Zombie Woman

Why did I only get 3 and a 1/2 hrs sleep last night???

Because of this!

Rock Star Toes!!! Jen and I decided we were paying WAY to much for Rock Star Toes...$45.00 with out tip...WHAT!...and of course Brittani decided she needed Rock Star Toes too...so...my bill doubled breaking the bank! For those of you who don't know what Rock Star Toes are...be warned they are addicting...it is actually acrylic powder mixed with glitter...color of your choice customized to your satisfaction...and every toe is a sparkling wonder dancing across your foot...they are great!!! So like I said Jen and I got all the stuff to do our own...after all I am a licensed professional...we thought we could save money and help our friends save money too...but of course we needed to see how they would look before subjecting our other friends to the madness...why did we have to start them at 9:30 pm and not get done until 1:30...well good question...pure vanity and pride I guess...we are both going out of town...and you should have gotten a look at are sad little Rock Star Toe daggers we had going on...no no no that just wouldn't do...so here I am Zombie Woman with some Rock'n Toes!!! Who needs sleep? By the way these pictures just don't do them justice!!!

Coffee Talk Chit-chat Captivated Ch.12

Ch. 12 An Irreplaceable Role

You are the only you God created...You are the only one that can bring what you have to offer to the table of life...God created you for purpose...His purpose and you are the only one who can do it the way you do it...because you are one of a kind...a custom made daughter of the King and He loves all that you are...

Thank you Lord for loving us in our individuality thank you for creating only one of me to fulfill your special purpose for me...I'm the only one who can love you the way I love you...the amazing thing is that you care to be loved by me...I'm so proud to be your daughter...I love you...Amen

Coffee Talk Chit-chat Captivating Ch.11

Ch. 11 Warrior Princess

This is taking action it is a description of a person doing something to stand up for what we have and can be in Christ...to take away what our enemy seeks to destroy...body, mind, and spirit...In Eph when it says to put on the armor of God...do it ...we need it!!! Guard your heart Prov 4:23...

What I'm taking away most from this chapter is this...be pro active...be prepared for the battles that WILL come...by constantly/continuously living a Christ centered life...in every possible way and in the midst of every single circumstance.

I Did It...

Well even though I only heard from one of you...thank you Lori...my fellow curly headed friend...I decided to cut my bangs and I think I like it...here is another lovely picture...
They are still little sticks but I can blend them in a lot easier and I'll just keep them short until my curls grow back in...by the way I can still clip them back as well...there ya have it...

I Dare You!!!

Food for thought!!!



I love Francis Chan

My hair the epic story...

OK so...my curls are starting to come back....slowly...all except my bangs!!! I'm not sure what to do...I am having to clip my bangs back every day because it just looks crazy when all of my hair is curly and the front is just hanging there like little pointy sticks...ugh...should I cut them shorter and let them grow out...I'll still be able to clip them back...what do you think? Here are some lovely pictures...

with clippage...looking at it like this...hmmm...I'm not sure I like this look...it's kinda like the messy bun for short hair I guess...With out clippage...of course I don't usually where it this far over my glasses but I wanted you to see the straightness...ugh...I love the look it's just the front...yikes...what if they were just above my glasses maybe that would work...I could still do the messy bun (for short hair) and I wont have to wait so long for my curls...what do you think?

How far is to far?

Ephesians 4:29, 31-32

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

I know this happens to you too...How do we keep our selves from falling into the trap of gossip? Is it ok to VOICE (vent) frustrations you have with others to others? If so how far is too far?

I would love to hear what you have to say on this one...

FromTriangles to Squares

Oh triangles how I miss thee...I never knew a triangle could mean so much!!! To never cut a triangle sandwich again...my world's all askew...Colton informed me yesterday that he would like his Sandwiches in one big square and not the little triangles I've been cutting them into for the last 9 years...sob...

Coffee Talk Chit-chat Captivating Ch. 10

Ch. 10 Mothers, Daughters, Sisters

Pg. 181

Friendship is a great gift. One to be prayed for and not taken for granted. When God gives a friend, he is entrusting us with the care of an other's heart. Friendships need to be nurtured and guarded and fought for.

The subject of friendships always seem to feel like strange territory for me and I'm not sure why...don't get me wrong...I LOVE my friends very much...even as I sit here pondering how to put my feelings into words I'm having a difficult time...I think I have trust issues for one thing...I think there is a lot about my self that I never want to share with anyone...I think I know that people will fail me and I will fail them and that makes it difficult...loyalty is very important to me and sometimes it's hard for me to forgive if loyalty has been compromised even a little...and it's never forgotten in my mind...I know that's wrong but even as I write that in my head I'm thinking it may be wrong but it's smart...I don't know...I'm still working on this one for sure...

Help me Lord...amen

Coffee Talk Chit-chat Captivating Ch. 9

Ch. 9 Arousing Adam

Pg 161
Need him. And believe in him.
That is what a man needs to hear from his woman more than anything else. I need you. I need your strength. I believe in you. You have what it takes.

I find that this has been true in my life with my man and now have learned it is true for my little man as well...

Oh Happy Day!!!!

I can hear the choir singing can you hear it...Oh happy day....Oh happy day....when Jesus washed...well you get what I'm say'n...Brittani did it...go girl go...THE BOY has been sent pack'n...Oh happy day...she decided she needed to keep her options open...ya know...start'n High School and all...she doesn't want to be tied down!!! So until next time Big Daddy and I are doin the happy dance!!!!!!

My Little Man Is Growing Up

Well today was Colton's first day of the 4th grade!!! We got to school early so we could take pictures and all that fun first day of school stuff...as you can see he wasn't very happy about it...I walked him to his class and talked with his teacher...he took a quick look around and wanted to head out side...I told him " OK Colton you just let me know when you want me to leave...I can stay all the way until the bell rings if you want me to...you just let me know OK"...he replied with...OK mom you can go now...huh...not quite the response I was looking for...my little man is growing up...

Colton in front of his school...(not in the front yard...Diana)Colton Walking to his classroom...last door on the right...Colton and his teacher...man she looks young...or I guess I'm getting old...This one is my favorite...this is the little girl Colton LIKES...he was so happy she was in his class but of course didn't want to show it...anywho as you can see he was not happy that I asked if I could take a picture of them together...What a classic!!!This is me walking away leaving a little piece of my heart behind...we want them to learn independence...but...it hurts a little...I love you ColtonAnd of course I had to decorate his room too...my little slugger!!!

The Next Mountain to Climb

Philippians 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Life Application:

Jesus Christ was humble, willing to give up HIS RIGHTS in order to obey God and serve People. Like Christ, we should have a servant's attitude, serving out of Love for God and for others. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others.

I spend A LOT of time fighting for my rights...outwardly and inwardly...God brought this up to me last month in a study our life group was doing on Philippians...and of course I heard it in the moment and moved on as if I never heard it at all...thankfully God doesn't give up on the things we need to learn...Isn't it soooo easy to fight for our rights...the hard part is giving up our rights to serve others...and I'm not talking about Africa, the homeless, the sick...man for me that's easy... I'm talking about...the people in my life that do me wrong or want more out of me than I want to give or should have to give...God has been telling me to let it go...look beyond what is in front of you...do what I have called you to do and let Me handle the rest...I see you...I see what is happening...I am in control...You don't see the Masterpiece I'm creating and I know you don't understand...but...you don't have to...and that is all that should be important to me is what God has called me to do and let Him take care of the rest...I may not get this down until Jesus comes...but...that doesn't matter either...I know this for sure...God has begun to change my heart...my actions are a reflection of my heart...and the more my heart transforms into Gods heart...the better I will become through Him alone...I can't do it on my own...and He doesn't expect me to...and thankfully He isn't fighting for His rights...not on the cross...not in His mercy...not in His grace...not in His forgiveness...thank You Lord...

First day of High School!!!

Well my baby girl started her first day of H.S. yesterday...I can't believe it...I'm really struggling with this one...for some reason I can't help but feel like this is the beginning of the end...I feel like I don't have enough time to teach her all she needs to know before she stops listening...I'm choking up just thinking of it...I'm planning to enjoy every minute and I thank God for my little girl...

I decided to decorate Brits room while she was at school...I knew it would make her happy weather she had a great day or a not so great day...luckily it was a great day!!!!

Coffee talk Chit-Chat Captivating Ch. 8

Ch. 8 Beauty to Unveil

What I liked most about this chapter was on Pg. 132...Beauty is the most essential and , yes, the most misunderstood of all the feminine qualities. We want you to hear clearly that it is an essence every woman carries from the moment of her creation. The only things standing in the way of our beauty are our doubts and fears, and the hiding and striving we fall to as a result.

What I liked least about this chapter was on Pg. 143...To possess true beauty, we must be willing to suffer. Christ himself was perfected through his sufferings, why would I believe God would not do the same with me?

Ugh...I'm learning soooo much from this book...God thank You for taking the time to speak to me through this book...Help me to take all that I am learning and apply it to my day to day...minute by minute life...amen

Coffee Talk Chit-Chat Captivating Ch. 7

Ch. 7 Romanced

I must say...I've never really used the word God and Romance in the same sentence...and when I began reading this chapter I got the sinking feeling I wasn't going to "get it"...but as I read on my eyes were opened to a new way to see God...and I loved it!!! I loved the concept and truth that all that is good around us is Gods love letter to us...from creation...to all those little good things that happen to us through out our day is God saying that he loves us and cares so much for us he gives us all these wonderful things around us...How many times do I take this for granted?

Pg. 116

Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart.

I love that...thank you God...You are so wonderful to me...

My Hair!

I cut my hair off!!!! Yep I sure did...and I love it!!! Rhonda took a couple of pictures earlier today...so when she sends them to me I'll post them here...I feel much more stylish and sassy...oh and yes it was Jen to the rescue again!!! You follow instructions so well Jen...you did a GREAT job...I must say my hair was a pile of fluffy cotton candy and about the same consistency...but any who...I'm 38 years old and there just comes a point in time when it starts making you look older and ya need to cut it off...so here I sit with my sassy new do...

My Hubby

I'm soooo proud of my hubby...this is the...gosh I guess 3rd week of his new job as Learning Director/vice principle...and let me just say that Hanford High is lucky to have him...students will be back in school on Thursday and away he goes...He has a great office and his very own secretary...God has blessed him and our family so much...it's never boring watching His plan unfold...Doesn't he look handsome...I love you honey...thank you for working so hard for us and teaching our children to set their goals high and they can succeed at anything with God on their side...

O How He Loves Us!!!

What an unbelievable Service we had on Sunday...it still resonates with in me...it was titled God Encounters...a testimony gathering...the real life stories of our beloved people...Thank you God for your mercy fresh and new every morning thank you for never giving up on us...thank you for the cross...the cross that you suffered and died on because of me...I stand amazed...
This is one of the songs that we sang...I've posted it before...and I'm doing it again...because this song is sooo powerful and I love it...YOU LOVE US GOD!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coffee Talk Chit-Chat Captivating Ch. 6

Ch.6 Healing the Wound

Rev. 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in".

The picture in my head with this scripture and after reading this chapter is this...we have many doors in our heart...really big doors, tiny doors, hidden doors, doors that we deny exist...and God is standing at every single one of them knocking waiting for us to let him in and heal that part of our brokenness...all we need to do is let him in and ask him to begin the work he longs to do for us...he desires to make us whole...lets let Him. And yes He does want the invitation...

Dear Lord,
I am answering the door to your patient, gentle knocking...come in and heal my heart...

Coffee Talk Chit-chat Captivating Ch. 5

Ch. 5 A Special Hatred

Pg. Eph. 6:12

For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

What if we apply this scripture to our wounds? Even to other peoples wounds who are apart of our lives...How does it change the picture of our View concerning our selves as well as others...How would we approach conversations about these wounds or how would it change our behavior towards one another?

These are the questions I'm asking my self after this chapter...

Colton Where Are You???

Epic church as most of you know is a portable church. We meet in a gym at Pioneer middle school here in Hanford...sooooo...we set-up and tear-down every Sunday...this past Sunday as Darin and I were tearing down Brittani my 13 year old came to me with panic in her eyes to ask me where Colton her 9 year old brother was??? I said he's at the baseball diamond...she says no he isn't...his hat and his ball and glove are on the field and I can't find him anywhere...WHAT!!! Go get your dad and tell him...I'm sure he's here somewhere...Well little did I know what took place after that...Darin later told me that while I was clueless happily chatting, catching up with my fellow workers...He was on the search of his life scared to death because he could not find Colton anywhere...have no fear he found him after a considerable amount of time sitting in the shade contemplating life...(he gets that from me) Darin of course scolded him with a tear in his eye and Colton realized the importance of what he had mistakenly done...later that evening putting colton to bed I decided it was a good time to go over once more what we had told him to NEVER do again...and expressed to him how it would be a horrible life changing...we would want to die... if he were to ever be taken from us...and I was shocked at how surprised he was at this reality...he went down the list of important people in his life and had to know if they would feel the same and I assured him this would be so...he hugged me tight with what seemed to be a thankful tear in his eye and promised he would never ever do that again...

Lord help us to always be able to communicate to Colton how important he is in this life...thank you for my son...

A Great Idea!!!

I love this idea...I pasted it here from this blog:
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/ that I was told about last night and that I am completely loving!!! Thanks Beth!!!


I wanted to tell you about a cooking club that I am a member of. It saves me time and money because I am less likely to eat out and more likely to plan ahead and try and match my dish to coupons or sales. Also, it gives my family a chance to try foods and recipes that we might not otherwise try.
We have 8 busy moms who are members of our cooking club. Each month they have the option to participate or not. Each member makes a main dish for all the other participating families and freezes it (and usually keeps one for her family). We meet in someone’s garage to swap and go home with fully-stocked freezers of ready to thaw and reheat meals that are great for those super busy days.
We also did a side dish exchange this month, too. I made beans and received a dozen fresh ears of corn (a member’s family owns a local farm), cheesy potatoes, and twice baked potatoes. We have done soup groups, brunch groups (so we all have non-burnt toast on Mother’s Day!), sweet groups (for entertaining around the holidays) and appetizer groups (for New Years or Super Bowl time).


Anybody up for it???

Camera

By the way...I didn't know that the camera has an internal memory...so I was able to take these pictures...Yippie!!!

Lazy Days of Summer...

Colton just came up to me and asked if it was too early to play...I said I don't think so Colton what time is it...as he looked at the clock he said...oh ya it's too early I'll wait till 12:00 p.m....it's 11:50 a.m. now...I think we might have trouble getting back on schedule for school...which startes in only 2 weeks!!!

FYI

I haven't been able to post any pics because my camera is broken...boohoo...but don't worry...I have a new one that just needs a memory card...so I'll get some pics of my hair soon...sorry I don't have any of the process...WHAT WAS I THINKING? Sorry bloggers...

Coffee Talk Chit-Chat Captivating Ch. 4

Ch. 4 Wounded

pg. 61

Women learn from their mothers what it means to be a woman, and from their fathers the value that a woman has, the value they have as a woman.

My parents did it right...I've been loved unconditionally by both of them. Treated with respect...learned self worth, value of self and how to be a woman in every way and how not to be as a woman...Thanks mom and dad! Looking back I'm so thankful for all you have taught me...I love you very much!!!

But here's the thing...LIFE happens and sometimes...in fact a lot of times shapes us in a way that I know my parents did not have a part in...some good...some bad...but when Christ comes into our lives He begins to shape us into what He created us to be from conception...He heals our wounds and gives us purpose...yes we ALL have purpose...and if you aren't sure what that purpose is...I suggest you ask Him...look around you see where He has placed you in your life...I read the last line in this chapter over and over again...it is sooooo true...Remember you ARE this woman...God has already made you with all the tools you need to be who He created you to be...I believe our wounds are one of the destroyers tools to keep us distracted from all God has intended for us to have and be...the last line says this...

pg.75

The wounds you have received have come to you for a purpose from one who knows all you are meant to be and fears you.

Oh man...and lets have more grace with each other as women...look beyond the circumstance and realize there could be so much more behind peoples personalities, temperaments and attitudes...the stories in this chapter were heart breaking and inspired me to look beyond what's in front of me and pray that God helps me to be more gracious and merciful to the women around me and not only the ones that I know...the checker at the grocery store, the woman in front of me with more than 15 items in the quick check line, the teller at the bank, the dominating room mother...

Lord help us to be all you created us to be...thank You for creating me with purpose...and showing me grace that I will never deserve...help me to live by Your example and not fight for my rights so much...even when they seem justified...help me to put my self aside and to continuously put your purpose ahead of my own...Amen