Worship Wed.

My new favorite song by Addison Road.  As much as love Jesus I don't fully grasp His holiness and how undone I truly I am.  How lucky we are for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and how with out it God could not look at us.  Lord, never let me take for granite that sacrifice.  Forgive me of my pride and for ever forgetting that I am worthless without you and never too big to need a savior.  Let me never become too complacent in my faith that I forget to stand in awe of your holiness.
"
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:
      "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
       the whole earth is full of his glory."
⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
 ⁵ "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
 ⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
 ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
      And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Isaiah 6:1-8

Wisdom Worship Wed.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

I was reminded today that the definition of insanity was to do the same things over and over but expecting different results.  To change we have to be open for change and willing to go through the pains of change.  But we also have to be willing to renew our minds in the word of God.  Then in my devotional today, it was about God's wisdom.  His perfect wisdom.  I want that.  I began to see how I have relaxed in the last couple of weeks trying to finish these goals and resting after they were done.  I had let a complaining whining spirit creep back in.  I was allowing myself to gossip when I was frustrated.  I had feelings of unforgiveness towards people that had done Darin wrong at his job and in my heart I was wanting my selfish justification.  It is all negative and a poison.  The teaching I heard on TV was about prosperity.  We are blessed to be a blessing to others.  We are highly favored by our God and King who provides so richly to our needs, but it is so to pass on favor to others in need.  In my heart I was not sowing seeds of blessings.  I pray for Godly wisdom in difficult situations and not be emotion led.  I pray for a renewing of my mind so it does not take so long for me to realize I am off track.  I want to live life on a different plane in my thoughts and life than the world has to offer.  This song for Worship Wed. means so much to me.  I got to sing it this summer at church and it is so my prayer today. 

Top 2 Tuesday

Things I will Accomplish This Year!

Earn this Ring!

I am going for being the Queen of the entire Sapphire Division at the Mary Kay Seminar for Recruiting!

This is huge for me because I have never even been in the Queen's Court of Recruiting! It takes 24 new qualified team members.  I am going for 50.  Last year I only recruited 3 qualified team members the entire year.  This year I have added 15 personal team members and 5 are already Seminar Qualified!  My mother said she would come to Seminar to see me cross the stage in the Queen's Court of Sales, Unit Club, and WHEN I am the Queen of Recruiting my entire family will get to be presented on stage with me.  It will give me a huge platform to publicly tell my family what they mean to me.  It makes me cry to even think about.  What lesson will that teach my kids as they stand beside the big throne I will get to sit on.  Then watch me earn a crown and be presented and  get to introduce them.  What will they learn about big girl dreams and accomplishments. I have learned that we as women have to tap into the emotions behind our dream and feed them.  I already envision myself seated on that throne.  I can see what Dalton, Brighton and Madison be wearing and what they will say when they get to talk in the big microphone.  To see the look of pride on my dad's face and to have my mother get to the see the huge picture of why I do what I do.  I have my dress for it all picked out.  What will I get to say about Darin and publicly thank him for his support.  It will be his first Seminar too.  We will also be traveling to Dallas in our new Pink Caddy too! I will accomplish this goal this year!

 2. Take my Kids to Disney World!

I have dreamed of taking my children to Disney World while they were little enough to believe that they were meeting the real Cinderella and Mickey Mouse.  This year as a new Sales Director I can earn up to $4000 in bonuses each quarter just by doing what I am suppose to do.  I have already earned the 1st one by debuting as a Sales Director before Dec. 1 this year! Each $1000 check I earn is going into a savings account for our trip.  Our plan is to pick them up on the last day of school and go on this vacation.  This year has already started as a year that the Koenig house hold does what they have been saying they are going to do for a long time.

I know this is top 2 Tuesday but I have one more.  With mine and Darin's promotions this month we are back on track to being debt free by December 31st! We will make this happen!

Feature Friday

Feature Friday

 I am doing my feature Friday again.  I love to introduce to my blogging world the people that mean something to me.  Today I am featuring my beautiful sister-in-law Stephanie.  She is married to my littlest brother Shane. It is funny because I was almost named Stephanie.  It was hard enough when my sister-in-laws came along and took the last name Helm.  I was a little territorial that I was the only Helm girl of the family and now that was not my last name.  But to have two Stephanie Helm's would have been weird.   It took me a little while to get to know Stephanie because she is so quiet.  When I mean quiet I mean, I can have a one sided conversation with her.  I really think she had to get use to me too.  I bet her ears would ring when she left me.  In my house growing up that was something we were not use to.  I think that is why she is perfect for my brother Shane.  Stephanie has always loved my babies and been wonderful with them.  She could love on and cuddle Madie since she was born.  She helped me so much this weekend while Darin was out of town and Madie was sick by taking Dalton for two days.  Then Sunday night we were both getting ready to go out to dinner and Madie started crying, she was there.  It heard a really troubling cry and I thought she was going to be sick.  She was screaming that her tummy hurt.  When I took her to the bathroom she did not want to sit on the toilet or lean over it to throw up.  It was not a normal cry and it scared me because I thought maybe it was her appendix.  Stephanie is a nurse so I called her to come help me.  When I laid Madie down I herd that gurgle noise that told me she was fixing to throw up. I rush her to the bathroom and nothing happened.  She kept crying.  That worried Stephanie and she grabbed Madie and rushed her to the bed to check her stomach with the same concern about her appendix.  The next  I hear is Madie projectile vomit all over Stephanie.  I tried to warn her.  I knew that noise.  Stephanie just stood there a moment and then smiled and asked Madie, "Do you feel better now?"  She did not freak out or bat and eye.  I took Madie to clean her up and she went to clean herself.  I knew that was a special kind of aunt.  I would not have been as calm if another persons kid puked all over me.  I was not that good of an aunt in my 20s either.  When crisis happens you want someone as cool and calm as Stephanie there with you.  She is a very patient and loving wife with my brother.  Shane is the entertainer and you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next.  Stephanie just rolls with it.  She is going to make a great mom someday.  She has fit into our family well over the last few years.  Even though I think we completely overwhelm her with how loud and talkative we can all be.  My favorite is all the shopping trips we have already made together.  That is the most fun times I have had with my two sister in laws. I never had a sister but I love going to church and being known as the three Helm girls.  It is very sweet to  worship with each week and do life with my sister-in-laws.  Even if they both like to remind me I am the oldest. 

Worship Wed a Day Late

I did not get to post yesterday because the day got away from me.  I wanted to welcome all my new followers.  Each one just made my day and I can't wait to get to 100!  I love that people are reading what I write.  I really started this blog as an outlet for my thoughts.  But I also want it to be an encouragement to others.  Maybe someone can identify with my struggles of being a wife and mother.  Or just be encouraged that they are not a crazy as that lady. haha Or if  just I make someone just laugh, I have served my purpose.  I love all of the comments and promise to read through your blogs too.  It was an exciting day for several reasons.  Madie was finally well and we got out of the house! Praise the Lord it was a long 7 days!!!  I got to start my new Ladies Bible study.  I had to miss the 1st week because Madie was so sick.  I also woke up yesterday morning and checked my Mary Kay website and found my official congratulations on becoming a director.  I got my official unit number and got to order my suit!!!  It was so exciting.  I was on the phone with my best friend Susan at the time and litterally squeeked in her ear!  Then we went to tour Darin's store and have lunch! It is official! The same week I became a MK sales director Darin became the newest GM in his area for Whataburger! We have struggled for so long working, waiting, praying for a break through.  We were both at our breaking point with weariness and ready to give up.  God blessed us abundantly and all at once.  There was no trickle in of the blessings! It was a tidal wave! We are so excited! 
I wanted to share a new worship song that was sang on Sunday.  I love my church so much! One of the things that I love the most is, that instead of diving the church over worship wars they just created another service that is at the same time as the traditional service.  It is for those of us that want to worship with a live band and more modern music.  We get the benefits of the established church with all of it's structure and the different ages that make up the beauty of the body, but are not sacrificing what our hearts love in worship.  This week some of the teens and college students led us and it was awesome! The last few weeks worship has been so alive.  It has overwhelmed me and consumed me.  As we are singing I has such a deep desire to hear the crowd breakout in thunderous applause.  Now don't get me wrong, there is a time for reverence and quiet.  I would never want to lose that.  But there are times to dance and cheer.  To celebrate and just give thunderous applause to the Great and Mighty King who sits on the throne.  The God who has overcome the world for us.  It is like a battle cry to the enemy that we will follow this King to the ends of the earth into victory.  Despite anything that comes against us we will cry out our allegiance and raise His banner high.  Like the thunderous applause that erupts during a football game when your team takes the field.  Fans go crazy! Or a rock star or when a celebrity take the stage to thunderous applause.  Our God deserves more applause than we would or could give to anyone else.  Like in The Lion King when the animals bow down in reverence and then break into thunderous applause for the birth of the new king.  That scene made me cry in the theater because it was such a picture of how we should worship.  The last two weeks I can feel it begin to break out but no one wants to step out and draw attention to themselves.  I yearn to just hear it erupt through the worshipers and not be contained.  When the people of the Lord come together and worship the Lord and celebrate all that he has done.  I don't mean the cheesy slow motion clap from teen 80's movies that breaks out into cheers.  But just to be singing to God and thanking him for who he is and it can not be contained.  Because he is a Great God, and a Victorious King of Glory!  The song breaks out almost into a shout as they just cry out.  It is not the best recording of the song. But see the massive crowd respond to worship and cry out to God. It brings tears to my eyes just watching the video. 


Psalm 100


SHOUT for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Labor Day & Top 2 Tues.

Top Two things you love about Fall

1.  The cooler weather, and opening all my windows.

2.  Football.  Not a huge fan of watching it on TV, but high school football. The sound of the band playing,  Homecoming mums, the Friday buzz.  It all brings back such sweet memories.  Then there is taking Saturday afternoon naps listening to the sounds of the announcer and the refs. whistle blowing while Darin watches College Football.  Putting on our maroon and white to go watch the Aggies play at my parents house. It reminds me of going to College Station and watching my brother play in the band at Kyle Field. 

Friday I was home with Madie and it was cloudy outside.  A perfect overcast day and I could hear the band practicing for the nights game.  The cadence of the drums playing in the background was relaxing.  Sounds of  shotguns in the background was mixed in and just as soothing.  Yes, to this Texas girl the sounds of guns firing in the back ground is a sweet sound.  It is the opening of dove season.  I hear that and  I am a kid again at my great grandparents farm house waking up to the smell of granny cooking breakfast and the sound of the sheep bleating in the pasture beside my open window.  The cool breeze is blowing in the sweet smell of wet the dewy ground and I can smell the fall air.  Growing up we spent every labor day at my grandparents and great grandparents homes.  Fall also brings back such sweet memories of the buzz that fall Fridays brought when I was in high school.  Pep-rallies, football games, after game dances.  Listening the sound of the drums coming from the band and the announcer could be heard from my house because we lived by the school.   Fall flowers,  and scarecrows take over Hobby Lobby along with the ribbons for Homecoming Mums.   I loved watching my mother make them growing up.  I loved wearing the Homecoming mums and the excitement of the Homecoming Dance.  Then for a couple of years I loved getting to help my neighbor make her daughter's. She has no idea what they were and it was neat to get to share my tradition and get to help her.  I can't wait to get to do that when my kids are old enough.  Hopefully they will still be in style to wear. Are Homecoming Mums just a Texas thing?  Fall reminds me of listening to country music, wearing boots and riding around in a boys pick up trucks.  Remember I grew up in Texas and wearing boots was not a Cowboy dress up day for school. 

It was August that I started dating my husband, Darin.  Our love story started in the fall.  I met his family when I spent Labor Day weekend with them in Wimberly 15 years ago.  Fridays brought a different excitement as I would wait for him to come each weekend from his school to see me.  Or I would travel to Belton to go see him.  Just hearing the song, "Dust on the Bottle" takes me back to days of running around in his blue pick up truck driving the back roads between Temple and Belton.  

    

5 Question Friday

I have had a sick little one with strep and it has been a difficult week taking care of her. But thank goodness school has started and she was the only one at home.  I thought I would like up with Mama M and her 5 question Friday.
1. What do you do when you have time to yourself?
Read! I love getting lost in another world created in a story.  I left the world of Fork and jumped into Hogwarts.  I just finished reading the Harry Potter Series and loved every minute of it.  I hate to admit it being a diehard Twilight fan, but the last book of the series, The Deathly Hallows was one of the best fiction books I have ever read.
Writing.  I don't get much time for it but I love to write.  Short stories, poems.  I did a lot more of it before having kids.

2. When you look out your kitchen window, what do you see?
My neighbors house.

3. Who/What would you want to be reincarnated as?
    An Ice skater.  I love watching figure skating and think it would be so cool to get to do that.  The graceful routines they get to do. What an expression of their soul to get to skate a beautiful performance to a song that is meaningful to you.  Like when Scott Hamilton did a beautiful performance to Amazing Grace back in the 80's.  Not to mention all of the beautiful costumes.   
4. What is your biggest pet peeve about other people's kids?
Cleaning up after them.  I don't like cleaning up after my own kids but I really resent having to clean up after other people's kids.  I also have a hard time when they are distructive with my kids toys.  My kids are trained to take care of their toys and it is hard when other kids play to rough with toys or break their favorite toys.  This is for another post.  I still have issues of being a church planter's wife and having other people's kids in my home a lot.

5. Regular or Diet soda?
There is nothing better than a foutain Dr. Pepper over crushed ice.  But I am learning to like diet coke.

We did It!

We did it, we did it! Yea we did it! To borrow from Dora.  Monday night (one day early) my team and I finished the qualifications from Mary Kay to become our own unit!  It was awesome! The last two consultants placed their orders to complete the requirements of $18,000 wholesale in a 4 month period.  This is something I have deemed of and wanted for over 13 years! It was something I was afraid to try and in the back of my mind wondered if I had what it took to make it through the process. It means tripling my income from what I am making now.  It is the making it to the top 2 percent of the company. I can now go on target for that beautiful pink Cadillac.  It means I get to order my suit and wear it at all the events.  I have a unit that I get to train, and teach.  It is a lot of recognition at company events.  Personally it breaths life into my self confidence that I saw something through to completion and did it!  I did not get up when the going got tough and things looked like they were not going to happen.  This is the suit I get to order as soon as Mary Kay calls and gives me my unit number.

I am my Director Teresa's 1st off spring unit! She is like another Mom to me and to get to make her a Sr. Director is the coolest thing.

This time last year I was at an all time low.  We were out of ministry because we closed the doors on our church and the church we went to work for could not longer pay Darin a salary.  With very little notice we moved out of our home and moved in with my parents.  I had fallen out of qualifications for directorship due to all of the sudden changes.  Living with my parents was not the ideal situation and strained my relationship with my mother.  I felt lost, defeated, lonely and trapped.  Darin was depressed and has no idea what his next step would be.  I felt like I did not belong anywhere and was ashamed.  I got on antidepressants to just help me deal with my current reality. By October Darin got a job with Whataburger and we moved into our own home.  We started on the slow journey back to get back on our feet.  It has not been an easy journey and has taken a lot of hard work but the reality hit me of how life has changed.  Now one year later we are in a church that we love.  We have always served in churches but being a part of Manchaca Baptist church is the church I always wanted to a part of or one like it.  Here I am surrounded by people I love! My best girlfriends in the world all go to church with me.  The people teaching my children also knew me when I was a teenager.  I am apart of the community that I live in. Coming home to the town I was raised in has been healing.  I no longer feel like an outsider looking in trying to build community with people around me.  I finally feel like a belong and am loved. I am back in a size 8! I took the bull by the horns and got my pregnancy weight off my body.  From a 14 to an 8 and working towards a 6! I took myself off the antidepressants.  Life has been steadily getting back on track but very hard these past few months.  Whataburger has been a hard test as Darin work long hours at a store towards proving himself ready to take over his own store and waiting for one to come open.  After finding out that I had made director, Darin got a call that he has his interview tomorrow to take over his own store and be a General Manager for Whataburger.  His salary will double and his bonuses will triple the same month my bonus percentages triple!  God is so faithful! His blessing is abundant. Never late and always on time.  I laugh when I think about how tightly I held on to old dreams and what I thought I wanted for my life.  I begged God to not move us again this last time.  I was frustrated when life began to transition.  Wow my life is completely different that it was one year ago and what a year it was. 

Worship Wed.

We are down to needing $1200 and 1 qualified and 2 active to finish directorship! It feels so close and yet so far away. But I refuse to give in to panic or anxiety.  God has brought me this far and he will see it through.  I stand in awe and I worship.  I was praying with two ladies last night for things because God laid it on our hearts to begin to pray.  As I was praying the task seemed so huge. Like I was pushing a huge bolder and trying to get it rolling.  The task we were praying for seemed so big when we started.  But God revealed to me that he had already started this ball rolling.  He was the one that called these ladies and I to starting praying and come along side a work that He himself started and was doing.  He wants us to cry out to him and tell him He is great and able to more than we ever imagined possible! He allows us to be apart of his plan and see Him work.  I love this video because it has the word of God in it. There is nothing more powerful that we can do than to pray His word! I shout it from the roof tops that Our God is faithful. Our God is Stonger, and Awesome in Power, He is Our God!

1st Day of School

There are so many blog posts going on in my head that I want to write and very little time to write it all out.  I am so excited to report that we are down to needing two more qualified team members (Placing $600 wholesale orders) and about $1500 in production to come to finish directorship!  I am excited but I wish I was done today.  Today marks the last 7 days to the month and I feel the clock ticking.  But, Our God is faithful and I am can't wait to see where it comes from and how He chooses to wrap this up. 

The first day of school brought a mixture of emotions.  Mainly excitement because keeping up with all three kids, business and our house alone has been overwhelming.  I did get a little teary eyed yesterday taking my excited little 5 year old to her classroom.  It is a new stage of life with another one starting school.  It was hard getting everyone to bed on time and up early the next morning. In fact Dalton woke me up at 1:00 am fully dressed and wanting to know why I was not up yet. 

The kids have been so hyper and full of energy since we went to back to school night last Thursday and I could not get them to school fast enough Monday morning. This is going to interesting getting two ready and out the door on time.  Girls have a lot more prep time that boys even at a young age. 

Brighton's dress was made by her grandmother for school.  Mimi made her 5 little dresses for school this year. 

Daddy got to help us get ready and prayed over them before we left the house.  I love this picture. 

There were some tears as we left but not over going to school and being left at home. Maddie cried because she did not want to get up and wanted to go back to bed.

It is really neat that my kids go to the same Elementary School that I went to and where Nonna teaches.  Dalton will actually be in her grade level and his classroom is right next door.  So yesterday morning we had to stop by her classroom for hugs. 

I am so excited about Dalton's teacher this year because I have known her since we were in Jr. High. It is going to make delivering her Mary Kay easier too.  She has a check for her product in his take home folder when he got home. 

I did not get a picture of Brighton with her teacher because another student was having a melt down over her mother leaving her.  I am so thankful that I do not have shy children.  It would have made leaving her so hard.  She could not get there fast enough.  The entire process of getting a new back pack, lunch box and supplies has just made her more and more excited. 

When we got back in the car Maddie announces.  "I am your only child."  She was so content to play by herself all morning.  We ate lunch together and she was a different child with out the other two.  Errands went so smoothly and quickly getting only one child in and out of the car. I did realize last night some of the draw back to having two in school now though.  There is double the paperwork to fill out and it all the same information.  Double the cost for school supplies, lunch and school expenses.  Double the time getting lunches made in the morning and breakfast.  It is going to be interesting when all three are going to school. 

Worship Wednesday

I am going back to my Worship Wednesdays! I am at a point where I am striving  to be more worshipful in my life.  I know it works to bring me back to being centered and grounded in my faith.  Worship fills my storming soul with peace and fills me with power.  Last week I was worn out and having a tough week. The kids were not helping with their fighting and my hormones were not cooperating either.  As I have stated before I can sometimes have PMS so bad it can make me doubt my own salvation. So I turned off the TV and plugged in my Iphone to the speakers in the house and played worship music.  My kids acted better, I calmed down and peace flowed through the house. Worship is such a strong weapon to use against the schemes of the devil. When there is nothing I can do about my situation and I have laid it down at the foot of the cross, all I have left to do is worship. It is what I should have done first! It clears my mind from worry and turns my lips from complaining to praise! Tell God who he is and how much you love him! Thank him for all he has done! Sometimes our breakthrough come when we express our needs to God and verbally tell him that we know he has the power to heal and to mend.  Even when your heart does not start out believing it, the mind only knows what the tongue tells it! Cry out to him that he is the supplier of our needs! That is why I love the words to the chorus of the song, "You are Holy." "You are Lord of Lords, You are King of Kings, You are mighty God, Lord of everything! Alpha Omega! Beginning and End! My Savior Messiah Redeemer and Friend. Your my prince of Peace and I will live my live to Him." To keep idle hand from making things worse then I lift them in praise to Christ!  I love to sing that song because you are telling God that he is those things. It is not a song about him it is a song to him!  Sing that enough and your mind catches up, where the mind goes the emotions catch up, where the emotions go belief follows!  It is amazing the power that is released when we take our hands off our problems and raise them instead in praise!
Just like the people used to do when the king and the men would go into battle.  They would raise their hands cheering, lifting banners high in the air.  Banners telling their enemies who they supported! Banners with the crest of of the ruling king!  Our hands are our banners! We are telling the enemy which King we serve, which King we worship and which King we follow! We are celebrating our King and his battle as he goes into battle on our behalf! I love the image of that. This life is a battle but not any victory compared to the day that the King will come riding in on the white horse ending the final battle victoriously!  Raise your hands in worship with full abandonment because we serve the ruling King who will reign eternally and is always victorious!
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
Revelations 5:13 

Quick Post

I am not feeling well today! Those of you out in blog land reading this if you could please pray.  Now is not the time for me to get sick.  I only need 7 more people to add or get active on my team to finish directorship and I am pushing to finish it this week!  My head is pounding, my chest is burning and I ache all over!  I really wanted to play on Taylor @ Undomestic Goddess today with her Top 2 Tuesday.  But really don't have time today.  So I thought I would just post a music video of a new song that I love.  I am not a huge Pink fan but I love her voice on this song and I love the words to this song.  Plus I gotta give the girl props. She not only nailed every note of the song singing live but she does it while swinging in the air! One more side note! I love all of my new followers and am super excited to get to 80! JUST 1 MORE!  Enjoy this song. 

Sunday Night Confessions-Posted on Monday

Yes, I know that it is Monday and I was so tired last night I did not have time to blog.  We have got to get into a better night time routine around our house with school starting soon.  My youngest two would not go to sleep last night! Grrrrr!  Yesterday in Sunday School our teacher Tricia asked us what we would do for God if we were not afraid? Then we had to get into groups and talk about it! It was neat because my group was my brother and his wife Jenny .  Jenny knows everything about me so as we talked I did not have to explain a lot.  I consider myself a risk taker and a bold person.  I am not afraid to meet people, talk to people or ask for what I need.  I have the mentality of "If you don't ask then you will never know."  But I have a lot of deep rooted fear that this question helped me dig into.  I am on the brink of having my biggest dream fulfilled and I am scared out of my mind!!!! I have wanted to be a Mary Kay sales director since I joined 14 years ago.  I mean it brings tears to my eyes I want it so bad.  To be a Mary Kay Sales director is the epitome of everything I want to be.  They are feminine, beautiful, strong leaders.  Not everyone gets to be one but it's open to anyone who wants to work hard enough to get it.  At Mary Kay events they are set a part and honored.  They have a huge platform to teach, speak and inspire other women.  The amount of income potential that a Mary Kay sales director can have is matched to Cooperate America and they don't have to sacrifice their families, motherhood or beliefs for it.  Plus, they have the most fashion forward suits that are designed for them each year and they can earn the use of the pink Cadillac.  I could work for other companies and I have been approach by every home based business that has come up over the years.  But Mary Kay is me.  It is a Christ centered company that is feminine and glamorous and so pro women. Plus, HELLO PINK CADILLAC!  It takes four months and certain qualifications to become a Sales Director and I am in my last month and I am TERRIFIED!  I finished the Queens Court of Sales two years ago and earned my 1st diamond ring.  I earned the use of my 1st car two years ago too.  But this is the hardest thing I have ever done because I have to trust others with my dream and include them in on it too.  In sales it is all on me.  I can sell this product in my sleep and have built a large clientele.  But my dream is now tied up into people recruiting under me and helping them reach their dreams.  That is where I realized my deep rooted fear lies.  I don't want to risk being disappointed in people who are not women of their words.  It is so hard for me to invest in people and they walk away.  It is hard to take someone at their word and then they let you down.  I usually do things myself because I don't want to risk being disappointed in people.  Nor do I want to be a disapointment to others.  I don't want to recruit an awesome person and dream with them and then they disappear from your life with no word.  I have to fight myself not to focus on all of the team members who did not keep their word and focus on the ones that did.  It is hard to be excited after being let down.  The last two months of qualifications have been an range of emotions and it has been difficult to risk running full speed ahead again.  But then I had a thought the other day that I have taken as my mantra, "Do not let the people who do not keep their word, stop me from seeking to find the ones that do."  I have some awesome women on my team that have rallied around my goal and begun to form goals of their own.  If not for Mary Kay and seeking them out I would not have them in my life.  I have to keep asking and seeking because I do not know who God is going to place in front of me that I was too discouraged to talk to.  It like what Mary Kay herself taught us, "Some will, some won't, so what."  I know that this is from my point of view from my little pink bubble, but it applies to life.  We have all been hurt in relationships and it can make us shut down and not reach out again.  It can make us perceive others as a threat.  But if we entrust our hearts to our heavenly father and allow him to lead us into fellowship with others then we are enriched and able to be used for his kingdom.  I can not pray for God to enlarge my territory if I do not embrace every opportunity he places in front of me.  My passion is reaching women.  If I can make a women feel more beautiful, more confident and learn who she is in Christ then that is all I could want.  My biggest accomplishment ever in my Mary Kay career is the two women who accepted Christ from a Skincare class.  It is a magical thing.  Through lipsticks and rouge women can be empowered and find a relationship with Jesus Christ.  When I put my fear in that light a what is little disappointment and frusteration? In the end it is all worth the risk.

So Inspired! Feature Friday

I have been in the middle of qualifications to becoming a director with Mary Kay.  So there has not been a lot of blogging time.   The last few month have been a wave of emotions, stress and big stories of victory.  God has been teaching me through his word about diligence and persistence as a growth of faith.  I will be blogging about my thoughts over the next few post.  But before I can have perseverance I have to have motivation.  I just got back from Seminar and I have to tell you how much I LOVE Seminar every year! It was fun going this year because I was a size smaller and had an entire new look.

Today I want to feature a new friend of mine Joy. Joy was the Queen last year of our National area and in the Queen's Court of Sales for the Saphire Seminar top 20! After talking with Joy I learned that the year she did this she had survived a brain tumor and home schooled three young children, two with disabilities.  She has one with autism and one with anger issues. As I talked with her I thought, "So what was my excuse now?"  Here is the picture of the top three with our National Sales Director in her last Seminar before retirement. 

This year Joy came back to Seminar and had not only done the Queen's Court of Sales again but now was the number two in Sales for the entire Saphire Seminar.  The Queen was not in attendance at Seminar and Joy got to give a speech. In it she thanked her family and talked about each of her children and what they had taught her.  Her oldest has taught her patience because of all the needs of her younger siblings.  She spoke of how proud she was of her.  Then she explained how her son with autism and taught her what persistence and determination looked like and thanked him for his positive attitude.  It was what she said about her last one with the anger issues.  She talked about how much she loved him and how even when things got broken in her home that God was using that to teach her not to be materialistic over earthly things.  Having three strong willed children all 8 and younger and a husband who works long hours, I thought these were good excuses as to why I had not completed all of my goals.  After getting to know Joy I need to make my children my reasons not my excuses. 

Seminar really inspired me this year and I thought I would share this years goals:

Finish Directorship Sept.1!!!

Complete the Queens Court of Sales top 20! Selling $50,000 this year!

Queen of Recruiting in the Saphire Seminar with 50 new qualified team members!

$300,000 Unit Club with my new unit!

These are some big goals but I a ready to grow and see God show up in a big way!

Thank You Jenny Childress!

My blog background disappeared and I did not have the patience to work on it.  My friend Jenny offered to help fix it and she fixed it up too! Now she is on a mission to look for me a zebra print.  I am redoing my office in Zebra and hot pink and it is my theme for Mary Kay this year.  Thank you Jenny for offering to help. You did a great job.

5 Question Friday

I have not played the 5 Question Friday in a while and I thought I would this week.  The older two kids are at VBS at our church and I have a few free moments before it is time to go pick them up.  I have been crazy with qualifications for Mary Kay right now that I have not had much time to blog.  I have missed it but I have huge goals to finish this month and next.  Other than keeping house, running after three kids and trying to work out it there is not a lot of time left to blog.  I could not find the link button on her site but you can play along with Mama M by clicking here. http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/2010/07/five-question-friday-71610.html She has a really cute blog I like to follow.

1. Do you collect anything?

I use to collect Gone with the Wind memorabilia.  I since moving from having it all over my highschool bedroom to having my own house. I did not have much space left for Scarlett and Rhett.  I have started a small collection of Twilight things since that is my new favorite set of books and movies.  I now collect jewelry crosses.  I love the ones I have gotten so far.  For Christmas I have copied my mother and started collecting Santa's to decorate with.
2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.

When I was a teen I loved Chris Odonell and Kirk Cameron.  I just dated myself as a teen in the 90's.  Now there are several that I think are handsome but I like them when they are in character  not in normal life. (If that makes any sense.)  Number 1 would be Robert Pattinson when he is Edward. (Eclipse finally got him looking like the story book Edward.  Orlando Bloom when he is Legolas and in Pirates.  In normal day dress he is not "clean cut" enough for my taste. 
I think Zack Efforn is the cutest.  But I should pick someone out of their 20's right? It's my blog and I can do what I want. :)

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?

I have one in my eyebrow where the hair does not grow.  I have to use brow gel to cover it up.  It is from when I was five and my three year old little brother was killing ants with a crow bar and I looked over is shoulder to see what he was doing.  He never he knew he hit me.  Now my question is where he got the crowbar and where our parents were at the time?

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?

I like to dip french fries in a chocolate milkshake.  I don't think that is weird.  I also like to dip potato chips in ketchup. 

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

Not really.  I was in Belton when the big tornado hit Jarell Texas back in 1998 I think.  It's about 15 minutes north.  We had tornado's touch down in Temple, Belton and North Austin.  I just could not leave class due to the storm. 

Wordless Wed.

My favorite of all of the pictures I took on the 4th of July.

My Little Man

Dalton has been at his Aunt Wee's house since last Friday.  He will not be home until Tuesday and I miss him!  He is 8 now and thinks he is grown.  He is in heaven with my teenage nephews! He is in guy land full of Halo, Guitar Hero and I am sure plenty of burping and farting jokes.  He has hung with the big boys all week and I can tell when I talk to him on the phone.  He called me a punk for going to see Eclipse with out him and wanted to know all about the wolves and the Harry Potter preview that I saw!  He must have felt so grown getting to go see Toy Story 3 in 3D with his 19 & 16 year old cousins.  I fully warned them to buckle him up, not let him go to the theater bathroom on his own and not to let him wander off by himself.  I know that I was 19 when I use to take these two boys on outings when they were 6 & 4 but, girls view things differently.  When warning my nephew about this, he jokingly buts in with, "So the beer I bought to give him is out?"  Just wait until this nephew has a kids of his own and we will see how he feels. 

Speaking of the whole bathroom thing, I have a question to pose to other mother's of boys out there.  Dalton is 8 now and does not want to go into the restroom with me when we are in public.  I get that, but I am just not ready to send my 8 year old little boy into the big men's bathroom all on his own.  We have all heard the horror stories and what can happen to little boys in men's bathrooms.  I swore I would not be that over protective mom but if I don't protect him who will?  If I had more than one little boy to send together I think it would be different.  I get the funny looks for women in the YMCA locker room and bathrooms.  I understand that he is getting too old to go with me.  But did anyone else struggle with this?  The icing on the cake was the other day when we were in Walmart and Madie announces, "I need to go potty!"  I think it is ingrained in her little body that every time we are in Target or Walmart and at the furthest place in the store away from the bathroom that she needs to go right then.  So I left my half full cart out side the bathroom and lugged all three into the restroom against Dalton's will.  I could not leave him alone outside the bathroom? I took both girls into the stall and hear Dalton out side of the stall, "T-t-tame.T-t-tame-pon. Tamepon. Hey mom what's a tamepon?"  I went three shades of red and heard another lady in a stall stiffel a giggle.  "Don't worry about it Dalton." I called from the restroom while struggling the get Madie's pants up with out her touching the toilet seat. "But mom they are selling them in this bathroom.  Is it for girls?"

I hurriedly tried to get the girls hands washed at a sink that is too tall and get out of the bathroom as fast as I can.  "Mom what are they for? What is a Tampon?" I was a blank for an answer and very embarrassed. "Please don't Dalton. It is not something for you to worry about." Then his impish smile crossed over his face starting at the corner of his little mouth as he spoke. "Oh I get it Mommy.  It is something inappropriate to talk about isn't it?"  

Ah the adventures of Motherhood!   

A Very Hard Week with a Very Good Ending

This week has been a terrible, no good very bad week that progressively just got worse as the week carried on. But this week had a very good ending!  I am not going to go into all of the details because it is over now. (Thank the Lord!) I am in qualifications to becoming a director with Mary Kay and things fell very short and we made it into the next month by the skin of our teeth.  As I frantically worked to make up the difference in our production and finish the minimums of the month, the stress of my husbands job made him crack and he took it out on the entire family.  He has since apologized and even helped me get my newest team member, but things were tense around the Koenig house this week.  This was topped off by while I was putting in a new team members order at her apartment my daughter announces that she needs to go potty.  I ran her upstairs to their bathroom thinking no one was home and not being warned that anyone was home upstairs. I  walked in on her roommates boyfriend completely naked going to the bathroom! I saw enough to know he was not dressed and escaped running back down stairs with my little one still needing to go potty.  It was a first for me in my Mary Kay career!  I ended the week while I was out running errands blowing out the side of my favorite pair of flip flops and it was heavily raining.  Then getting a speeding ticket on Thursday morning. I was so sad Tuesday nights watching all the status updates of people I knew that were at the midnight showing of Eclipse.  My girlfriends and I had purchased tickets for July 1st.  I could not justify going before June was over because I was working.  Thursday seemed so far away.  I could not wait to see the movie!  So to reward my hard work my wonderful sister-law, Jenny treated me to the early bird showing Thursday morning at 10:15 with popcorn and drink included! Or my she bought tickets to see it with my brother and he did not want to go and I was her second choice. Seeing the movie 10:15 two days after it opened was not the same vibe as seeing New Moon at the midnight showing with 2000 other anxiously waiting fans with all of their various Twilight shirts.  We sported our Team Edward shirts proudly.  But I think we were the only ones. It was fun to see it with Jenny though.  She was so sweet to think of me and wanted to see the movie with me.  She had to work and could not go with our girls group for the Thursday showing.  I love my Jenny!

Thursday night I went with the rest of my gals over to Alamo Draft House to see the movie again.  Yes, I saw Eclipse twice in one day and had two different shirts for the two viewings.   So I sported my new shirt and headed out! This theater was a restaurant and we ate during the movie.  I don't think I can go back to a regular movie theater after this. 

Stephanie had the best shirt of the night although Jasper was so good in the movie I wanted a Jasper shirt like Vanessa got. 

My thoughts on the movie will be saved for another blog post.  I wanted to feature my Twilight Home girls that made my movie experience so awesome and a fun ending to what started as a rough week.

Grace

Grace, grace, God's grace,  grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!

Life has been a little tough these last couple of months.  But, I have been surviving.  I have pushed through frustration. I've tried to keep a positive outlook and a good prospective on things that have happened.  I have put my nose to the grindstone and tried to just keep moving forward.  Some days I could hear in my head, "Just keep swimming, swimming. Just keep swimming." from finding Nemo. I was wait for my break through.  I have had little victories along the way that have kept me going.  I am loved and supported but felt so alone and misunderstood.  Have you ever had so much pressure pushing down on you that you felt like you could not breath?  I have swallowed a lot of hurt and a lot of disapointments and kept moving forward.  There is no time to question, no time to wonder why.  I have just rolled with it and known that God would see me through this and someday I would have answers as to why.  Frusteration has been building inside of my that I have supressed down.  God is soveriegn and he sees all, knows all and controlls all.  To allow frustration to leak out and admit to it was to doubt God and to me showed a lack of faith.   What He brings us too He can bring us through.  I know all of these truths, but still was drownding in a sea of dispair.  I felt resentment, anger, stress and frusteration bubbling internally and was doing my best to keep it from overflowing on people around me.  I did not like the way I felt and could feel my controll on it slipping.  Yesterday was hard in church to get into worship.  I needed it but I could not get into it.  I felt far from God and I am so tired of feeling like I am not enough.  Why was I so angry? Why could I not relax and felt litterally jittery all the time?  I was a ticking time bomb waiting to going off and I hated how out of controll I felt.  Where was the peace that passes all understanding in the midst of the storm?  Where was my power from the Lord? As the sermon started God whispered in my ear the word-Grace. He was calling me to soak in his grace.  That truth hit me between the eyes.  I was not letting his grace wash over me and I had nothing left to give others.  I was missing the point because I was missing grace. I had the grace of salvation but I was missing the point of his mercry being new every morning.  I knew of grace but I was not walking in grace.  This is what I began to write as I sat there....

Grace has flowed over me and washed me clean.  Grace that has been given freely that I could never deserve is new for me to embrace each and every morning.

Rivers of grace wash over me and I can not stop it's flow as it reaches others. Grace must be kept flowing.  I can give grace because I have recieved grace. Dear God pull me off the high thrown of judgement that I have allowed to Lord over me bringing with it feelings of guilt and shame.  It has cast a shadow of judgement over others.  I run from it's shadows and into the light of mercy.  Let the sweet fragrance of love fill me and I breath in it's scent. The healing power of God's grace heals my brokeness and allows me to respond with love and grace to others around me.  I have got to let go of anger and resentment and cling to the mercy of grace and love.

With that truth brought an inner peace that I have not felt in a long long time. I began to hear the words of this song in my spirit for the rest of the day.  It's truth was a new song in my heart and is cleansed my soul. 

Wordless Wed

For my wordless Wed.  I am honoring my parents who celebrated 36 years of marriage on Monday.  These are pictutres of my brothers and I growing up.
We were 10, 8 and 6 here!

18, 16 and 14 here! 1995!

This one was from three years ago. 30,28 and 26!

This is sad that this is the most recent of us and our spouses.  This was at our 80s birthday party on Feb.