For those of you without a bionic eye, this is CHIP INGRAMS's 'Effective Parenting in a Defective World' Resource Kit! The last time I squealed like this was the Tax-Free Day sale at Kohl's!

Did White Post have any idea exactly who they were asking to provide an objective review for Chip? Did they have any clue I listen to his Living on the Edge broadcast on Moody radio almost every single day? Did they realize he has me laughing one minute, crying the next all while being drawn closer to the Lord Jesus with every session? And the precious way he recounts his relationship with his wife and children?! It's almost too much to take in.

Which is why if you tell me Chip Ingram has done a Bible Study which teaches me to be a better parent - I'm all in.

I've obviously not had time to do the study, but here are a couple of highlights for me:

1. The nine-session workbook is theologically sound. If you are looking to apply Biblical principles to your parenting, this is the study you want. You won't find any new-age psychobabble here, thank you!

2. The workbook material is practical. It is one thing to learn scriptural principles and yet another to be given steps to make them relevant. I love a good 'how-to' and this study accomplishes this without making the learner feel like a total failure as a parent.

3. One of the premises of the Workbook is 'God Has a Dream'. I love knowing God desires to use me to bring about the full potential of the children He has entrusted to my care. They are our first ministry! Don't ever let the world tell you raising your children to be God-loving individuals is insignificant!

4. This study recognizes failure is a reality and offers proactive ways of dealing with situations when our children make bad decisions. This is such a powerful session for every parent - whether you or your children have blown it big or not. As much as we don't want to think about it, at some point our kids will mess up. But praise God! That's when we have the opportunity to be a display of God's mercy and grace. As Chip states it, "Failure Is Never Final".

The only thing I didn't like about this study has to do with a weird, personal issue I have. You see, I'm a bit of a book snob. I love a heavy, sizable, substantial workbook and this one is a bit smallish. It makes up in content for what it lacks in substance but a beefed up study guide would better reflect the glory of the interior.

I also wish I had another kit to give away. I suppose I could give you mine - but I'm selfish like that. I intend on working this study into our fall lineup of discipleship courses at our church. If I don't find a facilitator, I promise I'll do a drawing because this study is way too good to leave on a library shelf.

Would you do me a favor? Will you go to Chip's website and get more info and consider using this as a small-group resource? And if I've left any questions unanswered, please feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll be so glad to give you all the info I possibly can. I personally can not wait to work through this study.

I'm going to be such an awesome mom when I get done..:)

p.s. Please, please - lots of clicks to Chip's website!

Take a little break and click here to read,

"She Likes Being Nothing..."

If you've checked in here this week, you know our #2 son, Squid, was baptized Sunday. You wouldn't think there would be too dramatic a change in a 9-year old after this, but I'm telling you he is so much more relaxed. I asked him today if he felt better now that he was saved and he said, "Yes, ma'am. I just don't have anything to worry about anymore." Be still my heart.

Tonight I was praying with Big Daddy - our 7-year old son. I don't like the children to get in a prayer rut, so I'll use the ACTS acrostic to guide their prayers. (If you've not heard of it, this stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) Here was Big Daddy's Prayer last night:


Me: Okay Big Daddy, Start with telling God how great He is...

BD: (In his best TD Jakes voice) Praaaiiise Yoouuuu, JESUS!

Me: Okay, (I guess that was good? After all, didn' t Paul say as long as Jesus is preached?)...Now, confess something you did wrong today...

BD: Hmmmmm..I can not think of one. single. thing.

Me: Are you sure about that?

BD: Positive.

(Here I confessed for him - for several minutes)

Me: What about thanks?

BD: Thank you, God, for wiffle ball. It rocks.

Me: Now tell God how you are going to try to live for Him...

BD: Dear Lord - I'm going to try to act like a missionary. And oh, I thought of one thing I did wrong. I'm sorry I've been pooting the whole time I've been talking to You.

Of course I want all of my children to be born again as early in their lives as possible, but something tells me Big Daddy isn't quite there yet....:)

Dear Boys,

Summer vacation has come to a close and here I am not believing another school year is beginning.

Einstein, you are going into 6th Grade. In our school, this is your last year of elementary. I'm so glad of that. I'm not ready for you to be a Middle Schooler. I distinctly remember rocking you as a baby and your blond curly hair would brush my cheek. Eleven years later you can stand flat-footed and it does the same. You are so grown-up, so wise, and yet so much still my baby. Your teachers always fall head over heels with you. I know this year will be no different. I wonder if this will be the year for girlfriends. Oh, I SO hope not. You have all the time in the world, son. I'll be your girl as long as you'll let me..

Squid, 4th Grade for you! You are the compassionate one - the one who can't stand to see someone be picked on. You can't wait to get back to class to see your friends. You've already laid out your clothes. You chose a t-shirt which says "These guns are registered as lethal weapons". This is talking about your massive arm muscles of course. We laugh long and hard at you giving us 'Gun Shows' with your scrawny little pipes. Blessings on you this year, son. You are so smart and your friends adore you. You are quite the ladies' man, too, but as with Einstein, a little too shy to take the leap into the land of girlfriends. The offer I made Einstein is also good for you...:)

Big Daddy - Holy Cow - 2nd Grade will not know what hit it! So much personality packed into such a little body. But you are a good boy, well-behaved and well-loved. The older kids get a kick out of you. I do believe you are as well-known in the High School as you are elementary. You, just like your brothers, are smart as a whip. And you, son, have street smarts. That is a gift I pray the Lord uses in a mighty way. You are tenacious - another great gift when used well. How I long to see how Jesus is going to harness that for His glory!

Though I tease about how glad I am for school to start, I will miss you guys. No mom likes the idea of giving her children to someone for the better part of your waking hours. The house will be quiet and somewhat clean. The refrigerator will have a few more groceries. But your mom will look forward to 2:45 every day as I squeal into the driveway before I'm late picking you up.

And if I don't quite make it, you know exactly where to sit by the office until I get there...

May God bless every moment of your year and may you have only happy memories...

We love you, boys!

The ' I AM' Study will be up by lunch. Somehow Blogger reverted to a previous version of my post and AUTOSAVED when I was moments away from completion. A Pox on you, Blogger! A nasty, deadly, infectious pox!

It is already midnight and I am just too tired to retype it all....I'm going to bed now and I'll retype in the a.m. When will I learn my lesson and type in Word and copy/paste into the editor? GAH!

Please come back! :)

Dear Squid,

I remember the January day you were born like it was yesterday. I was doing laundry as I was getting ready to go to the doctor's office for a scheduled checkup when my labor began. I called dad's college office and in a very calm voice said, "Hi Tara, could you get Luke for me and tell him he has to come home. Right.Now." All I heard were shrill squeals on the line, "Are you having the baby!!!!!???" Not only did she find dad, Tara made sure all of our dear friends knew you were on the way. You were so anticipated, so loved, so welcomed.

Thursday you experienced another sort of birthday - one on which you were born into the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like your natural birth, your mom and dad have so looked forward to the spiritual one. We have seen the labor pains for a while. The way you asked a few more questions. The intensity with which you listened to your Bible stories. The restlessness that seemed to grow within you. Thursday I asked you, 'Do you ever think about salvation?' to which you answered in a flood of tears, 'All the time'.

We sat in the laundry room floor and talked it through. Almost ten years ago, I was standing in front of the dryer when you made it clear you were making your way into the world. It was in this same place I held you in my arms as you prayed the prayer of forgiveness which would grant you access to another. Laundry has never felt so sacred. Now that I think of it, the clothes are normally stacked as high as Sinai~an intentional parallel perhaps? I don't know that I'll be able to wash clothes with shoes on ever again....

And can I even talk about your baptism yesterday? Hardly without blubbering! Do you have any idea how undone your daddy was being able to baptize you? Did you think he was ever going to quit hugging you in that baptistry? I do believe you were soaked in his tears before you ever went under the water. I guess you could consider it a baptism from both your fathers. I don't think God minded sharing on this good day.

I was going to write much more but the phone is ringing off the hook and I have to leave in a bit.

I will also ask you to pray for our church. Anytime a body is doing a work that is effecting the souls of men, women and children, Satan stands and takes notice. Warfare is and will continue to take place. When you pray, please ask God to dispatch an extra regiment of angelic protection to our little home in North Alabama~ :))

Have a great Thursday!

Background Reading:
Joshua Chapter 2

Key Verses:

As we continue in our study of the fame of the Lord, this week's focus will again fast-forward us some time into the journey of the Israelites as they begin their conquest of the Promised Land.

The fame of the Lord will always strike fear into the hearts of men (and women). Some people will not admit they are afraid of a coming judgment, but I do not believe there is a person anywhere who has never given eternity a second thought or secretly wondered, 'what if it's all true?'. The fear of the Lord is our common ground, but the response to that fear can be broken down into two types of people:

1. 'The Fist Shakers' respond in mortal fear for their temporal bodies.

The inhabitants of Jericho were terrified of the news they had heard - primarily the utter destruction of Sihon and Og. Often, when people are threatened with impending judgement, instead of submitting to the one who has power to execute justice they instead go into defense mode. They lash out instead of reach out. They run instead of succumb. They spew hate rather than accept love. In essence, this encounter becomes a war. Those who choose not to believe decide they must hate the thing which they perceive is threatening them - in this case a loving, yet righteous God. This is why they shake their fists at the sky. Don't we all know people like this? We tell them about a loving God and we are met with rejection and even anger when we suggest eternal damnation is the consequence for unbelief.

Another perfect example of Fist Shakers were the Pharisees. Their fear was loss of control. They were not willing accept the divine paradox which says you must lose your life to find it . You must serve in order to lead. You must become lesser in order to be greater. (Luke 17:33, John 13:16, John 3:30) When Jesus confronted them with this, instead of accepting Him, they killed Him. Again, this is still the truth today as people who reject the Gospel are ultimately quashing the voice of the Holy Spirit and as a consequence, hardening their heart for the next go round. Remember the Pharaoh of the Exodus? I believe this concept can be applied to His continued refusal to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt even though his country was falling down around his ears. This battle was one of self-preservation and control. The power to preserve and control belongs to One alone. Fortunately, it was not the Pharaoh and is not you and me! The heartbreaking truth is often it takes rock bottom to make one finally look up and drop their hands in surrender, if they ever surrender at all. Oh, Girls! We have a huge task on this planet to hold the hands of our lost sisters so they'll stop shaking those things at the sky!

2. The Faith Takers will experience a holy fear that will transcend their bodies and cut straight to their souls.

In his most excellent book, Twelve Extraordinary Women, John MacArthur makes a point about Rahab's ability to quickly hide the spies. He says,

"The speed and ingenuity of her scheme to hide them suggests that she was experienced in this kind of thing. Apparently the stalks of flax, 'which she had laid in order on the roof', were there for precisely that purpose, in case a jealous wife came looking for a client. Rahab had a long rope handy too. No doubt she had arranged similar escapes, but for different reasons, in the past. The hiding place certainly served a high and holy purpose this time."

When I read this, I immediately thought back to Lesson "Instrument of Wonders", and our discussion over how our past sin and failures could be redeemed for the glory of God. It may interest you to know some scholars theorize one of the the spies was actually Salmon, the man Rahab later married. This may or may not be true but if it is, talk about transforming a common object as a tool for wonders! The flax which once hid Rahab's secret lovers now covered a man who would look past all her sin and love her unconditionally, just as Jesus Christ continues to do for us today. The rope which once provided a means for escape for the lowlifes who frequented her establishment now gave God-speed to the righteous men who would secure her salvation. This same scarlet rope which once symbolized Rahab's shame now represented atonement and would be the marker that saved her life as well as the lives of her family. I get chills just thinking about it! Even if Salmon was not one of the spies, Rahab received something from these Israelite men she had not experienced from a man in a very long time. Dignity. Honor. Respect. I can imagine Rahab walking through her home for the last time and seeing the flax and rope. The spies redeemed the images she would have related to those objects. Nevertheless, I believe she left them behind and never looked back.

Rahab's one request of these men was to 'deal kindly' with her father's household by sparing their lives from death. (Joshua 2:12-13) The Hebrew word for 'kindly' can be translated as 'unfailing love'. The same love God demonstrates towards His children is what Rahab both gave and received. Because she allowed her fear to become faith, Rahab "lived in the midst of Israel" for the rest of her life.

Amazing isn't it? Rahab lived in the Promise but was not under the Promise. Spiritually speaking, Canaan was returned to her in an entirely new way. This is what I call a full circle experience - where everything and nothing are the same. The same thing can be seen with Moses after he led the Israelites to the base of Mt. Horeb where the Lord first said to him, "Certainly, I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." (Exodus 3:12) Moses left as one man and returned a nation, all according to the Lord's promise.

In all these things, what stirred action was fear met with faith instead of fist. Let's talk about it a bit in our 'Burning Questions'. (Yes, I've renamed our Discussion Questions - Get it? Burning bush, Burning Questions? :))

Burning Questions

1. When is the last time you encountered a Fist Shaker? This may be a stranger to you or as close as a loved one in your own home. Does anything in our description help you to understand their animosity towards God? Are you able to have more compassion towards them?

2. Does anything about Rahab's redemption strike a nerve? This may be a question you would like to ponder privately. Sexual sin and/or victimization can be an area where Satan has an enormous stronghold because it can hold so many painful and shameful memories. If Rahab teaches us anything, please know God can redeem any life and any situation, no matter how heinous it seems, and plant you unashamedly 'in the midst of Israel'. Rahab deserved death according to Mosaic Law, however she was shown nothing but lovingkindness by the God and nation of Israel.

3. Is there an area of your life in which you feel you have come full circle? Where you've come to a place where everything and nothing are the same? (I'm thinking Lord of the Rings when Frodo goes back to the Shire after his long adventure. You have no clue what I just said if you are not an LOTR nerd so just ignore this if it doesn't make sense! :)

4. When you were born again, did you gain a new appreciation for your surroundings as Rahab did when she received the Promise along with the Promised Land? Has some old place, object, or relationship been redeemed by now serving a 'high and holy purpose'?

5. Believers can still be Fist Shakers. Do you have circumstances in your life in which you find yourself shaking your fist at God? Something He has asked you to endure, asked you to do, seemingly taken away from you? Can you see how shaking your fist is keeping you from your Promise? (I'm not talking eternal security here - Only abundant living.)

If you are posting your responses on your blog, please sign the Linky and leave a comment! Also, remember to link to your post and not your homepage for ease in finding your responses.

Just another quick note - You do not have to post a full response to these questions in order to participate in the study. Feel free to leave discussion on any portion of the study in my comments.

If you have followed along at all the last few days, you know Luke and I have been on a mission trip which we just returned from Saturday night. During our absence, the kids' stayed with their wonderful grandparents in Georgia who treated them with the Lake Winnie amusement park, bowling, and the Chattanooga Aquarium in three days time. Can anyone say brave? or Crazy perhaps? Making the trip even better, my kids have healthy appetites and love to eat good food. My MIL is a foodie who loves to cook so the match is one made in heaven. My number 2 boy (Squid) eats like a horse but unfortunately suffers from the same gastrointestinal issues as his mother. Too much food + Too Little Time = Big Bathroom Problems.

When we picked the kids up on Sunday, all was well until after church that night when we headed to the Mexican Restaurant with friends. In the car ride over, Squid was writhing and complaining with his stomach cramping which was code for, "I've really got to poop." The Mexican restaurant has a clean bathroom so we told him he could just take care of business there. We thought all would 'come out okay' but, alas, we were wrong.

Squid could not seem to use the bathroom and then informed us he didn't think he had pooped at all for 4 days. He started crying so Luke took him home while the rest of us finished our meal. I went to the pharmacy, got some 'belly medicine', and gave it to him to see if the problem could be resolved.

About 12:00 midnight, Squid woke up screaming. He got out of bed, couldn't stand up straight, and informed me he couldn't feel his left leg. Of course, like any other mother would do, I got dressed immediately to take him to the ER. After I ran around like a chicken packing a bag for the long hospital visit, we get to the front door to leave. Squid turned to me and said, "I feel perfectly fine now."

Exactly how does a kid go from, "I can't feel my legs!" to perfectly fine? Can anyone explain that to me? I decided to go ahead and drive towards the hospital just in case the problem reappeared. I sure didn't want to be back in bed and have to get up all over again. So off we went - at midnight - to town just in case the paralysis set back in.

As we drove, I continuously asked, "Are you okay? Still feeling fine?" He kept telling me that he was indeed feeling wonderful. And then I began hearing the reason for his newfound comfort. As his little sister would say, Squid began to 'fluffy'. A lot. I guess ya'll remember Luke got a new truck a month ago to replace the Blue Goose? Well, I think we officially christened this one The Fluff. She is still airing out as we speak.....

How exactly does a mom find herself driving around town at 1 a.m. so her son can pass gas? (You have to know there is another word I really want to use here....) And then how does she find herself in line at Krystal of all places when the child informs her he is hungry? Can you even imagine giving the kid a gut bomb on top of what was already brewing in that belly? Fortunately, they have a few options so I got the kid some Krystal Chix and Sweet Tea which thankfully, was much cheaper than an ER co-pay.

I don't even know why I told ya'll this. It's just one of those parenting moments that are so unbelievable when you are living them and yet are also the spice of life. Or the aroma of life. However you want to think of it.

Oh, and everything worked itself out today. We have no cramps and can feel our legs.

And all is right with the world.....

My daughter was playing with a teddy bear this morning her brother recently won for her in a 'Claw Machine'. You know those obnoxious contraptions you feed with $37 in quarters in hopes of snagging a $2 stuffed animal?

Luke asked her the bear's name because in Princess Land, everything has a name and distinct personality which determines when and how it is allowed to participate in all manners of little girl drama. The monikers range from Sally to Cinderella to FrouFrou to Jack - you get the picture.

When Luke asked this bear's name, Princess said, "It is Nothing. She likes being Nothing."

Does that SCREAM at anyone but me? Do you know how much truth there is in that innocent statement? I know so many believing women who are perfectly content with no name. And by this I do not mean our making a name for ourselves but accepting the name God has given us. Think about Gideon's being a mighty warrior before he ever picked up a sword, Abraham being a father of nations before he'd ever birthed a single child, Saul embracing the Greek name of Paul in order to fufill his ministry to the Gentiles.

I wish I had time to expound on this but I only have a quick minute today...I've got to clean my house and cook today or my husband is going to reconsider our marriage vows. All I've got to say for now is this is SO going in the 'Get Over It' Conference!

Cyndi at One Day More tagged me for a 5 Question Meme a very long time ago. I am so sorry in being lax in 'tags' lately! If you've sent me one and I haven't responded, please forgive me. It has just been an insanely busy summer! Cyndi's is the first of the ones I know I haven't played along to, so here goes...

Here are my questions:

1. When is a time you felt especially close to God?
A while back, I was in the church sanctuary all alone on a weekday. The sun was shining through the stained glass in a perfect circle on the altar steps. Immediately I thought, "Take off your shoes. This place is holy ground." I took off my shoes and laid in the light for quite some time...It was a very tender moment between Him and me.


2. If you could learn another language (easily), what would it be?
Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek to read the original bible manuscripts. Also Spanish so I can talk to my friends at the Mexican restaurant and Egyptian so I could read hieroglyphics and find evidence of the Israelites in ancient Egypt. Did you say one language? :))


3. What house chore is your least favorite and why?
Oh gosh..I truly despise them all but I guess laundry is the most overwhelming....


4. If you could have any animal (tamed) as a pet, what would it be?

A horse...I love them with all my heart..:) And a dog like Lassie that would always help me or the kids if we were in trouble.


5. What's one thing about your life now that would've surprised the "teenager you" to know?

That I would be living in a small town in Alabama and be a pastor's wife with 4 kids. I'm positive I would have jumped the nearest airplane and flew far, far away to avoid that prophecy..." :)) Aren't we glad God doesn't give the big picture when we are too young and stupid to appreciate it??


This was a hoot, Cyndi!! Thanks for sending it my way! I'm not tagging anyone specifically because I think a lot of you are doing this already......If you want to play, grab the questions and let me know to link you! :))

Just a quick note to let you know we are in Montgomery ministering in a housing project which boasts the most murders in the city. We had an amazing day with over 75 children and several adults in attendance at an outdoor VBS. One teenage boy prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior! This is a huge decision in an area where gang membership is essential to survival.

I had the opportunity to sit down with 8 adult women and talk extensively about salvation and questions they have about God. I can not wait to tell you all the details and include some pictures, but tonight I am begging you to pray. These women are coming back in the morning for us to continue our discussions and I know of two who seem on the brink of salvation. Please ask the Lord to prime their hearts to be ready to receive Him. Also pray for a woman I met today struggling with drug addiction. She wants to be free and yet her situation seems so hopeless to her. Please ask the Holy Spirit to give me the words to convince her He can help her be strong enough to say 'no' to temptation.

Also pray for our safety. We do not take for granted we are all in Satan's territory and that he is not at all pleased. We just got word a hotel very close to us was robbed and a patron shot. We also will have to run buses into the housing area in which we are working after dark tomorrow night which has us a little on edge.

Thank you for being faithful prayer warriors...I know your intercession will make a difference!

Blessings!

Hi Girls! I'm glad you stopped by today because I really need your input.

I am in the beginning stages of working on a study I will be teaching at a fall weekend retreat tentatively called, "Get Over It! (Being an Overcomer in an Overwhelming World)" The theme will be taken from the letters to the churches in Revelations and the promises made to those who overcome.

Here is where I need your help.

I would be so grateful if you would list the top three things in your life which overwhelm you. I especially need to hear from the 40+ crowd as this is a season of life I have not yet experienced and could use your wisdom in. If you would like to email me privately, you certainly are welcome. I will not use your names in my teaching but may use some of your examples unless you ask me not to.

I'm begging you to come out of the closet on this one...I really need a well-rounded sample in order to feel this study will address the heartfelt needs of the different generations of women who are attending this conference....So far there will be girls there from 20-80!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great information I know you are going to lend me!

Okay, I said I was putting the Egypt stuff to rest for a while, but I lied.

UPDATE:

So here's the deal. I am about half way finished with Lesson Eleven. The thing is, we are leaving on a mission trip Wednesday and I have to be complete with my New Testament coursework before we leave. Instead of trying to catch up on last week's lesson and then skip next week, I am just going to publish this one on Wednesday...Sound okay??

Again, I am so sorry for the delay but I need a little grace here. I know you'll give it to me...:)) I am also working on getting a group set up in Yahoo for a live discussion. More details soon!

I had a conversation with a friend the other day who happened to mention she liked the outfit I was wearing. "I wish I could pick out clothes like you" she said. Obviously, she had no idea how shopping-impaired I really am. I thought I would repost this from the Wordpress Archives just for her....Here you go, C. :)

I went out of style in the Spring of 1989. This is when I graduated high school and the last time I was confident I was still “all that”. Let me be clear that my style was cutting edge. You would never catch me dead in “sweatpants”.. Oh no, ma'am, I had paisley pants because that is what Prince and his entourage wore and everyone knew they were chic - pronounced the French way. Tennis shoes were also out of the question. I wore pumps, in every color, with blingy shoe jewels attached all over. Oh yes, I had it goin’ on.

Four children and a Suburban will just suck all the coolness out of a girl. I am also completely sure no one in our church would appreciate having a pastor’s wife who wears paisley pants and shoe jewels and yet I still gravitate toward funky clothes. The problem comes for me in balancing funkiness with age and vocation appropriateness. At one point in my preacher-wife life, I began wearing little sweaters with birdies and kitty kats embroidered on them because that is what other preacher wives I knew were wearing at the time. Nothing wrong with this except I was in my early 20’s and looked like I had raided an elderly school teacher’s closet. Since this look did not work out for me, I have been on a continuing quest ever since to find my own signature preacher-wife style. This ongoing conundrum most often leaves me in Kohl’s (’cause Hello?!…It is the best store EVER) with my head ticking and a little sliver of drool running down my chin. Hence my new shopping strategy: I stalk women who appear to have keen fashion abilities.

I hit the jackpot on this last trip. I saw an adorable girl about my age who had on a fetching denim jacket with some print pants and a silky shirt a la John Travolta. (The shirt? ToDieFor). It passed both the age and appropriate-for-a-preacher-wife test so, I zoomed in on her with my cell phone and took a photo of her from behind the makeup counter I innocently took a mental note of the elements of her outfit. I returned to the clothing racks, retrieved the ingredients and voila! Masterpiece! I made sure she did not see me check out with her outfit in my hands because really, ya’ll, I just didn’t want to go home in a police car.

You should also know I suffer from Limited Imagination Syndrome. If I find something I like, I buy the same thing in different colors. Which is what I did Friday. Two Jackets. Two silky shirts. Two colors. Oy. So if you see me this week and I look strikingly similar to a previous day, that would be because I am dressed the same, except not. Just consider it my new preacher-wife uniform. And if it happens to look like one of your outfits - just receive it as a compliment. I promise I won’t hurt you.

UPDATE: I've been searching for other photos of this statue and the majority of credible sites I have found state this is a statue of Senenmut with Hatshepsut's daughter, Nefurere. What I can not determine is why the child has a side pony tail which a prince (male child) of Egypt wears.