Last week has had ups and lots of downs. I know everyone loves a depressing blog. Just joking.

Monday was good. We went to my Aunt Pat’s and when we left, Rachel and Rebekah came home with us. I had told Holly we’d bring ‘em home, but they most certainly could come over and get them and hang out for a bit. Well, they said I could just bring ‘em home. I didn’t mind. I decided to try and clean my disgustingly dirty kitchen floor. I start scrubbing to no avail. Somewhere in the middle of it, Holly tells me they will come over. I finish trying to clean the floor and Mark dries it just as they arrived. It was Holly and Rich’s anniversary and Holly’s birthday week, so I decided me and Holly would go to the grocery store and I’d get something to fix for them. I bought some stuff for Tx. Caviar (her favorite) and some hamburger meat so I could try out my slider maker that Chloe got me for mother’s day. We came home. Hung out ‘till 10:30. Had a blast.
Tuesday I got up and ready for the blessings ahead, so I thought.

I get ready to go, “kids, do you see my keys?” “No.” I pretty much instantly knew they were in Holly’s car. I call her, they aren’t.(Turns out in the afternoon, they were) I call my neighbor and ask her to take the kids to school and Mark comes home to give me his keys. That night was dance recital pictures. I had to get Chloe’s tights. I called the place we get them, $40.00. Wasn’t prepared for that, so I try to find a cheaper place. I spend my entire lunch hour getting them at the cheaper place. At 3:00 Chloe calls me and I tell her I have her tights and will be home just in time to get her ready. She makes sure I have the right kind. I don’t. I then leave work to go and get the right kind, at the original expensive store and go home. We get the pictures made. It takes a llloonnnggg time. Very loud. There’s a terrible storm. Mark calls my cell and tells me the power is out. We get home, and it is. We just sit there. Chloe falls asleep after we eat something Mark had prepared before the power went out. Mark is sort of in and out of sleep. I’m in a bad mood. I’m tired. My head hurt and all I wanted to do was to unwind-with power. At some point I say to Mark “at 8;30 we need to make decisions.” “What decisions?” “What!! You mean to tell me you don’t know what decisions. Just forget it!!” That conversation ended at that time. (What I meant was if we should leave) I was livid. How could this be happening??? Mark goes upstairs and goes to bed and Chloe and I stay downstairs, ‘cause I was afraid that she’d be afraid of the dark. Somewhere around 11 something, she starts crying in her sleep. Then she sits up…..things are about to get worse. She cries. “What’s wrong Chloe?” “My throat.” Crying ensues. I get an ibuprofen. We got upstairs and get in Meagan’s bed ‘cause she wasn’t gonna stay home with no power. At 12 something the power comes back on. At 1:00 more crying “what’s wrong Chloe?” “My stomach.” I get her Maalox and she lays back down. I don’t think either one of us slept more than an hour or two the entire night. The next day she said she could make it to go to school. By the time Mark picked her up. She was crying. Big time. I call the Dr. Mark takes her. No strep. Something I can’t pronounce. Give her her Claritin” he said. By that night she was really crying. She did sleep that night. The next day she wanted to go to school, but I didn’t think she could. Mark left to come home, and then after an ibuprofen in her and getting up she said she wanted to go to school. Mark went back to work. Then we get ready to leave. “Kids do you see the key?” “No.” I wait and look. I still only had Mark’s key. I dread calling him and telling him I’ve done it again. So I keep looking. I finally must call. “You didn’t take your key did you?” “Well ya.” “I don’t have my keys back yet.” Mark comes home, and Meagan takes Chloe to school. Thurs. night things seemed to be better until out of nowhere Chloe really starts crying with her ear. I snap at Mark about which medications are best. I give her something. We go to bed. I’m exhausted. Friday morning Chloe is stuffy and slightly whiny about her ear, but not to bad. I asked her something, and she said something about the spelling bee winner was announced at 1:30 am. “What were you doing up then?” “Daddy gave me medicine.” I didn’t even hear her. Turns out Mark was up with her 1 1/2 hr. We went to Holly’s Friday evening, she said she felt good. Get home, cries with her throat. Saturday she looked like she felt bad, but she did ok and we just stayed home. But her eye was starting to get red, and by Sunday really red. She went to school today. I honestly didn’t think they’d let her stay. Have you ever seen a kid that wanted to go to school? Well, she does. I called her a few minutes ago. She sounds really bad, but says “I’m fine.” She wants to go to dance. So if she’s ok, she’ll go.

See I read some Psalms on Tuesday morning that left me feeling so “in the spiritual zone.” I was so ready. Until life hit me head on. I fell apart. What I realized or remembered was Satan knows the thing(s) that really unravel me. He knows the things that cause you to feel like you’ll lose your mind. Those are the very things that he sits begging to do to us. Some people fall apart if their kids are in turmoil. Some people fall apart if they feel unloved. Some people fall apart if their plans change. Some people fall apart if an appliance breaks. Some people fall apart if the fingernail breaks. It doesn’t matter, Satan knows the exact thing in your day that has the potential to destroy your outlook, and tempt you to retract spiritually in the form of anger, fear, frustration and possibly sin. Please notice I said has the potential to cause all this. He doesn’t cause it to happen, our actions choices and decision do. Bottom line. I lost last week. Satan won. I let him. I refused to see everything for what it was.

Luke 22:31 31″Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you[a] as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31 31″Your Name, My Name, Satan has asked to sift you[a] as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Every day-remember it.