Here is what we have been up to....
Thursday, November 4th-We went shopping after school in search for a dress for Averi to wear for her school dance which was Friday. My mom met us at the mall and we had dinner together at El Chico. I was so worried about shopping for this dress because: 1. Averi is pretty small for her age
2. She wants to shop in the Juniors department
3. A lot of stuff in the Juniors department won't fit
4. She thinks the stuff in the Girls department is too kiddy looking
We began at Dillard's first in the Juniors department. All the dresses started at size 3...she is lucky if she can wear a 00. I didn't want her to get upset that nothing would fit so I suggested we go look in the Girls department. Of course, she thinks it all looks too kiddy. So I suggest we check the Petites department, and everything there looks "too old ladyish!" We head back to the Juniors department. She finds 3 dresses that she likes and goes to try them on. Silently I am praying that something will fit because she has a complex about her size and I want this to be a positive experience for her. All three dresses are size 3. Well, HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD...they fit! And she chooses the one she likes best. And even better, it was on sale!!! So I found me a dress too.
Friday, November 5th-Averi had her friends over to get ready for the dance. Cali also had a friend over. Poor Chris was here with 9 females, well 12 if you want to count the dog and the two cats. He's a pretty good sport about it. It was amusing listening to them getting ready. I drove them all to the dance and my car smelled like a perfume factory. I don't know how many different perfumes/lotions those girls had on, but OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!
Saturday, November 6th-We headed to Harrah for Averi's final soccer game of the season. They played awesome and won the game 4-0. Averi played great!
Cali went to a friend's skating party and Averi went home with Abbey so Chris and I got to eat at Steak 'n Shake in Midwest City. Yum-Yum. It is probably a good thing that they don't have one in our town.
We made it home just in time to see the Sooners get creamed by A & M! :(
Sunday, November 7th-Mamaw had us all out to the farm for a huge birthday party for me, Papa Jim, Randy, Tammy, Shalana, and Kathy. We had a delicious lunch. And we had a wonderful afternoon just visiting and catching up with family we don't get to see very often.
See my new dress?
Monday, November 8th-After everyone left, I started cleaning my upstairs bathroom. It took me 3 hours!!!! Let me tell ya, I cleaned the heck out of it...baseboards, drawers, changed out some of the decorations. I gave it a thorough deep cleaning. I need to do that for each room of my house. That's my goal this month...to pick a room and give it a complete go over. I will spare you a picture of my bathroom so here is one of the beautiful sky yesterday evening....
And a picture of Papa Jim and Benny sitting on the front porch at the farm-we go visit them every Monday after piano lessons...
Glimpses of God-November 5th thru 8th, 2010
When I think of each day and where I saw God, there are actually several places in where, how, what, why I saw Him. Let's begin with last Thursday. God really answered my prayers in finding a dress for Averi's dance so easily. It is not easy being different. And I know Averi hates the fact that she is so little and very limited on the clothes she can buy. She wants to wear things from Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe or Rue 21 like her friends do. But they just don't fit. She hates the idea of shopping at "kiddy" stores like Justice. I tell her over and over and over..."God made you perfect, be happy with how you look. You have not reached your full height, you still have some growing to do. I'm short, you are probably going to be short-get used to it." She just doesn't quite get it though. She wants to be exactly like everyone else. And I can't say that I don't understand...she was tormented in 6th grade by people commenting on how short she was, saying things like, "You look like a kindergartener." I told her to tell them, "Well your ugly and I still have some growing to do but your just going to get uglier." But she told me that wasn't very nice. Maybe she's right. So it was a huge blessing to find a hip dress that fit. I know it did a lot for her spirit!
Friday I made a big pot of hamburger stew. Only Chris and I would actually eat it. Have I mentioned that I have two of the pickiest children in the whole wide world? I called my mom and asked her if she would like to stop by and get some for her and her husband, Stan, on her way home from work. She told me that she was really ill with a headache and she couldn't. After I took the girls to the dance, I took some out to her. She was really sick! I'm glad I had the prompting of God to call her and offer her some of our food.
Saturday was just an all out glorious day. We got up and had breakfast together than got around to doing the things that we had to do that day. I see God all the time in little moments like these. Nothing big going on just the sheer blessing that God has granted me this family...a husband who knows the good, bad, and ugly and loves me anyways and two absolutely perfect daughters. I know there will soon come a time when it will be just Chris and I so I cherish the times we get to spend together just being.
Sunday...My Mamaw always made a big deal about everyones birthdays. She would always cook a big lunch and have everyone over to celebrate. She is 81 now and things aren't as easy for her as they once were and I know this really bothers her. She has told me many of time that getting old is no fun when you can't do the things you used to be able to do. And let me tell ya, she used to do ALOT!!!!
Here's a little story...She used to work all week long then on Fridays after work she would come and pick me and my brother, Jason, up to stay the weekend with her and Papaw. We would go out to eat on Friday nights, always to Western Sizzler. Then we would go to Wal-Mart. Then we would go to Braums. EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT! On Sunday mornings she would get up and get us all ready for church and she would cook a big breakfast (we're talking eggs, sausage gravy, HOMEMADE biscuits, grits...THE WORKS!) While cooking breakfast, she simultaneously worked to get Sunday lunch in the oven to be cooking until church was over. Lunch, oh lunch.....roast beef, potatoes, carrots, broccoli casserole, salad (with HOMEMADE ranch salad dressing), and always a dessert. Unbelievable!!! There would always be me, Jason, Mamaw and Papaw, my great grandpa, my aunt, my uncle, my dad, sometimes another family from church. Sometimes there would be a friend/girlfriend/boyfriend of my aunt, uncle or dads. It was your quintessential "Norman Rockwell" Sunday dinner.
I'm telling you all of this because this is my glimpse of God...the love Mamaw has for her family, the service that she so diligently gave to her family, the sacrifice and care that went in to these Sunday dinners. I think about my life and Sunday mornings around here: Hit the snooze button about 5 times until your like, "OH CRAP!", jump out of bed, holler at everyone to get up and get ready (about 3 times), lay out clothes on the bed for Cali, get ready, help them (Averi, Cali, AND Chris) get ready, rush out the door, usually grabbing a bag of dry cereal or a Rice Krispy Treat to eat in the car on the way to church. And there is no Sunday dinner cooking in the oven to be ready for us when we get home. We usually hit El Chico after church.
I really admire that lady! And the love I see that she gives to her family is something that has got to come directly from God! Because God IS love.
On Mondays we always go to visit Mamaw and Papa Jim after Averi takes her piano lessons. Her lessons are only a few miles from their house. As we were leaving there was the most amazing looking sky. I always think of God and His Majesty when I look at the sky. I mean WOW! He sure is creative. There were all kinds of amazing colors. The picture I posted does not do it justice.
Sorry for this epic long post...if you are even still reading. I'll try not to lump like 5 days into one post again.
I'll leave you with a bible verse that I read this evening that really spoke to me:
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause. Isaiah 1:17
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