A Mother's Prayer

Lord, I need your wisdom, today and every day.

Please give me wisdom to be a mother who trains her children with a soft smile and a gentle spirit.

Give me self control to use the right tone of voice and make the right decisions.

Give me insight and discernment to recognize the teachable moments and act on them with the perfect lesson.

Give me your peace.

Let the tasks of the day be done with joy and contentment in my heart, and then I will have a song in my mouth and a smile in my eyes.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O my Lord and my God.

~Amen

Blessed!

God has been good to the Acklen family. His blessings are just overwhelming at times! He answers so many prayers, and sometimes it seems that even before I have a chance to voice a prayer, it's already answered. And then there are times when the wait is longer, and our faith is tried. But no matter which way He chooses to work for us, He is still God and He is still good. He will always be God and He will always be good.

First, our rent house sold!! We didn't even have to put a sign in the yard or contact a Realtor. Someone just called us up out of the blue and wanted to buy it. They gave us the price we asked for, without even blinking. We didn't make a huge profit off of it, but we got rid of that 2nd house note and the burden of worrying if the renters were going to come through every month. God is good!

We've needed a new van for a while now. Our '99 Pontiac Montana was getting mighty close to 200,000 miles, and she was showing it. She was missing (transmission, I guess), the windows would roll down, but not up, the CD player, clock, and heater had all gave up the ghost. It was TIME, people. So we took the little profit we made from our house (combined with some savings) and bought us a new van. Well, new to us. It's a 2004 Chrysler Town & Country, with all its parts working, and in great condition. Another big relief! God is good.

I firmly believe that these things do not happen by chance, but we receive these benefits because we are children of God, and He delights in giving His children the desires of their hearts. John and I are seeking God for His perfect will in our lives, that He would use us in any way He desires. We are ready, if it means packing up and moving to another country, or just knocking on our neighbor's door with a basket of cookies and a message of love. Almost two months of this year have passed us by, and already He has done great and marvelous things. I am anticipating a year of great revival in His church and among his people. If you're not a part of it, step in. Jump in! The table is spread for all who are hungry. Come and dine on his blessings.

Elijah is "All Boy"!

Elijah and I went on a little shopping trip together today. A friend from church sat with the girls, and although I had intended to leave Elijah, too, he coaxed me into taking him with me. OK, I gave in to the crocodile tears and the arms he fixed tight around my neck ;) .
We went to Burlington Coat Factory, and my intention was to find him a suit, shirt, and tie to match the girls' Easter outfits that are navy blue and pink (yes, I'm starting early). I found a really cute navy vest & pants outfit with a pink shirt and a pink/navy tie. Perfect! I pulled it out and asked him, "Do you like this?" He didn't even blink, and replied, "No! I don't like that!" I said, "Why not?" He said, "That's pink! That's a girl's shirt! I'm not wearing that!" lol.....
Well, I tried to not let him see me holding back the giggles, put the outfit up and moved on to something else. A few minutes later I pulled out the same outfit and said, "How about this one?" He said, "OK." So I bought it. But I am keeping the receipt...just in case he changes his mind again!

On A Journey

My husband and I started doing Weight Watchers this year (in January) and we are aspiring to make it a year-long (or 5-year long) commitment--however long it takes to get the weight OFF. I've gained it from having 3 babies in 3/12 years, and John gained it from sitting behind a computer all day and eating out too much while we lived in Texas. Think authentic Mexican every other day, alternating with Quizno's and Pizza Hut. That'll do you some heavy weight gain!

We've even started a weight-loss blog to track our progress (www.nomorefries.blogspot.com). So far, John has lost 30 lbs!! (if I weren't in love with him, I'd have to hate him). I have lost about 11 lbs. Don't you just hate men's metabolic level? I mean, we're doing EXACTLY the same thing! Argh!

Anyways, I came across this picture of me when I was pregnant with Emma. I think I was about 8 months along. Good thing God gave me a sense of humor, because this is SAD!! I think it's a good "before" picture. What do you think?