Tiny Truth's Thursday...It stains.....

Look at this sweet face....he would NEVER do anything mischievous would he???

Tuesday afternoon I was getting ready to go get the big kids from school and I knew that I needed to change my laundry out. I left Shelby and Jesse sitting quietly in my living room watching some PBS kids and ran up the steps to the laundry room. I switched loads out and started a new load fairly quickly. About the time that I am pouring in my detergent, Shelby comes running up the steps hollering "Mom, you are so not going to be happy with Jesse". I shut the lid and run down the steps to my computer room(which is really a formal living room....but whatever) and see my 19 month old son drawing on my light tan carpet with none other than a sharpie. Not a thin tip sharpie...the mack daddy king size sharpie. I immediately tell him "NO, NO Jesse....you don't color on Mommy's floor" in a completely controlled manner and then I panic....because I see that it is all over my floor. It is not one area.....it's in five different spots. I call Ric, calmly...ok, who am I kidding...panicking and ask him what to do. His answer..."Google it"..which is my husbands answer for anything. SO, I hit the computer, all the while I am slowly fading from the fumes of permanent sharpie all around me, and google "how to clean sharpie out of carpet". I got lots of tips, so after the kids are picked up and I made a quick trip to the Dollar General(cause that's the only store in town) I get to working.

I rub and clean and pour and rub and try to erase what my son has done....and it's not working. It's fading, but I still see the marks...the scribbles...the evidence. So what do I do.....I pour and rub and rub and rub...and I prayed in between rubs. It's still there...fading..but not gone.
I know that it's going to come out...with a little help from a friends carpet cleaner and more rubbing...and pouring, because I refuse to have carpet that a kid has drawn on. Not that my carpet isn't stained horribly everywhere....it's just something about colored on carpet that drives me nuts...not gonna happen in my house, so I know I will get it clean.

All of that to say this, those marks on my carpet are just like the stain of sin. No matter what we as humans try to do to wash away those stains...they don't go away. They may fade...but the stain is still there. When I was lost, I would try to cover things up...forget about things I had done...try to "fix" things on my own doing, and none of it worked. When God saved me....He and only He was able to get rid of the stain of my sin. He was able to make me clean...pure...white as snow. Praise be to God that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to wash away my sins and make the stains disappear!

Tiny Truth's for This Thursday~

~Never leave Sharpies anywhere where a child could get them

~Never leave your 19 month old unattended...even for 2 minutes

~Sharpies stink....seriously!

~There are way to many suggestions when you google something...and 90% of them don't work

~That stains are hard to get up

~We are all sinners, thus we are all stained

~We can do nothing on our own to get rid of the stain of sin

~But God can!

~Praise be to God...He is the ultimate "Stain Lifter"



Isa 1:18 "Come now, let us argue this out," says the LORD. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool

Tiny Truth's Thursday...Falling off the edge...

This has been a super busy week. We have had two nights of soccer games and then church last night. On Monday night we were hanging out after the game doing what we do best ...."fellowshiping"...you know talking! I was standing there talking to my friend Steph and her kids and then I heard this horrible sound. Skin hitting the ground hard.....and then a shriek. I knew it was one of mine...just from the shriek and all. I turned around to see Charlie laying in a heap on the concrete next to our bleachers. He was holding his hands up and crying looking at them saying that they hurt really bad. At that point I am with him, hugging him to me and I notice the blood in his mouth. He had evidently smacked his precious little face into the concrete as well. We are all hustling around and getting him ice, water, napkins....anything to stop the crying. When he finally calms down and we figure out that no teeth are missing...no bones are broken, Ric begins to question the fall and give him a small talking too about goofing off and how he needed to be careful. We thought he was running....jumping...being crazy or something! I sat and talked to him for a few minutes by myself and I asked him what happened. He told me this "Mom, I was just walking down the bleacher and wasn't watching where I was going and I just stepped off the edge....I wasn't goofing off I promise".

I can totally see my son doing that....you know, not paying attention. I hated it for him though and by the time we left the parking lot his poor lip and face were so swollen from the big fall that it seriously looked like he had been in a fight...and lost!

I have thought about this a lot in the last few days....how do you just fall off the edge?? Well the answer is simple, because we take our eyes off the goal...which for Charlie would have been staying on the bleacher. You see so many times in life...our mess ups may not be deliberate...they may not be intentional....they happen when we put our eyes on something else. Charlie wasn't looking at the bleacher....but he wasn't goofing off either. He was just walking.

Our focus should always be on Christ...our eyes should be fixed on Him in every step we take. When we aren't focused we will fall....it's inevitable. When we look to far ahead or to the side.....we will miss the last step and we just might fall...and it just might hurt. I remember telling Charlie that night "son, you have got to watch where you are going".....well the same thing applies to me. I have to watch where I am going...be prayerful about the next step I need to take in life....keep my focus on Him....and step out on faith, and know that if I do those things, then I will stay on that bleacher.

Tiny Truth's for this Thursday~

~ Skin on Concrete is not good

~Mom's always try to make things better

~ Your face will swell up really bad if you slam it on the concrete

~ Mom's still try to make things better

~Our focus should always be on God

~If we take our focus off of Him, we just might fall

~Falling can hurt you.....spiritually

~May my steps hold to His path

Psalm 17:5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Hot dogs and Nuggets

Today was a fun day....one of those days you need every once and a while. One of those days that even though you have mounds of laundry...unmade beds.....grocery's to be bought....and soccer cleats to find.......you still go. I went to my friend's house today for lunch....to be refreshed.....revived...encouraged. So many times, we as Mom's get so use to the hum drum of every day life...the normalcy of things, that going 10 miles down the road to a friend's house encourages us...seriously, it does. It's not the 10 miles that make a difference, the gourmet lunch we prepared our kids(hot dogs and nuggets people), or getting to see her awesome new paint color in the living room. It's being with a friend. Someone to laugh with....or at.....to share burdens with...praises with....fears with. It's just having someone to sit and talk to about something other than things I listed above that I should have been doing! Our kids had a great time except for when Jesse wasn't hugging Ty so hard that he knocked him over...several times and when the girls weren't fussing over who got to wear which costume and sassy shoes. I love good friends, good talks, good laughter, and good times. It was what I needed today.....and the laundry, well it can wait till later!

I had the camera with me to take a picture of my friends wall for my catalog....well, I couldn't resist:

We batted our big blue eye's.......

We said "Cheese".....

We dressed up......

and twirled......

We wore sassy shoes with leggings......

We walked around...

And wobbled in "high heels".......

We ate door stops......

And watched out the window.....

It was a good day.

Going to the Chapel........

Tomorrow my husband will have the honor of marrying two of our former youth. Yes, this makes me feel very old that we have kids that went through our youth group that are old enough to get married!!

Thomas and Tiffany have been dating almost as long as Ric and I have been married......this summer in July they had been together for 7 years....7 years people! They were just young 'uns when they started to date....Thomas had just gotten saved that year and Tiffany had finally moved out of her middle school, blue eye shadow days. They were so cute back then.....and somehow I always knew that it would end this way. With her walking down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress....Thomas looking regal with his perfectly placed hair...and all of us crying because they have seriously grown up before my very eyes!!

I am proud of this young couple. They have, in my eyes, lived a dating life that honors God......if I ever write my book on purity...which Lord willing, one day I will.....Thomas and Tiff may just have to be on the cover!! They learned in our youth group basic principles on Purity and how to date in a way that would honor God. Teaching this to youth has been a passion of mine for so many years...I just love to do it.....but it does come with heartache. I see way too many girls mess up....give in.....cave.....conform to the world....and yes, I blame myself some. Did I not teach them right??....could I have been clearer??...yes, those thoughts go through my mind....but they won't tomorrow! Nope, not one time. Tomorrow I will revel in the fact that they got it....that it stuck with them.....that they applied God's word to their dating lives....and I will cling to that for a while!!!

I will enjoy tomorrow.......I am pulling out my inner Truvey(you know Steel Magnolia's), and helping fix hair in the morning at the gorgeous Inn that they will be married at. I will yell and holler at the bridesmaids and groomsmen to stand in their spot and to listen to me since I am the coordinator(just kidding....I won't yell)! I will watch my handsome husband stand in front of these two young adults that he has loved for so many years and marry them! And I will praise God for using these two "kids" in my life for the last 9 years.....and for letting me see that sometimes....just sometimes......it really does stick!

I love you Tiffany and Thomas.......congrats...best wishes....you are finally getting married!!!!!!!

Tiny Truth's Thursday....The Report Card

Yesterday was report card day at the Blazi house....well, for the two oldest...the little ones get an A in making big messes! They both did great, but Addie had one area that she was struggling in...her reading. She is improving so much, but she still has a little ways to go. She gets some extra help at school, and I believe that is one of the reasons for her improvement.







Before I talked to her about her reading I made a point to start with all of the positives...including her sweet teachers remarks about my sweet Addie: "Addie is a helpful little angel. She is always willing to assist and provide support when needed. She makes herself useful around the classroom and always makes a valuable contribution to our class." Well Addie started to tear up...I asked her what was wrong...she said "What is contribution???? does it mean I am not smart??" I looked at her pitiful face and said "oh Addie, you are so smart and all the things your teacher said are good things. Contribution means that you add to the class...you share your thoughts..your opinions...you contribute. It's a good thing"! She then went on to share how she struggles with things at school...how she doesn't like getting extra help...how she doesn't want to never not get her name called for getting a hundred on a test. It broke my heart to see my sweet girl struggle...struggle with the pressures of life....what people think. I told her that I love her...just because she is Addie, and that no grade would ever make me love her less. I shared with her that we all struggle in life in certain things...that we all need a little extra help every now and then...and that is ok!


Shelby at this point has walked in and knows Addie is sad.....she simply looks at her and says " Addie, I love you, cause your such a smart girl...and your the bestest big sister ever". I wanted to cry......cry for Addie and her heartache....cry because of Shelby and her awareness of people in need...and cry cause I love my kids so much!!








I learned so much last night from this short conversation with my daughters. I want my kids to be confident in who they are regardless of what the world says about them...no matter what a report card says....no matter if they ever get a 100 on a spelling test!! I want them to know that who they are in Christ is the most important thing in life....yes, even more important than a grade at school. I want them to know that it is okay to struggle through things...that they come out stronger because of it. I also want them to see when others hurt and know that a word of encouragement will speak volumes. That we are to encourage one another and lift each other up as brother's and sister's in Christ...not tear one another down.

I love how my kids teach me and remind me of such simple truth's....because last night as much as I wanted my kids to learn something....in the end, God used them to show me...again....that I am a Child of the King and that I need to cling to that in everything..no matter what. Even through my struggles. I also was gently reminded that there are hurting people all around.....and I need to be a source of encouragement, always!

~Tiny Truth's for this Thursday

~ I love my family

~God is so good...all the time

Go Dawg's....Sic 'em

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is doing a "Show us your Life" favorite football team day...I just had to jump on this train!!

We love the Dawg's.....really have no choice in the matter! My husband grew up a Dawg fan....a lot of his family went to school there....he's always been a "Dawg". If you live in Georgia.....your a Dawg fan, 'cause that other school down here is just not even worth mentioning! I am a transplant fan so to speak. I grew up a Hokie...and I still love me some Hokies.....but I cheer for the Dawgs! For several reasons.......my husband is sick if they lose....my house is just not it's normal self if the Dawgs are down.....and my 18 month old will yell at the TV like his Daddy if they lose...for real!!

I do love them though and really want them to win. I love going to the games.......the sea of red and black....the girls dressed in their dresses and boys in their ties....it's just a fun atmosphere. I haven't been able to go to too many games because I am always either pregnant or have a newborn......and well, the tickets are too expensive and everyone we know that has tickets...they use them. We jump at the chance to go though.....wherever they may be playing.

My husband loves the Dawgs and their coach Mark Richt...who is an outspoken Christian. This was my husbands dream school and he came very close to playing for them....he even went on his recruiting trip there.....but because of his poor grades was unable to go....of course this was before God saved him:).I know he still gets sick thinking about the opportunity he lost, but it really has given us a good example on teaching our children how important it is to do well in school!!


SO tomorrow...I will be rooting that Georgia kills Tennessee.....that Cox has an unreal game....that it's not even a contest....and that my husband keeps his shirt on(yes, he has been known to rip his shirt off in angst..hey they tore their clothes in the Bible when they were upset...same concept)!!!

Go Dawgs.....Sic 'em!!!!

We got to go to G-Day last spring with some friends of ours and we had a ball. The kids loved being able to run around the stadium....seeing UGA....and just hanging with friends. The pictures below are some of the ones we took there....great time had by all.

Hanging in the parking lot after the game!!!

The Fam.....wow....my hubby has lost so much weight since then!!

Shelby on the bleachers

The kids....so cute!

UGA.....we would have gone to get our pic with him but he is like a celebrity...tons of people in line!

Yes...she fell......

Looking at UGA

Besties.....

Besties....do guys say that??? Best Buddies:)

Throwing the ball around in the parking lot......

Sweet Shelby..

Little Man eating lunch at our picnic....

Tiny Truth's Thursday...."It's Piercing...."

Yesterday was Shelby's 4th Birthday and all she wanted to do was to get her ears pierced. It was seriously like it was some right of passage into "big girl" land! She knew that it pinched...but she was so excited to have earrings she just really wasn't thinking about what she had to go through to get them...she knew they were really pretty....they sparkled....they were big girl....what she didn't know is that the sweet lady at Claire's was going to take a "gun" and shoot holes in her ears...and that it would hurt!

She was ready for earrings buddy and she was just a smiling when we walked in....

And Daddy stood right there with her as she picked out her pink diamonds....he even held her hand....

She even let the nice lady color on her ears while Mommy eye balled them to make sure they were straight....cause seriously who wants to go through life with uneven earrings???




She got her ears cleaned so she wouldn't get an infection.....things were still ok at this point....


"Lady...what did you just do to me????? That hurt and you are not my friend anymore..."



Daddy picked her up and loved her and made her all better....(she only cried for 20 seconds...she was so big)



"I'll let you clean my ears somewhat nice lady.....but don't you dare poke another hole in my head......."



"Seriously though....they are clean...that's enough!!!"



Even Jesse felt her pain and cried with her.....or was that for a sucker???



It's over and done with.....all smiles with Daddy......and pink sparkly earrings.....


The outcome.....Beautiful........



All of that to say this.....Shelby knew what she wanted yesterday...she just didn't know it was going to have to hurt a little to get the end result. What I learned from this whole thing is this: sometimes in life God has certain things that He wants to do through us...to mold us...to see big things happen. He knows what He wants the end result to be...we just don't know how difficult it might be to get that end result. The neat thing that I have found is that so many times when I go through things....I have someone there holding my hand....crying with me.....hugging me when it hurts....and smiling when the outcome is BEAUTIFUL! And the best thing of all.....HE was right there beside me the whole time!!

God can bring beauty for ashes.....strength for fear...gladness for mourning ...peace for despair!

Isiah 61:3 To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

Tiny Truth's for This Thursday ~

~ Shelby is seriously all grown up

~ I remember getting my ears pierced....and it hurts

~ Shelby is a tough cookie

~ It always helps to go through a hard time with someone holding your hand...cry with you...and hug you...

~ God brings beauty from pain......just like Shelby's pink sparkly earrings......