An oxymoron, perhaps?

I have a confession. I am addicted to reading news headlines daily. Maybe it started when I was in Jr. Miss trying to prep for interviews... I don't know. Sometimes, the articles I read just leave me speechless and stunned. A recent headliner showed the most recent issue of People magazine with Clay Aiken on the cover. Check it out below.
This is what really struck me as odd. He is stating that he is "gay" but is holding "his" son. Last I checked it is still impossible for a man (who has not had a sex change... not talking about the weird situations of our day and time) to carry and birth a child. Undoubtedly, at some point, Clay Aiken must have been heterosexual. If you were going to come out of the closet, wouldn't this be the last photograph you would want to be published nationally for the title, "Yes, I'm Gay"? Am I the only one skeptical?

Introducing Abigail Bryanna Cirlot at 29 wks

You can watch the scrapblog on this site or you can click on the word "scrapblog" at the corner of the screen and go to its original site. I would suggest going to it, so you can choose a slower slideshow speed (5) when you view it in full screen (you'll see an adjustable bar with a turtle and a bunny on it in the lower right side of the maximized screen). Otherwise, the words are too small and it plays too fast. Enjoy!

Shelling Pancakes

Did you know it is possible to shell a pancake like a nut? Peeperz, our cockatoo, has the remarkable talent of shelling practically anything. He shells french fries (eating the inside and leaving the skins empty), chicken nuggets, previously shelled sunflower seeds (yes, there is a tiny, transparent skin left on them even after we shell them and think they are ready to eat), and as of this morning, pancakes. You see, no matter how domesticated our little bird is, it is still in his nature to shell everything as he would in the wild. Yes, our cockatoo may be potty trained and may have developed a hankering for chocolate milk, but you still can't get the "birdy" nature out of him.

So this morning as I sat here watching Peeperz shell pancakes, I started thinking about what my nature was like. The Bible teaches us that we have the nature of our father. Either as new creations in Christ, we have the very nature of God in us now, or as fallen beings with misplaced affections, we have the nature of the Enemy. What is my nature when no one is looking... no matter how well trained I may be?

May it be said of us that we are living up to the nature of our Heavenly Father and are walking diligently and steadfastly in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. May every idiosyncrasy and quirk point others to the truth that God is our Father and bring Him much glory.


"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."
2 Peter 1:2-4 (Emphasis mine)

So Close!

Yesterday, four of our church members gave up their day to complete their final project in our kitchen. They cut out a hole in the false wall, framed it, trimmed it, and put in our fridge. They even installed a new electrical outlet over our fridge for convenience. It looks great! Here are some photos of the progress. We should be finished with the kitchen remodel soon! God has blessed us so much!

The cutout is finished.

Carla is caulking the trim and framework.

The electrical outlet is being installed.

Yeah! Ready to use!

Nice fit! Our fridge is welcomed into the kitchen again.

Our new shelving unit in the pantry area.

***With a little sanding and paint, this project will be complete!***

Ignorance=Bliss? I think not.

Here's an excerpt from a news report in Galveston, Texas after the recent Hurricane Ike that caught my attention this morning.

"Jones said he hadn't stepped foot in a church in the 40 years he has lived on this spit of land. And he wasn't ready to call his survival divine intervention. "I drink beer and chase women, gamble, cuss," Jones said. "You can't call that religion. I'm either too good, the devil won't have me, or I'm so bad the Good Lord won't take me. That's a good toss-up.""

Some may call ignorance bliss, but bad theology is deadly.

What a Wonderful God!

I am sitting here in my living room looking back over the past few weeks and thinking about how richly God has blessed us lately.

When Bryan and I bought the house, we had a 6-12 month goal that we would eventually renovate the kitchen to add more counter space, cabinets, a vent hood microwave, and a dishwasher. Our church family decided after seeing our kitchen that they wanted this to be their project, and over the past two weeks, our kitchen has been transformed beyond what we had even hoped for originally. It's about 90% complete, and the total makeover should be finished within the next 2 weeks. As soon as it's finished, I'll take more pics.

Changes Made in Our Kitchen So Far:

1. New Dishwasher
2. More Countertop Space on Both Sides of the Kitchen
3. Beautiful Tiled Countertops with a Backsplash
4. New Sink with New Fixtures
5. Sink Disposal
   
6. New Plumbing and Wiring in Our Kitchen
   
7. New Vent hood Microwave
8. Crown Molding on Our Kitchen Cabinets
9. Two New 3 Drawer Units Underneath New Countertop Space
10. New Fridge (Courtesy of My Parents!)
    

Before:


After:

Thanks to some generous move-in gifts, family, and friends, Bryan, JJ, and his dad were able to move the washer and dryer out of the pantry area and into our master closet. They installed new plumbing and rewired electrically to add the hookups. Bryan and his dad built a shelf around the hookups for my laundry supplies. Bryan and JJ tiled the laundry room area, built a false wall to enclose everything, added folding doors, and even added molding around the doors and on the ceiling to finish the look. Very professional!

Before:

After:

I am so amazed and thankful for the generosity of God and others. I would've lived just about anywhere safe to get out of our old place, but God has blessed us with a home that is more beautiful than I would have ever hoped to have at this point in our lives. What a wonderful God we serve!

Isaiah 25:9-10
Also at that time, people will say,
"Look at what's happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
This God, the one we waited for!
Let's celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
God's hand rests on this mountain!"

Hummingbird Thanksgiving

I love watching hummingbirds feed in our courtyard patio every morning.
Hummingbirds make me appreciate God more... what beautiful little creations!
God is amazing. I'm humbled that I am His.

"On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate."
Psalm 145:5

5 Things I Am Thankful For

I can't believe it is already 2 weeks since I blogged last. So much to update! We closed on our house last Thursday. Thanks to the hard work of family, friends, and church members, we were completely moved out of the apartment by Friday afternoon. Friday and Saturday, Bryan and his dad moved the washer/dryer hookups into our master closet (where I wanted them to free up more kitchen pantry space) and had them running by Saturday afternoon. Very impressive! Saturday, Bryan's mom and grandmother helped me clean out the apartment and get it ready for the walk through this week. Because of Hurricane Gustav and the fact that our neighborhood had flooded before in Katrina, we packed up again after church Sunday and headed to Bryan's parents to ride out the storm. When Gustav weakened early Monday night, Bryan and I headed back to our new house and discovered that everything was fine. We didn't even lose power during the storm... such a blessing! We are finally starting to unpack and get things organized. I absolutely love being in our new house! I am so thankful for this amazing gift that God has given us. He has provided for us during this move in so many ways. Five things that I am thankful for during this whole process of looking for and buying a home...

1) God's peace, providence, and presence- We have had a lot of disappointments during this process of finding a home but God has sustained us, strengthened us, and taught us through these experiences. God provided the perfect home for us in His time to the glory of His good name and grace.

2) Bryan- He is the perfect example of a Godly husband, and I know I can trust the decisions he makes for our family as he walks so faithfully with God. He is a good provider for our family's needs. Can I just say there are not too many men out there who are so willing to pack up for the move then work hard unpacking afterwards too?

3) Family- We could not have possibly undertaken this move since I am more than 6 months pregnant without all of the help have received. We are so thankful for family support and love!

4) Cambridge- Our church has been so supportive and loving towards us during our move. So many people helped us to prepare for the move and then toughed out the hot weather Friday to help us get out of our apartment by our deadline. We are so appreciative!

5) A New Future- Bryan and I are so excited about our future in this new home. We have a wonderful place to bring our newborn baby girl to this December. We have a safe neighborhood where I can feel comfortable being by myself again at home. We have a bigger house to host our out-of-town friends when they come to visit us on the Coast. God has been very, very good to us!