tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156041762024-03-14T05:32:38.090-04:00life's reflectionsMountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-45354055075815410852013-11-18T22:45:00.002-05:002013-11-18T22:45:29.325-05:00I'm Back!It is a time fo renewal for me. Cross Country is over, the crazyness of the beginning of the school year is over and I am starting to settle into a regular routine but I have a feeling that life will be different for me beginning now. Part of it is I am tired of being sub-standard and having a sub-standard life. I want to get everything our of life that I possible can. I turn 35 tomorrow. I am comfortable with where I am in life. I feel like I have something positive and valuable to share. Part of my renewed interest in my blogging is my wonderful husband has set up my blogs and website so they are all linked. I also want to start running again and start reading my Bible on a regular basis again. I am tired of existing. I want to live.Erica Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11519663955776729166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-13547404001193483252013-05-29T20:45:00.002-04:002013-05-29T20:45:17.275-04:00I am watching the world go by<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
I have not blogged in two years. I've been busy living life without
necessarily experiencing it. I am tired. I've been journeying without a real
destination in mind. It is surreal when you think about it. I really don't
remember much of the past few years. I've been to busy to truly appreciate
life's worth. I will not do that any more. No matter how tired, no matter how
much I think I need to do, no matter how busy my life gets, I will slow down
and really live the life I want to live. I am tired of a half ass existence. I
want to pursue life and all of its passions. I want to deeply drink the wine
that life has to offer. I want to pursue my relationships with a passionate
heart. I want to be closer to God, I want to be closer to my husband, I want to
be closer to my girls, I want to be closer to my family, I want to be a better
person, a better teacher, a better mentor, a better neighbor, a better friend.
I want to read as many books as I can read. I want to look at the world around
me and just take it in and appreciate the God created beauty that is all around
me. I want to take pictures. I want to write. I want to do what I am
doing right now.<br />
<br />
I am watching the cars drive by my house. I am watching a little boy ride
his bike up and down the street. I am swatting the mosquitos that think I am
their dinner. I am listening to the very noisy birds. I am watching my cat roll
around on the sun warmed sidewalk. I am looking at the beautiful blue sky which
is slowly turning shades of a very light yellow as the sun is setting. I
smell the pretty peonies with their glorious sweet fragrance.<br />
<br />
I am sitting on my front steps.<br />
<br />
I am watching the world go by.<br />
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Erica Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11519663955776729166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-47547804685332504692010-12-29T16:38:00.003-05:002010-12-29T16:47:14.087-05:00Resolutions?Well, it is that time of year again when we feel the need to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new one. I've been thinking a lot lately about this past year and the problems and issues. It hasn't been the greatest year, it probably is one of the worst as far as life and my attitude towards life goes. I've decided that I will change this year. I will lose weight. I will run regularly. I will have better relationships with my friends and family. I will be a better wife, mom, daughter, niece, granddaughter friend and teacher. I will finally get this house how it needs to be. I will have a better relationship with God. <br /><br />Everything hinges on the last two things that I mentioned. This house is my achilles heel. This house feels like the world and I am Atlas trying to carry it on my shoulders. All of the junk, the clothes, the toys, the books. The clutter, the nastiness, the disorganization, the WASTE!!!! <br /><br />I feel like my life is being wasted because of this house. It is preventing me from doing the rest. I have to get this done!!!! I must get this done. I must change!!!!<br /><br />I took a bunch of pictures of the house. I also found pictures of me and my family (both good pictures and bad pictures). I created a motivation folder on my computer and every time I feel unmotivated, every time I say I can't do it, I will look at these pics and say to myself - are you satisfied with this or do you want something better? I want something better and I will do whatever I can to get it done.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-26697052485193647302010-12-18T09:42:00.002-05:002010-12-18T10:01:31.349-05:00JOY!!!I have been thinking a lot over the past couple of days (since school is out for Christmas Break). I've been thinking about my family and about what I have and about what I've done and I have come to realize that I do have joy, I just don't think about it.I tend to focus on the negative(and goodness knows there is enough of that) instead of the positive. <br /><br />I have three beautiful daughters. <br /><br />Maddie is 13 and growing up in her own individual way, she always marches to the beat of her own drummer. She is unique and confident in her uniqueness. She doesn't care what people think about her, she is comfortable in her own skin. She is creative and intelligent. She's an honor roll student and is fiercely loyal to her friends and family. <br /><br />Alana is 7 and she is the sweetest little thing. She is a helper. She wants to help everyone (except maybe helping her sisters clean up). She is my mini-me. She wants to be like me (at least right now she does). She loves order. She is compassionate and friendly. She is studious and loves school. She is an artist. She loves taking pictures.She has a beautiful smile that absolutely lights up the room that she is in. <br /><br />Seanna is 4 and is my adventurer. Every day is a new experience. Whether it is exploring the back yard or woods or creating a master piece of art on the wall when we aren't looking, she is always active, always creating. She is also an artist. She loves to draw (on everything including herself). She is creative, she drew on herself this week and said it was Indian War Paint. She has JOY in everything from the snow that fell earlier this week to putting up the Christmas tree to cuddling with me. She loves and trusts in an uninhibited way.<br /><br />I have a wonderful husband.<br /><br />Yes, Kirby is wonderful although he drives me craze sometimes. I take him for grated sometimes. He stopped going to college so I could finish and then he stays at home so our children can have someone at home to get them to school and is there when they come home. He is there to take care of Seanna while I'm working. He has a ministry that helps people who are typically rejected by the typical church and he has an online ministry that reaches out to the unsaved on the world wide web. True, he doesn't usually do what I ask him to do while I'm at school like tidying up and washing clothes but he does try to remember to do that occasionally. <br /><br />I have a wonderful life.<br /><br />I have clothes on my back, a roof over my head, a car that mostly works even though it is 10 years old and has a few dents. I have a job that I like and a coaching assignment that I LOVE! I have my family at home and my family at school with all 70 kids that I currently teach (with 70 more next semester). <br /><br />Most importantly, I have a Lord that loved me enough to die for my sins and open up heaven to me so that I may have eternal life and joy.<br /><br />Circumstances may be hard and try to steal my joy. There is not enough money to go around and I worry about things that are both within and outside of my control. I worry that my house will never be fully cleaned and organized. BUT I have joy in my heart and peace in the fact that God loves me and looks out for me and is there for me in both good times and bad.<br /><br />Be JOYFUL!Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-3593807522050711882010-12-09T22:38:00.002-05:002010-12-09T22:43:58.979-05:00The RoadRobert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.<br /> <br />1. The Road Not Taken<br /> <br /> <br />TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, <br />And sorry I could not travel both <br />And be one traveler, long I stood <br />And looked down one as far as I could <br />To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5<br /> <br />Then took the other, as just as fair, <br />And having perhaps the better claim, <br />Because it was grassy and wanted wear; <br />Though as for that the passing there <br />Had worn them really about the same, 10<br /> <br />And both that morning equally lay <br />In leaves no step had trodden black. <br />Oh, I kept the first for another day! <br />Yet knowing how way leads on to way, <br />I doubted if I should ever come back. 15<br /> <br />I shall be telling this with a sigh <br />Somewhere ages and ages hence: <br />Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— <br />I took the one less traveled by, <br />And that has made all the difference. 2<br /><br />This is one of my favorite poems. Life is all about choice. What do we choose to do with our lives on a daily basis.I have made so many choices in my life. Some choices were bad, some were good. Over the past ten years, I have tried to focus on choices that would lead me along the Road to Christ. I sometimes feel like I have not succeeded very well in pursuing that road. I want to have a better life. I want to have a more personal relationship with the Lord. I want that so badly because I feel like that will lead me to have a better relationship with my husband, my daughters, my family and my friends. I just wish, hope and pray that my life would stop interfering with the life I want to have. I feel like I am stuck in a rut in the middle of the Road. I could always go back where I came from or I can try to get out of the rut and continue to pursue my Road. God, please help me pursue the Road that leads to your Way, the only Way. Amen!Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-83535830688628503172010-11-28T15:11:00.002-05:002010-11-28T15:32:00.315-05:00My Relationship with GodToday at church (www.commonwealthchapel.com), my pastor, greatly challenged my heart. Today's message was about Hope and how advent, which begins today is the season of Hope, leading up to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It got me thinking off on so many different tangents. I got to thinking, do I have hope? Where is my hope placed? The illustration that he used came from the book of Isaiah 11:1-10. It says, "<br /><br />1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;<br /> from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.<br />2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—<br /> the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,<br /> the Spirit of counsel and of might,<br /> the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—<br />3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.<br />He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,<br /> or decide by what he hears with his ears;<br />4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,<br /> with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.<br />He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;<br /> with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.<br />5 Righteousness will be his belt<br /> and faithfulness the sash around his waist.<br /> 6 The wolf will live with the lamb,<br /> the leopard will lie down with the goat,<br />the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;<br /> and a little child will lead them.<br />7 The cow will feed with the bear,<br /> their young will lie down together,<br /> and the lion will eat straw like the ox.<br />8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,<br /> the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.<br />9 They will neither harm nor destroy<br /> on all my holy mountain,<br />for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD<br /> as the waters cover the sea.<br />10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. "<br /><br />This passage is about the hope that comes with the Kingdom of God. I feel as though that I am not a member of that Kingdom at times. I feel like I do not have my roots in the Lord. I am a stump and my roots have withered. I believe in God, I believe that the Lord Jesus died for my sins. <br /><br />However, I believe that in the kingdom of God , I am the very least. I don't pray regularly, I don't read the Bible regularly and lately I have not even been going to church lately. I am financially at my wits end, we have not money, not even enough to pay the bills. Part of the reason that we haven't gone to church very much is because we don't have the gas money. I look around at the people at church and their lives seem so perfect, so content. Surely the Kingdom of God is with them, I just don't see it with me.<br /><br />We have no money, we are majorly in debt, our house is worth less than we are paying, we can't use half of our house because it is crammed full of junk that we will never use, we are disorganized, I got a pay cut at work, my oldest daughter has no real relationship with God, my middle daughter is struggling to see where she fits in, my youngest daughter still isn't fully potty trained and can't or won't get dressed herself and making her clean up after herself is like fighting a battle.<br /><br />My relationship with my husband is not as strong as it needs to be. My relationship with my family is not what it needs to be and I have no real, close friends to just hang out with and talk too. I don't know how to socialize and interact with other people. I feel like I am not good enough for anything and that I am not interesting enough of a person to be anyone's real friend - not that I would know what that feels like. I feel like I don't fit in anywhere. I feel so worn down that HOPE has left me long ago. I do not feel the hope of the Kingdom of God. I want too feel the hope, I want my life to be better, I want the lives of my children to be better, I want a richer and stronger relationship with my husband but I don't know how to achieve that end. <br /><br />How do I get hope? How can I feel the love of God's kingdom? How can I be a better wife, mother, daughter and friend? I really don't know. I don't feel hope - I feel lost.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-87556050053831345172010-07-07T21:04:00.000-04:002013-11-18T12:05:09.551-05:00Sea MonkeyMy little Sea Monkey is getting so big. She has been so cute today. She is learning how to really pretend and she makes up all of this random stuff and acting like it is real. She then takes her dolls and stuffed animals and makes them talk and play. She is so creative. Now if only I could get her to use the potty by herself.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-51794443280382572792010-07-07T21:02:00.001-04:002013-11-17T19:31:50.539-05:00Orange?Today at VBS, the Comedy Sports people were putting on a performance. They were asking for names that were single syllable that they could rap and rhyme to. Madison got picked and she said "Orange". Only my Maddie would give an answer like that. That's why I love her. She is so unique.Erica Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11519663955776729166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-62010543063174232432010-07-07T21:01:00.000-04:002013-11-18T12:05:41.232-05:00My Dear AlanaMy Dear Alana,<br />
<br />
How many ways do I love you? There are more ways than there are stars in the sky.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-36670344959926852642010-07-07T20:54:00.000-04:002010-07-07T21:01:44.280-04:00WowI can't believe that it has been almost a year since I've blogged. I would like to become a regular blogger but I haven't figured out exactly how I'll be doing that yet. I'll try and see. This week is Vacation Bible School. I'm helping out with the 1st graders. They are so cute. The kids are learning about their talents. It is fun helping them out. Alana's talent is definitely art. Madison's is probably evangelism and Seanna - well, I have no idea yet.<br /><br />Last week were were at Creation Fest. It was AWESOME. The music was great, the teaching was great but I didn't feel very focused on God. I was too busy taking care of everyone, cooking and making sure we had everything that we needed.<br /><br />I want to focus more on God and then just maybe, my life will start to get better. Right now I feel kinda bummed. I feel like I can't focus on anything because I'm focused on everything. I've been living the same, wretched way for 5 years now and I can't seem to get a breakthrough. I feel like I can't get rid of the chains that are holding me down. I pray for the GRACE of God to set me free from these chains.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-60497509732264547232009-09-17T22:29:00.000-04:002009-09-17T22:30:10.511-04:00I will BLOGMy goal is to blog once a week, let's see if I can do it.<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-89605609946456599712009-09-17T22:24:00.000-04:002009-09-17T22:29:19.052-04:00Our Lovely Wonderful GovernmentDear World, more specifically Dear USA.<br /><br /><br />WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wake up and demand real change before the world that we though we knew is over and ended. Demand reform in the healthcare system not more government control. Demand more accountability from our government. Demand that the members of Congress actually READ EACH AND EVERY bill BEFORE voting on it and to make sure that they read it, read it again out loud to Congress before the vote on it. Get rid of all of these unneeded government positions that will slowly zap what little privacy we have left away from us. Demand that the Congress, President and Courts stays out of our lives, our health, our money and definitely out of the actual government as much as possible. In fact lets go back to a part time Congress when they were only in session for half the year. I want my county back.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-3722032422594357952009-07-14T12:00:00.001-04:002013-11-18T12:09:20.108-05:00I have a new computerI have a new computer, maybe I will actually blog more since it has a blog writer thingy.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-30542890670015312162007-12-21T23:27:00.000-05:002007-12-21T23:38:35.774-05:00Yes, It is that time of year again!It's Christmas time, "the most wonderful time of the year!"? I have had a difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Usually I am all for everything that has to do with Christmas. It just seems to be blah for me this year. My husband and I have finished most of our Christmas shopping. We finally put up our tree yesterday. We attempted to put up lights today but we need to buy a couple more strings. I've been listening to Christmas music and looking at the beautiful Christmas lights but it seems so completely and uttterly pointless this year. I guess I'm having a "Blue Christmas". I guess maybe it is the craziness of it all. Going to see everyone, buying presents for everyone, the wrapping, the Christmas cards, the lights, the spending way too much money. It is just so nutty. I wish that people would celebrate Christmas more simply. Like parents giving their children only one or two presents. Like not having to have the best and biggest and most perfect gift for everyone. Stop rushing and slow down. Stop and smile to the people at the stores. Be more grateful for what your have and more giving to those who do not have it. Instead of buying presents for everyone, go out and buy shoes for someone whose shoes are worn out or a hot meal for the panhandler on the corner and actually sit down and eat that meal with him. This is the time of year to celebrate the greatest gift of all, the gift of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, born in a humble stable, with animals all around, sent to save a world that didn't want to be saved.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-12714893831821204512007-12-06T22:05:00.000-05:002007-12-06T22:17:26.870-05:00I'm a bad blogger : (I'm a bad blogger. I have not blogged since August. I don't know what's worse. Me not writing anything in forever or the people who blog every day, several times a day. Why do people want to blog so much. It isn't as if we are going to change the world. For that to happen people would actually have to read this stuff. Think about it. Is anyone actually reading this ? Does it even matter? Blogs, myspace (even I have a myspace), facebook, etc are nothing but a voyeuristic creation of the me generation. The same generation that cares about self first and everyone and everything else second. IF anyone actually reads this please comment so that I know that this isn't a total waste of self-indulgent time.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-6343648643862665512007-08-08T14:16:00.000-04:002007-08-08T14:34:42.938-04:00Life is never what your truely expect it to beLife has a bad habit of throwing curve balls at you. Prime example, this summer was supposed to be THE SUMMER TO GET IT ALL TOGETHER. We were going to finally get the entire house together and organized. We were going to have the office organized. We were going to have a wonderful outside front and back yard. we were going to get up early every day and do all of this stuff and spend good quality time with the girls. This summer was going to be perfect. Here is how it truly turned out. 1 - I did get the whole house pretty well organized EXCEPT FOR THE DOWNSTAIRS DEN, THE OFFICE AND THE UTILITY ROOM. Not too bad and I still have a week to maybe get that done. The front yard doesn't look too bad, although I need to cut down those two pines and trim back the azaleas before they go wild on me and the side yards could use a little work. The back yard is another story. There is stuff everywhere. The grass needs to be cut, the fence needs to be cemented in, the garden (that has barely produced anything other than plants and no fruit) needs to be severely attended to (weeds and overgrowth) and the grapes need to be cut back so maybe we will actually be able to harvest next year. We did go to Busch Gardens twice and we went to the campground with the girls. I took them to Maymont once. We played some but it still wasn't the quality time that I had envisioned. I've been out of school since June 8th and here it is, two months to the day later, on August 8th, that I am reflecting upon this summer and I feel as though I wasted too much time. Next week I need to go to school at least one day but I'll probably end up going twice and the week after that it is back to school full time. Where has the summer gone and how can I get it back? I am vowing now that in the time that I have left before I go to school, beginning tomorrow, I will get finished what I need to finish, whether it is 101 (like today) or 81 degrees outside. That way, I can enjoy my evenings and weekends with my family and friends. I'm tired of this house being an idol in my life!!! CHANGE MUST HAPPEN AND IT MUST HAPPEN NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-83629953927119366182007-07-07T10:37:00.000-04:002007-07-07T10:57:21.623-04:00LifeYou know, sometimes life passes by so quickly. Madison is already going into 4th grade. I remember her first day of school. She was wearing a purple plaid skirt and cute little white top that matched. She was so proud carrying her huge pink backpack with her name sign pinned on her shirt. She was so little and innocent. Now she is almost 10 and beginning to act like a preteen. We still have girls night every Friday night. I started girls night when I was pregnant with Alana so Madison would still feel special and not jealous of her new baby sister coming. Alana has joined us for most of girls night but she goes to bed early. I'm sure Seanna will join us when she gets to be about 3 years old but by then Madison might not want to have girls night anymore. Last night we watched Annie. The girls have never seen it. Annie was one of my favorites when I was little. We watched it and they loved it. Even Alana, who is 4 years old, sat still through the entire movie and said she loved it when it was over. I think that maybe next week we will play some games or maybe paint nails or do hair. My little girls are so precious to me. Watching them grow from an entirely dependent little infant whose entire world revolves around her and you to a toddler exploring her surroundings for the first time to a preschooler who wants to know the who, what, where, when, why and how of everything to a child playing with Barbies and baby dolls and my little ponies to a preteen beginning to worry about how she looks and what her friends think of her is such a wonderful experience. I'm sure that the teenage years will bring their own set of challenges. I still can't believe that God entrusted me to the upbringing and care and love of three of His most beautiful creations. I feel truly blessed to have them. Every hig, every kiss and even every tear is like sweet nectar to me. All to soon those little blessings of life will be only a memory of these sweet days of childhood and I will keep each and every one of those memories close to my heart.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-65727969606282517202007-06-28T16:15:00.000-04:002013-11-18T12:06:18.629-05:00Some Pics from Alana's birthday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdBmjvDipwHGTIWLPPl1MGjm1f6Z_awKE1bx1EL0otkAHVHtoAgctGrD41qnCaRYbzB4MZyhy5Xb24CZiHSwxr3n8JCpY_PBnGGtU93ev27s2pztIyWdMH-tIRpxb49Z9vi-4_g/s1600-h/alana's+4th+birthday+party+029.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081223709269784274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdBmjvDipwHGTIWLPPl1MGjm1f6Z_awKE1bx1EL0otkAHVHtoAgctGrD41qnCaRYbzB4MZyhy5Xb24CZiHSwxr3n8JCpY_PBnGGtU93ev27s2pztIyWdMH-tIRpxb49Z9vi-4_g/s320/alana's+4th+birthday+party+029.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Yx14aVIR6kvydTA3xoxWH-e5m66rc_ENqNGULAbS3zYmVtMxpJodWT9-3JfwaTjvml0PLDORfyldNmrk6uWdTXocRHXVlkFA7B8qSSXH9Y0cuC9yjW6Cr3iwLKbbgD01o1AU_Q/s1600-h/alana's+4th+birthday+party+030.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081223717859718882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Yx14aVIR6kvydTA3xoxWH-e5m66rc_ENqNGULAbS3zYmVtMxpJodWT9-3JfwaTjvml0PLDORfyldNmrk6uWdTXocRHXVlkFA7B8qSSXH9Y0cuC9yjW6Cr3iwLKbbgD01o1AU_Q/s320/alana's+4th+birthday+party+030.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJJ_5JhWIzB5zTxRTRmqkNsWaPLKJ3A2-9j9MgGL7rrx2mbaRRz14DP3H8tiPC4-jGddnZvfKzhC_ulTnLNuw8LBvLZnb34Xr6G48Nj1ovU4d_lB_MYibkO1ml3ZPYLJObIrijg/s1600-h/alana's+4th+birthday+party+020.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081219203849090690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJJ_5JhWIzB5zTxRTRmqkNsWaPLKJ3A2-9j9MgGL7rrx2mbaRRz14DP3H8tiPC4-jGddnZvfKzhC_ulTnLNuw8LBvLZnb34Xr6G48Nj1ovU4d_lB_MYibkO1ml3ZPYLJObIrijg/s320/alana's+4th+birthday+party+020.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvjX8W_KLvzfcQkpsF5lUXTOlHF5LjQiKlVELxcRi9-cNp1gu4dZVjnrqy0U2_7SfSgcO3X8T-6_zM7ctkgRugG8iMI6FqxCIMnE3yFYWqLyjAd2U7lGbxiLAwVTAqus0dqmL_w/s1600-h/alana's+4th+birthday+party+021.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081219212439025298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvjX8W_KLvzfcQkpsF5lUXTOlHF5LjQiKlVELxcRi9-cNp1gu4dZVjnrqy0U2_7SfSgcO3X8T-6_zM7ctkgRugG8iMI6FqxCIMnE3yFYWqLyjAd2U7lGbxiLAwVTAqus0dqmL_w/s320/alana's+4th+birthday+party+021.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIsr5q5wquBYYCwPIyMWDE_y5Xmeu1FiLBwo72gkW8AzbwMML0ApPa0PApEUavBkd346uHOKtHXBBv2NqhLuzTdbBD3P6QTvur_fey1ubH_QMeLTRchvAKCauj0TEjNoWPOryzw/s1600-h/alana's+4th+birthday+party+019.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081215986918585970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIsr5q5wquBYYCwPIyMWDE_y5Xmeu1FiLBwo72gkW8AzbwMML0ApPa0PApEUavBkd346uHOKtHXBBv2NqhLuzTdbBD3P6QTvur_fey1ubH_QMeLTRchvAKCauj0TEjNoWPOryzw/s320/alana's+4th+birthday+party+019.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-4359384496746507472007-06-28T16:09:00.000-04:002013-11-18T12:06:31.550-05:00It has been so funIt has been so fun being home with the girls for the past three weeks. I've enjoyed being with them so much. I've missed them. School takes up so much of my time that I am enjoying this free time with them. Alana has really enjoyed having me home. She really took it hard when I went back to school last fall. Since I've been home we've read books, gone to the park, and just enjoyed each other. I even made pancakes this morning. Alana is growing up so fast. Her conversations are getting a lot more sophisticated. She just turned 4 on Monday and she already seems like she is so much older. I wish she could stay this age forever.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-55909599484949182132007-06-28T12:15:00.001-04:002013-11-17T19:31:50.551-05:00Madison - It's SummerWell, Maddie finished 3rd grade very successfully. She had all A's and B's except in Math (C). She's been out of school for about 2 1/2 weeks and she has already said that she's bored. I'm taking her to the library today. Maybe that will break the boredom. She just got home last night from visiting her grandmother. She had a lot of fun. They went swimming and to the movies. I missed her (and even her complaining) when she was gone. I'm glad she's back. Hopefully I'll be able to make her summer a exciting as possible.Erica Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11519663955776729166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-82253748733949765472007-06-28T12:03:00.000-04:002013-11-18T12:07:50.983-05:00More SeSeSeSe is getting so big. She has 2 teeth now. She is walking a lot more steadily now too. She also apparently thinks that making growling noises is a form of communication. She has become very proficient at doing raspberries and think it is the funniest thing in the world when you do raspberries back to her. She'll be a year old in two months. Where does time go? Why do they have to get so big so fast?Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-59316988662505575282007-05-28T13:53:00.000-04:002013-11-18T12:08:44.164-05:00Seanna cut her first toothSeanna cut her first tooth last wednesday, May 23 and took her first 3 steps at church on saturday night, May 26. I went to pick her up from the nursery and she took 3 little falling steps toward me.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-20787795532747228022007-05-28T12:45:00.000-04:002007-05-28T13:45:52.167-04:00I really haven't blogged since February . . . OOPSWell, it is Memorial Day. It is the day that has been set aside to remember our veterans and our fallen heroes - our soldiers. It is a day to spend time with friends and family, grilling outside and celebrating the unofficial start to summer. I've had a very lazy weekend. On Saturday I did a few things around the house - not much and we went to Commonwealth Chapel ( http://www.comchap.com ). We spent all day Sunday at the Upper Mattaponi Pow Wow. I got quite a burn on my face and neck. (OUCH). It's funny, I put sun screen on everyone but me (OOPS). Today, I slept in as long as the girls would let me. I checked my email. I cruised on the net for awhile while drinking my coffee. Now I'm blogging to catch up anyone who is interested about my life. I decided that after the extreeme stress that I've been through for the past 2 months that I needed a break this weekend. I actually am RELAXING, a word that I thought was no longer in my vocabulary. So - time to catch up!!!!<br /><br />March - Seanna started crawling, Had the Mardi Gras Dance at school (very big success), tried to review for SOLs with a collegue but my principal kept changing our schedule on a weekly basis, finished the yearbook at school - best ever created at ACMS<br /><br />April - best part about April - Two Words - SPRING BREAK<br /><br />May - Seanna started cruising then she took a couple of steps and she has cut her first tooth, SOL REVIEW, SOL REVIEW, SOL REVIEW, SOL REVIEW - Did I mention SOL REVIEW? Let's see, Seanna was also very sick, I've been sick, the requirements and demands of school made me so stressed out that I have had trouble eating, sleeping and it totally zapped me of energy. The last two weeks of school we have had SOL Testing and I have been stuck with the same 23 students for six hours a day for basically the last two weeks. Normally this wouldn't have been too much of a problem but when we were not testing I had to keep them quiet and busy. Can you imagine keeping 23 13 - 14 year olds quiet and occupied with SOL REVIEW piled on top of SOL REVIEW every day!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????<br /><br />Present - I have EIGHT SCHOOL DAYS LEFT, not that I'm counting. My students get out of school next Thursday, I get out next Friday. This week I will be doing a project and makeup work. Next Monday, we go on the 8th grade trip and next Tuesday and Wednesday I putting my students to work helping me to clean up my room. We're also going to have a picnic, a movie and graduation practice. Graduation is at 10:00 am on Thursday. I'm hoping that the vast majority of our students will go home with their parents after graduation so that I can go back to school and finish my room.<br /><br />My plan - This summer - We definately have to get the entire house together. I wanted to do it last summer but being pregnant kind of put a hold on it. We need to get it clean, organized and together and get into good habits about laundry and cleaning up or else next school year will be as bad as this year. It's funny, at school my classroom is completely organized and I even won the most organized teacher award this year but my house is a complete wreak. There are piles of laundry unwashed and piles of washed laundry unfolded. There are papers EVERYWHERE! There are toys and parts of toys EVERYWHERE! There are kid books EVERYWHERE! We can't use our downstairs den due to it being turned into a storage house. The junk needs to be cleaned up, sorted through and get rid of stuff that we aren't going to use. The kid play room can't be used because of the toys. The girls' bedroom can be used only for sleeping. The girls toys, books and clothes need to sorted through, organized and get rid of all of the extra stuff. Outside the grass needs to be cut, weeds need to be pulled, the yard needs to be cleaned up, ugly bushes need to be cut down, the fence needs to be cemented in and the junk in the backyard needs to be cleaned up, sorted through and organized. And I wat to get this all done between June 9 and July 9, one month. GOD HELP ME, I'm going to need it.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-80839802731428604372007-02-19T11:47:00.000-05:002007-02-19T11:49:35.959-05:00Being a Passionate WorshipperI have had a phenomenal weekend. One of the things that happened to me this weekend was that my outlook on how I worship Jesus has completely changed. For the past three weeks at church we have been in a series about how to worship. The first week of the series on worship, I raised my hands in worship for the first time without feeling weird. It was GREAT! You see, I was raised in a very traditional non charismatic church. That sort of thing was really weird. I have been trasforming into a closet charismatic over the past several years. I think that my trasformation is finally coming to fruition with this past weekend. Pastor Don Coleman talked about being a passionate worshipper. Worshipping God with all of your soul. Saying take all of me Lord. I have never truely done that. I've jammed out to some awesome worship music. I've listed to the worship. I've watched other people worship. I've even thought that I was worshipping. I have never focused solely on God during worship and made Him the focus. When I did that this past weekend I felt freed from chains. I was becoming a passionate worshipper.<br /><br />Now, the season of Lent begins tomorrow. I've usually done things like give up chocolate or tv or stuff like that. This year I want to change my life during Lent. Lent is about focusing on Jesus and the sacrifice He made for me. I don't want to just give up something for Lent. I want to give up my life for Jesus. All of my life for the rest of my life. I want to live like Jesus wants me to live. I want Him to be by my side in everything that I do. I want to live like He is always looking over my shoulder. I'm going to use these forty days leading up to Easter to transform my life so that for the rest of my life I can better serve Him.<br /><br />So I pray now that God, Jehovah, Lord, Jesus, gives me the strength and the wisdom to carry out His will and live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Help me to get my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual house in order so that I am not burdened and weighed down my the idols that are holding me back. I pray that I will continue to grow spiritually and continue to be a passionate worshipper. I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus. AMEN!Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15604176.post-65050738294628597922007-02-03T11:42:00.000-05:002007-02-03T12:07:12.026-05:00Finding GOD in Star WarsI just had a revelation. I have seen books about and heard people talk about Finding God in Lord of the Rings. Well, you can find GOD in Star Wars too. Even though, Star Wars is based on Buddhism and Buddhism is a carbon copy of Christianity.<br /><br />1. The Force - Is really the Holy Spirit<br />2. The Jedi - Christians fighting for the ultimate good - Jesus<br />3. Padawans - Christians just beginning to walk the Path of Jesus<br />4. The Empire - Satan's empire on Earth<br />5. The Rebel Alliance - God's people fighting against Satan's Influence on Earth<br />6. The Emperor - Satan<br />7. Anakiin / Luke Skywalker - Jesus sent to save His people<br /><br />(not that Jesus ever turned evil, but Anakin's turning into Darth Vader and turning back into Anakin represents the death and resurrection of Jesus.)<br /><br />If you look hard enough you can find GOD in everything you do.Mountain Cedarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850229978660335309noreply@blogger.com1