-Mother's Day Out-

Mother's Day Out is a children's ministry program at the First Baptist Church. 

The program is a part time child care that not only helps moms, 

but also teaches children ages 6 weeks to 4 years the word of the Lord

 and show them the meaning of God's love. It is offered Tuesdays and Thursday from 9:30 until 2:30 and extended days 9:30 until 4:30.

Rachel is the director of Preschool ministries and Mother's Day Out.

Rachel grew up in Ada and attended college at UCO where she graduated with a degree in Family Life Education: Marriage and Family and a minor in Business Administration. She knew she wanted to work with women, but working for a church and children was unexpected and unplanned. 

Rachel started as working part time with the children's ministry at the First Baptist Church, in trying to figure out her career and where she wanted to go with her degree. 

 After working with the church and talking with the directors, she soon became the director herself and is now over the Preschool and Mother's Day Out Ministries. 

As stated by Rachel on the First Baptist Church Website: 

"If you had asked me 5 years ago if I would ever see myself working with kids, 

my answer would have been a resounding “NO!” 

But this is something the Lord has really changed my heart on over the past several years. 

I love the verse Job 42:2

         I know that You can do all things, and that no purposes of Yours can be thwarted.

It’s a great reminder to me that God is in control and that He can change my heart and give me the ability to accomplish His purposes. My plans are not always His plans and my ways are not His ways…but his plans and ways are ALWAYS best. Children are such a precious gift from God and I enjoy providing an environment that is more than just “babysitting” but an environment where they can learn about God and His world. The foundation that they get at First Baptist will hopefully only be the beginning of their own relationship with Jesus that will last the rest of their lives. I look forward to continuing to serve the families and preschoolers here at First Baptist. It is such a blessing to be surrounded by such a wonderful church family and staff.

-One of Those Days-

Sometimes you have those days when you wake up and want to stay in bed.

Specially those days when you look out your window it is rainy, gloomy, and just plain cold.

Your bed is so must more exciting than exiting your house and entering the outside world.

When it comes to days like this; it seems like not only do you not care to enter into the outside world, but you really don't care to get out of your pajamas. You do not want to dress up, because you just want to be comfortable. You don't want to fix your hair because you know when you walk out into the moisture your hair will light up looking like you stuck your finger in a light socket. You don't care about your make-up because well the rest of you looks like you rolled out of bed anyway. These are the days we need motivation. A hug, a smile, a wave, a prayer... These are the days that we need nothing more than our bed and someone just to bring us breakfast. These are the days that GLOOMY = LOUNGY. These are those lazy days. Even days like these are blessings. Its a blessing because its those days to relax.

What would make this day a little better though is if it was a Saturday instead of Thursday.

Which makes today ... "ONE OF THOSE DAYS" .

It's also days like these... That you realize you are not the only one that woke up feeling this way, but actually half of the population did and that they are wearing pretty much the same outfit as you. 

The other half well... they are just over-achievers... ;) 

Thanks Of The Day:

I am thankful for nice warm beds.

(Isn't it funny how much more comfortable and warm

your bed seems in the morning than all through the night...?)

HMMM.... I think it is the devil ha ha. Temptation Maybe...? 

Who knows? 

<3 Cat

-Ralph my Chop-Stick Buddy-

This is my little buddy, he taught me how to eat with chopsticks.

He needs a name...

Let's name him Ralph.

This is my yummy chicken, tomato, basil, Alfredo pasta. 

With my awesome chopsticks. 

This is Ralph on the end of the Chop-sticks. 

He holds the chop-sticks together, so you can easily learn how to eat with them.

Thanks Ralph! =)

-Mommy, I picked up'd my Toys-

Bath time fun.

 I told my son to put up his toys that bath time was over.

He did. =)

Thanks of the Day.

I am thankful for those little moments, that seem so little, but yet you will never forget. 

It's those little moments that mean the most and become the biggest moments of your life. 

-They Will Put A Smile On Your Face-

"Cousins are those childhood playmates
 who grow up to be forever friends."

-To Worry Or Not To Worry-

* What to do?
* Where to go?
* How to pay?
* Who will I see?
* Where will I live?
* What will I wear?
* How will I look?
* What will people think?
* What will I eat?

When, Where, Who, What, How - All these questions, all these words we use daily and we may not even relize it. All of these are examples of worry. We are constantly worring. Worring about How we will pay that over due bill, What we will eat for dinner, What assignment is due, or What people will think.

Why?

Why do we worry?

Why do we have to worry?

Is it a lack of faith? Hmmm... that causes a worry as well. We worry about one thing, then we rely on God. We pray, we ask for help. Then another worry is added. Is God hearing me? Will my prayers be answered. We begin to lack faith. Then we worry about our faith. A never ending circle. One worry leading to another.

Then this comes back to the question... Why? Why worry?

There are a few ways to answer this question.

One reason we worry, it gives us a chance to rely and trust in the Lord our God. When we have a problem in our life we worry. This then giving us a choice, to take the path in figuring out on our own or to pray, rely, and trust in the Lord to help us through the worry. Here are a few passages from the bible that reminds us that our Lord will take care of us, along with a few notes in which I have taken from church services.

Matthew 6:25-34 (Titled in my bible NIV version as "DO NOT WORRY")

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry

about your life, what you will eat or drink; or

about your body, what you will wear. Is not

life more than food, and the body

more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the

birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or

store away in barns, and yet your heavenly

Father feeds them. Are you not much more

valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying

add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the flowers of the field grow. They do

not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not

even Solomon in all his splendor was

dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how

God clothes the grass of the field, which is

here today and tomorrow is thrown into the

fire, will he not much more clothe you,

O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying,

‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we

drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the

pagans run after all these things, and your

heavenly Father knows that you need them.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given

to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry

about tomorrow, for tomorrow will

worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of

its own.

When we seek God first he will take care of us.

"If we take care of God's business than he will take care of ours."

"God: Knows-Cares-Can- and - Does."

-Moments That Change Everything-

Today in Speech class I had to give my first speech of the semester, the introduction speech.

This speech being the speech that gives people a little insight of who you are and getting to know you a little bit more besides being another person they sit next to in a class.

There were many good speeches given, the speech starting off the day was guy telling us about a moment while he was in junior high; he would use the bathroom everyday at the same time just to get out of class, well one day the teacher questioned about how he went everyday and that he was not going to go that day because the class had to much to catch up on. As the guy went on to tell his hobbies and passions he went on with the story about how he likes to argue and how he was basically going to protest with the teacher and prove her wrong, in doing so to make a point that he really need to use the restroom he peed his pants in front of the whole class, and then on the teacher let him use the bathroom when he needed to.

After this speech I thought oh geeze how am I going to measure up to that speech, filled with humor and personality the speech was hilarious. The following speeches were just as good, talking about different passions, moments in each individuals life, where they seen their lives going, religion, ect. no one seemed nervous everyone seemed like they were pros at giving speeches.

Myself, it seems like I can speak in front of a stadium and not get nervous, stand in front of a crowd and it not phase me, but put me in front of 20 fellow students and one professor I feel like at any minute I could honestly pass out it kills me. Not to mention I have already had a speech class before with this professor, know what to expect, but yet I am still a ball of nerves getting in front of the class. I could go over a speech 100xs' and it will be flawless, but as soon as I get in front of the class my voice crackles, my legs shake, I become hot, it is just ridiculous.

Today, When It was my turn to present my speech to the class, it wasn't as bad because I had gone over my speech so many times I pretty much knew it by heart even had pictures to present; the students could picture the story a little bit more.


I began by of course getting the audience involved by asking questions, stating my points, and then by telling my story.

My Speech Went A Little Like This:

How many of you have had a moment in your life that you thought would change your life forever? Well I, myself, have had many of those moments, in fact 2011 was a year filled with those moments.
Today I will tell you about who I am, a little story that changed my life, and how I am the person I am today.

I went on by introducing myself, my major, my hobbies, a few Passions, ect.

My major being Mass. Comm adv/pr, with a minor of graphic arts.

A few hobbies - photography and cooking along with many other that I did not mention in my speech such as you know the ones that describe my nerdiness, scrap booking, baking, painting, church, spending time with my boys, watching certain shows such as Grey's anatomy, American pickers, storage wars, swamp people ect.

My passions being pretty much my hobbies, being behind the camera and if I am not behind the camera I am behind the stove. After College I want to go back to Culinary Art School to open up my own Bistro and Bakery. My greatest passion of all being a mom to my amazing son.

My story went on the talk about my son:

February 13th my son choked, being a frantic mother when it was happening I did everything I knew to do, he got sick, thinking what ever he had swallowed had came up.
The next day Valentine's Day, thinking it was just going to be another day get up, get my baby boy ready, go to school, work come home. It did not go on that way. Within an hour my mom called me saying my son was pulling at his chest, I rushed home and took him to the doctor where I spent the rest of the day having my son tested on, x-rayed. To finally find out six hours later that my son had swallowed a nickel and needed surgery to have it removed. It was a very serious situation that he could lose his life over. It was a crazy day to spend my Valentine's Day. Rushing him from a clinic to a children's hospital, where a medical team was on stand by, along with family, friends, and preachers. Taking more x-rays, we finally found out that the nickel was lodged in his tube where the esophagus splits from the airways and enters the stomach, that he has a very bad case of acid reflux because the stomach acid was trying to eat away the nickel. The doctors scheduled him for surgery the next morning. We stayed in the Hospital over night and he was released as a healthy, tired baby boy the next day.

God was watching over us that day. It wasn't the best way to spend Valentine's Day, but God gave me the greatest Valentine's present anyone could ask for. God watched over my son, kept him safe, and made him well.

This moment was just one of the many moments that happened to me in 2011.

Hospitals, sickness, divorce, school, work.

2011 was a long and stressful year, a year that was horrible but goes along with what I have talked about in my last blogs. No matter what life brings you be thankful because God has plan in store. A lot of bad happened in my life, but a lot of good happened as well. I met an amazing guy that I know with all my heart is my soul-mate, I have a healthy son, I am a better person and the person I am because all that I have gone through. I look at life as no matter what the situation, that situation could always be worse. That situations are brought to me for reasons. I have learned to rely on God for everything. He is my strength, my shelter, my father in heaven. He will always be with me, always look over me, and will always take care of me and my family. I have grown up so much with myself and as a christian.

I thank him for everything the good, the bad, the situations in which I have, am, and will go through.

Blessings.

<3 cat

Thanks of the day:

I am thankful for Life.

My son's X-Ray. The Nickel in his esophagus.

The nickel, which is now made into a necklace.

Myself and my son in the hospital.

-Some Days are Just a Little Slow-

Who Doesn't like to doodle when they are bored?

-Giving Thanks-

Opening my blog today I was going to start off by writing about worry;what you can or can't have, what you need, what you want, ect.

As I was looking in my bible for some notes I had written to post in my blog over this topic I remembered in my last blog I wrote about many things; one topic being "thankful" being thankful for all things good or bad. That no matter what is brought upon you in your life that it is for a reason and that reason which we may not know, but it is all building up to a plan; that being God's plan and God's Reasoning.

So while I was looking for my notes about worry,
I found a passage about being thankful and how
"Thankful Christians Should Live".

Psalm 95 Writes:

1. Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2. Let us come before him with

thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

3. For the Lord is the great God,

the great King about all gods.

4. In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to

him.

5. The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

6. Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our

maker;

7. for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

Today, if you hear his voice,

8. do not harden your hearts as you did

at Meribah,

as you did that day at Messah in

the desert,

9.where your fathers tested and tried me,

though they had seen what I did.

10. For forty years I was angry with that

generation;

I said, "They are a people whose

heart go astray,

and they have not known my ways."

11. So I declared on oath in my anger,

"They shall never enter my rest."

In conclusion:

Give thanks in all things. We must always live in victory - the hurt, the joy, the bad, good, tough - we must always be thankful in the Lord, because he is working through everything in our life.

There are so many things in my life to be thankful for. Everyone being a blessing from God.

<3 cat

Thanks of the Day.

I am thankful for Motherhood.

-Getting Started-

At one time I blogged.

Blogged everyday, when I was bored, when I had a random thought, when I had written a new poem, when I wanted to list my latest song addiction, or to share a photo with the world.

It seemed as if I could never run out of things to post and blog about. The blog was called "The Other Side of C: MY THOUGHTS, MY JOURNAL, MY LIFE."

I deleted that blog a few days ago. Why? For many reasons. One that Blog was old, from the past. I had not written on it in almost two years.

Now to start a new blog; the inspiration for this blog well its a daily assignment for class, but in doing so it has gotten me excited to share my thoughts, and start blogging again, a new year, a new start, a new blog... sounds good. =)

Before I had deleted the blog I went back and read a few post and poems. A lot of them made me laugh. It's funny what you write about, forget about, then a few days, months, years later go back an reread some of the post in which you had written before.

Its funny how much people can change over a certain amount of time, or even some cases it seems like people change overnight, for the better or worse.

Everyone changes, even I have changed.

I have had many rollarcoasters in my life. Many up's and down's. Many obstacles to get through, mountains to climb, mistakes have been made, and lessons have been learned.

This is life. Life is not all about the bunnies and rainbows. Life can be hard, you have to take the good with the bad and the bad with the ugly.

If life did not have obstacles then what would life be? How would you learn and how would you teach?

If life was perfect then what would be the point of need? If you had everything given to you then what would be the point of work? If life was everything that you wanted to be then what would be the point of dreams?

Life is a beautiful thing; Life is hard, but Life is a gift. Life is a gift from God. A gift that is given to us daily, a gift that can be gone at any time. A gift that you can not get back. Life is something amazing. Life is something at sometimes we can not understand, we are put through things in which we do not understand, Life is full of reasons. Even though we do not always understand why we are put through hard-ships, all the ups, and downs. Everything is a gift, everything falls into a plan. Whose plan? Gods plan. Even though we may not have an understanding today or tomorrow in which what we are going through or have gone through we will know on God's time. Because every step we take, every decision we make, when we fall, when we are up, it all leads to a path in which God has planned for us.

We must be thankful for everything we go through in life. Thankful for the hard times and thankful for the blessings. They are all gifts of life; gifts from God.

Through all the trials and error, the happiness and sadness, the up's and down's; I am who I am because the life I have had. I am blessed with so many things. I have regrets, I have memories. I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a worker, a student, a friend, a girl with many passions and hobbies, I have a big heart, and my heart is taken, but most importantly I am a follower of God. With out God in my life, and living for him I would not be where I am. I thank him for everything.

In Conclusion:
"For we at times do not understand what God is doing. We do not understand why we hurt. Why there is sickness and why we have problems. We begin to question God. We forget he is in control, that he is the father, the ruler, the planner. That no matter what we go through it is all a reason. God gives us everything all for a reason, (hurt, obstacles, love, happiness, sadness). We do not always know the reason, but in time we will, it will in time all make sense. It takes time we must be patient and "lean not on our own understanding, but trust in the lord with all our heart" (proverbs 3:5) Because there is a plan in which God has in store for each of us."

God will never give us more than what we can handle.

Blessings

<3 Cat