Underestimating Prayer

I am guilty of underestimating the power of prayer.

When I heard of the devastation in Haiti and saw the pictures, I immediately began thinking, "How much can we give? What 'things' can I send? Could I go?" At that moment, we didn't have any money in the bank to send, I was hearing 'things' weren't needed and I'm not sure if I physically can handle hot weather under stressful situations, so I began to feel guilty.

I don't have boo coos of money, things were not needed and I couldn't go.

I remember walking into the kitchen, crying because the images were just too much. I remember feeling so guilty because I could not provide the money necessary to help the Haitians survive.

Then God hit me.

"Megan, you are not believing in the power of ME."

He was right! I was wallowing in my misery because I couldn't send money. What those people need are some sold out Christians to get on our knees and pray for God to help, heal, rescue, give Life and fill hurting hearts with amazing hope.

I realized money doesn't fix the problems of this world. At this point, money isn't going to fix the problems in Haiti, it will help, but what I need to do is pray my butt off....

... and quit underestimating the power my God has.

Animal Lover

Here are three facts about our Chloe Joy.
1) She is an animal lover.
2) She is a huge animal lover.
3) She has been wearing the same dress for approximately 72 hours straight and refuses to remove it and I refuse to argue. So yes, she did wear it to church along with her dress up princess plastic shoes

About a month ago, Matt heard a noise coming from our back porch. "Megan, do you hear that?"
"Nope."
He gets up, goes to the back door, opens it, "Aww,there's a kitten on our porch. Oh, and it is trying to come it."

Instantly Chloe races to the back door, "Awww, it's so cute Dad."

Now, it was a cold night, and I felt sorry for it. So I fed it some turkey and milk. I couldn't let it in the house because I'm kind of a germa freak, so I placed a towel in a box and put it outside. The kitten proceeded to cry at the door for an hour and my heart proceeded to break for 2.

The next morning, I decided if the cat were still there I'd help it. I open the back door, and in the little box was the kitten. Matt was at work, so I knew Chloe and I could plot and scheme without him knowing.

I let it in the house.

I called the local radio station that announces on air pets that have been lost or found.

A few moments later, I get a text saying a woman at the station was willing to foster it. She wanted a few pictures.

I go to the bathroom where I am harboring the cat. I open the door and am hit with the smell of poo. I had laid newspaper on the floor, but did it use the paper? NOOOO! It used the tub!

I call a friend at the station and ask them to hurry and come get the cat.

A few hours later, they get the cat and I proceed to bleach every nook and cranny in my bathroom.

Jump to about a week ago, Chloe says, "Mom, I think your heart would be happy if you got me a dog or a cat."

I hold up 5 fingers and say, "When you are this old you can get a dog or a cat."

(Chloe when she was 2 and yes that is the back of a dog. The dog is real.)

I think that promise is going to bite me in the butt in about 1.5 years.

A Joke To Make You Smile

I think we all, those who have been watching the news, are in need of a good joke. Am I right?

My dad sent me this joke.. I can't stop laughing!

Enjoy your day that the Lord has made.

I was in the restaurant yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to pass gas.

The music was really, really loud, so I timed my gas with the beat of the music.After a couple of songs, I started to feel better.

I finished my coffee, and noticed that everybody was staring at me....

Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.

My First Sewing Creation

The first thing I ever made on a sewing maching.

I made this apron for my mother-in-law for Christmas.

She loves seeing the grandkid's handprints and wears an apron when she cooks, so I thought it fitting to put the two together.

Rice Bag Addiction

When I married into the Knox family, I was introduced to many 'new' things that my upbringing didn't provide me, such as dessert after dinner, casseroles, a dominoes game called Moon, zwieback rolls, did I mention dessert after dinner, and corn bags.

The corn bag is a cloth bag filled with deer corn, sewn closed and then heated in the microwave to be used as a heating device.

My mother-in-law recently converted from corn to rice filled bags because the rice doesn't need rinsing like the corn does.

Since I recently acquired a sewing machine, I decided I need to make these bags for me and my house.

The first one I made was a little larger than the normal rice/corn bag, so I made another. It was perfection!

Then on one chilly night right before Chloe's bedtime, Matt thought it a good idea to heat up my perfectly made rice bag and lend it to Chloe.

Chloe has now become a rice bag addict. Matt laid claim to the larger than normal rice bag and Chloe has claimed the perfect one as her 'warm bag.'

Matt thought he was doing a great fatherly task by letting his daughter use my rice bag for a night, little did he know what the future would hold.

2:30 am "Maaaawwwwwm," Chloe says in a whisper, "Maaaawwwm." I get up thinking something is wrong. "What honey?" She looks at me with her beautiful and tired eyes, "Can you heat up my warm bag?"

So at 2:30 in the morning, I am standing at the microwave, on our freezing floors, waiting for two minutes while the rice bag heats.

Once, Matt took the bag out of her room when she had fallen asleep. He thought it would be the husbandly thing to do, if he heated it and put it on my side of the bed so it would be warm when I came to bed. This is what happened.

1:00 am "Maaaaawwwm," Chloe says in a whisper, "Maaawwwm." I get up thinking something is wrong. "What honey?" She looks at me with her beautiful and tired eyes, "Where is my warm bag?"
"It's in my bed."
"Can you warm it up for me?"

Once you've felt the warmth and comfort only a rice bag can provide you will never want to be without.

What I've Been Up To

Lately, I've been trying to get my blog into print. I found a website blurb.com that will turn your blog into print. It's a really neat thing, but very time consuming. I have to edit each page so it looks a tiny bit uniform.

I haven't written because I'm afraid Blogger only allows 365 posts to be stored and I don't want to delete anything until it's printed. I'm starting with 2008, then on to 2009 and so forth.

I started this whole thing to vent and express my thoughts, but along the way the kids became topics. It's those moments I don't want to forget, so printing this is the best option.

I hope everyone is doing well and staying warm.

2010 Realization

A few days prior to the New Year, I went back and read some of my posts from 2008. It was then that I realized something...

... this girl is funny!

As I was reading through the older posts, I was laughing at what this stranger was saying and how she was saying it. I thought, "I like this girl. I want to be her friend." I kept reading, kept laughing, enjoying what all she had to say, wanting to write like her. Then I realized something...

... this 'girl' is ME!

I began to mope.

In August, my life changed. Life as I knew it became more serious, more fragile. I haven't learned how to balance its fragility with laughter. I haven't learned to let go of the seriousness and laugh. I haven't been able to find the humor that comes with life's challenges and life's changes.

I am searching for the girl that was funny, for the girl that wrote silly posts about farting in the tub, losing her ability to whistle, evil squirrels, kids and psychopathic grandmas. That girl is still sitting here, she is just lost within herself.

She will be back. She will be funny again. And it is then that we can all gather around, hold hands and sing Kumbaya.