Sign off...

   Some of you might have noticed there hasn't been a post in a few days....I've come to realize that the blog is not getting many if any views and no responses to questions.  I love writing and if the need is there again someday then I will pick it back up.  May you all have a Wonderful Summer! -CiCi-

Are you REALLY okay...

    We are constantly bombarded with  magazine covers with skinny girls and television shows where everyone is a size 2....what I want to know is are you really okay with yourself?  If you could change 1 thing about yourself what would it be and why?
    I have very few women that are completely happy with themselves; me included.....what shape would the world be in mentally if we were all pleased with ourselves and had more self confidence - well....we wouldn't have as many therapists and the drug companies might go under......Fact:  8 out of 10 people have issues with anxiety and stress - I am one of these!!!  Ashamed; not at all; but I've learned to rely more on physical fitness as my means of replacing medication....and it's doing my heart good too! -CiCi-

What Do You Remember...

    I have currently been teaching the study by Jennifer Rothschild, "Me, Myself & Lies" and we are working on cleaning out our thought closets.  This past week there was an interesting part where we had to rate ourselves from 1 to 10 on what we remember......below are the questions:

1.  Rate your Memory - 1 being poor, 10 being excellent...

2.  When it comes to criticism or past failures, rate your ability to remember...

3.  When it comes to successes, compliments, or God's benefits, how good is your memory?...

    If you're like the majority of the class we had poor memory for #1 but we had almost 10's when it came to remembering our mistakes and failures.  WOW!!!  Why do we do this to ourselves?  We should really be more aware of the forgiveness of Christ and the Love that other's have given us.  Not dwell on the negatives and definitely not dwell on our past.  Leave it all behind and press on to what lies ahead.  Happy Monday -CiCi -

Yes You Are...

    Happy Friday and to all my Girls out there - in case you were wondering....

YES YOU ARE!!!  and don't let anyone lead you to believe otherwise!!!  We are all Beautiful inside and out - God doesn't make ugly and unworthy - He makes Beautiful Daughter's of the King!! -CiCi-

Love is Sustained Action...

    We so often hear that love is a feeling....people fall out of love as easily as they fall in love.  Christ tells us love is a choice; we must choose to love other's; even when they fail us.  I am an avid reader and love Nicholas Sparks.  Below is a quote from his book "The Wedding".  It may not be spiritual; but it really hit me as important enough to share with you.
   

"But love, I've come to understand, is more than three words mumbled before bedtime.  Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day."

    When your children fail you, do you fall out of love with them?  No, as it should be with your spouse as well.  Friends will fail you, loved one's will fail you; but when you have Christ in your heart, He will show you what it means to love with a lifetime of true devotion!  Love on.....CiCi

Wacky Wednesday...

    Today is just a day to say we've made it once again half way through another week!!!  Yeah!!!  Have a Wonderful Wacky Wednesday and may you enjoy this beautiful weather and stop at some point today and thank God for the blessings you do have - you'd be surprised at how many more of those you have than you realize. -CiCi-

Test Time...

    Well it looks like the much anticipated STAAR tests are here this week and as with any test, kid's are dreading them.  There has been a lot of hype about this new test; some say it's hard and other's say there's really no way to tell yet since this is the first go round.  Either way, I don't like tests in the least.
    With most tests you can study ahead of time, prepare mentally and get a good nights rest ahead of time.  What about when God tests you?  Can you prepare?  I would say sometimes; yes.  Were we prepared for the tests that were brought to us in the last couple of years?  In some ways we were, in other's our true faith was put to the test.  In 2010 when my husband was laid off for a year; we weren't prepared for that; but we had been real good at budgeting our money; so we were able to live off a really tight budget.  As well as trust Christ to provide for us and bring the right job to Jason.
    In 2011 we were hit with one of our children being diagnosed with cancer.  Prepared?  Not for what lied ahead; but spiritually I was prepared.  I had been spending much personal time with Him and in His word - so my faith was strong and my courage in knowing and understanding that His will was in motion; no matter what the outcome!  This does not mean that I didn't need prayer for strength though; that was an everyday battle and sometimes still is.
    Just like school gives tests in order to see where children are academically; God gives us tests to see where we are spiritually.  So do you think you would pass or fail a test God hands you?  Believe me; no matter how much faith you think you have; all you need is the amount of a mustard seed for God to do mighty things. -CiCi-