Ramblin'

I'm sitting here in a quiet, cool, dark house and listening out for the gbabies as they nap.  Their mommy has gone to a consignment sale all alone and she is so happy to be able to do that!  Little things mean a lot to a mom of a baby and a 2 year old.  I'm content to sit here and ramble on my blog.

It's amazing how a good night's sleep changes my outlook and makes me a little more cheerful.  Lately I've been sleeping regularly from 11pm-4 am. Then I wake up...wide awake....no going back to sleep...just like an alarm clock my eyes pop open at 4. Then I can't quiet my brain down. I start thinking about things I need to do at work or things I forgot to do. Why do I remember those things at 4 am? Crazy. But last night I slept so well after an extremely busy week. I think I counted up that I put in 47 hours in 4 days at work.  Good way to lose weight, too. No time to eat and when there was time I was too tired.  Anyway, I do not begrudge the time. We had a wonderful time with our Christmas in August party with 96 in attendance...even more really with family and orchestra folk also.  Our music is going to be even more beautiful than last year.  I was able to sit in and watch my boss put this program together this year and, as I told him, it was "dang impressive"! Ha! He's very creative and you have to be to do what he does. No creativity given to me.  Oh, well. I can enjoy that of others.

Today I am spending my usual Friday off with the babies and we just returned from Walmart.  I walked away from the buggy for a second and turned around just in time to see my grandson standing up in the seat. Yikes! He has some new skills.  Glad my daughter saw him in time! Grandmommy has to get with the program and have some common sense here.

I am looking forward to the month of September.  There are 4 birthdays in our family...my mom, son, grandson, and nephew.  Also have 2 weddings to attend. And my husband will be having shoulder replacement surgery.  Have you ever heard of that? Never knew that was possible. It's different from rotator cuff surgery.  He'll wear a sling for 6 weeks and have lots of physical therapy.  We are praying that this will relieve the pain he's been in and give him more range of motion.

I'm excited to have started participating in our women's Bible study on Wednesday mornings at church.  I'm making up my work time on other days and I appreciate being able to do that.   I'm doing the "Amazing Collection". This is a study of all the books of the Bible and this particular one is 1 & 2 Peter, Titus, and Philemon.  I enjoy being with the ladies that I don't get to see often. We always have some great food and singing also.  It's a very worthwhile 2 hours.

Okay, done with my ramblin'. I see a baby stirring around about to wake up.

Psalm 16:

 ⁵ LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;

   you make my lot secure.

⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

   surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;

   even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸ I keep my eyes always on the LORD.

   With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

11 You make known to me the path of life;

   you will fill me with joy in your presence,

   with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

This and That (or God is Good)

So it's been long enough, right? I seem to have a writer's block going on. Nothing much to write about. My life is just going on its daily rhythm of home, work, church, family, grandchildren, friends. My life is very full and I'm so thankful!  I know that any time things could change. So I do NOT take these times for granted.

Been doing some reading.  There is a really good book called Choosing Rest by Sally Breedlove.  Full of much insight in how we tend to want problems totally solved before we feel like we can rest.  But sometimes problems just aren't solved in a day or a week or a month or a year. I have one myself that has gone on for a year. I struggle with it often but it is still not solved. It could be me...that I'm not totally giving it up to Him...or it could be that He just wants to keep teaching me through it. I have to admit I've learned some things...like self-control, like humility, like I'm not as strong as I thought I was.  So, I am to put my burden on Him and then rest.  Another aspect of rest that she talks about is timing. The Lord created our world...the evening and the morning were the first day, the second day, etc. We should look at our evenings and night's sleep as the preparation for the work we do the next day. Rest comes first then work. Not work then rest.  I'm trying to change my outlook on that.

RSBC Choir in last year's presentation

Children, Choir, Orchestra, in our Worship Center during 2010 Christmas presentation

I'm very busy at work.  Christmas in August is a ritual for us in church music ministry.  We are getting ready to introduce our choirs and orchestra to the Christmas presentation our minister of music has chosen. It is a long process and it is always amazing to me how he chooses and puts together just the right music and elements for a beautiful presentation that blesses and moves people spiritually and emotionally during that special time of year. We'll have a "Christmas in August" party for everyone, complete with "cookie swap" and other treats.

My two JOYS

Erin and Brad

Stephen and Rachel

Our children are doing very well. We are thankful for their good health and happiness.  Our son and daughter-in-law have settled well into married life and she is getting ready to start her 3rd year of pharmacy school at UGA.  She's brainy as well as beautiful.  We are enjoying getting to know her family and we're just happy that Stephen has someone to take care of him now and force him to eat healthfully! HA. She's a great cook.  Our other kids, daughter Erin and son-in-law Brad and the most precious beautiful grandchildren ever :) haha are also doing wonderfully well. We are very thankful that our daughter can stay home with the babies as Brad is a good provider with a great job in the school system.  The children are thriving and happy. Maddie is quite the talker, artist, and loving little girl.  She sometimes goes into an "evil voice" as we call it...to try to get her way or just to be funny. It's a deep, gravelly voice. Very funny!! Her beautiful, bright red hair is growing longer and she is just pure JOY to us.  Landon is trying to walk and is getting into all sorts of trouble. As Erin says, he's attracted to everything that is dangerous...outlets, wires, electrical stuff, steps, etc. He's a mess and is hard to resist with his clear blue eyes and constant smile!

So, there's the update. Parents are good, my mom is recovering from a broken ankle. It's healed now but giving her problems still.  My husband is still enjoying his job and is doing well...running 3 times a week.  We are both very thankful for jobs that we love and good health and the fact that the Lord always provides for us no matter how little we make. :)  A bad day at a job we love is much better than $$..  And we don't have many bad days!  Our church means so much to us and we are happy to be involved there in choir, nursery, greeter ministry, etc.  We are still one of the few churches around that has Sunday night services and we enjoy those "deeper" studies of the Bible.

Like I said, I don't have a terribly exciting life but it's good! God is good. I don't take it lightly!