we need to make every effort to live in peace. Yep.

However, Jesus also got a little ticked at times. We all know the story of the temple when He got so bloomin' mad at what was taking place in there that He turned a few tables over. For some reason I love this story.

So I have a feeling Jesus is saying "stand up for what is right" through that story in the temple.

One more time....."stand up for what is right."

If I have a child that is watching kids around him be mean to other kids.....then....

"stand up for what is right."

I'm going to tell my kids that they are more likely to make a difference to the child more than a teacher or principal if they are the ones to stand up and say to that child...."stop it, man. That's not cool."

Are you following me here? If you have a situation where you can benefit from this in your family.....adult or child....then, I'm praying that you think like Jesus. Jesus got mad in the temple because what they were doing in the temple was wrong. He got mad and stood up for what was right.

Jesus didn't get mad when people insulted Him. That is where He showed Himself as the Prince of Peace. He got mad when He took a stand for what was wrong so peace would eventually be present.

**A bully goes after the weak. Teach your child to stand up for the weak. Teach your child to stand up for what is right. Teach your child to do the hard thing. Studies show that other kids tend to make bullies stop. Kids listen to their peers.

Put that in the Spiritual Bank because I know it to be true. It's just so hard to teach to kids.

Love you all. Keep fighting the good fight.....no matter your age and what you are up against!!
I want to be able to teach my kids how to fight....from a biblical standpoint.

Hugs and blessings~

New Years in Atlanta!!!

2010-01-03T21:00:00.007-06:00

I wanted this dude's glasses so bad. Our younger ones played him in baggo. There was a tiny size version they were playing in the hotel lobby. Too much fun!

A father teaching his sons how to do the electric slide. Classic moment.

These are friends of ours that we were with after the UT game...this woman cracked me up. She was all about it.
It was now almost 1:30 am. He was faking it, but still. Poor baby. Is this child abuse?

Here we are outside the CNN center on New Year's Day....eating, taking tours, and buying junk we don't need.
Inside the CNN center...pretty cool. I didn't tell them I prefer Fox. Ha!

This would be greed in action. Like we need more things.

This is cool....this is one of two CNN Hummer's that were in Iraq so they could do their news thing.
Mom got talked into going to a Hawks game...lets just say I'm not a huge fan of the NBA. But, this was all outta love for son #1.

We did eat (another horribly late) dinner at a cool place where we had our own tv. We are junkies when it comes to sports...especially SEC football.

The gangs all here. I like this picture.

All the 27 million people that had been following us all weekend, followed us to the GA Aquarium.
The aquarium is so very cool minus the millions of people. Here is the cool tunnel thing with the big bad nasty scary fish. It was neato.

How is that for creepy? And then kinda funny.

Yes, these are jelly fish that I see all the time in Destin, Florida. I learned that vinegar is great for a sting. I don't ever have that in my condo apparently. Then I was told urine works fine too.

Oh, lets go touch baby sharks and baby stingrays. (me? no thanks)

We went up 5 flights of stairs to our car. I thought I was gonna die.

Last night we ate at the Hard Rock because it was convenient and we needed more junk.

Thank you for peeking into our pics from Atlanta. And you know this doesn't include the ballgame at all. Wonder if I should post those? Patty will say yes. Ok, another time.

Happy "twenty-ten" to you. Don't make any resolutions because you might just break them like I have every year since I've been alive. Ha!

Instead, let's pray to be exactly who God wants us to be! I love Him so and He deserves my best! May this be the year!

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

Our naked Christmas card

2009-12-21T07:03:00.003-06:00

Hubs has officially named this "the naked Christmas card" and it makes me laugh every time.
I didn't think a thing of it when I chose it for our card, but I probably could have chosen something a tad bit better......with more clothing.

I used something cheesy like "Warm wishes to you this Christmas season." Clever is my middle name.

Sooooooo......

I hope your Christmas is full of fun, laughter, joy, and HIM as you celebrate this week!!!!

What a gift you are to me!!
Hugs and blessings~
Fran

I wasn't ready for porn to be in my house

2009-12-13T20:13:00.004-06:00

One thing I've always prayed for and told my kids I prayed for was for them to get caught when they were doing something they shouldn't be. Ok. Not so bad right? I mean we learn from our mistakes when we get caught, right?

I think our violations thus far have been....lying, someone cheated on a test in 3rd grade, saying words they shouldn't say, and well.....that's about it.

Until......

This past Thursday night, I was doing something on my computer and glanced down at the history that showed up. Thank goodness I glanced. I think. Because here comes the part where my prayer was answered.

Gulp. Someone was just caught.

Reminder.....I have 3 boys. We are in the throws of middle school with the older two. They are 13 and 12. And people wonder why I smother precious son #3?

Gulp again.

I quickly glance on the history and there it is. My heart all but comes out of my chest and I'm not sure if I want to scream cuss words or cry or be sick or all three. And for the record, I did two out of the three before it was all said and done.

I pulled up this website and thought I would just die. Y'all, it is exactly what you think it is. It was disgusting. There is nothing mild about this site. This was horrific and the images are still in my brain. My youngest son confirmed to me that one of his brothers was on the computer after school for a little bit.

Cuss words inserted here.

I died. I knew what had happened.

Shortly there after, we talked to the son and he said he was looking for song lyrics and this website showed up. I believed him. I think.

Come to find out.....there were 2 other sites on my history. So, at this point I'm thinking this had nothing to do with song lyrics. Great. I'm sick again. I want to shelter my babies and go back in time. Please? Can we find a way?

So, son and dad have another conversation and this time we learn that a kid at school told him about these sites and he wanted to see.

Gulp.

And, yes he saw. And, yes I want to cuss again. And, yes I want to scream at the "world" and tell them to leave the kids alone and let them be kids. And, yes I want to scream at parents and the adult world that we better be on top of our kids lives or we are in for a rude awakening. And, yes I want to cry for the next week.

Some wonderful and sweet conversations have come out of all this and I'm grateful for that. However, his eyes have seen what no person should see in my opinion.

I have added a filter from AFA and I highly recommend you doing so. I've told my son that I failed him. It was MY responsibility to protect him and I didn't. I kept saying I would put the filter on, but didn't. My kids aren't really computer kids so there is excuse #1. There is no excuse.

The world is all over our kids. We can't protect them. We can have them in the best schools, church, social settings, and the world IS STILL GOING TO HIT THEM. Unless you are in a bubble.

Sometimes I want that bubble.

So, when I pray for them to get caught and they do........it's a hard place to be. I wasn't prepared to deal with this emotionally. I had not planned a reaction or what to do if "this" occurred. If you pray for your children to get caught, you may want to pray that you are prepared to handle the "caught." ;)

And, if you don't have a filter on your computer, please go buy the filter now!!!!!!

I'm begging you.

And, I love you and your kids too much! I'm anxious to hear your thoughts or experiences.

Hugs and blessings~

What I said was......

2009-12-08T21:13:00.003-06:00

This is what I "tweeted" today. I was obsessed with rain and food. And, I'm sidetracked with this thing called Christmas and working and family and dealing with teenagers. So, it's all I got.

Here we go.....

Lives are changed and that is why I love the Biggest Loser.

I LOVE THE BIGGEST LOSER!!!!

RT @perrynoble: Two powerful weapons the enemy will use against you is discouragement and distraction...keep your eyes on Jesus!

We have to have 5 things in a bag that go with our paper that explain the character we chose. Not as easy as you think.

Oh goody....i'm going to help a child write a paper. Where is @teributcher when you need her? She's the expert. ;)

Trying to explain a typewriter to my 13 year old. HA!

Wonder where the dogs have gone to the bathroom today since it has POURED17INCHES??!!

Still monsooning

I am gonna kill a kid over the fact he doesn't have his phone and the world is coming to an end!!!!

Big fat yawn

We ate. I am full. I am sleepy. It is raining. Zzzzzzzzz

Ummmmm its seriously raining.

Well....child #3 staying home today. Could be strep? We shall see.

"We conquer--not in any brilliant fashion--we conquer by continuing"....George Matheson

Feel free to follow me on twitter.com/franthomas because we do have so much fun!!

Hugs and blessings~

Stress maybe? Denial?

2009-11-30T19:17:00.004-06:00

Ok...I have noticed the calendar and December is ON US PEOPLE!!! I'm totally freaked out.

We have lots of birthdays and then just the normal Thanksgiving/Christmas stuff going on and I'm just slightly overwhelmed.

Ya see.....

I haven't bought ONESINGLETHING for anyone for Christmas.

Anyone else?

Are you all done? Why do I feel like the whole world is finished except for me?

Please tell me I'm not alone.

And, can you give me a brilliant idea for a 12 and 13 year old boy that isn't a $300 electronic something?

Ok, I'm catching the Christmas spirit and trying so very hard to remember the real reason for Christmas.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Oh yeah, the darling picture above? It's last years. I'm just realizing I haven't thought about Christmas cards at all. Nice.

Love y'all!

Tis the season~

Surprises can be great....or they can be not-so-great

2009-11-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

You can find me over here if you want to check out the read....talking about surprises!!! Scroll down...i'm the last one! :)

Hugs and blessings~
Fan

After the movie....now I'm thinking!

2009-11-23T05:52:00.003-06:00

The whole family went to the movies on Saturday to see "The Blind Side." And OHMYWORD that is now one of my favorite all time movies!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go see if you can. We even took our nearly 9 year old to see it. My personal opinion is the story outweighs any language or scene that might be questionable. And, there were only a couple of places that might have done that to me as a momma.

Even if you haven't seen the movie, you probably know the basic idea of the movie.....a family in Memphis takes in a high school age boy to live with them and he becomes a football star. And, one quick side note, Sandra Bullock was A-MAZING in this movie.

But, really....it's more than that.

I have said to my kids over and over since we saw the movie...."look what happens when you truly invest in the life of someone else."

And, then I began to think....

What am I really doing to invest in the life of someone else?? Really. What am I doing?

I don't have to become a foster parent to make that difference. I am a sponsor with Compassion International and we are changing the life of Sofia in Uganda, but what about the hands on, real life, right here, changing the life of or investing in the life of someone else?

What are you doing? What can we be doing outside the foster parent level? How has the movie changed you? What ideas might you have?

For those of us raising kids, I think we can all agree on the fact of wanting our kids to see just how they can make a difference in someones life.

I'm anxious to hear your ideas. Maybe I'm feeling guilty for not getting my Operation Christmas Child shoebox completed. Maybe I'm contemplating adoption. *wink*

James 2:15-17 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

Middle school and memories....oh, the joy!

2009-11-16T06:00:00.002-06:00

First of all...a huge PRAISE!!! I actually survived the first 2 and half days of work! Can you believe it??!! I did not die. The family was fed. We all slept. The house was somewhat picked up and the laundry was done!!!

Your prayers and love mean the absolute world to me. I'm thanking God for you every day and asking Him to bless you and your sweet families just as He is doing for me.

Oh, God is so good. I'm just so stinkin' grateful! He's amazing to me. He's truly all about our details and that blows me away. Little ole me. He tends to me.

Ok...moving along.

There is ALWAYS some drama going on over here in our land and currently it is middle school.
Let's just say that I'm not a fan of the middle school years. Actually, I think it's because I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing any more.

I have 2 boys in middle school right now. I'd love to hear a funny story, something that stands out as good or bad from your middle school years, or maybe something that you wish someone told you or did for you.

Now...back in the day....we didn't have cell phones so we might have talked on the phone to a boy, but I truly doubt it. So...I don't have any strong memories with boys, but I do have a memory of being introduced to "All My Children" by a friend named Allison and I thought I was going to be grounded for life if my mom found out. HA!

To this day...I can catch a glimpse of AMC and might watch for a little bit. It's been 28 years people and Erica Kane is still there!!! Wow.

Ok...let's talk middle school. It's really not that bad is it?

Whatcha got??

Come on...it'll be fun!

And, be sure and pray for all the middle school kids and their parents if you think about it. ;)

Blessings~

I'm skeered....

2009-11-10T12:19:00.006-06:00

Hi friends...

Well, Wednesday is the BIG day. The door officially closes to the past and the future begins. If you followed the story of me leaving ministry and our church, then you know how the story ends.....or begins. You may scroll down and find the story in 3 parts.

I begin a brand spankin' new job this week and I'm so very excited. And, just a tad bit scared to. Change is so blooming hard sometimes. And, for me, right now....I'm losing some of my availability to the kids and that is hurting my momma's heart. But, then I'm given a slap dose of reality that "people have been working for ages and sometimes can't pick up their kids from school so get over it Fran."

All the details are worked out. I'm a big girl now. My kids are older, so after school isn't such a weird thing for me. Except for momma won't be there. *tears welling up in eyes.*

But, you know what??

My heart remembers how God quickly provided for our family and He will provide in the details that I'm scared of.

He is a beginning, middle, and end God so I think I'll be ok.

And, if you can....would you pray for me and our family as we transition into this new aspect of life?

I pray God's sweetest blessings over each and every one of you!!

Hugs,
Fran

The infamous bully

2009-11-05T07:46:00.003-06:00

I have a question for you.

There are a lot of things that we would agree on regarding kids and bullying, but I'm looking for something else. I don't even know what I'm looking for, but just thought I'd ask and see if someone knew something that I did not.

We all know that bullying is out there. It's alive on every age level. And, bullying doesn't necessarily mean pushing someone down or shoving them in the chest. Bullying can look different between boys and girls. Bullying can be with words or it can be with action.

I want info on boys.

Does it mean something is happening at home? Does it mean something is happening at school?
Does it mean a child is crying out? Does it mean they are hurting for something? What about the victims? They are being destroyed at the same time.

What on earth do we do?

We pray.....A LOT!

Anybody got anything they can add?

We MUST teach our children to love wisely.

Ok, that's all. I'm done. Thank you in advance.

Just start sharing your thoughts.

GO!

Hugs and blessings~

Where we are today....the conclusion to the story

2009-10-28T13:30:00.003-05:00

Well friends....here we are at the end of the story. But, you know what? I don't think it's the end. I think it's the beginning. It all depends on how you look at it. Seasons come and go. Why on earth did I really think life would be the exact same for years and years?? Nah.....God is way too exciting for that nonsense. ;)

So....let's wrap this thing up with some hope ok?

I went to my pastor in August and told him that I had wrestled the thing out with God and even though I had been a mess of emotions, I believed God was very clearly saying...."it's time for you to go Fran."

Gulp.

I sat in shock again. This was indeed real. My life as I knew it was officially over. I quietly snuck out of the church spotlight and packed up my office on Labor Day and left with intense peace in my heart.

But, I was still scared to death.

What I didn't tell you was that my job paid for two of my boys private school tuition. And, yes....that job was gone. And, yes....they still needed to go to school.

So, how are we going to handle this Lord?

I remember saying to someone that the calendar became my enemy. I never wanted to know the date because then I would know that tuition is due in X amount of days and momma had no job.

Gulp again.

A lot of praying now.

For the month of September and the month of October....our sweet Lord took care of the tuition in most unexpected ways. Oh, how I marvel at His provision and the use of others. Wow!! Those 2 months allowed us to not have to dip into savings. Thank you Lord.

In the mean time...I was pursuing some job opportunities that could help things out. Keep in mind...I'm not trained in any thing. I'm a college graduate, but that was FOREVER ago and I never really worked until I landed in ministry at our church.

Hello unqualified...nice to meet you.

After a series of very calculated events....the good Lord basically placed a job in my lap. No lie. Honest to goodness this was not the job I had ever pursued. Is it in ministry? No. Is it in a church? No. Will I get to love on people in a Christian environment?? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

Wow! I'm amazed at His work and His faithfulness and His provision. He really does have our best interest at heart.

This new job will be very different for me and my family, but why in the world would I worry about the new challenges we will face when I have just seen first hand....He WILL provide.

We have some adjustments to make within the family, but it is not hard and can be done.

I have walked a road that I never, ever saw coming and won't ever forget how it all felt. But, I am coming out of the wilderness ready to tell others just how awesome God is to those who love Him and pursue His desires over their life.

I have learned so much about loss, grief, pride, humility, and God's character through all this and I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world.

He may not take you down the shiny, pretty road, but I can promise you you'll be glad you hung on for the ride.

Thank you for your words of encouragement and love. It means the absolute world to me.

I hope you know the One who heals, restores, redeems, and tends to the ones He has sought out.
He loves you so!!

And, one more thing....I love the church and all that is in it. I pray we all find ourselves in a place where we are loved, taught the word of God, and are a part of something so special in that community.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

Here we go....part 2

2009-10-27T13:27:00.004-05:00

I have stewed and stewed about how to continue the story. I've actually put this off for as long as I can. I have to pick up the kids here soon so I need to get busy and tell you the next part! ;)

Please know that my point in telling my story is NOT to tear anyone down within my church or even tear down the church itself. My point is simply showing how God sometimes works. And, it's not all clean and pretty and easy. Ok, here we go......

I believe we left off yesterday with things going south in late July and my world had just been devastated. That is completely true. I'm going to stay away from some specifics because in the big scheme of it all......it really doesn't matter. God will do whatever He wants to do and however He wants to do it.

So, where were we??

During the summer months, something big was happening within children's ministry that was about to either be really good or really bad. I had a tough decision to make and I took the hard road and went with what I truly believed to be the direction that God was telling me to go. I had prayed like mad and sought advice and wisdom from others around me as well.

That decision did not go over well with some church members. The decision prompted some discussions and ideas to take place and during that process I was asked to leave my current position at the church and develop a new ministry. That doesn't sad so bad right?

This is where I'm going to leave out the bulk of the story because it honestly doesn't effect how God was already orchestrating this all anyway.

You see, let me back up a year and a half and let you know that I had been through a really tough year in ministry. I felt completely alone in so many ways and was borderline frustrated with some things going on and really began to wonder if this is where God would have me.

Again...I'm going to leave out some details here. Please forgive me.

I prayed for a solid 18 months about what to do. I knew that if I were to leave it would not be without God going ahead of me. However, at this point, in my heart of hearts, I never imagined I would have to make a choice in all this questioning. I believed God was going to teach me something else. I never thought anything other than "stick it out, Fran."

So, we come back to the summer of '09. I never imagined that God would speak in such a way that would be so devastatingly ugly. Sometimes God won't speak so sweetly into our hearts that gives us the "go or stay" answer that we are looking for. Sometimes the writing is on the wall after something so hurtful that we can clearly hear Him saying......."it's time for you to go Fran."

Huh?

What?

This is NOT how I thought He would tell me the answer to the million dollar question that I had been seeking for a very long time.

I had been hurt deeply to my core and I tried to move past it and keep "doing the thing," but with each day and each week that went by, I knew in my heart......"it's time to go Fran."

And, then came the intense grieving process that felt like death. It felt like life would not go on.
It felt as if everything I had cared about within children's ministry and the church was finished.

One day your passion is alive and the next day it's gone.

It was time to let my leaders know what my next step would be. Would I be willing to get past the hurt or would I walk away from the most meaningful time in my life and let it all go? Did I hear God correctly? Maybe I misunderstood. After all, there is no perfect church or perfect ministry. We are all broken, messed up people for cryin' out loud. I needed more time.

Some serious second guessing began to take place.

I was scared to death. For the sake of my own children and my own family....I got really scared. Maybe God isn't telling me to go now at all. You see....my income was a huge contribution to our family that I couldn't just walk away from.

"Please don't leave me now Lord. You can't leave me here in this place."

*the story continues tomorrow*

The whole truth and nothin' but the truth.....

2009-10-26T12:49:00.004-05:00

I have been on a bit of a bloggy break and I'll share with you most of the story starting today....

My last post was October 6th and I just titled it "Life=Hard." I think every single one of us understand those two small, but powerful words. I have been in a season of life truly being so very hard. It flat out stinks and I never saw it coming.

Let me explain a part of my story that began back in late July......

I had been working at our church for the last 5 years as Director of Children's Ministry. This has been our home church for the last 9 years when we moved here in 2000. It's all I've ever known in our town. This church was my family, my life, my breath, my thoughts, my passions, my hopes, my dreams, my frustrations, my future, my growth......my people. This is where I truly began to blossom in my growth as a Christian. These were the 1st steps that I took after really coming to know Him in Memphis at this Mom's group.

I took the job over children's ministry when my youngest son was just 3. He is now almost 9. Blows me away at the time that has gone by. I was asked to step in as the director because we had been through some rough spots in that position and my name was suggested. I had no idea what I was doing. The only thing I did know was my heart cared so deeply for the kids and their families at our church. I agreed to take the position. This was the fall of 2004.

God took me on a ride that would be absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, the most amazing ride over these next 5 years. Not only did I care so much about children's ministry, I cared about the whole church. I almost cared too much. If that is a crime....call me guilty. I would spend countless hours, days, and weeks thinking, planning, meeting, organizing, and living life for Christ and the future of this church.

I began to facilitate some bible studies. I began to strategize with other leaders about the future of the church. I could honestly see endless possibilities about the future and where we could possibly go. I wonder how many hours I spent in meetings?! HA!

My position was flexible in hours and that allowed me much freedom to keep my family and boys first. I truly appreciated that luxury and freedom.

The joy came crashing down around me this past summer and I had no idea what was about to happen to my life, my family, and my future within the church....

Everything changed. And it has been absolutely devastating. I wonder will I ever be the same? Will that passion ever return? Will I ever trust and believe again?

*to be continued tomorrow*

Life=hard

2009-10-06T09:42:00.002-05:00

Hey friends....
I just want you to know that I have not updated the ole blog because life has hit and I need to deal with it. Obviously life is happening for all of us, but this has been a season of intense wilderness and causing me to lean on God like never before. That's not such a bad thing. ;)

So, when you walk in the wilderness, it's hard to write and be fun and funny and share.

That is why I'm taking a break.

I can't wait to come back and share with you how awesome this whole thing WILL turn out.

God is good. He is faithful. He is in control of every last thing going on. My dependence on Him has never been greater and even though this season is incredibly hard, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Love you all!

Looking back!

2009-09-24T07:47:00.002-05:00

Look at my sweet family nearly 9 years ago!!! Hubs hasn't CHANGED ONE STINKIN' BIT (not fair) and my excuse is I just had a baby and I thought my big hair would camouflage my big, post-baby face. ;)

The boys have grown so very much. They were 4 and 3 when boy #3 entered the world. Now, they are 13 and almost 12. WOW!

Time marches on and I feel like it's flying by and I'm wanting to completely freeze time and I can't.

Have a good day with whoever you happen to be married to, mothering to, or doing life with.
Cherish them.

Love y'all!

Watch out MLB and NFL....here come two of 'em!!!

2009-09-15T09:26:00.011-05:00

Here would be stud carrying the ball!

They knock him down on "the close yard line."

Dad and son working some strategy on the field!

Here comes my 8yr old MLB stud. Here is his pitching debut and let me tell you he struck out 7 batters! OH YES HE DID!!! We have moved up from coach pitch to kid pitch.

He is on 3rd ready to go!!!! Baby going home! :)

But before he got to 3rd he had to start on 1st!

Look at his form now!!!! S-T-R-I-K-E!

But, after we got done with all that ball, we must throw around a football!

These are two of the three boys. I can't capture the oldest playing football because, ya know, he's in middle school now and mom out on the field with a camera ain't so cool. I'll capture some pix of him just being cute and cool around the house. :)

This is where we are in life now. Hope all is well in your world.

Hugs and blessings~

Call me crazy!

2009-09-08T08:14:00.003-05:00

Well, go ahead...

Call me crazy!

I did it. I finally did what I've always wanted to do. What might you ask would that be??? Well,
I was with some precious dear friends over the weekend and we decided it was time to do it!

I got a tattoo!

OH YES I DID!!!

And, for the record....there was only clear minded thinking involved. This wasn't a 2am run to the tattoo joint and a decision that I regretted the next morning.

Nope. I love this tattoo more and more each day.

Now, before you go and make judgements about this decision and all.....just know that this very cool tattoo is a symbol of my love for someone else. Yes, you read that right. Every time I see this tattoo I'm reminded of a deep, real love. Then I'm reminded of my love for someone else....my husband, Chip.

It's not backwards or mixed up.

This tattoo is right under my wedding ring. I think you'll understand my priorities once you take a peak at the picture below.

I'm beyond thrilled.

Have a great day!! Praying that Christ is first in all that you do doing your day!

Hugs and blessings~

I'm calling it "thank God for your friends day"

2009-08-24T08:47:00.017-05:00

I'm entering a new season of life right now and over the last couple of weeks some precious people have been there for me and I'd like to personally thank them right here in pictures!

Sound fun?

Sure. So, let's gooooooooooo!!!!

This is me and Teri. Oh, how I love this girl. She's one of my northern friends! What a gift she and Becky Jo are to me. One day I'll get a picture of me and Becky Jo.

Holla!!! This is another BFF. Love you Robyn. I wish we lived next door to each other.

Nikki....you are the real fabulous deal! The girl is one heckuva encourager!!

Sweet, sweet Kim. What a gift and blessing you are to me. Simply thank God for you!

Oh Mary!!!! I cannot wait to spend time with you. Your wisdom and heart are simply contagious!

Jenny and I are sisters separated at birth. Love her and her family.

This picture makes me wanna cry. Nancy, who is in the middle, is having her 2nd son as I write this! And, Carolyn, well you know how I feel about you.

I love ya Lesley. You are always here for me. ((hugs))

These girls just hold a dear, dear place in my heart. Always grateful for them...no matter what the season is. Love you Patty, Steph, and G.

Abby, Abby, Abby....how I wished I lived in Nashville with you. Me, you and Nikki would be definite BFF's. Now, we have to do the distance thing and I'm ok with that. You both are worth it. ;)

There are so many others that I want to shout out to but I can't find a picture on my computer of them.....

Angie, Connie, Dedra, Tonya, Susan, Teresa, Jan, Jerri Sue, Carol....who am I forgetting??

You know how you have been there for me the last few weeks and I thank God for you today.

Take time to let your friends know how much you love 'em! Life is fragile and short.

Hugs and blessings!!

The smack down is near

2009-08-13T08:05:00.002-05:00

Well, here I sit in my kitchen all alone in my house. Can you see me jumping up and down with joy because of all the freedom I'm experiencing?? Ok, maybe I'm not jumping and it sure does feel weird not having those rug rats on top of me because I really do miss them. (Sssshhhh, don't tell them.)

We are currently into day 4 of the "transition that will cause me to lose my mind" that most parents normally refer to as school has started back.

God is not answering my precious prayers of begging and pleading for patience and I'm just not sure why. Hmmmmm.....You see we are having all sorts of issues that are obviously school related because they have not been around until now.

Ugh. Let me pull my hair out.

Here are the problems:

1. 2 middle schoolers this year.....so much to say here, but I won't.

2. Some serious attitudes out of one of the above mentioned children. Thou shall not kill.

3. Some lying right in my face and we all know it's a big fat lie. SCREAM LOUDLY!

4. Crisis over uniforms and shorts and pants and socks that just don't "feel right." Whatever.

5. Going to Walmart or Target every day for the last 265 days (ok, maybe not) to get one more thing we forgot. SCREAM AGAIN!

6. Throwing money around like it grows on trees for all the above things needed from Walmart or Target.

7. Getting up sostinkinearly is hard on Mom too.

You get the idea. Praying for all the things that I'm lacking and needing as a mom right now. "Come on God. You can do it. I need some help here."

What's the hardest part for you during all this???

Hugs and blessings! Have a great day. And, pray yourself up!

Must change

2009-08-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

The other night the whole family was riding in the car to go somewhere. Probably to eat dinner somewhere. All of this summer fun is about to come to a screeching halt. School is starting. Boo hoo. I'm not happy about this transition at all. Can we not just switch the calendar around and make summer a teeny bit longer because this one flew by!

Anyhoo....we were pulling out of the neighborhood and I'm in the passenger seat of my hubs car and I found myself looking at this big box thingy that keeps all of his spare change. I am always amazed at the amount of change he has in his car. A mom with 3 kids in the car would never have that kind of spare change lying around. I'm lucky to have a dollar. We go through some serious cash when it's around. It's really a shame, but I have a feeling I'm not alone on this one.

So, as I'm looking at this change I notice these brown pills all mixed up with the change. Ok. Hmmmmmm....let's see. I ask hubs what the pills are....and I secretly hope it's something good because I've been a tiny bit stressed this past week with end of summer beginning of school and all....but, he tells me it's Advil. Boo.

ADVIL??? I caught myself saying something to him in the next sentence that I really must stop doing. I replayed it back in my head and thought..."SHUT UP WOMAN. YOU SAY THIS MESS ALL THE TIME!" This is what I said to him.....

"Why didn't you just put the Advil here, in this little thing, so it's not all mixed up with the money?

No big deal right???

Yeah, except I say things like that all the time to him.

I might say,"Why don't you make the grilled cheese with Pam so it doesn't stick." I might say, "Why don't you just put all your shirts here so they don't get messed up." I might say, "Why don't you get something to put all these papers in so I don't have to sit on them every time I get in the car."

Blah, blah, blah.

You get the idea.

Don't you think he's screaming in his head, "SHUT UP WOMAN! YOU SAY THIS MESS ALL THE TIME!!!"

And, I think he throws in a "I'M 40 YEARS OLD AND CAN HANDLE LIFE JUST FINE WITHOUT YOU TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!"

I'm making a conscious effort to innocently stop this. I'm getting on my own nerves.

What do you need to work on with your spouse?? Let's be a better spouse and do the right thing.
They are sooooo worth it.

Have a fabulous day!
Hugs and blessings~

Baseball and the beach!

2009-08-03T09:53:00.016-05:00

Dad coaching son on 1st base. Always fun to see them "do their thing" together.

Last day on the beach. Boo hoo. I wanna move there. Come on. Please.

We bury the coach in sand when it's all said and done.

Crazy son decided that he and a friend would do that crazy swing thing. I almost died. They LOVED it.

How about the cool sunburn lines??? Pathetic huh? Had a ball hanging out at the "Hangout!"

Super stud surveying the scene.

This would be some serious talking about the game. Or not. Maybe I staged this whole thing.

Crazy kid.

Good lookin' swing. He fouled it off. You can see the ball behind him. ;)

Brothers playing during the game. They hardly "watch" it. They make up stuff and do their own thing

At the end of the world series. Our team came in 6th out of 24 teams. We were happy. We had a blast!!

Summer is winding down for us. Gag. School starts next Monday the 10th. Gag again. So, it will be time to fire the blog back up and see if she still works. It's been a wonderful summer. Routine is a good thing right? Yeah, sure. ;)

Hugs and blessings~

Fran

For the men and dads in our lives

2009-07-28T08:57:00.003-05:00

Because I love the families I serve at church sooooo very much...I just had to post this. I'm not bashing the men at all. AT ALL. But, I do believe it is something we need to take seriously within our churches and our homes.

Praying for all the men today.

Now, take a brief glimpse into some real hard truth from one of my favorite pastors.

Praying for all of us.
love,
Fran

Summer, I love you.

2009-07-20T17:22:00.001-05:00

This is last years picture, but you get the idea.

I'm busy doing the beach thing....i'll be back. Lots of pix to be posted soon!

Summer is such a beautiful thing! :)

Hugs and blessings~

Dance like noone is watching

2009-07-12T14:35:00.004-05:00

This past week was such a fun week! My youngest little rug rat played his heart and soul out during his last baseball tourney of the season. When it was all said and done....this guy was a FCA World Series Champ!!! Yes, he was. :)

He really was beside himself. He's a little more reserved I guess. ;)

I was reminded of something today that I want you to think about....

"Dance like noone is watching."

Dance through the day to day movements of life so full of Christ that you do not care who sees you! Be so full of Him that He is all you care about. It doesn't matter if you can't dance well, just dance.

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine can't dance??? Where she is out there in front of everyone just having fun and simply enjoying the music? That is what I am going to try to do this week. I'm simply going to dance and not care that I may be a little "off" with my rythm. I'm dancing because I love what I'm dancing for.

If you want to take a trip down memory lane....feel free to watch her dance! :)

So, come one now!!! Dance like noone is watching! Live freely and truly for the One who loves you so. Someone might just want to dance with you.

Hugs and blessings~
Fran

Bruised and beaten and just worn slick

2009-07-05T23:51:00.004-05:00

I've been known to be the cheerleader type and I feel like I am most days! It's much more fun to be the cheerleader type.

However....

I have been wallering (sp?) in some big fat mess of stuff that I'd really like to make disappear and totally leave my brain, but that ain't happening. Where is our delete button in our brain?

Soooooo.....

Let me introduce to you a few simple things that you may or may not know. I've learned them in this thing called life and it just wasn't pretty. Let's say that I have relearned them and relived them.

I am definitely not going to tell you the whole back story thing so don't ask! Ha! It really doesn't matter anyway.

LIFE LESSONS THAT JUST BEAT YOU UP SOMETIMES!!!

1. The good ole golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words...treat people like you want to be treated.

2. DO NOT GOSSIP. I repeat.....DO NOT GOSSIP! We aren't in Jr High anymore. STOP IT!!

3. If you are talking about someone or something....are you just adding to the problem or are you a part of the solution? Please be a part of the solution.

4. There is no "i" in the word team. Whatever team you are on...it takes MANY people to make it successful.

5. Keep your heart and mind in God's Word. How in the world can we live our life for Him, but have no idea how to do it?

6. If you have a question, comment, or criticism about someone or something...just go straight to them. Please don't add fuel to the fire and talk about them. We are here to accomplish great things and make a difference.

7. We are here to build one another up and not tear each other down. Ephesians 4:29

8. Sometimes it's just good to cry it all out.

9. Find yourself a mentor that will speak love and truth over you.

10. Life is just plain hard. How in the world do we get through the hard stuff without Jesus??

I told God today that I was just so very tired. He told me this....deep in my heart.

"This trial you are under will develop some strength, perseverance, and a heavy dose of faith testing."

I told Him while I pouted and cried and carried on....

"But I'm tired and don't want to do this any more."

God laughed and said....

"Do you just believe in me or do you believe me to do what only I can do?"

I'm choosing to hang in there with God and believe Him for who He says He is. I love Him too much. And, He died for me. And, He loves me. He is for me and not against me. And, I'm working for Him, not man. And 1001 other things.

Hang in there friends. No matter how bruised we get, He is all that truly matters.

I'm dusting the dirt off and I'm getting right back on this horse again. All because of Jesus.

Love you so very much!

Just stare at them for a sec with me

2009-06-29T15:11:00.010-05:00

My boys are with their grandparents this week so I thought I would let you look at how cute they are and remember with me how cute they are! *Big grin*

I know they are having a blast with their grandparents and cousins and I'm so grateful for the break as a mom and am thrilled to think about about the memories they are creating.

However, I still won't walk into their rooms or I might cry. I won't watch the Disney channel because I might cry. I can hardly look at "their stuff" without wanting to cry.

Lord help me as they grow and one day leave my house and stop being right up under my wing.

Hope you have a fabulous week! Hug those babies!

The brain is dead

2009-06-23T07:59:00.003-05:00

Since it is summer and my brain only works in 140 characters or less apparently....

I'm spending my time over here and here if you wish to follow because obviously the blog requires more than 140 characters!!! :)

Is it just me or are we all enjoying the dog days of summer?

I do love summer though! Hope you are enjoying it!

Hugs...

Oh, hello....I'm here.

2009-06-18T08:19:00.003-05:00

Oh my word. I think I just took a little bloggy summer break. Good for me!!!

I will have you know that we have been busy...doing what? Not sure, but we are busy!

It's hotter than hot outside.

The kids are playing some good baseball and I never get tired of watching them play!

I'm ready to start Me, Myself, and Lies with the LPM blog. I've missed being in Bible study.

I just saw a commercial for the Potty Patch for dogs. Its like a big chunk of grass in your house where they can go to the bathroom. HUH?

I love my new crackberry phone *grin*

Sometimes it's hard to be a leader. You may not be liked at times.

I'm reading Same Kind of Different As Me right now. AMAZING story. Highly recommend it.

I haven't been on vacation yet. We like to go smack dab in the middle of July when it's the hottest down in the gulf coast.

And one confession....I haven't unpacked one ounce of the kids backpacks from a month ago when school ended. Obviously I'm done with school.

Ok, that's enough of fun tid bit information into our world.

Hope your summer is going well!
Love y'all like crazy!

Hugs and blessings~

This is what I'm doing...what are you doing?

2009-06-12T07:28:00.003-05:00

Going to see a little Sugarland!!!

Going to see a little Keith Urban!!!!

What are you doing fun lately??? I hope something really good. :)

Hugs~

Big mouth

2009-06-09T07:05:00.004-05:00

I was sitting in the dentist office yesterday with my oldest son. The other two boys had been last week, but the oldest boy couldn't go at that time because he was at basketball camp. Don't you love it when you have to go to the dentist twice in one week? Didn't think so.

Thankfully, the appointment was quick and painless for both of us. But, while I was waiting I picked up a local Christian newspaper thingy and skimmed an article about our mouths and the power of our mouth and the words we speak.

We all know this right?? Nothing new here right??

But, in the article were 3 bullet points that I thought were worth repeating so here you go.....

**A mature faith shapes our speech--guards our mouths and refines our conversation

**A mature faith is grounded in the word of God (whoa)

**A mature mind is transformed by the teachings of Christ and becomes the filter through which our speech must pass (I need a better filter)

Personally....as someone who likes to talk and whose mouth can be her worst enemy, I need this reminder. I might need to print this off and have it before me in a public place. And as women who tend to talk way more than our counterpart.....lets make sure our mouths are being used in the most powerful effective way possible.

As parents, I think it is of utmost importance to make sure that you are continually teaching the word of God to your children so that His teachings become a filter for them as they talk, and share, and engage in conversation.

I could write a huge post at that last paragraph, but I'm not ready. Maybe one day.

Have a great day!!

Hugs and blessings~

Swimming with snakes

2009-06-05T07:37:00.011-05:00

Um yeah...this is one large snake that was found on the back of the fence. Uh huh. Yeah. You read that right and you see it right. This precious little guy was seen on the back of the fence and we watched him like a hawk until the man below came and saved the day. You should have heard us momma's squeal when the shovel began to take his life. SNAKES CREEP ME OUT!

Kids totally loved all this snake drama. I personally did not. I was happy to see him go to another place.

Ok....now, let's get down to some summer fun.

Look at 'em....so cute.

Hey, let's go at the same time and see who has the biggest splash.

"No....it's not cold at all."

"I'm gonna fake this smile, mom, ok?"

Now, we have some good ole backyard fun, too, when we aren't swimming....

I hope y'all are having fun this summer. Stay away from the snakes though. However, it does make some good drama though.

Happy summer y'all!

It's all about attitude

2009-06-02T07:11:00.002-05:00

My oldest son is in a basketball camp at Union University. A fine program at a fine school. So glad he is going. He came home with a sheet of paper all about "attitude." Yeah...I could use a new one a lot of days. Each day of the camp has a new focus. I thought if your kids need a prayer for attitude in whatever they have going on this summer, you could copy and paste this and print it out.

This prayer happens to be titled "The Athletes Prayer".......

Lord, please clear my head of all distractions, and my heart of burdens I may bear, so I may perform my very best, knowing you'll always be there.

Please lift me up before the moment, so through Your eyes I may see, and have a clearer understanding, as the game unfolds before me.

With great courage I will meet this challenge, as you would have me to, but keep me humble and remind me, that my strength comes from knowing you.

Then when all eyes are upon me, at the end of this big game, I will turn their eyes to You O'Lord, and to the glory of Your name,

In Jesus Name, Amen.

You don't have to be an athlete to use this prayer....I think it could apply to any of us!

"As water reflects a face so a man's heart reflects the man." Proverbs 27:19

Hugs and blessings~

Not being a good listener dadgumit!

2009-05-29T07:29:00.002-05:00

This is short and sweet because I haven't had nearly enough coffee to go much deeper. I was driving down the road yesterday and God totally slapped me in the face. Ok, maybe He just slapped me in the heart with something like this.....

"Fran, you have done a lot of talking and a lot of requesting, but you aren't listening to me."

So, there ya have it.

I think it's time to put my listening ears on and quit doing all the talking.

If you find yourself in the same boat, I encourage you to stop and listen to the sweet One.

"Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Isaiah 55:2

Love you all dearly. Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs and blessings~

My friends

2009-05-26T06:48:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, my family headed to Birmingham to see some of the SEC baseball tourney AND I was able to hang with some awesome friends on Friday night. *sigh*

To my surprise, RobYn had orchestrated a very fabulous dinner full of some pretty fabulous girls. We are all real life friends now, as a opposed to a year ago when we were imaginary. Ha!

We met through blogging and have now become super duper have your back friends. It is crazy how the whole friendship thing began....ya know....internet and all. Now we are really good friends. DId you catch that?? Internet friends to really good friends!

Here is a favorite photo...Jenny, Morgan, me, and RobYn (don't ask as to why I capitalize her "y")!!!!! I'm so happy to have met that precious Morgan. What a precious girl. She was able to hang with us til late!

Here is the entire gang. I can't tell you how much I love this picture!!! From the left we have Jenny, Morgan, Fran, RobYn, Tammy, Gayle, Kim, and Mary. Each one of these girls just makes me smile. I truly know that God orchestrated this whole friendship. Thank you Beth Moore and the Siesta blog.

Kim is taking a picture of her dessert. I would to. Look how beautiful this piece of chocolaty heaven is.

Ok, Mary made me order this. Just kidding, Mary. This is one of those salads where you have to put it all together. WAYTOOMUCHWORK for me. I just like to grab the fork and eat. I don't like putting food together when the restaurant should do it for me. Anyhoo....it was good. However, my boys saw this picture and claimed that this was the WORST food they'd ever seen.

Look at these two pranksters. Gayle and Kim will have you laughing before you even start talking. They are always up to something. They are always crying laughing. They are a hilarious hoot and I love 'em.

So, whatever your friendships look like, however they started, however long you've known some people, please take the time to let them know just how much you treasure them. I wish I had the sense on Friday night to let these girls know just how special they are to me.

So...to these girls...."I love each and every one of you and I thank God that He placed you in my life. You have no idea what a gift and a blessing you are to me. You are the real deal. I love you."

Thank you RobYn for a dinner and night out that I'll never forget. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. (((hugs)))

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

So much love,

Fran

Headin' to the Ham

2009-05-21T12:46:00.006-05:00

I am heading to Birmingham for some fun and some friends!!!!!! YES!

We are heading South to catch some SEC baseball action. We are fanatics. And, for me...my bonus is some friend time with Robyn and Mary. My favorite pic of Robyn was taken last January when we were in Atlanta for Travis Cottrell's live CD and DVD recording. Some cool chick named Beth Moore crashed our lunch!!!

Do you think we are a bit much?? Too much black and white?? Nah. LOVE THIS PICTURE!!

This was the moment our friendship became real life and no longer imaginary!!! We love us some Nikki too!!!!

I'll see you back on Monday with a fun recap and hopefully lots and lots of pix of our weekend!

Love each and every one of you.

"Thank you Jesus for all sorts of friendships."

Blessings~

Elementary my dear

2009-05-18T13:17:00.002-05:00

Today is Monday. There are 2 more days of school. My brain is mush. I have a serious "I don't care" attitude. I can't put one single thought together. I'm tired of being the robot I've been for the past 9 months.

It's time.

Time for Summer!!!

So...since my brain is mush and I can't think clearly and all I hear in my head is blah blah blah, then lets keep it simple today.

Let's hear it for the list!!!! Yeah baby.

1. Feels like Fall outside today. Put a sweatshirt on. LOVE IT!!! It'll be 120 before too long.

2. I am ready to move to the next level...I think God is telling me to seriously do something outside of the church. BE THE CHURCH OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH!

3. I'm getting a tattoo this Summer. I am. Don't cringe. It's a beautiful long story. It's a Godly tattoo and it's hidden and it's the rebel in me. God is smiling and I know He'll love it. *wink*

4. I'm tired of "Shredding." But, I'll keep on. Dern.

5. Going to Birmingham later in the week. Going to meet Robyn and Mary! Beyond happy. These two were invisible friends to me once upon a time. But now we are real life friends who met on the Internet! :)

6. What are you doing for the kingdom of God?? Jesus tells us to "go." Are you going???

7. Anyone wanna loan me a ton of money for a pool?? Didn't think so.

8. Ok..now...if you want to watch something beyond amazing and beautiful...go here and see what my favorite Nashville pastor is up to. LOVE THIS!!! Who are you close to giving up on?

That's all. I'm going to continue thinking short term, easy, elementary thoughts.

Love y'all. Have a beautiful day!
Hugs~

Do I really want them to grow up?

2009-05-15T08:03:00.004-05:00

Oh can I get a PRAISE GOD that we are at the end of the school year??!!!! But, for a second as I cleaned up my kitchen this morning, I could have cried. Not tears of joy, but tears of sadness.

This is it. No more recess for my 5th grader. My last child is the only one in elementary. I'll have two kids in middle school next year. WHAT??? EXCUSE ME??? HUH???!!!!

They are growing up right before my eyes and I just don't know how much more I can take.

I love my babies. They are always my babies. They make me so unbelievably happy. I hope I'm doing a good job at this mothering thing. They will be gone in the blink of an eye. *tears*

Ok, carry on. I'll get back to my happy thoughts of an "almost completed school year."

WOO HOO!!!!!!

(But it's ok kids if you choose to slow down the pace of this maturity thing)

Hugs~

your #1 fan

So blessed!

2009-05-13T09:41:00.002-05:00

So they put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them. Numbers 6:27

Some of life's little joys would be: Geraniums in bloom, puppy breath, a toddler's laugh, a hot shower, rain, a friend's voice, chicken soup when you are sick, or a sunrise. We are blessed to enjoy these little things.

Some of life's bigger joys would be: the birth of a child, challenges of a new job, friendship of other believers at church, comforts of the Bible, peace knowing my sins are forgiven, or knowing that I have eternity in heaven. We are also blessed to enjoy these bigger blessings.

Blessed by our Lord, named by him, and marked as his own, we bless others in little ways: Giving a drink of cold water to a thirsty child, smiling at a less-than-cheerful sales clerk, going the extra mile to help a co-worker, or overlooking an insult.

Blessed by our Lord, named by him, and marked as his own, we bless others in big ways: Praying for those who use us or even insult us because of our faith, caring consistently and in tangible ways for someone with cancer, teaching a preschool Sunday school class, volunteering at a food pantry for dozens of hours throughout the year, or investing in the life of a troubled teen.

We let the light of Christ shine in may ways as we go about living our faith in our family, church, school, and neighborhoods. And in the midst of it all, we also speak up about our Savior--the Savior whose love pours out of us and onto others.

"Lord, you've blessed me so much!! Help me see and seize ways to bless others in my words and actions. Amen"

Who am I?

2009-05-11T09:54:00.003-05:00

I've been sitting in some dysfunction for quite awhile now and it's so very hard. It has hurt me. It has changed me. It has taken it's toll on me. It drives me CRAZY. It is far from pretty. But, who am I to settle for it? Should I be ok with it? Should I try to make a change? Or, should I realize that I can't fix or change people? Who am I??

I'm not God. Nope. None of us can do what we think someone should be doing or how someone should be acting. We cannot make people be who they aren't. Who am I to think that I can change someone? Only God can make those big changes. All I'm doing is just talking about it.

I can care for people. I can pray for people. I can be a strong leader. I can set examples. I can walk in the confidence of Christ.

Who am I to judge? Seriously?? Who am I to think I'm any better than the next Joe. Who am I to put myself above anyone???

If you could hear my story, then you'd know that I have NO BUSINESS WHATSOEVER to think I'm any better than anyone.

I'm just as messed up as you. I'm just as messed up as your pastor. I'm just as messed up as your brother or sister. I'm just as messed up as your neighbor.

We are all just messed up. Our degrees may vary, but we are all messed up.

I'm getting over myself and remembering exactly how far God took me out of a pit and remembering that I'm no different than anyone else.

So, whatever dysfunctional situation you find yourself in.....let's get over ourselves and simply be filled with the humility that we need to. We all know dysfunction, don't we? Or, is it just me?

Who am I to judge, criticize, or talk about anyone or anything.

I want to understand and remember that we live in a fallen and broken world.

Who am I to put myself above any other sinful person?

Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

I do know that I am a daughter of the most high King and I choose to walk in the power of His Spirit and be filled with humility, love, and mercy and hopefully be enough out of the way so He can do His beautiful thing.

Hugs and blessings~

Weekend randomness

2009-05-08T07:56:00.003-05:00

Hallelujah it's Friday!!!! This means we are that much closer to the end of the school year. We are down to single digits. PRAISE GOD!!!!

Here's some stupid mess in my head that I'll entertain or bore you with:

1. The weather people are getting on my nerves with their acting like they actually control all this rain we are getting. I'm sorry, but they aren't in charge of the rain. They need to settle down. It's Spring Flood 2009....... Ick.

2. I really do love the 30 day Shred. I really do. Jillian isn't all that. She's a big ole teddy bear. ;)

3. I really do love my BFF's in the social networking world. Who woulda thunk? Y'all are fabulous!!

4. Never loved Bible study more.

5. My house still smells like cinnamon rolls and it's a yummy thing that I cannot partake in thanks to #2 above.

6. I am going to spend the weekend with my family in Alabama watching 2 of my boys play baseball. I wouldn't want to spend Mother's day any other way.

7. I'm dreaming of the beach.

8. I want to be a better servant to the hurting and poor.

9. Does Jennifer Aniston ever look "not cute?"

10."Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

One more thing...I'm still a wreck after reading all the posts from the Compassion bloggers trip to India last week. They wrecked me and my heart and I'm changed because of them. So grateful for that.

Love on the women in your life that have made a difference in your life.

Hugs and blessings~
Fran