Multitudes on Monday

188. perfect mornings

189. handmade gifts

190. Easter candy

191. long evenings

192. planting flowers

193. watching my children play

194. listening to Landon count while playing hide-and-seek

194. kissing Ella Beth while she sleeps

195. the warm spot Scott leaves in the bed when he gets up early in the mornings

196. coffee ready for me when I get up

197. the beauty of our backyard - all abloom with flowers and dogwood trees

198. the promise of Good Friday

199. the love of a Savior

200. teaching my children the story of Easter

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 "Death has been swallowed up in victory. 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

8 Wonderful Years

Today marks 8 years that I have been married to my best friend. I love that after 8 years, we are still in love - we still cuddle, tease each other, flirt, and enjoy being together.

I am truly blessed to be Scott's bride, and I look forward to many more years together. :)

We celebrated our anniversary on Monday because Scott didn't have to work all day. We saw the movie, The Lincoln Lawyer...it had a great plot, but the language was slightly atrocious. Afterward, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Rice, close to our house. We shared an appetizer (awww!) and each enjoyed a new item off the menu (which is a really big deal to me b/c I usually order the same thing everywhere I go).

Of course, we had our picture taken. And I just love that we still look so much alike. :)

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful man!!! I am SO proud to be his bride!

Multitudes on Mondays

171. fevers that break after 52 agonizing hours

172. a sweet girl who perks right up and says, "Mommy, I feel better!"

173. beautiful weather

174. time spent with Meredith

175. watching children play nicely together

176. listening to "make believe" stories

178. silly songs

179. chick flicks

180. waterfalls

181. anniversaries

182. "super big kisses"

183. hearing Landon say over and over again, "Push me SUPER high!"

184. the fact that my kiddos love everything "super big"

185. the fact that their "super big" things are kisses and pushes on swings

186. hearing Ella Beth pray for the people in Kenya and the people in Haiti

187. romance :)

Psalm 7:17 "I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High."

Why Kenya?

"I see kids in the street with not enough to eat. Who am I to be blind pretending not to see their need?"

My favorite song of all time is "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. I remember seeing the music video for the first time when I was 8 years old. I remember sitting in my living room on our country-blue carpet and I sobbed uncontrollably. At 8 years old, God gave me a heart to serve and love orphans.


"That's why I want you to know...I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways."

When I came back from Kenya in June of 2009, and when Scott and I returned from Haiti last year, my heart began to change. And it keeps changing. My views on life and what will make me happy have changed significantly.

I am ashamed to admit that for the first 7 years of our marriage my biggest dream, my biggest goal, my highest aspiration was to have "bigger and better." A bigger house, a better car, designer clothes, a closet full of trendy shoes, more, more, more.

But God, who started working on me when I was only 8, didn't quit. He wouldn't allow me to stay self-centered. No, His heart is much bigger than that. I am thankful that He is giving me more of a heart like His. To abandon my dreams for His own.

This beautiful little girl is Wiuwa. I fell in love with her on my first day in Ngaamba, Kenya, and every day we would spend time together. And every day she was wearing this worn and tattered dress. Leaving her (and my friend Damarus) was the hardest part of my journey.

I wrote her name on my arm so that she would know that I wouldn't forget her. And I haven't.


"And no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make that change."

Maybe it surprises you, given the fact that Michael Jackson had a "colorful life", that he wrote such a powerful song. But it doesn't me. I believe God gives us all a heart to serve and love others.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

One of the most profound sentences in the song "Man in the Mirror" is this:
"You gotta get it right, while you got the time 'cause when you close your heart, you close your mind."

It is the truth that we (especially in America) can so easily turn a blind eye to the heartbreak in our world. I am guilty of it, too. I rarely watch the news because I get so upset by stories of horrible acts that people do to one another, and I cry uncontrollably yet again when disasters strike and families are left homeless and fighting for their lives. But when I refuse to "see" the hurt around me, that is when I become caught up in my own life and forget to serve others. 

That answers the question, "Why Kenya?" Why? Because I have to leave my eyes open. I have to allow myself to travel and live in uncomfortable situations (for just 10 days) in order for my heart to remain open. I can't turn my back on anyone, because everyone is a child of God.


"I'm gonna make a change. It's gonna feel real good. Come on! Just lift yourself, you know. You gotta move. You gotta stand up! Make that change."

 https://my410bridge.org/AmberCastleberry

Multitudes on Mondays

152. a GOOD vacuum

153. warm weather

154. new picture frames

155. lovely portraits to frame inside new picture frames

156. using the word "lovely"

157. planning for a small getaway

158. my mama hosting my best friend and her children along with me and my two kiddos for a week

159. my mama cooking for us :)

160. Landon breathing easier

161. an "aggressive" doctor who won't just treat Landon's breathing issues, but who wants to SOLVE them and get them under control

162. our pediatrician, Joanna Morris, who is also a dear friend

163. the fact that my kiddos l-o-v-e their pediatrician and are always ready to visit

164. listening to Ella Beth reading signs at the pharmacy - she tries so hard to sound out the words, and then she will squeal (sometimes very loudly:)) when she figures out what the signs say!

165. a sweet husband who knows how to help me handle tough circumstances

166. watching how hyper Albuterol makes Landon - he becomes a chatter-box who literally can NOT contain his energy

167. bursts of energy from Landon after he has slumped for days on end

168. tending to our vegetables and herbs that we have grown from seeds

169. anticipating eating our homegrown veggies and herbs in just a few short months

170. Ella Beth's "tent clubhouse" (as she calls it), made out of her comforter and over-stuffed chair. It fully takes over her room...and I let it. :)

1 Chronicles 16:34 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever."

Landon's messiness

This is after just ONE meal. Landon is the messiest eater. Ever. I declare that this boy is slow in gaining weight because more food makes it onto the floor than into his mouth.

And...most of the time he is not even making any sort of mess on purpose. He is just flat out messy.

It drives me crazy, but I still love him! :)

Now, when people think it's crazy that I vacuum at least TWICE a day...they will fully understand!

Because I Said So

OK...I just need to vent for a minute. And this is my blog, so I can do that, right?!?!

Most of the "main stream" parenting books out there are driving me crazy. And by crazy, I really mean they are making me frustrated and down right aggravated! The new social craze is to "protect our children's self-esteem." Now, I completely agree that high self-esteem starts at home. Home is where our children learn their value, that they are loved, and that they are children of God.

But the world's idea of "self-esteem" is something much different. As a former teacher, we were not allowed to fail students because it would hurt their "self-esteem." Really??? Because I thought that if a student refused to do his/her work, didn't study for tests, and were belligerent then he/she earned a failing grade. But, alas, no. It would be too devastating to the child's self-esteem. Forget teaching accountability and responsibililty, we must "protect our children's self-esteem."

So, then come the main stream parenting books that say when a child asks you (the parent) "Why?" you should ALWAYS give him/her an answer. Now, when it comes to questions like, "Mama, why is the sky blue?" or "Who made me?" or "Why do I have to eat my veggies?" I totally get it. Children will learn from us, but only if we teach them.

BUT...sometimes a good ol' "Because I said so," is also a sufficient answer. For example, last night my kiddos were questioning everything from, "Why can't I sit on the table?" and "Why do I have to get a bath?" and "Why can't I have a piece of candy." I had already answered their questions...and I knew that my children weren't asking their questions out of sincerity; they were asking because they were being stubborn and disobedient. Of course my children know that they can't sit on the table - and we have told them it's a matter of safety before - so last night when Ella Beth asked why she couldn't sit on the table it wasn't a moment to worry for her self-esteem. It was a moment to worry about her obedience to her Mama!

And that is why "Because I said so" is sometimes an extremely sufficient answer. There will be times that I have to submit to authority and to a rule that I don't like simply because a boss, a police officer, or someone else in authority over me simply "says so." And that is just fine. In fact, in my opinion, my "self-esteem" will be stronger for it.