"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

So, I have been a little lax in my blogging. (Not that it matters but to a handful of people! lol) Things have been crazy around here. All of us have been sick. We went through Halloween, my birthday, Jeremy's mom's birthday, and Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, we did our usual eat here first, then go to Athens Thursday night. Christie, Audrey, and I went Black Friday shopping (mine and Audrey's first time!). It was alright. I'm not much of a shopper. Thinking next year, I may do more online shopping. We did a bit on eBay this year. Got one disappointment yesterday when the 42" Vizio we bought got here and the screen was busted. Trying to get a hold of the people we bought it from to see about having it replaced or refunded or something.

Jeremy, Audrey, and I went shopping in Huntsville Tuesday, since it was too wet for Jeremy to work. We finished the kids Christmas, except I still have to get an ornament for Ty (they were out of the one we wanted, but they have the display on hold for us in case we can't find it elsewhere), and I have to get stocking stuffers. Done with our shopping for everyone else, too, except for Chris (Jeremy is taking care of that), Christie, and Dirty Santa.

...ok, so I started that on Dec 3. Now lets see if I can finish it! :)

For starters, the people we bought the tv from are going to let us send it back and refund our money. And Jeremy found another one yesterday. Hoping this story has a happier ending. :)

I have pretty much all of my decorations up! Just lacking a few sit abouts, that it doesn't really matter if they get put out or not. Finished making Audrey's stocking this afternoon (you know with kids, you only get to work in spurts!) Ready to start wrapping presents now!

For what it's worth, I had to go to the ENT yesterday. Get to go have a CT scan done and blood work to check for allergies, then a scope run up my nose. That part doesn't sound like fun. :( My thyroid has also decided to go crazy again, so back on the good ol' PTU. Hoping to feel a LOT better for all our Christmas stuff (which starts tomorrow!!!) Also, Zackary has the flu....hoping the boys didn't catch it from him at church Wednesday night.....

One last thing...for anyone who's interested, a slideshow of our family pictures is up on YouTube. Feel free to take a look. Amanda did a great job! If you are thinking about having pictures made, give her a call! :)

November

So, how did I end up going through all of November without posting?? It has been busy at the Johnson house the past few weeks! We did Halloween. We spent the day in Athens, then came back to Horton and made the rounds here.
Spent all day one day (me and Troy and Audrey) in Huntsville with Peggy...she had gone for her regular treatment for her colon, and we ended up in the emergency room all afternoon/evening having her heart checked. Everything was alright, though. They told her they thought it was her asthma acting up.
Then we passed around a cold or something. All of us but Audrey have been on antibiotics for sinus infections. Actually, I have to go for a recheck tomorrow.
Had Thanksgiving. We ate lunch at Mrs. Johnson's with the Johnson crew, then came home and let the kids nap while I finished packing for Athens and cooking for Bonnie's. We stopped by Bonnie's for a little while to see the Stewart folks, including some out-of-state cousins, before heading to Athens to have supper at Moma Kat and Grandeddy's with them, Moma and Deddy, and Chris and Christie. Friday morning, Christie and I got up early and did a little Black Friday shopping (and Audry went, too!) It was my first time...I'm thinking unless there is something I really need and someone is having an awesome deal next year I will be staying at home. :) I'm liking the online shopping. We ended up going to Babies R Us, Michael's, Dick's, Toys R Us, and the mall. When we got done shopping, we went to Moma Kat and Grandeddy's for a fish fry with the fam. They were cooking some of the fish the guys caught when they went deep sea fishing when we went to Florida over the summer. Then, of course, the Iron Bowl...WAR EAGLE!!! :D
Saturday, Jeremy and Chris went hunting at Christie's parents'. They saw several deer...across the property line! SO much for venison from than hunting trip! While they were hunting, I took the boys to Mom and Dad's and me and Christie and Audrey went to Lori Clem's to get my hair cut. So great finally getting to meet her and her family in person! :) And got a great cut and highlight, too!!
Not really much going on last week. We had Ladies' Fellowship at Pam and Randy's house. Ate stew and soup and discussed starting another ladies' Bible class, putting together our fruit baskets we do every year, and starting Secret Sisters. I am waiting to see how all of this works out! Wondering how many classes I will make it to with 3 small children to take care of!
Also been getting ready for Christmas. Been getting the house decorated and presents bought. We are almost done! YAY! The boys are getting excited, too!
Yesterday was a fun-filled day. Got up and finished the housework, with Haley's help, and got us all ready to have our pictures made. Amanda Campbell (and Bryan and Story!) came to the house and took pictures for us. She has been posting them on Facebook as she gets them edited, and the ones she has posted so far have been wonderful! She did a great job. And it was fun catching up with Bryan, too while they were here. Then, last night, the Palmers came over and ww ate pizza and let the boys play. We are completely outnumbered now with the 5 kids between us, and 4 of them boys! We always have a good time with them.
Something else new at the Johnson house...cloth diapers. :) I have realy enjoyed them more than I thought I would. These ain't yo momma's cloth diapers! ;) They are so easy to use, and we have not had one single blow-out diaper since I started using them! (knock on wood!) I love the fun colors of the covers, too. (And what I really love is how they are saving us money!!)
Speaking of cloth diapers, I have to go throw a load in the washer...so they can get clean and I can get them drying before I go to bed! Ciao, all!

The Privilege of Prayer

James 5:13-16 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven, Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much."

How often do you hear, "Please pray for me/my family," or, "The X family has requested prayers"? Now, how often do you mention those people by name in your prayers? As Christians, prayer is not only a privilege, but a responsibility. We have the ability to communicate directly with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, with the help of the Spirit. We should count it as an honor and a blessing when someone requests prayers from us. This means they know we have a close relationship with God. We should want to, and in a sense, feel obligated to honor their request. Not obligated in a grudging manner, thinking "Ok, God. Here I am doing my duty and sending up this prayer," but humbly and lovingly.

We should also remember that while it is okay to ask for things to turn out like we want them to, we should always let God know that we are confident in Him; we know that He will always do what is best for us, even if it isn't to our liking at the time. Jesus gave us the example to pray "Your will be done." (Matthew 6:10, Matthew 26:39, 42) He also told us to be persistent in our petitions (Luke 18:1-8), and that we should ask in His name (John 14:13, 14).

Prayer is our direct line to God, and should be taken seriously. This isn't to say that it always has to be formal. We should be able to talk to Him like we would our earthly fathers, or a friend. How wonderful it is to know that He is always there, ready to listen.


Dear Lord, help me to remember You are always available, and I can come to You for anything. I know You will always answer my prayers as You see fit, and as You know will best benefit me adn those I pray for. In Christ's name, Amen.

Stormy Weather, Go Away...Come Again....

Nah, don't come again!

Or maybe do. We are always guaranteed company when the weather sirens start going off! It started EARLY Monday morning, around 3:00ish, maybe. ?? We had just gone upstairs and brought the boys down to our bed, in case the power went off. Jeremy walked back through the living room and noticed a car sitting in the driveway. It was Miss Pam. :) She always comes before it gets really bad, so she knows she won't be having to drive in it and will have plenty of time to get here. Jeremy opened the door for her, and she said her plan had been to just sit in the car until the weather got really bad, then she would call us to let her in, because she didn't want to wake us up (then she saw us walking around getting the kids). Jeremy gave her a good scolding for that and told her she better just let us know she is on her way and come on in! Well, the kids all woke up then (and yes the power did go out). It never really got bad here, so Pam went back home. But the boys didn't want to go back to sleep. I think Troy finally did around 6....which of course, was just long enough for him to get good and asleep before I had to wake him up again to take Ty to school. :( So we all were slightly sleep deprived.

Peggy came over and we spent Monday trying to get some housework done here, with the intentions of alternating between our houses. We made a little progress, between kids and supper, and whatever else was going on. Another sleep deprived night Monday night, with Troy not being able to sleep, and Audrey up a good bit after about 2:00. We started trying to clean again Tuesday morning, but ended up getting ready for the storm party that was inevitably going to happen here Tuesday afternoon and evening. And happen it did. The whole immediate family was here, plus Jeremy's aunt Bonnie and Miss Pam. It got kinda rough. We stood on the back porch and watched a tornado form and go toward Guntersville, and a couple of the others even saw debris flying up over the treetops! We had another cell pass right over the house; it was rather nasty looking. But nothing bad happened here. We did get a few pictures, and if I ever get my computer fixed where I can upload pictures again, I will post them. :)

At one point while it was storming, we had a humorous scare. We made all the kids stay in the basement all evening, so if it did happen to get bad, we wouldn't have to worry about rounding them up. So they were playing in the basement by themselves, and all of a sudden, the power went out! Of course, no one had a flashlight on them, so we had to fumble around in the dark to get to the flashlight to go check on them. Meanwhile, we heard crying start from below. Poor Anna was scared to death! We found a flashlight and took off running down the stairs, and of course, about that time the power came back on. Amanda picked up Anna, who was boo-hooing. The ever prepared Zackary told his mom, "I had a flashlight right here." Needless to say, we made sure an adult was down there with them for the rest of the night, to try to cut down on the panic!

The whole week has had Miss Audrey out of sorts. She didn't know what to think about all the people here. I don't think she liked it much. I had to take her into the bedroom for some quiet time to try to calm her down. She is still a little out today. She and I went to Peggy's this morning to help her with her housework (Ty was at school, and Troy had gone with his daddy to bury a cow, among other things), and she just cried and cried the whole time we were there. I finally gave up and brought her back home, and as soon as I put her in her swing she was happy. She just needed some quiet time at home, I guess. :) I think we all do, sometimes.

Ty had his Halloween party at school today. He dressed up like a pirate. Tomorrow, they are going to talk about the color black. Then, Friday, his class is going to the pumpkin patch. :) Troy, Audrey, and I are planning to go, too. Then trick-or-treat all day Saturday between visiting Athens and running around down here! Sounds like the whole week is gonna be busy, but fun!

Our Comforter

2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

**This one may be a little short and out of the norm for me...***

Saturday, we were supposed to drive up to my aunt and uncle's for a fellowship/singing. My aunt called me that morning and told me they were having to cancel because one of her dear friends' son had been found dead that morning. I haven't been able to put this out of my mind. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, especially so unexpectedly and unexplained. All I could do, and can still do, is pray for that mother, and her other son, and the rest of that young man's family and friends. My prayers were for comfort for them, because that is what we want when something bad happens, right? How blessed we are to have such a loving Father who will comfort us. Who has sent His Spirit to comfort us, and who has given us friends and family to give us physical comfort. (2 Corinthians 7:6 & 7; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) We can know that no matter what happens, no matter how terrible it is - and sometimes it may be almost unbearable - He will be there. We can pray (James 5:13) and cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), and He will deliver us (Psalm 34:19).

I wrote a poem for a friend back when we were in high school and she lost her father. The circumstances today are a little different, but the sentiment is the same as it was from my 17-year-old heart then.

***
I know right now you're hurting,
But tomorrow will be brighter.
I know it feels as though the pain
Will never go away,
But it will eventually start
To ease.
I know the sadness with always be
Underlying there,
But you must go on with your life.
And always remember
You've got your friends -
We'll always be here for you.
To help you through the tough times,
To share with you the good.
We'll always be true.
Lean on us and we'll lean on you
And we'll all survive.
***

Like I said, from a 17-year-old's heart.

And remember, God can make a rainbow out of any storm.


Dear God, I praise You for being such a loving Father, and for always being there for us. Help us to always turn to You when we need comforting, and to remember You can help us through any situation that arises in our lives. I pray especially at this time for those who have lost a loved one. Please comfort them as only You can, and help us to be there for them and to bring them Your loving-kindness. In Christ's precious name, Amen.

I Wanted To Share.

When I was checking my dashboard this morning, I saw the Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotional. When I checked it, I knew that it was exactly what I needed to hear this morning, for more than one area of my life. In my parenting, my housekeeping, my fitness, and my ministry. It hit home so much for me, I wanted to share it with you, because I couldn't say it any better.

I may print it off and let it be a daily reminder for me. :)

Do The Work.

Loving Father, You are mighty and all-powerful. Nothing is too big for You to handle. When I start to feel overwhelmed or discouraged, help me to remember that You are always there ready to help me when I am ready to turn things over to You. Help me to remember that nothing is impossible if You are there. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Take a Deep Breath...

2 Peter 1:5-7 "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love."

Who has never lost your temper or become impatient? I am guessing there is no one out there with your hand raised. For those of us who are parents, it probably happens more often than we would care to admit. I know it does for me. You're already having a bad day/week, or running on too little sleep, and your fuse gets shorter and shorter until you snap. It has happened to all of us. The question is, what can we do to make those times fewer and less often? (I would say vanish, but let's face it - we are human and we are going to slip up.)

According to Peter, there are a few other things that you are required to have before you can master self control and patience, and a few things that will come easier after you have mastered them. The first quality he lists is faith. That one is pretty easy, right? We have our faith in God, and without that, nothing else matters. Virtue should come right on the heels of faith. Webster's defines virtue as "conformity to moral law; uprightness." So if we have faith in God, and most assuredly love Him (for how could we have faith in something we don't love?), we will want to follow His law. This part is a little harder, but we are generally pretty sure we can handle it. The only snag is, how do we know what His law is? Humans in general have an internal moral code, pretty much knowing what is right and what is not acceptable. But how do we know for sure what God wants us to do, and how He wants us to behave? This is where the knowledge comes in. The only way we can have this knowledge is to study what He has given us - the Bible - and apply it to our lives. Just a couple of verses before he gives us this list of qualities we need, Peter tells us that God has "given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." (2 Peter 1:3) God has told us everything we need to know. All we have to do is study (2 Timothy 2:15) to gain the knowledge that we need.

Next comes the part we are looking for. Self control and patience. If we have faith in God, and want to conform to His law, and study to learn what His law is, we will draw nearer to Him, and His Spirit will help us with our control and patience. With our knowledge we will learn to control our actions. It is okay to be upset or angry, for we have examples of times that both God and Jesus were angry, but we are still to behave in a manner pleasing to God. We are to be slow to anger, not quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:17). And according to Ephesians 4:26, we can be angry without sinning. In John 2:13-16, Jesus was very obviously angry, and took action because of His anger, but there was no sin in it. We must not let ourselves become so angry that we lose our self-control and take actions we would not normally take, that is unacceptable behavior for us as Christians. As we learn to keep control of ourselves, keeping our patience will become easier, too. We can learn to pray, breathe, or whatever it takes to keep us calm, to endure and persevere, which is what patience really is. We will always have situations that try our patience, whether a screaming child, a lazy employee, a long wait, an uncooperative tool, or whatever it may be at any given moment. But each time we overcome, it will get a little easier. James tells us that the testing of our faith produces patience, and that through patience we will mature (James 1:3 & 4).

So, we get to self-control and patience through faith, virtue, and knowledge; but where do self-control and patience take us? Straight to godliness (or holy living), brotherly kindness, and love. If we learn to have self control and persevere, we will be kinder and more loving. That makes sense, right? It all becomes a circle - because of our patience and control, we will act in a kinder and more loving way, and as we become kinder and more loving, we will have an easier time with patience and self-control.

The most important thing to remember is that we can't do it alone. We are human and weak. But, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses" (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:26). All we have to do is pray for strength, help, and guidance, and we can accomplish anything....even holding on to our patience and not letting our temper get the best of us.

Dearest Father in Heaven, I know that sometimes I am weak and have trouble controlling my temper and staying patient. But You in Your infinite wisdom have given me Your Word and Your Spirit to guide me and help me in my efforts to please You. Please help me to persevere through my trials, whether they are great or insignificant, and to control my tongue and my actions on those occasions when I may become angry or upset. In Christ's name, Amen.