Saturday service & Brickman concert

The guest speaker at church tonight gave me new insight about being the one (the only leper to return to thank Jesus). Oh how I am like the nine, he pointed out that they were probably grateful but yet didn't go back and say so. His point, borrowed from Andy Stanly I think, is "Un-expressed gratitude actually communicates ingratitude." Before the sermon, he challenged us to think of five people we are grateful for, with the stipulation that only one could be a family member. Here are mine (be thinking about yours): 1. Libby, my precious daughter who models wonder, excitement and playfulness for me. 2. Kathryn, my BSF leader who has just gone the extra mile for me and really helped me feel comfortable in group again. She has no idea. 3. Amy M., for taking the baton from me when I passed along my "housekeeper," she is still continuing to witness to this precious child of God who is traveling on the wide, wrong road. 4. Karen K., who inspires me with her wonderful insights on adoption through her blog. now here is where I got stuck, I could think of a million people (maybe not actually 1,000,000 but ya know...) I saw I only had females, so I was trying to think a male, other than a family member since that would be breaking the rules so, here we go 5. Jesus Christ, and no, I am not kissing up. I would be lost, more so than I am now, if I did not have a relationship with Him. And while I have not spent as much time with him over the Christmas break as I wanted, He is faithful and waiting whenever I come to Him. During worship we sang one of my favorite songs (or combination of old hymn with new lyrics), OH praise the one who paid my debt and raises life up from the dead, it's Jesus, Jesus paid it all all to Him I owe sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow.

If we have another child, or adopt, a daughter, I would love to name her Scarlett Snow. I'm not sure I have carte blanche (is there an e on this?) on this child's name as I did with Libby but what a reflection of our human state of grace. We are as filthy rags but God sees us wrapped in the light of his Son!

Do you have your five? Please share if you feel led.

Libby stayed with us in the service this time, choosing not to go with the three year olds tonight. Afterwards, we dropped her of at Granddaddy and Nana Kim's so that Bobby and I could have a date night. They bought me tickets to the Jim Brickman holiday concert. I am a huge fan, first seeing him in NYC, then with Bobby while we were dating at Cicny and Louisville, and then I took Lynn and Leah the Christmas before our wedding.

We grabbed a quick bite at Raising Cane's on campus, our first time. Zo, our cashier, was great and recommended meals for both of us that were great. Reminds me of Zaxby's (have ya'll been to the one in Nicholasville?) We had a great time talking about "dreams" but also planning our date nights for the next three months. Looking forward to more fun nights like this. Concert was great as usual, he and Anne have such a repore (how do I spell this? I now it is not right but it's late), I think from going to high school together. I was introduced to some new songs and we purchased a new Christmas CD. I know I only have a little while more to listen to it this year but it will be great to pull it out next year.

I have enjoyed these nightly reflections. We'll see if I can keep it up when the school year starts back. May you have peaceful rest, akml

Today's Top Ten in no particular order

1. Jesus made the sky and Jesus made us!

2. Do dogs yawn? (after she had yawned, I then yawned, and I had tried to explain "contagious" to her!)

3. I don't talk well (she just couldn't get out what she wanted to say. I know she was tired, no nap today, but I need to pay more attention to when she "stutters", she doesn't stutter the first letter, but the whole word. It makes me sad to hear her say this. I want to know how I can help her, tonight I just suggested she use her hands and that worked.)

4. This is the best Christmas ever (while we were wrapping Nana Kim's present, I was letting her cut the paper and she was sticking tape everywhere, she wrote her name on the gift tag and it turned out Anna, she doesn't yet know left to right, she usually writes backwards and wherever there is room)

5. I am disappointed (don't remember at what, but I know I say this to her when she does something she shouldn't, maybe it was because she didn't get to go shopping with her Mama and me)

6. She asked me to sing to her as we rocked, "Happy Birthday to Jesus"

7. We went to the library to return some of my books, because of the rain, I was just going to drive through the book drop, but she wanted to go in and look at the books. I followed her around the shelves and watched as she would pull out random ones, and then put them back (my OCD kicked in a little as I stressed if she put them in the correct spot but I let it go quickly!), we jumped on the circular alphabet carpet spelling our names, she went to "check her email" while I searched the other computer card catalog for Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear (couldn't remember the author of Big Hungry Bear, her favorite book right now) Don and Audrey Wood so off we went to find it. One of her favorite episodes of Caillou is him going to the library with his library card, so we had to get her one. She was so excited! Carried it around proudly everywhere and wanted to tell everyone! How precious, my little reader!

8. While we were driving and talking, she replied to me "not exactly", I guess she has been seeing too many of those Hertz commercials, crack me up!

9. Very interested in "what time is it", loves anything on the half hour, when asked when we were going to Granddaddy's she replied "about six thirty" which was correct, when we were trying to nap she asked me when we were going to get up, "4:30 or 5", "I think five, mommy"

10. Just watching her tonight, run back and forth from the kitchen to the den, taking requests and relaying messages, very dramatic, saying the prayer twice, because the first time she didn't have everyone's attention, after finishing her dinner and leaving to play, she came back in and "do you know what time it is? present time!" trying to get the rest of us to hurry up and eat our dinner! where are our priorities?

Mom and Bobby, feel free to add any sayings you can remember from today!

Thursday Thoughts

Today is the first day I have pulled out my school work but I am not resenting it. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first week off from school. Libby and I have had some great times doing nothing in particular. Today she woke up calling for her daddy. He was asleep and I had been awake for a few minutes, just a little after seven. I went upstairs but was surprised to see me, repeating her call for her daddy. I sat down to rock her but quickly had to take a bathroom break to which she declared she had to go as well. We went down the hall to her bathroom; I sat on the big potty thinking that she would sit on her pink potty. I know better to than assume, she waited for me to finish. Then as she went, she looked over at the bathtub and hinted that she would like to take a bath. After her half hour long bath, we ate some breakfast bars and watched Curious George, her current favorite. I wasn't feeling well so we stayed in bed and watched MMCH and LE. This was more tv than usual and she was ready to play. Upstairs we went to play Yahtzee. I have been teaching her the names of what she rolls. Yesterday, she would yell, "The house is full!" her way of saying a full house. Today she seemed to be getting Large straights. I look at what she rolls, give her the dice and tell what she is trying to get. She rolled a 2,3,4,5 and 6. I counted those out to her but she said "Mommy, I only have five!" It was much better when she would get a 1,2,3,4 and 5 that made sense to her. Then we ventured out to the play room where she proceeded to cook for me. I got her a little recipe box for Christmas that she gives me to pick out my food. First she asked me if I wanted meatloaf but we couldn't find our rectangle pan, must be at the other house. We did find her muffin pan so that is what we settled on. I asked for banana nut, she said she could do vanilla banana. OK. Next she asked if I wanted them all the same or different, in pretend you can do that, and since it didn't matter to me, I asked her what she wanted. Differnet. So next I said cranberry orange, trying to think of all the muffin mixes I have in the panty we possibly have made. She responded, cranberry applesauce. OK. I think she went on to something else and realized she really was hungry so went went downstairs to make eggs and toast for our second breakfast. This is usual when we are at home all day. Next we worked some puzzles and read some books, when she got a paper cut. She cuddled up with me and fell asleep for an early nap. Her pattern is nap one day but not the next. Yesterday we went for a walk, ended up at Tim & Julie's to play with Peyton which turned up to dinner and her falling asleep on the couch around seven p.m. No nap yesterday so early one today, noon to two. Bobby came home from work for their usual Daddy-Daughter Day. They took Cougar to get weighed, he is down a couple of pounds but a net +1. We are going to change his food to high calorie, evidently the senior food is low calorie. Oh, brother! Then they took him for a bath. Now they are at the gym working out. She loves to go with him and it is great for me to have some time. I have taken a hot bath, and then I came out to get the computer to do some work. Which is how I ended up here. Checking email and blogs. I have done some work but I left some things I need at school. I go back on Wednesday, the second for a teacher work day, so I will wait until then to finish up. Hope your Christmas break is going well.

Monday's Minute Update

7 school days until Christmas break! Tomorrow (Tuesday, 12/11) I work all day since we are going on a field trip to Frankfort for the Gubernatorial Inauguration Parade. There is a 40% chance of rain -- please pray for great weather and a great time to be had by all. I think the temperature should be in the 60s so that is a blessing in and of itself! Until my next quick post, have a good one!