Because the kids spent the night with grandparents into Labor Day, I had the rare opportunity to wake up to an empty house Monday and then spend the whole day alone. I can’t recall when that happened–not one person for 8 whole hours. The house was so quiet, I heard noises I’m not usually able […]
Reminders from the Community Theatre
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go see a play with my friend Kaylene. Another friend, Julie, was playing Clairee in the theatre production of Steel Magnolias. In case you haven’t seen the film, starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, and many others, this story circulates around the community of six women, bonded by […]
Well, I Thought It Was a Good Idea
[The above picture is of my daughter’s face covered in butt cream. She figured it helped her little brother’s bottom, it must be nice for the face too, right?] Ever since my daughter was two and we caught her making Rice Crispy Treats early one Saturday morning (the butter in the microwave for 17 minutes), […]
June & July Reads
I don’t normally read romances (not since high school anyway), but this cover doesn’t do justice to the content of this book. In fact, I almost didn’t read it because of the cover. However, I’d read a Hauck novel several years back about a the history of a wedding dress and enjoyed it. Although I […]
Sitting on Your Own Bum
“On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.” ― Michel de Montaigne Timothy Keller posted this on FB: “Real humility is shy.” I’ve been pondering that concept in relationship to the scared echo of pride awareness in my own life. Sadly, that deepest, darkest sin oozes through every other sin. […]
Noticing the Little Gifts of God
The Hanley family has talked for years about the fun memories made camping and how we want to carry that legacy on with our kids. After 14 years of marriage and several kids later, we finally said, “This is the year we vacation together.” Picking a spot somewhat in the middle, we scheduled our camping […]
When Worship Songs Become More about Me Than God
Back in the early nineties, traditional churches started transitioning from the hymnal to what we termed praise choruses: “As the Deer,” “Shine, Jesus, Shine,” “Jesus, Lover of my Soul,” “Awesome God,” “Lord, I lift Your Name on High,” and more pop into my mind. We added these songs gradually, because many Southern Baptists struggled with […]
My May Reads and a few other random thoughts…
How is this possible? May 31st is here already…and I made it! Felt like I had a foaming tiger by the tail a few times, but I ran alongside, panting and gritting my teeth. I even got to wave and smile and enjoy the scenery a few places. By the time I could let go, […]
My April Reads
I’ve been reading several historical books and memoirs lately, none of which leave me with a smile. Enlightening? Yes. Lightening? No. Because of all the stress I was wrestling through in my reality, I decided this month, I needed to use my April reads to escape and laugh. Well, I made this declaration after starting […]
Helping Your Kids Deal with Stress
Everyone’s heard of our natural response to stressful situations with the “fight or flight” mode. When our adrenal glands overwork, our liver dumps extra sugar into our system, the hormone epinephrine fuels the body, the heart rate accelerates and the lungs work harder (Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology). But what happens when we can’t […]