Friday, April 15, 2011

C is for Cookies!

I have such a sweet friend, her name is Laura.  She is so sweet & kind and loves the Lord. We minister together on Sunday nights at Champions Church. Her husband also works in the wind energy industry, so we have lots in common.  This last Tuesday I was unable to attend my regular Tuesday afternoon/evening ministry and prayer times, so Laura invited us over, but specifically invited Harrison over to bake cookies!  Can you guess how excited he was?!

We arrived around 10:45 am and had a great time talking while the kids watched a video and explored Laura's home.  Her house is beautiful!  They live on an acre plot in a very small development on Steamboat Mountain, just out of Abilene.  The area is about as perfect as it gets around here.  They are blessed!

Soon Harrison was ready to make some cookies, so I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story:


Harrison was thrilled that they were using butter!  He took
a big bite out of the first stick!

So proud to be the big helper




Quality control



Enjoying lunch and his dessert!

We stayed all day and had a wonderful time.  Harrison and Heidi both napped, although not as good a normal, but not bad considering it was the first time in someone elses home in a long time.  I always have fun with Laura and she is such a gracious host.  She's a wonderful Grandma to her 3 grandsons, and misses them terribly, so it is good for Heidi and Harrison to visit with her.  They already have 3 more recipes lined up for the next few visits!

In other news, there are really bad wild fires raging fairly close to home.  Homes have burned to the ground, and over half a million acres has burned up.  In San Angelo, where we once lived, the fires are really close to town and people are being evacuated.  A small town outside of Abilene called Rotan was evacuated yesterday due to another grass fire.  The grass is tall, the ground is dry, the humidity is very low, and the winds are crazy, non of which helps.  The temperatures are forecasted to soar to 100F on Monday & 98F on Tuesday.  Praying for rain, safety and relief for all involved.


Sunday, April 10, 2011

Solitary Confinement

Ugh. Yesterday morning I was snuggling with Harrison, like we usually do first thing in the morning.  He is generally wide awake before I've had the chance to crack my eyelids, so he comes into my room and snuggles for a bit.  I love it. I love the intimacy of holding my baby boy and I also love waking up slowly. And peacefully, I might add.

Rewind to Friday morning- he had woke up with a few raised bumps around his mouth and I thought "Oh no, I've passed my fever blister to him!!"  Heidi Jo was also developing a diaper rash that was beginning to look a little like a yeast infection she had before, but I didn't tie the two together.

Back to Saturday morning.  Once I rolled out of bed and washed my face, finally gaining some alertness I was rudely awakened to the fact that not only bumps but blisters had formed all over Harrisons body.  Then came a text from a dear friend saying that she had recognized the bumps on Friday and cautioned me that Hand, Foot & Mouth disease was going around.  Oh dear!  I cannot tell you how fast we got dressed, skipped breakfast and headed straight to the walk-in clinic!

Yes, the doctor confirmed it was in fact HFM, but also noted that the kids were showing signs of secondary infection that if not stopped could lead to staph or encephalitis infections.  So she prescribed an antibiotic and an anti-fungal for Heidi's diaper rash.  $80 later (for the visit, and medicine) we were home and resting, recovering and healing.

Today is Sunday. We are stuck home alone, trying to make the best of it.  I'm so grateful God created me as a social creature. I love my family, I love my friends. I was born to be in community with others.  It's tough being alone, isolated. I will be happy and grateful when this is behind h

Thankfully Heidi's rash is already looking better and the blisters on Harrison's body are already drying up.  They are still hurting and itching and I feel terrible for him. They are on the soles and tops of his feet, knees, thighs, palm of his hands, his face and even his ears.  Today the challenge is to keep him from scratching and making them bleed.  Wish me luck!

Thank you Jesus for healing my children so quickly!  Here's to freedom and fellowship again soon!


 Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases
,
who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:2-5











Friday, April 8, 2011

Slowing Down

I'm so grateful that the weather has been really wonderful now that spring has officially arrived!  I've been able to spend some much needed time outside with Harrison and Heidi nearly every day, getting our vitamin D.  We are blessed too to have a special play date twice a week at our house and twice at a friends house, and it has done wonders to help the kids transition with Daddy being gone and giving Mommy a rest.  God is so good, He knows just what we need and when we need it!

I cannot believe that Harrison is going to turn 3 next month!  Wow!  He is such a great little man - he really is.  He has become very protective of his little sister, which I love, and he is just stretching himself in leaps and bounds.  He is trying so hard to learn his alphabet and can count to 20 most days.  He loves to sing songs and create.  He is still all boy though and loves to crash and destroy too!  I just love everything about the boy of God he is becoming!

Ms. Heidi Jo is still not walking.  She can walk several steps at a time by herself but just refuses to. I know it will happen all in her own time but she is 24 pounds now and getting a little hard to carry around!!  She is funny in her very own way, and definitely steals the show with her little scrunched up nose smiles.  She is so happy and content - I truly count myself blessed!

Mike is doing well in Colorado. He is working 12 hour shifts at night, so we generally get to see him online or talk once a day in the late afternoon before he goes to work.  It is hard, dirty work repairing the steam generators, but I think he is enjoying putting his hands to work.  I know the Lord will bless the fruit of his labor!

I'm doing great too!  My life has become a little more busy then I'd like it to be, so I'm trying to find that balance again.  I am loving ministering freedom and healing to whomever the Lord brings across my path, and I am really, really enjoying the study Made to Crave with some friends.  Not too much else happening in our family life, just really savoring our slow pace of life.  It really is wonderful when you can slow down enough to enjoy the little joys in life like family.

A big hello to Grammy, Grampa, Uncle Blair and Aunty Dan in Canada.  We miss you all and love you very much!  Harrison and Heidi both send big hugs and sloppy kisses!!

Love,
The Burnett Bunch


My handsome hubby & I

Heidi safely at work!

Car ride!




Saturday, April 2, 2011

Joy

How are you doing these days? Are you happy? Is your happy based on circumstances? Mood swings?  Is it based on whether your children are obeying that day or not?  Would you say it's temporary or permanent?  Did you know that you can replace the momentary happiness with permanent joy and peace?  "Really? How?" you ask.

To keep it really simple, the root of it is a choice.  But trust me, I know you may be thinking "she's really over simplifying this."  When supper's about to burn on the stove, your little children are hungry and crying- even tugging at your leg, the phone is ringing and you can't think straight- it may be hard to believe that there can be joy instead of chaos.

Well, I was tested in my own joy this morning.  Mike left yesterday to work the next two months in Colorado.  The potential "stress" of functioning like a single mom could have been enough to put me in a foul mood, but I didn't let it.  I knew I could walk in peace knowing it would be great.  Being so richly blessed our book/bible study last night helped me to also keep my eyes focused on the right things.  Our conversation last night absolutely prepared me for what happened this morning. (There is never a coincidence with the Lord!)

Last night we were discussing a verse in 1 Peter 2:11 that says "Dear friends, I urge you to abstain from fleshly lusts (or sinful desires), which wage war against your soul."  Of course last night's discussion was in the context of eating and over-indulging etc. Today I was thinking about this verse applied little differently.

Our morning started off very well.  The children slept until 8 am, which for me was wonderful since I was up late making sure Mike arrived at his destination safely.  I decided to take the kids out for breakfast and to drop off the recycling while we were out too.  After all that was done, I was noticing how dirty our van was from the rain last week, so we headed to the car wash.  While in line for the car wash our van quit driving.  It was running and in drive but not going any where!  I chose not to panic (especially with 2 little ones in the van with me). I prayed and asked Jesus to make sure I could get them home safely.  It wouldn't go even after shifting it back into park and then drive again.  I turned it off, started it again and it drove... for a few blocks.  I lost power again as we were approaching a major intersection by the freeway.  I calmly turned it off again, while deciding to permanently leave my flashers going, and restarted it and made it another 4-5 blocks.  I had to restart it 3 times just to get home, but we safely made it home.

I could be overwhelmed right now seeing that we don't really have to money to even repair the van right now, but I have made the choice to stay calm, relaxed and even joyful about the situation.  You know why?  Because God is BIGGER.  The enemy of our soul has an assignment on this earth: to steal, kill, and destroy.  He sees the impact that our family is having in the Kingdom and wants to steal our joy and blessings but it is not going to work.

Within 30 minutes of literally rolling/coasting into the driveway I had a plan on how to check the van myself, several recommendations of a mechanic to take it to, and two people offering a temporary replacement vehicle for us to borrow while ours gets taken care of.  Isn't God amazing?  What would have happened had I just cried or got angry? One thing for sure: my kids would have followed my example.  Also, I would have been focused more on my problem instead of God's solution.  I know because I have been there before and made the wrong choice.  I let war rage in my soul before.  It stinks.  It really stinks!  This time I wasn't going to give into my fleshly desire to just have a melt down.

Today I chose peace.  Today I chose joy.  Today I chose God.  Because everything starts and end with Him.  Today I am grateful for my Father in Heaven who always has good things in store for me, who overflows my heart with joy, regardless of what is happening around me.