Love and Weakness

Todays Hinee blowin in the breeze story...

Carlisle is in Dance Camp this week. A+ experience. She hasn't said a lot about it, but she arrives home happy, tired and kind of has to detox...she colors or plays alone without talking for 30 minutes...VERY unusual for extrovert-girl. But must be necessary after hanging out with 20 3-year-old girls all morning.

So while Carlisle was a dance this morning, Evelyn and I stop by Belks. I am attempting to look at bathing suits while Ev is completely trying to either run away or grab a bathing suit and then run away. I spot the cutest little yellow polka dot bikini. So I grab Evelyn, who has just run to the front doors of the store with a bathing suit in her hand. I rehang that bathing suit and we slip into a dressing room.

The bikini is darling. I happen to look over my shoulder in time to see Evelyn making a ha-ha-Mommy-isn't-looking break for it. She couldn't reach the handle to the dressing room door, so all I saw was her little body shimmy-ing under the door!

Keep in mind I am trying on BATHING SUITS and was in-between suits.

I had no choice. It was either... put on clothes and hope to find her as she giggle-runs to the front door, then into the street...or open the dressing room door and run after her as-is. I didn't have time to think through the consequenses.

So there I am in definitely-not-enough/not-appropriate clothing running after Evelyn. I grab her and dart back into my dressing room.

After I am safe in my dressing room. I reassess how I look....opps.

My hinee was totally blowin in the breeze. :) I am back from my blog break. I haven't been not blogging because nothing is going on in my life, but because so much is going on in my life. Last week our neighbors were out of town. You know, the neighbors with the pool overlooking the lake.

Yes, those neighbors.

They said use the pool anytime. So we swam and swam!

And, my Conference Call biblestudy is happening! We are plowing ahead, learning about the Word of God. There are 25 girls doing it. Everyweek I have a new speaker. The speakers have been super, knowledgeable, engaging and convicting. More amazing speakers to come! I have more girls joining every week. (If you want to sign up. I still have space available and we just finished lesson 1) Email me.
My Weakness

'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.' 2 Corinthians 12:9

I don't share my weaknesses well. I don't think about them much. Don't boast about things I don't do well. Don't talk about them. Even try to avoid mentioning them.

When I was growing up, my Dad would say, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all'. So literally, he'd cut me off mid sentence if he didn't think it was positive enough. But what I am learning in the last month or so is, that's not what God is talking about...being positive or negative.

So here's a weakness for me. I am a perfectionist. God doesn't expect us to be perfect. Doesn't require us to be perfect. Doesn't even WANT us to be perfect. And, when I tell you things that I love being perfect, you may...or probably WILL think it's odd. Unless you struggle with this. If you don't, you may think I am a wierdo.

But, it me.

I love perfectly clean floors, I love perfectly behaving girls, perfectly folded clothes (that are put away), I love when my house is perfectly tidy, when a closet is perfectly clean, when my family has eaten a perfectly healthy meal...

So in a typical day... I have weaknesses for sweets, sometimes I fuss at my girls, I can totally be a jerk to Brian, I forget who I have called after the phone is ringing and they have picked up, I spend too much $ at Target, I struggle to find 'me time' in the week balancing Brian, the girls and the gym, I miss being dressed-in-a-suit-corporate girl, I don't always drink enough water even though I preach it at the gym, and I don't run out of bed ready for the day.

What does God say about perfectionism? What does HE think is PERFECT?

'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.' James 1:17

'There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.' 1 John 4:18

and my favorite...

'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.' Hebrews 12:2

So me and my imperfect children went to the beach while visiting Brian's parents. Brian and his Dad were fishing. I loaded up the bag which ended up weighing at least 120 lbs and off we went. Beautiful day, sun was shining, birds were flying. And, the biting FLIES were out. Where do biting flies come from?????? It feels like a wasp bite....ok....almost as bad as a wasp.

So, here's the view infront of me.Here's the view to my right and left.

Here's the view behind me...

And here's the girls...crying from the biting flies.This is when I knew it was time to go. My three year old just layed down and cried.So we landed at the pool.

Happy again.

Headband day

Did you know they make Biting Fly repelent!?!?!

And it Works!

I too was invited to headband day.