8.29.2008

Week Three

Since I was a week behind.....We just had week 3 of our bible study
this past Wednesday, the 27th.

This will be a II part Blog entry. I want my readers (wives) to take
the following Lifestyle Forecast (you can copy and paste my words
to a word doc if it's easier to read)

Improving Your Lifestyle Forecast

Answer the following questions Yes (y), Sometimes (s), or No (n).
Tally the results to get a picture of possible provider issues. Tally
your results using this point system: 3 points for each Yes, often;
2 points for each Sometimes; 1 point for each No.


____ 1. Do you ever hide your purchases from your husband?

____ 2. When you are depressed, do you shop to “feel better”?

____ 3. Does any of your sense of self-worth come from one or more
of the following: how much money you make, where you live,
what you wear, or what things you own?

____ 4. Do you find it hard to stick to agreed-upon limits?

____ 5. Do you find it difficult to trust God to meet your needs or your
family’s needs?

____ 6. Do you often make purchases that do not fit in your budget?

____ 7. Do you buy items for your children so that they can “fit in” even
when the purchase is not a good financial decision?

____ 8. Do concerns over money push you to unhappiness and resentment?

____ 9. Are finances at the heart of arguments between you and your
husband?

____ 10. Do you make large purchase without consulting your husband or
or other family member?

MY TOTAL: __________

Interpreting Your Points

21-30 Storm clouds on the horizon You may be part of
the problem.

15-20 Partly cloudy, rain likely Conflicts may arise
Over financial matters.

3-14 Mostly Sunny Your husband feels
you’re both are on the same team.

This weeks title was "The World on His Shoulders"

Then I want you to listen and watch the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cVUeKP7w_k


Stay tuned for my summery of this past week.......................

8.28.2008

Boring Thursday

Well it's a pretty boring Thursday, so I decided to
post some random pics of the family....................

Remember I said that Alli Jo beats up Hunter?
Here is the picture to prove it LOL

Isn't she gorgeous!!!!

Somebody is mad LOL

Quit mom!!!!!

Grady man is sure happy
So cute!
Ok, make silly faces

Alli Jo heading out to "work" lol
Wait a minute she has a call
Oh it's daddy!!!!!!!
Oh daddy....ur so funny!!!!!!!
Alli Jo taking a picture of daddy with mommy's
new camera LOL

8.27.2008

Week Two

Sorry I am a week behind on my summery for
week two in our Bible Study!!!!

Let's see....this week's title was:
"The Performance of a Lifetime"

Do you ever think you can read your man's mind?
If you could, you might find yourself surprised!

In Shaunti's follow-up survey to For Women Only,
she found that no matter how confident they might look,
70% of the men admitted to feeling out of their depth and
Afraid that it would show. This answer was typical: “I try
to perform well and look as competent as possible when
inside I sometimes feel insecure and am concerned about
other’s opinion of me and my abilities.”
She discovered from her research that men seem to be
consumed with these thoughts:
--I am always being watched and judged
--I have no earthly idea how to do this
--I want to do this
A man’s inner vulnerability about his performance often
seems from his conviction that he is being watched and
judged at all times. This inner uncertainty leave even the
man who seems most confident dreading the moment
when he will be exposed for who he really believes himself
to be—an impostor.
To compensate for his insecurity and his feelings of being
watched, a man may feel the need to work long hours. Or
the constant need to look “on the ball” may wear him down
emotionally. One this is certain: The idea of thinking he
can’t cut it is humiliating, which is a feeling a man wants
to avoid at all costs. As a result, he puts up a good front
so others will think he is highly competent.

So there you have it. Here stands a man (husband, father, or
son) feeling certain that if anyone (even his wife, daughter,
or mother) really knew him for what he was, they would know
the truth—that, at least some of the time, he is not what he
appears to be.

As Shuanti began to understand this finding, she was saddened
To recall that she had sometimes not been very supportive,
Simply b/c she didn’t realize that her husband could possibly
Be feeling so insecure. She was fully confident in his
abilities. Why wouldn’t he be?
As you learn this, you may feel sad too, maybe even guilty. Be
Prepared for this feeling, but don’t get bogged down there. This
Week talks about what you can do to be supportive of your man!

Let’s talk about the insecurities of Job and Moses in the bible….
Remember Job? God decided to let Satan test him by destroying
His family and estate. Even though Job was innocent of wrongdoing
(and he declared that in 31:5-6), he still suffered the sting of
what othersthought about him. We could say he had been “cut from
the neighborhood team”. His contemporaries saw him as a failure.
They were certain he had committed some terrible sin. Surely he
was inadequate in the eyes of God for all this to happen to him
See Job 15:1-6)
Then we have Moses…..
A prince, a man of character, a powerful man in a powerful
nation. He lost his temper and killed an Egyptian guard who
was tormenting one of hispeople. Moses went from prince to
sheepherder. For the next 40 years,he tended someone else’s
flocks. In exile in the desert, Moses lived as a stranger in
a foreign land, beholden to the kindness of strangers
(see Ex. 2:11-25)
Then God began to lay out a plan for him. God wanted Moses
to go to Egypt and rescue his people from the oppression of
Pharaoh. All God wanted moses to do was walk in and tell
Pharaoh to let his people go!
Doesn’t Moses remember that respect he once commanded?
As a royal-bred leader, does he rise to the occation?
No, but his insecurities sure do!
Ex. 3:11 -- But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to
Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
Ex. 3:13 -- Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites
and say to them,'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and
they ask me, 'What is his name?'
Then what shall I tell them?"

Ex. 4:1 -- Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or
listen to me and say,'The LORD did not appear to you'?"

Ex. 4:10 -- Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been
eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your
servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

Ex 4:13 -- But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to
do it."

After all those excuses, Ex. 4:14 should come as no surprise.
God was a little upset with this man to whom he had given so much.
God knew he was capable of doing the job and was doing to see him
through, but Moses was a quivering mass of insecurities. His past
successes, his natural abilities, even the knowledge that God of
the universe was on his side were not enough to quiet the fear
Moses had.

Affirmation is everything!! When a man is affirmed, he can conquer
the world!!!!! When he is not, he is sapped of his confidence and
even his feelings of manhood.And he will consciously or
unconsciously, seek out places where he receives affirmation!

Now let me ask you this:
How does affirmation differ from flattery?
You must remember that affirmation honestly reflects feeling,
celebrates who the person is, and expresses appreciation.

What are some steps you can take to affirm your man?

Take a look at Philippians 4:8 –
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.

It may take some practice to change your pattern of thinking.
For many of us, it’s natural to correct and instruct –or to make
“suggestions” that our husband hears as instruction!! That is
not what he needs from you! You can begin to be more affirming
by first doing what Philippians above says to do: “think on
these things”.

So ladies….what do we do now?
For the most part, men are trying hard to succeed for their
wives and families. In that dialy struggle, you now know that
what they need is a quiet, safe place to which they can come
home.

Look up Psalm 23:3-3
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside
quiet waters,3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of
righteousness for his name's sake.

He needs a green pasture, a quiet stream, and someone who will
restore confidence to his soul!

I hope you are still reading this….I know it’s LONG…..but we’re
almost done!
What about our (a woman’s) fear of being walked on?
Galations 5:1 tells us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set
us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be
burdened again by a yoke of slavery”. Unfortunately some of
take that verse and run with it!

Have you ever heard another woman say, “I won’t coddle a
male ego!” “He’s a big boy; why should I have to build him up?”
or “I won’t be a doormat”? have any of these statements ever
come out of YOUR mouth? They reflect of belief in the freedom
to express our opinions and feelings that we need to stand up
for ourselves. Perhaps we need to read further....

Galatians 5:13-15 explains that freedom in Christ empowers us:
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your
freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another
in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command:
"Love your neighbor as yourself." 15If you keep on biting and
devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by
each other.

Yes, you are free, but don’t use that freedom to indulge yourself
by insisting that your needs be met—at the expense of what the
other person needs. Love your husband as you love yourself.
If you want your needs met, then you should desire that his needs
be met.

Future Robinson

I know, I know you were all probly thinking I was going to say
I'm pregnant.....NOPE not me (although it does seem like every-
one around me is, so I'm staying away from the water) LOL


Here is the future member of our family........



Meet Lily





Her daddy is a Yorkie and her momma is a Bichon
so she is technically a Yo-Chon. She will look similar
to these puppies:


We thought she would be great for the girls!!!
We resently lost our dog that Hunter has grown
up with....Toby. I got him when I still lived with
my parents, about a year before Hunter was
born. So Hunter has been with him all of her life.
It was very upsetting for all of us.

It should be perfect timing......we'll be moved into
our new house and then Lily will be ready to come
live with us. And her mommy lives right down the
road if she ever wants to go visit :)

8.25.2008

Columns up!

Well my columns are finally up!!! YAY ME!!! LOL




Rollins Shoot

Saturday I had a photo shoot with The Rollins Family......
they are so much fun :) We had a blast! Brynnlee is just a doll!!
They brought out their dog Chopper (sp?) and that was a time
in itself! lol













8.18.2008

My sister's photoshoot......

This past weekend I tested out my new camera on my

sister & her family. I also tried some new techniques
with photoshop.....here are just a few shots:







Changes......

Well it's been a while since I've posted
pics on the house progress. The drywall
is starting to go up on the main level. It
really changes the look of the house and
gives us a better view of what the house
is finally going to look like!

Master Bedroom

One of the walk-in Closets

Master Bath

Master Bath shower

Living room

Looking at front entry from living room....

Kitchen

Dining Room

Week One

This entry will be LONG, so please read when you have time!!!
I'm going to write about my first week's Bible Study lesson
from the Study "For Women Only".

Shaunti Feldhahn (the author of this study & original book)
almost by accident Came across surprising revelations about
the inner lives of men— Findings that were validated by a
groundbreaking nationwide survey and Personal interviews
with more than 1,000 men!

So week one what did we learn?

Men’s foundational need is RESPECT!

During a singles retreat years ago that Shaunti attended
they asked the following question: “If you had to choose,
would you rather feel alone and unloved in the world
OR would you rather feel inadequate and disrespected
by everyone?”

Well I myself while reading this am think that EVERYONE
is going to say inadequate and disrespected….b/c who in the
world would want to be alone???

Well the retreat speaker turned to the men’s side of the room.
“Ok, men. Who here would rather fee alone and unloved?”
A sea of hands went up, and a gasp rippled across the women’s
side of the room. He then asked which men would rather feel
disrespected…and the women watched in bemusement as only
a few guys lifted their hands. Then it was the women’s turn to
answer and the men’s turn to be shocked when most of the
women indicated they would rather feel inadequate and
disrespected than unloved!

It may sound like a no-brainer but men and women are different!
We can’t even begin to count all the books & articles that
have been written about the differences between us –
differences in our emotions, our love languages, our personalities.
Some scientists even study how differently our brains function!
We know we are different; yet, we sometimes act as though we
are not. We often relate as if our man’s needs are the same as
our own. This study has challenged me to change some of those
“assumptions”.

Years after that landmark singles retreat, Shaunti in her research
would ask the same question, among others. And the answer
received from these men were equally astounding. 74% of those
surveyed indicated they too would rather feel alone and unloved
than disrespected or inadequate.

Women think in terms of “LOVE” While Men need “RESPECT”.
So taking a look at all the research Shaunti has done, a major light
bulb came on. If a man feels disrespected, he is going to feel unloved!
If you want to love your man in the way he needs to be loved,
then you need to ensure that he feels your respect most of all!

So where do we go wrong in our marriages?
Respect is sometimes seen as being earned by people who are
WORTHY for what they have done.
How wrong is this? Man, I do that all the time to Joe. If he doesn’t
show me the love I need that day, then heck NO I’m not going to
respect him! lol I think we all feel like this at times!

If you have time please look up the passage Ephesians 5:33.
How does that differ from what
we said above?

I encourage all the ladies reading my blog to think of ONE thing
you appreciate about your Husband! And if you feel like it, please
share that with your husband!

Read Job 30:9 in your Bible.

Were you surprised by how joking in public or teasing makes men feel?
Why or why not?

Why do you think we women make comments like these?
Maybe covering up hurt feelings with my witty quips about him?
Disappointed in a certain behavior?

Our weekly challenge this week was:
--Choose to respect your man by not saying anything negative to
him or about him to others. Begin each day with prayer that God
will help you meet this challenge.

This challenge was just that for me, A CHALLENGE! Man, was it
hard to not say ONE bad thing about or to Joe! Not that I
constantly feel like I’m disrespecting my husband….but WOW
how I didn’t know that I really was!!! Ever catch yourself
“bashing” your husband to a friend or co-worker?
I have, and let me tell you….It gives me a “gut” feeling now when I do!
No wife is perfect! For some of wives, have years of habbit
to break! Even myself only having 3 years of marriage to Joe....find
it hard not to "bash" Joe when he does things "wrong". But I CAN
change the way I respond....and YES it's going to take practice!!!!

DON’T ASSUME HE NEEDS REMINDING!!!
DON’T ASSUME HE IS JUST CHOOSING NOT TO HELP!!!
DON’T ASSUME IT IS ALL HIS FAULT!!!

To end this week’s study we read Romans 12:1-2.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is
your spiritual act of worship. 2Do 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.

Verse 2 was the overall study verse.

Now don't take this study as though EVERY man thinks like this.
Like Shaunti stated 74% of the men she interviewed agreed.
So your husband could be in that 26% that don't think the same
way. So when asking your self all these question, put the word "If"
infront of them. If this were true......

This book is not in replace of counceling, etc. Many situations
are different.....domestic abuse cases for example. I just hope
that it helps other women as it has already challenged me to
try harder.

P.S. Men that are reading this....and I know you are Ha Ha! There
is a booked called For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the
Inner Lives of Women -- Check it out :)

8.17.2008

For Women Only

This is the new Bible Study that
some ladies and I have started. It
has been the greatest study I've
ever been to! I've learned so much
these past couple weeks. I will be
posting a little on my blog of what I've
learned.

This seven-week study will help women
put all of their relationships under the
searchlight of God’s Word. Practical tips
growing out of biblical principles—
combined with the author’s insights and
timely interviews with men themselves—
will help women put their new insights
into practice day-by-day.

8.15.2008

Check out the girl's pics :)

I didn't want to post the link to the proofs b/c
I really don't know who reads my blog.....but
here is a link to the photographer's blog who
did the pics.....she posted about the session :)

http://www.kathymccloy.typepad.com/

8.13.2008

Camera Sold!

Sorry everyone I sold the camera already!! I'm so excited!!!

Selling my Rebel XT

Well it's time to upgrade, and I'm going to be selling my Canon EOS Rebel XT. If you are interested in buying it, please email me. I've had it for less than two years, and it's in very good condition! I will also include the lens (18-55mm) it came with. There are a few other things it comes with so please let me know if you're interested! Email me at lrobinson@rtccom.com



8.12.2008

My new bag!!!

So what makes a girl feel better????? Shopping LOL!!!!
I got a SHOOTSAC!!!!!!!!




Yeah they're a little pricey....but I've
been saving up the money I earn on
photoshoots....and I finally bought one :)

For those who never heard of a shootsac....
It's by Jessica Claire, & it's is the first lens
bag designed to pick up where your camera
bag leaves off. Pack your camera bag for
transporting, load your Shootsac for shooting.
Lenses, batteries, flashcards & necessities are
comfortably at your fingertips.

Check it out on their website: http://www.shootsac.com/

8.11.2008

Prayers Please

If you have a few seconds, please uplift me in your prayers today. I'm going through some personal things (nothing to do with my family, friends, work, etc) Just ME! Just say an extra prayer please, I know it can't hurt :) Thanks in advance!

8.08.2008

Corn On The Cob

So we just discovered that Alli Jo has a new
favorite food.......Corn on the cob!!!!!!! I'm
not joking when I say she ate three cobs all
by herself!!!!!