I've Become My Mother!: A Video Interview With My 13 Year Old Daughter

I've Become My Mother!: A Video Interview With My 13 Year Old Daughter

I've Become My Mother!: Not Wanting To Let Go....

I've Become My Mother!: Not Wanting To Let Go....

I've Become My Mother!: Urgent - A Miracle and Hope Is Needed

I've Become My Mother!: Urgent - A Miracle and Hope Is Needed

I've Become My Mother!: Found - Stolen IPod.. Problem - A Classmate Has It...

I've Become My Mother!: Found - Stolen IPod.. Problem - A Classmate Has It...

I've Become My Mother!: Courageous - A Must See For Every Dad and Mom

I've Become My Mother!: Courageous - A Must See For Every Dad and Mom

I've Become My Mother!: I Planned For The Wedding... But Not The Marriage

I've Become My Mother!: I Planned For The Wedding... But Not The Marriage

I've Become My Mother!: A Day In My Teenage Daughter's Life

I've Become My Mother!: A Day In My Teenage Daughter's Life

I've Become My Mother!: Am I Being Unreasonable - Seeking Wise Mom Thoughts

I've Become My Mother!: Am I Being Unreasonable - Seeking Wise Mom Thoughts

I've Become My Mother!: My Top 10 Marriage Saving Ideas....

I've Become My Mother!: My Top 10 Marriage Saving Ideas....

I've Become My Mother!: Wish There Was An Exception Clause...

I've Become My Mother!: Wish There Was An Exception Clause...

I've Become My Mother!: I Need To Love My Husband Today

I've Become My Mother!: I Need To Love My Husband Today

I've Become My Mother!: A Call To Action - Anyone Can Say They Are A Christian

I've Become My Mother!: A Call To Action - Anyone Can Say They Are A Christian

I've Become My Mother!: Please Pray for Haley Today.... She's In ICU

I've Become My Mother!: Please Pray for Haley Today.... She's In ICU

I've Become My Mother!: Bone Marrow Testing Kits Available

I've Become My Mother!: Bone Marrow Testing Kits Available

I've Become My Mother!: Have Faith - Miracles Can Just Happen....

I've Become My Mother!: Have Faith - Miracles Can Just Happen....

I've Become My Mother!: Bone Marrow Drive In The Works!

I've Become My Mother!: Bone Marrow Drive In The Works!

I've Become My Mother!: Be A Donor - Save A Life - An Urgent Request

I've Become My Mother!: Be A Donor - Save A Life - An Urgent Request

I've Become My Mother!: Help Save A Child - URGENT REQUEST

I've Become My Mother!: Help Save A Child - URGENT REQUEST

Is The Rapture This Saturday - May 21, 2011?

Harold Camping, a Christian radio broadcaster made this prediction a while back. He believes he can use mathematical predictions applied to the Bible to predict dates for the end of the World. His current prediction is May 21, 2011.... This is his 2nd attempt at predicting the Rapture.. His first prediction was September 1994... Kind of reminds me how Jehovah Witnesses have predicted the end times... Many times... Now they believe Jesus showed up invisibly or something like that in 1914...

Since the moment Jesus left His disciples and went back to Heaven - people have been predicting His 2nd coming.. I personally believe this to be arrogant... The Bible addresses this...
Mark 13:32-33 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.."

This is what I believe... I believe there will be a Rapture...(pre-trib, mid-trib- post trib, I don't know.. would prefer pre-trib...) I know many people do not believe this to be true and that's okay... The Rapture has nothing to do with my relationship with Christ.. It's an event that may or may not take place... I believe ALL followers of Christ do believe that there is a 2nd coming and that we will have eternal life with Jesus Christ... We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died so that we can be forgiven and live forever with Him.. This is the foundation of our faith... But we can not just rest on the foundation - we need to move forward..

Faith and our relationship is not an one time event... It's not a "I accepted Him" and now I can go back to my life... Faith and our walk is a life time thing... It's a moving forward kind of thing.. We need to continue to moving toward God as best as we can... We may fail but the main thing is to turn back towards Him... Following Him.. This is so much more important than trying to predict when He is coming back... When we follow Him... He is already with us....

Phil. 3:13-14 "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus...."

I've Become My Mother!: The Ten Commandments Of A Healthy Relationship

I've Become My Mother!: The Ten Commandments Of A Healthy Relationship

I've Become My Mother!: Do Your Kids Believe In God?... Do You?

I've Become My Mother!: Do Your Kids Believe In God?... Do You?

I've Become My Mother!: My Daughters and I - Are Going Historical Part III

I've Become My Mother!: My Daughters and I - Are Going Historical Part III

I've Become My Mother!: My Daughters and I - Are Going Historical! Part II

I've Become My Mother!: My Daughters and I - Are Going Historical! Part II

I've Become My Mother!: My Daughters and I - Are Going Historical! Part I

I've Become My Mother!: My Daughters and I - Are Going Historical! Part I

I've Become My Mother!: I Have To Say This....

I've Become My Mother!: I Have To Say This....

Kelly's Ideas: We Will Sit At The Table And Have Conversation..

Kelly's Ideas: We Will Sit At The Table And Have Conversation..

I've Become My Mother!: Seeking Advice For the Unhappily Married Mom

I've Become My Mother!: Seeking Advice For the Unhappily Married Mom

I've Become My Mother!: Struggling with kids and electronics.....

I've Become My Mother!: Struggling with kids and electronics.....

I've Become My Mother!: John Hopkins Update - Cancer...

I've Become My Mother!: John Hopkins Update - Cancer...

Swimming Upstream

"If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream" Francis Chan - Crazy Love

This statement is so true....

Like any relationship if we don't work at it - it starts to lose its strength... its meaning... The love and fire you once had will soon lose its radiant glow....

We need to actively pursue God and Let Him in and stay there!

My Thankful List

I am thankful that my mom is now cancer-free!

I am thankful that my daughters continue to be healthy.

I am thankful that my husband has a job he loves..

I am thankful for my sisters..

I am thankful for a warm home..

I am thankful that I am watching the rain from my bedroom window cozy in my bed..

I am thankful that all my needs and wants are continually met.

I am thankful that I have excellent insurance and doctors..

I am thankful that Christ is my Savior and I know all good things come from Him..

I am thankful that I live in a part of the world that is not suffering from war.. from famine, from the damages of earthquakes and tsunamis..

And Jesus answered and said to them; "Take heed that no one deceives you, For many will come in My name, saying 'I am the Christ' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pas, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.. Matthew 24:4-8

I've Become My Mother!: Making A little Extra Money From Blogging

I've Become My Mother!: Making A little Extra Money From Blogging

What Does "Amen" Mean?

Whenever we pray to God.. to Jesus... We end our prayer by saying "Amen"... But what does Amen really mean?? I always thought it meant - A Man... not sure why... maybe because of the spelling? In my study today... I finally learned what it meant....

Amen comes from a Hebrew word meaning "trustworthy" or "true". Therefore, saying amen means that you agree with what was prayed and that God is trustworthy to answer the prayer. Sometimes Jesus even begins his teaching by saying, "Amen, amen," which means, in essence, "you can take what I'm about to say to the bank."

Thought this was pretty cool and wanted to share....




**photo from Flickr

Not Trusting Enough.. again

A friend called me yesterday on the phone... She had seen that I called her cell earlier that day and did not leave a message... She thought that I may have called her about my mom and her recent surgery... I had called her because I wanted to talk to my friend...

As we talked about what's been going on in my life lately - she asked if she could pray with me... So she prayed for me over the phone....

In her prayer she said that I trusted God to take care of me.. My mom.. my children.. my marriage... And in that prayer I realized that I had stopped trusting Him... I was taking control again.. And I realized in that moment that I had to let go..... again..

** thank you Roxanna for calling me.. praying with me.. and knowing my heart..

Psalm 40:1-2 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on Earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have over the World.

Romans 5:3-4 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character...

1 Peter 1:8 Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!

I've Become My Mother!: Facebook Daggers and Other Comments....

I've Become My Mother!: Facebook Daggers and Other Comments....

Fasting from Snacks...

My church recently had a 40 day fast... I did not participate.. My youngest daughter did - She did not fast from "food" - she fasted from candy... She fasted from her favorite thing.. She did this because she wanted to give God her best... and she did... On day 41.... She was tearing down the candy aisle.. My husband fasted from wine and all other liquors and salt.. On day 41 - he made himself a diet coke and Myers Rum.... My oldest decided she would fast from her electronics.. that lasted a day.... maybe 2.. (Today - both of my kids are fasting from their electronics - you can read about it here)

I am not Catholic so I do not participate in Ash Wednesday or Lent. But I do believe it is important to give God our Best.. Lent reminds us of Jesus' 40 day fast in the wilderness... Lent is a time to let go of an Earthy desire until Easter time...

I love to snack... whether it's my diet bars... ice chips (yep that's a favorite snack of mine) or a jar of chocolate frosting... I will not snack period.. I will eat my 3 meals and that's it... I know this is pretty small but God knows my heart and I know he likes it...

How about you?

Kelly's Ideas: Guess What I'm Getting Today???

Kelly's Ideas: Guess What I'm Getting Today???

I've Become My Mother!: To My Mom...

I've Become My Mother!: To My Mom...

One Day I Will See His Face....

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now; you believe in him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 8

This was a verse from yesterday's sermon.... This verse made me think of a child in our womb.. We do not see the child but we love them... Even before we felt the first kick..... We are filled with joy....

Just because we do not see Jesus.. (yet) does not take away the joy and love I feel everyday from Him..... and I know that one day...... I will see His face and stand in Awe in His presence.....

Struggling With Work.. Family.. Time...

Hard to believe a year ago this month - my husband was laid off... He was home for six months.... During that six month time - I worked more than I had ever worked... By the grace of God - I was able to support our family during this time. My small business took flight and I had more clients than I could handle...... It was a difficult time for me mentally... physically... I was working 7 days a week.. Over 12 hours a day... I refused to turn down business - I was on over-drive... I was too busy thinking about me... poor me... No time for me... I was too selfish to see God in the middle of this... I was too blind to see that my husband was struggling... I was too stressed to see my kids suffering from lack of attention from me and from my husband... All I saw was I was making money and we needed money and that was that.... And today - thinking about that time... I am ashamed..... God provided for our needs... He was there.... I tried to take control away from Him.. and in that power struggle - I missed out on a summer with my kids... I missed out on spending some good one on one time with my husband.. He was home... He had time for me... And I blew it!

Today - I tried to talk to the husband. It's tough at times... His main focus now is work.. He loves his job - but it's a really busy job... Taking him away from home every week... And when he is home - he is still working..... And when he isn't working -he wants to relax.. His relaxation is golf... watching sports... browsing Ebay... He does not want to get into conversations about the day to day trials of raising strong minded teenagers.. He does not want to hear his wife nag.. He wants his family "happy" - He wants everything in its place... And to tell you the truth - it pisses me off! I want my husband's attention.. I want him to be a part of our family.... I miss my husband.. and my kids miss their dad....

My point is not to throw my husband under the bus.. He is a good man.. He is a good father.. He is a good provider... My point is that like me -He has become blind to what's around him... He is self focused... and I am not doing a good job of turning his focus towards me.. towards us.... Getting in his face about his lack of attention and time does will not work.. I need to turn to God... I need to give Him control... I need to allow God to turn this around...

God's original design for the family will not be destroyed. Right now we may be struggling with our relationships - We live in a sinful world.. But God does promise us that He will wipe away every tear... All through the Bible there is so much encouragement... Reading Ephesians is a good thing for me to read today....

I have no doubt that all will turn around.. I believe in my man... and I know without a doubt that God is in Control and is on our side.....

I've Become My Mother!: And The Band Played On - Give Away

I've Become My Mother!: And The Band Played On - Give Away

A Prayer Request For My Mom....

On March 10th at 7 in the morning my mom is going into the hospital... She is going to say goodbye to both of her breasts... Her surgery is scheduled for 8 AM...

This is my prayer request... This is my prayer...

Father God - Please let your presence be known to my mom... Let your love comfort her. Please guide the surgeons' hands to remove all of the cancer... I pray that the cancer has not spread.. I pray that her recovery will be fast... I pray that she will feel no fear... but only peace... Father - I also pray for my sisters - I pray that they too will feel peace... and no fear... She is our mom and we love her... She is the only parent we have left and we want her to be happy... healthy... fear-free....

Thank you Father for loving us....

I've Become My Mother!: "Mom - You Are Over Protective"

I've Become My Mother!: "Mom - You Are Over Protective"

Knowing About and Knowing Him

I cannot remember a time when I did not believe in God... I have always believed He existed... I have always believed that Jesus was His Son and that he died on the cross for my sins... I have always known this... I have not doubted it (at least not often)... But knowing about Jesus and knowing Him are not one and the same... Is it?

One thing I am struggling with is helping my kids to find and develop that working and loving relationship with Jesus... I want them to feel His love... I want to feel His love.. It is difficult to do at times... Especially when you are not into His Word... When you are not actively talking to Him... Having a relationship with Christ is much like any other relationship that is worth keeping.. It takes time... work... love... quiet.. communication... learning.. faith.. listening..consistency...

I have learned that going to Church when the doors are open.. Attending every Church event... Belonging to Bible studies - Having my kids go to a Christian school and Christian camp doesn't make me/us a follower of Christ ... Yes, corporate worship is good BUT we have to have that relationship with Christ... We have to live in His word and not just when the church doors are open.. It has to be a 24/7 kind of thing.... It has to be who we are... Not necessarily what we do.....

When I am in His word.. When I am living with Him in me... When I talk with Him... I feel peace... I feel love.. I feel joy... regardless of what my worldly circumstances are... When I am with Him - He comforts me... I need to stay in His Word... and my kids (and others) will see that reflection of His love from me and they just might want some of that......

God's word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. Hebrews 4:12

The Bible is an invitation to connect with God in a personal way - and to learn more about yourself in the process.. *excerpt from 100 favorite Bible verses

The Ben Hooper Story - Who's Your Daddy?

I received this story in an email today... I loved it... Many times we will receive inspiring "true" stories only to learn that they were "inspired" by someone's imagination and not by true events... After I read this story - I checked on Snopes.... and it is true... Imagine that!

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg , TN. One
morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy
a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed
a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table,
visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his
wife, 'I hope he doesn't come over here.' But sure enough, the man did come
over to their table.

'Where are you folks from?' he asked in a friendly voice.
' Oklahoma ,' they answered.
'Great to have you here in Tennessee ,' the stranger said.. 'What do you do
for a living?'
'I teach at a seminary,' he replied.

'Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really
great story for you.' And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and
sat down at the table with the couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, 'Great .. Just what I need ..
.another preacher story!'

The man started, 'See that mountain over there? (pointing out the
restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy
born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place
he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?
Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would
ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'

He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid
going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was
about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go
in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your
daddy?'
But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got
caught and had to walk out with the crowd.

Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing
anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's
your daddy?'

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church
looking at him Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question,
Who's your daddy?'

'This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using
discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to
that scared little boy.. 'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the
family resemblance now, You are a child of God.'
With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a
great inheritance. Go and claim it.'

'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out
the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody
asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them , 'I'm a Child of God..'


The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, 'Isn't that a
great story?'
The professor responded that it really was a great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, 'You know, if that new preacher hadn't
told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have
amounted to anything!' And he walked away..

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress
over & asked her, 'Do you know who that man was -- the one who just left
that was sitting at our table?'

The waitress grinned and said, 'Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's
Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee !'

* picture from Picture history
**thank you Aunt Rita for emailing to me today

A Quote From C. S. Lewis

Letting Go is something that challenges me.. I am a C.S. Lewis fan and found this quote today - I felt it was worth sharing...

The maternal instinct is a Gift-love, but one that needs to give; therefore needs to be needed. But the proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our gift. We feed children in order that they may soon be able to feed themselves; we teach them in order that they may soon not need our teaching. Thus a heavy task is laid upon this Gift-love. It must work towards its own abdication. We must aim at making ourselves superfluous. The hour when we say "They need me no longer" should be our reward. But the instinct, simply in its own nature, has no power to fulfill this law. The instinct desires the good of its object, but not simply; only the good it can itself give. A much higher love - a love which desires the good of the object as such, from whatever source that good comes - must step in and help or tame the instinct before it can make the abdication..

excerpt from The Four Loves

I've Become My Mother!: The Love Test....

I've Become My Mother!: The Love Test....

I've Become My Mother!: My Name Is Kelly And I Am A Control Freak!

I've Become My Mother!: My Name Is Kelly And I Am A Control Freak!

I've Been Married How LONG????

It's hard for me to believe that this picture is me on our wedding day Twenty-two years ago today... I remember feeling so fearful... Not knowing how my life would be.... Right before I walked down the aisle to my future husband - my dad said... "I have the car in front - we can make a getaway if you changed your mind.." Thinking back on that offer - I think my dad may have been half serious.. half kidding.. I was the baby..

Marriage has been tough... Most of the years it has been plain awful... And if I want to be honest... a lot of the pain and unhappiness would have to be laid at my feet... I did not know how to love... I did not know how to be a wife... and after 22 years - I am still trying...

Watching the movie Fireproof was a big turning point for me... I saw me in the characters - and I did not like it.. The book in the movie The Love Dare (English and English Edition) - has helped me on my journey... I started it a couple of years ago and if I practice the concepts.. things are great... It really is amazing.. but when I don't... well it's not so good... Today - I choose to love....

Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. Excerpt from The Love Dare...

You can give undeserved love to your spouse because God gave undeserved love to you...

I've Become My Mother!: Cancer Is Attacking My Mom!!!!!

I've Become My Mother!: Cancer Is Attacking My Mom!!!!!

I've Become My Mother!: Getting Ready For Independent Study #1

I've Become My Mother!: Getting Ready For Independent Study #1

I've Become My Mother!: On line School - The Wave of the Future?

I've Become My Mother!: On line School - The Wave of the Future?

What Happened To My Sweet Baby?

Today my daughter wore black.... Black pants... black shirt... black jacket... black boots.. and black eyeliner.. On her face is a permanent scowl... She wants to spread her wings... much more than a 14 year old child should... and because I am a 'Mama Bear' she is not happy....

I will not allow her to lie.... When she is caught (unfortunately this is a common occurrence lately) - there are consequences...

I will not allow her date - I do not think her maturity level is there and I also do not believe a 14 year old should date... There is time for that later...

When I say she can have "x" amount of something... whatever it may be - money, diet coke, extra time on her computer.. phone.. - I mean that amount - not 500% more of whatever it is....

I will not allow her to curse in front of me... I cannot control what she does when I am not around - and I hope... I pray that she will be pleasing to God... to others.

Peer pressure just sucks.... I can't think of any other way to put it... High school has definitely brought our share of "peer pressure drama"... I often hear things like: "Everyone has this or that..." or "She used to cut herself... but she stopped" or "She called me a loser - flipped me off... and by the way I gave loaned her $5.."

Talking and texting about sex is common place nowadays... I have lost count of the times I have taken the phone away for long periods of time... only to have her back at it.... As a parent - I reserve the right to check emails, computer histories, and texting whenever or wherever I feel necessary... and When I give my words of encouragement, wisdom and experience - it goes in one ear and out the next... As a parent who has been there... done that.... can write the book about it..... I know nothing...

A friend of mine once said that I need to give my concerns and worries for my kids to God... She said I need to be in constant prayer..... This is a hard thing for me to do... I trust God in so many areas of my life.... I would be lying if I said I give it all to Him - all the time... But to let go of my kids and give them to God... that is a Big leap of faith, isn't it? So today - I am going to pray... I am going to give a little at a time to God... so I say... so I need to do..

I need His help.... and your prayers....

1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

I've Become My Mother!: Copying Other Parents....

I've Become My Mother!: Copying Other Parents....