Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord

My Momma and Daddy were HUGE Southern Gospel Fans. Most of my memories of Sunday mornings, aren't necessarily of going to church (although many are since we faithfully went every Sunday). No, a lot of my memories of my mother making a warm breakfast (monkey bread being my favorite), and the Gaithers, The Blackwood Bros. or the Statler Bros. literally BLARING throughout the home. My dad and I would sing along while getting ready to go to church. My favorite was the Statler Bros. I learned all 12 disciples through these songs, and many other bible stories and verses. I can still give you all 12 disciples names...although, you would have to be prepared for me to sing them to you...its the only way I can do it!

Anyway. My favorite song was from The Statler Bros. Old Testament album called Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. I remember waiting with eagerness for God to scream out "Noah, Hurry Up and Shut the Door! and giggling over how funny that part was.

This week, Kaytlynn's verse was Genesis 6:8..."But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." You can guess how thrilled I was. I had a ball downloading it right off of Walmart.com and letting Kaytlynn and Delaney dance to it. They don't listen to country very often (because we don't) so it was funny watching them "square dance" to it. It made me want to share all of those songs with them.

And what a wonderful opportunity to be able to teach Kaytlynn about what Grace is, and how we have received God's Grace since Hurricane Ike hit, even though we don't deserve it. That he has the whole world in his hands, so to speak! And that the rainbow is here to remind us of that!

Just in case you are interested...below are the words. The videos can be found on Youtube.com with the Statler Bros. singing it, and also with Berl Ives giving it ago (but his is definitely a different version!


Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
That is the reason the Scriptures record
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Well, the Lord looked down from His window in the sky
and saidI created man but I don't remember why
Nothin' but fightin' since creation day
I'll send a little water and I'll wash 'em all away.

So the Lord came down to look around a spell
And there He found Noah behavin' mighty well
And that is the reason the Scriptures record
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
That is the reason the Scriptures record
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

The Lord said Noah there's gonna' be a flood
And there's gonna be some water and there's gonna be some mud
Take off your hat Noah
and take off your coat
Get Ham, Shem and Japheth and build yourself a boat.

Noah said Lord I don't believe I could
The lord said Noah get some sturdy gopher wood
Ya never know what you can do till you try
Build it 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
That is the reason the Scriptures record
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah said there it is, there it is Lord
The Lord said Noah it's time to get aboard
Now take a creature, a he and a she
And of course Mrs. Noah
and the whole family.

Noah said Lord it's gettin' mighty dark
The Lord said Noah get these creatures in the ark
Noah said Lord it's beginnin' to pour
The Lord said Noah hurry up and shut the door.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
That is the reason the Scriptures record
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Well, the ark rose up on the foot of the deep
And after 40 days Mr. Noah took a peek
saidWe ain't movin' Lord where are we at
The Lord said you're sittin' on a Mount Ararat.

Noah said Lord it's gettin' mighty dry
The Lord said Noah see My rainbow in the sky
Take all the creatures and people to earth
And don't be more trouble than you're worth.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
And he landed high and dryAnd he landed high and dry.
And he landed high and dry...

Cute memory...

I am typing this post because I don't ever want to forget that Delaney's favorite place to shop is Home Depot. Both of my girls LOVE to shop, which is pretty normal for the average female human, but when you ask Delaney where she wants to go, she will answer HOME DEPOT!!! She goes nuts when we are driving around and spots that orange sign on a billboard, or spots an actual store. We don't even know the reason why...we just know she has a grin from ear to ear when she is in there.

Post IKE

We are still in the whirlwind aftermath of IKE. Yesterday, we moved into a hotel. The kids think it is just the coolest thing because it has a pool. Who cares that it is only about 2 ft. wide, high and deep, right? They also think it is cool to sleep on a couch that rolls out into a bed. Don't you wish you had expectations that high!!! We are staying at the Comfort Inn and Suites in the Woodlands on I45. Its only about 6 miles North of where we live right now. We don't know how long we will be there, since we are still waiting on an estimate from the insurance company!!! You know how in Galatians you read about the Fruit of the Spirit. I am learning that I am in great need of some patience! I guess I am learning to have some through this...its just not so fun being in limbo all the time. I do want to say though, that I am still so grateful that EVERY need of hours has been taken care of up to this point. Which means, I really need to not care about it and just know it is going to happen when it happens. Its easy for me to say and even think that way. Its just hard believing and acting on it. That old bumper sticker applies to me that says..."Don't give up on me...God's not finished with me yet."

My friend Cheryl has TAGGED me! So here it goes..........
10 Years ago I:
1. was attending SHSU to get my Masters degree in Reading Supervisory
2. was teaching reading at Twin Creeks Middle School.
3. was living in my apartment...21717 Inverness Forest Blvd. with Todd.
4. was lucky and blessed in getting to meet Jeanne-Marie Tamez and teach with her.
5. was enjoying my first year of marriage.

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Make an Oriental Trading and Rainbow Resource order
2. Do some laundry.
3. Finish Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth with Kaytlynn.
4. Find out if I have to go to work tomorrow...and if so, then I have to pack and drive home.
5. Clean up around my sisters house.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Ice Cream
2. a perfect banana
3. White Chunk Macadamia Nut cookies...either cooked or raw
4. 7 up Cake
5. chips and black roasted salsa

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Give 10% to the church
2. Pay off my house
3. quit my job and homeschool my babies and volunteer to tutor low readers at the local school.
4. have another baby
5. save save save....cause a million just isn't what it used to be.

5 places I have lived:
1. New Caney, Texas (3- 22)
2. Nacogdoches, Texas (19-21) college town
3. Spring, Texas 1998 -2001 in the apartment and 2001 - present in our house on Single Pine
4. San Jacinto area in Houston (birth - 3)
5. My mothers womb??? sorry...I haven't moved much .... and all but Nacogdoches is the only one that is not in a 45 mile radius of where I am now. Nacogdoches is a whole 2 hours away.

5 jobs I have had:
1. Bridal dress sales consultant (loved this job)
2. babysitter
3. reading teacher
4. English teacher
5. librarian

I am tagging: Jeanne, Kimmie, Marie, Penny...everyone else seems to already have been "gotten" so I will have to settle with only 4.

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

My Husband Loves an Adrenline Rush

I think testosterone pumping high, must make one's IQ drop down low. IKE hit its hardest, with winds above 100 miles an hour, from 2 am - 3 am. At about 2:30, while laying on the mattress under Dana and Jeff's dining room table and watching the storm, we hear a horrible noise banging up against something over and over again. In the middle of this excitement, in walks both Crenshaw's...and they are looking out the window that is in the same direction as the noise. After a couple of moments, Jeff says "Yep, Dana, you were right. That thing fell over by the wind." Well we find out that Dana had asked Jeff to put the Bar-B-Q pit into the garage and he didn't think it was necessary. So there is a PROPANE tank FULL of GAS and it is thrashing around the fence and brick in the backyard.

Jeff scares us all, by going out there in the hurricane and moves it all to the garage. Then I find out Todd has made the same mistake. They scare the bajeebers out of Dana and I by WALKING DOWN THE STREET IN THE HURRICANE. They move our pit into our garage and they walk back into the house with big smiles on their faces. It really amazed me...in a bad way, what a man will do...I mean really. Can you imagine walking out in the same Hurricane that flattened Galveston???? They're only reply when we are griping was "it really wasn't that bad. It sounds a lot worse inside than it does outside." WOW. Wow is all I can say.

The Best Day of Kaytlynn's Life...but not ours!

So, we learned that Kaytlynn doesn't have very high expectations in life. She's just happy getting to spend the night over at a friend's house. Who cares that it is because a hurricane is blowing through town. When we finally went to go check out the damage at our house, we were expecting to find some branches all over the place, a really messy lawn and we were actually pretty worried about our fence holding up. Well, we were so happy to see our fence did really well. Only the gate was needing to be replaced. The rest of the fence was in tip top shape! We lost our beautiful Bradford Pear tree in the back yard and I was really sad about that...but what really amazed me...were all the shingles that were scattered all over our yard. Yes...1/2 of our roof shingles blew right off of our house!

We went inside to discover that the girls' room was a mess. The sheet rock had become so water logged in the ceiling that it gave and there was a huge hole in the ceiling. It also happened to be perfectly placed right on top of the girls mattress. The carpet was soaked. Water was dripping from the fan, the light switch, the light in their closet, the electrical outlets. The sheet rock on all 4 walls was soaking wet. The room was absolutely totalled. The guest bathroom had water in several places on 2 walls and the ceiling. The study, hall, playroom, and foyer were all fine. The living room....was fine if you just looked at the east side of the room. The kitchen and dining room were looking pretty good too! What we were concerned about was the ceiling that was dripping water from all the recessed lights on the West side of the family room. Also, there was a 15 ft line of water dripping down from the "step" in the ceiling and also about halfway down that wall...another line of water on the sheet rock that was going left to right about halfway up the wall. The carpet was soaked a good 5-6 inches away from the baseboards and the fireplace mantel was not happy down at the bottom.

Our bedroom was fine. Our bathroom...wet. Our closet...SOAKED!!!!! Nothing was dry in there. It was pretty awful. Again...if it had to do with anything electrical, water was dripping from it.

Our refrigerator stopped...and we have no clue why, since we flipped the breaker before the storm hit.

We will get to speak to the adjuster next weekend. (Lord, please let him be in a cheerful, giving mood). Our neighbors father owns a state farm office and he came over yesterday to take a look. He said that there is at least 28,000 in structural damage, and assets would add to that. So we are looking at a good 35,000 - 40,000 dollars. Not bad for a measly little category 2 hurricane, right?

So, maybe when our house can be lived in again...say 4-6 months down the road...I will have some nice pretty pictures for you! In all seriousness, we are so thankful for so many things.

1. We are so happy that our girls were not there. They were quite sad that their kitty kat room was ruined, but they would have freaked, had we not decided to have a "game night" at the Crenshaw's.

2. We are happy this happened to us and not someone who didn't have home owner's insurance.

3. We are so surprised that in all of this...we really lost nothing of huge sentimental value. This could have been truly heartbreaking and its not. My pictures are fine, and all those precious little nick knacks that my kids have made, etc are all just fine. We hate losing anything, but some items would be missed forever...and nothing like that was taken.

4. Can I tell you how much I love air conditioning!!!! We have been at my sister's, since Day 2 after the hurricane. Those first 2 days...were HOT. I can do without TV, lights, microwaves, etc. I could not believe how miserable I was without ice or a/c. Wow...it blew my mind how crazy I felt just because I didn't have those 2 things. I walked straight into my sisters house, maybe took the time to say hi, went straight to her kitchen and made me are REALLY ICY Dt. Dr. Pepper and sat down to enjoy her cool 74 degrees house. I didn't have a livable house, but life was good at that moment!

5. We are blessed to not only have 1 set of friends to invite us to come stay with them, but three. We love you Jeff and Dana, Kim and Chris, and Robbie and Kelley. I couldn't be happier that God placed you in our lives! I can live without a house, but without friends like you, I don't know what I would do.

6. We have the best family. My parents and sister were here for me, just like they always have been when I have needed help. We have been staying at my sister's in Corinth and she has been making sure we are well fed and entertained. She has let me sleep in every morning while all 5 kids run wild in the mornings. I think I am going to miss that almost as much as I am going to miss her when I leave in 2 days.

7. We are most thankful that no one in our family was hurt! We are all in one piece and so are all of our loved ones.

Pray for us going through this yucky, but definitely not unbearable time. We hope all the insurance stuff goes smoothly and of course, we want them to pay for as much as possible and that everything be fixed in a timely manner. We also pray that the girls continue to take this in a positive way...but more importantly, please continue to pray for the people in our area that lost all of their belongings, and even their loved ones. I can't even imagine what they are going through and hope that they are surrounded by friends that shower them with love the way that we have been through all of this.

Ike Came to Visit Us!

Last week, we realised that a hurricane named Ike was brewing out in the Gulf and as the days passed by, it occurred to us that he was going to blow right through Spring, Texas. We were worried and were going to head North to Denton because he was a 3 and possibly a 4. I didn't want to hang around for something like that. Well, the school didn't even close down until Thursday afternoon at the regular release time, and teachers were still responsible for moving things away from windows, picking computers up off the floor, covering things with plastic, etc. That is not too much for a regular teacher, but the library is a pretty big room, with lots of computers and windows, etc. It was down right ridiculous. Anyway, by the time I got home the storm was surprised to find out that A. The storm was to hit Friday night as a Category 2 storm (great news) B. Spring would be on the clean side of the storm, or the eye would go right over us. and C. The drive to Dallas would take us over 10 hours. We decided to stay and "hunker down".

We weren't too worried about a 2...but it was a storm that literally covered more than 40% of the Gulf of Mexico...it was almost the size of Texas so he was a really big storm. We decided to keep the kids busy during the storm, so we met up at our neighbors, the Crenshaw's, so that our kids could play with each other and the parents could sit around and play cards. It worked well. The kids were elated to have their very first sleepover!!! We slept under their dining room table on Peyton's mattress. Kaytlynn, Delaney and Peyton close by. We also gave all the girls benedryll so they slept like babies while the storm lit up the sky. It was an amazing sight. Transformers were going off about ever 20 - 30 seconds and they would turn the sky a bright eerie green color. I had never seen anything like it before (and hopefully won't see it ever again). We lost power at about 3 a.m. and we stayed up through the worst of it and then went to bed. Ill have to post later about Jeff and Todd walking out in the storm in the middle of the worst part of the hurricane....they are nuts, but we love them.

We woke up the next morning to Kaytlynn saying it was the best day of her life...it was so funny! We found out later that morning that our house had quite a bit of damage!

I am off to my mother's house for dinner, so I will post the rest later...but we are all fine and feeling so thankful. I am sure you, as the reader are a bit tired of this long post as well, so I guess I am doing both of us a favor. I am posting this, not so much for everyone to see the ins and outs of it, but for us to be able to look back on all of this in a few years and remember the good and the bad and be able to count this as one of our many blessings.