beware....this is one long-winded, nonsensical post!

....i'm not sure where this post is headed, nor am i sure that it even has a point. i just realized that it has been nearly a week and i haven't written! (there's a week's worth of blab here today!)

so, things have been a slight bit cuh-ray-zee here.

bryson has stayed home from school everyday this week. he has some sort of infection (not sure what) that is causing a fever and cough. i took him to the doctor yesterday and it was our doctor's day off. we saw his p.a. and LOVED her. she was cracking jokes and had us all in giggles. she told bryson to growl like a bear- and then she acted scared. she looked in his mouth and told him she could see down to his toes. when she heard hudson complain..."i'm hungry"....she said, "hi hungry- i'm christina! nice to meet you!" seriously....i can't remember a more delightful time in a doctor's office. we absolutely love our doctor, and i was sad that we wouldn't be seeing him...so it was a pleasant surprise to get someone so fun! and get this??! the staff was kind, smiley, and friendly. no, i'm not kidding. and no, they're not paying me to say that either. but....sad as it is, can you remember a time when you went to the doctor and the receptionist was kind??! (or is it just me?)

okay....so on tuesday, i had to take hudson to the urologist. we go back for a recheck in one month and he may need surgery (for a hydrocele). there again....friendly receptionist. friendly nurse. friendly doctor (funny and joking around with the boys). and...friendly appointment maker lady. can you believe all the friendliness?!

so, i have been having chronic headaches (for the past two weeks)...and i'm not talking about the kids or the hubby sort. i am talking about the nasty, neck-killing-work-it's-way-up-to-my-head sort. my last chiro moved, so i had been asking friends about theirs. last night, i finally got my act together and went to my chiro's "replacement." nice guy. he cracked me back into shape and then- he scheduled me for a FREE massage and an adjustment tomorrow. he sent me home and told me to stretch and ice it. i did and i am feeling so much better! today, i have been headache free and can move my head from side to side. (apparently, i had a rib out of place and some serious tension issues at the base of my skull.) i had to laugh when he asked me, "do you have a lot going on?" um....let me think about that one....yeeeaaahhhhh, dude. i do. (but, who doesn't...right?!)

in other [boring and] random news, i have been wanting to tell you all about ruffies for quite some time now.

yes...i've reached an all time low, and i am actually blogging about trash bags. but- wait a second- they are not just any 'ol trash bag(s). these are scented trash bags. they are sturdy, and they even have drawstrings! they can be found at walmart and target, and they are very reasonably priced. i get the vanilla ones...and the weird thing is, i usually cannot stand vanilla scented things.

okay....so my friend- amanda (who blogs over at: confessionsofapw.blogspot.com) (hey you!) mentioned this gal and her site- called the pioneer woman. i checked her out (pioneer woman, that is) and she seems quite lovely. she's one of those disgusting (in a good way) people who does [pretty much] everything! she crafts, cooks, does photography, homeschools, and she's cute to boot! well, on her blog, she has this FABULOUS cherry cake pudding recipe. i made it for my family and they loved it, so i made it for my study gals. josh loves himself some cherry anything...and he's already asking me when i am making it again (cuz, apparently- having it on sunday, monday, tuesday, and last night weren't enough). tomorrow night, honey. just you wait....i'm making you a fresh batch!

okay....i will try to post the recipe here, but i have to tell you something crazy first! i went to buy the canned cherries that the recipe calls for (pictured below)...and i was too far from walmart....so i had to do the unthinkable. yes, i had to shop at a grocery store. mind you, i frequent trader's and henry's...and pay way too much for certain foods....but that's because of the boys' diet! i just can't bring myself to shop at my local albertson's anymore. when i started shopping at walmart and saw how cheap i could get things....i told myself, 'self- you have to make that your new store.' okay....why am i rambling about cherries and walmart??!

....as i mentioned above, i had to get the cherries from albertson's. i needed two cans (not toucans)...one can for the fam and one my girls! guess how much they were?!.....

$4.69 per can!! is that not ridiculous? i think so. obviously (since i just used about 100 words to tell you so).

okay...so yesterday- i went to walmart to do some shopping. i found the SAME cherries. guess how much they were???

$2.72 per can! isn't that insane??

what's my point?? make the trip to walmart (i know some of you loathe that store) and save yourself some moolah. trust me- it's worth it. and, while you're at it....buy several cans to keep on hand. you just never know when someone will beg you to make 'that yummy cherry stuff' again!!

here you go, people. below is the link to the recipe for the pioneer woman's delicious cherry cake pudding!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/cherry-cake-pudding/

like how i made the link a cherry color?!

alright, well....that's about all the excitement going on over here. i do have several book recommendations and a few CD recommendations, too. i'll be back with those....along with my confession post. okay- don't get too excited. it's not really a deep, dark, sinful confession. it's more of an 'i seriously have OCD issues' confession. :)

later, gators!

have a super thursday. i'm going to sign off now, since i'm starting to type as if i live in the south. too much time on pioneer woman's blog, i guess.....

thank you to anyone who made it through this whole post! please forgive any misspellings and/or errors today. (no time to read back through it all right now...)

My Kids Say...

...the darndest things!

I'm sure yours do, too.

Here are a few recent quotes....

*Yesterday, Hudson threw up several times. He was miserable and crying and he said...."I just want to go to heaven right now." Then, he said, "I hate this feeling!" (Poor dude....it was so sad.)

* Hudson was drinking milk the other day and said, "Mom, am I hydrated?" (I love it when my 4 yr. old uses big words!)

*Just now, Bryson said...."I don't have something simple. I have something extraordinary. I have the two best parents in the whole wide world." (Does the boy know how to sweet talk, or what?)

*On occasion, I have to take the boys into the women's restroom(s) with me. One night, a few months back....B was in the restroom (not the stall) with me- and on our way out, he looked at the dispenser up on the wall and said...."Napkins...for 25 cents??? Why would they sell napkins in a bathroom?"

.....The past few weeks have been pretty "heavy"....and thinking about my funny boys makes me smile. I hope these make you smile, too. Just wanted to share! Have a great weekend. I have a "confession" post coming soon....so stay tuned! :)

today

last week was emotionally draining. not much has changed (as far as the people i'm praying for...they still really need our prayers- and God's miracles!)

....except that i am choosing to look up. up to my Lord, my Savior, Healer, and Comforter. i am choosing to be thankful for how the Lord has blessed me....today (and everyday prior to today)!

i can't help but be totally and completely thankful. God is so good and so faithful. while i don't know what tomorrow holds, i do have today. i have today...to live this life to the fullest. i have today to be thankful for.

one of my "life verses" is matthew 6:34, which says..."therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

right about now, you're probably thinking- 'seriously?? that's the verse you pick? out of a hundred million verses.....you pick that?!'

but, i say to you- fear, worry, and doubt have taken up way too much of my time. fear and its nasty cohorts have tried to reside in me for as long as i can remember. about a year and a half ago, i attended our church's women's retreat. i nailed "fear" to the cross (yes...i nailed a tiny piece of paper with the word "fear" on it- to a wooden cross). there are times the enemy tries to come at me (since he knows- all too well- how to 'get' me)....and i am tempted to go back to that place of uncertainty and fright.

but, then....i remember...

"for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

(2 timothy 1:7)

and i recall philippians 4:8, which says....

"finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things."

it's when i recall Scripture that i can turn those fears into faith. turn the doubt into belief. turn the worry into trust. it's then that i can look to the Maker of heaven and earth....

and be thankful for today.

Burdened & Praying (To a GOD Who Is GOOD....All The Time!)

As I write, I hold back tears. I pray and pray.

So many....going through so much.

There's Joanne (www.thesimplewife.typepad.com) who suffered a stroke yesterday, had a blood clot in her brain, had brain surgery...and now lays in a hospital bed and faces a long recovery ahead.

There's Daisy (www.prayfordaisy.com) who's battling cancer and sick today...throwing up and feeling weak.

There's Edie (www.lifeingraceblog.com) whose house and everything in it burnt to the ground a few days before Christmas.

There's Brielle (www.briellemurray.com) who has yet another tumor, and another battle to fight.

....And there are so many more....personal friends of mine....facing other types of battles- failed marriages, losing homes, sick kids, broken bones, financial difficulties...and the list goes on.

We cry out. We pray. And sometimes, we ask "Why??? Why God, do You allow such tragedy, such heartbreak?"

And God says.....

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

(Isaiah 55:8-9)

And God says....

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

(Jeremiah 29:11)

And God says....

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

(Isaiah 41:10)

And God says....

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

(Joshua 1:9)

.....And God says SO much more than just these few verses. The thing is- nowhere in Scripture does it say we will not have suffering. In fact, the Bible says that we will have suffering. But... God's Word promises us that:

He will be with us.

He will never leave us.

We can call to Him.

He will hear.

He has a purpose in everything.

I beg of you...please pray today. Pray for those named on my blog today. Pray for those you know who are facing trials today. You can even pray for my friends, unnamed here today- but etched in my mind and heart.

The people listed on my blog today LOVE Jesus. They give Him all honor, glory, and praise. They continue to serve and seek- amidst trials and tragedy. These people humble me. My "problems" seem like nothing, in comparison. And...I know I shouldn't compare. The Lord has different roads for each of us. God is GOOD. All the time. Through heart ache, through tragedy. Through both joys and sorrows.

What hope do we have, if not Him???

clean water + cool watch = epic

give someone the gift of clean water- for a year- today! for only $40....you get to wear a cool watch, while knowing that you've given the gift of CLEAN water to someone who desperately needs it!!

www.epictimepieces.com

He IS.

My mother-in-law gave me a book (The Christmas Story: God's Unspeakable Gift) for Christmas. This small book, by Chuck Smith, is packed full of depth. One could easily read it in an hour. I read it and now I want to share an excerpt.

As the saying goes, "Good things come in small packages." On that dark night in Bethlehem, the saying was proved to be true. Within that rough, dirty manger, wrapped in a tiny, nondescript bundle, was the most incredible Gift the world has ever received. In that one small Child, God had sent the answer to man's every need.

He sent us an Advocate (1 John 2:1), that we would know we weren't alone.

He sent the Bread of Life (John 6:35), that we would never again know hunger.

He sent the Living Water (John 4:10), that we would never again thirst.

He sent the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), that we could rest from our wars.

He sent the Counselor (Is. 9:6), that we would gain wisdom and guidance.

He sent the Everlasting Father (Is. 9:6), that we would know eternal love.

He sent the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), that we would have a protector.

He sent the Light of the World (John 8:12), that we would never again stumble.

He sent the Deliverer (Rom. 11:26), that our bondage would end.

He sent the Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14) , that we would approach God.

He sent us Hope (1 Tim. 1:1), that our despair would finally end.

He sent Truth (John 14:6), that our blind eyes would be opened.

He sent us a Lamb (Rev. 13:8), that our sins could be covered.

He sent a Lion (Rev. 5:5), that we would be victorious.

He sent a Savior (2 Tim. 1:10), that death would be abolished forever.

I think it's pretty clear......EVERYTHING that we need Him to be....HE IS!!!!

revolutions

i don't know about you, but i almost hate to speak my resolutions out loud. i feel as though i am setting myself up for failure...because, let's face it, i rarely follow through with most of them. oh sure, i give myself some lofty goals (you know, the kind that seem really cool- but you know you'll never stick with them?)...and then some that seem more attainable....but even the more attainable ones can be hard for me to keep. well, in an effort to be held somewhat accountable (or at least feel as though i am), i want to share a few of mine here.

okay, before i do, i have to tell you something funny. my parents were joking with us the other day....asking us what our "new year's revolutions" are! i guess they have a friend who calls them "revolutions" instead of resolutions...and well, we all got a good laugh out of that!

so, here goes nothin'.....

*i want to read the whole bible this year (i am attempting the

chronological bible this year, as that's what my church body is reading together.)

*i want to write in my prayer journal everyday. 'nough said.

*i want to give more. giving doesn't necessarily mean "$money$!" i want to give more of my time and my resources, give more of myself....and yes, i do want to give more in a monetary sense, too.

*i want to lose the weight that i let myself gain in 2010. 'nough said about that one, too!

as i look at the list above, i see that the things i've listed are totally and completely do-able. with the Lord, that is!! when i try to live without Him, i will fail. i will not follow through. it's ONLY through Him that i can succeed. i pray that this year will be a revolutionary (pun intended) year for me. i pray for the Lord's help and guidance...in every area of my life. i surrender this year to Him.

Lord, revolutionize me. change me. mold me. make me into the woman You want me to be.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

-Phil. 4:13-

.....so, do tell.....what are your revolutions this year?!!