1:00 Again

...and I'm still awake. I'm not worried about it though. I went to bed at 11:00 last night and was every bit as tired when I woke up as I have been on the really late nights! I just finished up the September and October pages of the calendars while watching some Assembly DVD's. I watched the Fields of the Wood service and was so blessed by Brother Dewayne's (or is it spelled Dwayne?!) historical reading, complete with our own personal airshow. It really brings the history that we're so familiar with to LIFE and makes you realize that it really happened, which of course just settles it all the more in your heart that this really is the Church--God's Church! Then I watched the Thursday evening session with Brother Bennett's message on holiness and Brother Byers' CPMA message on the fellowship of the mystery and loving one another. What a blessing! I have a confession to make... I don't get a whole lot out of most sermons in church. ~gasp!~ I know--it's terrible! I'm ashamed of it and I really try to pay attention and put my whole heart into it, but I have such a hard time corralling my mind for an entire message. It helps if I take notes, but I have found that I get the very most out of sermons or classes when I'm listening to them later on, while I'm scrubbing the floor or cross-stitching--or making calendars! Doing something with my hands somehow frees my mind up to really grasp what's being said and I feel like so much more of it sinks in. Brother Bennett's message was so good! I missed so much of it during the Assembly. And, of course, Brother Byers had some real inspiration from God for the Church at this time. Good stuff. You oughta' watch it! :-)

I intended to get back into normal life a little bit today: school, laundry, ironing... that kind of thing. It simply wasn't to be. We loaded up the fam and headed to town to make some necessary exchanges of Christmas gifts that just weren't going to work or fit. It turned out quite successful. It would take way too long to explain how, but by the time we had finished at Christopher & Banks, the average cost of each item purchased there for Christmas was about $8. Wa-Hoo! I love paying Wal-Mart prices for better quality clothes that are so much cuter! :-) Returned things to Sears and Penny's and didn't have the oomph to shop, so we just had it put on gift cards we can use later. That's better anyway. We ought to wait until the kids really NEED pajamas again before we replace the ones we had to return.

We went out to Edgewood so the kids could search for that perfect something to spend their $25 gift cards on. Katie's card is for Barnes and Noble, so she'll have to wait for another day. Sam has a bad habit of picking up the first thing he sees and saying, "This is it!" I made him look for quite a while before he finally settled on a plastic sword, pocket knife and pocket knife-that-shoots-the-blade-out-when-you-mash-a-button set. And a "real" compass. Joe always wants to go look at the "real" stuff instead of toys and Sam nabbed a compass in the camping aisle. He said he bought it so he can help kids who are lost find their Mom and Dad. Ha! What a sweet thought... however, misinformed! It was great watching him hold the thing and walk around in circles tonight in an effort to "follow" it. As for Joe... well, he didn't get anything at Wal-Mart. The kid looked for 30 minutes or more and considered several things, but in the end just couldn't bring himself to part with the dough. I can't imagine where he gets that from. ;-) He was very upset that he left the store with nothing at all, but he just couldn't come to a decision. I told him to come home and make a list over the next few days of all the things that he might like to have or could really use. He got a piece of paper and wrote "LIST" at the top... then couldn't think of a single thing to write down! Ha! I told him that meant he didn't need a thing in this world and he ought to hang on to that card until he thinks of something he does need. We'll see!

We drug out the holiday left-overs tonight and James insisted that we eat it ALL so that we wouldn't have to see any of it again! It's good to know I'm not the only one tired of everything. And yes, Tammy, you had a point. Strange how when I'm painting and wallpapering and refinishing furniture that all I really want in the world is to cook and clean... then I have a month of nothing but that and I'm so tired of it I'm ready to scream! Ha! Maybe what I need is a happy medium. ??? Or maybe I'm just hard to please!

We had a good devotion tonight, then Sam fell asleep while Katie and Joe peppered me with questions galore about God and the Bible. I just love that! Joe sooooo wants to be saved and is just convinced that he's not. He prays and asks God to forgive him and to save him, but he doesn't feel any different--and he knows he's just going to be bad again and "backslide" and he wonders if God is really real and all manner of dilemmas that seem way ahead of schedule for a kid so young! James and I really need wisdom to know how to answer his questions and most of all we really need for God to calm his fears, settle his doubts and really and truly save his soul--and if he's already saved, to assure Joe of it. Katie and Sam, too--I've prayed more for my kids' salvation in recent months than ever before. I want the Lord to begin stirring in their hearts and drawing them and for them to truly respond to him and get saved. Kate says she is saved. It's hard to tell with her--I figure God's the only one who really knows! Sam's NOT saved. Ha! I know they're young, but they're not too young for God to work in their hearts and give them real, true salvation.

Due to our extended talk after devotions I was late getting to the calendars, but I prayed (!) that God would help me to still get two months worth (four pages) done tonight and wa-hoo, He did! I had the first two pages whipped together in an hour. That's a first! Of course, they're no better than any of their predecessors, but I've all but given up on creating anything grand in this project anyway. I'm pretty much settling for framing pictures with cardstock and slapping 'em on some printed papers! Ha!

I have developed a pretty good sore throat over the past few hours and I decided to stay up and blog and sip some hot peach tea with honey before bed. I would have preferred hot lemonade with honey like Grandma Babe always made, but I didn't happen to have any of that on hand. Oh well! I'm going to finish my tea and hit the hay. But first, a picture...


Who needs a shirt when you can wear your pants like that?! HA! Love it! WHAT A DORK!!!