The heavens proclaim the glory of God. the skies display his craftsmanship.
–Psalm 19: 1 NLT

Kinsley said, “It’s a dove from Jesus.”

• July 26 – I worked out w/Kim at the gym.
• July 27 – I walked around the block w/Sushi.

Here’s the last Weigh In Wed

Remember how I was telling you guys before that I had a number in my head? Well, it’s still in my head and even though I have been vacationing and visiting with family and friends.. I have not gained any weight at all. I’m thrilled about that because I wasn’t necessarily watching what I was eating or drinking these past couple of weeks. So.. I have a number in my head and I wrote it down on my planner.

Jillian Michaels says that I can lose up to 20 lbs in 30 days. This DVD features the winning “3-2-1 Interval System” Mixing Cardio, Strength and Abs for Extreme Weight Loss! There are 3 workout on the DVD and I’m pretty sure they are in stages from easiest to the hardest workout.

When I was down in Texas my BFF Christine had this exact DVD workout system. We did do the first workout and it totally reminded of what my trainer at the gym has me doing. I do have some 5 lb hand weights to go with this DVD. I can switch to 10 lb weights if it winds up being too easy.

Anyway, I was so excited that many of the moves were from my own trainer that I just knew I had to have this DVD so I picked mine up at Walmart for $10.00. Not bad … I just have to do it now and stick with it!!! And I will most certainly be letting y’all know how it’s going with the workouts. Go Me!!!

The only thing that you need with this DVD system are hand weights and a mat if exercising on a hard surface. Not Bad!!!

This is Sushi. We picked her up at the NHS a little over two weeks ago. She’s a black and tan mini pinscher. The girls love her – A LOT.

We made it home from Texas safe and sound yesterday afternoon. We had a great time but now we are home and it really does feel good to be home.

We haven’t seen Toy Story 3 yet but I’m sure we will see it soon. We did go and see The Last Airbender in 3D and that was really good. I am looking forward to the next installment.

Yesterday for the Fourth of July we sat in our driveway and watched all the neighbors light up their firecrackers. We also got to see the last of the Eagle Run fireworks from Kinsley’s bedroom window. We were tired from our trip so we were content to just sit close to home and relax.

Slowly but surely I’m getting caught up on things around the house and on the computer. Kids Camp started today for Fiona. She will be at camp every day this week from 9 am until 3 pm. Kinsley will be joining her at the same camp, same time, but only on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. That means for 3 days this week I will be without children for 6 hours each. I’m looking forward to it too!!

Tomorrow we have the Husker Siding people coming over to give us a free estimate on siding and windows. We are still recovering from the storm that hit us here in Omaha two years ago. Our siding is horrible and I would like to get some brand new energy efficient windows put in. You know… the kind of windows that don’t have drafts in the winter time? I’d also like to get rid of these crank-out windows. I cannot stand them!!

As much as I enjoy getting down to Texas to see my peeps – I enjoy coming home. There are so many things I can appreciate about each state but nothing beats being at home in Nebraska with my Family in our own house. I’ll be posting more about my trips this summer throughout the rest of the summer. So stayed tuned, okay!?

Oh and Kinsley wore herself out all week. She was so tired she fell asleep at the kitchen counter. She didn’t even eat her lunch!? Poor thing was so tired I was afraid she was going to fall out of her chair. So I picked her up and let her nap in the family room in a chair. Now she’s outside swinging and full of energy!!

Here are the 5 Questions

1. What are you reading right now?
2. What “thing” would be most offensive to you if found in your house?
3. If you have one..what is the standard baby gift you give?
4. What would you do if you didn’t have to work?
5. Where in the world have you been that you thought was paradise?

I Am Pooped Answers

1. The Holy Bible. I am all up in it too. I read select sections daily from my NLT bible. Then I pick up my NIV and I am reading through the bible charts and working on the topic “salvation.” I am also recording A LOT of it on my blogspot blog called Stretching My Faith. I hope you will follow it. Sometimes I will run into questionable commentary and at that point I think I will come discuss it over here. For the most part I’m only recording my journey through the bible and not making it about me. Unless of course you decide to check out my “keeping it real” section. I haven’t posted anything lately because I’m on vacation down in Texas. Haven’t really had much chance to work on it. One thing I will tell you is that I’ve never in my life read past the book of Matthew. Well.. I’m in the book of Acts. There is so much I did not know about what happened after Jesus died on the cross. So far it’s been a wonderful journey.

2. I think I would be very upset if I found a great big huge nasty spider, a scorpion, or a snake. A snake would be the hardest thing for me to deal with because I think it would be the toughest to kill.

3. I go overboard with baby gifts. I like to have a 3 mo, 6 mo and 12 mo outfit. I can never just stop there. If there is a cute toy or a sweet baby blanket I have to buy those too.

4. I don’t have to report to work which is nice. I do stay home and take care of my kiddos which is work in itself. I feel fortunate to be able to stay home with them because they are little for such a short time. I did the single parenting jig for 7 or 8 years give or take and THAT was hard!! I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it is to have to provide for your child, take care of them, and then have to explain to your boss who wants to punish you because you have to leave work to pick up your sick child from school. Never Again!!

5. Paradise… I would say that the closest thing to paradise as far as traveling goes would have to be Jamaica!! We stayed in an all inclusive resort and just LOVED it. I would like to go back there again. I guess when Don and I become empty nesters I would like to follow him around the world when his work sends him places. I think Hawaii would be paradise. I’ve never been to Hawaii. I’m looking forward to next summer because we plan on going to see my BFF in Belgium. Spots on the map we plan to hit are Belgium, Italy, France, England, and Germany. I was going to travel to Greece but recently found out that I am not welcome there so I will avoid Greece all together. I’ve been to Greece enough times that I certainly know what to expect and I know that I’m not really missing much of anything by traveling there.

Linked Up w/ Tuesday Tip Jar over on Blog Mommas and Random Tuesday Thoughts over on The Un Mom. Love those two memes!!

Is it a coincidence that I came across that question with everything that has been going on in my life and in the life of my teenager? No, I don’t believe it was a coincidence at all. I believe that God is trying to remind me of something that always slips my mind when I’m in the middle of a problem.

So here I am in the middle of my morning bible study and I keep reading all the way to these verses: Psalm 142:1-2. That’s when I start asking myself questions. Angela, when was the last time you cried out to the Lord? When was the last time you pleaded for the Lord’s mercy?

I guess I have just always given my problems a very low category on the scope of “real” problems that everyone else has that are so much more pressing than mine. I keep thinking to myself that God knows what my problems are. God knows my worries. God knows my fears. I try not to dwell on them too much because I know that God will work it out. I guess I have this quiet confidence in the back of my mind and heart that no matter what is going on God will fix it. Am I too comfortable? Maybe God would like it if I cried out to him any way! Maybe it’s ok to talk to God about my issues even though I don’t want to burden him with these “trivial” matters. I know, I know, I have them labeled “trivial” because in the big scope of God I’m thinking, “he doesn’t have time for my pettiness.” That’s not true at all and I have to STOP that sort of thinking. I know better!

But today while reading all of these coincidental verses I started to change my thought process on all of it. Maybe God does want to hear even the smallest trouble even though I know that he knows what is already going on. Maybe I shouldn’t be so comfortable in knowing that I already know that he knows. Maybe God wants to hear from me just the same? Maybe I could just have a conversation with him and see what he will decide to do with me because at the end of the day this is how my perception will be shaped. I’m supposed to learn something from the situation, right? Maybe it’s time for me to start thinking outside of the box and formulate my discussion with God and just share with him. He wants to hear from me no matter how much I know deep down that He my LORD and Savior will handle it. You following me?

So then I get on to the next section of my Bible and I come to Proverbs 17:24-25. In verse 25 it says, “Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.” I don’t want to be bitter. I want to have it together. I don’t want to hold a grudge. I want to be open to loving my daughter even when she doesn’t make sense. Of course I love her! I will never stop loving her! I just don’t understand what she is going to do with her life right now. She keeps messing up to the point where I think she’s hit rock bottom but then I realize she has not and wonder what her rock bottom will be? That’s the scary part for me. When will enough be enough, ya know? I don’t want to enable her and I will not be a doormat. In a sense I seriously need to have a conversation with God about how to fix me and how I react to her.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am looking forward to watching God give me some BIG answers. I can’t wait to see what HE is going to teach me. But first I think I need to have a conversation with him. I do think it’s interesting that people back in Old Testament days had trouble with their children too.

Judging Others Is Not Competing with God: Tricia keeps hearing from friends that it is not right to judge other people — only God can do that. Dr. Laura clarifies the instances when God is the judge and when we are — or should be.

I would have posted the video itself but there were only very LARGE options to choose from that would not fit on my blog page too well. So I posted the URL to the video itself.

This video reminds me of two things: 1) People who believe in Jesus telling other people who believe in Jesus that they are not part of God’s family OR that they are going to hell because they have not been baptized. 2) Teenagers who think it’s okay to shack up with their boyfriend/girlfriend diminishing the importance of love and commitment within the parameters of marriage.

I know two very different topics but I can’t help myself. These two topics have been on my mind A LOT lately. As a believer in Jesus and his shed blood on the cross I am certain that his death was not in vain. His blood was enough!! There is nothing that we can do to work our way to heaven. In the bible it says that if you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead YOU WILL BE SAVED. (Romans 10:9) It doesn’t say that you must be baptized in order to be saved. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves.

I actually had someone tell me that you can’t have forgiveness of sins OR the Holy Spirit if you are not baptized. Uh excuse me? But that’s not what my Father in Heaven has told me. Last time I checked, I can pray and have a relationship with Jesus. God wants to communicate with me and because of Jesus he has given us this beautiful gift. It’s because of his good grace that we are saved because we have confessed and believed. The Holy Spirit is with us and you don’t have to be dunked, period!

Communion and Baptism.. these are all great things that come AFTER you have established your faith and believed in Jesus. People that say you can’t get into heaven if you are not baptized have taken Christ’s death on the cross and have diminished his shed blood. To top it all off these believers are telling other believers that they are going to hell. Uh… last time I checked I was pretty darn fearful of even inserting myself into the equation as God! How dare any believer tell a fellow believer that their Salvation is in question if they haven’t been baptized!! I would not want to face God on judgment day and have to answer for THAT one.

The other part of this YouTube video that has affected me so so much is the tid bit about the 18 year old teenager who decided to shack up with her boyfriend. You guys have NO idea how close to home this hits me!! I know, I know.. you’re probably thinking “I can’t believe you’re going to blog this.” Well you know what? I’m tired of being afraid to share what is going on in my life. I’m tired of thinking about the potential backlash that could result from me blogging something very real going on in our family.

My teenager was invited by her boyfriend’s mother to live with her son in her basement!! Yep, you read it and I blogged it!! I’m not happy about it. This isn’t how we raised our daughter. And living with her boyfriend in her boyfriend’s mother’s basement is not what I envisioned for her when I was raising her. She deserves so much better than THAT and I have no respect for her boyfriend’s parents whatsoever!! None — Zip — Zero — Zilch!!