They grow up so fast!

Just a real quick note before I go to bed (SO MUCH on my mind...the move - will we be completely ready on time, I think not b/c it's so hard to pack with an active baby who is dealing with separation anxiety (I can't put him in a room by himself but I can't put him down in the apartment b/c we have stuff/boxes, etc. everywhere) - and now the story below so I will most likely have to take at least part of Friday off, if not the whole day in order to be ready on Saturday...oy, I digress!) Anyway, I just had to share the following...

Soooo, I put Nate to bed earlier and then kept packing for this weekend's move and I hear noises coming from Nate after about 15 minutes so I walked in to see what His Little Highness was up to and WOWOWOWOWOW...he'd pulled himself up and was STANDING in the crib, leaning over the railing and looking out the door to see who was going to come through the door. Scared the "you-know-what" out of me because he was leaning over so far he almost fell out. He was sooooo proud of himself and I was proud of him. It is now time to lower the bed in his crib, but we have to take it partially apart to lower it b/c it is a very sturdy crib. HE'S GROWING FAR TOO FAST! This PLUS the 4 teeth this week that have come in within two days of each other... He just turned 8 months old LAST Monday! He is seriously growing too fast. He hasn't even completely started crawling yet. He's sorta got it. He needs to crawl before he walks! It's all about how the brain wires itself and kids who walk before crawling have a hard time reading.

I SOOOO have my hands full with his little active self and my wonderful 8 year old Emily who is needing more mommy time right now and the move.

Ok, maybe once the move is done, my insomnia will go away and I can sleep adequately again. SIGH!

'Night all...or, actually morning...

Miracle Monday for July 26

God is good ALL the time!

I just have to write a quick note about how God has blessed us today.

We are moving essentially two households this weekend. Moving stuff out of and around in my mom's house to make room for our stuff. Yesterday two good friends contacted us out of the blue to ask if we needed help moving this weekend. At that point it was going to have been Oscar, my mom and myself moving. THEN, one of my best friends shot me a message this morning that she, her kids, her sister and a mutual friend were available to help around 1:30-2ish. Talk about a real blessing they all are!

We needed to have a moving truck from Thursday to Sunday and, wouldn't you know it? ALL the trucks are sold out for anything longer than a 6-8 hours period, unless we wanted to pay upwards of $60/day after all is said and done for a truck from a different company. Something about this being the busiest weekend of the year for moving, blah, blah, blah. I guess it has something to do with the college kids, since Austin is SUCH a college town. It was a definite Kevin Fowler "# (Pound) Sign" song kind of moment – for those of you who don't know the song, the main point of it is this:

Just in case there might be
Little ears around
I won't say it
I'll just spell it out

I feel like pound-sign, question mark
Star, exclamation point
Don't give a blank
And a whole lot of other

Choice words I can't say
Today I feel like
Pound-sign, question mark
Star, exclamation point

So I posted a little vent about it on my FB status and within 10 minutes the wife of Oscar's very first foreman emailed me to say that they had a horse trailer that we were welcome to use! BONUS! So, now we have one horse trailer and 6 trucks to move and do storage in on Saturday, plus the help of 7 other people aside from me, my mom and Oscar.

God works in mysterious ways, so we're using the money we saved in not renting a moving truck to buy BBQ and drinks for all of those who are helping us, including the friends who gave us use of the trailer

A true miracle that we needed! My friends are the absolute best ever and I am thankful every day they are in my life! ♥

God is so good
God is so good
God is so good
He's so good to me!

An Illustration of Buyer's Remorse by Meat Loaf WRT Dave Ramsey

I was listening to some "classic" music last night and was enjoying Meat Loaf's first album, "Bat out of Hell". I got to the song, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and I was kind of belting it out b/c, hey, it's a classic. I got to the fun part, "STOP right there!"... and she goes into this whole spiel about

"Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?"

And she goes on and on and ON about it, almost ad nauseum, kind of like a high pressure sales pitch from a salesman who knows they have you right where they want you. So Meat Loaf, comes back with the appropriate response:

"Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
And I'll give you my answer in the morning"

At that point, Oscar blurted out in laughter, "Sounds like he's been listening to Dave Ramsey". It had me ROLLING(!) I tell you! LOL! You see, in one of Dave Ramsey's classes in FPU (#6 "Buyer Beware") he talks about the importance of waiting to buy b/c of impulse. How over 60% of people have buyer's remorse over buying something on impulse the day before so they need to sleep on the decision and take time to thing on if this is the best usage of your money, you need to window shop, compare prices, and you need to figure out if it will be worth it in the long run.

Well, poor Meat Loaf does rather well, until the pressure starts to get to him and he just can't take it anymore and succumbs to the impulse purchase and regrets it almost immediately afterward.

"I couldn't take it any longer
Lord I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me
Like a tidal wave
I started swearing to my God and on my mother's grave
That I would love you to the end of time
I swore that I would love you to the end of time!

So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you!!!"

That's kind of like the finance deal (of your life) that you can't wait to get out of! The impulse buy is the irrational rush of "I HAVE TO HAVE IT NOWWWWW!!!" and then the next couple of hours or day or week you start realizing that it was definitely NOT the deal of a lifetime, so you're just praying for it to end so you can be free of the unintended consequences of giving in to your inner child.

Meat Loaf really should have slept on it before making that "ultimate purchase" he can't get out of and is wholly miserable in. One moment of fun, pleasure and/or impulse can mess with the rest of your life. I can guarantee if he would have slept on it, he would have walked away and said, "Nah! I don't want to be stuck in a deal I can't get out of", b/c you can never see 20/20 when you're in heat of the moment and that inner child is putting its fingers in your ears and repeating the mantra, "I WANT, I WANT, I WANT...!" in order to distract you into forgetting your resolve.

"Paradise By the Dashboard Light" is the perfect illustration of buyer's remorse from an impulsive inner child. LOL!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Four/Day Two Have I Missed God’s Plan?

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Have I Missed God’s Plan?

As you ask the Lord to bless this study today, consider thanking Him for being Who He is. There is no one like our God, Who becomes for us all that He requires. Come with an open heart and a ready mind, and expect to hear from Him!
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"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope," Jeremiah 29:11.
Please allow me to define guilt using Webster's 1828 dictionary:

Guilt: "...To constitute guilt there must be a moral agent enjoying freedom of will, and capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and a willful or intentional violation of a known law, or rule of duty. The guilt of a person exists, as soon as the crime is committed... Guilt renders a person a debtor to the law, as it binds him to pay a penalty in money or suffering. Guilt therefore implies both criminality and liableness to punishment. Guilt may proceed either from a positive act or breach of law, or from voluntary neglect of known duty."

Have you missed God's plan for your life? Have you messed things up so badly that all is lost? You know that it won't be what it would have been if you had had God's best for you, and there is no going back. You can't undo what was done to you, no matter how many times you relive it or block it out of your mind. You can't make the choice again, or you would; you would do it differently. You can't do what you should have done, or not do what you shouldn't have; it's too late and there's no going back. Life keeps going, but you struggle with having missed God's perfect will for your life. How can you live with confidence and make decisions from here with this wound that never will heal? You look at your children and you know that this is not the inheritance you want to give them. Have you passed the point of hope? Does Jesus – can He  – give you hope in this mess? How does God see you? Will He hear you, and if He could heal you, would He?

Let's consider titles for these conditions of life: Plan A and Plan B.

Plan A is learning what is right and having no trouble accepting it and following through on it. It is focused on the Lord in thought, word, and deed, and being totally given over and obedient to the Lord. It looks good – because it is good. To trust in the Lord with the whole heart, believing Him to be fully the God who loves, and to love others at one's own expense, and to do it right the first time; that is Plan A.

How about Plan B? This is for those who have failed. Plan B is all about falling down and needing mercy to even look up. It is far short of good; it is helpless hopelessness. This is the way of someone who has blown it so much that they aren't even sure that God can use them again. Or if He'd even want to. Weakness, failure, and selfishness exposed, it has an awareness of such unrighteousness, yet an area of numbness that doesn't want to admit it has failed that badly. That is Plan B. It will never be Plan A. How does God see this?

Plan A carries God's heart of love. It is greatness like we have never fully seen, and He loves Plan A. But because of our lack of love, He will wait for heaven to work out His Plan A. His sights are still on it. It is still His intention, but He will wait.

In our human nature, we have a desire for continuing in Plan A by refusing to acknowledge that it has been made unreachable by our own fault. So when we attempt to achieve it, we must do so using force, anger, and manipulation. We have actually set up ourselves as the measurement of what is good in this; an attempt to be our own god. This results in a system which looks good on the outside, but is dry and empty on the inside.

To enter the failure of mankind is to enter the steadfast love and self-sacrificing nature of our Mighty God. We need to know that we have God's attention. This Plan B, the place of missing God's perfect will, is where He showed us His greatest demonstration of commitment and fervent love as He took nails in His hands, in His feet. This is where He meets us where we are with eternal words of promise to give us hope and a future. It is Plan B where He promises us great things that He will fulfill unfailingly by His power. This is where we learn by personal experience the faithfulness and the love of God! This is where our own faith in Him is made authentic. Yes, you are in Plan B. And God is fully committed to Plan B!

Yet in any ground we gain, any area of life we give to Him here in Plan B, we can have a taste of Plan A; a foretaste of heaven! We'll have the full Plan A when we get to heaven, and there we will walk in it perfectly, but we can experience something of the character and the mercy of our God now, and experience Him, incredibly, because of Plan B.

Please make note of how God feels about you, and His promises to you.

Psalm 3:3 (Is God the author of shame?)

Psalm 18:19

Psalm 18:35,36

Psalm 37:23,24

Psalm 37:37 (Remember, if you are in Christ, He has transferred His blameless and upright character to your new identity.)

Psalm 37:39,40

Right in the place where you have failed – maybe you are afraid you married the wrong man, or are in the wrong place, maybe you've gossiped and ruined a friend's trust, acted unfaithfully, had an abortion, been violated in body or soul, or have treated your children harshly – in every kind of failure you have experienced, God has gone ahead of you, and in fact, He has a plan to use that very failure.

Please turn to the book of Joshua. Chapter 6 recounts the victory at Jericho, the first city that the children of Israel defeated. The Lord gave explicit instructions they were to follow, and with their obedience, they saw the arm of God move on their behalf. The city was taken in the Lord's name, and a place was gained for them to inhabit in the Promised Land.

A city here may picture a place in your life which has been inhabited by the enemy. The people of the city are temptations and they keep the stronghold of the city from the reign of Jesus in your life. You have God's authority as a child of His to take it under His control and, as with Jericho, maybe you have experienced God's power in your life and are longing to see Him move again. Only by your obedience will you see Him work on your behalf! Without Him, you can't; without you, He won't!

Chapter 7: A nearby city was Ai, a small town, and Joshua sent spies over to it. They knew the Lord was fighting for them, and decided to let most of the men rest, sending over 2-3,000 men to easily gain ground. But what they didn't know was that one of their own men had disobeyed the Lord and had taken some of the treasures of Jericho and hidden them for himself. Because of this sin, when the army went to fight, they were chased away and ran from Ai, confused and confounded in terror.

Joshua sought the Lord: what had gone wrong? God revealed to Joshua where there was unrepented sin (v. 11-26) and what to do about it. Only after they had cleansed the nation from sin could they proceed. It needed to be confessed and forsaken!

Here we are, in chapter 8. Now the children of Israel are sent back to Ai, and God gives them the battle plan. It will only be the same as that at Jericho in that all of the warriors were to be involved. From here the strategy is a whole new plan. They are to divide in groups and set an ambush on two sides behind Ai by night. Joshua and his men were to gather in the valley in front of the city, in plain view. When the king of Ai and his men saw the Israelites in the valley, they got themselves ready quickly and ran out to meet them in battle. The Children of Israel were to run for their lives! They fled – and when the Lord nudged Joshua that it was time, he turned and held up his spear into the air. At that signal, the men hiding in ambush rose up and came from behind, lighting the city on fire and sandwiching the men of Ai and Bethel in the middle of the armies of Israel.

They fought until every enemy soldier had been killed, and then turned to the open gates of the city. Only the livestock was to be kept as booty. Please record here (either word-for-word or in your own words) what took place in the first attack from Joshua 7:4.

Now turn to Joshua 8:5. How was this second attack to go?

This tells us something incredible about our God! He is so sovereign, and so flexible and full of grace that He will actually use our failed attempts at life as part of the strategy for coming victory. How powerful the work He did on the cross, how complete and beyond our desire to hope. He not only redeems us from the pit, but sets our feet upon a rock and enables us to be established in our walk!

See Psalm 40:1-3. In what horrible pit, miry clay, have you found yourself hopelessly stuck?

What should you do?

What are God's promises to you in verse 2?

In verse 3, what are His promises to you?

Please hold your place in Psalm 40 and also find Psalm 18:31-34. From Psalm 40:2 and Psalm 18:31, what guarantees that the place God sets you on is steady?

Psalm 18:33 says that God makes our feet like a deer, able to scale the heights, to go places without fear and with confidence. Verse 36 tells us how. How does this increase your confidence in and love for Jesus?

When He makes our way 'perfect'(verse 32), it means that from this point, after we have come to Him with our failure, we can rest in confidence in Him. The consequences of our sin He will use as His servant, as our servant. The time spent He will not deem as wasted or useless. The longer I know Jesus, the more grateful I am for Him showing me such mercy.

And the longer I know Jesus, the more I don't want to find myself in a pit or in clay! He teaches us how to avoid the pitfalls of the enemy, and we become more skilled in standing on the Word of His truth as we continue in daily study with Him. But when we do find ourselves bogged down, He will always reach us in mercy. Praise His name!!

Will you come before the Lord with me?

Our Father, You are my Redeemer. You made me, and You've bought me back again. There is no one like You, Who uses even the ashes of my life so that I can walk in Your victory. You don't treat me as my sins deserve, but You use it all to serve Your purpose: to redeem that which was lost. I worship You, Lord! By Your Spirit, I believe You that You forgive me, and that You are not ashamed of me! I believe You have a plan for my life and have already worked my failure into it by Your grace. By Your Spirit, I am not ashamed, but am trusting Your sovereign power and love! In Jesus' name, A-men!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Four/Day One Mother, the Restful

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Mother, the Restful

As you come to a quiet place with the Lord today, ask Him to reveal places where your unrest comes from not realizing all He is for you, and ask Him to help you to put your trust in Him right there.
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"This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls," Jeremiah 6:16
We have discovered that the only meaningful study that will last beyond this life is the study of God Himself. Learning of Him must become the meditation of Mother as she learns to teach her children to know Him. Not only do we know Who He is, but we have a relationship with Him, based on what He has done for us and our receiving of His sacrifice. There must be a personal decision involved.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name," John 1:12.

To receive Him is to have a heart of agreement toward Him, and to ask Him in by prayer; as simple as that. We want to be in the family of God and to lead our children to that relationship as well. While they are young, they will follow because they love and trust you, and when rebellion begins to crowd in, you

have the Word of God to lead you to tell them, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," Joshua 24:15.

Walking together, and sometimes with you leading the way, you will be fulfilling the heart of God for your family. If you prod from behind, "Don't do it like that! Do this! Get over there! Move it!" you are blinded to the precious value of your children to the God who formed them. He longs to help you to see that He loves you without your earning Him at all, He cherishes you just as you are, and your children, too.

When you see this great acceptance He offers you, no strings attached, you begin to see your lack of accepting others. Often we expect others to behave a certain way before we will love them, but that is not in the character of our God and King, Jesus. We begin to long for His kindness and tenderness to be within us!

This is the meaning of Isaiah 29: 23,24, "When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction." It is believing that our children are valued by God and loved by Him, and seeing our own lack of love that brings us facedown before God, crying out for His mercy upon us. There is a time to grieve and mourn over our sin.

And after we have, we must place our trust in God, that He took our eternal punishment for us, and go to His Word for hope and life. We live now by His promises.

And we teach our children! As we learn, we teach them, just as a mother bird feeds her young from her beak to theirs. Our study is of the Word of God; we speak to them of Him during our waking hours. And we speak to Him of them!

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates," Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

What is the difference between the way we live and the way of the unsaved?

Several years ago I awoke with three verses in my mind and the difference clear, as though spoken to me. I don't think I've ever had an experience quite like it before or since. But I want to share with you what the Lord showed me:

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways."
Psalm 139:1-3.

If you look at these two passages (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Psalm 139:1-3) together, you will see the same actions:

Deut. 6, " when you sit at home"
Ps. 139, "You know when I sit"

Deut.6, "and when you walk along the road"
Ps. 139, "You discern my going out"

Deut.6, "when you lie down"
Ps. 139, "and my lying down"

Deut.6, "and when you get up"
Ps. 139, "and when I rise"

These are written of God and His people. Now let's see another passage that reveals the actions of the unsaved:

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Psalm 1:1
Here we see only three actions:

"walk in the counsel"
"stand in the way"
"sit in the seat"

What is missing?

The lying down. Rest, which pictures spiritual rest: trust, surrender.

What a privilege we have in trusting God. Believing Him is rest for us, and it is exactly what the unbeliever never has.

"For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
"In returning and rest you shall be saved,
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength,"
Isaiah 30:15.

"But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked,"
Isaiah 57:20,21.

This is the result of reading the Word of God, but not trusting in the Word made flesh. It is placing emphasis on ritual and performance of virtue, but leaving off the cross, in order to have a kingdom on this earth, a reward here and now. This is why the cross is so offensive. It boldly says: "You cannot measure up to God. You have nothing, and this is your due reward." Judgment is sure for anyone who has sinned, and only those who leave their performance as filthy rags and wholly lean on Jesus find their penalty paid by Him, and thus, find rest. It is not just a first time repentance, though this is crucial since it is the point of the Holy Spirit's entrance into the human body and soul (Ephesians 1:13)! Now it is also a walk of repentance and trust, repentance and trust. And in the trust is where the life is lived in resurrected power. All the living is built on this foundation, and the walls are raised by actions now done in trust in the King, and growing love for Him.

Think of the order of things:

God told the Jews to celebrate the beginning of each month, which was marked by a new moon (Numbers 10:10, 1 Chronicles 23:31). You cannot see a new moon; it is dark, resting.

The Sabbath day is a picture of our rest in Jesus (Heb. 4:3). God rested on the seventh day (Heb.4:4), and after the resurrection of Christ, we call the day of rest Sunday, the first day of the week.

In the same way, God, who created the day, began it in the evening. Genesis 1:5, "...And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day."

We see that all of these point to a rest before work. So do we resist any work until we are completely trusting in God? No, we do what is right, and God will take care of our motives as we go. For work that will go ahead of us into heaven, it must begin with trust in the Lord. That's what He is working in us all the time. We are all in the process, and we are perfect in His sight as we trust in the Perfect One! Born again, and learning to walk. Growing up to maturity with the ability to reproduce spiritually. It's a process.

Will you join me to pray?

My Father,

You are so different from my inclinations to panic and press and make things happen. You tell Your children to rest, to trust in You, and You will see to it that our work is good. By myself I don't know how to rest and take confidence in You, so I will trust that You will work that in my life. You are so good, Father. You are trustworthy, and I worship You. I want to authentically trust in You. Thank You for telling me the truth, that not only is this the way I am saved, but the way I will live my life of faith. You will enable me! In Jesus' name, A-men.

FFT for July 9, 2010

This Friday Field Trip I think has affected everyone at some point...

Ah, the Mondegreen, those delightful little lyrics that are "misheard". The term 'Mondegreen' is generally attributed to one Ms. Sylvia Wright, who is credited with coining the neologism in a 1954 Harper's column. Ms. Wright was chagrined to discover that for many years she had misunderstood the last line of the first stanza in the Scottish folk ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray," which reads:

Ye Highlands and ye Lawlands,
Oh! Where ha'e ye been:
They ha'e slain the Earl of Murray,
And they laid him on the Green.

Ms. Wright misheard this stanza as:

Ye Highlands and ye Lawlands,
Oh! Where ha'e ye been:
They ha'e slain the Earl of Murray,
And Lady Mondegreen.

From the disappearance of Sylvia Wright's tragic heroine, Lady Mondegreen, came the term for describing unconventional interpretations or understandings of oral repetition, usually in the form of song lyrics.

Perhaps the most popular Mondegreen is from Jimi Hendrix's song Purple Haze. Many heard the lyric "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" instead of "'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky"

Mr. Hendrix was himself aware that he had been Mondegreened, and would occasionally, in performance, actually kiss a guy after saying that line.

Two great sites for you to visit to see if YOU have the correct lyrics of one of your favorite songs over the past years are:

Am I Right?
and
Kiss This Guy

After all, while a "Fire Engine Guy" might be a heck of a lot more fun than a "Fire In The Sky", nobody wants to be laughed at for the (sometimes REALLY) incorrect words. LOL!

I admit, I did have one back in the 90's. It was U2's "With or Without You". While the lyrics actually were:
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I'll wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

What I heard was:

See the storm set in your thighs,
See the phone twist and your sigh
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate,
On a bed of meals she makes me wait
And I wait without you

Yeah, so glad I never sang those lyrics in front of anyone! LOL!

Friday Fill-Ins for July 9

And...here we go! The Friday Fill Ins, courtesy of the wonderful Janet!

1. Layers of tulle.

2. Spiritual insight.

3. I'd be willing to bet money that Obama's trying to create martial law through all of these "crises" (after all Rahm Emmanuel said "never let a crisis go to waste") by reating panic in the American citizens (just look for the magic word "evacuate") in order to suspend the November elections. After all, he's acting as if they don't even matter.

4. Scolding scares the dog.

5. I'm fond of cherry pie!

6. I think I worry about money and the bills too much! Bur really, if I didn't, then who would?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting my new Skechers Shape Ups - non-skid shoe with some of the money my in-laws gave me for my birthday (THANK YOU!), tomorrow my plans include probably manning a garage sale with my mom - UGH! and Sunday, I want to GO SEE "DESPICABLE ME"(!) with my GJ - that is if we don't have to drive 1/2 way to Midland to get Emily. SIGH!!

Truthful Tuesday for July 6, 2010

So it's been a while since I've done one of these, but I really have something on my mind.

How does one deal with someone who inexplicably treats them like they're a non-entity? Especially when this person is selective as far as who they "deign" to treat like gold – in front of those they have chosen to give the brush off to?

To me it reeks of manipulation and I do not tolerate that kind of treatment! For me and my daughter to be treated like we're nuisances to someone and can't even be bothered with, but yet Nate and Oscar and others in the same group are treated like they're on pedestals and fawned over...tsk, tsk, tsk.

I do understand that this person is going through a rough time. But, let me caveat this: I. Don't. Care. what goes on in a person's life, there are no excuses to be made for that kind of hurtful, awful attitude towards others. I can sympathize and I feel for them, but for them to select WHO they are going to treat with courtesy and decency in a small gathering and do so in front of those they choose to pretty much give a cold shoulder to is very rude. And then to try and circumvent rules and behavioral guidelines that have been placed in OUR household and to do so in front of me with pointed intention... Oh, no ma'am! For shame!

I have always been taught that you CHOOSE your attitude. You don't let it choose you and for heaven's sake you DON'T play selective favorites and shun others in the same group. It's common courtesy and just plain within the bounds of decency.

IDK why this has upset me so, other than it's egregious and horribly manipulative behavior to not only me but my daughter as well who is the sweetest, most tender hearted child you will ever meet who has a real heart for God and feels things very deeply, though she will hold them in if she's hurt. I love the person who is acting this way and they'll be in my prayers for an attitude adjustment, but if it happens again, I cannot keep my mouth shut about it, but I need to know how to do it the right way!

Either tell me the problem you have with me and my daughter (or are you treating my daughter that way as an extension of the unknown or imaginary "issue" you have with me) or put your big kid britches on and get over it! No excuses!

This hasn't happened to just me either, but also from time to time to someone else that I hold very near and dear to my heart. It's just plain WRONG! It's no better than a slap in the face and there's no reason behind it, but then people make excuses for the behavior, which allows it to continue, and I don't understand WHY! I abhor manipulation in any form so even though I love this person, it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth and I don't want to have that in any form toward this person, which is why this is so difficult for me to feel this way about them!

So, my lovely, Godly blogfriends. I'd like to know how you would handle it b/c the next time it happens I'm afraid my words might not be seasoned with much Grace. I don't want to cause a rift, but I am not going to allow myself and especially my daughter to continue to be treated this way!

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I have to say that I love going to see Oscar's family in Midland. I'm just very, very sorry we didn't get to see his dad and step-mom this time b/c they are just such wonderful people who are so full of life and laughter!

We had a blast up there for the 4th and my birthday though at his mom and step-dad's. I do not feel 37 at all! I love the peaceful feel there. His mom always has such huge enveloping hugs that make you feel warm and fuzzy and his step-dad is just the sweetest, most unassuming guy there is and seems genuinely surprised when he's thanked for something or told that something he's done is appreciated.

I love being a part of their family and I love that they are part of mine! Just being with them is a blessing and a gift enough.

Emily is up there this week to do golf camp and swimming. First time other than with my mom or her dad that she will have been away from me for such a "long" time. I hope she really enjoys it. I think she would do great if she gives it a chance. I'm not a fan of golf, but, hey, I'm great at driving the cart and doing QA for the drinks. LOL!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I'm looking forward to hearing your advice on the above matter. I really could use it.