Update (i.e. The Earthquake)

The past two months have been a whirlwind. If you follow me on FB you don't need to read this.  I'm just updating those who aren't on FB mostly (Renee!!!!  this is for you!)

4/23/14 Broken Arm Elijah fell (while attempting a "professional bike trick") and broke both his radius an ulna. The ulna - just a hairline fracture, but the radius BROKEN and needed weekly monitoring to determine if he would need surgery

5/4/14 Broken Finger (Hannah's birthday) Jeremiah fractured his finger RIGHT at the knuckle. LUCKILY it stayed in place and did not warrant surgery....

5/31/14  Rusty Nail Elijah (while still sporting a cast on his left arm) stepped on a rusty nail in the backyard which went STRAIGHT through the shoe he was wearing and into his foot.

6/3/14 Ambulance Ride 1 John took a little ambulance ride to the ER because to rule out a fracture in his neck when he smacked his head HARD on cement

6/12/14 Ambulance Ride 2 John took ANOTHER ride in an ambulance. He was at a normal appointment at the neurosurgeon when he started having crushing chest pains that traveled down his arm. His blood pressure also skyrocketed so the neurosurgeon's staff called 911 and sent him to the ER. We spent a cozy 24 hours in the cardiac observation area only to be told his heart is VERY strong and it was a non-cardiac chest pains.

Needless to say, I am being carried through ONLY by the grace of our God and could use a week here:



or at least a week without a broken bone, tetanus shot, or ambulance ride.

Flashback Friday: Just DO it!

I am REALLY feeling this blog this week. Good reminder from myself...

Just DO it!

A perfect moment....

[DISCLAIMER: this blog will be LENGTHY.... I'm not sure it will end with a "lesson"... but I need to document it for my most important readers: John Joseph, Noah James, Jeremiah David, Elijah Daniel, and Hannah Elyzabeth. It is for them that I write. So that if at some point, I'm not here to share my heart with them (hopefully when they are OLD and GRAY.... hopefully some time after my 100th birthday.... for that is how long I plan to live) my words will live on to minister to them.]

It had been a ROUGH 24 hours.... I will start at the beginning, because I guess that's the only place to start...

Friday morning dawned a bit daunting, but nothing I haven't conquered before. Novenah arrived bringing her sickness and tearing my heart in two. I LOATHE seeing babies sick! Ugh! Their poor, tortured, sweaty-skinned,  ragged-breath selves just KILL me. We had a tough but not overly out-of-control morning. After finishing our morning lessons and getting Novenah down for a second nap, I sent the kids upstairs to get some lunch while I quick threw in a load of laundry and made some work calls in peace and quiet. Halfway through switching the wash to the dryer, I heard screams and a couple of body slams from upstairs.

Rushing up the stairs, I found mayhem and lost my patience! One boy was clutching "the family jewels" and another was red-faced from being choked. Both were FLAT on the ground. I lost it! "REALLY??? I can't ask you to do ONE self-directed task without it dissolving into WWF Smack Down?"  I was LIVID from being forced to stay upstairs and chaperon lunch preparations. I angrily did the dishes scolding the children every other minute, "Quiet!" "Get on task!" "Finish your lunch!" I needed to finish my work calls before the baby woke back up.

Finally the children finished their lunch, and we returned to the basement as a group. I resumed my laundry job and casually asked Noah a question I would later regret, "Hey, can you check if my Fedex shipment arrived yet?" After doing my bidding, he returned with news that the package had not arrived but the mail had. As I was just finishing filling the washer with a new load I heard him say, "Mom, you got a letter."

I opened the letter (actually a brief note) from afar and quickly wished I had never read it. I suppose it was meant to be informative, maybe even helpful. However, the closing line of the letter will likely tell you why it wasn't very fun to read. "Don't continue to gain a lot of weight as it is not healthy for you."  Now I don't know if many of you have ever been in the place that I find myself. Over the past few STRESSFUL years I have put on more pounds then I care to admit here publicly. I have a scale. I know exactly how much I have gained. And in spite of my crazy busy life taking care of MANY people, jobs, and tasks, I occasionally DO find time to glance in the mirror and trust me I do NOT like what I see. I also have enough of a fitness/nutrition background to know EXACTLY how unhealthy this is for me. However, all of that being said, whether it is smart or not, I am currently choosing to put caring for the MANY I love... homeschooling my babies, offering my niece child care, nursing my husband through this time of sickness, giving my aunt a place to live that is not a nursing home.... over some things I would LOVE to do: sleep, workout, eat healthier. However, in spite of KNOWING how I've gotten here and that it is of my own choosing and a result of my own actions, I live each day in fear that someone will tell me what THEY see adding a whole new level to the disgust I feel about myself. So here it was looking me RIGHT in the face: you are gaining a TON of weight Jami and people would have to be BLIND not to notice. I dissolved into tears, most of the rest of the day basically lost in a fog of depression and pain.

That wasn't the end of the icky... this morning was the first day of Youth Cheer. I was still (in spite of my icky Friday) SO excited for cheer. Yet somehow, I overslept. Then after rushing about to still get there in time, I arrived at the school and in my haste, closed Hannah's hand in the minivan door. By this point, I dissolved. I was BAWLING and a WRECK.

Hannah is fine. Her hand has a small bruise, but the injury doesn't even warrant an x-ray. I was MUCH worse off than she. I was left feeling hungover from expelling WAY too many tears over the last day. Hannah and I had a GREAT time at her first cheer practice. Those little darlings, so cute it's almost a sugar overload, could improve just about ANY day. But still I was feeling the effect of too much crying. On the way home from practice, God whispered what would be the BEST idea ever into my ear... I came home and told John, "What if we blow off chores, get some subs, and have a picnic?" I told him I had felt God telling me to pull the ones I love the most close to me and find comfort in their presence... and OHHHHH did I ever!  Did I EVER!

The weather of today PERFECTLY mirrored what happened to me.... I awoke to a DREARY day. Gray sky.  Wet streets. COLD, damp breeze. I shivered all the way to practice. While, inside the gym practicing with my adorable girls, the weather broke. The sun came out. A BEAUTIFUL, crisp, sunny, fall day was born.

And while surrounded by my babies and the man I'll love till death parts us, hope was born inside of me.  The fog of my tears cleared. The pain in my heart was soothed.

We grabbed some subs and actually ended up having a car picnic in the parking lot of the library. We spent some time checking out books and then headed home. Then followed the most PRECIOUS moment yet... sprawled in various poses of relaxation, hands hugging warm cups filled with yummy beverages, with K-love playing faintly in the background, unintentionally, not even REALIZING where I had ended up (my FAVORITE place ever) we all just read some good books.... no communication needed.... It was SUCH a perfect moment! My favorite people in the room, my favorite beverage in my hand, and my favorite activity going on.

Next time you are caught in the middle of a foggy, gray situation REMEMBER the clouds and drizzle and cold wind will only make the beauty that comes after that MUCH brighter.

Thankful Thursday....

It is Thursday, and I am THANKFUL!

Noah James Kastner 6 years old

I'm thankful for Noah James Kastner. This amazing boy of mine is growing into such a GREAT young man! In some ways I am sad that at the ripe young age of 9 years old he had to start acting like a man, helping with Daddy's meds, worrying about his Daddy's health, doing SO much work around the house. However, those very sad things have developed character in this young man that I wouldn't change for the WORLD!  Noah is wise beyond his years and more mature than many grown men I know. He loves SACRIFICIALLY, he thinks LOGISTICALLY, and he learns SPECTACULARLY. I am so unbelievably thankful for my firstborn.

Jeremiah David Kastner 5 years old

I'm thankful for Jeremiah David Kastner. He is SOOOOOOOOOOO godly-minded! Whenever I am stressed, whenever someone is sick or in pain, whenever he hears about a tragedy in the news, this boy turns IMMEDIATELY to prayer. He constantly comes up with thoughts and ideas of how things relate back to God or godly concepts. I have LONG believed that Jeremiah would end up preaching the Word of God someday, but for the FIRST time, yesterday, we were talking about "when I grow up" things, and he said, "Mom, do I go to college to be a Pastor?" WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! That's MY boy!

Elijah Daniel Kastner 3 years old

I'm thankful for Elijah Daniel Kastner. He is smart and funny and just devious enough to keep it REAL. He is ALWAYS thinking, thinking, thinking. I love the way I can literally SEE his brain working through his gorgeous little eyes. He is ALSO a snuggler. In fact, many have commented that Elijah has a poor sense of personal space, but as the mom or growing boys who soon will hardly want me to give them a peck on the cheek "in front of my friends" I love that this boy is a SNUGGLER and I'm lapping up as much of that loving as I can before he gets too grown for it.

Hannah Elyzabeth Kastner 1 year old

I'm thankful for Hannah Elyzabeth Kastner. She is princess PERFECTION! I love the way she is SO into clothes and makeup and purses, but she is the ONLY child of mine who is not really afraid of ANYTHING! She will go downstairs in the dark, kill a bug, tackle a bully. But what I love the MOST about this little girl is what a servant she is! She LOVES to take care of people. She helps me give Auntie Marge her shower, helps me change Novenah, helps Daddy with his meds. That girls is just DRAWN to those who are in need, who are hungry, who are hurting... and she HELPS them.

Last but CERTAINLY not least:

I'm thankful for John Joseph Kastner. He is my rock. When I am all floopy and frantic over some injury, symptom or oddity in our children, he remains steady and calm. When I am losing my mind in the midst of STRESS, he centers me and reminds me how amazing he thinks I am. He gets up EVERY morning and goes to work in more pain than most of us could even IMAGINE. He tries his BEST to be kind and patient even when his head is pounding and his neck is spasming. He is the BEST father I have ever seen: rolling around on the floor with the kids, unabashedly having "the talk" with our boys, being these boys "best friend" yet still their authority figure, and teaching them how to repent when he has messed up.  I LOVE this man and am SO glad that God chose him to complete me.

What are YOU thankful for today? If you don't have your own blog, feel free to post your Thankful Thursday as a comment to mine. If you don't want to post your thankfulness publicly, just make sure to be THANKFUL and maybe to tell those you are thankful for why you are....

Repost: A sermon from Hannah Montana

I'm reposting again.... I am just TOO BUSY TO BLOG right now... So instead I am reading through my blog.... Today I'm feeling sassy so I thought I would repost a blog that got me in A HEAP O' TROUBLE!  Oh the heat I took for proposing that Hannah Montana might be able to give me a Word from God... To all of you nay'sayers who think Hannah Montana can't present a GREAT sermon straight from God, need I remind you???? God spoke through a donkey... A DONKEY!

I reiterate a line from this blog:  God uses whom HE chooses!

Hope he uses this repost in your life today.

A sermon from Hannah Montana

Thankful Thursday....

Yesterday as I was running the marathon of midweek services carpool (I so did NOT miss my calling as a soccer mom), Jeremiah was ruminating on his favorite holiday.

He said, "Mom, wanna know what my favorite holiday is?"
I said, "Sure Jeremiah."
He replied, "It's a tie between Christmas - cuz that's when Jesus was born, and Easter - because that's when he rose from the dead."

[THAT child! Oh heavenly day! he grabs my gut almost every time he opens his mouth!]

I told him those were great choices, and then revealed my favorite holiday has always been Thanksgiving, because I love being thankful. A short while later (alone in the van for a few brief moments) "Thankful Thursdays" popped into my head.  What a GREAT idea! Why wait to be thankful only one day a year???  So a new tradition is born. To start us out, I am posting

Top Ten Things I am Thankful for this Thursday


1. Jesus... my Jesus... He will always be the #1 thing I am thankful for. He makes ALL of the rest of these thankful things possible. He carries me when I'm weak. He holds me when I'm sad. He cheers me when I'm weary. What else can I say? I am thankful for Jesus!

2. John Joseph Kastner... What an amazing man! Really!  He IS! Hardworking, dedicated, fierce... the yin to my yang... I am thankful for John Joseph Kastner!

3. my babies... oh my babies! these children push me to my limits... they test me, try me and purify my faith.... they inspire me, encourage me and LOVE me... my children are definitely my treasure. I am thankful for my children!

4. asphalt... I am thankful for this wonderful thing called asphalt... yesterday our driveway was graded and then a nifty steamroller came and packed it down (the kids are LOVING having Bob the Builder in our front yard I tell you!) and within the next few days... ASPHALT will be poured, rolled, shoveled (I don't know or really care how they get it on there all I know is they will GET IT ON THERE!) onto our driveway. I am thankful for asphalt!

keep rollin, rollin, ROLLIN!

5. Demand Media.... in spite of the drama and the DRASTIC slow down in title availability, it is an AMAZING opportunity which has jump started my freelance writing career and for that I am grateful. I am thankful for Demand Media!


6. my new duster... this one may seem silly to you, but my allergies have been AWFUL lately. I am pretty sure it is because I haven't dusted since... ummmm idk Spring???  so last night at Walmart I bought the most AMAZING duster! under $3... it has a REMOVABLE, WASHABLE microstatic dust cover thingy... So I don't have to buy pricey refills!!!  I'm pretty sure its my favorite purchase this fall! As an added side-benefit, it has me feeling quite eco-friendly... It is EASY being green today! I am thankful for my new duster!

Look at all that DUST already!

7. cool bulletin board... One man's trash SURELY is another man's treasure! My mom did some de-cluttering and look what I got! I just love the organizational spirit behind a bulletin board! Isn't it awesome? This pic is from when we first hung it... it's MUCH fuller now... Every time I walk by it, I smile a little bit. I am thankful for my cool bulletin board.

8. my mom is HOME from Rwanda... My mom spent nearly two weeks in Rwanda ministering to the orphans and widows who are suffering from war and genocide. It was life changing and AWESOME for her and I'm glad she went, but I'm thankful my mom is HOME from Rwanda!

9. coffee... what kind of a thankful list would this be without coffee??? I have a brand new favorite mug (another one of my Momma's castoffs) and some coffee all the way from Rwanda... although truthfully haven't been able to use the coffee yet... have to get my hands on a coffee grinder (Walmart didn't have any... grrrr!) Still... I am thankful for coffee!

10. homeschooling... I am so grateful that I get to homeschool my babies. It is the BEST, most challenging thing I have ever done, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Not gonna lie, every once in awhile I log onto the Mayville School District's website to see when "real school" starts and ends... (just dreaming y'all!) but in spite of the struggles I am SO glad I homeschool! (If you're interested, hop on over to my homeschooling blog to learn more.) I am thankful for homeschooling!


Thus ends our very first Thankful Thursday. I'd love it if you'd play along. You don't have to list 10 things, but maybe you could take a second to quickly post a comment? just ONE thing you are thankful for today... c'mon! I'm sure you can come up with ONE!










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Quick comment tutorial for the comment-impaired:

1. See that gray box down there? it is underneath my pink signature... a little further... underneath that row of pictures entitled "You might also like"... In that box it says "0 comments"... click on THAT!

2. In the box under "Leave your comment" type just ONE thing you are thankful for

3. Choose an identity... (anonymous is a PERFECTLY valid choice!)

4. Click on "Publish your comment"

5. Do not be alarmed that your comment doesn't show up right away... I have it set up so all comments require approval.

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What a flippin, flappin DAY!!!!

For two days now, I have had "one of those days"... nothing major... no one needed brain surgery; no eye muscle reattachment; car didn't blow up; axe murderer didn't find me unaware... just tons and tons and TONS of little stuff:

*messy accidents of the elderly
*not one but THREE attempts before a viable urine sample could be obtained (from same senior citizen), confirming my suspicions that a UTI was causing some of our problems (I'm not a doctor. I just play one on TV.)
*no work.. I mean NO work to be had... until the morning of the day that I had to take my aunt to the doctor... SERIOUSLY???
*5 year old who learned to light a match (THANK YOU JESUS she only burned her finger and not the whole house down)
*4 trips to Walmart in 4 days.. If I'm lying, I'm dying!  FOUR TRIPS!!!!!
   Monday - because Hannah was promised a bike if she bravely endured surgery, all post-op appointments AND the evil eye drops;
   Tuesday - because in the middle of a cake pop project I needed to get candy melts;
   Wednesday - because our regularly scheduled programming calls for an every Wednesday trip and I had been putting of the normal stuff till the regular trip
   Thursday - needed burn cream and gauze

Along the way, it was like the devil was throwing snowballs at my frostbitten spots!  ERGH!

***navigating Walmart with four kids and a 90-year old lady on the DAY BEFORE school starts is NOT fun!
***while normally very helpful, the people at Aurora Hartford were NOT my favorite people today
***old people canNOT seem to "go" when needed but ALWAYS seem to need to "go" when NOT needed
***golly 4 kiddos are irritating at Walmart (wait did I already say that one?)
***I have A LOT on my plate at any one given moment (that's not really a brand-new revelation... I'm just saying)

So anyways, I was LITERALLY and TRULY in tears by about 4 p.m. It was FREAKING hot out there today! the kids had pushed me to my limit! previously mentioned Aurora peops were trying to make my life difficult I think. previously mentioned old person wasn't helping either.....

I realized a few things today:

Sometimes it IS the little things... a TON of little things is still a TON. It was that last one little STRAW that broke the camel's back and sometimes the load of all those straws can be as heavy as one BIG thing!

No matter what... When my day is NOT good, my God still is. The day can fall apart. One TERRIBLE revelation or TONS of tiny little irritations, but REGARDLESS, my God is still on the throne!

Also, while the muscle spasms in my back and shoulders don't really prove this point: I am starting to see that there is only so much I can do in any one given day. When things go perfectly, I may be able to write my 5 articles, do any reference checking that is needed, homeschool 4 kids, care for one old lady, and not lose my mind... But when someone gets burned, gets a UTI, has three bathroom accidents... on those days... I'm not going to get much "work" done. I have to learn to just accept that and walk away. I have to see that the productivity of my day isn't only measured in articles written, blogs posted and reference checks completed... owies soothed, messes made right, battles mediated, and cake pops placed in the hand of a smiling child ALL COUNT TOWARD MY PRODUCTIVITY!!!!

Finally a couple of quick less lofty lessons:
*Auntie Marge does NOT go to Walmart... EVER... AGAIN!
*Do NOT run out of burn cream, bandaids, or benadryl. Not in THIS house.
*Hannah should be glued to my side... Maybe another trip to Walmart to buy a bunch of those sticky mouse traps???
*Walmart may not be much fun, but I would NOT make it without one.
*Cake pops are YUMMY!
*Kids cooking for you is heavenly.

Sooooooo here's to hoping for a better day tomorrow. I realized tonight, even if tomorrow bites too, it is still FRIDAY!!!!! Homeschooler bonfire, LifeChurch, Christian Life Fellowship and a WHOLE lotta laying around on Labor Day are ALL on the docket for my weekend and I can't WAIT!

Have a GREAT Friday everyone!

I made it through...

Yesterday as I was driving Hannah to a follow-up appointment with Dr. Patterson, it came across the wires... Matt Redman "You Never Let Go." That's been the theme song through this recent trial... In fact, it is what I was singing to Hannah as I held her, waiting for her to come out of anesthesia.... And oddly, (well maybe not so oddly) she has been singing it ever since her surgery too. It was a gentle touch from God. A little reminder, that He's there... He's always there.

I started to think about the rest of the soundtrack of my life. See music is so powerful for me, and it seems every season of my life comes with a theme song.  Of course, John & I have a song... I chose songs for each of my babies when they were born. In addition, every tough thing I have gone through has a song that "attaches" to it. It was either a song that "got me through" the season or sometimes a song that came out after the fact that reminds me of the time, but regardless when I hear the song, powerful emotions surge. It is as if I'm transported back in time. I can feel the emotions, feel, wonder, excitement of that season of life as real as if it was just yesterday!

I always mean to burn a mix CD of the songs... problem is life keeps adding more songs to my list :)  Here's a little snippet:

Blessed Be Your Name - when Luke was diagnosed with Leukemia
Praise You in This Storm - financial devastation of 2005
By Your Side - tumultuous summer of 2009
Stronger - John's Brain Surgery
You Never Let Go - Hannah's Eye Surgery

But see yesterday as that song came on the radio, a thought was planted in my soul and this morning it grew into a big grown up concept to blog about.

Here's the thing with all those songs.... Here's the thing with all those seasons... They represent the PAST... I'm through them. A few of those songs still stab me like a hot poker in the gut when I hear them. Some of them bring a warm fuzzy, my God carried me through that feeling. And some of them cause my hackles to rise as I get myself in fighting stance ready to kick the devil's butt for what he tried to take from me. This morning though it occurred to me.... All of those seasons are IN THE PAST.  

I remember that I feared losing my husband... I remember fearing being evicted because we couldn't pay the rent... I remember having the air socked out of my gut with one word, "Leukemia".... I remember the constant dread of lining the bills up against the salaries and ALWAYS coming up WAY short.... I remember the cloak of humiliation I couldn't seem to shake because of the financial troubles we were struggling under.... I remember telling God time and time again that SURELY His bookkeeper had lost track and Jami Lynn Kastner was getting HER share of struggles and someone else's too....  Mostly I remember feeling that SURELY this would be the one thing to "do me in"..... SURELY I would NOT make it through THIS struggle... this battle for my life, heart and soul... But guess what everyone??? I did.  I made it through. Sometimes it wasn't pretty. Sometimes I could have stood taller. Sometimes I should have trusted more or held it together longer, BUT regardless I MADE IT THROUGH!

Someone out there needs to hear this today!  You are facing one of those bloody knuckle, gripping for dear life, I canNOT do THIS one more second situations! You feel at the end of your rope, strength depleted, can't see two feet in front of you, hope tank on E. But I'm here to tell you, "HANG ON!" You will make it through. And when you're at the end of your rope... when you have NOTHING left... when you are empty... you are in the PERFECT place for Him to work.

One day in the not too distant future, maybe you too will have a song that triggers memories of this time, this season in life. Your gut may knot up in remembrance. Your heart may surge a little. But then you will STOP and realize, "I MADE IT THROUGH!"  Please hang on.  Please stand strong. You WILL make it through!

Grace and cotton balls....

Romans 5:1-4
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

We stand in GRACE!
     not condemnation -- which we deserve;
     not hopelessness  -- which is what we have earned;
     not FEAR -- which is what is rightfully ours;
WE STAND IN GRACE.

I try hard to teach my kiddos what GRACE is because it is sometimes hard to grasp the FULLNESS of it. When they screw up [for example, like when Hannah scattered by brand-new cotton balls all over the bathroom negating them of their sterile condition], I say to them, "Did you ________________ (insert offense here, for example: throw all of Momma's cotton balls all over the ground)?"  [furtive nod.... rarely do words come in these times]

"Did you know it was wrong to do that?" [another little nod]

 "Do you deserve to be disciplined?" [one more nod... even smaller... because admitting to this part is even harder] 

And every once in a while, when they have done something wrong, typically when it is something BIG (not something donkey like cotton balls) and only when I can see they are contrite about their sin, I say to them, "You did  ________________ (insert offense here, for example: throw all of Momma's cotton balls all over the ground) and you do deserve to be disciplined, but instead I am going to give you GRACE, just like Jesus gives us."

The other day I was in a rush. I just didn't have time for the discipline part. I just zipped through a scolding and didn't take time to dole out the consequence. (I wasn't trying to teach about GRACE. I was just trying to get back to working.) I heard Noah say to Hannah as she walked away from my lecture, "See that's GRACE Hannah."  So apparently it is sinking in for my babies. Has it sunk in for you?

Ask yourself?  Have I done something wrong?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

We ALL have done something wrong.

Did I know it was wrong?

c'mon... be HONEST!  you knew it was wrong to lose your temper like that!  you knew it was wrong to talk about that person in that manner! you knew God didn't WANT you to ______________ (fill in the blank with cheat, steal, lie, betray).

Do I deserve discipline for my sin?

For the wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23

We ALL deserve death.

Now STOP! and let this wash over you....  GRACE.... Instead of what we rightfully deserve, God gives us GRACE.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

Today for just a little bit, focus on the GRACE of God. You did it. You deserve the punishment. But He gives you GRACE instead, and we stand in GRACE. Isn't that beautiful?

Just DO it....

SOUL SURFER!!!!

[spoiler alert! spoiler alert! not that we ALL don't know the Bethany Hamilton story already but SPOILER ALERT!]

We got this movie in the mail from Netflix the week before's Hannah's Surgery and we watched it at least 8 times before we FINALLY sent it back.  To say that we LOVED it is the HUGEST understatement in the world!

*We have ALWAYS loved Anna Sophia Robb.  Bridge to Terabithia??? Need I say MORE???
*Good, clean, FAMILY entertainment... no cussing to bleep out, no wild sex scenes to explain away, none of any of that stuff I always say, "Now they could have done without THAT." about.
*It was nice to see a cinematic example of the family we strive to be. One that loves God and family. One that finds it NORMAL to love God and serve Him. One that HOMESCHOOLS without denim jumpers!!!

But the BIGGEST and BEST part of this movie is the PURE, UNABASHED INSPIRATION!

What a girl! What a family! What a STORY!

Because I am a mom, the mom parts TORE me apart!
*Bethany's mom thanking the family friend who was INSTRUMENTAL in saving Bethany's life.
*Bethany's mom holding it together when the doctor unwrapped Bethany's bandages and then collapsing in the arms of her husband afterward.

But the single most poignant moment for me... the reason I couldn't blog about this movie until now....

Bethany just got attacked by the shark. The ambulance is racing her to the hospital and passes her mom's minivan on the road, and her mom tearfully cries out to God, "Please don't take her! Please don't take her!"

I can't even BLOG about that part without crying!!!  It was poignant to me because I am a mom, and I would have BAWLED at that part even if my daughter wasn't about to go "under the knife."  But every time we watched that movie, I cried out along with her... crying on behalf of MY baby, "Please don't take her!"

See here is the conundrum I live in. I love God. I trust God. I KNOW God. But I have been around on this earth long enough to know that bad things happen ALL the time. I have seen enough to know that people who LOVE God lose people they love ALL THE TIME!

I have a KEEN and ACUTE awareness that these four precious, AMAZING, beautiful, smart, funny, God-loving beings are NOT mine.  They are merely on loan to me. Their Father has entrusted me with their care for as long as they are on this earth, but they really truly aren't MINE.

And as much as I know that God WOULD get me through the loss of this flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone, my stomach was in KNOTS for the week leading up to the surgery because I did not WANT to have to walk down that road.

Sometimes that is just how it goes. I know that God has my back. He has walked me through some hellish situations in this life, and He has never ONCE left my side. I know that WHATEVER I face, He is right by my side. Yet there are some roads, I'd just rather not walk down. Maybe you're facing one of those situations right now. Maybe there is something ahead of you... You're not really AFRAID of it, but you just aren't thrilled about walking through it. I just want to tell you, that's okay. You don't have to WANT to do it. You just have to DO IT. One foot in front of the other. Keep on moving. Like Nike says, "JUST DO IT!"

Hannah Banana

(just an aside... did you ever hear the story where someone asked Hannah what her last name was and she said, "Banana?"  FUNN-EEEE!)

Hannah Beth is doing GREAT! We saw the doctor yesterday morning. She said that Hannah's eyes look GREAT! The weird discoloration we are seeing in one of her eyes is similar to a bruise turning yellow and green prior to fading. It is okay that the bloodiness is fading at different rates in each of her eyes. Her eye alignment looks VERY straight which means she is seeing better and her vision in that crossing eye will still be able to properly develop. The "pain" Hannah is reporting is likely simply for a little more attention. I had wondered that; however, with the AWFUL way her eyes look I was not able to be an impartial judge tthe topic. I kept getting distracted by how scary her eyes looked.

In fact, today when she told me her eyes hurt and I tried distracting her she said, "But I want to go see Dr. Patterson." She is still taking the drops like a champ, and she is (with the doctor's okay) running about a little. Although she is still firmly entrenched in Momma and Daddy's bed each night (aye carumba!)  Still I don't think that's too bad.

Thank you all again for praying us through this far!  Hannah doesn't have to see the doctor again until 8/29. So I'll give you all a report then.

[I tried but I can't get a pic of her icky eyes... I mean they are still beautiful but they are all bloody in the corners.]

Longer update....

In case the tweets aren't providing enough details for you:

Milking it for ALL it is WORTH!

***Hannah saw the eye doctor for her post-op appointment yesterday morning. Everything is looking great!  Eyes will take 6 weeks to heal from surgery, and we won't know for sure if the surgery worked until then, but SO FAR SO GOOD!

[Oh and SHAMELESS plug here... if you are ANYWHERE in the Milwaukee Metropolitan area and you have need of a pediatric opthamologist, Dr. Maria Patterson in Brookfield, WI is the BEST one, HANDS DOWN, you will EVER find! Look no further!  Just call her and then never ever leave her!]

***Hannah is doing VERY well!

***She is not rubbing her eyes too much.

***Her pain is quite manageable with just over-the-counter Tylenol when she tells us, "My eyes hurt." She only been taking it like every eight hours which is GREAT cuz it wears off in 4 so that means she not in that much pain.

***Blood-tinged tears have stopped AND her eyes have NOT been crusted shut once yet (knock on wood)

***Eye drops are going okay. She still cries and is scared of them, but we made a deal with the devil (bubble gum... you KNOW how I feel about bubble gum!!!) she gets one piece every time she bravely endures the drops (3x per day!) please pray that she doesn't end up bald from this deal!  I'm gonna CRY if she gets gum in her hair, but I keep telling myself, "Hair grows back. Eyeballs do NOT!"

***Hardest part right now: keeping her down!  She is not supposed to "swim or run for 1 week."  Swimming - easy peasy lemon squeezy. Running - are you kidding me? this kid BOUNDS to and from everything she does! She JUMPS off the bed, RUNS down the stairs, BOUNCES in place when she's trying to tell you something exciting. She is the EPITOME of energy, and she feels fine most of the time. Therefore, the hardest part it convincing her to lie low. I think I'm gonna take a trip to Walmart today to grab some new exciting coloring books and some fancy princess crayons to engage her.

***Mom & Dad are recovering from surgery slower than Hannah :) We are WIPED and in fact after not sleeping AT ALL last night because he kept startling awake to see if Hannah was rubbing her eyes, John took another day off today which is a HUGE blessing because I have GOT to catch up on my writing!  I got SO far behind the past three days. I haven't written A THING!

Regardless the one thing I wanted to end with was a few thoughts about how blessed I have been over the past three days knowing how MANY are praying for us.

There came a point during Hannah's surgery that I literally could not pray. Every time I closed my eyes to pray I got a glimpse of a bloody eyeball or a clamp holding her eyelids open. It was AWFUL! Finally I just said to myself, "I'm gonna have to let other people pray for me right now." I turned to FB for a distraction because I could not HANDLE the truth (sorry just channeling a little Jack Nicholson there).  Also, just the constant stream of FB comments, e-mails, texts, and phone calls reminding me how MANY were praying for us. People on FB that I didn't know even cared... My mom's canasta friends.... Hannah's AWANA church... Jodi's FB friends... Cori's work friends... A&A's mom... prayers were POURING in from sources I'd expected and ones I hadn't thought of too...  I know I said this when John had brain surgery but I think it bears repeating:

Your prayers carried us through!

Don't let Satan tell you that your measly little prayer won't do anything!  That is a LIE from the pit of Hell! Your prayers are MEANINGFUL! Your prayers don't just move Heaven and earth, they ENCOURAGE and lift up the people you are praying for! Be encouraged yourself because you MADE A DIFFERENCE!!!

This morning I prayed that God would POUR blessings onto each and every person who prayed for our little Hannah. That He would prosper you, heal you, comfort you, fulfill you.  Thank you once again my faithful blog readers. You carried me through yet ANOTHER trial and you did a BEAUTIFUL job of it!  You all are my JOY!  Thank you.

An epiphany...

Today was a grueling day. Rose at 4 am (after not being able to fall asleep last night and then startling awake every 1-2 hours cuz I was afraid we'd overslept), dropped the boys at Jodi's, and headed to the surgicenter. It was a HORRIBLE experience.
We were doing fine until it was time for Hannah to take some Versed. Just like her Momma, she is NOT one for liquid medication. John and I had to pin her down, TWICE, before the medicine went down. Then they started to wheel her away, and she cried, "I want my MOMMA!" all the way down the hall! Talk about ripping a mom's heart out and STOMPING on it!
And then all those children having surgery! Some of them (8's & 9's) came in crying, obviously not wanting surgery. Some were YOUNG, and it was awful. I was crying for at least 3 of them who weren't even mine. Surgery took longer than expected, and it seemed an eternity before they called, "Family for Hannah."
The doctor met us and said everything went JUST as hoped for, and Hannah did great! When we were called back to recovery Hannah was resting peacefully. She awoke and said,  "Mom! I can see you!" And then dozed again.
After an hour in recovery we headed to Auntie Jodi's, by way of Walmart first (to get Tylenol and a baby doll reward), and picked up the boys. We were home by just after noon. John, Hannah and I took a 2-hr nap. Then we ate dinner. The patient is doing GREAT. No nausea from anesthesia. No fever. No complications. We are actually having a hard time keeping her down right now. She wants to run about and play, but we want to be careful cuz she's still a little off-center from anesthesia. (Weird how quickly kids bounce back!)
So now to the epiphany part...
I literally took time to pray before I shared this. It was such a REAL, STRONG word from God, and I really hope I can properly express it to you all.
It happened post-op, as I was sitting in the chair holding Hannah. It occurred to me that Hannah might be thinking, "Momma why did you let this happen to me?" Indeed I did have the power to stop that from happening to her. The doctor required OUR authorization before she could operate on Hannah. John and I did NOT have to agree to it. She cried out, "Mom! My eyes hurt!" I could have prevented that pain. I had the power to avoid it. But because I want what is best for my little girl, I had to give authorization for this surgery to take place. From her finite 5-year old perspective, the Versed, the wheeling away from us, the pain, our refusal to let her itch her eyes... they made little to no sense. But John and I looked at it from a different perspective... one that focused on our daughter keeping her vision. So we forcibly administered the Versed. We gave authorization and let them cut into our baby's eyes causing her pain, agony, and itching that may drive her insane. Because that was what had to happen to bring about the best results for her.
In a light-bulb-above-my-head moment, it occurred to me what a perfect example this is of why God allows us to walk down difficult roads. Often we cry out, "God why are you letting this happen to me?" And indeed He does have the power to stop it. He could help us avoid the pain, but He sees from a different perspective. Our finite perspective cannot understand why God would let these things happen to us. However, He sees with eyes that are focused on a different goal. So He forcibly administers the Versed, allows them to wheel us away, and lets them inflict painful procedures on us.... because He knows what is best for His babies.
If this analogy didn't minister to you, then just ignore it. But God impressed it on my heart today because SOMEONE needed to hear it.
God bless, and have a great night.

Thinking of Jesus tonight...

Don't get your undies in a bind!  I KNOW full well that what I am walking through pales in comparison to what He did!  Yet I can't help but REALLY, TRULY relate to our Savior, in the garden. Sweating drops of blood as He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." 

Oh what I wouldn't give to have the rapture come TONIGHT! I just feel like I don't have the stomach, or the nerves, or the guts to walk through yet ANOTHER surgery.  I do not want to!  Alas, the choice is not mine. I need to do this, and I need to be brave while I do it.

So PLEASE keep on praying! You may not feel like you are doing much, but your prayers are how I am getting through this!  Keep on praying, and I'll keep on being brave for Hannah. Have we got a deal?

Thanks everyone!  His will be done.

One more thing....

Tomorrow I will be tweeting status updates for anyone interested..... You can read this updates via Twitter, Facebook, or right there on the left side of my blog on my twitter feed (underneath my Blog Archive).

surgery is scheduled for 7:30 a.m.

Thanks in advance for praying us through this!

Tomorrow...

Ugh... I'm so unsure how to even blog about tomorrow, but I need to get this information OUT THERE because we need some prayer support.

Tomorrow is the day. Hannah has her eye surgery. 

Dr. Maria Patterson (the BEST Pediatric Opthalmologist in the WORLD) will be operating on my baby's eyes at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. 

Dr. Patterson will be detaching Hannah's inside eye muscles and reattaching them further back so that they do not pull so tightly on her eyes, causing them to cross. 

This is a routine surgery she has done a gazillion times before. But this time it is different.

This time it is MY baby girl's eyeballs she is cutting into. This time it is MY life, soul, heart and breath on her operating table. I trust God (and Dr. Patterson) implicitly, yet I am still VERY nervous. I know that He has this in control, yet I wait with anxious anticipation of the fear, stress, agony, and WAITING tomorrow will bring.

See it is like I am a little girl waiting in line to go on the Demon at Great America (come on... all you old peops out there... you remember when we called it just Great America right?  and you remember the Demon... maybe they still even have it???)  Anyways, it's like I'm standing in line with my dad waiting for the Demon. My dad is right next to me, and it gives me courage to know that he will be with me the whole time. I  know that he will protect me from any preventable tragedy he sees coming my way: if someone in line tries to push me down to get ahead of me, he will protect me from their assault.... if I forget to buckle my seat belt, he will check it before the ride starts... and if I stumble with dizziness and nausea after the ride, he will catch my elbow to keep me standing up. However, even though I am just a little girl, I realize that there are some things my dad can't prevent: the ride could go off the track, my seatbelt could snap off, etc...

That's how I feel today.  I know that my Dad is standing in line with me. I know that He has the ability to protect me from awful things that might come my way. However, I have been through enough (and I have seen those I love go through enough) to know that my Heavenly Dad won't always protect me from everything that COULD go wrong. I know that brains slip out of place, children get terribly sick, and husbands walk away from 25+ years of marriage. I trust that if after this "ride" I should stumble and fall nauseous and dizzy from the results of it, my Father will be right there to grab my elbow and keep me standing. Yet, still a little fear of what might come resides.

That's just life. God loves us desperately and dearly, but "bad" things happen to "good" people ALL the time. What's the answer? I think it is the same things I have been saying for just over 2 years on this blog:

*CLING to Jesus... when the ride gets rough, when the waves get high... CLING TO JESUS

*tell the world... I really think here on earth we suffer in silence TOO much. I do NOT believe that God wants this. I strongly REFUTE this concept that God knows our needs so we should just be silent and let Him impress those needs upon other people's hearts. (I have heard this one A LOT over the years... especially when John was having brain surgery, and especially as it relates to financial needs) I think we need to BLAB our worries, fears and needs to the WHOLE world. Satan wants you to keep them quiet because Satan knows what a POWERFUL resource we have available to us in the prayers of the saints, and Satan does NOT want us tapping into that. So if you are struggling tell the WORLD! (or at least tell someone) so they can lift you up before the throne of Him who has the power to do something about it.

*buckle up that seatbelt cuz it is gonna be a ROUGH ride... I am covering my own self in prayer. I am randomly spouting out encouraging scripture as if I have Tourette syndrome. I am surrounding myself with Christian music (thank you Klove and Pandora) and I am just casting down EVERY thought that is not from above (worry, fear, trepidation.... these are NOT from God).

If you have something looming on your horizon, will you join with me today? I know it is scary. I know what COULD happen. I know that you fee INCAPABLE of overcoming the mountain in front of you. But PLEASE stand with me and CLING to Jesus, tell the world, and buckle up!  It may be a bumpy ride, but we are NOT on it alone.

God bless, everyone!

Out of the blue....

 While eye surgery had always kinda been "on the table" I was pretty sure over the past few checkups we had kinda taken that option off the list. With my "mommy sense" (sorta like spidey sense but MUCH better) I always knew Hannah's eyes weren't good enough with her glasses on, but I really didn't even have surgery on my radar screen.

So when the doctor nonchalantly said to her assistant, "Get the packet about eye muscle surgery." the earth fell away under my feet. I had literally not even considered that option for a VERY long time!

While I know this isn't the most earth-shattering news in the grand scheme of things, I keep thinking:

     This is MY baby girl!
     They are CUTTING into her eyeball!
     She's gonna throw a FIT when we have to hand her over to the surgeon (thank GOODNESS that is John's job!).
     I have to wait 1 - 2 hours to hear she's okay????

Every time I walk by the family calendar hanging in the kitchen, I catch a glimpse of that appointment on 6/15 at 1:30 Hannah - Dr. P  It was supposed to be such an inconsequential checkup, yet it rocked my world.

Here's what's on my heart today friends:

Life is like that! Everything can change in the BLINK of an eye! A diagnosis, a drunk driver, the word "divorce", an officer on your doorstep can turn your world upside down.  What do you do when it's all topsy turvy???  You RUN!  RUN straight to His arms! Run FAST! No detours! Do not pass GO do not accept $200! Just RUN!

I have been rocking, like a baby with tears trailing down my face, in the arms of my heavenly Father for two days now. I know it will be okay. I know EVERYTHING (even a bad outcome) is in His capable hands. I have witnessed (FIRSTHAND) His marvelous provisions many, many, MANY times.  But still I need to rock... Still I need His arms... Still I need HIM.

And here's what you do if your life is NOT topsy turvy right now:

*thank God for the good... sometimes we forget to say the positive. Stop RIGHT NOW and thank God for all that is GOOD in your life! Like:

     a beautiful step-daughter getting married tomorrow
     a hard-working husband whose health is returning
     three beautiful, strong, godly sons
     one gorgeous little cheerleading princess
     a VIABLE treatment for strabismus

*squeeze the ones you love... squeeze 'em hard and squeeze 'em NOW.... tomorrow is NOT guaranteed to ANY of us... we have NO idea what the future holds. Don't let one second go by in estrangement. Never miss a chance to say I love you. Don't forget to tell the people you love that you love them EVERY SINGLE day.

I guess... I'm back to blogging.  Sure wish I were back under better circumstances... like for example: I had become a published author now so I didn't have to waste time on these more menial jobs and was practically a lady of leisure now only writing and taking care of my babies so I had PLENTY of time for blogging.  But hey! as I've said before:

You can't always get what you want!

Hannah's Surgery

I just scheduled Hannah's surgery. Thought this might be the quickest way to share the information.

August 16 - in the afternoon

Thank you in advance for your prayers.

The baby with the glasses....

Hello dear blog readers. Do you feel used and abused because I only blog when there's something wrong? I don't know what to say except, "I'm sorry." See life swirls at such a frenzied pace around here that I literally have no time for the luxury of blogging. I have been doing a lot of freelance writing for Demand Studios which does not leave much time for blogging. But today life threw another one of those darn monkey wrenches at me, and I need a little therapy... the only therapy I can afford... blogging.

See it all started nearly five years ago....

We took Hannah to her 4 month well-baby checkup and I distractedly asked the pediatrician, "Is it a bad thing that her eye crosses like that?" Sure enough it was. My four-month old perfect baby girl had strabismus caused by the fact that she was severely far-sighted. Thus began an endless parade of HORRENDOUS little plastic glasses FINALLY replaced by cute and trendy frame after frame after frame!  No lie at this point the girl goes through AT LEAST three pairs of glasses per year.

***There was the time that she threw her little pink plastic glasses out the window of the minivan as we sped down I-94... never got those ones back.

***Then there was the season where we had to make her wear a patch over her strong eye for hours a day. We bought ADORABLE decorative patches: tiaras, flowers, polka dots, and pink, pink, pink... Alas it didn't make the patching more fun.

***and now this.

You know I thought by the fourth child I kinda had this parenting thing figured out... so HEY for a little twist let's through in this tiny pair of PRESCRIPTION eyeglasses and the HYSTERICAL task of keeping them on a baby's face, keeping her from teething on the lenses and EVEN retrieving them from the garbage can of a Target cashier who thought they were a TOY.

Our journey through the world of pediatric opthamology has been grueling; however, the past two appointments started revealing a light at the end of the tunnel. That was until today... when the tunnel caved in and the light was cut out, "The glasses aren't working. Hannah has to have surgery."  Those BLASTED little eyeglasses! The bane of my existence!  I retrieved them out of situations I don't care to reveal. I have offered reward after reward after REWARD for their recovery. I have spent the past two years driving an hour ONE WAY to travel to the amazing Lisa at the Stein Optical on Hwy 100 and National to make sure the bifocals in those precious little glasses were cut properly. I have cared for pair after pair after PAIR of those little glasses for five years.... and TODAY they let me down. They did NOT do the job. So now we have to travel down another bumpy road.

Now don't get me wrong people I KNOW that we CAN do this! I know that in the grand scheme of things... ranked next to a daddy who needed brain surgery and would be out of work with NO INCOME for months and would probably NEVER return to full pre-brain surgery strength... this measly little eye surgery carries little to no degree of difficulty. But... (and that's a very big BUT there):

1. that is MY baby girl they are going to be doing ROUTINE eye surgery on

2. I don't care that I CAN get through this... I don't WANT TO... I just don't want to!  I want God to reach down and miraculously touch those little eyes and make them WORK so I don't have to sit in a waiting room for 1 - 2 hours waiting while someone cuts my baby's eyeball open.

As I drove home from the doctor's visit, I ran to the one and ONLY place I can ever find comfort. I turned on K-Love... desperate for a word from my loving Father....  He just NEVER, EVER, EVER disappoints.

First I heard...

I was sure by now... God you would have reached down...
and wiped out tears away... stepped in to save the day...
but once again... I say amen... and its still raining...
as the thunder rolls... I barely hear You whisper through the rain....
"I'm with you."

Next...

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...
Your perfect love is casting out fear.
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life...
I won't turn back I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

So I will praise Him in this storm.... because I know my God is with me... But if you get a second please throw up a little prayer for the little girl with the eye glasses.... all her life she's worn those little eye glasses... but now she STILL has to have her eyes cut into... and while you're at it say a little prayer for her daddy... handing her over into the arms of the surgeon just may break that man. Oh and don't forget her momma too... a lady who has been through the WRINGER and just does not WANT to go there again.

Although as I always tell my children when they tell me what they want:  I want to be a size 10. I want to be sitting on the beach in Aruba. I want a clean house and less gray hair. 

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT!!!

A woman who fears the Lord.... (part 2)

Yesterday's post was getting TOO long so I had to cut it into 2.  Make sure you read it though or today will make NO sense at all.

Soooooo, one day last week, I was putting Hannah down for a nap. As she and I snuggled in my bed, I gazed into her beautiful face... those criss-crossed eyes, that flawless skin, that GORGEOUS smile that lights up my world (even though it is missing a baby tooth), and that itty, bitty nose that it OH SO MUCH cuter on her face than mine... They melt me!  COMPLETELY!  ALL the time!

So I started the routine:

      Me (gazing upon the beauty of her loveliness):  OhmiGOSH Hannah!  You are just SOOOOOOO adorable!

     Hannah (with a giggle):  I know Momma!  

     Me:  I could just gobble you up you're so cute!

     Hannah:  hee hee hee (at this point I was gnawing on her neck a little so she HAD to giggle)

     Me:  But Hannah, you know that's not what's important right?

     Hannah:  yes Momma

     Me:  Hannah, what does the Bible say?

     Hannah:  Beauty is fleeting and charm is deceptive but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised 

And it HIT ME!  From outta nowhere!  a KNOCKOUT punch delivered from the mouth of my sweet little girl!

     Beauty is fleeting and charm is deceptive but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised 

I heard the whisper from God, "Do you believe it, Jami?"

His voice grew a little louder in my heart, "Then why don't you live it, Jami?"

SCREAMING through the halls of my soul, "A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED!"

I believe that!

I preach that!

I am INSTILLING that, DEEP, DEEP in my daughter's heart, but am I living it???

If I'm living it, then why...

     do I beat myself up every time I button my jeans?

     do I cringe every time I find a new wrinkle?

     do I roll my eyes at the sight of a new gray hair?

     do I put SO much emphasis on SO many things that just DON'T matter in the grand scheme of things???
          spotless kitchen,
          perfectly attired children,
          orderly life,
          picture perfect scenes

I needed so badly to hear my Father teaching me, 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

Do you need to hear that today too?  Then let me SCREAM it at you:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

I know you want to feel beautiful.  I know how great it feels!  Sunday as we got ready to go to the Super Bowl, I put on makeup and did my hair.  John said, "Why are you getting all dolled up to go watch a football game?"  I replied, "It just makes me feel good."  Feeling pretty is fun... 

     Me:  But Readers, you know that's not what's important right?  RIGHT???

a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised

a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised

A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED!

Get your eyes off the mirror!  Who cares about your jean size! Leave those gray hairs RIGHT where they are!  And chant it along with me:

A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED!

Spend a little time "prettying" up what is important today, your soul.  Take a few minutes from your grooming routine and love on your Jesus a little bit.  It is WAY more worthwhile than plucking your eyebrows!