I love that saying!

I believe my life is the best material for a comedy series. There is no need for writers, they can remain on strike, just come film "The Life and Day With The Hammond Family" and that should do it. So, I will wait to write about what I saw yesterday at Shea Rose Farm;(but I will because it was awesome), my neice and son ride horses at this farm. I will begin today by allowing you to ride to school with Hunter, Colton, Buddy, my black lab rescue dog and myself. Everyday is a fire drill getting out the door by 7am and to school by 7:45am. It has actually become quite normal our insanity in the morning and today was no different. As we rushed to the car, I asked my dog Buddy if he'd like to go for a ride and with no hesitation he jumped into my truck, ate Hunter's cereal bar and off we went. After 20 mins of riding in Charlotte traffic I hear a loud yell, "BUDDY STOP" from my back seat. Hunter begins screaming ,"he's peeing" Colton is laughing and out of his seat with hopes of not becoming the victim to this disgusting event. Hunter yells, "get me some wipes", so I throw back the last 3 napkins I had in my car and pull over to the nearest side street which has a large field, next to a house. I fling open my door and Buddy jumps out of the car and continues his trail of pee onto another neighbor's property. The owner comes out a bit dismayed, seeing it is only 7:30am. She tries to catch my dog who is lifting his leg on every single bush in her yard.... she lunges forward trying to catch him and falls on her brick stairs.... now, I have to say, I am laughing now as I write this, but OH, you should have heard the apologies spitting out of my mouth. She just gasped and looked with shoock at me as I ran thru her yard trying to catch my dog in slippers and PJ's. Once I caught him she just waved me away without a word as if to say, "be gone with your red-neck self in your pee ridden car" So, once we were all back in my truck, Hunter is yelling to me, that he is NOT going to school this way.... Colton is actually laughing and chanting "he actually peed on my pants".... Colton some how thinks this is a badge of honor or something. So, once we arrive at CCS, I am laughing and telling them to have a great day as if this never happened. I can hear it now, "man my mom was so fried, she used to make us go to school with pee on our clothes" Do you think I am damaging them for life?
Well, I hesitate to tell them my favotrite saying growing up, but I feel the need to share it with at least Hunter. Growing up in Ohio, the word "piss" was so commonly used that I never realized it just may not be a nice word. Admittedly, I use it often when there are no children around. The syaing goes like this, "It is better to be Pissed off than Pissed on" Now, I know why! I am sure Hunter will agree with me!
Have a great day, and when you feel the urge to laugh, remember there is plenty more where that came from! Come join the insanity anytime you feel the need to laugh!
Love to all, Denise

The best coffee

I am seriously in a moment of bliss. I have just had the very best coffee ever. I don't know if it was the combo. of a lit fire, a quiet morning, sleepy dogs and kids, the rain falling outside, but my coffee this morning beat all other days!
This reminds me of that SQUEEZE song, "Black Cofee in Bed" I loved that song! I just may go listen to it while I wake up my boys!Yes, that is what I am going to do... thanks to my sister-in-law, Shonda, I have it on my i-pod. Have a great day and look for the simple joys all around you today! I will meet anyone today for another cup say around 2pm... I will need another jolt around then. Love to all, D

Let the SON shine

I love NC weather. Even when it is cold outside the weather changes so quickly that we have days like today to warm our insides in order to withstand the days unlike today. The weekend was filled with bon fires, hiking, relaxing, speaking at church and a soccer tournament. As all of us prepared for this weekend God decided to show up in many ways. First, God asked us to trust Hunter into His safety as he traveled to Savannah, Ga. for a tournament with another team who needed a goalie. Secondly, God asked me to step aside and allow Him to speak to these Middle School students and for the first time, I saw such authenticity in teenagers, that it even blew them away. God wants us all to get a glimpse every now and then of what our heart truly feels. There is such a yearning within all of us, to be filled by His sustaining nourishment and God gave us a seven course meal on Sun.
Lastly, as we sat around the bon fire and burned stuff... boys are so weird, we all felt a sense of constant warmth in the cold night. That's when God reminded me that no matter what, I need to remember that He is always close, always ready and able and His constant fire will give me energy and perseverance to go another mile. I say this because there are times when I can run forever and times when I feel so tired or emotionally exhausted that I just want to isolate myself from society. I just want to scream ENOUGH ALREADY I AM OUTTA HERE!
I believe in isolation Satan can do a number on a person if it is done with the wrong intentions or as a means of escape. That is when true authenticity and close relationships step in and adjust my thinking. May you have the warmth of that bon fire, truth sent to you from the SON as it shines on your face and authentic conversations with those you call friends!
Press on and hey, have an awesome meal sometime this week with a teenager... it will enlighten you! Blessings, Denise

No Complaints

I am so excited that it is FRIDAY. Oh the plans our family has for this weekend! Dinner and game night with friends, riding the horses and cleaning the barn, a hopeful bon-fire to burn the fallen tree and the cardboard boxes still lingering after Christmas, what a great weekend this will be. I truly have nothing to complain about! So, why do I hear a small pestering voice in my head complaining over the commute to school or the lack of physical exertion I did today at the Y, or the constant dust in my house, the pressure to look better than I do etc.... etc.... SHUT UP and rejoice Denise! Well, I do rejoice and by getting the voices out of my head and in public eye, it helps to silence them. It also serves as a reminder that these little nuisances if left unchecked can fester and build into unnecessary evils! I have been given so much and I am truly thankful for each and every blessing and trial for that matter! In Luke 12:48 NIV it says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" I believe in this passage the author wants me to hear that I have been given so much freedom and I must live it, and give it away. I challenge all of you who are reading these words to live your gift of grace and freedom by not complaining but instead rejoicing in each and every moment of this day! So off to the barn I go to break icy buckets and muck some manure.. ahhh isn't life great!

Blessings friends,

Denise

Redemption in the permastain

So, you might be asking what a "permastain" is, so, I will tell you. Remember the burn in my floor from Colton's PIRO days of the past? Today, my wonderful Georje and team took my punch list of repairs and tackled the burn mark. Needless-to-say, (they can do anything I ask of them) the burn mark now looks like a knotty pine "KNOT" in my floor rather than a burn mark. This is a a stain of the past. I hesitated to remove the burn mark because I wanted it to be a reminder to Colton of what he did and the damage it caused. However, after really thinking of how God "remembers no more" our past sins, I felt compelled to remove the mark and set him free from guilt. It is a stain of the past! May this be a reminder of the similarity of God's redemtion and ability to open all prison gates to the land of freedom and redemtion. The stains which we so often try to remember, refer back to or mark ourselves with, are not from God. Maybe it is from our own pride or our rebellion to entering His courts of freedom..... But nonetheless, the gate is open, we just have to enter through it and not look back..........you all think about that, as I go kiss my PIRO before he slips off into dream world tonight!
Blessings friends, may you insert truth into every situation and live free and healthy tomorow!
Love to all - D

Let me tell you something, said Fire Marshal Bill

As I prepared for my speaking engagement this weekend, titled "Matches, play with fire get burned" I was searching for my opening. There has to be a catchy opening when speaking to 7-8th grade girls and boys ya know or they will put on their i-pods and tune me out. Today the Lord gave me my segue through the actions of my sweet piro, Colton. While I was in the garage for a quick moment, Colton lit his homemade torch and started to throw it out the door while my dog ran into him , launching the lit torch into the air on onto the hardwood floors .... emphasis on wood, burning a hole in the floor. Thankfully the gallon of water he threw on the floor was enough to put out the flames and clean my floor at the same time! Nobody including the dog was hurt, but at least I now have an opening story with pictures to get their attention.

Never a dull moment here at the Hammond Farm!

skiing in the frigged mtns.

What a blast we had skiing at Appalachian Ski Mtn. this weekend. Hunter totally has it and Colton, well, he is officially a shredder! A light bulb went off after the first 30mins. of bombing the slope with no brakes that there is a better way. Colton is now officially safe on the slopes and all can resume skiing! The snow came down, we were bundled with ski masks/goggles, gloves, hats and we had the best skiing yet. It is all about the proper equipment in order to have fun in the cold temps. When we left Boone Sun. night, it was 9 degrees and dropping. Oh, to be back at ASU; memories of walking through campus with only the slits of your eyes exposed were the talk of the ride home. It is amazing any of us were even the least bit worried about our appearance... nobody saw you anyway under all those heavy clothes. That reminds me to remind you that God knows your heart and is the true warmth of your soul. In 2 Samuel it says, "Man looks at the outside but God examines the heart". Get dressed in His armor today! Stay warm and enjoy the day the Lord has made! Denise

What we have school?!

I looked outside to see the beautiful snow at 3:35am and went back to bed with a huge grin! At 5:30am, I checked the news and most schools were cancelled for the day, so I assumed CCS was closed as well and I went back to sleep excited my prediction was right. UNTIL, the phone call from Melsa at 6:40am rang us into reality, Charlotte Christian was in session and we had better get out the door! Can you hear the complaints from Hunter and Colton. Oh the rage and disappointment! So, here I sit by my computer, a bit wet from the barn yet I am not complaining because I have had 2 wonderful cups of coffee and just may have 1 more! In a bit, I am off to the gym to cycle with Angie and then back to school to hear of all the mutual complaints of how unfair my kids have it. Stop the madness, we are all so blessed!
Please pray for the many families right here in Charlotte and surrounding cities who are without heat and a home this winter. May we continue to lift up Tom Wheeler and the homeless ministry he is running. Endurance to him and his team!
Stay dry my fiends, D

Baby it's cold outside

BURRR, you'd think after being raised in Ohio and attending school at ASU (where the cool go to school), I would love this weather.... but I do not. The only thing fun about the cold is skiing (Charlotte has no slopes) and watching my horses run wild because they feel frisky! Today, Hunter and I watched them run around the paddock, bucking and racing each other. Even Decaza joined in the fun. As for Decaza, he is healing very well and we rode him for the first time since March on Saturday. He was a bit tight but loosened up after 10 mins. We continue to pray for a full recovery and for him to join us on the trails come spring! His recovery draws such a parallel to our lives as believers in Christ. Have you ever noticed when it is cold outside or the weather is not what you'd order, the natural inclination is to retreat to some other place to find comfort. There are times when we go through trials and discouraging times only to find that in those times and difficulties is when we actually slow down enough and hear God speak. There are times when God allows certain events to take place that we do not know why but we have to trust that His ways are perfect and He is in the very circumstance that we are facing. Continue to move through the valley, you are never meant to camp out there, you must keep moving, listening, searching and trusting that He has your best interest in the palm of His hands. Decaza's circumstance seemed bad enough to the previous owner that she gave up hope in his recovery and changed course. In times of trouble is when we must remain steadfast, on course and never give up hope. In Hebrews 11 it defines faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain for what we do not see". Press on, believe in God and remain fixed on faith in the one who is trustworthy! I trust in those promises and pray you will too. Stay warm and drink lots of coffee with the designer of the bean! I bet God has never been described that way before! Blessings, Denise

New beginnings

Welcome to my blog spot! Today has been a monumental day, as I have developed a blog spot and I bought the domain site www.denisehammond.com and intend on creating a web site for my speaking ministry as well as the TLC workbook! So keep an eye out for the development of this web site.
May you have an awesome week and remain focused on Christ!
Denise