Confessions of a Pastors Wife

I have pondered posting this since I am a bit delirious with fever. Well, maybe delirious is a bit of an exageration but my temperature is 101.8 right now. How can a homeschooling mom of 4 survive with a fever??? I am not sure at this point. You may need to call and check on me to make sure I am still sane. :) But praise God for my sweet hubby who took all for kids to the park. Yes even the baby.

First, for all you guys out in blog world, my dear husband Chase now has a new job. He is now the pastor of a sweet church in Pinson, Agape Baptist. I am so excited about what God is doing there and doing in us. But can I tell you that this has caused anxiety in me?! I know I know.... anxiety is SIN! So in view of my current struggle, I thought I'd share a bit about myself. Here goes...

1. I am a sinner!
2. I do not have it all together... just in case by some strange way any of you thought that
3. I am not little miss domesticated. But I do aspire to becoming more like the Titus 2 woman
4. I like family meals together in theory and sometime in reality but ohhhhh the struggle to maintain peace at the table with four little ones.
5. Yes I have 4 children ages 7, 5, 4, and almost 10 months.
6. I love them dearly.
7. They often push me to frustration!
8. I don't always respond the right way.... yes I am sad to say that I have yelled at them.
9. I do spank them and believe the in biblical way of training ... but that is for another post.
10. I homeschool my children.
11. I do NOT wear long blue denim jumpers.
12. My kids have pleanty of socilation time.
13. I dearly love and respect my husband!!! But I do not always agree with him and yes we sometimes fuss. ;)
14. I love our new church but find myself retreating into my days as an introvert. :(
15. I love deep relationships with friends and value relationships.
16. I like to be friendly but sometimes have to push myself to be.
17. I love to read and write and blog when I can.
18. I LOVE JESUS but do struggle with sin.
19. I am NOT handling stress well lately.
20. I long to live a victorous life in Christ and not be so buffered by the storms of life.
21. My house is a wreck right now.
22. Most of you know that laundry is NOT my strength.
23. I would rather hang out with friends and children outside that clean my filthy house.
24. I will be inside a bit more the next 2 weeks .... my 7 year old is having her tonsils and adnoids out and removing a growth in her ear.
25. Her surgery is Wed May 14. PLEASE PRAY for her and for her recovery.
26. There is mold growing in my bathroom. Yes that IS embarassing. Anybody want to come clean for me? Ha ha. Just kidding.
27. I love snuggling up on the couch with my kids and reading to them.
28. I love seeing them learn new things.
29. I love talking with my husband at night.
30. I have allregies.
31. Most of the rest of our family has asthma.
32. My baby is currenty on a nursing strike. Ouch!! I think she may have weaned herself. But I am still trying to nurse her.
33. I like to nurse my babies for a year.
34. Apparantly this will not work for my youngest.
35. I don't know if we will have any more kids. Maybe yes, maybe no. But probably yes and I have no idea when. Hopefully for my sanity it will be a while. But only God knows His plan.
36. I like talking about the sovereignty of God.
37. I have never had a child without meds. I don't want that award.
38. I love to pray corporately. There is power in prayer.
39. I love pizza.
40. I don't always like to cook.
41. I want our family to eat healthier and want to learn how to do so.
42. We dont always eat well.
43. We LOVE cereal.
44. I uesd to run alot. Now all my running is from chasing my children.
44. I want to run again.
45. I would love to run a marathon.
46. I like making new friends.
47. I do not always answer my phone. Please leave a message and I will call you back when it is not as busy around here.
48. I love chocolate!!!
49. I don't feel good now.
50. I need some chocolate.

The Empress has no Clothes!

Well here goes. I am opening a big can of worms. Modesty. I have recently been pondering the lack of modesty in women's clothing. And I have noticed how difficult it is to find modest fashionable clothes. Tonight I stumbled upon a great article. Please take time to read this and let me know what you think. I often enjoy reading from Stacy McDonald's blog. She has recently posted quite an incredible article on modesty. So I am borrowing this from her. I hope she does not mind!

Please read, reflect and consider how the Lord would have for us women to dress! It does seem a bit radical to wear some of the swimsuits Stacy suggests. But maybe it is worth our consideration. Should we really walk around this summer in "glorified underwear?"

Will you join me in revolting against the culture?

Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame (Revelation 16:15).

(Below is a copy of a post from Stacy's blog Your Sacred Calling...)

Yes, summer is quickly approaching. Many Christians are beginning to discuss and reevaluate their thinking regarding whether one should wear clothes or glorified underwear when swimming publicly. I read a good article here at Mrs. Parunak's blog where she touches on reasons other than modesty for choosing to not swim almost naked. She says:

"I enjoy wearing the equivalent of a bathing suit (or less!) for my husband, and I feel infinitely more beautiful because it’s just the two of us. I would so much rather be my husband’s delicious secret than participate in pool side beauty pageants in which no woman ever feels like the winner."

Yet, there are certainly more reasons than that for not walking around in public practically naked. Scott Brown, in his article, Why I am Against Bikini Clad Girls and Bare Chested Boys Swimming in My Lake, wrote the following:"Over the last hundred years, we have had, as Jeff Pollard has said, 'The public undressing of America.' What was illegal in clothing 100 years ago, and would cause your arrest, is now popular and accepted everywhere — even in churches."

· 1890’s: Swimwear was modified street clothing

· 1910: Arms were exposed

· 1920: You would be arrested if you appeared in a modest 21st century bathing suit

· 1920’s: Legs and backs were exposed

· 1930’s: Cleavage was exposed and men began to swim bare chested

· 1935: Two piece bathing suits appeared with a small break between upper and lower half

· 1940’s: New fabrics appeared which hugged the body

· 1960’s: Navels were exposed

"Today: Anything goes... One piece suits with fabrics like skin that really leaves nothing to the imagination and bikinis of various categories prevail as normal.

"Today, the fashions are so pervasively broadcast over every media outlet that everyone dresses the same when they swim. Movies and TV have so popularized nakedness, that if you challenge it, you are not thought of as being very accepting. In fact, if you do cover your body it seems odd.

"Jeff Pollard says it this way, 'Fashion designers have used swimwear to undress America.' Who can deny this? It is as obvious as a fly on your nose.

"So it is time to shout it out with perfect clarity: The empress has no clothes! For the last two generations we have been told that swimwear is about fashion. They say, Fashion is neutral. Don’t criticize fashion, it is only fashion. No! It is public nakedness."

Want to see what bathing suits used to look? Take a pictorial walk down memory lane by visiting this site, which shows the change in bathing attire from the early 1800's to the 1920's:

I think I finally snapped to the fact that I'd been duped by the fashion industry when someone asked me why I was comfortable wearing something to the pool that was nothing more than colored, spandex underwear. Wow! I had never thought of it that way, but it was true. I would never invite friends over to lounge around in our underwear, but add a splash of spandex color (and a little water) to the mix and somehow it's pool side fashion!

Here's an excerpt from Raising Maidens of Virtue, challenging daughters to evaluate their thinking in this area:

"Would you feel naked wearing your nightgown or undergarments into a courtroom or church? What would your pastor and his wife think if you invited them over to supper, then answered the door in your underwear? Would they be shocked? Why do many of us think it is acceptable then to invite fellow Christians over for a pool party where everyone is wearing 'colored underwear'?"

It is true that there are certain things that may be appropriate for one event and not for another. For instance, no matter how modest my nightgown may be, I would never answer the front door wearing it! My bathrobe may cover my body completely, but I'm not going to lounge around in it when I have company and I certainly wouldn't wear it to the grocery store.

But we're not talking about appropriate styles for appropriate events, we're talking about public nakedness. There's no real way to conceal the private parts of our bodies in most modern bathing suits. The majority of bathing suits today leave little to the imagination.

So, what's a girl to do? Where do you find a bathing suit that is modest, safe to swim in, and doesn't draw attention (other than the fact that you're covered)? Thanks to the efforts of many Christians who are not sitting by and allowing the modern fashion industry to dictate what they have to wear, many new companies are springing up.

Wholesomewear.com is my favorite choice because their suits cover appropriately, they're lightweight and don't cling horribly when wet, and they're Christian owned. We've purchased their bathing suits for years.

There are also other businesses selling modest suites, as well as patterns where you can make your own. Don't let the modern fashion industry strip you of your...dignity everytime you go swimming. You do have a choice - this summer, wear clothes!

Free Downloads: Listen to Part 1 of a sermon by Jeff Pollard on Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America HERE. Part 2 can be found HERE. Or order his booklet here:

Order comfortable, modest, and lightweight bathing suits here:

Chase and Kassidy

I just love this picture, so I thought I'd share.

Mommy, John Caedmon's stomach fell out!

Kids can be quite amusing. Yesterday, I heard Chloe call out "Mommy, John Caedmon's stomach fell out!" Then she said, "But don't worry, I can put it back. I know where it goes."

We have recently studied the human body. We have life size bodies of each of the kids in the hall where they glued in their major organs. Apparently, John Caedmon's stomach fell off his page. But no worry, Dr. Chloe took care of it. Too bad his stomach fell out again while they slept. He might get hungry today. ;)

Finally, a new post!!!

Hello my dear patient readers! Please forgive my very lengthy lapse in writing. I just thought I'd post a few fun pictures from the last few months.

So here goes...Yes I know it is February.... but don't you want to see our Christmas pictures??

Christmas with the Thompson's (Chase's family)
I just love how I am surrounded by all those precious children.

Christmas at the Halls

Sweet Chloe just turned 7. Wow! Isn't she big? Happy Birthday Chloe! Yes this IS a recent picture. Her birthday was last Sunday. We enjoyed pizza and roller skating. She is so determined to learn to skate and she is doing great!

Kassidy loves her saucer. What a smile!! She is 6 months old and such a joy.

Opps! This picture got a little out of order. Can you believe it snowed?! We loved our one snow day this winter. Granddad came over and helped the kids make mini snow people. It was a fun morning. I just love how excited the kids were. What fun memories.

Well that is all for now... but stay tuned... I HOPE to post more soon. And soon I will give more updates on what's going on with us.

Abbey is 5 years old!

It's been a while since I have posted so here is a quick update. Last week the 3 older kids and I had colds but we are almost all well now. Praise God! We are greatly enjoying Fall. What a beautiful time of year. I love God's display of his glory in his creation. Oh and yes Abbey broke her little arm. She is doing great with her cast. She gets it off the Monday after Thanksgiving. Not much longer! This fall has been busy but fun. Soccer for Chloe, CBS, church, field trips, homeschool and oh yes Alabama football on Saturdays. We are greatly looking forward to traveling to Knoxville for Thanksgiving this year. It will be our first big trip with our newest baby. I will post more pictures after Thanksgiving.

Here are some of our most recent pictures. Enjoy!


It seems that I rarely have pictures of dear ole daddy. So here is a sweet picture of Chase with baby Kassidy. What a good dad!

This is Abbey on her birthday with Chloe and JC. We continued the tradition of taking her to lunch at Chuck E Cheese for her birthday.

Yummy!

Abbey LOVED getting presents and loved all the attention of being the birthday girl.

Chloe loves holding her baby sister especially while watching Curious George.

Sweet sisters!

The kids had a blast playing with the Mann children and raking the leaves into a pile. Of course they loved jumping and rolling in the leaves and throwing them in the air. What a fun fall day with good friends!

John Caedmon tried to sweep the leaves! He enjoyed playing with his buddy Nate.

Aren't they just the cutest pair of siblings! Yes I agree, Kassidy looks like her brother.