She's in Haiti!

You all know I think my mom is a super hero. Well she's proved yet again how super she is! Yesterday she set off on a 7 day missions trip to Haiti. While my dad & I worried about her safety and well being her worries were "What should I take to help these people?" "How can I work faster to get the most done?" 

Here is the first picture from her team:

She's the smiling lady on the far right

There is so much to be done, so many needs in Haiti. My kids wanted to be apart of her journey, so before she left they went through all their toys and picked out stuffed animals they wanted her to give to kids there. I know my mom will be an asset to the missions team, not only because she is the hardest worker I've ever met, and not only because she brought a portable coffee maker to help everyone wake up in the morning (ha ha). But, because she has a huge heart. I hope everything goes well, I hope she is put in the path of those that need her most. Please keep all the missionaries of the world in your thoughts and prayers for all they do & have yet to do.

Here is a picture of one of the projects they will be working on:

Acts 6:4
"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word".

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths"



Have you ever been on a missions trip? If so, where? What did you do there? What was it like?
(in HS I went to Mexico and helped build sleeping quarters for other missionaries, it was such a powerful experience.)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Never Lose Hope, Haiti Relief

Recenly our family learned about a great organization and we wanted to share it with you...


With the horrible tragedy recently in Haiti it brought up a great opportunity to teach my kids about the importance of basic human needs. One of those is fresh drinking water. My kids love anything that involves science so they were very interested in what "Water Missions International" is doing during this tragedy. They make these amazing water filtration systems to allow people to purify their muddy, dirty water.

At my parents church they had one of these filtration systems there for people to see how they work, and help raise money for the relief efforts. They also allowed people to write little messages on the tank that will be sent to Haiti later this week. Here is what my children drew:

My daughter drew 2 friends sharing clean glasses of water, I hope 2 friends in Haiti will be standing there smiling at this image and raise their glasses together.

As I watched my 6 year old son write out "Never Lose Hope" around his drawn cross, tears filled my eyes. All on his own he knew they needed this message. Such a universal phrase, something we all need to remember in our darkest hour.

Regardless of faith, ethnicity, age... Never Lose Hope.

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Lizzie

Best Cleaning Lady Ever!!

I know the most amazing woman. If you or anyone you know needs a wonderful cleaning lady call Tina Gorman from "Tina's Tidy Service."

She is based out of Mt. Pleasant, SC her number is (843)817-0202.
I am amazed at her attention to detail. But call quick, she's has a LONG waiting list :)


There's your handy tip for the day!!


au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Curl Up With A Good Book...

I LOVE to read, something I am glad to say I have passed on to my children. But, I seem to always struggle with what to read once I finish ax book. I always feel lost after a good book. "what do I read now???" Swirls in my head till just the right book presents itself to me.

Due to my indecisive, book needing nature I decided to start a very simple book review/suggestion web site, Chatter in Print. This is open to ANYONE who wants to contribute. The more the merrier!!!


I would love to have a nice little database for anyone in need of a new great read. So you in? Wanna be a contributor? All the cool kids are doing it! Well, OK maybe not but still, I know you want to, ha ha.

Here's all you need to do:

Write about the book. This can be an excerpt from Goodreads.com, Amazon, the back cover, anywhere. Just give credit for material you get from other places.

Write your review of the book. Easy peasey, was it good or not?

How many stars would you give the book out of 5.
1 out of 5 = this was the worst book ever
5 out of 5 = i will read this book again and again!

E-mail me at chatterbox1213@gmail.com and I will add your book review to the web site. Don't worry, you'll get credit and it will link people back to your blog :)

This site is slow going, I have added a few books and I could sure use your advice on what to read next!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Pay Day Mixed With A Bit of Sexy

Today is pay day around our house, which also means it is bill paying day... Which in turn means that I FREAK OUT!

How are we going to pay for everything?
How are we going to survive?
Where does all the money go?
Why is the power bill so much?
How will we eat?

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm hyperventilating!
What's that James McAvoy? You want to help make me feel better? Well, I'm willing to try. BUT OH MY GOSH times are hard!

OK, That's helping me feel a little better, but I am still feeling a bit over-whelmed. Got any thing else?

How about just one more!!!

I'm feeling a bit dizzy now...
And I'm all giggly!
What were we talking about?

Oh thank you James for helping me chill out, and for being so absolutely fun to look at :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

First Days & Sick Days

My poor little mini-munchkin is sick. Not just "kinda sick" No... seriously sick, maybe a trip to the hospital is in our future. She is miserable. I hate how helpless I feel. She has a stomach bug that won't go away. Poor dear can't keep anything down, not even water. Her little blood shot eyes are killing me :( Luckily she has only shared her virus with me, (i'm not near as sick as her. Can a mom really get a sick day anyway?) the munchkin and my hubby are still feeling fine. I hope they don't get this, that's all I need: A sick whiny husband and 2 barfing kids. FUN! Pray i keep my sanity if it reaches that level.

The house is coming together, finally! Once we haul all the empty boxes out of the dinning room this place should look great. Still haven't seen any scorpion or rattlesnakes. (THANK GOODNESS!) I am preparing myself though, if I see one and start screaming there will be no hope of the kids feeling comfortable here. Why do we women have to always be so strong??

On a happier note, the munchkin is currently at his first day of all day kindergarten. I am so proud of him, he showed no fear, no hesitation... Just marched on in there with his head up. I wish I had that kind of confidence all the time. It looks like he'll fit in just fine, and since he found out there are other boys in his class who love "Star Wars" he was happy.

The mini-munchkin and I just finished lunch, she actually kept the scrambled eggs down, so maybe there is hope for a recovery :) But, now she is napping, the house is clean, laundry is going, and I miss my little man. I thought I would enjoy the quiet, nope. It's too quiet without him running down the hallway yielding his Light Saber.

Also on the subject of "firsts." Today my hubby started his new job. He's called twice, which means he is bored and they don't have too much for him to do just yet. He never calls home unless there's nothing to do, so I hope for his workaholic self that he finds something to do. I, personally, LOVE days when I have nothing to do. But, then again... It never happens :)

OK I think I have jibber jabbered enough for now, hope i didn't bore you too much. And have a great week everyone!

Ta Ta for now

Help Wanted

Just a quick note about the daily devotional I am doing on my other blog Spiritual Walking, If you run across a great website or blog that has inspirational stories to lift up others, or you write one yourself let me know! I'd love to post it on there. And don't worry, I'll give you credit :o)

So if you've had a tough day, or feel like you need some quite time with Our Heavenly Father stop on by. Thanks everyone.

Ta Ta for now

Bonjour Amis

The planning for Audrey's 4th Birthday is underway. I love planning both kids parties, it is so much fun. I was never a "girly-girl" and Audrey very much is. But, the older I get, the more I seem to like the frilly girl stuff. With that said she has chosen a Fancy Nancy party theme.


If you have a little girl these book are wonderful. Written by Jane O'Connor. They learn basic french words and see that everyone is unique in their own way. As her mother, I am so proud of her for picking a strong female from a book!!
Fancy Nancy is well, fancy (Duh!) And Audrey wants her party that way too. Fuchsia, glitter, diamonds, feathers, we're doing it all. I think our setting will be a french tea party.
I can't wait to see all of the little girls dressed up in gowns eating tea sandwiches and spilling fruit punch all over the place! If you're going to be around August 9th and have little munchkins come on by!


I am really getting into this party. It is strange since I was the little girl climbing trees and riding my bike all day. Yeah I had dolls too, but that was for days when I couldn't be outside getting dirty.
How can a persons likes and dislikes so drastically change over time? I am a grown woman and I am getting all excited about the new dress-up clothes the girls get to wear. It could be that as a mom we love what our kids love. But, more importantly we LOVE seeing them happy and excited. I could chalk this up to being a silly fun mom, but I really think I secretly like all this fluffy, glittery stuff.
Ssshhhh! Don't tell anyone about me loving the froufrou!


Now the tough part...Boys. What in the world should I do with Zane? There will be 3 other boys (brothers to the girl attendance) coming as well. One thing for sure is Zane is NOT into all this stuff. So what to do with them? If I don't keep them busy they will terrorize the party.
I know the boys will want to be apart of cake and ice cream. Who wouldn't? I am all ears for any suggestions, PLEASE!!
This planning momma is done for the evening. I am going to go watch a Disney movie with the munchkin (Zane) and mini-munchkin (Audrey).

Ta Ta for now

Dreaming

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep in dreams you. In dreams you will lose your heartaches; whatever you wish for you keep.Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling thru, no matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true." -Cinderella

OK, I am so excited!!! And i really shouldn't be, but I am!!! You know the saying "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"? As of late I have lived by that. But today I am throwing it all out the window.

Joe and I have kept our ears to the ground for job openings out west. We know that someday we would like to move that way since I am from California and I miss everyone SO much. Plus you can't beat the education out there for the kids. Well a few jobs have looked promising and we've applied to see what might come of it, not really thinking seriously. Then today a job opened up in San Luis Obispo, CA. The most beautiful wonderful place ever! I remember going on vacations there as a kid, cute college surf town right on the coast. For those of you who don't know about this gem here is a peak:







How could I not be excited? Look at this place! To be only a few hours drive from my grandma, to be able to go to family weddings, birthdays, and other events would be so awsome. What I wouldn't give for my kids to actually know their cousins. Alright Liz, calm down... Slow the wheels from turning so fast.

Yeah, I know "Don't count the chickens"...blah blah blah. I am trying, i swear! It's a weird prayer request, but could you please pray for a job out there? Thanks for reading about my silly optimistic dreams.

Ta Ta for now

Prayers are needed

Good evening,
Things here at the Rackley house are rather quiet. Audrey and Zane were at Vacation Bible School tonight and Joe is working night shift. Mommy alone with the computer for 3 hours!!! So I started reading my friend Kate's blog. Then I checked out the blogs she reads and ran across a link to this page

http://catecantrell.blogspot.com/

I sat here at the computer reading about a beautiful baby girl named Cate with a heart problem. This is the fathers blog as they await her recovery from major surgery. Every entry is filled with prayer needs, scripture, sorrow, and tears. Please go by and read about this family and put them in your prayers. We need to remember what a gift we are given from God by simply being healthy everyday. Thank You God for the gift of healthy children, and please help baby Cate and make her well.

Ta Ta for now,
Lizzie