Scooby Strikes Again

I know you all are anxiously awaiting to hear about yet another "Brown Family" episode, so here it is.........(drum roll)....

Last Saturday morning as we prepared to leave for Christmas in Iowa, we loaded up the van to capacity. Five people...five suitcases...four pillows....four blankets...one bag of snacks...five water bottles....two bags full of gifts...one travel DVD player (a necessity for traveling with 3 kids...although ours broke on the way home)....five winter coats...five pairs of boots...AND two dogs.

Yes...picture me and my husband in the front of the van...then my 2 girls in the middle seat with Sammy (our beagle) sitting on top of them....then my son holding the psychopathic dog Scooby in the back. Actually, he wasn't really holding him as much as he was restraining him from flinging his entire body over the seats to try to come to the front of the van.

The trip to Linton to drop off the dogs at the vet for boarding went smooth. Each dog was obedient and stayed in their assigned seat. Then we arrived at the vet clinic. Yes, this is always a fun time as both dogs anxiously try to propel their bodies out of the van at the same exact time. So you have Sammy carefully hopping out at the same time Scooby thrusts his body through the doorway while dragging my poor son behind.

After the dogs smelled the grass around the clinic, we went inside and then it hit Scooby. You could read his mind as he cowered in the corner refusing to go any farther than the entrance. "THIS IS THE PLACE I DETEST WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING!!!!"

So what does Scooby decide to do? At that very moment he decided to cleverly slide his neck OUT of his collar and turn towards the front door....the front door that was NOT shut completely. Out of the corner of my eye, all I saw was a flash of black and then saw the door slam shut behind Scooby as he ran free...with my son scrambling behind him in an effort to catch the lightening-fast dog.

Now picture this....my husband was waiting in the van which was parked facing the front door of the vet's office. He sees us go in. He sees the door open again. He sees Scooby run by. Then he sees my son run by with the dog collar in his hand. Uh-oh.

The next moments are pretty much a blur in my mind. I remember running circles around the vet clinic with my entire family and the vet workers, yelling Scooby's name as he paraded around playing a game of chase. He was probably having the time of his life as he escaped being caught by so many people.

But then he discovered this is new territory. He went next door to CVS to check out the people leaving the store. Then he ran into the busy traffic at the intersection on Hwy. 54 and dodged cars for awhile. Then to our disappointment, he ran across the street into the parking lot by Angel's Grocery Store and Arby's. At this point, my husband and kids followed on foot while I got back into the van to try to catch up with the escapee.

For the next half hour, we ran and drove through Linton...by the movie theater, by the surrounding neighborhood, in a field, in traffic...chasing the psycho dog. As much as we would love to get rid of him some days, this was not the way to do it. I couldn't imagine my kids witnessing him getting run over and then having to leave to go on vacation. Or what if we couldn't catch him? How long would we chase him before we would give up? How could we leave Linton knowing he was on the loose somewhere? He didn't even have his dog tags on since he got out of his collar.

After about 1/2 hour, Scooby slowed down a bit, but still evaded being caught. I would drive to the neighborhood and he would run back to Arby's. I would drive to Arby's and he would run back to the neighborhood. It was just a big game. My poor kids even tried riding with me and jumping out to get him as we drove by him. They tried everything. They were cold little popsicles at this point.

Finally, I opened the van door in a last effort and summonded Scooby to come. "Please, Scooby, let's go home...come here"....I pleaded as I squated down next to the van and called him over. As he started to run, he slid on a patch of ice, which scared him...causing him to run to me.

PANIC....how do I keep him there? There's no collar to hold!!!! So I grabbed his chest fur in one hand and his leg in the other hand, holding on for dear life as I screamed for backup. One of my daughters caught up and proceeded to grab his tail. So there we were, holding his tail, leg, and chest as the rest of my family came around the corner panting for breath. The collar got reattached....and tightened. Then poor Scooby went right back to the vet.

As we drove away, now 1/2 hour off our schedule for our trip, we all started to giggle. Can you imagine what we looked like to the passing traffic? There we were, all five of us, chasing a silly black dog through the streets and parking lots of Linton. Picture three kids and my husband running after him. Picture me driving to get to him, and quickly jumping out of the vehicle trying to entice him in. Picture us all surrounding houses of people we never met before, trying to get our frustrating dog out of their yard. Picture me and my girls running through a muddy field. As we checked our shoes and clothes, we all discovered we were COVERED with mud!!!

If anyone decided to videotape us, I know we would win America's Funniest Home Videos. If anyone happened to see us running through Linton this past Saturday, I hope you had a treat watching us run like crazy.

And where is Scooby now? He is home, safe and sound...sleeping here beside me. I don't know whether to love this dog or hate him. He is just so cute. But he is just such a problem child. But all in all, this was a memorable moment. A Brown family moment we will NEVER forget.

A Life Remembered

This year Christmas was a little different for our family. We had the loss of my grandpa just days before the holidays. I remember so much about him...all the times I spent at his house when he and my grandma watched me while my parents were at work. I remember him laying on the floor playing barbies with me. I remember taking rides in his red pick-up truck. But mostly, I remember what he said everytime he saw me.

"I remember the time you asked me for a roll of life savers. You saw I had a big box of them and said, 'Grandpa, you have so many...could I just have one roll of life savers?'" He chuckled everytime he said that.

He was a great man...a great life remembered...and he will be missed.

I was very amazed by the story I heard from my uncle when I was at my grandpa's funeral. During World War II, he had to have emergency surgery and the rest of his unit was sent to a battle (or something of that sorts). No one returned from this mission. He was the only one of his unit to survive.

It's amazing how God works. Imagine if he was with his unit. Things would be so very different. I would not be here. God's plan is such an amazing weaving of PERFECTION!!!

Where did time go?

I am simply amazed at how fast time flies! It seems like just yesterday we were sending off three kids to elementary school...and suddenly now we have two junior high kids! Where does time go?

I was looking at the pictues on my wall of my son in his first year of football. In 2006 he was just 10 years old at the start of the football season. That year my daughters were ages 6 and 8.

Fast forward a few years to the present day...and now my YOUNGEST is 10 years old! My youngest is in fourth grade and she is wearing the same clothes my other daughter wore just last year in sixth grade!

I know time flies for everyone, but I do feel somewhat lacking in my time with them as youngsters. Since we adopted our kids at ages 6, 8, and 10, I didn't get to experience them as small children. I missed all the wonderful years seeing them grow up from little babies. When we first welcomed them into our home they were young and and yes, we still did experience great bonding times...as we still are.

But wow...my son is going to tower over me soon. My daughter and I can just about share clothes. This is all too weird for me. Where did all the years go where my kids were suppose to be young and...well....um...kids? They are turning into teens sooooo... fast!

I know parenting can be rough and trying at times. But really, please do appreciate those times and never take them for granted!!!

The Neverending Day

Today is a day I will never forget. Reflecting back on the events of today, it was a great day, filled with lots of precious time with our families. It has been so great to have both my inlaws and my mom at our house this Thanksgiving weekend.

But, really...what were thinking when we got up at 3:45 a.m. to go shopping on Black Friday??? My morning actually started at 2:30 a.m. when my husband decided to start blowing his nose. It is evident that he is starting to get the same nasal congestion that my kids have had. After several long minutes of blowing, tossing and turning, and coughing, I was suddenly wide awake. But with our alarm going off at 3:45 a.m., there really didn't seem like much point in trying to sleep anymore.

I ventured out to wake up my kiddos at 4 am and was greeted with some not-so-pleasant moods....which was to be expected.

We pulled into Walmart parking lot about 5 a.m. and suddenly realized that my daughter, who gets motion sick very easily, was starting to puke. (YES...she even had motion sickness pills before we left). So in a moment of pure insanity, my sons tells her to puke down her shirt...and she starts to follow his advice. I immediately screamed to them to get her out of the car...which was now stopped. However, we didn't anticipate that no one unbuckled my daughter. She did make it to the parking lot, but not without first leaving some of her delightful "stuff" in my mom's car. (Sorry mom)

The next few moments cleaning her up in the not-so-clean walmart bathroom were met with thankfulness that she did not actually take my son's advice to puke down her shirt. Can you imagine???

We then snatched a walmart sack for any future incidents and were on our merry way, fighting the crowds. I ran to find the various sales as my kids obediently tried to keep up with me. Oh what fun!

After walmart, I left my kids in my husband's loving care and veered off with my mom to get some Christmas shopping done. What a success with everything on sale!!!

We met later at Denny's for breakfast, where my daughter (the vomiting one) ordered a large OJ. She then decided she would rather have hot chocolate. So what does my husband do...but challenge her to drink the entire thing before our food comes...and then if she can finish...she will get a hot chocolate. Hmmm...OJ on an empty stomach that just threw up. Yuck. She almost finished and got her hot chocolate...but had us all concerned this would not turn out good.

Several hours later, we returned with 3 very crabby, but completely hyper kids. Everyone was forced to lay down to "try" to sleep....however many were unsuccessful...

We spent the evening relaxing until it happened....yes, it did come back to bite us. My daughter suddenly got sick and threw up everything she ate all day. But it didn't stop there. We put her to bed and then she soaked her bed...spaghetti noodles and everything. Oh the joy of motherhood!

Seven trips into her room later, I am very tired and feel like puking myself. I blame my husband since the last 3 incidents have been all OJ. :)

But despite all the craziness...I love my family....I love being a mother...even if it means gagging myself while holding my daughter as she gets sick. That's all part of motherhood. It's what makes things memorable and keeps me on my toes. It reminds me how much I do love each of my kids.

Maybe next year we won't wake them up at 4 a.m. to go shopping!

This is Your Life

This week has been rough for our church body. Last Sunday night we had a wonderful bonfire and a hayride, which Kurtis organized for our church. He brought the tractor...the hay...and he drove the tractor and trailer around the beautiful countryside. It was a great time for our church...just everyone being together.

But then the unexpected happened. Kurtis, only 28 years old, passed away suddenly after an accident at his workplace. No one could have ever imagined that would happen. We were floored...in shock that someone we just spent time with days ago was suddenly gone. He had such a gentle spirit and you could just tell he was such a wonderful dad to his children.

This whole situation, as sad as it is, does remind me of something very encouraging. Kurtis IS in a better place. He is with his Heavenly Father...his Daddy! He is worshipping the King of Kings!

Often times we get so wrapped up in our lives and just assume that there will always be a tomorrow. But what if there's not? Are we putting off something that God wants us to do, thinking, "I'll do that tomorrow"?

We are not guaranteed a certain amount of years here on this earth. Kurtis' life is a reminder that life may not always be as you expect it. Don't put off something that you've felt God calling you to. Don't hesitate. Don't take your life for granted. As the words of my favorite Switchfoot song go...."This is your life...are you who you want to be?"

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

My head is in a fog...I am so drained...so tired...

I am still recovering from the last few days of being in Indianapolis for a conference for work. Besides being physically draining, being at these type of events is hard on me because I have to be away from my family. I dread these type of days all year.

This particular trip away reminded me of how thankful I am for my family. It was so hard being away from them. It was so hard to know about the time I was missing with them. Time spent with my husband and kids is like gold...it's so very valuable.

But why does it take being away to realize this? Often times when I am at home, I long for just a few moments to be out of the chaotic, crazy house. After dealing with hyperactive kids, sibling rivalry, complaining about chores, cleaning milk and cereal out of the couch, a dog who steals things out of the trash, and items that go through the wash that shouldn't....after all that...I am ready for a break. I need peace and quiet. I need some time to myself.

However, when I do get away, then I miss everything. It makes me realize how much more I need to cherish the daily moments with my kids. Often time I take those moments for granted. But they are precious moments.

My Awesome God

Isn't it awesome how God provides for our every need? Often times I find myself getting nervous and worrying when I have no reason to. My God is a God who provides!!!

As I reflect on His awesome provisions, I can't help but think of all the times when God came through in a moment of desperation. I think about the time we were down to $4 in our bank account and then found an envelope in our mailbox containing money. I think about all the times we have had bills that needed to be paid. I think about the unexpected doctor bills that the insurance decided to cover at the last minute. I think about each time that we have been in need and God has come through.

But then again...I can't think of a time that I was in need that God didn't come through for us. He always is there. He is always faithful.

Sometimes His provisions aren't what's expected or what we thought was the way He was going to work. I always thought we would have chidren of our own, but God had a different plan. In our moments of desperation, crying out to Him for an answer to prayer, He worked in a very unexpected way. Instead of having our own babies, He had three very special children waiting for us. God is sooo good!

And as I think of God's provisions, I think back to the past month at church. One Sunday morning/night we talked about starting a fund to raise money for things the church needs, namely a projector. The very next Sunday morning, someone in our church....someone who was not there to hear about the new fund and what we needed.....brought in a projector that he bought to donate to the church!

Ahhhh...the awesomeness of God is neverending!!!

Stuff

We spend so much time in our lives accumulating "stuff". Our houses are full of items that we refuse to throw away because of the sentimental value they hold in our lives. Our houses are full of things that we just have to have...the items that catch our eye when we're out shopping and it seems like we could never live without. Our houses are full to the brim with stuff.

What are we going to do with all the stuff?

Tonight we spent the evening at my kids' grandparents house. Since adopting our children, their biological family has become part of our own family. Back in August, their grandfather passed away, leaving a house full of stuff...precious items that were memories from years ago...books that had accumulated dust while on the bookshelves...shells from time spent on the beach...just random items from a lifetime full of happiness.

It is up to his family to pack up his stuff and decide what to do with it all. What a task! Imagine someone going through your own house, deciding what to do with all your precious possessions! I can't imagine the variety of items someone would find going through my own house. I'd imagine they would come across items that I have not used in years...things that I misplaced and thought were lost.

I can't help but wonder why we spend so much time accumulating stuff...when we can't take it with us in the end. I'm just as guilty as anyone else as I have filled my house with items that seem so important. When we have a rummage sale, it is often hard to find things that I feel I could part with. I always wonder..."What if I'll need that someday???"

But life isn't about the things we have...it's about the life we live. What are we doing with the precious gift God has given us? What are we doing to make our life meaningful to the kingdom of God?

Exhaustion

Exhausted. I'm simply exhausted. In fact, the word "exhaustion" doesn't even come close to how tired I am feeling right now. I could crawl into bed and sleep for days.

So what am I doing up at 11:10 p.m. when I could be dreaming the night away in my cozy, warm bed? That's really a good question. For some reason I felt motivated to balance our checkbook, print out coupons, and sort through my old coupons. It's crazy...I know.

My week has been crazy...work...one trip to Indy...soccer practices...three articles due...getting ready for Hallelujah Night. I was looking forward to a restful weekend, but I'm afraid it has been far from restful so far.

Yesterday (Friday) I got off of work early to take my kids to pick up their new glasses at the eye doctor. We had a fun-filled evening shopping at the mall, driving through massive rain, and grocery shopping (they didn't think the grocery shopping part was fun). At one point, two of my kids were singing songs....each had picked out a different annoying song...at the top of their lungs, trying to outdo each other while I was driving at night through the downpour. I looked at my daughter in the front seat and said, "Now don't you start too..." At that point, she mischievously smiled and started belting out "This is the song that never ends". This chaos went on for about 10 minutes before we finally arrived at the grocery store.

After the grocery store, my son started ranting about how this building we passed had a black cross on it. "I just don't get it. Why would the Red Cross' building have a black cross on it. What's the point of being called The Red Cross anyway?" To that my daughter answered, "That's a church...it's not the Red Cross". Oh what laughter they provide me!

Today started with a soccer tournament. Yes, it rained massive amounts last night. No, they did not think it was necessary to cancel the game. The result--my daughter covered in mud head to toe! At one point she went to kick the ball and completely slid in the mud, falling on her side. It turned out to be a giant loss for their team, but it was quite a hilarious game. I've never seen so many kids covered in mud before!

Then my afternoon was spent preparing for worship and getting our girls ready with their costumes for Hallelujah night. Hallelujah night at our church was a huge success, evidenced by the crowds of kids and the bags breaking from the weight of all the candy they received!

Yes, it was a busy weekend so far...and it looks like tomorrow will be the same. But...it was a wonderful weekend so far.

I expect tomorrow at church will be a wonderful, refreshing, and rejuvenating time in the presence of God. That's exactly what I need...spiritual rejuvenation.

A Slow Fade

How is it that we are so on fire for God at certain points in our life, but then we loose that passion over time? I can pinpoint certain times in my life where my passion for God burned bright. Then just weeks or months later, I found myself back in a spiritual valley.

The words of Casting Crowns' song "Slow Fade" come to my mind when I think about how easy it is to lose our fire for God.

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Often when things happen little at a time, we don't even realize a change has taken place in our life. After I got married, the years following I gained about 40-50 pounds. It happened slowly. It was a gradual change. I honestly didn't even notice until I was about 20 pounds heavier. My lifestyle had changed just enough to cause myself to gain just a little bit of weight here and there over time.

In the same way, our spiritual lives change over time. Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of sudden changes that drastically change our relationship with God. Those are noticeable times where we realize the change taking place. However, most of the time the changes are gradual and often unnoticed. They are slow fades.

When we do fade off in our relationship with God, it takes time to come back to the point where we once were. I am experiencing the same thing trying to get the weight off in our Biggest Loser contest. These changes took place over time...and they will take time to get back to where I was.

I am striving to keep the weight off....AND I am striving to never let my relationship with God fade off into the darkeness. Instead of a slow fade, I am looking to see my walk with God INCREASE each and every day!

Why Wouldn't You Worship?

I am consumed with worship for my Jesus...my Savior. I really do wish that I could just spend all day soaking in His presence. But the things of this world always interrupt and I find myself taking care of kids, dogs, laundry...you name it!

So when I do get a chance to worship, I jump on it. Anytime I am driving alone, you can find me belting out my favorite worship songs as I struggle to keep concentration on the road. Worship is just so overpowering! Anytime I am working at home or just simply relaxing, I normally have a CD playing. I just have to worship. It consumes me.

With that mindset, naturally it is hard for me to understand why Christians don't worship...especially when given the opportunity. As a worship leader, it is my job to create the atmosphere...God gives me the music...we practice it...I make sure to be prayed up...and then we worship as we are leading our congregation. But why does it often feel like I am pulling teeth to get people to worship their Savior? Granted, our church has come a LONG way in our level of worship....people have made tons of progress and deepened their worship. But still, how could someone just stand there unaffected? Why is it that my 10 year old daughter worships more than some adults? Why is it that people talk, giggle, and run to the bathroom instead of devoting this time to God?

These are simple things that I just don't understand. An opportunity for worship should never be passed up. Christians shouldn't have to be "talked into" worshipping. It should radiate from their life.

My Black Sweater

This week has been a crazy week. Actually the past two have been....hence the lack of blogs lately. This week instead of just working in our Linton Office, I spent 2 days traveling up to Indy to train in our new staff member. At first I really dreaded going, but I spent some wonderful hours with God, worshipping to some completely awesome new songs! (get ready, worship team!)

Then to further complicate the week, I have a women's dinner at our house tomorrow night and I am preaching on Sunday. It's been crazy...but wonderful!

Today at the Indy office, I brought my very favorite black cardigan. Sometimes the office gets really cold, so I like to be prepared. This cardigan is really the only black sweater that I have, so I tend to wear it quite often. It's soft and it matches basically any dress outfit I have. So you can imagine that my heart went into panic mode when, after I was out of Indy on my way home, I realized that my sweater was not with me.

My poor sweater. Where did it go? I truly remember picking it up off my chair in an attempt to not forget it. I even remember holding it on my way out the door. But thenI do remember placing my sweater over my laptop bag. My heart sunk as I realized that it probably fell somewhere on my hurry to leave.

I quickly called my coworker and found out she had left the building a few minutes earlier. Bless her heart...she turned around in the thick Indy traffic and went back to the office to check on my poor sweater. Several minutes later she called to say that she had rescued my now rain-soaked sweater from the middle of our parking lot!

My heart was overjoyed. My lost sweater was now found. I could once again breathe a sigh of relief that I would have my favorite sweater to wear all winter.

Is that sad that I'm so attached to a sweater?

Worship...how could I ever survive without it?

This week has been the most tiring week ever for me...but yet, it has been the most awesome week ever! Our church is in the midst of our "Iron Sharpens Iron" conference, which is the first conference of this kind that our church has done. It has been a completely awesome time in the presence of God so far, and I expect tomorrow will be even better!!!

Tonight as I stood on the stage leading worship, I just felt utterly absorbed by God's presence. It was almost like I was not even in my own body. Instead of me leading the worship...it was GOD leading the worship. I love those times in God's presence where you totally feel consumed and you just know that God is leading every aspect of the service.

At one point, I looked up and scanned the crowd that was worshipping at the altar. Something caught my eye. Something completely unexpected. I noticed my youngest...my 10 year old daughter had both hands stretched out, worshipping God with all her might! Then a few people down from her, my son was also worshipping!

There's nothing better than seeing your children worship God. I've seen my son worship before, and it just warms my heart to see the passion come over him. He's getting bolder...I know it's hard to step out. But I am just so encouraged seeing teens and kids of any age be an example of worship to the adults.

But tonight was just so encouraging because I have never seen my youngest daughter worship. Normally on any given Sunday morning service, she can be found sitting on the front pew playing with her shoe...or looking around trying to find a clock to see what time it is. But tonight was different. Tonight she sensed the power of God. Tonight she took a step of faith and let herself become lost in worship.

As I tucked her into bed, I told her how proud I was of her. She immediately responded with, "What did I do?" I told her how it was so encouraging to me to see her worshipping God with everything in her. Without skipping a beat, she said, "Well, if you had paid attention, I was worshipping last night too!"

Ah the innocence of a child... We as adults have a lot to learn from children. She let God get a hold of her heart. She let herself become absorbed in worship. She didn't care what the people around her thought. She was consumed. She felt the power of God.

I just love worshipping God! I never tire of being in His presence and worshipping at His feet. I use to dread leading worship because I just never felt like I had the ability or the talent to fulfill this role. But you know, that's not what it is about. It is simply about worshipping our Maker and Creator. As long as we are an empty and willing vessel, God will fill us with the ability and He will lead us!

Faith...

Faith.

I just love that word. Faith takes effort. Faith is not simply believing something you already know or see. Instead, faith is believing something that you don't see. Faith is belief without proof...it is the ultimate trust. I love faith because it is not easy. Having faith in God means that I have to put my trust in God. And I love to do that because He never has never ever let me down.

I have faith that God is God.

I have faith that God will help me become a better wife, mother, pastor's wife, and worship leader.

I have faith that God has an awesome plan for my kids' lives.

I have faith that God will always be there for me.

I have faith that God's plan for my life IS the perfect plan.

I have faith that my dreams will come true...in God's perfect timing.

I have faith that God is going to do something radical in my life...and my family...and our church.

I have faith that God will take care of everything.

No matter what, I have faith.

The Runaway

This is Day #2 of Scooby's "Great Escape" plan. Day #1 found Scooby running out the front door yesterday when my youngest was walking through. She had her arms full of soccer gear and didn't quite get the door shut on time. So there we were, running the neighborhood trying to rescue all the innocent neighboring dogs from the attack of the psychotic, maniac dog. After about 10 minutes of running, the escape convict was caught and returned to our property.

Then today was Day #2. One would think that we would be more careful about walking out our front door after yesterday's incident. As Kirk and and 2 of my kids were leaving for football practice, I noticed Scooby out of the corner of my eye. He was lying in wait, right next to the front door. As soon as they went outside, Scooby bolted past them in a moment of passionate freedom. You could almost see the look of thrill over his whole face as he glanced from house to house, trying to determine which little dog would be his next victim to terrorize. He hasn't hurt any of these innocent dogs yet....but I believe they have been emotionally scarred by his threatening manner.

After about 20 minutes of circling our neighbor's house, the escapee was finally caught...once again.

So this leads me to wonder....since he is a psychotic maniac, why do we keep going to find him? I mean, think of how much more calm our household would be without his daily bouts of rebellion.

But despite all that...despite the problems he causes...despite the furniture he has chewed...despite the hole he bit in our other dog's ear...despite the fact that every blanket we own has a hole in it from Scooby...despite the hard plastic I keep stepping on from the water bottle he shreds...despite it all, we love him. Yes, I said that. I almost can't believe it myself.

He really is a good dog. He's an awesome watch dog and he makes me feel safe when Kirk is gone. He protects our kids with everything in him. And he's just plain cute.

That reminds me of the love that God has for us. No matter what we've done...no matter how far we've wandered off the path...no matter what, He loves us. We are His children. We are His precious creation. And just like Scooby, after our times of rebellion, we are welcomed back into His loving arms and can start over fresh after His forgiveness.

It's never too late to make things right.

Lessons from Laundry

Five people in our household, including two girls who have to change their clothes at least twice a day....what does that equal? OUT OF CONTROL LAUNDRY!!!

You know you have too much laundry when you can do one complete load of just GREEN clothes. And another of pink. And another of blue.

Yes, this is the story of my weekend. I forgot to keep up on laundry for one day this past week and WHAM! I now have an avalanche coming out of our laundry room. It is threatening to take over our dining room as we speak. So my weekend has consisted of endless loads of laundry. And this time, I've color-coded laundry with one load of each color. Right now my pinks are in the dryer, the blues are in the washer, and the whites are on deck waiting for their turn.

What makes it even more interesting is that my youngest child has the "fold laundry" chore this week. We do a chore rotation at our house that includes all five of us. It's been very effective in getting the chores done as our kids see us modeling a good attitude while doing our own chores. So this week my youngest has fold laundry. This is not a good week for that. Try as she might, she just struggles with this chore. She is suppose to make a pile of clothes for each member of the family...and that she can do. The hard part is figuring out who each item belongs to. I usually lose some of my clothes for a few days when she is on this chore, as she normally gives them to someone else. Last time she had this chore she gave some of her OWN jeans to her brother and her OWN tank top to me. That's just beyond explanation....

So now as the laundry is coming out of the laundry room faster than she can tame it, this should make for an interesting week.

Like I've said before, our household thrives on chaos. We live and breathe chaos. But you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. For over eight years, we prayed and prayed to be able to have children. Our household was so quiet then. We yearned for kids.

Now that God has blessed us with children, we are very careful to never take this for granted. These are the fun years of our lives. Each day is chaotic. Each day is unexpected. Each day is....WONDERFUL!

Meet the Monster Dog...

I recently came across an old picture of our dogs and thought you'd all like to get a mental picture of our "monster dog"...aka T-Rex. Scooby is our black lab, seen in the following pictures. Notice the bullying nature as he often sits right on top of Sammy!!!

Never a Dull Moment in the Brown Household

My mom recently told me that I should write a book on all the crazy stuff that happens in our household. I guess with the fast-paced life as a working mother of 3 and a pastor's wife...it doesn't seem like it's really that out-of-the ordinary. Our household is just always in an uproar. There's hardly a time when you can call that you don't hear our kids and dogs in the background.

Chaos. It's what we live and breathe every single day.

So I bet you're dying to hear what happened today! Of course it was another one of those "never a dull moment" days. About noon today, I received a call from the school saying that we needed to pick up my daughter from the school immediately. At recess, she got kicked in the nose and proceeded to have a massive nosebleed that the school nurse could not get to stop. They said her clothes were full of blood and they even thought her nose might be fractured.

My husband was much closer to the school than me, so he ran up there to get her...only to find out that the school recommended that she go straight to the ER. I was able to leave work and join them at the ER a few minutes later. Poor girl....her hair was wet from the blood and she had blood all over her jeans, shirt, and face. She kept the ice pack and towel close by....and her nose was STILL bleeding!!!

When asking her about the incident, it was funny to find out that the student who kicked her in the nose was her BEST friend!!! I told my daughter that her friend was probably sitting in class worried about her!

She had her x-ray and it was determined that her nose was not broken. The doctor said possibly fractured a tiny bit, but he really didn't think it was. (interesting diagnosis, huh? That's a small town hospital for ya!) I was just thrilled that I made it through the whole visit without passing out!!! I am known to pass out at the sight of blood, hospital rooms, and x-rays....yes, I know it's weird, but it's entirely true. Normally I get very hot and then suddenly the room starts spinning.

So after her x-ray, we were on our merry way....first item of business was to get some food in her! She had missed lunch since this happened at recess right before lunch! She chomped down a happy meal before I could blink my eyes. :)

Right now, she's doing much better! She's giggling while watching Disney channel as I write this. However, her eyes are starting to look a little purplish around them...and she has some interesting purple streaks around her mouth. She may get a little colorful bruising from this incident!!!

Thankfully it was just a minor accident!!!!!!!

Less of Me...More of Him

I was so excited yesterday when we weighed in for The Biggest Loser at church. I finally passed the ten pound mark with 10.4 pounds lost! This makes a total of 30 pounds since I first started losing weight...(including one major setback called "Vacation"). So my goal of losing 50 pounds is finally coming closer and closer! At that point, I will be able to fit back into all my skinny clothes! Yippee!

My husband keeps remarking that if I continue, then there won't be any of me left. Ha ha. So far from the truth. But actually that thought got me thinking.

Less of me. Isn't that how it should be anyway?

My life should consist of less and less of me....and more and more of God. That's been my heart's cry for the past several weeks as God has been doing a work inside my heart. It's so easy to get consumed in me...my life, my plans, my family, my work. Instead of focusing on me, I need to keep my eyes on my Maker and Creator!

Less of me...and MORE of God!

YooHoo...a Perfect End to a Good Day

My kids love drinking YooHoo. I really don't understand why. To me, that is the nastiest chocolate liquid I have ever tasted! But for some reason, while out grocery shopping tonight, I picked them up some YooHoo, making that a highlight of their day. It's the simple things in life that keep us happy.

Right now, they are chilling out and drinking YooHoo after a long, busy day. My husband and I are both on the computer, and amazingly enough, our 2 dogs are currently "sharing" bones. Our timid dog, Sammy, is waiting for our monster dog, Scooby, to get the rawhide bones soft. Then when Scooby is not looking, he steals the bone from him, leaving Scooby to find another one. It's really quite a genius plan of Sammy's.

Today started off with a soccer game and a football game. The soccer game found us with a tied score of 1 to 1. However, it was a special game because my daughter scored the goal for her team! This is her second year of soccer, but it's her first "game goal" scored. She was simply ecstatic. That was grounds for going to McDonald's for celebration! On the way home, my older daughter asked me, "What's the difference between a gator and an alligator?" She's too funny!!!

My son's football game didn't go as well. They basically got killed by the other team. He was so hoping to win...

While waiting for everyone to get showered and ready after the games, my "T-Rex" (aka Scooby) decided it would be a great day to get his paw caught in the screen on the window. Yep. In an attempt to kill a bug, he thought it would be best to smack it with his paw....not realizing that the screen was there. Poor thing got caught up in the screen, so now we have a nice little hole in it. What makes it even MORE interesting is that my hubby just made and installed those same screen LAST weekend! Great timing, Scooby...

After we dismantled Scooby from our window screen, we went to Bloomington to go to dinner and spend some time shopping. My husband suggested Subway for dinner...which is a clear indication that he's in the Biggest Loser competition at church now. He normally despises Subway! But with him in the lead at over 19 pounds lost, he's kicking it in high gear!

Shopping was fun as usual...found some great deals on a "50% off all clearance prices" sale. But we didn't anticipate the downpour of rain that hit us leaving the mall! So after spending way too much money, buying a boatload of much needed groceries, and spending wonderful quality time with our wonderful children...we are finally home drying off.

It's been a great day...that's for sure! Memories that will last a lifetime. I am hearing the hysterical laughter of my son in the other room, which means I had better log off and watch "America's Funniest Home Videos" with him!!!

Did God Plant People?

Yesterday my daughter starting asking me how everything was created again after the big flood. Apparently she thought that everything was completely destroyed in the flood. This question led to a great discussion on how the mountains and land were still there...and how the plants and trees started to grow again after the water receded.

Then came the question that made me hold back my laughter. "So then God had to replant people so that more people would be on the earth, right?"

Replant??? Where did she get that from?

But then that got me thinking. In a way...not the way she was thinking...but it a way, God does "plant" us. He places us into the family where we are...He places us in certain situations. It is up to us to how we handle those situations. Are we complaining about the place He has put us in? Or are we placing our trust in God and enjoying the path He has us on?

My Blessed Saturday

After a day being sick on Friday, I was looking forward to an uneventful, quiet Saturday to rest. So NOT what happened!!!

Our morning was spent at games...Kirk went to football and I went to soccer. Both games were losses, so that was disappointing for our kiddos. After lunch, Kirk went to mow the lawn, with 2 of my 3 kids helping out. I went to work on worship, but soon found myself dozing into dreamland....a result of my recovering from being sick.

I awoke to my daughter's friend saying, "Where's Scooby?" Now, in our household, that question is of utmost importance. Scooby is our psychotic, maniac dog, who makes you feel like you are watching a two year old. He must be monitored every moment, because if not, he will find things to eat, such as blankets, couches, stuffed animals, shoes, bowls, pencils, batteries, and whatever else he feels like. So as you can imagine, this question jolted me out of my peaceful dreamland. Next I hear a follow-up question that is just as shocking..."Why is the front door opened?"

Our next half hour was spent tracking our dog through the neighborhood. I do have to admit, I was a tiny bit excited at the prospects of this maniac being out of our house. We just can't seem to find anyone who wants a dog like Scooby...I wonder why??? :) My kids finally cornered him inside the neighbor's garage. They were not home, but Scooby had slid through the opening they left open and had cornered their dog inside. (and she was one very, very scared dog) My kids squeezed through the opening and easily caught the escapee and brought him home. Once home safe and sound, Scooby collapsed on the floor and slept for a very long time!

An hour or so later, my hubby decided to fix the toilet in the extra bathroom. It was suppose to be an easy fix...just needed a few parts replaced. Well, after his great efforts, he realized we needed some parts that we didn't have. So...we ran to the store, being careful to take our bathroom breaks since our water was shut off at home. Coming home, he started replacing the parts, but soon realized the shutoff valve was actually not working as water poured out all over the floor.

Needless to say, after hours of work and dozens of soaking wet towels, we finally got a new shut off valve on and all seemed good. Well, at least until one flushed the toilet. Then there was a leak. Hmmm....just a tiny leak. But oh what problems that caused. After one more big flood, the shut off valve (the new one) decided now it won't turn ON! Sooo....we're gonna let the experts handle this one.

And to add to my day, I found out that my dryer now does not shut off automatically. It actually goes down to 20 minutes left on the timer and then just stays there...indefinitely. Yeah. I pulled a burning hot load of laundry out after I realized the dryer had been going for almost 2 hours...but I had only set it for 50 minutes!!!

What a day this turned out to be! God sure does know how to teach us patience, doesn't He???

What was I thinking???

Yesterday I was sick. It was a blah day that I filled with about 20 hours of peaceful sleep. But when I did wake up, I did something very weird and out of my character. We ordered pizza for dinner on a really good coupon deal we had, so we ended up with 3 pizzas, one of which was a taco pizza.

Now let me just note here that I don't normally eat taco pizza. Those of you who know me real well know that I am a cheese pizza kind of girl. I like things plain, without much spice or taste (as my husband would say). So now I am pondering the question of, "Why in the world did I eat a piece of taco pizza while I was sick???" I don't even usually like taco pizza!!! It was not the right thing for my empty stomach...nor was it something that I enjoyed the aftertaste of for the rest of the evening. I don't think I'll eat taco pizza again for a loooooonnnngggg time!

Thankfully today is a much better day. My mind is no longer in a dense fog and I am actually awake and out of bed. And for lunch today, I did steer clear of the leftover taco pizza! :)

A Day in My Life

Today was a crazy day. We are juggling cross country, soccer, and football, along with everything else that goes on in our household. Here's a glimpse of my day...

-Groan because my alarm clock went off at 6:20 a.m.
-Wake up my son...and then off to get ready
-Wake up my youngest daughter at 6:57 a.m.
-Get yelled at for waking her up 3 minutes early
-Make "cold oatmeal" (YUCK!) for my daughter
-Fixed her hair while she ate oatmeal
-Picked oatmeal out of her hair
-Fought for room in the bathroom to brush my teeth
-Finally got out of the house and off to work
-Spent my day at work...then came home to meet my kids off the bus since my husband got called in to work
-Got a contract for an article in the mail (Yippee!)
-Finished work, checked homework, and taught my son how to mop the floor
-Gave out unlimited TV night for his willingness to help clean
-Picked up my oldest daughter from cross country
-Turned around to get the book she forgot in her locker
-Got home just as my son was leaving for football
-Made omelets for my girls for dinner
-Made myself a healthy chicken wrap
-Burned the chicken wrap while trying to correct algebra homework at the same time
-Took my youngest to soccer practice
-Went to the grocery store during practice
-Helped my oldest daughter with English homework during practice
-Worked on my worship devotional for Sunday during practice
-Came home to realize I forgot to tape Survivor
-Helped my daughter study for a health test
-Made my son a dinner of pizza rolls (healthy, I know!)
-Watched my dog bite my son's nose trying to get the pizza rolls
-Collected massive amounts of laundry from every room in the house
-Tucked in 3 kiddos
-Sat down to the computer to check email/facebook and write this!!!
-Now I'm off to balance the checkbook and then spend time in God's Word!!!

I am so grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to raise my kids. My life was simply boring before them!

A Very Sticky Caramel Apple

So tonight my wonderful hubby decided to make himself a caramel apple. We bought those caramel apple things that you just wrap around an apple. It's like this big circle of caramel. Well, you're suppose to wrap it around the apple, then push the stick into the core, and then microwave the apple for about 15 seconds.

Well, he did his a little differently. Instead of wrapping it around his apple first, he microwaved the sheet of caramel FIRST! He was left with a sticky pile of caramel that he then tried to place onto his apple. Imagine a bright red apple with strings of caramel wound around it, barely holding on. And then there's Kirk mashing the caramel together to try to get it to stick.

Oh that truly does remind me why I love him so very much. He is the color in my world!

How Much Faith Do I Have?

After watching Biggest Loser tonight, I was moved by the contestent who lost her husband and kids in a car accident. It stopped my heart when I heard her story of how she lost everyone that she was so close to in just a blink of an eye. And here she was, moving on and bettering herself by being on this show.

How would I react in that situation? Would I have the strength to carry on after such horrific, life-changing events? Would I have faith that God would pick me up and carry me? Would I be able to go on with my life as she has?

It's amazing the little tests of my faith that I go through each day....some tests I pass with flying colors and some I just simply flunk. But each test of faith gives me a little more strength for next time.

Fun in the Brown Household

It just isn't a day unless something crazy comes out of my kids' mouths. My kids are the highlight of my day, and they keep me laughing! Here's a few examples of things that have been said in our household lately...

"Whoops...I just threw up on Sammy's head!" (Sammy is our dog)
"Why did we skip the year 1920?"
"You know, the moon has been around since the 1800's"
"Six minus four...how is that even possible?"
"Sustenence...what language is that?"
"I would like to play on the fence this year in soccer." (defense)
"You grow pasta in your garden?"
"That's where the caterpillars go into their canoe."
"What the Noman Rumeral for seven?

Sometimes my life grows so serious as I focus on work, bills, and the problems in my life. But all I have to do is listen to my kids to remember that life is more than just work and being serious. I can't wait to hear what they'll say tomorrow!!!

To Blog or not to Blog...

So at long last, I finally have a blog. I did start one a few years back, but after one measly posting, I never went back to it. Back then I didn't have much to say. I didn't see a reason to blog. Could I consider myself to be a "blogger"? I even wondered, "What is a blog???"

But now I've been thinking...I am a writer. My passion is sharing Jesus through my words...so maybe, just maybe, I should start a blog! Every writer has a blog, right? So, here it is...my blog..."Thoughts from a Pastor's Wife". I hope you enjoy the days to come, hearing about my life and things God is doing within me and with my family!