Traveling, The Shack, and an appointment to discuss it next week

We're headed to Coloradofor the weekend. (Hi Meredith!!) The car is packed and we're hitting the road at 4:00 IN THE A.M.! But...with the Heinecke factor which includes gritting-your-teeth-and-shooting-pretend-"speed-it-up"-laserbeams-at-the-kids, it could very well be 4:30, okay, 6:00 before we get on the road.

All of the family are meeting at the brother/sister-in-law's house in Buena Vista for a little Heinecke fun. I'm looking forward to it. (Seriously, I just spent WAY too much time deciding if the correct verb in the first sentence should be IS or ARE. I'm sleepy.)

I'll be back sometime early next week unless I get really creative on the road and write a fafillion posts to last me, well, I guess a fafillion days... Then I could use my timer hour to read everyone else's blogs. I do love that.


While on the road, I'll be finishing The Shack. I'm reading it because...

1) Everyone else seems to have read it, and yeah, I'm a follower sometimes.
2) I'm curious to see what the hub-bub is about.

Halfway through the book I'm intrigued. I keep reminding myself it is FICTION, and that is very important to remember. The dialogue in the book is sometimes hard to get past. If you read it, you know what I mean. There are some truths interestingly discussed and I think it does offer a little challenge to think further about some things.

I'm anxious to finish so I'll know my overall opinion. I'm reserving my critique for when I've read the whole thing.

Tell me, anyone read it? Let's have a discussion about it next week. No! Not a discussion NOW...I might check in while I'm gone and I don't want anyone to spoil the ending for me. Just tell me if you have read it or are doing so now. We'll dig it a little more next week.

Have a great weekend!

So, is there a "learning curve?"

The amusement park near my town is constructing a new roller coaster.

I don't ride roller coasters.
I don't like to think about riding a roller coaster.
I don't really even like when the Mr. goes over a hill fast and it takes my stomach away.
Roller coasters: bad.

I used to ride roller coasters when I was younger, but only to impress boys. Sad, but true. I've done loops, drops and rickety wooden coasters zipping along a 6" rail all in the name of "Please notice me." Now that I'm an ADULT (kind of) I refuse to willingly regurgitate my lunch just so people will belive I'm adventurous. I'm not. And that is the undisputed truth.

Moving on...

Every time I drive down I-35 I see the big "Steel Lasso" going up piece by piece. Cranes, ropes, and people in hard hats scurry to snap together tons of steel so they can delicately balance a tiny train of carts full of people and send them soaring through the air in every imaginable angle. I'll pass.

How do they test roller coasters? I'm sure they give it umpteem dry runs without real humans before they deem it safe. How do they assume the weight of a dozen screaming ninkompoops can be supported by the oh-so-tiny nuts and bolts? I simply don't trust the company offering the lowest bid for that construction job.

HOWEVER, some, if not most, of you like the thrill of a gravity -defying ride. I'm wondering if you have an opinion on this new coaster? How long would it have to be operational before you'd put your little hinnie in the seat of a brand spankin' new roller coaster? Would anyone be willing to go on the first "manned test run?" I mean, when you're a roller coaster engineer and operator, is there a learning curve?

Do tell.

Camping II - The Food

First of all, THIS is why you go camping. That photo is undoctored. The sky really looked like that. And Kid Three and I watched the sun come up. No TV, no alarm, no beep, beep, beep sound of the early garbage truck picking up last week's refuse... Just birds, whispers from other campers and baby laughs. (And bugs. Yeah, we had a few biters outside the camp.)

Deleise posted about this last week but I'm going to show you the camping version of eggs in a bag.

Campfire Omelets
We start out with an "omelet bar." You can add nearly anything but my kids are picky so we keep it simple. Use a FREEZER bag - don't skimp here or you'll be sorry. It might be a good idea to cut some kind of "identifying" mark on the top of the bag - above the seal - so you can distinguish who's is who's... Pen won't work. You've been warned.



Add 2 eggs, a pinch of salt/pepper, a little milk and some cheese. More than 2 eggs isn't recommended. It doesn't cook as well in my professional opinion (Yes, professional, although no one has ever paid me...or even offered to pay me.)

And see that blue container on the table? It has a little spout on the end. We fill it with water to use for rinsing stuff or brushing our teeth or whatever. By the end of the day, the sun has heated the water and it is just right for washing the dishes. See? I'm a professional for sure.



Seal and squish.

But don't be alarmed that Kid Two is wearing the SAME shirt in every camping photo. What did I care? I didn't. That shirt probably walked home on its own.



Drop it in a bucket of boiling water - a rolling boil! Let it cook for "a while." I think Deleise said 13 minutes. Okay, I'll buy that. 13 minutes it is.


When it is ready, use tongs to remove it from the water and it will slip right out of the bag onto your plate in this nice shape! I can see you guys now, lining up outside my house for my autograph. The Mr. cooked the bacon and hashbrowns. (In addition to my camper, I am also in love with bacon. But I limit my "time" with Bacon. We're thinking of breaking up because he doesn't respect my body.)


Campfire Pizza


For dinner one night we had pizza. We could smell the other campers cooking steaks and grilling chicken but we decided to keep it easy. Kid One contributed this idea to camp. That was his GENIUS CAMPER contribution. We used tortillas, pizza sauce, pepperonis and mozzarella cheese. Place your pizza on some tin foil and put it on the fire rack. Watch it carefully or you'll have a burnt pizza on the bottom and no one to blame but yourself because I told you so.

Kid Two's GENIUS CAMPER contribution was a cup holder. He worked VERY hard on this, using sticks and twine. It doubled as a drying rack for cups. He's a semi-professional. Nice shirt, Kid Two. Is that new? mwhaa, ha, ha, ha...



Maybe tomorrow I'll bore you with the last of the camping pictures. Water.

Camping - Turner Falls in Davis, OK

Y'all missed a great weekend with the Heineckes. We went camping and had a WONDERFUL time! It was Kid Three's inaugural campout so I was a little unsure how the weekend would play out regarding our sleep! (He did fabulous!!)

So much to tell...so much to tell.

I'm going to do all of you a favor and break this down in a few posts because I KNOW the attention span of some of you is oh-so-short. (You know who you are.)

You may even change your opinion of camping after this. Apparently, camping's not a favorite sport for many of you. (Natalie, we had ice cold water and a bag of waxy chocolate donuts after we set up camp, justsoyouknowwhatyoumissed.)

Camping destination: Turner Falls, Davis Oklahoma. If you're looking for a new camp destination, I'd highly recommend it. Here are the waterfalls. There are lots of places to climb and we generally walk up the stream which is about 2 feet deep and takes it us a couple of hours to do so.



I grew up tent camping, complete with the heat, rocks under your sleeping bag and various creepy crawly "things" that made you want to sleep with your swim towel over your head and cotton in your ears. I've tent camped most of my adult life until a couple of years ago when we bought a used pop-up camper. (Everyone join me in singing the Sanford & Son tune.) This looks pretty red-neck but trust me, it is scientifically organized and extremely methodical. I am in love with my camper. Just ask my husband. (I still love him more.)



The first night we set up the camper and discovered a mouse had been living there for a while. Ewwww. Nothing a little spray cleaner and a broom can't fix. The big boys quickly dodged the set up work and went exploring. Kid Three "guarded" the sleeping bags while the Mr. and I organized our place. He's wearing his camo outfit...cause we'ze in da woods.



Here's our leader. He makes our camping experiences so much fun. Let me just say, he is VERY difficult to photograph because he doesn't let me take his picture. I had to snap this one quick. Now I'm wishing I would have taken the time to blur out Ms. Pinky in the background...oh well. Kid Two is on the right and some dude with a SERIOUS tattoo is on the left.

This might be a good time to mention that you will see "a variety" of people at any campsite.



They'll be comin' round the mountain when they come....They'll be comin' round the mountain when they come.... Sing it. You know you want to.

There are so many good places to climb on rocks and keep cool in the heat. Kid One and Kid Two climb down the side of a waterfall. The Mr. is coaching them and I'm sitting opposite them while the Invisible Me screams for them to be careful and get off those rocks before someone gets hurt! (That's what good mammas do in public.)



Before hitting the sack we made 'smores. I am the master at 'smores. That's He-Friend on the right. We borrowed him for the trip.



Oh man, this was so much fun. I can't make you love camping. You'll just have to trust me.

Tomorrow I'm going to show you the "Camp Genius" items. Everyone had to contribute something to the camp, whether it was an invention, a recipe or just something to make camp a little better. Oh, and camp food... Because I love food. I'll pretend I am Pioneer Woman on location and show you some camp food.

I've been grounded

I had to ground myself from my computer until I got a few things done around the house. And I was out of "extra" posts for those days I didn't have time to write anything.

FRIDAY! I think I could post just that one word and you'd all whoop and hollar with me, wouldn't you?!

We are going camping today and will be back on Sunday. That should provide a few good stories. This is the first time Kid Three has "roughed it" so it should be oh-so-very interesting. (Tylenol PM, please. For me. Not the baby.)

And on a totally random note, let me just say this: Blackberry Coke from Sonic. Get one today.

Have a great weekend! Summer begins at 8pm TONIGHT. Do something fun. Do something summerish. Do something for cryin' out loud.

I still crack up to think of these things...

My step-dad is great. Since we just flew by Father's Day, I feel like a couple of stories. I'm certain you "had to be there" to get the full effect but I smile when I think about any one of these things...

...like the time we pretended to be strangers in our own town. Yeah, we did.
We didn't take a lot of vacations since he was the youth and music minister at our church and we rarely missed a Sunday. One time he came home from work and announced we were going on a trip. But the trip was going to be in town. And we were going to pretend we were not from around there. He had a coupon for the Embassy Suites for $69/night and that included ... breakfast! First of all, you should know something about our family: WE LIKE OUR FOOD. So the fact breakfast was included was like sprinkles on a donut... whipped cream on your sundae... or real parmesan cheese grated on your pasta! 'sall good.

Actually I don't remember all the events of the night but I do remember we went to Wal-Mart and everyone got to pick out one box of snacks. (Oh, the second thing you should know about our family: WE ARE NOT KIDDING ABOUT LOVING OUR FOOD.) These were the good snacks -- the kind your momma puts in your lunchbox when there's an extra paycheck that month. Say it with me, say it loud and proud: LITTLE DEBBIES. (I just shed a tear.)

We went back to the hotel, divided into two teams and settled in for a mean game of Spades in which we played cards, talked about nothing in particular and ate loads of Little Debbies. (God bless that Little Debbie, she's quite a culinary genius.) We even had team names related to our snacks. One team was the "Swiss Cakeroll Eaters" but I don't remember the other. Nor do I remember who won. I think we even asked the desk clerk, "Is there any place good to eat nearby? We're not from around here." And I swear we even looked it up in the phonebook for directions...to keep the shenanigan alive.

...or the time we pretended to have a cooking show...so we could throw things. We have quite an affection for food. Have I mentioned that? One night we were all in the kitchen and he was making something requiring an egg. The kitchen had a ginormous island with the stove in the middle.

The conversation just morphed into all of us acting like we were on a cooking show. We didn't really plan it that way, it just seemed like the thing to do that made us all laugh. When it came time to add the egg to whatever we were cooking, someone took an egg from the refrigerator and threw it across the kitchen to someone else.

Let's just say the egg was not successfully hurled to safety. It landed on the floor with a splat.

"Take two." someone called. And we repeated the egg toss attempt again. Unsuccessfully I might add... I don't know how many eggs we "lost" on the kitchen floor that night - probably 4 or 5 before we got it right. I have no idea what it was we were even cooking. I just remember how much fun it was to throw eggs in the kitchen with people you love.

Anyone have a favorite memory of something goofy you did with your dad?

The Deep Water

Last weekend we went we had a neighborhood party in which the kids fished and the adults baited hooks...among other things. Kid Two entered the fishing derby and cast his line out no more than 3 times before he became frustrated and quit. (So glad I packed ALL THAT STUFF to carry to the pond! oh well.)

I kept telling him, "Honey, cast it toward the middle of the pond, that's where the bigger, hungrier fish are." Nope. He wanted to stay in the shallow place so he could get one quicker, or so was his perception.

On my sweaty journey back up and down a hill to my house, I thought about Jesus giving fishing advice to his disciples. And when I got home and read it again, I allowed the Holy Spirit to speak to me.

Luke 5:1-11 (and I'll try to make this post as short as possible...)

v. 3 - Jesus gets into the boat and asked Simon to "put out a little from shore" then he began teaching the crowd nearby.

Okay. I'm fine with that.

He stayed close so they could hear him. I'm sure there were people from various stages in their belief of Jesus. Who knows what he said to them? The Bible doesn't say. Maybe it was a message of repentance? or grace? or obedience? We simply don't know. I'm guessing in a big crowd, he kept the message simple and targeted for a wide range of spiritual maturity.

Then, doing what Jesus usually does, he kicks it up a notch.

v. 4 - He tells Simon to "put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." It should have been a clue that Jesus didn't say "let down the nets and just see what happens." He pretty much told them it would be a homerun!

Simon makes no bones about how exhausted he is and implies he doesn't really think it will work. "Jesus, we've been here all night and haven't caught anything."

I'd be thinking, "Look, I'm a bass-pro, Jesus. I know what I'm doing and I'm telling you they just aren't biting today. I'm tired, I'm hungry and any chance I had at catching a net full of fish has been destroyed due to the huge crowd making all this noise and scaring away my profits!" (I'm sure all of you would have much better attitudes than me.)

Either Simon has been around enough to know obedience is pretty important or Jesus gave him one of those looks that silently screamed "DEEP.WATER.NOW!" Maybe it was a hint of both because Simon quickly adds, "But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

You know what happens next - FISH! And loads of them. More than they could bring back to shore on their own! (Hmmm, sounds like a plunderful moment!)

So I'm reading and praying about this passage and the Father reminds me he wants to meet me in the deep water. And he's not just talking about obedience...

As a follower of Christ for a LOT of years, I've spent much time in the shallow waters.

But, I've spent the best times in the deep waters -- where the current is so strong that it overtakes you and you drown in the love of God. I've fished in the deep water of God's truth and experienced blessings so abundant I could hardly believe my eyes.

It's more than cracking open scripture and "landing on something" to read for 15 minutes a day. It requires leaving your comfortable shore with it's gently rolling waves and sandy beaches and rowing out amid sharks and currents, and maybe... maybe, you'll even have to go alone. It's searching the Word and crying out to Him. It's refusing to be satisifed with a minnow when you could have something to mount on the wall.

That's where the big fish are. In the deep water.

When a husband leaves.

When a child dies.

When we simply can't handle being overwhelmed one.more.minute.

Or maybe it's a good season of life but we just want MORE of Him.

The deep water can be scary, but he says there's a catch waiting.

The deep water...that's where we learn to wait patiently for the record size miracle to jump onto our hook. And we reel it in with excitement and afterward know all the waiting and laboring was worth it.

Go deep.

Eph. 3: 17-18 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

Survive N Thrive

Oh, that was good.

I had been waiting all year for that conference because it's just that good.

Friday night over 400 women joined together to worship and be refreshed with the Word of God. Pam Kanaly, our speaker, talked about building a house on a firm foundation. By the end of the evening several women had given their lives to Christ -- forever changing their legacy!

To everyone who helped promote that conference, thank you.

To everyone who financially supported it, thank you.

To anyone sponsoring a scholarship for someone, thank you.

To my friends who volunteered to help this weekend, thank you.

To those who prayed on our behalf, thank you.

My session went smoothly and thankfully, they laughed at my kid stories. (Whew...you just never know!) All the sessions were recorded on CD so the ladies could purchase the ones they couldn't attend. Mine didn't seem to work so I suppose the message was just for the gals in my group.

Sweet, sweet women. I am so blessed to be a part of this ministry.

(Y'all can remove the Survive 'N Thrive buttons on your blogs now. Thanks!!)

Weekend Potpourri

Oh...long LONG week. You wouldn't have heard SQUAT from me had I not prepared this week's posts last weekend.

So glad it's Friday. So very VERY glad it's Friday. The Mr. has been gone ALL week and I am very much looking forward to his return. (Who wants to babysit?...just kidding.)

1. Friday/Saturday night is our Single Mother's Conference! I'm really excited to meet some new single moms and share with them the few things I'm learning along the way. May I be so bold as to ask you to pray for this event?

pray their hearts will be open to the healing God has for single moms

pray the logistics of the conference will go smoothly

pray I will let the Holy Spirit lead my session, not me

pray they will be encouraged and revived!

2. I hope you've all written some great stuff this week. I'm looking forward to FINALLY catching up on your literary brilliance...maybe Sunday.

3. Next week I'll be sharing a little something I think God has helped me see in the scriptures this week. DEEP WATER. That's all you get for now.

4. Father's Day on Sunday. Happy Father's Day to all you guys. I'm going to tell a few stories about my own pops next week. I know, I know, it'll be late... that's okay. It's kind of par with the "Kim Heinecke factor" lately.

Have a terrific weekend. Check back Monday for a review of the conference.

Yummy Little Dessert (but it's not really Rock-Star worthy, Deleise)

So, I'm no Pioneer Woman but my camera was nearby when I was making this little dessert for JT & Nat's family a few weeks ago so clicked away. Enjoy.

White Chocolate Mousse Dessert

Place slices of frozen pound cake in serving dishes. Get the rreealll buttery, fattening kind. It's the best.

Brush each piece with orange juice to give it a little "Hyiiii-ah!" (That's like a karate kick sound, and in desserts, it's a good thing.)

Mix together 1 pkg of white chocolate instant pudding with 3/4 cup milk and 1 cup Cool Whip. Scoop it out on top of the pound cake. I used a small ice cream scooper because it makes great little round dollops. (Doot-doot-doot-doot-doot do a dollop of daisy... Did anyone besides me sing the song for Daisy sour cream?)

Slice strawberries and spoon them over the top. I didn't let them "juice up" beforehand. I didn't want them to get the pound cake soggy. No one likes soggy pound cake. No one.

Grate a Hershey's candy bar over the dessert to make you appear like you have mad kitchen skilz. By the way, those are Kid One's hands. He wanted to help. Just want to make sure you know I don't have man-hands...

Now, place them in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat them! Serve them chilled. I think this would be good with blueberries too...might be a good 4th of July dessert with the red, white and blue.

Well...I thought I was funny. Maybe I wasn't.

Kid Two was abandoned by his older brother who went to enjoy an afternoon with a friend and baby was sleeping in the backseat of the car. Kid Two was forced to go run errands with me so I attempted to do what any good mother would do in this situation: entertain him.

I sang.

I car-danced.

I told him dumb jokes.

I thought I was funny.

After a few minutes of chuckles [and what I now realize were just courtesy laughs], he grabbed my arm very seriously. Gripping my wrist and running his hand through his hair with the other and wiping his forehead as if he had a migraine, he said, "Mom, I love you. I really do. But listen, I can't take it anymore. Please stop trying to be funny. You're just not."What does he know? He's only eight. (The Invisible Me stuck out my tongue at him like I was eight.) I went home to put on my high waisted mom-jeans and throw a 1986-banana clip in my hair so I would fit the image he must have of me. no way, Jose, I did not.

When was the last time your kids informed you how un-cool you are?

Breaking up is hard to do

Reading the Spirit magazine on a Southwest flight last week I came across an interesting fact. Let's see how smart you are. (Or how well you guess.)

How many different ways can you break $1?

The long list of ways to break a buck includes 100 pennies; two quarter and five dimes; one dime, nine nickels, and 45 pennies...And the number of combos climbs from there. So what do you think?

The answer - There are 292 ways to split $1! Five dollars? More than 100,000 combinations. Ten dollars? North of 3 million.
A Benjamin breaks into trillions of possible combos.

And what are YOU getting Dub-ya?

Looking through the mail today I noticed another "something" for the Mr. from the White House (so it says). This time it was from Laura. Apparently Chad Heinecke [or current resident] is on a first-name basis with the First Lady. (I told you he was the Grand Achiever...)

As it turns out, W. will be 62 on July 6th. Well, Happy. Birthday...Mr. President... (I hope you caught the Marilyn Monroe there).

Laura has an idea.

She writes, "Since you [my Chad] have proven to be a dedicated and loyal FRIEND of the President through your support of the Republican Party...and this is the last birthday he will celebrate in the White House, I need your help to make it truly meaningful."

Yes, way. She really said that. Well, "someone" said it in this letter bearing her e-signature.

WHAT? Laura needs our help? The help of the Heineckes? W's getting older and we're invited to help celebrate? It's a birthday miracle for sure. I mean, come on, she said we're friends. FRIENDS y'all. Friends with the Prez & his little lady. And you know what Michael W. Smith says about friends...

She sent a pre-addressed, postage-paid, pre-messaged (is that a word?) birthday card. All we have to do is sign it. So efficient, that Lady Bush. I couldn't have written a better birthday wish on that card if I'd tried - so heartfelt and sappy. (grunt.) I endorsed her "best wishes" by adding my little signature smiley face on the card. Stuff, lick, mail. I was quick to add a personal "party like you're a rock star" comment. I don't REALLY want my President to celebrate quite like that.

Reading further in her letter, I noticed she wanted us to send $62 to RNC so the "entire Party can share the gift." So sweet, Laura. Really. But see, the Heinecke's don't really have $62 laying around right now. Not that we don't love the President (cause we do) it's just that we're rrreeeeaaaalllll busy paying for things like food and shelter. Just those little luxuries.

So now I'm considering a similar shenanigan masterful plan when my birthday rolls around in December. After all, I'll be 38 and since you only turn 38 once (as opposed to 30.9!) I may as well live it up and invite you all to celebrate with me. So in mid November, look for your pre-addressed letter from The Heineckes, complete with a birthday card all filled out (you just sign it) and return your gift of $38 for the whole Party [that'd be the Heineckes] to "share." Our birthdays are only 2 days apart.

Glorious day that's gonna be when the cash starts rolling in. Yeah, that'll be some birthday alright.

So, what are YOU getting the President for his birthday?...Seriously, save your money for December. You know you want to.

By the way, we do support he President, we just won't be helping him blow out the candles this year.

What happens in Vegas...

The Mr. had a business meeting in Las Vegas last weekend so I tagged along for a couple of days.
No big kids.
No work.
No baby.
No kidding, it was like we were real adults.

My Observations...

1. What happens in Vegas could potentially burn your retinas if you look down. Okay, there were some "suggestions" I could live without, and since this is a family show, I decided not to capture it on film.


2. What happens in Vegas doesn't involve sleep. I was surprised at how "alive" this city was in the wee hours of the morning. Would you believe my "whiney-when-tired" self made it to 1am? Yes, way. The lights were mesmerizing.






3. What happens in Vegas doesn't involve saving money. I'm all for free enterprise but seriously, some people had too much money! And they just kept happily (or sometimes not so happily) giving it to the nice workers in uniforms, or putting it into all those piggy banks with lights and sounds. This is the Trump tower. I think all the money in those "piggy banks" went directly to buildings like this.



4. What happens in Vegas probably wasn't built by winners. (or so my friend warned me) I allowed myself a very small amount of play money. The first day I lost $0.25 so I quit playing. Whew, that was close! The second day we went into the older part of the strip...where the atmosphere wasn't so bling-bling and the crowds were smaller. The weather was great for walking around outside and taking in all the sights.

5. What happens in Vegas looks like New York! Our hotel looked like the New York City landscape. It was amazing! There was even a roller coaster that went around it...which I DID not ride cause I'm a fraidy cat. (And I'm okay with that!)

6. What happens in Vegas also looks like Italy! This picture below is actually IN the Venetian Hotel. The ceiling is painted like the sky and there is a little canal through it with gondola rides. We opted to hold on to our money and skip the skinny boat ride. Seriously, SOMEONE in Vegas needs to hold on to their money!! Very cool...

7. What happens in Vegas, happens about an hour from the Hoover Dam. This was definitely my kind of attraction! Would you believe I could look at ALL the exhibits and not feel dirty once?! Interesting facts... It was built in the 1930s. There is enough concrete in the Hoover Dam to build a 4-foot sidewalk around the EARTH at the equator. Dude.





8. What happens in Vegas must involve a lot of water. The Hoover Dam provides water to Nevada. As you can see , the Colorado River is a little low above the dam. You can see the water line on the rock where the reservoir was once much higher.




9. What happens in Vegas, is always more fun when you're with your favorite guy. We saw Cirque Du Soleil... WOW. It was a great show, and one that is difficult to describe. I'd recommend it if you go.

I Think It's Almost Time

Remember when I was so excited about the gift "someone" gave me...a new blog design?

It's almost ready. Check it out at It's A Plunderful Life - http://www.plunderfullife.com/ If you saw yesterday's post, you know the meaning behind the name. If you're new to this blog, it may help to read my testimony to understand more of my heart on this issue.

My life as a single mom was good. It was hard a lot of the time, but it was good. Why? Because I had a sweet Jesus who loved me every day and held good on His promises to provide for me, to comfort me, to give me an identity and heal me. He restored my heart and gave me purpose.

Acts 4:20 - "We cannot help speaking of what we have seen and heard."

I cannot help it. God is so very good. So very faithful. So very capable. So very plunderful.

It's a Plunderful Life is a new blog I'm working on - especially for single moms. (But you're welcome to take a peek!) This is one of those projects that isn't about me. It's about the countless women who raise kids alone, who feel exhausted at the end of the day with no husband there to give them a break; for those who are 100% mom and 100% dad on too many days; for all the ones cutting their own lawns, balancing the checkbook, and killing their own bugs while trying to help kids with homework. It's for those in the Sisterhood who (on some days) are tying a knot at the end of their rope, and just holding on.

Your turn. If you're interested in contributing to It's a Plunderful Life, email me! I don't plan to write all the posts each day because there are SO many talented writers out there with something valuable to say! I've already talked to some of you about it (and thank you for saying yes!). If you have a post of your own you think would be good for single moms, let me know. Maybe it will even drive some traffic back to your own blog! And if you're open to "ideas" to write about, let me know.

The other thing you can do is pass the word along to single moms who might enjoy a "pick me up" from time to time and who would like to get connected with other single moms.

This site is "official" (according to me) June 13. That's the date of the Single Mother's Conference in Edmond, OK.

Did I mention how plunderful life can be with Christ?

Plunderful, indeed.

I know you're thinking, "Hold on, don't you mean it's a wonderful life?"

Well, actually... no. Sure, life can be wonderful but between the happy moments there are often trials and heartaches making our world chaotic and exhausting instead of blissfully wonderful. Can you relate?!

But it IS a plunderful life! What? Glad you asked...

One of the things I love about God is His amazing ability to take care of the ones He loves. Time after time in the Word God would rescue his people in the heat of battle and doing what He does best (um, just being GOD!) He would defeat the enemy and reward His followers with plunder -- spoils from their fight! -- and lots of it!

A few years ago, when I was picking up the pieces from my own battle, God showed me what He will do for us when we allow Him to stand shoulder to shoulder in our trials. Allow me.

Let's use a familiar story in Exodus (chapter 12) where the Iraelites are in captivity and that crazy Pharoah just won't let them go! You know the story, I'm sure of it. Moses goes to him once, twice, ... up to nine times and demands, "Let my people go!" and still Pharoah's heart is hard and refuses to let them go, despite famine, boils, bugs and other "inconveniences" that would make me stand up and shout to those Hebrew folks, "PACK UP AND JUST GO!"

But God, oh yeah, He generally has another plan, doesn't He?! When at last he got their attention with the destruction of the Egyptians' firstborn, Pharoah finally caught on and decided to let them go.

That's miraculous, sure. But something catches my attention if you read further. When Pharoah lets them go, the Bible says he urged them to go. I guess he'd had enough by now!

And then...here it comes, are you ready?...(v.36)

The Bible says "they (Egyptians) gave them (Israelites) what they asked for...so they plundered the Egyptians..."

Did you hear that?!
They plundered the Egyptians.
Seriously, that's uber-miraculous! Think about it, not only did God deliver them from their captivity, but He gave them a little extra! The spoils! The loot! The booty! The plunder!

Friends, God will do this for you. In your struggles in this life, God will be our refuge, our rest and our freedom. He is the one who will do "immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine according to his power working in us!" (Eph. 3:20) He will deliver us.

With our God, it's a Plunderful Life!

And there is another Plunderful Life thing I'm getting excited about...more details later this week.

Getting back on track

We got home from our weekend trip to Las Vegas Sunday night. I have too many things to do today so maybe I'll post tomorrow...

Laundry waits for no one, I'm telling ya...

Hope everyone had a great weekend. It's always good to get away. :)