tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66923613401385710192024-02-21T02:29:05.893-06:00The Cato HouseCato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-45216956852530923242013-12-19T13:05:00.000-06:002013-12-19T13:05:17.002-06:00The Truth About 2013I just finished our Cato Christmas Card two days ago. And if they weren't created in the 11th hour, cost me a fortune in shipping to get them to my house before Christmas and on the way to my mailbox, I would re-do them. It's a beautiful picture of the girls; however, the update on the flipside of the card doesn't paint the entire picture of The Cato Family in 2013.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Our family prays that your New Year is filled with love, joy and peace. The girls are growing so quickly. Claire turned 7 in November and Adleigh turned 2 just a few days ago. Bill is still working tirelessly to grow our excavating business and coaching Claire in all of her sporting endeavors. Amy is enjoying renewed health and enjoying every moment of being home with the girls." </span></i></div>
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That was as "Norman Rockwell-ish" as I could paint it. I thought I did a pretty good job. However, it's not entirely true. And at a breaking point last night, I, with the help of others, realized that sometimes it's okay to be vulnerable. We aren't wallering in the pit of despair over our year. We have pretty much, on most days, pulled ourselves up, asked God to put us back together every single morning and kept trudging through this journey of life. We are well aware, and are walking life with many friends and family, that some have it much worse that we do.<br />
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It hasn't been a Pollyanna year for us, either. We rely on the grace of God in every minute of every day. We are searching for Him. Crying out to Him in our need. We know and abide in His Word. But we are sinners in need of a Savior every single day. And sometimes my faith falters. We know that "our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory" but our flesh is weak and we get weary and we just want life to be easy for a season, or perhaps for a couple of seasons. So here is how our year has really been.<br />
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Our family does pray that your New Year is filled with love, joy and peace (but we are especially asking this for our own lives and that's why we can ask it for you...we have been pleading for His love, joy and peace to fill us). The girls are growing so quickly. But they have had some kind of year, though, with my 3 hospitalizations. Adleigh shows it less than Claire. Adleigh did have trouble sleeping for several nights after I returned home in September. I guess it's because she went to get her diaper changed by Gran and Bill and I rushed out the door and I didn't come home for 10 days. Claire has definitely turned into a mommy's girl. She has it tabulated how many times I've been in that hospital. She did that on her own with no prodding from anyone. She thinks "well mommy" is "the best mommy in the whole wide world." I'll take it. And Bill IS, indeed, working tirelessly (I mean working tirelessly) to grow our excavating business (and to provide for his family, to coach Claire's teams, to hold a wet wash cloth on my head and never turn his head in disgust at my sickest, to provide steady income for 2 God-sends that work with him in the trenches daily, to hide the stress from the outside world and always supply quality work at a fair price...no matter how many pieces of equipment break, to get up those few moments early in the quietness of pre-dawn and hit his knees and pray for our family). He is white-eyed and weary many evenings. But he is one of the two strongest men I know (my daddy is the other, if anyone was interested - I'll have to tell a funny on how strong he is at some other point). And I am enjoying renewed health after having the worst year to date with my Crohn's battle. Three hospitalizations, 7 inches of the small intestine, many anxious moments (not being able to see my doctor due to insurance restrictions, fighting for my patient rights with new doctors), many days of denial that it had come back and many, many days and nights of relentless pain later, I am experiencing pain-free living. And most of all, I am enjoying every single moment of being home with the girls.<br />
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Amidst the many hardships, we have countless blessings too. When Bill and I stop and live in the moment, not looking back at the past or being anxious about the future, God has us looking into the face of blessings upon blessings.<br />
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I discovered this album by Audrey Assad this winter and it has washed over me many, many times.<br />
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"Good To Me"</div>
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I put all my hope in the truth of Your promise<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />And I steady my heart on the ground of Your goodness<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />When I'm bowed down with sorrow I will lift up Your name<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />And the foxes in the vineyard will not steal my joy<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Because You are good to me, good to me <br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I lift up my eyes to the hills where my help is found<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Your voice fills the night - raise my head up to hear the sound<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Though fires burn all around me I will praise You, my God<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />And the foxes in the vineyard will not steal my joy<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Because You are good to me, good to me <br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Your goodness and mercy shall follow me<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />All my life<br style="border: 0px none; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I will trust in Your promise</div>
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I encourage you to download this song if you are in a particularly hard season. I encourage you to meditate on His Word. Even if you can't believe it at the moment, let Him sing over you with Promises that can never be broken.<br />
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We wish each of you the Merriest of Christmases. We pray that life will slow down long enough for you to bask in the "Glory" of this season! We are so thankful for how you have carried us through this year, whether it was through prayers, meals, cards, help...we will never forget the love you have shown us. The Catos love you!<br />
<br />Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-49974051603860349762012-11-05T22:55:00.000-06:002012-11-05T22:55:54.226-06:00Claire's 6th Birthday Party!When I worked full-time outside of the home, I had a guilt-driven habit of planning BIG birthday parties for Claire to make myself feel better. It was only our immediate family and 1-2 of our, her parents, closest friends. Lucky for her, her parent's best friends also had two children that were her best friends.<br />
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The party was for me. To make me feel better. She could have cared less about the hours on end that I spent in the kitchen late at night after working all day to test out and make the perfect cupcake and icing She could have cared less about the perfectly themed table decor. She could have cared less about a theme at all. But I cared. I wanted her to look back at pictures of her early birthdays and recount that her mommy went to great lengths to plan a perfect day for her.<br />
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Now that I am at home full-time with her and Adleigh, I assumed the guilt-driven habit of planning BIG birthday parties would end. I tried. I really did. I stated several times that there was no theme this year. Her birthday invitation to immediate family and 1-2 of her parent's closest friends was generic with a picture of her on it.<br />
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And then, one day, I couldn't stand it any longer. I was paralyzed. I had to have a theme.<br />
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I asked her what she wanted the theme to be. She said "40's sailor girl." (She has always associated her Halloween costume with her birthday theme which are NOT the same, I argue with her. They are very separate, within the same week, BIG occasions. The annual Halloween party is another party that I need therapy for). She said she wanted a princess cake from Publix. I said, "You don't want Mommy's home-made cupcakes with buttercream icing that I have perfected for YOU?" She said again that she wanted a princess cake from Publix. "Would you like both?" And off she ran with a shrug of her shoulders.<br />
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She didn't care, but I did. I had to have a theme. But I was a blank slate. I only had 2 weeks and no ideas. I resorted to polling my Facebook friends. And the theme surfaced...an artist party! I am not original. All of my ideas were borrowed from the web and party blogs. I used primary colors like an artist's palette. I made flower pom-poms and hung from our ceiling. I baked cupcakes and baked cupcakes and baked more cupcakes...I believe I baked 48 regular size cupcakes, 25 mini-cupcakes and a large artist palette cake. Way too much butter, sugar, flour and powdered sugar than one family needs to have. My best friend baked her famous sugar cookies for the occasion in the shape of an artist palette. The cake was the most challenging since I am definitely an amateur. But for an amateur, I was proud of it in the end.<br />
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Here are pictures from the big day!<br />
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At the end of the day, Claire had a great time. I think she still could care less about a theme, so I will try my best to do what she wants next year...go to Publix. And at the end of the day, her mommy (and grandmother) were exhausted. Not only can I not say no to a "themed party", I can't say no to "fall cleaning" my house prior to her party, including washing windows. I have no idea why I do this. Like I said, it was only family, who has seen my house for better or worse.<br />
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Adleigh's first birthday is only 1.5 months away. I told Bill that I can't continue to do this. However, how can I NOT do it for her first birthday...and then I'll stop!!!!!!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-75795284163422654272012-04-12T10:03:00.011-05:002012-04-12T11:24:27.162-05:00A New Direction<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="text-align: left; ">Our family is taking a new direction starting Monday. Over the last 10 years, I have had much change in my life; however, I think this change took the longest time and the most prayer. There are pivotal decisions in everyone's life that mark you forever. My salvation, my marriage, my children, my choice of where to go to college, my career, etc.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Thirteen years ago, fresh out of college, I decided to apply for one of LifeWay Christian Resources summer camps. I was hired to work Crosspoint, a children's sports camp. Through that decision, I met many people who believed in me and nurtured my career path. Nearly 10 years ago, I was hired as a Women's Events Coordinator for LifeWay Christian Resources.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I have had the amazing privilege of coordinating events for our generation's top women's Bible teachers in churches, convention centers and arenas. As I tell so often, this was not a position I sought after. God placed it in my lap and in my heart. However, there has never been a position that was more suited for my God-given gifts and abilities. The work has never been hard for me; perhaps stressful, but never hard. I loved every moment of it. The traveling to events, of course. But also the tedious in-office details. My heart and soul thrived on it all. My natural-born tendency to internalize stress and remain calm under pressure was an asset.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>But, as should always be expected, there comes a bend in the road. A beautiful baby girl arrived on the scene 5 years ago. My purpose in life shifted, as does every mother. However, I decided to remain on my path as an event coordinator because I was so fulfilled spiritually and mentally by what I did. And, of course, our family had become accustomed to a two-income household. The travel became harder and my life became more stressful, but I had a very supportive husband at home and a gracious family that helped me on those traveling weekends.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNRxGxIRtGpjJgTm1jZkSpIo_aey4g-tlbM2Q-Cd_4dkLjAwVfS_qw5ZopuBBjul8pZQouDeZslcoo89ohtvP7T4GHizRf8421gL50Q9ERxXL2Xu-yyvKImC3cOJ7d4Y6c579a-Xe0kw/s320/claire+posing+gray.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730546929154163506" style="text-align: left;color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Three years ago, my life's path took another detour when I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Although I needed to make my health a top priority in my life - nutrition, exercise and stress-management, I just couldn't (maybe wouldn't) make the time with working full-time, traveling and raising Claire. But as many of you know, as hard as you fight it, your body often wins. My internalized stress was going to get me, sooner or later.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>And then the biggest decision of our married life occurred 2 years ago when we decided to launch Cato Construction and Excavating. (You can read about that entire spiritual journey <a href="http://www.catohouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/although-we-see-no-wind-or-rain.html">here</a>). During these business-launching years, my income was critical. I became so dependent on my job for the paycheck that the joy of what I did was slowly seeping out of me. Stressful situations at work that once were small obstacles were now huge roadblocks that I couldn't tackle because I felt trapped. I am sure I was a bear to work with at times as I pitied myself - "I want to go home to be a mom, I can't go home, I love what I do, I hate what I do." My heart and mind was so conflicted. And the more I prayed for clarity, the more conflicted I became.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVxTLRVjxGaLdV8UrAVU1IvaE3PpJODZA91RQmF6m-5ppv-1GaMh8ZP10RTc9ssBYBYI8K2hAJJevfgba326Xba5oxc6zhblU9utx9QtjSafiWAbk50pd8dPhyc1lUNKv_Q8H3UZwU3M/s1600/IMG_0661.JPG" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVxTLRVjxGaLdV8UrAVU1IvaE3PpJODZA91RQmF6m-5ppv-1GaMh8ZP10RTc9ssBYBYI8K2hAJJevfgba326Xba5oxc6zhblU9utx9QtjSafiWAbk50pd8dPhyc1lUNKv_Q8H3UZwU3M/s320/IMG_0661.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730546249943435506" /></a><span>Even when I was pregnant with Adleigh this past summer and fall, I would go back and forth on working and staying at home. Although Bill was working so hard and getting many calls, we kept getting financial blows with the business (and fixing a dumptruck or dozier is not inexpensive). As work became more stressful, my heart was being called towards home more and more. But me of little faith did not know how we were going to do it financially. I had been cutting coupons and saving where I could already, I just couldn't see a way for me to come home. And the Crohn's was always looming over me. Even though I hadn't had symptoms of the disease in 18 months, the fear of not being insurable was often insurmountable. Bill was pleading for me to trust him and God. I wanted to take the leap of faith, but the realist in me would never let go.</span></span><div><span><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWj7XgLh9bVg5VCPwVePZmpZfaUukCW116HIMmvRmhfw2GSmZcNLZEDiKW3jNLcSBt79drRXr9rht38UZdB_B-U_q9Lxvo405lrr-lEoouF0CHnXHBVf-W6nTBgCG6IUEu9bxU7NMfl9c/s1600/adleigh+sweet+dreams.jpg"><span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWj7XgLh9bVg5VCPwVePZmpZfaUukCW116HIMmvRmhfw2GSmZcNLZEDiKW3jNLcSBt79drRXr9rht38UZdB_B-U_q9Lxvo405lrr-lEoouF0CHnXHBVf-W6nTBgCG6IUEu9bxU7NMfl9c/s320/adleigh+sweet+dreams.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730547173148156226" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></a></div><div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span>And then it happened, one evening in late February as Bill and I were discussing the stresses that returning to work and traveling would put on our family. He looked at me and said, "I will support you if you go back, but I think it will be too much stress on our family." And that was it. The decision was made. I jumped without the parachute. We stepped into the waters without knowledge of it's parting. The paralyzing fears that were torturing me were replaced by peace. I was not returning to work. I still couldn't make the math work out. But I believed that God had prepared this path for us. Once the decision was made, in hindsight, it seemed like the easy decision. But 5 years of agonizing will not be forgotten.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span>As soon as the decision was made, as only God could orchestrate, the phone started ringing. Not only for more work for Bill, but leads for me to work from home in a capacity that I am so familiar with and that will allow me to use the experiences I have had at LifeWay. What a faithful God we serve. It's not the easy road. I was, as I once feared, declined on Bill's insurance due to the Crohn's and we don't know what we will do. Our vehicle did break-down the week we made the decision. But I have quickly come to understand that God's abundant blessings are not material, they are love, joy and peace...three blessings He has showered on me lately.</span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span>So that is our new direction. I am no longer an event coordinator. I traded in that hat to be a family manager (which includes making my health a top priority) and No. 1 cheerleader of Cato Construction and Excavating. And check back later when I can officially announce what I will be doing part-time. It's a continuation of the God story.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div></div></div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-21970681843233634712011-08-24T12:55:00.006-05:002011-08-24T16:32:06.409-05:00Learning Life Lessons with Your Child: Be Kind!(Disclaimer to this post: The activities described in this post are currently being tested. We are 12 hours into the test. I may have to retract my position after a longer period of testing!)<div>
<br /></div><div>For some time, we have had trouble with Claire's sassy mouth. It seems like every word that comes from her mouth is bathed in either ingratitude, complaint or sass. After a long morning yesterday, I finally took my woes to my personal MomSquad (the ladies in my office that have been there and done that and don't judge me for my mothering missteps). I asked, "What in the world can I do to help Claire be more grateful and kind with her words." </div><div>
<br /></div><div>The first brave friend gently told me, from her own experience of course and not out of judgment toward me (!), that first, we, as moms, have to look at how our words are coming across to our children. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>My history (and Bill's too) is that neither one of us are yellers. So, mentally, I put my "Good Job" sticker by that checkpoint and moved down the list. Perhaps sometimes I'm a little nagging and hurrying in my words and gritting my teeth to Claire (but then again, I'm just trying to get us to work, school, church, social activities on time. Okay, so I put my "Try Harder Next Time" sticker by that checklist item. Do I complain? Oh no, I do complain. Most of the time. I feel like I'm wearing many hats and I complain because none of those hats are worn with excellence. And then my words lash out to the ones I love the most at home.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>So the verdict was that I had some work to do on my own mouth. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>As I got Claire buckled into the car after pre-school and started driving home, I started a conversation with her.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Me: "Claire, God has talked to me today and He told me that I haven't been speaking very kind words to you. Will you forgive me?"</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Claire: "That's okay Mommy" (notice that she didn't forgive me...she pointed this out later that evening when I was recounting the story to Bill!)</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Me: "Claire, I am going to try really hard to be kind to you with my words. But I need your help. If you can be kind to me with your words, I think it will remind me to be kind to you. Can we do that together."</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Claire: "Yes, we can be kind one to another" (Good job Ms. Patty...that verse was her Sunday School verse this past week).
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div><div>I continued to re-iterate the point down the road and felt like we were making some progress. First test came when we drove by Toys-R-Us and I told her "not tonight". Test begins. Her mouth opened and she started to whine and complain, and then something miraculous happened. She caught herself and said, "I'm not being very kind." Bingo Sister. You got it. You understand. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Now, before I slap the "Terrific Job, Mom" sticker on this test, I need to tell you that later that night as she threw a tantrum over something very mild (in my opinion), and after I reminded her that she wasn't being kind with her words, she let me know that she "didn't feel like being kind" and that she was mad, and sad and angry (thanks pre-school for teaching her to put words to her feelings)! But I will give both her and I a B+ for our effort and will continue to repeat the lesson. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I learned a valuable lesson in parenting yesterday. It's not always about correcting and guiding my child, but sometimes I have to pray for direction and help her learn what I am learning. Wish us luck tonight!</div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-57524335414643490122010-10-03T22:28:00.002-05:002010-10-03T22:41:57.049-05:00Happy New Year!I know it's not January 1! However, I feel like it's the beginning of a new year for me. This weekend, I went to Boston (well, actually Lowell, MA which is about 30 miles outside of Boston) and coordinated my final Living Proof Live event for 2010. My first event of 2011 is in April. That means I have 6 months before another event. I do have a couple of more travel conferences in the next month, but the intensity of coordinating an event is behind me for 2010.<br /><br />So, I made a list tonight of things I want to be intentional about doing and getting into a strong habit of doing for the next 6 months. As friends, you can help keep me accountable. Here's my top 6 projects for the next 6 months:<br /><br />1. Plan the best birthday party a 4 yr. old could ever have! That includes finishing my sewing project for Claire's November 1st birthday. (I can't wait to post pictures).<br />2. Return to weekly attendance of our Wednesday night church activities<br />3. Exercise. To be specific, I would like to start running again and dabble in either yoga or pilates.<br />4. Start shopping for Christmas! Well, and actually catch up on 2010 neglected birthday presents (Sorry Gran and Owen, it's coming).<br />5. Take control over my nutrition due to being off of Remicade. Which includes more cooking and attempting new recipes. STOP eating Mexican!!!<br />6. Clean, clean, clean! Oh, this may be my favorite. I can't wait to have a sparkling home again! Most likely, just in time to decorate for Christmas and get it all dirty again!<br /><br />What are your fall/winter goals? I am so good at making goals in January. But I think October is as good of a time for goal-setting as any month.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-67669728039529892652010-09-23T08:51:00.005-05:002010-09-23T12:22:26.642-05:00I BelieveWhen I was a senior in high school, I was given an English assignment to write a first-person perspective paper on my summer. That summer, our family had celebrated the marriage of my one and only, older sister. As you can imagine, and I experienced first-hand 11 years when I got married, it was an all-consuming summer of wedding details. I was quite the baby of the family and acted the role 100% that entire summer. I wanted nothing to do with the wedding, the showers, the festivities (until the day of the wedding when all of these handsome college guys showed up that were friends of my sister and brother-in-law). When I wrote that paper 2 months later, I aired all of my griefs toward that wedding. And guess what? The teacher posted THOSE papers on the bulletin board for parent-teacher night. My mother was appalled. She still shakes her head about it to this day!<div><br /></div><div>Where am I going? I feel like this post may be too honest, one that I might be appalled at later due to my lack of faith; however, more importantly, I pray that it will minister to someone walking a similar road - now or in the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have written a little along the way on this blog about being diagnosed with Crohn's disease about 18 months ago. The journey has been nearly a 3 year journey as symptoms were there, but we couldn't put our finger on the diagnosis 100%. For the past 15 months, I have been on a high-powered drug to offset the symptoms; however, it doesn't get to the root of the cause of this disease. So once I go off this very expensive and heavy-laden-with-side-effects drug, the symptoms will most likely come back. It has been a journey for our family as we have prayed and wrestled with whether to be on the medicine. In the 15 months I have been on the medicine, I have felt better; however, the thoughts and fears always are looming that this chronic disease will be with me forever and effect my quality of life. I have cried out to the Lord for healing realizing that healing could either be COMPLETE healing from the disease from the Lord or it could be healing through on-going use of medicine or many alternatives in between. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have struggled off and on in my faith that God would truly heal all my disease. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have also written about our new business venture. It has been such a joy to watch my husband take ownership over this, the leadership/communication/inter-personal skills he has developed in such a short time. It is my greatest delight to see people pleased with what he does. Greater more, my delight at seeing him pleased at what he does. It has also been hard. I haven't always been the supportive wife and partner that I have been called to be. I have mentioned in previous posts that Bill is a man of great faith. He doesn't doubt that God will do what He says He will do (thanks Beth Moore and "Believing God"). Bill absolutely, 100% believes that the Lord led us into this season of being owners of a construction/excavating company and that He will not abandon us. Many nights as we sit down for supper, Bill will look at me and say, "He gave us our manna today. Just enough." </div><div><br /></div><div>I have struggled off and on in my faith that God would truly be our portion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Claire, in the past 4-5 months, has been given us FITS. I am not ashamed to admit that she has a stronger personality that both her mother and her father. I have never wanted to squelch the personality that God has created in her. That personality amuses me many days and I am assured that God is raising up a mighty leader that won't take no for an answer. But that personality also has me finding great joy in tenderizing meat with a meat tenderizer or has me beating a wiffle ball bat against our bedroom floor (I'm not kidding about that one)! Bill and I, many times, have looked at each other and thrown our hands up admitting we have no idea how to parent this gift from God. I am happy to report that this tide has shifted in the past 3 weeks. Prior to those three weeks, I thought all three of us were going to lose our minds and join the circus. Have you ever read the children's book "You Are My I Love You"? It is a sweet book that talks about the extremes of parent and child. One page reads, "I am your parent, you are my child. I am your calm, you are my wild." That is our story! </div><div><br /></div><div>I have struggled off and on in my faith that God would truly calm my little 'raging sea'.</div><div><br /></div><div>And being completely honest here, of lately, I have struggled to understand how any of the above matters and how God could care about these little inconveniences in MY life. As I have walked the journey with a best friend who has a 2 1/2 year old son who has been fighting brain cancer for the past year, walking with women day in and day out in my women's ministry position who deal with infertility, terminal illness, bankruptcy, failed marriages, addictions and on and on. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have struggled, more so than not, in my faith that God holds my every moment, that He holds MY world in His hands and cares for me as much as these others. </div><div><br /></div><div>And then, out of the blue, I listened to a song that I am sure our event worship leader, Travis Cottrell, has sung many times at our events. When I heard it, I about ran off of the road trying to find paper to scribble the lyrics down because it was my thoughts...word for word.</div><div><br /></div><div>You hold my every moment</div><div><div>You calm my raging sea</div><div>You walk with me through fire</div><div>You heal all my disease</div><div><br /></div><div>I trust in you, I trust in you</div><div><br /></div><div>I believe You're my healer</div><div>I believe You are all I need</div><div>I believe You're my portion</div><div>I believe You're more than enough for me</div><div><br /></div><div>Nothing is impossible for You, Nothing is impossible.</div></div><div>Nothing is impossible for You, You hold my world in Your hands.</div><div><br /></div><div>(from the song "Healer")</div><div><br /></div><div>In my heart, I truly believe that God is powerful enough to take care of all of these things. However, I also know that God allows many circumstances into our lives to build our faith in Him. And that is the case for me! I would love to say that as I have walked through some fiery situations, that I gave all glory to God. I, sadly, can't. However, I know that with each trial, my faith gets a tad bit stronger.</div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-20717980993171070842010-08-30T13:38:00.006-05:002010-08-30T15:58:04.562-05:00Although We See No Wind or Rain<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We jokingly say in our family that I am the Chief Financial Officer of our family (handle the finances, Type A personality to the point of being OCD) and Bill is the Chief Operations Officer of our family (the hard-working dreamer, takes one day at a time). </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In our first years of marriage, some of the biggest struggles we had would be from his "dreaming" and my squelching those dreams and giving him a reality-check. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I always knew that Bill dreamed of owning his own company. Since he was in the field of construction and built our first two homes, I always assumed he would be a general contractor one day although his strength and expertise in this field was the heavy-equipment, excavating and digging utilities. As he dreamed of being on his own, I was always more comfortable with the liability being on someone else's shoulders and I was comfortable with both of us working for someone else. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">God doesn't always like for us to be in our comfort zones.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Late this past winter, the construction work scarcity finally hit middle TN. For a couple of weeks, Bill was getting fewer and fewer hours from his boss, who owned his small construction company that built higher-end homes. Just as Bill was filling out unemployment papers and applying to Home Depot just to keep a job, the Lord turned a chapter in our lives.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One morning, my devotion was on 2 Kings 3:16-17:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Then [Elisha] said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Dig ditch after ditch in this stream.' For the LORD says, 'You will not see wind or rain, but the stream will be filled with water, and you will drink - you and your cattle and your animals.' This is easy in the LORD's sight. He will also hand Moab over to you."</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The devotion spoke more on spiritual blessings. I hid the truths in my heart that morning. Memorizing the verse as best as I could and promising myself to expect the unexpected in my spiritual life that day. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As I was driving to work, Bill called me. Just that morning, his boss had approached him about purchasing the excavating equipment (a dump truck, dozier, backhoe, skid steer and misc. equipment) and going out on his own. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I know the next few minutes were nothing of what Bill expected. I chuckled in the phone and recited in my mind the verses I had just memorized this morning (dig ditch after ditch [excavating is digging ditches]...you'll neither see the wind nor the rain [this is a very hard economic time...it didn't make sense to go into business for ourselves], but the streams will be filled...this is easy in the sight of the LORD). </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Bill was astonished by my reaction and the words that I told him about 2 Kings. He </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:verdana;font-size:small;">is a man of great faith and believes God will do the impossible, despite a hardening economy, despite the downturn in the housing industry. So Bill had been praying, unbeknownst to me, for some time that God would provide us with an opportunity to start our own excavating business. However, he knew his first prayer would need to be that his wife (that's me!) would be open to the idea! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:verdana;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:verdana;font-size:small;">We were amazed at how both of us, the dreamer and the realist, were both on the same spiritual page. We were going to have to go against conventional wisdom and do this. Everything in our day and times told us purchasing heavy construction equipment and going out on our own was foolish. We had been dreaming of me coming home from work soon, and were in the midst of making some adjustments to our 2 income lifestyle. Adding this equipment debt would not accomplish those goals as soon as we thought, but we both knew that all of our dreams were easy in the sight of the LORD!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 18px; font-family:verdana;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size:small;">It hasn't been a cake-walk these first few months of being a small business owner. The flood hit Nashville and knocked us off the grid for a couple of weeks, but then God provided work in helping people re-build after the flood. I often re-read that devotion. One portion says, "It is not the part of faith to question, but to obey. The ditches were made, and the water came pouring in from some supernatural source."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size:small;">"Oh, for that faith that can act by faith and not by sight, and expect God to work although we see no wind or rain." --A.B. Simpson</span></span></div></div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-45823642453906530692010-08-21T20:47:00.002-05:002010-08-21T21:04:48.579-05:00A Fresh StartLast Sunday afternoon, Bill and I took Claire to meet her new teachers at NCS. I felt a lump in my throat as a read her class name, Pre-K Transition, realizing that if you drop "Pre" and "Transition", our baby will be in Kindergarten. Only 2 short years.<br /><br />The classrooms looked so fresh, she had a new folder for new projects. New teachers, new (and some old) friends, new procedures...thus I thought it was a great opportunity for me to have some new-ness in my life.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago, I started working with a Wellness Coach. Her name is Janis and she is the sister of one of my co-workers. Janis is "coaching" me for free in order to finish some credits, so it was a perfect opportunity for me to jump at such an opportunity. Janis and I had been talking for a couple of weeks about some changes I wanted to make/implement. She never tells me what to do. She just has this uncanny way of drawing it out of me and then asks me how I am going to put that change into place and be successful.<br /><br />In addition to Claire's new school year and my wellness coaching, Bill and I decided for me to take a break from Remicade. This is the drug that I have been on for 1 year, every 8 weeks for the diagnosis of Crohn's Disease that I received 18 months ago. Remicade had caused some scary side-effects since I have been on it. Nothing horrific, but just enough to scare this non-medicine taking girl! As I walked out of the doctor's office last Tuesday, there was a pep in my step. Although Remicade makes me feel better, I believe that as long as I was on the medicine, I would have a dark cloud over me reminding me that I had this disease.<br /><br />If all of these changes hasn't been enough, I also started the task of couponing for our family. Yes, I was the cynical one, the critical one that despite hearing my friends testimonies of how much money they were saving, I believed my time was much more valuable than the money I would save at the check-out with coupons. However, it has become necessary, due largely to starting our own company 5 months ago, for me to save wherever I can. At this point in our lives, my time doesn't matter and this is one additional way I can help invest in our future!<br /><br />All of these changes have sometimes felt overwhelming. Especially as I am sitting up alone late at night on the couponing websites as everyone else in the house sleeps. But, oh, how good it feels when I check-out and gradually increase my check-out savings (my best record is saving 54%). But changes are also empowering. They give you energy when they are accomplished.<br /><br />What changes have you made or do you need to make in your life? I am still making a list and hope to update you soon!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-18835202071812119312010-07-29T16:56:00.002-05:002010-07-29T17:14:53.071-05:00My Own "Comedy of Errors"Last Friday, if I can say so myself, I was looking quite summery and "cute" in a new Oxford-style shirt dress that I had picked up at Talbot's in their close-out summer sale. I LOVE, love, love Talbot's, but rarely afford myself the luxury of such nice clothes. But I love the classic, timeless look they continue to present to today's shopper!<br /><br />Enough about Talbots, this post is about me!<br /><br />It had been a hard Friday at the office, some intense conversations, hard decisions, and my head was pounding. I don't have headaches often, so for all I know, this could have been a tee-tiny headache in the book of headaches or it could have been a migraine. All I know is that I wanted to close my eyes and throw up!<br /><br />So, despite looking cute, I head home when quittin' time came and just felt plum bad. I picked up Claire from school and prayed that she would have grace and mercy on me and just be really quiet on the way home. All was good until I made a left turn out of the school parking lot.<br /><br />She wanted to go right today!<br /><br />And the screaming started. And the crying. And the heartbreaking wailing of me not turning right.<br /><br />I begged her, "Claire, Mommy has a really, REALLY bad headache. Please quit crying. Please quit yelling at me. I am about to throw up."<br /><br />My pleas did not work. So against all parenting advise, I started pleading...with a bribe.<br /><br />"Claire, you know that grocery store on the road that me and you are usually scared to pull into. I'll pull into it today and get you WHATEVER you want if you will stop crying!"<br /><br />The store in conversation is named Eddie's Market and it's the type of market that probably has really nice people working in it (found out that was so later) but just looks a little too sketchy from the outside.<br /><br />We went and Claire was excited to pick out a Orange Sherbert Push-Up and a Grape Crush. I got a Heath Bar (because that makes headaches go away...didn't you know that )!<br /><br />We went to pay and the young lady behind the counter was so sweet to Claire. I even heard myself saying that we might have to come back since she was so nice.<br /><br />So Claire and I headed out the door. As I exited the door, being held by a man without a shirt on and another shady looking fella, my white high-heeled sandal hung in the door mat.<br /><br />And down I went.<br /><br />Yes, in my new, cute blue dress. (I tried my best to keep my dignity in tact).<br /><br />The nice, but still shady-looking, gentleman, handed me my shoe and asked me if I was okay. Claire gathered up my wallet, drink and candybar and then asked me why I fell down!!!!<br /><br />We got in the vehicle with my pride shattered (swearing never again to go to Eddie's) and head throbbing. As we pull onto the interstate, Claire was silent and I thought "I can make it home!"<br /><br />Claire starts slowly, softly, but ever growing panic in her voice, yelling "Mommy!"<br /><br />As I looked back at her, I realized instead of "pushing up" the Push-Up, she pulled the stick out! So there she was holding the cardboard cylinder and the stick with the ice cream on her lap. So I quickly handed over driving to my knees, grabbed all three items and re-assembled the push up (please recall with me...as I didn't recall in the moment...that not too many years ago I took a drive off the road and broke my back due to trying to do something similar for my precious little girl...how many times does one girl need to break her back to remember that).<br /><br />So, Push-Up was re-assembled and I look down to see many plops of sherbert on my new, cute, blue dress.<br /><br />As we head on down the interstate, Claire asks for her Grape Crush. Without thinking about the tumble I just took on the side-walk, I opened the Crush...only for it to spew all over...you got it, my cute, new, blue dress.<br /><br />So, you may ask, how is the dress! I'm not sure. It's dry clean only and I haven't had time to get to the dry cleaners.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-66783820260201470472010-07-20T14:49:00.004-05:002010-07-20T15:03:36.697-05:00July is Quickly Coming to an EndI can hardly believe that July is coming to an end. I longed for vacation for so long and now that it is over, it feels like the summer is over! I have had such a quiet summer with traveling for work and I know that August-November will be the price I will pay for being home so much (I calculated that I will be away from home 30 days from the first of August to the first of November). <div><br /></div><div>About vacation...we had a fabulous time. I had two goals when I left for vacation: make memories for Claire (we did) and decompress from work and some other things that were sitting heavy on my emotional shoulders (check!) and spend some significant quality time with God. I was able to do all of this and came back so spiritually and emotionally refreshed.<br /></div><div>I have to show you a picture (bad as it may be) of Claire in her "bikino". She was so cute in it.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQLfI-VmSjhESkJro335vQvyscM5CN9eAnJj9lCWOdMx70TPNGXvVvMuFReLisoevx33b26v_QSDV8JQnY1gPg4Iio6QP3mi0FhivIq4WIiYHlygVmAqnXLU1ZFqoPZDTtIziKhlNIfU/s1600/Bikino.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496079149485811010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQLfI-VmSjhESkJro335vQvyscM5CN9eAnJj9lCWOdMx70TPNGXvVvMuFReLisoevx33b26v_QSDV8JQnY1gPg4Iio6QP3mi0FhivIq4WIiYHlygVmAqnXLU1ZFqoPZDTtIziKhlNIfU/s320/Bikino.JPG" border="0" /></a> And one of her and her number 1 man building a "Sand Truck"</div><div><br /><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496080548991430962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3J7_1FeWyFvXhO4kdGj7w5gZbqwTaoY_Flgx_Yi2xqI6TrTQdkpFpM4jiywB7mF703Cr72tU4dA9d3YaxJiHybkH9ecrtEtkivE0H21v4tRk5DEc-38-FyHxbF3nsnoRczFuydZb4MjA/s320/Building+a+sand+truck.JPG" border="0" /><br />And one of her in MY favorite bathing suit!</div><div><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496080755740921922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y3Qe5J8qTkI6e8Wv0t-4oTv3pcUPpnsXpJfZdsNjOGz63eQIDxTLWtyEXLQFDUjQ-IpoK3luOMfqWLPuF6LoPamJfixL_0e8Jhp4IIjk8wGxlngABUzdTUD3TY7RStGkU0cD0SWMWvo/s320/My+favorite+bathing+suit.JPG" border="0" /><br />The "little fish" learned how to swim on vacation. She had the full attention of grandparents, aunt, uncle and 2 cousins! It was just a great week!<br /><br />As soon as we got back on Sunday afternoon, our church's VBS started Sunday night. So we were off and running. It felt, by the end of the week, that all of the benefits of vacation were out the door; however, as life has slowed back down this week, I feel myself loosening up and reaping the benefits of vacation.<br /><br />I'll, hopefully, tell you more, later, about what's been going on in The Cato House lately.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-82071749841137634252010-04-19T16:26:00.002-05:002010-04-19T16:42:34.731-05:00Gone Fishin'When I married Bill six short years ago, I knew very little about being a sportsman. I thought being a "sportsman" was playing basketball, softball and any other sport in between. My dad was a "sportsman" in my sense of the definition, but he never hunted or fished.<br /><br />Then Bill Cato enters the picture and my life forever. I remember our first Christmas together. We went to my home for Thanksgiving for him to meet my parents. While there, I tried to "impress" him by taking him to some real sportsmen's stores with guns, camo, bows, arrows and the like. My mother had already hinted that she wanted me to be on the look-out for him a Christmas present from them (I think they knew that when I brought a boy home, it was the real deal). So, as he looked around, I drew a diagram of the store and labeled everything that he liked because I knew just the names of the items would be as foreign to my mom as they were to me. Oh, how I wish I had that store diagram today! I have since lost my zeal for the occasional trip to the outdoors store...in 6 short years!<br /><br />All that to preface, I have become quite the wife of a sportsmen...in 6 short years. I can spot a turkey and a deer long before he can. I know several different patterns of camo and why there has to be so many different patterns. I know that neoprene matters in duck hunting. I have learned a little bit about crank baits, jigs and other fishing lures. I know that the way to my husband's heart on a Christmas morning after a year of him caring for a sickly wife and their 3 year old little girl is to have a rifle, bow and muzzle loader all three under the tree for him. I've learned quite a bit in six short years.<br /><br />Two weekends ago, we loaded up the fishing boat and headed to the nearest body of water...all three of us. I would have to say that Claire was only second to Bill by a short distance in their excitement level. I was excited too, but nothing like those two. It was a beautiful Saturday and we decided to go after Claire's afternoon nap, so it was such a peaceful time on the water after most everyone else was gone.<br /><br />Claire had her Barbie fishing pole ready to go. Bill baited it with a minnow. With his help, she cast her line out in the water and she must have cast it right into the mouth of a fish because immediately she had a catch pulling at her line. We were all ecstatic. (I'll post the picture when I get home!). Bill caught several but only one big enough to keep, so he gave that fish a pardon from the fish fryer. Me...I caught none. Claire kind of looked down her nose at me, she apparently believes she's the better fisherman!!! I'll let her believe it!!!<br /><br />So, if you can't find us on Knottingham Drive, we'll be on the "big ole water" catching our dinner!!! Come join us!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-1090203273595253632010-03-31T15:35:00.002-05:002010-03-31T15:41:58.213-05:00Frustrated!One morning, I was feeling really sorry for myself and my plot (the plot I helped create) as a full-time, work-outside-the-home mom… and thus, that morning, I was cynical about everything.<br /><br />Before I continue, I need you to hear my heart’s desire. God, this year, has gradually been turning this “career-minded” gal’s heart toward things of home. I’m still a full-time working mom with a 2 hour commute (sorry, I slipped into feeling sorry for myself again), but I am starting to yearn for the day that I get to take my turn at being a full-time, working-inside-the-home mom. God’s timing is perfect!<br /><br />And also hear that one of my pet-peeves throughout the 3 years I have been a full-time working-outside-the-home mom is the criticism I have received from some well-intentioned people criticizing, judging, telling me it makes them so sad when they see a child outside a daycare being cared by someone other than their mother…sorry, cynical again. The one thing I have learned, undoubtedly, in this 3 year journey, is don’t put motherhood into a cookie cutter. Don’t judge moms and the decisions they have or have not made, the decisions you agree or disagree about. My prayer is that we can just encourage one another in our journey of motherhood.<br /><br />So, all that to say, I wrote the following with much envy toward my working-inside-the-home friends. And, what is to follow is my more cynical side. A weaker side. A defensive side. A side that came crashing forward when I read an article from a full-time working-inside-the-home mom feeling sorry for herself (which I will be one day) explaining her day before noon. My tale, is a tale that was written in the car one day (on that 2 hour round trip commute) when I had had it up to here (hands waving above my head) of my own plot in life! So, here you go…<br /><br /><strong>4:45 am</strong> First alarm goes off, Bill hits snooze<br /><strong>5:00 am</strong> Second alarm goes off, Bill hits snooze, I roll over to realize it’s storming outside. Wonder if the thunder is going to wake up Claire. Drift back off to sleep as I pull up the covers and think how Bill said we would both feel like “champs” if we got up early.<br /><strong>5:15 am</strong> Snooze alarm goes off again. Bill rolls out to go walk the dog. I get up and start my quiet time.<br /><strong>6:00 am</strong> Jump in the shower, amazed that the storm still has not woken Claire up<br /><strong>6:15 am</strong> Washing hair, eyes shut, hear a sweet little voice “Good Morning Mommy”. Claire is with Bill. Bill asks where the new construction account debit card and pin are. I tell him. Think to myself, “we are really heading out on our own.” Say a little prayer. They head to kitchen to get breakfast. I get out of the shower.<br /><strong>6:30 am</strong> Dressed with hair up in a towel, no make-up yet. Clothes are the typical iron-free type. Pants have probably already been worn this week. Think I need a new wardrobe. Think I need to lose 20 before I get a new wardrobe.<br /><strong>6:35 am</strong> Standing in kitchen. Decide to find the debit card and pin for him. Oh, almost forgot the paperwork for the dr appt. today. Go to browning pot roast on the stovetop, cutting up carrots and potatoes to go in the crockpot with pot roast. Go on and plug the crockpot in and turn it on low. Last time I used crockpot, I got home and realized I never plugged it up. That meal was ruined. Giving Bill the run down of the evening. Gran has a pampered chef party, roast will be for supper, Claire is tugging on Bill saying she would really like to go to Su-Su’s to see the horses.<br /><strong>6:45 am</strong> Bill and Claire sitting at the table eating cereal. Bribe Claire that she can have some cookie dough if she eats all of her cereal (she doesn’t). Never noticed that we never gave her milk (will be reminded of it in the car later). I run back to the bathroom to take my hair down and scrunch it to wear it curly (well, wavy) today. The easiest hair-do!<br /><strong>7:00 am</strong> Back to kitchen to kiss Bill good-bye. Claire reminds him that he forgot his breakfast bar. He grabs it and heads out the door. She has a melt-down as soon as the door shuts. We go to the door to watch him leave. Gunner (the dog) bumped into him, he spilt his coffee all over the garage. I see the frustration rising. Bill bends down to tie his boots. Gunner takes off with his breakfast bar. Bill yells at the dog. Chases him around the car. The dog is more tricky. I see the fumes rising. I head down the steps to trap the dog. I got the bar, dog jumps up on me, dirt all over my twice-worn-this-week black slacks. Didn’t notice until later. Head back upstairs to get Bill another bar.<br /><strong>7:05</strong> Bill is in the truck. We are back in the house. Claire begs for me to eat cereal with her. I sit down, she heads to the bedroom to look for her “sprinkler jeans”. I’m eating alone. She comes back when I’m done. Wants me to work a puzzle with her. Have to deny her. I look at the clock and know that I’m going to be late today.<br /><strong>7:10</strong> Blow drying hair to make it wavy. Can tell I waited too long to dry it…it’s not going to be a pretty wave. Put on make-up. Decide to wear contacts today. Maybe that will distract from my hair.<br /><strong>7:25</strong> All ready to go. Claire mozies in with sprinkler jeans on but no top. Hurry her to get top on. She wants to wear winter hat and gloves despite it being 55 out right now. Don’t argue! It’s not a hill to die on. Head to kitchen. Thinking if we hurry, maybe I can be on time.<br /><strong>7:30</strong> Oh no, lunch. Must fix lunch. Committed to not spending anymore money on eating out. Throw some lettuce in a bowl and some fruit. Yum :)<br /><strong>7:43</strong> Out the door. On the road for my hour commute. Claire starts crying that she’s hungry and never had her milk. Shoot, horrible mom! Give her a piece of gum. Talk to her in the car. Check blackberry messages to see if there are any pressing issues at work. Wonder if it is also illegal to read emails while driving. I don’t text! Watching the clock carefully. There is a small chance I will be on time.<br /><strong>8:12</strong> Pull up to Claire’s school. Unbuckle her as we get into the parking lot. Prepare her to jump out of the car as soon as we stop. We must hurry. I have to be at work at 8:30.<br /><strong>8:13</strong> We jump out of the car (and into a puddle). Oh well. Hurry inside. Hug. Kiss. Hug. Kiss. See you later. She’s happy to see her friends.<br /><strong>8:16</strong> Back in the car. Think to myself that school zone time has passed. Saves me a minute of slowing down. Pull onto Old Hickory. Can see the interstate. Uh-oh. Slow rolling.<br /><strong>8:30</strong> Blackberry reminder that I have a meeting with boss at 9:00. Same boss that reminded us lately that we need to be in the office no later than 8:30. I can see downtown, but I’m not in the office.<br /><strong>8:37</strong> Walking down the hall to my office. Boss is coming out of her office (next to mine). As I approach my door, she doesn’t see me…she’s looking at her watch and looking at my door. I laugh to myself…this will be perfect for the story I’m about to spend 10 more minutes typing. Say I’m sorry as we pass in the hall.<br /><strong>8:40</strong> Boot up my computer…10 minutes late and spend the next 10 minutes typing this!!!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-22939732060848672542010-03-31T15:09:00.002-05:002010-03-31T15:13:05.330-05:00The Sun is Shining...thus I feel a new start coming on.<br /><br />Because the sun is pouring through my office window, I feel like<br /><br />cleaning house<br /><br />reading blogs that have been neglected over the winter<br /><br />dreaming of how to decorate my office<br /><br />going for a walk in downtown Nashville<br /><br />making my grocery list<br /><br />visiting with co-workers<br /><br />cleaning off my desk and then wiping it down with a Clorox wipe<br /><br />doing anything but work!!!<br /><br />I'm back! I have some funny Claire stories that I can't wait to catch you up on!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-88454857081119046552009-12-30T11:42:00.004-06:002009-12-30T11:54:38.241-06:00Winter Cleaning: Making it Competitive, thus Fun!While I am on vacation, I'm doing a little spring cleaning in winter! I've cleaned the windows that are in plain view (meaning, I didn't clean the ones that are at the back of the house in our bedroom). Now, I'm working on our master closet. It continually amazed me that despite buying less clothes each year (most of my clothes budget goes towards keeping Sister dressed and stylish), my closet still looks like we accumulate hundreds of clothes each year.<br /><br />I started this little game with Bill when we first got married to get him involved with cleaning and organizing. We individually go through the closet and pull out clothes we don't want. The catch is whoever gets rid of the most pieces gets a monetary prize to buy another clothing item. Bill goes in first and doesn't tell me how many he's pulled out. I go in and purge all the clothes that I know longer wear. Why this game works is that there is a little competition and we aren't hanging on to those "well maybe I'll actually wear this 1980's blouse next year" clothes. Every piece of clothing can be the difference between winning and losing.<br /><br />I am the champion 4 years running!!! And it looks like I'm going to win it again in 2009! I've already got my eye on what I'm going to purchase with the prize money!!!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-13005067994386998562009-12-29T17:21:00.004-06:002009-12-29T17:37:10.505-06:00Catch Up: Claire's BirthdayWhoo! I have some catching up to do. And what better time to do that than on my 2 week vacation. The first matter of catch up...Claire's 3rd Birthday!<br /><br />After much thought, research and discussion...I opted for a monkey themed birthday. Claire's birthday is November 1st, and as much as I wanted to steer clear of Halloween for her birthday party, it was inevitable since Halloween was on Saturday and birthday was on Sunday and it was much easier for family to come on Saturday.<br /><br />I decided on the monkey theme because Claire's favorite song and source of entertainment (at that time) was a jazzy, soulful rendition of "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" (check out cd...Party Like a Preschooler).<br /><br />So I went to researching on the web and found this cute idea with cupcakes. I have made cupcakes for Claire's birthday since her first birthday, so it worked right into my plan. And then we ordered a monkey costume for her for Halloween. It was a day for of monkeys!<br /><br />Okay, catch up is short...Cato Clan just walked in the door and Claire is sweetly asking for my attention. Here are some pics from the birthday.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420803391554682626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57YIP3ey1eQmfq6SwkTCyFvEMwaUThSZ1f5b8QbHPxqPpAljs5qkhk7G0DH1ZzXmdqLvqbkPVIIz4ulKrUEQnqtwa117NspIu6WRPifbcbKjyMC-qNMtgQok2Bp5MFszjJcFYCnZgD8A/s320/IMG_2112.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>(Blue and green buttercream cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes with Barrels of Monkeys sticking out of them)</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420803397394386162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSsgw4w6-8u4qIb2DaNVVzanMi-Cy7h1ALLa6fMp7oNsurx5HEiIUasdJgY3grCyt1Z6jrjK8UgfY1pV2OXb9GHPS5zih11IKezsINwZ-9uk57pKzYR3k25CfrcgY2wxEgv9Vuq8-BOQ/s320/IMG_2113.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>(This was my favorite touch. Glass blocks...found on sale at Lowes and used for many decorating purposes the rest of the year...tied up with green, blue and brown ribbon with monkey art and a number 3 on the front.)</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420803403757430274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7TJ4mWmxc5P0MEhRj1-_3UNyRFwu7kQ49hr-IUzY9LCJA9-rUuVGSbnIX9GsKYb3k3UrGAHd00vaQSeLFGcgXmcpzLzWuFXF8VqisLuuBU2P0oJ-fJPgnEvc0_b64CP-_RawP65sk6A/s320/IMG_2114.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>(Second favorite idea stolen from another blog. We used the barrels, from the Barrel of Monkeys, as a cupcake holder and tied it up with a brown ribbon. Also, Claire's invitations were sent in a barrel, bought in bulk on the web, to friends and family!)</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHp6rxpWj2KLH9lw_24zVYZCSyuoambZQwH-hBMzS47D-kejyaze0z6Owp9_30637A31PSXQ0WZwg6XTVeSS8McT_fSjrMW5imGdvec1RshUA2crFoRvljGMfQIvChihCdeuA_7Ur1vKY/s1600-h/IMG_2179.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420803418074993074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHp6rxpWj2KLH9lw_24zVYZCSyuoambZQwH-hBMzS47D-kejyaze0z6Owp9_30637A31PSXQ0WZwg6XTVeSS8McT_fSjrMW5imGdvec1RshUA2crFoRvljGMfQIvChihCdeuA_7Ur1vKY/s320/IMG_2179.JPG" border="0" /></a> (The birthday girl blowing out her candles. Notice the monkey hanging from the lighting fixture!!!)<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkfvGw_qEJALTmOpkmRAQsLOAh426GKiTUhbPJF1RZPbMt8QoPzc3yI1dtqKkx-P4MK-fmfK3ADpE_9KtdSgU75cIF_mKBSSv52YeOxDLBUOzWTnJyG0n1Z8muwXuIXDp2iidnK6bNFM/s1600-h/IMG_2117.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420803412380134194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkfvGw_qEJALTmOpkmRAQsLOAh426GKiTUhbPJF1RZPbMt8QoPzc3yI1dtqKkx-P4MK-fmfK3ADpE_9KtdSgU75cIF_mKBSSv52YeOxDLBUOzWTnJyG0n1Z8muwXuIXDp2iidnK6bNFM/s320/IMG_2117.JPG" border="0" /></a> (The birthday girl!)<br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-4807375824729125382009-08-31T11:25:00.002-05:002009-08-31T12:32:54.916-05:00"Our Choices are Never Free from this Conflict"God blessed me this weekend with some really sweet and really rich personal Bible study. I have never really been trained to study scripture on my own. Alot of my bible study has been hit and miss by thumbing through commentaries and reading what other people believe and have written.<br /><br />Recently, I began a new Bible study from Priscilla Shirer, Can We Talk? Priscilla and LifeWay, the publisher, have marketed the Bible study as an "un-Bible study" which always made me think "hmmmm...what does that mean?" Well, after 3 weeks of it, I am figuring it out. Priscilla uses a bible study method called the 5 P's of Bible Study:<br /><br />1. Position yourself to hear from God.<br />2. Pore over the passage and paraphrase the major points.Look for the who, what, when, where, and why of the verse<br />3. Pull out the spiritual principles.What is God teaching? What is He revealing about Himself?<br />4. Pose the question.Form a personally directed question from each of the spiritual principles.<br />5. Plan obedience and pin down a date.<br /><br />In this season of my life, my Bible study has been revolutionized by this method. God has revealed so many riches to me through this method. Thus, leading me to the title of this entry. I was studying a familiar passage of Galations 5. This is the passage that talks about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the actions of the flesh. I think I have every translations of the Bible from NIV, NLT, HCSB, KJV, and so on. On this particular day, I was reading out on my backporch with my small Bible, NLT. Now, like I said, this passage was very familiar to me but the way the NLT phrased it, a new revelation jumped off the pages at me. And here is what my Bible read:<br /><br />Galatians 5:17 (New Living Translation)<br />17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite from what the sinful nature desires. <strong>These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and <span style="color:#ff0000;">your choices are never free from this conflict.</span></strong><br /><br />My choices are NEVER free from this conflict (of the Holy Spirit and the flesh). Why did it jump out at me in a different way? I think because of the word choices. I make choices daily. Even if I am living in freedom and victory over an area in my life, I am still making deliberate choices CONSTANTLY to remain in victory and freedom. And even the opposite is true. Even if the flesh is having the victory, my next choice concerning that area can be one of the Spirit. I don't have to wait until tomorrow to get a do over. My next choice is my "do over."<br /><br />As I pondered this thought, I thought about the battles that must be happening in the heavenlies over my decisions. It made me tired to even think about it. My own mind wears me out sometimes, let alone to know that the battle is raging in the unseen world over every single choice I make concerning each and every area of my life.<br /><br />As my friend Michelle reminded me today, we are living sacrifices to God. We continually lay ourselves, our actions, our decisions and our choices on the alter. It's active and fluid. We can get up off that alter or we continually choose to lay there!<br /><br />I hope this meant something to someone today. Maybe it was just something I needed! But it certainly made me look at my life differently and help me to realize that life is exciting and my choices have eternal consequences.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-34186173156826712682009-08-26T22:01:00.004-05:002009-08-26T22:09:53.797-05:00A Photo Catch Up Entry<div align="center">Here are some summer-time pics of The Cato House! We've had a great summer but all of us are ready for the cool reprieve of fall!<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474047109054370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSszc457IhpFj3Z1RwBGwq0Klv4Q1_isI8Y6b_Zsy59V11KAgnAVX3_99hSX0tAz9RvYzw-RTUI3HiS-LkN5atvvZGDo7xYcpMQKKkpNUunkhH5RxfczYGTyBWF5lxBwWCD8hfTyqZmw/s320/IMG_1952.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">Down at the creek behind our house!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474054831457330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyv9PTxwa1buQU__TaoDPuvh6S0g8ppkKv0QVGkysjVcTCtW6uDVLGO9RPVkhIG_HwyVZ42lQI1kXUs8Dse-4OXcw9Vi2fY55pLzi8HIC2r7cWUeHUIXDCtFYnNajAtBmrjw1CCRKlunU/s320/IMG_1966.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Cooling off in her pool!<br /><br /><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474065489535426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiYDyAjaz9lqqGvssqSeSh6viTTZwQnDT8SFbPBV7KayKwPF2haBlbDeCT2YMznQJ4wrgNEXbD-CsGqnH4dEDGa8Fg-HzXqsWGHayWp3Z9FE6KRsoGJiwf3jxZRiCsj-4FGxiV8qw1lk/s320/IMG_1989.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474073008890338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9a6BjHPM67Xv23xm3wHKVXZ6x5ock_LSfHp1hGdydD45LkPt3BfGfnqWaJp_7n7hKchHZb-zqK4b8xcRRp1Ugx75wi6hPKfWr1ybZ77ENoLYj5Q8_X8zdvTmT4ZpNSvH1K9jRfZm-yg/s320/IMG_2020.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p align="center">Being a beach-bum is hard work!<br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474077054940450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2pOtOtf1atHIdjGaXdNoH1y3qZEwE4_Mer9jgsrABqifpNAHUG3-AqYsiFmHsmpOoi8xahmKpyS7mqC_bWwmoixtl8NOEH1gh05E3kuMqeR6J_liaUauQix1Fns8d70CmSLyoQuTrRU/s320/IMG_2025.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474969025153330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwx9vRDD-nfxUkNg78N0NA_Ck2A5WDiodutPuNSQktJWdWiBKp449Gm31yDieQ6iInyRvVGxcIeLkp6_W3UrY8RbXRnMco74GbTgVyDAm1dQCUnurBjBEMGT9K9mG3XD_73ECbcM7Aw1A/s320/IMG_2032.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474959359339058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7S9B6dDtJaBP0YhZnN3r7xLlAaEZhK8_yyQFXU3fw5D7bADuu5qn3r5aU0_qdriIBB4sy6fHCwCiBgoXn7wfCcgHTVWoRe8Xwf26E_W5_XUp9BorLAdxYG6j7KvI7hl7vPpRgVTNxEs4/s320/IMG_2029.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374474976453200946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRMwNzRCLTyTJPN2wGIRpw8cGXrz1QdYrwaLhAY6VI9NTeMbMnbvqYleSBY6Y0PlBoXUfnVKuYFz6-87BsRgqGwsCEnyetKKrh2Tfu3KuOuyrjxzgtRhiEyxCbmmxLw7yKz9rYVXQTaA/s320/IMG_2072.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-48783413558307109872009-08-17T15:38:00.002-05:002009-08-17T16:04:16.563-05:00A Thought I've Been PonderingI'm in women's ministry. So it's my work and ministry to pay attention to what is going on with women. What do women like? What are women buying? What are women reading? What are women watching? So on and so on until you think you should have a degree in womanology!<br /><br />At my office, the newest thing we are paying attention to is social networking. This is foreign to me, first, because I'm an introvert and I don't like to network. I like my small, tight-knit group of friends and families. I cannot be fully engaged in the lives of hundreds of my Facebook friends. I would rather live and be in the throws of life with a few. Second, I don't feel like my life is interesting enough to Twitter about or post status updates on Facebook or even be posting blogs. But those above me say it's not about what you write, it's about gaining a bigger network. Hmmmm!<br /><br />Last week, my director sent an email out telling us to "watch these up-and-coming, Christian bloggers." So, Friday afternoon, when it was really slow in the office, I went through all of the blogs of these fine women, saved them to my favorites and even stopped by and visited some of the blogs. They were very interesting, very creative...I would even love to be friends with many, if not all, of these ladies.<br /><br />However, one thing it did to me, that I wasn't expecting and had me pondering all weekend, was foster a sense of insecurity in me. These gals have it together! They write so well, they are so creative, they are great photographers, they have beautiful families, they are encouraging, they are bringing joy to so many, they are traveling, they are remodeling their homes on a shoestring budget and it looks like a dollhouse, they are writing books, they are presenting at conferences, they are weathering the storms of life one blog entry at a time.<br /><br />Now, I can pick up a People magazine at the grocery store and see a "star" that seems to have it all together and know in the back of my head that their life is as airbrushed as their photo. But these blogging gals are real life, in the trenches, women! It just made me look at myself differently...even to the point of thinking I should take down my blog altogether because I didn't want to compare my random rants to these "professionals."<br /><br />Hmmmm! So what is it? What caused the insecurity? I am a pretty secure gal typically. Was it just a fleeting feeling. Something that I'll laugh at when I read back over my post...tomorrow! Is God using this as a springboard to move me to the "next" in my life?<br /><br />So, in closing today (and I think I'll be revisiting this topic again), I'm praying that God will make me secure in <span style="font-size:130%;">my</span> "ordinary" life...the "ordinary" life that MANY would die to have and I am so blessed to be living.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-89220910385158537462009-07-29T13:48:00.004-05:002009-08-06T14:32:40.399-05:00It's Been a Tough Season...Part 2This past March and April, I began experiencing severe cramping in my stomach and pain in my lower back. I self-diagnosed myself with ulcers (for my stomachache) and chronic back pain left over from my T12 fracture. I suffered for an entire month.<br /><br /><br /><br />I would pull myself together to get to work and put on a happy face, but the night time was my safety zone in the privacy of home and I found myself paralyzed to do anything productive and laying on the couch all night. I didn't like this life (who would) when I had a toddler running around saying, "Get up Mommy. Come play with me."<br /><br /><br /><br />April was a busy month of traveling for work and many times alone. On one particular trip to California, I remember just feeling horrible the entire time I was there. After turning my nose up to any suggestion of going to the doctor, I finally plopped myself down into the dr. office the morning after returning from California. After another CT scan, the radiologist ordered me to get to the ER..."you have an appendicitis."<br /><br /><br /><br />"No, I do not" was my thoughts. An appendicitis does not last for a month. If I had an appendicitis, I wouldn't be able to pull myself together. But I took the drs orders and headed straight to the ER (after stopping at the bookstore to get me a good book to read through the upcoming ordeal).<br /><br />Whe the surgeon came wheeling into the ER to check me out before surgery, he stopped dead in his tracks and said, "You do not have an appendicitis. You wouldn't be sitting up in bed smiling at me!"<br /><br />Long story short, they called my gastrointerologist and after closer examination, it was inflammation, near the appendix, caused by the Crohn's Disease. I was admitted into the hospital for 3.5 days for observation, iv antibiotics and making sure that a perforation didn't and wouldn't occur.<br /><br />After leaving the hospital on many medications, I still didn't feel well and the cramping in my stomach continued despite how little or how much I ate. After 2.5 more months of this pain and 2 unsuccessful drugs, I was admitted back into the hospital. This time, I was started on the heavy artillery of Crohn's medication...Remicade. I am currently still on an iv infusion of remicade every 4 weeks and eventually every 8 weeks and feeling much better.<br /><br />My full life is returning and I'm not just going through the motions. I am feeling well.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-91583504497985059952009-07-28T21:27:00.006-05:002009-07-29T13:48:18.407-05:00It's Been a Tough Season...Part 1Nope, not the summer. The summer has actually been a wonderful, mild summer than past drought-filled summers. I'm more talking about this season of life.<br /><br />What do I have to complain about? I've asked myself this many times. I have a husband that adores me and has actually never (against the warnings of many) followed the adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." He's been very moldable these past 5 years and serves the socks off of me! I have an adorable 2 1/2 year old daughter who is easy; sleeping through the night before she was supposed to and was potty trained without any blood, sweat or tears. I have a beautiful home that my adoring husband built for us with his blood, sweat and tears. I have a job and ministry that I am continually humbled to have and wander how in the world God was able to orchestrate my every step to be in the right place at the right time. One mis-step and who knows where I would be. Both of my parents are healthy, I have a loving family and faithful and loyal friends. I have more than enough food on the table each and every night.<br /><br />I'm not complaining about my life. I am so thankful for all the blessings God has given me. But it's been a tough, emotional season of life.<br /><br />Tough Season Part 1 could officially be stated as beginning in December 2007. Being a multi-tasking mother, I was heading to the Plan B babysitter, running late to work (I'm sure), feeding Claire breakfast in the car and driving. I took my eyes off the road for one milli-second to look in the rearview mirror at her and my front right tire of our new Tahoe decided to leave the road. The road we were on didn't have those annoying "grates" that warn you to pull it back to the left. It didn't have a guardrail. It didn't even have much of a shoulder. Instead, it had a steep enbankment leading down to a field. In a flash, Claire and I in the Tahoe were bouncing across that field and several run-off ditches. The Tahoe came to a sudden stop after we crossed a deep run-off gully. To make a long story shorter, the ambulance ushered me and Claire to Vandy ER. Claire was totally unharmed. Mommy was diagnosed with a fracture to the T12 (a broken back).<br /><br />While still reeling from a diagnosis of a broken back, a sweet nurse with poor bedside manners came in to release me from the ER. "Oh, by the way, the doctor said you need to see your PCP immediately. Your CAT scan shows signs of probably Crohn's Disease."<br /><br />...Oh, by the way. "What" I screamed in my head. At that point, the fracture was a minor inconvenience. She just leisurely diagnosed me with a chronic disease. A disease that has always had a negative, hopeless connotation in my head.<br /><br />Just lately, a doctor described me as stoic. And as I think back about that day in the ER, yes, I can agree that I am often stoic. Bill stood there waiting for my reaction, but no reaction came. We drove to Panera Bread to grab a bite to eat after an all-day adventure in the ER. Only after Bill went inside to get me a sandwich and my boss, Paige, showed up to hand off my work computer to me and I repeated the story of the Crohn's Disease to her did I cry.<br /><br />Ironically, I was no longer exhibiting symptoms of the Crohn's (I had had some severe stomach cramping a couple of weeks earlier but never had it checked out). So when I went to visit the gastrointerologist after Vandy's recommendation, and after a lower GI and colonoscopy showed a non-specific injury to my small intestine, we decided to play the "wait and see" game.<br /><br />Fast forward to this March after 14 months pain-free (now I know that it is considered "remission" from Crohn's). In March, the severe stomach cramping returned with no relief and that is when this current season really began.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-55382649381710136892009-07-16T16:28:00.002-05:002009-07-16T16:37:14.564-05:00You Make Me LaughClaire, you make me laugh. I think Grandma prays for you to make me laugh because that seems to be the only time I call her! Last night, we were coming home from Vacation Bible School. It was dark and rainy and we were pulling out of the parking lot across the street of the church.<br />"Oh no, Oh no, Oh no...the toy fell down," you pathetically moaned.<br />"Claire, what are you talking about?"<br />"Oh no, oh no, the toy fell down." You were so concerned.<br />"Oh no!"<br />I looked across the street towards the church where you were looking. The inflatable bouncy house and slide that were up for VBS had been shut off for the night and were laying flat on the ground.<br />"Claire, are you talking about the bouncy house?" I asked.<br />"Yes, the bouncy house fell down!" your little heart broken.<br />"Claire, they just took the air out of it for the night. It will be back up tomorrow!"<br /><br />This morning as I was getting ready for work, you were laying all cozy in mommy and daddy's bed with the blankets pulled up to your chin watching cartoons.<br />"Mommy! You don't go to work today. You stay home with me and watch Scooby Dooby!" you commanded.<br />Now what mother could turn that down?<br />As I laughed, I layed down with you for just a second and explained that you had to go to school and I had to go to work.<br />"You need pillow. I share!" you continued to convince!<br />Oh, you are so hard to deny!<br /><br />Your little vocabulary is developing every day. Your little mind amazes me. You are so smart. You see things that adults just let go by everyday. You are funny. You are caring. I love you so much!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-16860955015995502102009-07-01T13:41:00.002-05:002009-07-01T13:46:30.039-05:00A Note to Claire"Time-out" 3 times before we left the house this morning...not a good start to our day. Daddy and I are laying down the law until your new attitude leaves. You are so smart about everything else in life...we know you understand the difference between blessings and consequences, disrepect and respect and disobedience and obedience! I know these are big words, but you have had enough association with them according to your behavior...we know you know what we mean. If you are smart enough to march yourself to your time-out chair, you are smart enough to know the reason why.<br /><br />We love you so much and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to mold your sweet little personality. The good part of this story is that these stints of bad behavior are short lived and few and far between. We understand you are in detox from Grand-ma's and Aunt Anga's, so we have given you some additional grace :).<br /><br />Your goal today is to get a good report from Ms. Emily at school and prove you do, indeed, have listening ears.<br /><br />I love you,<br />MommyCato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-80971299942696731472009-06-30T15:31:00.002-05:002009-06-30T15:44:43.897-05:00The Cato House is in Full Swing!During the winter months, if you were a fly on the Cato House wall, you would have heard me lamenting to Bill that our life was not exciting enough. During those cooped up winter months, I was big on reading others' blogs and just thought, "Man, they live such exciting lives," and allowing Satan to use that to put me in a state of comparison.<br /><br />As the weather has gotten warmer and warmer this spring and summer, our family has not lacked for excitement, thus, the reason for my blogging hiatus (in addition to me trying to be tech saavy and twitter and update my facebook profile...I've had little time to blog.<br /><br />So, the spring started off with lots of travel. Within 4 weeks, I traveled to Katy, TX; New Orleans, LA, Pittsburgh, PA; Elizabethtown, KY and Stockton, CA. It was this last trip to Stockton that sent me over the edge. I was tired of traveling and everything at home was quickly moving out of control, but the one thing that continued to plague me was this unusual, non-consistent pain in my stomach. I had enough of it when I returned from Stockton's luncheon. Went to the dr to get the ball rolling. Within 4 hours, I had a CT scan and was admitted to the ER and spent the next 3 days hooked up to IV antibiotics at the hospital.<br /><br />We left the hospital with a diagnosis that was treatable but nevertheless undesirable. Two weeks later, I had to go back to the dr to get a follow up CT scan. Piece of cake (except for drinking that Barium "Smoothie"), right? Wrong! This was my third CT scan in less than 2 years, and for some reason, this time, I had a horrible allergic reaction to the contrast die. I really thought I was dying that day. After 2 hours of being pumped with Benadryl and steroids, I was released.<br /><br />I am finished with the drama, right? Wrong! Last weekend, the Cato House met the other Cato house (in Birmingham) and the Jones house (here in Nashville) at a lake in northern Alabama. To make a long and horrible story short, the temperature was over 100 degrees, Claire didn't have shoes on and stepped on the hot pavement and subsequently a piece of metal on the dock and burnt the bottoms of her feet. Blisters, screaming...just the most heart-wrenching thing for a mother to watch. It was horrible.<br /><br />And guess what? As soon as that episode happened, I had to travel back to California.<br /><br />If it were up to me, the drama would be over. We have vacation with my family next week in Destin...drama-free zone has been requested!<br /><br />That's what we have been up to...how about you?Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-34266268580450928892009-05-12T10:24:00.002-05:002009-05-12T10:33:54.407-05:00Coversations with a Toddler - Part 2...About GodIf you live in my "neck of the woods", you know we have been having lots of thunderstorms (I'm sure many other areas of the US are as well).<br /><br />Add on top of the storms that Claire is really sensitive to sound (the fire alarm going off because of her momma's cooking and her reaction is an entirely different entry some day!).<br /><br />Several weeks ago, she heard thunder and yelled, "It scare you." I told her that was God outside. Each morning after that when we would leave for school/work, she would make this big announcement outside to Him, "Hi God."<br /><br />If her sweet greeting each morning was not enough...last weekend we were driving home to Mayfield during a horrible thunderstorm. She kept seeing lightning and hearing thunder and wanted us to "hold you". I told her those flashes of light were God taking pictures of her and that every now and then He would laugh (the thunder) at a picture He took of her. As the broken record of a 2 year old should go, we talked and re-talked about God for quite a while.<br /><br />Today, we were driving to school/work. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. We happened upon a traffic jam, so we were noticing the streams, the trees, the grass, the sun, the clouds. And Claire would say, "God made trees...God made grass...God made sun." And then all of a sudden, she screams, "Yaaaay God" and starts clapping.<br /><br />Oh, my heart just melted. Out of the mouth of babes!<br /><br />What do you need to "Yaaaay God" for today? It would not have surprised me if we had immediately heard a clap of thunder at God laughing at Claire this morning! I think he was pleased.Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6692361340138571019.post-54315736929802757062009-04-01T09:01:00.003-05:002009-04-01T09:10:32.342-05:00Conversations with a ToddlerI will be the first to admit that I haven't been as good to keep the blog up-to-date as I would like or avid bloggers would suggest. We are living an exciting life with a toddler right now, but sometimes I just don't think anyone would find our day-to-day activities that interesting.<br /><br />However, one of the reasons I began this blog is to have an archive of stories for Claire to read back on when she is older. So, this is my disclaimer. You are now entering a blog that may not be as exciting, but it is our memories.<br /><br />Claire and I drive into Nashville every day. Her pre-school is halfway between home and downtown. We have some very interesting conversations on our way into town. Thus, the ride to town in the mornings (not the afternoons because she has a meltdown every single day) have become my favorite one-on-one times with her.<br /><br />Yesterday's conversation proved to me that she is always paying attention. For months, anytime we would see a backhoe, dozier or any heavy equipment, she would announce, "That's my daddy's!" Wanting to keep her daddy huge in her eyes, I would affirm that "Yes, that is daddy's" even though we are a long way from having a heavy equipment fleet. This past Friday, I was out of town on an event and she went into the office with Bill to drop off his timecard. While in there, she saw all the guys and talked to "Mr Barry", Bill's boss.<br /><br />So, yesterday on the way to school, she looked across a field where a new subdivision is being built and said, "That's not daddy's!" And, once again, I affirmed her observation proud that she had finally caught on that daddy did not have that much equipment. And not missing a beat, she said, "That's Burry's!"<br /><br />Oh, how smart our little babes are!!!!Cato Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505580070910406259noreply@blogger.com0