Amy Grant's Mosaic

When I was first granted the opportunity to read Amy Grant's new book, I was excited and eager with anticipation. As I thought back over my own experiences with Amy and her music, I recall singing along to many of her songs in my teenage years. I know that her life had had some dramatic twists and turns and I was very interested in how she would unpack her life experiences and her legacy for her readers.

The book is broken into four sections that could be summarized as various stages in Amy's life. Every Road lays a foundation for getting to know Amy and her understanding that many of the places and situations she has found herself in had a greater purpose than even she may have realized. From adventures with a horse to vacations at the beach to how her musical career began and flourished, Amy reinforces the idea that the circumstances of life shape who you are. I was reminded not to dismiss anything that life throws out as insignificant, but rather purposeful.

The next section entitles Heirlooms introduced the reader to many of the important people in Amy's early life, many of which continue to have an important role in her life today. It is obvious the love and esteem that she holds for these people, as evident in her words and the lyrics of her songs about them.

The third theme, Lead Me On, was probably my favorite because it really allowed the reader to see into the person that Amy has become. It also shows that she, like the rest of us, is still a work in progress. She is a real person who struggles with many of the same things I do. She winds her way through life and follows as God leads her. From helping her friends to her early morning routine to being willing to be baptized anew as recently as three years ago, her words paint a very real, authentic picture of a person who, at the end of the day, has the same goals I do: to love the Lord my God with all my heart and to do what He thinks is best.

Finally, Amy closes the book with Takes a Little Time. In it, she reminds the reader that sometimes the only thing that will make things better is a little time. She tells stories of many important people in her life and beautifully shares how their lives came to a close. She speaks of her children and how time can help to heal the wounds that life can give. Again, her vulnerablility spoke volumes to me.

I can say that I honestly enjoyed this book. Its format is a little unusual and it took some time for me to get used to it. The book is written almost from a storyteller's pen and she alternates the stories with the lyrics from her songs. It was interesting to learn many of the stories behind the songs and understand the heart behind the music. While not in chronological order, she really does weave it all together in a very unique way.

Thank you so much, Sarah, for giving me the opportunity to read and review! It was lots of fun!!

If you're interested in the other reviews, they can be found here:
Sarah at inthemidstofit.blogspot.com
Kristi at www.aboveallicouldaskorimagine.blogspot.com
Tara at www.serendipitoushousewife.blogspot.com

Sherry

I meant to post this yesterday, but I got lost in Parker's praying and forgot!!

Yesterday, I had the awesome privilege to hear my good friend, Sherry, speak to over 1300 students at our high school about a day that has changed her life forever. Her younger brother, Matthew, died six months ago on April 29th as a result of a lethal combination of drugs. While a part of her and her family died that day along with Matt, it has truly been amazing to observe, sometimes from a distance and sometimes from right in the heart of it, how Sherry has worked her way through this very difficult time, never wavering in her faith, always careful to give God the glory for everything. No one ever really knows how they are going to react to a sharp, unexpected turn in their lives. But if something like this ever happens to me, I would hope that I would be able to respond in a similar fashion. I know that God has been pleased with how His name has been honored in all of this, and I know Sherry has been amazed to see how God has worked through this.

Sherry - you make my life richer and fuller, always funner, and sometimes crazier!!! Thanks for being you and for being an awesome friend!!

Dear Heavenly Father

Parker's bedtime prayer tonight:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this wonderful day.
Please forgive me for all my sins today.
I just want you to know that I will
never, ever sin again!!
In Jesus' name,
Amen.


I'll keep you posted!!

Fall fun on a Sunday afternoon

Today was the kind of day we've needed to have, but haven't had, for a very long time. After church, we had nothing that we HAD to do, but still had plenty of fun to fill up the day.

It started with an amazing lunch - grilled cheese sandwiches!! I usually make a "real" meal for Sunday lunch, but I really just didn't feel like it today. And besides, I have this new kitchen gadget/appliance/tool - a big ol' griddle!! I've always thought these were way too big and for people with really big families, but now I'm starting to think we qualify!! I've only had it for like 4 days and we've used it pretty much every day so far!! Today we used it for grilled cheese for lunch and pancakes for supper! How fun is that??! Much thanks to my great mom for this little gift!!

The afternoon held much laundry for me and football for the boys. The weather is just perfect right now and they are loving being outside!

Finally, we had a little cookie decorating fun tonight before bed. A very special friend of our family gave the boys a very cool cookie decorating kit. We've been waiting for just the right time to do it and today was the day!! They had so much fun with the icing and sprinkles and there was enough in it to have one more round before Halloween!! A great big thanks to our special friend for your kindness and for a fun, sweet treat!!

I don't ever win anything!

I must admit - I've said that very thing on several occasions!!!

And now, I'm happy to report that I'm a winner!!

But first, a little background -

I casually keep up with several blogs, many of which belong to people that I do not know. It's crazy - this blogging thing!! I really don't remember how or why, but I came across Sarah and really enjoy her writing. Based on what I've read, we live in roughly the same area and so when she writes of things locally, I'm right there with her. She has three small children, so that's instant common ground right there!!

Anyway, she was reading Amy Grant's new book, Mosaic and offered 3 people the opportunity to read it along with her and post their own review of it. Three people were chosen randomly from the comments, and against all odds, I was one of the three winners!! I'm about halfway through the book and it has proven to be an interesting read up until this point. My "real" review is supposed to be posted on Thursday.

So, don't give up!! I used to be a loser, but now I'm a winner!!
And you can be a winner too!! :)

I can't really think of a better way to start a day ...

We have lived in our house now for exactly one year. One year = expired warranty!! We had a few things that needed to be fixed before it expired so we began the process of setting those up.

One thing that has really bugged me about this house is that the dishwasher has never really worked well. Especially considering that we lived in a pretty gross apartment before we moved here and THAT dishwasher worked better than the one in the new house! Anyway, I finally managed to put the dishwasher on the list for someone to come check out.

Fast forward to today when Ron shows up. Now immediately Ron begins to tell me that I have loaded the dishwasher all wrong. My bowls are much too close together. Call me crazy, but I put a bowl between every little stick-up thing - you know, so you can get as much as possible in there?? Well, that's too close. That could be why they aren't getting that clean. Second thing I'm doing wrong - I don't turn on the hot water in the sink to let the temperature get hot before I start the dishwasher. It needs to be between 125 and 160 degrees. Ron personally likes 130. So, not only do I not turn on the water first to properly dissolve the detergent, my water temperature is only at 111. I try to explain that I have small children and really would prefer that they not scald themselves so our dishes can get clean, but no matter. The water needs to be 130 degrees.

At this point, I'm not feeling the love for Ron. I'm getting the feeling that he may be thinking he wasted his time coming over because I don't even understand dishwasher basics.

Then, he comes up with this - what detergent do you use? I show him my dishwasher tab thingies that you drop in the bottom. As serious as he can be, he says, "Do you take the plastic off before you put it in there?" I'm like "Ron - are you KIDDING ME?? Did you come to my house at 7:30 in the morning and back down my driveway* with your BEEP BEEP BEEP blaring so you could make sure I take off the plastic before I put the soap in my dishwasher??" Of course I didn't say that, but I sure felt like it.

After giving me all the reasons why my dishwasher isn't working up to my standards (including the fact that I may not be washing everything off well before I put the dishes in and the fact that it is "Builder's Grade,"), imagine his surprise when he finds something wrong that might possibly be the REAL reason my dishwasher isn't working well! He fixes it and it is as good, actually better than new, since it really hasn't ever worked well. As an added bonus, and possibly because he was feeling badly about asking me about the plastic, he puts in some insulation he just had in his truck to quiet it down a bit. What a guy!!

So, if you've eaten at my house in the last year, chances are your dishes weren't that clean!! But give us another chance - we now have a cleaner, quieter dishwasher and I'd be more than happy to share Ron's number with you!!


* I have to mention that I think Ron was a little scared of the driveway since he took about 10 minutes to back down it. (Did I mention the loud back-up beeping??) It kind of reminds me of another incident with the driveway that might need to be written down before it fades into a distant memory. What do you think, Emily?? Did we get pics of that?? :)

What should one eat when it is cold??

Some recipes lend themselves to cold weather. I find it interesting, though true, that some things simply taste better when it is cold and other things are more appealing when it is hot.

This post will display a couple of my favorite cold weather meals.

But first, a disclaimer: I think it is cheesy to post pictures of meals. While a blog I read semi-regularly does this very thing very regularly (post pictures of meals she's cooked), I do not put myself into the WOW-I'm-an-amazing-cook-so-please-care-what-I-cooked-for-dinner-tonight-club. In fact, I find it very interesting that taking a picture of food would cross my mind at all. This blog - it does funny things to a person!!

Anyway, here is what we have enjoyed the last two nights of cooler weather - both top-secret family recipes that you could never, in any way, duplicate!!

Eggs, bacon, and biscuits - the boys love it, I love it, it's all good!!

Now, I have to say that this is probably one of the most staged pictures I have ever taken in my life. This is vegetable soup and cornbread with a lovely picture of four great boys in the background!! If you asked three out of four boys if they liked vegetable soup, the answer would be an emphatic NO!! And one of them doesn't like cornbread! But if you make them wait to eat supper until after baseball practice at 7:00, they are all so incredibly hungry that they eat every bite without one complaint!! Amazing!!

Happy Fall!!

Gotta love Texas

As I type this, at 2:15 in the afternoon, it is 53, yes 53 degrees with a north wind blowing at 20 miles per hour!!

If my memory serves me correctly, it was approximately 90 degrees yesterday!!

I was ready for a nice, easy transition into Fall, but I think we just took a nose dive right into it!

I will say it was the first time I've ever hear Landry say - it's feeeee-zing out here!!!

And he's right!!

Kids and their questions

Kids - they're so cute with their millions of questions - not really!!

A couple of things that have been on Luke's mind lately:

Mom, did you have Landry first or did you marry Daddy first??
(I guess he forgot about all those older brothers that came even before Landry!!)

And my personal favorite . . . .

Mom, when you open your eyes really big, why do you have all those lines on your forehead??

One word, buddy - wrinkles!! Play your cards just right, and one day you'll be lucky enough to have some lines on your forehead too!!

Got milk??

This picture makes me smile!! For as long as I can remember, I have always drinken/drunken/drank - whatever - the milk from the cereal bowl this way!! It's the best milk ever!! All sweet and sugary!!!

The idea of drinking milk this way totally grosses someone out - I just can't remember who!!

The bond of brotherhood

I'm feeling the brotherhood tonight!!

Sometimes I need to be reminded that these boys I'm growin' have a unique bond like no other.

They love each other. They hate each other.
They fight each other. They kiss each other.

They miss each other when they are gone (though they might not admit it!).

Even now, Landry at 2 1/2 years old, knows who's part of the family and doesn't like it when someone's not here. Today, Luke went to his good friend, Kaleb's house, who lives across the street. Kaleb is 5 and has a 19 year old brother but is, in a lot of ways, like an only child.

Landry was constantly asking when we were going to go get Luke so he could come home. We went and got the older boys from school and didn't stop and get Luke. That was a problem for Landry!! He came inside, went to the fridge and got 2 apples out. He asked me to take the stem off of one and as I reached for the other to put it back in the fridge, he says "NO! That for Lu-tey!"

So tonight, Casey (Kaleb's mom) stopped by and I was telling her that story of how Landry really wanted Luke to be home today. She then said something that really reminded me of the postives of getting to have these boys. She said, "Kaleb would give every toy in his room, everything he owned to have what Luke has in his brothers!!"

That really surprised me in a way because it's always easy to see the not-so-positives of raising a big family. It's good to be reminded of the benefits too!!

Fire!! Fire!!

Tonight was an jam-packed, adventure filled night!! And we didn't even plan it!! Crazy!!

We had some friends over (Jacob, Joseph, and Faith) because their parents had something to do sans kids. Emily was over because, for some crazy reason, she thinks we're fun or maybe she thinks we're crazy!! I can't remember which! :)

So, we're all outside playing a little baseball when we see some smoke coming from not too far away. We immediately dismiss it as someone burning something (trash, brush, etc.). But the smoke just keeps coming and coming and is really dark and ominous looking. Finally, a neighbor from across the cul-de-sac yells over to us that a house is on fire and we might need to get ready to evacuate!! So, before we discuss our evacuation plans, we all go over to her driveway to get a better look!! It was really sad to see a house on fire. No firetrucks had arrived at this point but a lot of neighbors were gathering to see what was going on. I just happened to have my camera outside so I snapped a quick picture and this is what it looked like (we were still pretty far away - just in case there was any truth to the evacuation idea - which there wasn't).

We watched it for a few minutes until the firetrucks and sheriffs came and then it got a little crazy and maybe a little unsafe to be standing on the side of the road as emergency people came through the neighborhood VERY quickly! So, we went back home and finished the baseball game!

Later on, after things had settled down a bit, we went back with Scott and saw the firemen doing what they do best. It was really interesting to watch them work and see all the different tools that they were using. I think we counted 9 firetrucks from several different fire departments there. The people standing around were saying that the fire started in the garage and you could see the burned out shell of a car through the window in the garage. It was kind of sobering to see the damage that something as powerful and destructive as fire can do. We saw the lady that lived in the house and it was just really sad to witness it all.

Sometimes, you just never know what a night will bring. Watching a fire around the corner would have never made my list of things to do for tonight!!

God talk and happy birthdays

I've been struggling with what to put on the blog lately. Lots of little, insignificant events keep popping up, but nothing really of substance.

I couldn't really figure out how to do a whole post on how Luke is really trying hard to figure out how ice cubes grow - like on what kind of plant??

Or on how funny it struck me tonight as I watched in wonder in the Walmart parking lot at the little security car with the yellow blinking lights driven by a little old lady smoking a cigarette. She had her window down and while she drove around, she was pulling a cart into the "cart holder." It was a very interesting site indeed to see a car driving around with a cart going right along side of it as if by magic!! I thought maybe Walmart had decided to combine two jobs into one - security + cart gatherer-upper!!

But then on my way home, this song came on the radio and I thought that this was worth sharing. God has really revealed Himself to me lately in more ways than I can count. I just think it's so cool when you can stop long enough to realize that God has His hands all over your life. From the most mundane of events to the grand-scale major life changing situations, He is there and thankfully, HE is God - not me!! And though He doesn't always act in the way I would if I were in charge, I know He sees the big picture while I'm just seeing a little snapshot!

You Are Still God by Scott Krippayne

I've prayed but still don't have answers
At least none I'm able to see
I've tried to rest in not knowing
But not knowing's a hard place to be
But as I return to Your pages
The words breathe new life to my soul
I see You at work through the ages
And know that You're still in control

You are still God
You have created the land and the sea
May we applaud
And sing to the wonder of Your majesty
The wind will still blow
We won't always know
Why seasons of life are so hard
But You are still God

Help me have faith in the knowledge
That You're greater than what we go through
And when I reside in the valleys
Help me keep trusting in You
The how and the when You are moving
Were not meant for me to decide
Again and again You are proving
You're there at just the right time

You are still God
You have created the land and the sea
May we applaud
And sing to the wonder of Your majesty
The wind will still blow
We won't always know
Why seasons of life are so hard
But You are still God

And to wrap us this mixed up little post, I have to say Happy Birthday to my BigPa and Grandma. They've both had birthdays in the past few days and I can say with absolute certainty that my life would be dramatically different without them!! They are two of the most caring, generous, loving people on the planet and we all love you deeply!! Here they are holding baby Landry in the year 2005!! Yall haven't changed a bit!!

Extra!! Extra!!

Alex is in the newspaper!! He is SO excited!! The Grizzly came out today and the picture of his 2nd place finish at the Homerun Derby on Saturday was in there!! The picture here isn't that great but no matter!! (he's on the right!!)

ps - We're still waiting on the call from ESPN-2!! Let us know if you see him on there!!

Bloggy Fun

The purpose of this post is to:

#1 - tell all of my bloggy friends out there (all 2 of you!) about a really cool site

#2 - practice the LINK

Ok this site is a really cool place that is giving something away almost every day. Usually you just leave a comment and it enters you in the drawing. Now, I know, your chances of winning is slim, but you never know!! Maybe if more of us enter, then we'll at least KNOW someone that won!!

That's it - hopefully the link will work!

Have a great week!!

The longest day of my life as of yet

I'll say it again - it has been the longest day of my life as of yet!!

It all started at 6:10 this morning. Did I mention that today is SATURDAY?? My alarm does not beep at that horrible time on a school day, much less a Saturday! Here's how the day unfolded from all perspectives -

I went to a garage sale at my good friend Sherry's house and was there about 7:15. After pulling everything out, which was a job in and of itself, it began to lightly sprinkle. Then rain a little harder. Into the garage came lots of stuff. The rain stopped, the stuff went back out. The rain started up again, and in came the stuff. This happened approximately 254 times between 7:00 and 1:00. Without going on and on about an incredibly hot, wet, humid, B.O.-filled day, suffice it to say that at the end of the day, I had lost (or had stolen) my cell phone and counted a total profit of $37.65.

Was it worth it?? Uh, I don't think so!!

The good part was spending the better part of the day with Sherry and Leah and that's always fun!! Here are a couple of pics just in case I try to block this crazy day out of my mind!

Here's where the deals were happening!!

Here are our cute kids trying to drum us up some business from the corner. They worked like crazy and had tons of fun doing it!! They are (L-R) Alex, Wyatt, Parker, Colby, Sadie

During all the good times at the garage sale, Alex had a game, Parker had a game, and Alex played in a "Homerun Derby" which was, as I understand it, a contest to see who could hit the farthest or hit the most homeruns. He came in second place in his age division. Even though he didn't hit a homerun, he hit it the second farthest. His picture might be in the paper next week. Alex told me the guy from The Grizzly took his picture and then he wanted to talk to him and the winner to "get some other information!" Sounds serious!! Alex thought he saw "ESPN-2" on the bottom of his Grizzly nametag so you might watch for him on that also!! :)

After the garage sale ended and I departed with my measley earnings, I was able to catch Alex's last game of the day. So that was good even though they lost!

I started this post about 6:40 and everyone has had their bath/shower and is already in their PJ's!! This house will be shutting down shortly but if you know my cell phone number, go ahead and call it and see if anyone answers. If they do, try to get their name and where I can meet them to get my phone!!

What makes a great day

Tonight when we finally sat down to eat a late supper, I asked the boys to tell me two good things that had had happened today.

Parker wanted to start and he said that Mrs. Deaton let him wear her sunglasses at the end of school today and that that was COOL!! He also was happy that they started practicing for the 3rd grade program today. (I found this a little interesting because he doesn't always enjoy this type of thing anymore. And anyone who has ever been to a PTA program knows why!!) But anyway, those things made his day.

Alex was next and he prefaced his remarks by saying, "this isn't really good for me, but it's good for you, Mom." Then he explained that he has his first benchmark test for reading tomorrow. When I asked him why that was good for me, he explained that he knew I liked to know those kinds of things!! (true!) But his really good thing was that his team had won the game they played in PE today. He and three of his good buddies managed to get on the same team and proudly whooped up on the other team! A good day, indeed!!

Luke took a deep breath and with a big smile said, "Oh - I've got a GOOD one!! The fighter-fighters came to our school today with their big fire truck!!" (to which we all oooohhhed and aaahhhed) "But wait!" he says. "There's a gooder part - I got to get up in the truck and take my picture!! It was SO much fun!!" After much discussion, Luke has decided he wants to be a "fighter-fighter" for Halloween!! Yay for community heroes!!

Landry didn't have much to offer - too busy eating!! But here are a few of my favorite Landry-isms:

Par-ter's playin' on the 'pooter = Parker's playing on the computer

I a dirsty boy = I'm a thirsty boy!!

I had a too-tie pease = Can I have a cookie please?

I dot a boo-boo on my led. Tiss it = I got a boo-boo on my leg. Kiss it!!

Wate up seeping booty = Wake up sleeping beauty!!

Holy tow - Dad toot = Holy cow - Dad toot!!

Going into the Walmart restroom (ugh) with hands in the air - DON'T TOUCH ANY-TING!!
This was totally unprompted, so it cracked me up!!

New York Pictures, part 2

More pictures, as promised!!

The boys enjoying the fall leaves and Grandpa & Grandma with all the grandkids & Heather

Everyone goes to see Grandma Rachel - she's 92 and still going strong!

Nice pony tail!! Maybe too much playing with girl cousins instead of boy brothers!! Actually, Luke just told me that "the Heather that goes with Nathan did that!!" :)

Having fun with David & Kathy's girls - "girl trapped" as Luke says!! He had lots of fun and got in touch with his feminine side!!

Hangin' out with Grandma!!

Baby Maddie must like Landry's hair!!

Riding the tractor!

Pretty trees!!