Thursday, April 30, 2009

Procrastination Party!

Melissa over at The Inspired Room is holding a "Project Procrastinators" Party where she inspired us to drag out our long awaited projects and git 'er done! Well, she didn't really say that, I've just always wanted to put that in a post somewhere.

She posted her before pictures of her dining room chairs, and encouraged us to post pictures of our "before" projects. So, to keep me accountable (and to drive my husband absolutely nuts in the process...he is so gonna kill me for doing this...I'll tell you why later), here are my before pictures of my step-stool that was my Mimmie's. That would be my maternal grandmother. She had this stool in her kitchen for as long as I can remember. I don't know where it came from. It was just always there. I have no idea what it was originally covered with...probably some form of vinyl. Anyway, here you go...oh, and by the way, I've had these pictures in my "blog pictures" file for almost a year now...I knew I was going to be doing this project, I just didn't have the gumption to finish it. Okay, here you go...Oh. Oh, oh, oh. This poor, neglected step stool. I just don't even know what to say about it...I'm a bit verklempt.
This...this is the seat. This ugly-contact-paper adorned piece of wood is the seat. Notice the stains. Notice the red...some-kind-of-vinyl-something-or-other underneath the ugly contact paper. Oh. Oh, my.

Well, don't you worry, my...um...pretty...Momma's gonna fix you up right.

Check back tomorrow to see why Sound Man is so gonna kill me for committing to this right now.

Now, head on over to Melissa's and link up yourself...you know you have a project you've been letting slide for too long!

Monday, April 27, 2009

"My cup overflows with blessings..."

Psalm 23:5...That is the verse printed on the back of my newest, coolest t-shirt. I got it at the coolest place, too! This past weekend was our church's Women's Retreat. This was our third year to do one, but the first year to have it at the church. That kept the cost down, which was good for everyone. And for those who forgot to grab pillows off her bed as well as something to sleep in, it was easy to slip back home and grab stuff. Or so I've heard. Ahem.

When I walked in before our sound check, I was overwhelmed at how beautiful everything was. Look at that pink poof!

You really can't tell how pretty it all was. Pink zebra print and polka dot tablecloths, green and pink and orange flowers, and green shirts with brown on the front and hot pink on the back made everything so springy and girlie. I loved it.

Friday night started off with our main speaker, Karin, who is a pastor's wife from a church that is very close to the heart of our church. She spoke truth to my heart, and her words were like soothing oil to my dry heart. What a wonderful way to start out the weekend!

Throughout the weekend we had small group time, breakout sessions, giveaways, and worship. I can't decide what my favorite part of the retreat was! I was privileged to be a part of the worship team, so that's high on my list of faves. Any time I get to listen to 200 or so women lifting their voices loving on their Father makes my heart glad.

Lauren, who just happens to be one of my altos, was on our worship team. Here we are trying not to laugh hysterically...it was hard.

Because this is what we had just taken a picture of...

That's what happens at 11:00 p.m. when the delirium sets in.

When I get to serve in any capacity leading worship, I count it as an awesome privilege. I volunteered to help in whatever way our Director, Kam, wanted me to with worship, and the two girls who led with me sort of delegated me as the leader. I tried to convince them we would all three co-lead, but they would have none of it. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. We each had our part, and I don't think that the ladies at the retreat saw me as the "Worship Leader." I think they saw us as the "Worship Team."

Guess which verse I'm reading here? It's 2 Corinthians 3:18, the verse I have at the top of the blog. Karin mentioned the fact that when we become Christ followers, we become holy. We can't work up to it or earn it. The same thing I've said here on the blog before. Just like the caterpillar has the same DNA of the butterfly, we are holy and righteous at the moment we are saved. What happens is we start listening to the lies the enemy tells us so that we will live defeated lives. When we start trusting what God says is true about us, we will start living life to the fullest!

Okay, didn't mean to go off on that tangent. But I'm glad I did. : )

Our Worship Team for the weekend. I love these girls! Lauren, Jennifer Begrin, and me.

I'm sort of getting ahead of myself, because I haven't talked about Friday night's Pit tables. Have you heard of Pit? It's only the coolest game around for loudmouths like me. You're dealt 9 cards with a "commodity" like corn, coffee, sugar, barley, etc. on each card. You want to "corner the market" on one commodity, so you have to trade cards to try to get all one commodity. As soon as the cards are dealt, someone rings the bell to start trading and it becomes sheer madness!

The calm before the storm at this table...

While the bedlam was going on at our table!

You have to yell how many cards you want to trade, so the whole lot of us are yelling different numbers all the while trying to figure out what cards to trade, sprawling over the table to grab traded cards. It finally ends when someone has all one set of cards and rings the final bell. I won the last hand I played. I like to go out on top.

We had the option of staying at the church on air mattresses (we have showers in our bathrooms in our Go Center, where retreat was), or staying at someone's home, or getting a hotel room, or just going home. Well, it wouldn't be retreat if I had gone home, so my sweet friend Vivian opened up her home to me and my friends Lisa and Stacey. We stayed up talking until 1:30, having to get up at 5:3o or so the next day. But the laughs we shared were worth it.

Me, Stacey, Lisa (poor girl's shirt was two sizes too big so she didn't get to wear hers! She got it fixed, though), and our gracious hostess, Vivian. Lisa and I are very close and get to hang out together all the time, but I don't get to spend enough time with Vivian or Stacey. These three made me smile a lot this weekend. Even though they kept me up too late. Hee hee.

I have to show this next picture just because it's too cute not to. JB and Mendi, another one of my beautiful altos (JB is one of my beautiful altos, too!), were posing and suddenly JB decided they should get all diva on me.

Can you say A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E? The funny thing is, neither one of these girls is like this AT ALL!


One of my favorite things to do as a Worship Leader is just stop singing and listen to the voices of those we're leading. There were so many beautiful ladies at this retreat, and I loved listening to each one. I can't wait till next year! (But I do want to rest now! )

I'll leave you with this profound picture. It sums up our weekend where no words are needed. Enjoy....

I smile BIG every time I see this!

Friday, April 24, 2009

What a Pain!


I bet you were expecting me to be gushing about my husband again, weren't you? Well, don't let the title fool you...I'll get to that. Instead of my regular "My Husband Rocks" post (which this will turn into...just go with me here), I have to tell you about my week. More specifically, about Sound Man's week.

It all started Thursday night. No, even earlier. The Saturday before last (at least I think that's when it was), Sound Man and Kiddo were at Kiddo's baseball practice. Sound Man was acting as ump behind the plate, when the catcher missed a pitch and it landed smack on Sound Man's right arm. He said he felt like it broke a bone when it hit. It didn't, but it hurt like heck, swelling and turning the most awful shade of purple. Fast forward to Thursday night when a friend asked for his help moving. Things were going fine until he and his friend Jeff were moving a couch. The couch shifted and landed right on his hurt arm. Ugh. So he came home a little more bruised and sore. Then Friday he did yard work all evening. Saturday came and was a work day for a mission project our church was doing. By this time his arm was swollen almost as bad as it was when he was first hit.

As much as I'm talking about his arm, you'd think that's what this post is about. Well, it's not. Actually, this is a two-fold post. First, my husband really does rock because even though he was hurting, he pressed on, helping others as well as doing what needed to be done here at home.

I'm getting to my second part...bear with me. After the work day at church, we had barbecue provided by the Small Group ministry...delicious smoked barbecue. Man, was it good. So good, Sound Man ate two sandwiches. Only after he ate did he realize what that good meal might eventually cost him. See, he has recently discovered that eating smoked meat triggers his migraines. Uh-huh. And he was out of his medicine. Monday morning, he woke up with one of his nasty headaches, but went to work anyway. He took some over the counter stuff, which relieved some of the pain, but never really took it away completely. Then, Monday night, as we were driving home from Kiddo's baseball game, he suddenly stopped talking in mid sentence, pulled the van over, and asked me to drive. He scared me to death. I asked him what happened and he said he felt a pop in his head and got really dizzy. I told him I was taking him to the hospital but he said it was just part of the migraine and to just go home. He went to work Tuesday, still hurting, and by Wednesday he finally relented and went to the doctor.

As I'm eating lunch with my mother who had just come from taking a chemo treatment, I got a phone call from my husband telling me he's on the way to the hospital to have a CAT scan done. The doctor wanted to check to make sure there were no broken blood vessels or anything seriously wrong. Lovely. I'm a worrier by nature. I'll let you figure out my state of mind.

By Thursday morning the pain was so bad he could get out of bed only long enough to take hot showers to relieve some of it. We called the doctor who said the CAT scan came back okay but to come in and get a shot. Finally! I was so thankful the scan came back normal, thankful he was going to finally get some relief. A few hours after his shot and he was almost pain free. Last night at bedtime he said he was about 80%, so that's good.

What's my point in all of this? That my husband, no matter if he's hurting or not, doesn't stop. He "plays hurt" as a friend of ours likes to say. He presses on. I'm so thankful that he sets such a good example of perserverence for our son. I hope Kiddo can see what a good man his daddy is.

I know I can.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Don't leave me!

So, have you noticed I've been out for over a week? Hello? Anyone? Bueller? Fry?

Life just seems to be getting busier and busier. Easter a couple weekends ago, our Women's retreat this weekend at which I am leading worship with a couple of the most talented songwriters/singers I know (of course that's not saying much...I don't know that many, but trust me when I say that they are amazing!), and Kiddo's baseball season has begun. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

But even though I have been absent from the blog world for a few days, y'all have not been absent from my heart. I still am so amazed that in the year I've been blogging I've gained so many friendships, some who live in my computer, and some I've been privileged to meet in real life.

Did you hear that little blip in the paragraph above? I said, "...in the year I've been blogging...." Do you know what that means? I missed my own blogiversary! It was April 14th, and I just didn't have time to write anything!!! I was so disappointed, but at the same time I thought, this IS my blog, after all, and I really don't need to stress over it! What I have started stressing over, however, is the worry that I might lose some of my friends from my inactivity. I try to nip it in the bud when those thoughts come around, because I know my true friends will be with me no matter how often I update my blog.

I have lots to share with you over the next few days, but it might take me longer to post those thoughts than a few days. I do want to give you a preview of something reeeeeeally special...something you might want to stay tuned for.....something really pretty and girlie....here's a glimpse:

Hmmm, wonder what it could be? Well, what do most people do for their blogiversary? I'll let you figure that one out while I show you why my arms are just now getting over Easter weekend.

Sorry for the blurry, too white picture...Sound Man was trying to do what he does on Sunday mornings as well as take video of the choir...kind of hard to do at the same time. This was after the first service on Sunday morning (we had already had two services...one on Saturday night and the one right before this vid was shot; then we had one more service after this; not to mention practice Saturday morning...my arms were killing me Sunday night. So much so I had to take a muscle relaxer and it didn't do anything for me!). Just goes to show you what a crazy bunch of people I get to work with. I am the one directing the choir, just behind the bald guy at the keyboard. That would be Darth Don, the piano player Kiddo aspires to be like one day. Anyway, here you go...prepare yourselves for the insanity...


Can I tell you how much I love doing what I get to do?

More details on my hint hints later...just don't give up on me!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Christ Is Risen!

He is risen indeed!

"People rejoice, all nations listen:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Dance all ye stars and sing all ye mountains:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Whisper ye woods and blow all ye winds:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

O seas proclaim and roar all ye beasts:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Buzz all ye bees and sing all ye birds:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

O little lambs rejoice and be merry:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Nightengales joyous, lending your song:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Ring, O ye bells, let everyone hear:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

All angels join us, singing this song:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Come down ye heavens, draw near the earth:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Glory to Thee, God Almighty!

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Glory to Thee, God Almighty!

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!"

For some reason the sound cuts out toward the end, but they all say "Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!" And the little girl in front is jumping for joy. The first time I saw this was when my sister sent it to me in June of last year. I cried as I watched it, even though I couldn't understand the language. The joy of Christ's resurrection knows no language barriers. Happy Easter, everyone!


Friday, April 10, 2009

My Husband Rocks! (only a little later than originally planned)

Today is my Sweet Sound Man's 36th birthday. Why does he rock because of this? Personally, I think he was a genius for thinking to plan our wedding date two days before his birthday. He now has no excuse to forget it! Not that he's the kind of man who would. I am so blessed.

Happy Birthday, My Sweet! I love you so much!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Yesterday...

I have been taking a posting break for over a week. It's been needed, but I've missed it a lot. I have missed sharing about my weekend with my sister and cousins (staying up till 5:30 a.m!), the Chris Tomlin concert (you know I love C.T!), my anniversary...so much to tell you about!

I'll start by going backwards. Yesterday my Sweet Sound Man and I celebrated our 14th anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long. It doesn't seem like five, even though Kiddo is 9. Of course, to me he should still be a toddler, so that's not saying much.

If you've read my "My Husband Rocks" posts at all you know how much I love my man. I am so blessed. I know women who say with cynical looks on their faces "NO he's not my best friend!" I ache for them to find the joy in marriage that I have. No, it's not always joy and bliss. Far from it. We are both selfish people (sorry, honey!). We live in a fallen world. The honeymoon was over a looooong time ago. Life is very hard right now. But there is not one single person on this planet I'd rather be spending my life with.

So, 14 years and one day later, I can honestly say that I love him more now than I thought ever possible when we shared this:More about my eventful week later!

A Great Giveaway!

No, not mine. I mean, I'm not the one giving it away. Actually, Rhoda isn't giving it away either. She's just hosting it for HP. Ooooh, HP? Wonder what it could be? A laptop? A calculator? A Wireless HP Photosmart C6380 All-in-One Printer? Gee, I don't know. Why don't you check her out and see?