On April 7th Audrey Caroline came into this world and has touched so many lives with her brief life. I urge you to go check out www.withoutwax.tv to see an interview done with Todd and Angie Smith. What a testimony this couple has. I know my life has changed because of reading about their journey. You can also read about Audrey by clicking on Bring the Rain over in my blogroll.

• I have not quite gotten down the whole GMT thing so the dates/times that my posts show up are weird. I was on this 100 days of blogging quest and that did get interrupted by me having to NC for my step-grandfather’s funeral and having no internet access.  I did not post yesterday, well just because. But I was looking back over the last couple of posts and it looks like I posted yesterday but not on Saturday. So I think I have it figured out now. I have to post early in the day in order for it to show the correct day on it. This may not bug you but it does bug me.
• I had to turn the heat back on last night. This is after going and buying two new fans for the house because it was so hot last week. We had frost on the ground this morning. And here it is almost noon and it is still pretty chilly outside.
• Now that testing is over at school it seems that they are not doing anything but having fun. Not that you shouldn’t have fun at school but this is Bean’s schedule for this week, Today-going to cheer on the kids from their school that made it to the county wide track and field day. They are eating lunch there and will be staying until the ribbons are handed out. Thursday-Field trip to the home of Cordell Hull and Alvin C. York (now this does go along with their TN history), Friday-4th grade track and field day. So you can see not much classwork is being done.
• Buddy does not go to school on Thursday due to Kindergarten registration for the incoming little ones. I have never heard of this but none the less Buddy will be home with me on Thursday.

• It bugs me that I have gotten behind on my schoolwork and am still trying to catch up. I am in the home stretch, only 2 weeks of school left and then I have the summer off. So I am buckling down the rest of the week trying to get caught up.

So what bugs you? I would love to know. I find people so interesting and amazing. I have been reading some new blogs in the past couple of days and I am amazed at the human spirit.

Not exactly how I wanted to start my day. Just after Steve left for church this morning the power went out. I called Steve to see if the power was on at church. It was, so he called the power company. They were aware of the problem and were working on it. Well I waited until the last possible minute to take my shower and still had to take a shower in the dark. As I was drying off I noticed the night light was on in the bathroom so I yelled to the kids, “Is the power back on? Could someone please come turn the heat lamp on for me?” It was a little chilly in the dark bathroom this morning. So the kids ate dry cereal for breakfast because I did not want to open the fridge not knowing how long the power was going to be off. And I headed to church not having eaten anything. We usually have breakfast in my Sunday School class but alas, there was no breakfast today. I don’t think today was my day to bring breakfast. We send a sign up sheet around and I know that when I signed up I made sure it was the Sunday after a payday so I think my day is in two weeks.

So I did not eat until lunch, which was McDonald’s because I had a baby shower to go to and the girls had a birthday party to attend. And McD was easy. And sometimes you just have to go with easy.

Busy week ahead for us. We are in the middle of revival at church (the speaker has been very good), plus we have games Tuesday and Thursday. And this is the next to the last week of school for me and Steve. Steve is counting the days because he will earn his Master’s degree in two weeks. I am so proud of him, the day I thought would never get here has almost arrived. (I love you honey!)

Today began the softball/t-ball season for our household. There were a total of six games to be played today. That’s 2 games for each kid. Bug and Buddy started off playing at the same time. So I stayed with Bug and Steve and Bean went to watch Buddy.

Buddy’s coaches have now taken to calling him “Hollywood” because of his sunglasses.

Bug was not very happy at the start of the second game. She did not get a hit the first game and came off the field crying to me that she was the worst softball player ever and that she did not want to play anymore. So I tried to give her a pep talk and then traded places with Steve. The second game she did get a hit and so life was good once again.

Bean did not get a hit today but she was a good sport about it.

This after she was done playing. She had fun really, she did.

Here is Steve right before Buddy’s coach said, “Hey can you come coach 3rd base?” So during Buddy’s second game Steve was the 3rd base coach.

Buddy hitting the ball. I don’t have a picture of him laying down on the field when it was his team’s turn to be on the field. Or one of him picking up dirt instead of paying attention to where the ball is. But he is 5 (well almost 6) so some goofing off is expected.

Me and two of my kiddos hanging out at the ballpark.

Here is the thing that I found kind of odd, they don’t keep score for any of the games. Not even in Bean’s age group, which is 11 and under. Now I know in recent years kids sports have gotten so over competitive and parents have gone way overboard and all but I thought it was kind of odd that even in Bean’s game they did not keep score. Now mind you the kids keep score. Bean said they won one game and lost one game today. Bug thinks they won both games that they played, but they don’t really even do balls and strikes. They get 7 pitches per at bat. If they don’t get on base then it is an out. In t-ball the whole team gets to bat and then they switch sides. They do this twice I think, it may have been three times. Even in Upward where it is all about good sportsmanship we keep score. So I just thought it was a little odd. Overall it was a good day at the ballpark. We return Tuesday for games under the lights for Bug and Buddy. Since we are having revival at church I will have to figure out a way to clone myself between now and then so I can be at two games at the same time. Oh well, such is life.

I pray you have a blessed day of worship.

our new puppy, Allie.

She is 7 weeks old and the latest addition to our family. So now if you are keeping count we have Angel and Allie, the puppies. Crooks and Billy, the kitties and Hannah the hamster. No we are not working on filling the ark. I think the house is now full. No more animals.

Tomorrow starts the softball/t-ball season. We will be at the park not the whole day since some of the games overlap. See Bug and Buddy play at 1, Bean and Bug play at 2. Then Bean has a game at 3. After that Buddy has his second game at 4. So for the first two hours Steve and I will be going back and forth between fields to watch two kids play at the same time. At least Steve won’t be missing Buddy’s first game. When I got the game schedule there were no games on his schedule for this Saturday. It showed his first game as being on Tues of next week. We are having Revival at church and so Steve will have to be there for that. So I was kind of bummed when I thought that Steve was going to miss Buddy’s first game.

So tomorrow’s post should hold some stories of how the day at the ballpark went.

Ok so I just watched this. Thankfully my dear husband has not used me as a sermon illustration without my permission but I can relate and I find the video hilarious!!!

• I am hot
• American Idol was a shocker last night
• Sure did not think Carly would be the one going home
• PLEASE send Jason home next week
• His hair creeps me out
• Have you seen the price of eggs?
• $2.99 for 18 eggs
• !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• And now there might be a rice shortage
• What’s up with that?
• It’s official, I can work as a sub at the school now
• I am excited about that
• Hopefully I will get at least a few days in before school is out for the summer
• Did I mention I was hot?
• The A/C is running but I can’t tell
• We might get a puppy
• Going to look tomorrow
• Since the one we had ran away and we never found her
• Bug went to the Science Museum today
• She had a blast
• I interviewed my aunt about being a teacher
• It was for one of my classes
• The hamster’s cage needs to be cleaned
• I think I will go make a sandwich
• It is Thursday, fend for yourself dinner night
• Some ice cream would be delightful
• Since it is so hot in here

See aren’t you glad you stopped by. Sorry I am not full of anything deep and profound today. It is too hot. I can’t think when I am hot.

I am a member of a Southern Baptist Church. I believe in a lot of what the SBC does and stands for. The Cooperative Program is one of the best out there for getting missionaries into the outer most parts of the world to spread the Gospel. But here in our own country the SBC takes a lot of flack for the stances that it takes on issues (that I am not sure the Church should get involved in to begin with). The Bible tells us to love one another. To meet the needs of those around us. To preach the Gospel, to teach and to save the lost. Somewhere along the way every denomination has gotten too involved in the things of the world and taken a stance against this or that. Each generation has had their own thing to speak out against. But along the way we (the Church) have lost our way. We have gotten mad at one another, split off into different denominations, and then even in the denominations there are those that refuse to get along with one another.

Just released today by Lifeway Research, SBC baptisms are at their lowest levels since 1987, falling for the third straight year. So it is official the SBC is on the decline. Can the SBC turn around and make change in these numbers? Are these numbers even important? I think the numbers are important to look at and I think that a change can be made. But it has to start in the heart of each and every member of an SBC church.

Ed Stetzer, of Lifeway points out three things that must be resolved in his blog today,

Three issues rise to the top. First, we have to deal with the continued loss of SBC leaders. As we have recently reported in Facts & Trends, we have witnessed a serious (and increasing) depopulation of young leaders at our convention. Also, ethnic leadership remains absent after decades of ethnic change in America. Vacant seats still exist at the SBC table for the ethnic and generational diversity that matches the America we are attempting to reach. The departure by the future leaders of our convention has led to fewer church plants, missionaries, and energetic pastors to lead our faltering churches. We must retain these leaders not because we need them for our churches. We need them to reach the lost whom our churches have yet to touched.

If we don’t, why did we bother with the Conservative Resurgence in the first place?

All I can say is AMEN, AMEN, AMEN. It is time to put aside differences, traditions, preferences, our own wants, etc and focus on what is important, showing love, God’s love to those around us. Showing God’s love will go so much further to bringing someone into the family of God than beating them over the head with a Bible and telling them what a sinner they are.

Just some food for thought.

I went to see the doctor today. I have this place on my hip that I thought was a bit of some kind and it turns out I was right. It is a spider bite. The doctor said it does not look like a brown recluse bite (thank the Lord for that). She said it was just probably a common house spider. So she did put me on antibiotics(a $4 drug at Walmart) just to make sure there is no infection. I have also been suffering with allergies since I was in NC for the funeral so she gave me some Nasacort nasal spray (not a cheap prescription). I also got a shot of steroids while I was in the office. Yes it hurt, no I did not cry. The doctor said the steroids should last about 6 weeks, long enough to get me through the worst of the blooming season here in TN.

I also had basket class this evening. I got almost finished with the second purse I am making. Soon the girls will have purses of their very own, made by mom.

Well I ended up being gone all day today so I did not get any school work done. So tomorrow will be spent getting caught up on all that I am behind on from being gone last week. Right now I am going to finish watching NCIS and probably go to bed. I am tired.

I have pictures for you today. As I drove to North Carolina on Thursday to be with my family lots of thoughts were going through my head. I was thinking about the many summers I had spent with my Granny and Jim (my grandfather that passed away) and the memories that we made as we spent time together. The route that my navigator took me had me wandering through the countryside of southern Virginia. And as I came around a curve I noticed a road sign that said Joppa Rd. I kind of laughed to myself and continued on. Just a little bit later this was the sight I was blessed to see…

Now when I got back in my van and continued down to the bottom of the mountain I no longer had cell service and therefore I no longer had my navigator. So I did not know which way to go. Do you know what the name of the mountain was? Ararat Mountain…yeah I am still laughing about that one(google Ararat if you don’t get the reference) I had to call my dear husband and have him look up where the heck I was so that continue on my way.

I am really glad to be home. I will have more to share about my trip later. Thanks again for all your prayers. It was so nice to know that people were praying.