Then Sings My Soul - Grab the Kleenex!

***Pause music player on the side first!!!***

I was not sure if I was gonna participate this week - didn't know if I had time to find a song.... But then a song found me.
Seriously - you are gonna need to sit down, prepare your heart and get a FULL box of tissues for this one ... I am just warning ya.

The Smith family over at BRING THE RAIN have written a simply beautiful song about the daughter that they held and loved for a few short hours here on earth. Their sweet baby - Audrey - who now lives in Heaven. They made a video of pictures to go with the song, and oh my word ...

Words are not enough. You may want to bookmark the sight so you can go back and read the story - unless you like the "I have been crying my eyes out ALL DAY LONG" type of headaches. It is such a faithful, wonderful, sweet story of Hope in the midst of the rain.

Pure beauty, my friends, pure beauty.
The words are on their site as well.



If you have ever known a loss like this, oh sweet friend, my heart aches for you. And you are in my prayers. Let His love fill you and hold you and give you the Blessed knowledge that He is now holding the one you hold so dear.

Visit Signs, Miracles and Wonders to hear more songs that speak.

Makin' A Mommy Cry ... HAPPY TEARS!

So, I am not sure how, exactly, just a few short sessions with the speech therapist can make such a big difference, But boy howdy ... they surely have!

For instance - Saturday was Hattie's first visit to the dentist. I KNEW it would be traumatic. Trauma usually leads us down one of two paths. We either get gibberish - incomprehensible sounds with crying - and climbing up the parent at hand. OR we get the "route speech" - words she says by memorization, not really sure of the meaning and not always applicable to the situation. THIS time, however, we got actual communication.

We pulled into the parking lot and Hattie (who has a sixth sense for medical facilities) says "ooooh no!" She went in with me though. I kept telling her that the nice dentist was going to tickle our teeth - FUN!!! She was not so sure about that. She sat on a chair with a Hi-Lights magazine (oh my word, the flashbacks! We will save that for another time) and tried very valiantly to be brave. After a minute or two she looked at me and said "OK mom, time to go now". I told her not yet. She waited a minute and said "Time to get in the car now". Nope, not yet. Then she looked out the window, saw a McDonald's and said "Time to go get ice cream!!!" After I said no to that one, she did cry. She kept saying "Mommy save me." I said I always would and nothing would hurt her, so when our turn came, she bravely walked down the hall, sat in the fancy chair and LOOKED at all of the equipment. She did not let them put it in her mouth, but she looked in mine with the fancy mirror and sat there for about 10 minutes before the extreme panick set in. We decided that was enough for now, got her down and let the torture end. She hugged the lady, said thank you and then called out "all done mom! Time for ice cream" and proceeded to take off like a rocket down the hall. But words - appropriate words, words strung together into sentences! - were used! YAY!!!!!

Then this morning Daddy got her out of bed while I was getting ready for Bible study. I heard her playing in the family room and she came down the hall looking for me. Sophie was still sleeping, so Daddy stopped her but I heard her say "I hear mommy sing!" I was not singing, but Sophie's lullaby CD was playing. And seeing as how Christy Nockels was singing "Grace Flows Down" at that moment (see player in the side column if it is not currently on), that is now my second favorite thing she has ever said.

Right behind "I love you".

Oh how I love her too!

Picture Perfect Monday - and a little more

I know that this is supposed to be about pictures defined by ONE sentence, but these pictures required more. This needed some commentary. So, I apologize ahead of time for the wordiness. If you really just need one sentence, I will give ya one and then you can skip the commentary....

Saturday evening, after the bath, the girls had some sisterly bonding time on the couch. (that was the sentence)

Here is how the whole thing went down:

Hattie Grace: OK, sit here with me and I will read you a book.
Sophie Lee: WooHoo, sittin' with sister on the couch!!

HG: A snake says ...
SL: Hey, is that your tongue? How do ya do that without spittin'?

SL: WAIT, where did your tongue go?!?! Do it again!
HG: How can I read with you on TOP of me?

HG: Here, play with the toy, I'll just read to myself.
SL: Oh, OK ... that could be fun.

SL: Umm, I think I'm fallin'
HG: Tee Hee, she's fallin'.

SL: A little help please!

SL: Whew, thanks mom.
HG: Great, now she's on my side!

SL: I wonder if she'll notice if I hold her hand ...

SL: Ooh! She caught me!

SL: That's OK, I'll just hold her hair then!
HG: Umm, STUCK!

HG: REALLY stuck!

Multitask Blogging - it's all about the SKILL!!!

This bloggy post is here to serve two purposes ...

First of all, and the most obvious of the two, is to (once again, and hopefully the last time for a while) welcome you to the new layout! I also changed the name - AGAIN! But this time the name is gonna stick - and that I PROMISE!!! You hereby have my word on this one. We are now, and forever more, "Sweet Abundance", and I will explain that in a minute. I was told by a few people that the old layout was too busy and thus hard to read. I tried to fix it, really I did, but just couldn't do it with that pattern. So, back to the drawing board. I think this one will do quite nicely!! Plus, I found a picture of some cute flowers, painted it in with the handy dandy photo editor and VOILA!!! There ya have it. You like?!?!

Now for the reason for the name change. I liked "Abundant Worship" but there was always something not quite right about it... and now I know what it is. The other day in my time with God it hit me. I mean it HIT me, as in "square between the eyes, two-by-four to the head, wake up and smell the Starbucks!!" See, I realized that there is NO WAY that my scrawny little, sin filled, lacking of Holiness, less than mediocre worship could POSSIBLY be "abundant" for the King of Kings! How can I, who am only made right through HIM, ever bring Him what He deserves? I cannot. It would be impossible. I know that my worship is beautiful to Him - I know this to be true - but it is soooooooooo much less than He deserves!
So I can no longer let myself call my worship abundant. I can, however, call what HE does abundant. Because it soooooooo IS!! He is abundant in every way. His Grace, mercies, treasures, blessings and salvation are more than enough for me. More than abundant.
So, it seems, that "Sweet Abundance" is not only the perfect name for this site, but also the anthem for my life. Not my measly attempt at abundance, put HIS perfect and Holy abundance. I am so Blessed!

And that brings us to the second task of this post.... One of the ways that He has Blessed me abundantly:

SOPHIE LEE!!!! Here she is on her very first outdoor playdate!

First time in a swing - She LOVED it (once she got used to it!).

Getting ...
... to know ...
... our buddy Evy!!!!

Her sweet profile (notice the lack of noseness ... thus the stuffiness that has been present since BIRTH!!!)

Final verdict ....

"Even stuffed up, I could get used to this outdoor thing!!!"