The Bayou Belles and Their Beau

So sad.

2012-01-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

I was very saddened yesterday after reading this story:

Former ORU President Richard Roberts Arrested on DUI Complaint

As you may know from reading my blogs or knowing me, not only did I graduate from ORU, but Beau worked for Richard Roberts in the television department for years. He had many conversations with him and he and I each have always held him in high esteem, even despite some negative reports heard in the past few years. He was nothing but kind, understanding, and just an all-around good guy to us. He's prayed for both Beau and K Belle before and spoken many wise words to Beau. He taught one of my classes called "Holy Spirit in the Now," which I thoroughly enjoyed and learned quite a bit about the charismatic movement. We've always liked both him and Lindsay (whom we also had many interactions with).

I took the news years ago about the Roberts leaving ORU and the alleged inappropriate behaviors in stride. It really didn't change my opinion of them.

And, now this.

When I read the article last night, I was just sad. Plain sad.

Not because I was disappointed in him (which I may have been a bit), but sad for him. Sad for whatever he's facing and even sadder about what he's about to face.

I thought about how his name is associated with my degree that hangs on my wall at work. That made me a little sad too. But I still remain proud in my accomplishment and what an incredible university ORU was and continues to be. If my girls said they wanted to attend ORU, I wouldn't hesitate to send them there (if I had the major moolah). I am confident in the awesome education they would get and the even more awesome relationships that would be built there. ORU has a huge sense of community and unity. It's pretty awesome! Oh, yeah ... I already said that.

I also thought about how there will be many people that will have a heyday with this. Bring on the naysayers! And those who said "I told you so."

My mind always goes to David in moments like these because he's so easy to relate to for me ... actually for everyone. He had struggles. He fell multiple times. But what amazes me is how the people never turned against him.

I'm sure Richard Roberts will not have that kind of support despite all the positive things he's done for people and the great things he's done for God.

For that, it's sad.

I want to make sure that I'm quick to offer grace because I need SO much!

Moms cry for the darndest things.

2012-01-23T08:27:00.000-06:00

Confession time: I cried over my child making a bad grade last week.

There's gotta be some other loopy moms out there that have done the same. And, yes, I literally have cried 2-3, maybe even 4 times this school year over grades. I know ... Insane. (Don't ever pray for God to make you more sensitive.)

I may or may not have also go into this whole rant about how important grades are (which they are) and something about throwing your life away (which they will if they don't make good grades). A little over the top. Or maybe not. (Do you see how I may be a little bi-polar?)

Right now, I'm just living from break to break. I ask myself at the end of the last school break, "When's the next break?"Only a few more weeks until we get another one. Hallelujah! Mardi Gras is just around the corner and summer's not far behind it.

There's way less drama in the summer.

Between the waking up at 6:00 AM and having to patrol homework & grades, I'm not sure I like when the girls are in school at all.

Oh, but how I whine and complain two weeks into summer vacation about how it's time for them to go back to school! I secretly like them being home. ;) (as long as I hear no "You're being a jerk." or "You're acting like a brat." which is pretty common around my house lately)

So despite the fact that we are not Catholic and do not celebrate Mardi Gras, aside from the eating of the king cake, I anxiously look forward to this holiday. Bring it on so we can get a break!

In celebration, be looking for my annual Mardi Gras giveaway coming soon!

Some of the Dumbest Things I Heard This Week

2012-01-20T06:00:00.002-06:00

Mark Wahlberg said this week that if he would have been on one of the planes on 9/11, he basically would have killed the terrorists and saved everyone. How insensitive and purely stupid! Click here to read the whole story and how he apologized. Well, thank God for that. That was dumb, Mark, really, really dumb.

Equally dumb was Newt saying he wanted an "open" marriage to his second wife. Now this second-ex-wife (what a title and a statement) comes out with all kinds of negative stuff about the speaker. Newt, I'm sure you realized all this would be found out. You should've been nicer to this ex-wife. And, really? An "open" marriage? That's just dumb, Newt, really, really dumb. (It really makes me not like Calista.) (Story here.)

A Ron Paul supporter backed up traffic for hours with this hot air balloon. The balloon was set up in the middle of the road during rush hour. Duh. I'm pretty sure if I was on the fence about whether or not to vote for Ron Paul, this would have made it a definite NO. (Don't worry. I was never a Ron Paul fan.) Way to go, guys, way to go. Dumb. (Story here.)

And, on the home-front, I haven't run since Saturday (unless you count the lame mile I ran at a snail's pace last night ... I've lost my mojo.) ... dumb, dumb.

You can't live their lives for them.

2012-01-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

Everyone knows being a parent is hard.

It's the hardest job I've ever had. "Job" isn't really the right word. I do consider it a privilege that God has given to me. I do not take it lightly.

As my girls get older, it just gets harder. Sorry, parents of babies and toddlers. There are days I pray to change a diaper or have a sleepless night. I miss those days.

But, also, as my girls get older, they get cooler and even more fun to be around (not that they weren't before). Their personalities really start to shine through, as well as their temperaments. And, there are times when I see some of the values I've instilled in them put into action and notice a hunger for the things of God.

Honestly, each age has its challenges, but I find the middle school & teenage years harder.

I am in a constant struggle to get not worked up about things that I can't control. That's pretty much key with everything in life.

I can only control so much.

I can control their environments & their consequences, but I cannot control their choices. Only they can do that. That's when I start to get scared and pray they've gotten something from their parents all these years.

I spend a lot of time praying. A LOT.

It's pretty much my only "control" over their choices.

I pray that God would keep them and they would hold onto Him, never letting go. I pray that they would have a hunger for Him and the things of Him. I pray that God would put a drive and ambition in them to do something great in their lives for Him, and not settle for anything less than His best. I pray that God would give them wisdom ... so much wisdom. I pray for protection and guidance.

And, I pray for SO MUCH MORE WISDOM FOR ME. This stuff is hard.

In the end, it is THEIR choice, THIER life.

A lot of times the only thing I can do is pray, then trust that God always knows best and loves them even more than I do.

Fingers crossed that I'm doing an OK job because God knows it's not awesome. Also praying that they'll need no therapy later on.

One thing's for sure. I stinkin' love these girls.

Can't wait to see what God has in store for them!

Am I the only girl whose heart flutters when I know another GOP debate in on?

2012-01-17T06:00:00.004-06:00

Weird, huh?

Because I'm pretty sure I'm the only one watching these debates. Geez. There's been like 17 of 'em.

But, I LOVE them!

And, now candidates are dropping like flies. First, my girl, Michele (I loved, loved, loved her, knew she wasn't going to get the nomination, and am glad she finally gets to blink! See video for explanation.
HI. LARIOUS.)

and now Huntsman (who I had actually thought dropped out a long time ago because he was so forgettable and really irritated me).

After seeing all these debates and listening to what the candidates have to say ... (I'm just gonna put it out there even though you're never supposed to talk politics with your friends.) ... I've grown to really like Rick Santorum. I didn't even know who he was before the debates, but he makes a lot of sense and stands strong for his beliefs. I don't think he'll get the nomination, but he's good, ya'll. Really good! I would vote for him.

Ron Paul ... Whew! When he starts to talk, I get scared. I really think he's crazy.
(Can't get this image out of my head every time I see him.)

Rick Perry ... Never liked him. Never will. Not much else to say about that.

Newt ... Love him. Super smart & quite sassy. I do like that about him. He ain't scared! But ... not sure he can win against Obama. In a debate ... YES, but in the election ... not sure.

And, then there's Mitt ... or as I like to call him, Republican Ken. Seriously ... does he not look like a Ken doll?

(and if you google "Ken doll Mitt Romney" you'll something like this ... obviously I'm not the only one with this view)

I like Mitt. And, yes, he will most likely get the nomination. He's also very smart and is good in the debates. I just wish he wouldn't be so plastic and perfect. I want to see him loosen up his tie and get jiggy with it. That's definitely one of the things I think people liked about Obama. He was a little more human and approachable.

OK. So there it is in order of preference:

1. Santorum
2. Romney
3. Gingrich

The rest ... no. I hope they drop out soon too.

Is it weird that I totally understand this woman's thinking?

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

I read this story yesterday:

Pastor's Wife Sends Body Double to Sit Pleasantly on Front Pew

(Please click the link to read this. You won't be disappointed.)

Ridiculous, right?

Then, why do I so sympathize with Trudy.

There's a huge spiritual lesson here. I'm sure you all can see it.

You know ... It's all about her feeling like she was under a microscope, being judged, never truly being able to be herself, yadda yadda yadda. It really is a shame that we feel like we can't be accepted at the one place we should feel accepted. Women do this to themselves a lot.

And, then there's those days when you just don't want to leave the house or want to see anyone. It's just the simple fact that everyone needs downtime, right? We really do. And, that's OK.

There are times that I honestly don't want to do something just because I really want to do nothing at my house. How true is this!

So ... Trudy, I hear ya', sista! No matter how totally insane what you did is.

But, here's my problem with her plan:

If I were to get a body double, I would not find one at Kohl's. I would shoot a little higher. And, make that body double quite a bit better than my own body since no one's really going to see me anyway. Shoot ... They didn't know it wasn't her for two years. TWO YEARS!

What was she doing during this time her body double was at church with her family? Catching up on laundry, her soaps? What in the world?

And, really? Her husband didn't realize it wasn't her in two whole years? I think I'd want to get rid of my husband if he couldn't figure that one out.

I do, however, think her plan was clever. Although absolutely CRAZY.

I think I'll start looking for my own body double tomorrow. She can head over for my next visit to the DMV or OBGYN. Now, that's worth it.

UPDATED: (Just found out that this story is not real. Guess I need to check my facts better. The site is dedicated to satire. Awesome. Did make for a great post topic though. Boy, do I feel dumb now.)

Jesus and Football

2012-01-09T10:31:00.000-06:00

(This picture literally made me snort.)

This is a very dangerous post, especially if you live in the South, and even worse Louisiana. I feel like football has become our lives. It's getting ridiculous.

I have nothing against football. It's fun to watch just like any other 6th-grade volleyball game.

But, we seem to be going overboard. I understand what it means to be a fan. You cheer on your team. You wear the t-shirt on game day. I even own those t-shirts. And, you talk about the previous night's game with your friends. I get it. I played sports, you know.

My Facebook is clogged up with status after status about football, like these individuals are actually on the field and know better than any of those "stupid" coaches. Ugh. And, when the team's doing well ... great posts. But, when the team's losing ... they know what the team should be doing instead. Makes me laugh.

It also makes me stop and think.

How many of these same people don't promote a thing about their faith? Or their church? With the same amount of enthusiasm?

In the end, it really is just a game.

How many of these same people talk about and invite people to non-football-game events at their church? Probably not many, but they would invite those unsaved friends to games out of town and skip church altogether.

Listen ... I am NOT a football-hater. Not at all. I think it's fun and great and I enjoy watching.

I just feel like it can get magnified too much in our lives over things that should be magnified more. Get it?

Just last night, Beau and I sat at home and watched Denver play Pittsburgh. It was a great game. That's it. A. Great. Game.

Now, back to life.

I guess I'm just irritated when I open up my computer and that's all I see ... FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL.

Is there a way to be a fan in moderation? Geez.

When someone looks at my life, I would hope that they see way more than just being a certain sports' team fan. I would not want that to hold my identity. Not be what I'm all about.

So ... football fans ... cheer on your team, wear your shirts, eat your chips and queso. But, please share that same enthusiasm for Jesus and your church.

Whew. I may get some flack for this. Ah, well. Ce'st la vie!

(And this post on the night where LSU plays Alabama ... Ha!)

And, now for your viewing pleasure ... (Don't take offense if you already haven't. Just a little humor.)

Those Dreadful Resolutions

2012-01-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

(Ha! This just made me giggle. Definitely something a woman would say!)

I've already posted before about how I don't make resolutions. I just don't.

Resolutions are just something I'm destined to fail at so I spare myself the disappointment.

My real "resolutions" take place every day.

I resolve to be a better wife, mother, friend, child of God each day and then the next day I do the same. By grace ... that's the only way I can be good at any of these things. Trust me. It's only by God's grace. And, even then, sometimes I choose to go around that grace and do my own thing, which is when I fail miserably.

Thank God for that grace He gives me. He's SO good to me.

I think if my number one "resolution" per say would always be to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, everything else will just fall into place. Then, there would be no reason for those dreadful other resolutions we always make each year.

This verse pretty much sums it up:

He must become more important (increase), and I must become less important (decrease). John 3:30

So as I do make plans to organize quite a bit of things in my house and life, I want to keep that one verse in mind. Not just in mind, but put it in practice.

Now ...

speaking of decreasing, I'm hoping to make my return to the gym this morning after a long sabbatical. I'd like to decrease in multiple ways.

Hope you and yours have a prosperous & blessed 2012!

Burning the cabbage on New Year's Day is OK, right? It's not a bad sign at all.

Even Jesus only had one Christmas.

2011-12-28T06:00:00.002-06:00

I am officially Christmas-ed out.

We had Christmas dinner with the girls' godparents, a Christmas Eve drop-in with friends, Christmas Eve gumbo & presents with my parents, Christmas Day stockings & lunch at my house, Christmas afternoon visiting with Beau's family, Christmas Leftovers' Party with friends Monday night, Christmas dinner and more presents with my dad's family last night, AND ... can you believe it, Christmas at PF Chang's with my mom's side of the family tonight? How else does a typical family celebrate the birth of Christ but with great Chinese food?

Let's count that.

Um ... that's 8 Christmas events. EIGHT.

Wow. That's enough.

I am officially done with eating.

Well ... I guess after tonight I will be.

I'm terrified to step on the scale. TERRIFIED. So, I probably won't. At least for another month or so after I get myself back together.

I have not worked out regularly since the week before Thanksgiving. Horrible. Shameful. Sure, I did a run here and there, but nothing consistent and it's finally catching up with me. My clothes are tight. I'm uncomfortable and could give myself a kick in the you-know-what.

So ... you would say, "No problem, Mama Belle. Just start up Thursday or even Friday."

But, I have this pesky little minor surgery on Friday morning. No big deal. One of those drive-through, in-and-out surgeries. I'm sure I'll be home by the afternoon.

The only part I'm not crazy about is the getting-put-to-sleep part. Thankfully, my mom, the best nurse I know will be there. I requested her to be there so that the other nurses or doctors don't kill me. All those medical dramas have ruined me. I've seen a woman wake up in the middle of her surgery or even worse not wake up from a surgery. Uh ... Too much to think about.

Anyhow, I'm sure I'll be up and ready to go for a run this weekend. Some time. At least I hope so.

In the meantime, I'll give you a taste of what we've had to endure from Roxy's latest Christmas gift (of which she has 3 of). Lord, help us.

Hope your Christmas was blessed!

You're welcome.

2011-12-23T11:24:00.000-06:00

Christmas is right around the corner. Like everyone else, I'm equally swamped with preparations for Christmas day and multiple family celebrations.

Add to that, fielding numerous daily questions like, "What's abortion?" from my 11-year-old (long discussion ensued), and ensuring my 14-year-old still has a pulse due to her massive amount of sleeping. Beau continues to run around and get his last-minute gifts, persistently refuses to use the "GUIDE" button on the remote, and is repeatedly watching YouTube videos by Dirty Loops (It's constant, ya'll. Same songs, over and over again. He's listening to one right now. Dirty Loops, can you please re-make another song for my sanity). I've just been trying to avoid getting out at all and wishing there would be at least one good thing to watch on TV besides those terribly crummy Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies. But on a good note, I actually have had a clean house for about a week now. Best accomplishment of the week! (which reminds me I have to put the clothes in the dryer ... be back in a minute)

I was thinking about how nice it would be to have ALL family members from every side at one place at one time. Wow. That would be so much easier. I mean, can't everyone just make things convenient for me? Geez.

When you get together for these things, each time food is involved and usually, you have to bring something. Last night, I pulled out this recipe from Picky Palate for a small get-together at my house.

Um ... they were devoured despite the accidental overdose of condensed milk. Oops.

So easy. Mine didn't turn out as pretty as this picture, so I stole it from their site. Very rich and delicious!

White Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars
1 large egg
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 full graham crackers
10 ounce bag white chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 box yellow cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with tin foil that’s been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure foil goes all the way up and over the edges for this one. It will be a full pan.

Place cake mix, egg, and butter into a large mixing bowl. Mix with hands (THIS IS MESSY & I think a spoon would be OK.) until a nice dough forms similar to a cookie dough. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with graham crackers, white chips then marshmallows. Top with remaining half of dough pressing evenly. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over top then bake for 28-33 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then take a plastic knife and run along edges to loosen marshmallow (this will make your life easier when pulling foil out of pan to remove bars. Let cool completely (IMPORTANT if you want them to look decent) then remove bars from pan with foil edges. Cut off all edges if desired, about 1/2 inch each side. I save the edges to snack on too. Cut bars into squares and serve. They are delicious room temperature or chilled.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Take time to enjoy your family and remember to thank God for the precious gift of His Son!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

Now on a totally different note and to make sure you're in the-know...

Dirty Loops - Re-make of Justin Bieber's "Baby".
(Go here to be even more pleased when you hear what they've done to Brittany Spears' "Circus".)

It's not NYC, but it's the closest thing we got.

2011-12-22T06:00:00.004-06:00

You know how much I love NYC. I really do. We spent our 15th wedding anniversary there a couple of years ago. It was IN. CRE. DIBLE. Then, we took the girls for Mardi Gras last year. Loved it again!

I'm pretty sure I could fit in there. I really could. This is no joke.

(Shhh ... Beau and I plan to move there when we get old. Maybe. Or at least dream about having an apartment to visit.)

NYC is quite the distance from Cajun country, so we settled for, not New Orleans (been there, done that A LOT), but Houston for our anniversary get-away.

(Note to self and any other non-married person reading this: DO NOT and I mean DO NOT get married near Christmas just to save money on decorations or you think it would be neat to have a Christmas wedding. DON'T DO IT. Your anniversary becomes a secondary thing. This is precisely the reason Beau and I try to get away every year no matter what. It's an important thing to celebrate, you know.)

I absolutely adore Houston.

Our time there was very relaxed. We had no agenda but to enjoy each other's company and sleep late. Yep. That was pretty much the plan. Oh, and eat good food, which we SO did.

Our anniversary dinner was amazing! We chose Mark's American Cuisine.

I have to say it was definitely one of the best meals we've ever eaten, including our NYC meals (and all meals from the South ... which let's face it, has some of the best food around). Seriously ... AMAZING! The only negative part about it was that it was also the most expensive meal we've ever eaten. Quite a chunk o' change. But, let me tell you, worth every penny!

See how excited I am to start eating?

So, let's get this started. You must see what we ate.

Appetizer:

Hearth Roasted Chef Creek Oyster Topped with a Ragout of Jumbo Crabmeat, Shrimp and Roasted Leeks in a Truffle Aioli Vinaigrette

A yummy salad came next which we scarfed down before I could get a picture.

My entree:

Grilled Panama Shrimp with a Ragout of Jumbo Lump Crabmeat atop a Southern Carolina Succotash & Grit Cake with a Chili Spiked Lime Sauce, & Roasted Green Chile, Cilantro Coulis

Beau's entree:

Prime Sirloin of Beef and Chicken Fried Bacon with Roasted Potatoes, Mushrooms, Slow Roasted Peppers with Aged Balsamic Vinegar and a "1658" Steak Sauce

And you didn't think we'd skip dessert, did you?

My dessert:

Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee'

(That "Happy Anniversary" is all chocolate. That made me even happier.)

Beau's dessert:

Lemon Cheesecake

If you're ever in Houston and have a few extra bucks, eat there. I promise you will not be disappointed.

As my mama always said, "Children should be seen and not heard." At times, so true!

2011-12-15T06:00:00.010-06:00

Our Christmas production, A Charlie Brown Christmas, was a huge success, not in that we did a good job, but in the fact that over 4800 people had the opportunity to accept Christ. And, 80 made it official. That puts everything in perspective. All the late hours, hard work, and stress were worth it, knowing that those people now have a relationship with Christ.

As you know, I played Lucy. She was a great character to play. It was quite fun!

My favorite part of the entire production was meeting kids afterwards. I got so many hugs from precious little girls (and some boys). It was so sweet!

Until ...

The most (ahem) precious little girl told me this after seeing me close-up:

"Ha! They made you look young on the stage."

Why, yes, "they" did, Little Miss Smarty-Pants!

My expression after hearing this statement was probably somewhat like this.

(This pic cracks me up.)

What a great weekend!

Here's a few more pics:

To watch the production, you can go here.

I'm trading in my dancing shoes.

2011-12-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

I prefer these babies.

I finally have a chance to relax and put them on. I have been running (and dancing) like a crazy person for a few months now. I'm definitely beyond ready for a break. Thank you Lord, that I'm finally getting it.

Here's where I wore my dancing shoes first.

(These pics are from "That '70s Disco" Christmas Party for the ladies of our church ... almost 330 in attendance. It was a fantastic and groovy night!)

Beau and me singing "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

Even our pastor got involved. Here he is singing "Play that Funky Music."

'70s Disco Dancers were awesome!

Laverne & Shirley were hilarious and lead some great games.

Who says you can't worship the Lord in disco clothes? We did.

The fabulous, DeLynn Rizzo, shared an encouraging message. I just love her.

My girls (minus a few ...)

The disco floor was opened and everyone learned "The Hustle." Fun!

As far my second pair of dancing shoes ... they were a pair of black and white oxfords that I got to take off for good yesterday.

I got to play Lucy in our annual Christmas production, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It was lots or hard work but it paid off with over 4800 in attendance this past weekend and even better, 80 salvations! That makes it all worth it!

More Charlie Brown pics to come.

Now, I'm going to eat chocolate.

How to Receive a Compliment

2011-12-10T11:00:00.003-06:00

Most of us find it hard to receive a compliment. I often struggle with it, but am training myself to receive it with grace. I typically grit my teeth and try to avoid brushing the compliment away with an excuse of why I'm not what the compliment-offerer says I am. I try to offer no excuse. I force a smile and say "thank you," even though inside I whole-heartedly disagree.

I'm working on it, people. And, I know most women are just like me in this area.

Through time, we've learned that this problem, combined with a bit of self-esteem issues.

But, I've found the greatest tutorial on how to receive a compliment from my friend, Jenny from Jenny on the Spot.

I'm so doing this from now on.

You should too. It's time we grab hold of that compliment and own it!

Wait ... I have a blog?

2011-12-05T06:00:00.002-06:00

Right, I do.

Life has been a little hectic, and I'm sure I'll have stuff to share after the madness is over. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures of this past weekends' '70s Disco Party, which was a blast, and included a great word from DeLynn Rizzo.

I feel like every day has been a pattern of working early and continue working late into the evening. I haven't had much time for anything. My family's been living off of fast food and mac 'n cheese. Yuck. La Petite Belle even had to wear a dirty shirt to school last Thursday because I had forgotten to wash. Gross. I threatened her about not taking her sweatshirt off. But, the worst came when I forgot to pick up K Belle and her friend Friday after school because I was knee-deep in disco party preparations.

Don't worry. They were picked up.

But, it's really been one thing after another. And, now we're onto Christmas production.

It is really going to be a great production and I hope to have video & pictures once it's all over. The production is A Charlie Brown Christmas. And, guess who's Lucy? Yep. Me.

Her lines are quite extensive. I've been working on memorizing and more memorizing.

The funny thing is that as I look more and more into Lucy's character, I notice that we are somewhat alike.

She's a little bossy. I can be a little bossy.

(Even though I think bossy people are simply misunderstood. Bossy is not necessarily a bad thing.)

She knows what she wants. I know what I want.

She has a problem with being a control freak. I can be a control freak.

She's a Type-A personality. I'm a Type-A personality.

She doesn't mince words. I don't mince words.

She's honest. I'm honest.

She likes to help people. I like to help people.

She can be misunderstood. I am often misunderstood.

Playing Lucy has become quite fun. She's a hoot! I hope I can do her justice with my limited acting skills.

Agreed, Lucy. Agreed.

If you're local and want to come to this fantastic production, you can. More info at www.mycrossroads.org.

The Scariest Ride at Disney World

2011-11-29T06:00:00.003-06:00

Our trip to Disney World was fun and flew by quickly. You know those vacations where you're up at the crack of dawn and in bed way past your bedtime? That was this vacation. I'm trying to recuperate, but with everything awaiting me at home, it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon.

The park wasn't very crowded the beginning of the week, but crowds grew as we got closer to Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving day with my parents and an aunt & uncle, eating at a resort, and then at Epcot and Downtown Disney. It was a pretty great day!

We rode most of the rides throughout the week. We had already made a family vow that we would not be riding Tower of Terror again due to the traumatization of the last time we rode it. Never again. La Petite Belle did chicken out a minute before she was to step foot on Rock 'n Roller Coaster, even though she had ridden it before.

However, the most terrifying ride for us was the bus ride back to our resort the evening before Thanksgiving.

We sat on the bus, just like everyone else, minding our own business. People started to get off at their stops and the crowd on the bus got lighter and lighter. There was a particular couple toward the middle of the bus who pretty much made out the entire drive. It was quite disturbing seeing the guy nibble on the girl's ear. K Belle was disgusted and kept commenting to me about it. I told her to just ignore them and look the other way. No problem. We would be off soon.

Well ... There was only one other family on the bus with us besides make-out couple and their relatives loud-obnoxious couple who made their appearance prior to our departure. The guy from the loud-obnoxious couple came up from the back of the box and started making obscene gestures to the other couple, cursing, and saying (loudly) inappropriate things.

My Beau can tolerate a lot, but I had a feeling a storm was brewin'.

And, it was.

Beau looked at the guy (as the other decent family exited the bus) and said: "Hey man, I have young daughters here."

Loud-obnoxious Guy: "And?"

Beau: "And what you're doing is inappropriate and I don't appreciate it."

Loud-obnoxious Guy: "That's life. I got daughters too."

Beau: : "One day it'll make sense to you."

Loud-obnoxious Guy began to say a bunch of other stuff that I just ignored, but it included more cursing, singing inappropriate songs loudly, and mocking us.

We still had another stop before our stop and, of course, they were at our stop.

We just sat there. The bus driver did nothing. He was approximately 85-years-old, so not sure what he could've done. I tried to keep the girls distracted from them. K Belle asked if we could just get off. She was scared.

These guys were pretty rough. I thought Disney World didn't allow riff-raff. I felt like I was at Six Flags.

I was hoping they wouldn't follow us or see where our room was. They were definitely ready for a fight and actually so was Beau. His words were: "I hope he comes up to me and says something so I can rip his head off." Um ... I'm sure that's what Jesus would do.

We got off the bus and went the opposite direction. Once we got back to our room, K Belle promptly locked all the doors.

We obviously survived through the night and they didn't come after us.

But, my question to you is: Would you or would you not say something to some hooligan who starts to speak obscenities or inappropriate talk in front of your children?

Beau did. I don't think I would have said something if he wouldn't have been there for fear of the guy and his friends.

Thank God for my husband. We never have to have any fear that he will not protect us. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would fight someone to the death if they tried to harm me or the girls. I love that.

Well that went well.

2011-11-18T06:15:00.001-06:00

I got a whole four comments from ladies wanting Roma's new children's DVDs. Wow. I think I've failed that angel.

Anyhoo ... you ladies get the DVDs of course. I will be contacting you for your addresses. Yay for you!

On a totally different note ... ummm ... I'm going to Disney.

So, I'm frantically cleaning house and packing right now. The car needs to be inspected, the dog needs to be groomed, and all the clothes need to be washed. Whew. I'm tired just thinking about everything that needs to be done.

I'm equally tired thinking about the 12-hour drive starting at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow. We won't even talk about the same 12 hours back.

But, I will be so happy once I see this little guy.

Disney World is pretty much the most magical place in the world. I literally had tears in my eyes the first time I saw Mickey coming down the street in the Main Street parade.

This will be our third time going to Disney. Each trip has been different because our girls have been various ages each time. This time we take a teenager and an 11-year-old. I can't wait to see the fun that this trip holds. We have already made a pact that there will be no riding of "The Tower of Terror" because of our near-death experiences last time. But, roller coasters ... beware.

This is also the 40th anniversary of Disney World. In fact, Disney World and I have the same birthday. Think I could get some extra-special perks because of that? Maybe. I will definitely try.

Because I will be hobnobbing with Pooh Bear and Prince Charming, I will not be blogging next week. I hope to have some good stories for you the week after.

Have a great Thanksgiving week with your families!

Four New "Little Angels" DVD Set Giveaways & My Interview with Roma (We're pretty much on a first-name basis now.)

2011-11-15T06:00:00.004-06:00

OK. So, you remember when I posted that I was going to talk to Roma Downey?

Well, I did.

She was simply precious. And, I'm excited to tell you about her new children's DVD series and be able to offer four giveaways. Each giveaway includes two DVDs in the "Little Angels" series.

Each DVD teaches, not only a preschool learning concept, but life lessons through Bible stories.
This one ... ABC's ...

And, this one about animals.

I asked her a couple of questions.
What was your inspiration for this new DVD series and why did you want to get into this field?

Over the last few years, I had written a couple of children's books, so it's an area of the market that I've always had great affection for. I've raised three children myself and this idea had been growing inside of me probably since Touched by an Angel came off the air. It's no secret that I have a great love and affection for angels. I played one for almost ten years. I love kids and I love God. So to be able to combine what I do with what I love has been very, very exciting.

When I was a child growing up in Ireland, one of the prayers my parents taught and shared with me was a short little prayer:
God in heaven, my Savior dear, watch over my children and draw them near.
Send your little angels to be at their side, to light and to guard, to love and to guide.

And, that little prayer became one of the central inspirations for the whole series.

The stories on the DVD take place in the nursery of twins, Alex and Zoe. The action happens when the mother, voiced by Roma herself, is out of the room. There are eight angel characters painted on a mural in the nursery. These little angels come to life and connect with the twins, teaching them practical life skills and also introduce them to spiritual principles, where the twins get to meet and interact with Bible characters. Issues that the twins face are cooperation, obedience, being thankful, being helpful, forgiveness, and sibling rivalry.

One of the things I really appreciated on your DVDs was the fact that you took a moment to directly talk to moms in a real practical way. Is this going to be on all the DVDs?

I recorded a section called "Little Life Lessons with Roma" and I thought it would be a good chance for me to be directly speaking to moms and dad with ways to teach their children the lessons that were touched upon in that particular DVD and offer little parenting tips on how to tackle certain situations. You should learn to regard everything that happens with your children less as a challenge, and more as a teachable moment and opportunities for growth.

I really did enjoy the DVDs and wish I would have had them as another option to VeggieTales, which are also phenomenal as you may know, when my girls were little.

You can also read here about MOPS giving "Little Angels" it's recommendation.

Here's a sneak peek:

I'm pumped about being able to offer 4 sets of the "Little Angels" series to 4 lucky readers. All you have to do is a leave a comment telling me who you're going to give these DVDs to and add your email so that I can contact you.

I will choose a winner on Thursday evening and post who the winner is on Friday morning.

Feel free to share this with all your mom friends. Get them to come on over and enter!

This guy's good.

2011-11-09T06:00:00.006-06:00

Yeah, he is.

Check out these photos Chris Deville took for an upcoming conference brochure.

Yep. He makes me look good.

You can see even more great pictures on his website - www.chris-deville.com.

Excuses, Excuses

2011-11-07T06:00:00.005-06:00

(How appropriate for this time of year.)
I hate excuses. I typically think like a teacher when it comes to excuses ... unless you have a doctor's excuse or have had a death in the family, you really have no excuse.

OK. That's a little extreme, I know.

But, there is a doctor's excuse and a death involved in why I only had one post last week.

I also hate when people use the excuse of "I've been so busy." It makes my skin crawl. To me it's like saying, I'm the only one that's busy, everyone else is just sittin' around popping bon-bons and twiddling their thumbs. Come on, people. Everyone's busy. And, everyone has to make time for everything. That's life.

Whoa. That was kinda hard-hitting stuff to preface why I hadn't done a post.

So, here are my excuses:

#1 Beau had (and still has) a kidney stone, which included a visit to the ER two Fridays ago.

#2 Work has been overwhelming. We are currently moving offices and trying to continue to do all of our regular jobs. My two offices are in disarray.

#3 School stuff, soccer, cheerleading, piano, church ... 'nuff said. Something's happening every night. And, honestly, soccer is about to be the death of me. Praise the Lord that the last tournament this weekend!

#4 Attended a great women's conference this past week where I found out I have a bit of Gideon, Moses, and Jonah in me. Thanks, Amy Groeschel! (There was so much good stuff from Christine Caine & Priscilla Shirer too. Wow.)

#5 Multiple Christmas production rehearsals and memorizing lines that make MacBeth look like a children's program ... OK, I may be exaggerating a bit, but it's a lot for me.

#6 The crazy person that runs my house (me) is having a garage sale this weekend to help fund #7

#7 We're headed to Disney World in less than two weeks. So excited but so much to get ready for!

#8 Planning an awesome '70s disco party for the week I'm back from Disney = anxiety.

#9 Finding time to read ANY of my Bible study book is almost impossible. And, blogging here or at Joli even worse than that. What's worse than impossible? Not sure.

#10 Our fish, Silver, died this weekend. Memorial service was conducted by La Petite Belle as we buried him in the flower bed. He's been with us for years and had a pretty good life despite his few times out of the water where he was desperately trying to breathe.

Remembering that I'm a wife and mom first carries the most pressure of all!

Now, there ... these are my excuses. I hope you are more forgiving than me.

This song has been stuck in my head after this past weekend. I think it's because God wants me to remember that it's only through Him that I can make it in everything, big or small. This one line stood out, "I look to You. I won't be overwhelmed. Give me vision to see things like You do." That's what I want. If we saw things like He did, there would be no anxiety, no stress ... just the big picture.

My #1 Fan

2011-10-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs at least one fan and I found mine this weekend.

As you know, most churches do a Halloween alternative. I'm so thankful that our church has an annual Jamboree where the kids dress up and get lots of candy {similar to Halloween, but not at all like it ;)}.

My girls have always loved this event. Of course, K Belle is too old for this, but La Petite Belle has at least one, maybe two more years to be involved in it.

This year's theme was "Extreme Heroes."

To my surprise, one of our good friend's daughters dressed up as me. I got such a kick out of it & of course, she was precious.

Here we are together. What a doll!

La Petite Belle took it a whole other direction by dressing up like her daddy ... not her mama ... her daddy because obviously that's way cooler. I'm not bitter. It's ok.

Here she is practicing how she'd carry it off.

Getting the look down.

On stage.

So fun!

Glad that cat's out of the bag.

2011-10-28T06:45:00.000-05:00

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm VERY good at keeping secrets and surprising people. Beau ... not so much. And, my family ... even worse.

We were going to surprise the girls with our 3rd trip to Disneyworld. This time we would be there for Thanksgiving. It will probably be our last one for a long, long time seeing as our girls are getting up there in age. The next time we go may be with the grandkids .... Wait. What? Let's not think about that.

K Belle was told accidentally by an aunt last week. It really was quite innocent. So, La Petite Belle was the only one who didn't know.

We decided to go ahead and tell her in a fun way soon so that no one else would spoil the suprise.

K Belle and I planned a little scavenger hunt for her last night after she got home from soccer.

She was scared at first. We assured her nothing was going to jump out at her. She was very quick to find all the clues. Each clue came with a letter. When she collected all the letters, she was to unscramble them to give her her final clue.

It took a little while, but she go it!

Yay! So excited! In less than a month, we'll be at the most magical place in the world.

Anything for you.

2011-10-27T07:28:00.001-05:00

I hear a Gloria Estefan song playing in my head. That shows my age.

I'm careful only to post recipes that either I'm dying to try or I know are good. You can trust me on this.

So, last night I attempted something I saw on none other than Pinterest (It's like a drug. Don't even try it if you haven't yet.)

Any recipe with only a few ingredients is always worth a try. This was worth the effort.

All you need is this: (plus powdered sugar)

You mix an angel food cake mix and one can of lemon pie filling. Spray a 9 X 13" pan. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 20 minutes. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I ate two pieces ... ok, 2 and a half ... just to make sure it was worthy of posting. Anything for you guys!

So easy and good too!

Push Back

2011-10-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

We had two soccer games this past weekend. La Petite Belle was in full force.

She scored two goals in Sunday's game and led her team to victory. But, the game on Saturday didn't have such good results. They lost ... 3-1.

There seemed to be a LOT of pushing on the part of the other team ... the other older team (U-12 ... La Petite Belle's team is U-11). So much pushing that at one point I just screamed out "Stop pushing!" Guess who was on the other end of most of the pushing? Yep. La Petite Belle. She was pushed quite a bit. She even spent some time on the ground.

After the game she said, "I think they had it out for me." (Me too.)

La Petite Belle started to become visibly irritated that the coach was not calling the other girls on the pushing. So ... what do your do?

Well ... she just pushed back.

This was not the right thing to do.

However, the coach, after the game, said that if the ref is not going to enforce these rules then La Petite Belle did the right thing by pushing back.

Which leads me to the question: At one point do you not turn the other cheek?

That's what the Bible teaches us. That's the harder thing to do. The easier and most fulfilling thing is to definitely push back.

Is there ever a point where we should push back? You hurt me so many times, I hurt you back?

Really, pushing back is just self-defense. We do the same thing in our relationships.

And, that is the harder part because our flesh wants it. We want to push back. Push back so much that we are far away from anyone who can hurt us.

Every single time we're pushed ... Every. Single. Time. ... we are commanded NOT to push back.

Really not pushing back makes us the stronger person. It takes real strength to turn the other cheek when someone has offended or hurt you.

It takes real strength to lay it all down at Jesus' feet and trust Him to handle the situation and not take it into our own hands.

I'm trying, ya'll. I'm really trying to be that kind of strong.

On momentous occasions, make sure you let someone know when you're going to do your secret dance. (AND a winner!)

2011-10-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

Remember the whole deal about me turning 40? And how I had a big awesome party with about 70 of my friends? Yeah. Remember that?

Well ... I forgot to tell you that Beau and I had worked on a secret choreographed dance the night before. Yeah. It was intended to delight and loosen up the crowd and to get them on their feet. (which it did)

But, here's where we failed. A couple of my friends knew we were thinking about doing it, but I hadn't told them yea or nay on the matter.

So, when the moment came around when Beau and I were mentally preparing for our moment, I didn't tell anyone to record it. No one.

One friend got only Beau talking about how much he loves me and wants to dance the first dance with me. Then the video cut off after the first few seconds of the music. But, I will upload it for you just for fun.

And the other friend only got the very end of the dance, which was quite enjoyable to watch, but he continued to record so that the video is too large to upload. :(

Just take my word for it: Beau's got moves. (but I think you already knew that)

Now ...

Who's the winner of the $10 Starbuck's gift card?

Let's see ...

Random Integer picked #6.

Karis Brister ... you won! Because I know you, I'll be able to hand deliver that gift to you at church. Congrats!

Hoping to use some of your questions soon in my interview with Roma.