Unfinished thoughts....

Adventures in Homemaking

2009-11-07T13:05:00.002-06:00

I am on a quest to be as responsible with our rescources as possible. My first decision was to start using coupons to save at the grocery store. Now, this decision was two - fold: 1.) I wanted to save money and 2.) I wanted to shop at Krogers, because they have a better selection than the Wal-Mart by my house. So with the help of my coupons I have been able to save quite a large amount of money - which means getting better quality food and a better selection! That means one happy mama!!

My next decision is I decided to try out making my own laundry and dishwasher detergent. I researched this online quite extensively and found a recipe I wanted to try. (If you are interested here is the link: http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/) So, after waiting for the store bought detergents to run out, I made my own. The dishwashing one needs a little tweaking, leaves a slight film on the plastic, but I am pretty happy with how it is working. I am trying the laundry one today. Will let you know how it turns out! I am so excited, hope it is not a bust. Even if it is, the cost was so minimal! I think it cost about $5.00 to buy the ingredients - and I have so much left that I will be able to make more should I like the way it works!!

Will hopefully post tomorrow on how great it turned out!

A New (Original) Journey

2009-09-29T11:50:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted on here! There has been so much going on in my life! So, here comes an update!

First, and probably the biggest change, we have started home schooling our kids. This was a big step of trust and faith for us. Our children had both attended public school, so they have something to compare our home school journey to. While we were blessed with awesome teachers during our time in public school, the reality of what we were settling for was setting in! Abel and I began to question our choices in December of 2008 - there were so many negatives that we were dealing with on a daily basis. Our son went from loving to go to school, to hating it! Our daughter, was getting picked on in Pre-K - and not your normal "you stink" teasing. Our children, the most precious gifts we have, we away from us for 8 - 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 months out of the year! We had no control over who was influencing them.

As we discussed our options, I felt the Lord leading us to home school. (I have been desiring to home school my children since Aiden was in Kindergarten, but knew that until Abel and I were in agreement, public school was our choice.) After serious thought, prayer, discussion, and more prayer we decided we would make the jump to become a home schooling family. The peace that I felt after making that decision was immense! I knew that we were doing the right thing for our family. We did finish the public school year, because we felt it is important to finish commitments. I can say it was hard to go back after Christmas break, knowing that we had already decided to make the change. But, we endured and finished the year!

We have been home schooling for a little less than a month. The things my children come up with are amazing. God is teaching me so much through them and through this new journey. I think the most important thing I am learning is that what God desires for my life is for me to be an original. And by that I mean this: I am not meant to blend into life. I do not need to worry about how my decisions will look to others - as long as I am following Christ and He is leading me, the rest is unimportant. My decisions will probably not be popular. People may think Abel and I are a little bit extreme in our belief that dying to self, and allowing God to direct our steps is the only way to live. Is this way of living easy? Not all the time, but the peace I have more than makes up for the difficult times.

So, as I continue this New (Original) Journey, I hope to be able to use this blog to share what God is showing me. How about you? What has God been showing you lately?

Just a normal night

2009-05-11T21:25:00.002-05:00

Tonight we had a family picnic on our living room floor. What a blast! The kids were thrilled because we all sat on the floor together and watched America's Funniest Home Videos. I enjoyed myself so, so much. Not just because of the videos - and there were some funny ones! (Especially the montage of people catching on fire - nothing harmful, but this one grandma's hair went up so fast!!) But mainly because of the constant giggles, belly laughs and shrieks from my kids! For an hour straight my family laughed as people fell, slipped, tumbled and ran into walls. It was marvelous. One of my favorite sounds is that of Aiden laughing, followed by "did you see that??Ridiculous!" and then Olivia's laughter is contagious. There is nothing better! Their laughter can turn my day/mood completely around. I am so blessed to have such wonderful family!

I'm BAAAAAAACCCKKK!!!

2009-02-17T11:20:00.002-06:00

Wow!!! It has been so long! Just when I was getting into the groove of my blog - my computer died! This was actually a blessing in disguise because, my awesome, super sweet, wonderful, handsome hubby bought me a new computer!!!! And not just any computer, but a super sweet MAC BOOK PRO!!!!!! I can not believe it!!!! I love this computer!

So, starting tomorrow I will be back to posting on my schedule! I have missed blogging and can not wait to start again!

Bathroom Baptizing

2009-01-19T19:16:00.003-06:00

Today was a school holiday for my kids. We spent the day at home, I had so much cleaning to do - still trying to reorganize. The kids were playing in their rooms, and Aiden decided he wanted to listen to a certain song by a group called 2 By 2. They are a christian rap group from Beaumont, TX, and have come to our church a couple of times. The boys club uses their song when they perform; and Aiden wanted to hear it. So I let him listen to it on Abel's computer. After listening to that song about three times, Aiden chose another of their songs - Baptized.

After listening to Baptized multiple times, I found my 2 By 2 cd, and set it up to play in Aiden's room. I thought he would listen to the song a couple of times, and be done. However, that was not the case!! All Aiden did for an hour is repeat that song!!

During one of the many repeats, Olivia asked me if she could baptize some of her toys. (We had read a bible story about baptizing, and both kids had baptized a toy during the discussion.) So, I told her as long as she "baptized" in the sink, she could. After she found a few dolls and some animals, she filled the sink (almost to overflowing) and set about her job.

When I went to check on her, she had several of the toys laying on the bottom of the sink. I reminded her that when you baptize, it is a quick dunk under the water, otherwise the person drowns. She looked at me, and very matter of factly said, "Mom, I know that. But my toys want to be baptized this way! They like to lay under water for a long time." Then went to play in her room!!

Thank goodness she is not truly going to be baptizing anyone soon!!

Fitness Friday

2009-01-16T19:55:00.003-06:00

Welcome back!! I missed you guys yesterday. I has such a busy day - by the time I was able to get to my computer, I could barely keep my eyes open!! I knew that anything I would post would not be coherent, so I decided to do the only thing that made sense - run to bed.

Today is Friday - woo-hoo!! Even though I do not work outside my home anymore, I still get excited about Fridays, funny huh? Well, I decided to start making some lifestyle changes and wanted to share them with you all. I am hoping that my accountability to my bloggy friends will help keep me on track. Now that you are all reading what I am doing - or not doing, I am sure that will give me some extra motivation to keep going.

Since I have turned 30 recently, I want to make some changes so that I can be a healthier person. Each Friday I am going to share what I have been doing to loose all the baby weight I still carry (yes, I know that my baby is going on 5 - but it still makes me feel better to say that!)

I am also going to be linking up with Brenda at The Family Revised for her Fitness Friday challenges. Hope you will join me too!

Here are the changes I am working on making:

Drink more water - lots more!!

Eat less - don't keep eating because it is SO good; also no mindless snacking!

Make healthier food choices.

Exercise regularly.

With my goals posted, here is what I have been doing this past week:

I have been drinking a lot of water. (This I started last year when my migraines were an almost daily thing.) I have not been buying soda when I go to the grocery store, so that helps. Also, the funny thing is, the more water you drink, the more you want! And, now that I do not drink soda as much as I used too - I do not crave them, I am craving cold water..

I started exercising, because I want to feel better. Below is a list of what I did this week:

Friday: Walked 2 miles at the track

Saturday: Walked 1.5 miles at the track

Sunday - I rested

Monday - Completed a 45 min Pilates work out

Tuesday- Completed the same work out

Wednesday - Walked for 1 miles and ran for 1 mile (yes, I ran - can you believe it??)

Thursday - Nothing - I was so tired!

Friday - Pilates work out

Looking over that list, I can NOT believe all I did!! I hope that this coming week, I can keep on track. I am praying that God will help me to stay disciplined. this is a change I truly want to make! Tune in next week to see how I do!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T23:35:00.001-06:00

Truthful Tuesday

2009-01-13T10:24:00.004-06:00

Today will be my first Truthful Tuesday post. After much prayer, I have decided to start with the story of how God restored my marriage. I choose to share this story so that God can receive ALL the glory - what was done in my marriage is a perfect example of God's love, compassion and mercy in both mine and Abel's life.

My Story - Part 1

"Everyone says the first 5 years of marriage are the hardest. "

"Maybe you are expecting too much?"

"Have you been praying about it?"

Anytime I heard the above responses in my quest for understanding and comfort, I wanted to scream: "Yes, I know what everyone says, no I do not think I am expecting too much, and I am praying!!??!?!?" How could I not be? I had two children under the age of 3, a husband that was so distant, the only way we communicated was fighting and a bucketful of questions. I was at the end of my rope.

For the past five years I had constantly questioned my choices, my ability to hear from God, my value and my marriage. Is this what God has for me? There must be something better - at least I hope! Yet, here I was yet again pleading with God to give me the ok to leave my marriage. I just wanted some peace. To be able to leave the constant pressure cooker that was my life. I wanted stability for my kids. How many times would Abel and I fight and yell, threaten each other with divorce? This could not go on. But it did, eventually to the point of Abel living with his parents for several months.

During the time Abel lived with his parents I kept questioning God. Why me? What have I done? Did I not hear you right? The questions kept coming, but no answers. Soon, we were in counseling and Abel moved back home. I hoped for the best, but still felt something was not right. But, I tried to put that aside, and move forward. I reasoned that this was my life - I had committed to this marriage before God, my family and friends. Even if things did not change, I had to do what God was telling me to do and stay. So, I put on a mask and pretended things were getting better - but at home with just me and God, I knew what was damaging our marriage.

I felt stuck. Weeks went by, the band-aid we had put on our marriage was beginning to give way. What do I do with this nagging in my heart? I know there is something Abel is not telling me. With all the work we are putting in - why are we not getting any closer?

As I put all these thoughts out of my head, I struggled to get my mask ready. Today was my son's birthday party! We were going to celebrate, it was all about him! I had to get ready, it takes a while to put on the "things are getting better" costume. Thankfully Abel had gone to get us some lunch, so I was alone for a bit. Maybe I could relax for a bit??

Nope, not a chance, he is back. Well, at least lunch is here. Before I could get up from the bed, Abel was in the bedroom. Something was wrong - he looked awful! All the color was drained from his face. I asked what was wrong - if he was sick, did he need to go to the hospital? I had never seen him like this.

"No," he replied "just need to tell you something."

In that moment, I knew. I do not know how to explain it, but I knew what he was about to tell me. ...

"For the past year or so, I have been having a relationship with someone else."

The following preview has been rated G!!

2009-01-12T23:56:00.006-06:00

I am so excited! Back to my blog - my little piece of the Internet! I have been thinking a lot about what my first post would be about. I have really pumped myself up, maybe too much, because now I am at the point of nervousness! I have quite frankly, freaked myself out! How, you ask? Well, I posted this blog basically begging everyone to come back on Monday for my new and improved blog and now I am stuck. Really stuck!! Seriously. I. Have. Nothing.

So, I think I will let you in on my plans for this here blog! I have set myself a little schedule, so here is a preview for you:

Monday - Free for all day.. so whatever I feel like goes. Can't get too structured, it IS a Monday after all!

Tuesday - I am going to be calling my Tuesday posts - Truthful Tuesday!! This is the day I am dedicating to sharing my story - the hard fought battles and sweet victories of my walk with Christ. (As an incentive to come back tomorrow - I am going to start with the story of my sweetest victory and the hardest battle I have ever fought - the one for my marriage!)

Wednesday - Wordless Wednesday (took the idea from my rockin friend Carrie! storyofmyworl.blogspot.com) No words, just a pic.

Thursday - Thankful Thursday - God has done so much for me, I want to dedicate a day to brag on Him!

Friday - Fitness Friday - I have been so inspired my many of my blogging friends, that I am starting my own accountability post.

So, that is what I plan to do! How about you? How do you keep on track so you do not neglect your blog? I would LUV to hear about it!

Come back!!!!

2009-01-08T21:17:00.002-06:00

I am sure that the faithful few of you who check my blog on a regular basis have been dissapointed for a while now. With the holidays things were so crazy! I wanted to ask (encourage, beg, plead; you get the point!) you to check back on Monday. I am going to work on my blog over the weekend, so I can have a brand new look to start the new year!

This year I want to share from my heart, to be real and honest. I hope that you will join me on this journey. I plan to be much more disciplined in blogging! I am even working on a schedule to keep me on track. So, stayed tuned! This is gonna be a great year!!!

And the WINNER is.....

2008-12-09T20:09:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the end of my Christmas Giveaway drawing. I must say, I had so much fun doing this. It was awesome to read so many different blogs. I had a hard time tearing myself away from my computer. So, on to the winner, drum roll please..........

JESSICA LEMAN!!!!

Congratulations Jessica!!! I want to thank everyone that came and looked at my blog, those that entered my drawing and those that did not! You guys all rock and everyone of you are winners in my book. I hope you will drop back by on occasion; as I will be dropping by your blog!

Come back tomorrow, I am sure I will have something wonderful to share.

Christmas Time Is Here!!!!

2008-12-05T12:32:00.008-06:00

I love Christmas!!!! This morning I am so excited to kick off the Christmas season by participating in a Christmas Give Away that Lysa TerKeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries is hosting on her blog. So if you do not normally read her blog, click on the link below or the Christmas button above and check out her give away and the many others that are joining in!

http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2008/12/cool-christmas-giveaway-day.html

Now, on to my give away! I am giving away an Arbonne gift basket!! Included in the basket are: a Mandarin Cashmere candle, a Mandarin Cashmere body lotion and body scrub. I love Arbonne products, so I thought I would share something I love! I will put it together in a gift basket and update my page when I have done that, but for now here are pictures of the products.

How do you register for this?? Simply leave me a comment telling me your favorite at home spa product. Then Iwill randomly draw a winner on Monday, Dec 8; so I can ship it out and you can receive it before Christmas, in case you want to give it as a gift. (Make sure you leave me a link to your page or an email, so I can contact you if you are the winner!)

Blessings!

Time with THE King!

2008-12-01T21:06:00.003-06:00

Today I started reading the story of Esther. Oh, how I love this story!! (Have you seen the movie One Night With The King? It is awesome! ) If you have not read this book in the Bible, it tells the story of a young Jewish girl who becomes queen of Persia and eventually saves her people. But today I would like to focus on chapter 1, the beginning of the story.

In chapter 1, King Xerxes is throwing a huge party. After 7 days, he decides to summon Queen Vashti to the party. He wants her to come before him, wearing her royal crown, so everyone can see how beautiful she is. He sends his men to get her and she says no! What in the world?? As I read the chapter, I was overwhelmed by how much this decision caused Vashti to miss out on! The king was celebrating, there was beautiful linens, decorations, etc everywhere, I am sure the wine and food flowed freely, yet his desire was to see the queen. He sent for her, asking her to come wearing her crown to enhance her beauty and she flat out refused! By doing so, she set an awful example for the women of the land, she embarassed her husband and king; and ultimately she sealed her own fate and was banished from the king's presence and replaced.
I wonder why she made the choice she did? Was she nervous about all the people?? Was she irritated at the request? Was she trying to show her irritation at not being allowed at the king's feast? Regardless of her reason, she chose to be disobedient and not submissive, so she missed out on the lavishness of the king.

How often do we do that? Our King asks us to spend time with him, so He can see our beauty, enhance it even; and we have other things to do. We choose to spend our time with others, doing other things. Are they as important as God? No, yet we choose them over Him time and time again. I know I am guilty of this. I wonder how much of my King's lavish provision I have missed out on because I was disobedient and not submitting to his authority in my life?

Lord, please help me to be more attentive to you! I desire to spend more time with you. I need to spend more time with you. Show me your ways. Change me!

Out of the mouths of babes....

2008-11-24T09:22:00.002-06:00

Isn't it funny how we are the ones put in charge of teaching our children, but so often they end up teaching us? Abel and I work very hard to teach our children about God, and having a relationship with him - which can be pretty difficult somedays, we are talking about a 4 and 6 year old! But then, there are those moments, when they say or do something that humbles you. I would like to share one of those.

Every morning on the way to school, I say a prayer with the kids. We pray for their classmates, teachers and for their behavior. Several weeks ago I started adding my paraphase of Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.) Usually that part of the prayer went something like this: Thank you Jesus that I can do all things through you, because you give me the strength to do my best.

Well, Olivia took that part and made it her own! Now every time we pray morning or night - she adds her own interpretation: "Thank you that we can do all things through Christ, and if we do not do all things through Christ we can not do things."

WOW!!! My four year old has captured a fundamental truth, and stated it so simply! The best thing is, she really believes this to the core of her being. I am so grateful that she had a heart for Jesus at such a young age. She is teaching me everytime she says this prayer!

Getting to know you....Getting to know all about you!

2008-11-17T22:16:00.005-06:00

I recently read a blog that I thought was so cool. Chelsey posted a little about her, and I found it fascinating! Maybe it is because I am a people person or maybe just nosey, but I loved reading it. So, I thought I would do the same. So here is a little about me, some things you may know, some may be a surprise. If you want to do the same, (and I hope you will!) go for it! Just let me know so I can stop by and read!

I have been married for 8 years to my awesome husband!

We have 2 wonderful gifts from God, a 6 year old boy and a 4 year old girl.

I am VERY active in my kiddos school. This year I am the secretary for the PTO.

I LOVE to: scrapbook, cook & bake, read and sing.

I wish I knew how to play the piano.

I used to be organized, now I am just really good at making piles!

I work full time - at home. I believe that my calling is to be the best wife and mother I can be.

I am working on being on time - for some reason I really struggle with that one!

I think there is nothing wrong with wearing pajamas all day.

My favorite color is purple.

I talk - ALOT, and I use my hands to make points.

I am trying to listen more than I talk - especially to my children and husband.

I am learning every day how much more I have to learn.

I think that forgiveness is one of the best gifts you can give.

I LOVE coffee. I could drink it all day, Starbucks is one of my favorite places.

My favorite sport is baseball and I am a die-hard Houston Astros fan.

I do not like to wear shoes, I will take them off the second I am able!

I am the oldest of 4. I love my sister and 2 brothers, they each inspire me everyday, even if they do not know it.

I am so thankful for the Godly example my parents have set for me.

I think laughter is essential to good health.

I have to sleep on the right side of the bed.

I have a weird obsession with tweezing my eyebrows.

I love to serve others.

I wish I knew how to speak Spanish fluently.

I am passionately working on my relationship with Christ.

The Sound of Music is one of my favorite musicals/movies of all time.

I like to buy clothes and jewelry for my dog.

I take the word friend very seriously.

I love to have girl time and hang out with my best friend.

I have a desire to be able to minister God's grace and mercy to women. I want every woman to know that God can take the mess we make of our lives and turn it into something more beautiful than we ever thought possible!

There is so, so, so much more, but I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment so I can come check your blog out!

Here is the link to Chelsey's blog: http://joyfullyliving.blogspot.com/2008/11/at-well-getting-to-know-you.html

Blocked!!!

2008-11-05T10:38:00.002-06:00

I have been having a problem for the past week or so. Everytime I sit down at my computer to blog, I get blocked! Away from the computer I think of wonderful things to blog about, well maybe not always wonderful; but at least better than a blank page. Then as soon as I would sit at the keyboard, my mind would go blank!!! Has this ever happened to you?

So, I decided today to be proactive! I made a decision before I ever sat down to blog that I was going to write a couple sentences about how wonderful it is to be a child of God! So here goes, in case you need a little pick me up this morning if you are a christian or if you are wondering what it is like to be one. Enjoy!

I am thankful that as a child of God, once I asked Jesus into my heart, all my sins (past, present and futures ones) were forgiven! I no longer had to walk in shame. I know that no matter what the day brings, I am loved beyond measure by a God who knows the exact number of hairs upon my head. When I choose to be obedient to His calling on my life, the blessings are unbelieveable. As His child I will always be provided for (this has been proven in my life many times), my enemies will not prosper, my steps are ordered, and I will have Godly wisdom to make decisions with. I have favor in my life and that has been proven time and time again. As I continue to seek after God with all my heart, He continually gives me the desires of my heart! He has restored my marriage that was on the brink of divorce, blessed me with 2 awesome children, and I am seeing my loved ones return to Him! His promises are amazing, His mercy is overflowing in my life and His grace in immeasureable.

What is important to you in a leader?

2008-10-28T22:28:00.002-05:00

I have been reading an awesome book titled, Under Cover. It is all about spiritual authority and why this is such an important concept to grasp. This book has really got me thinking, about all the ministers I have served under. Each one taught me things, some good; some not so good.

What I would like to know is:
What is important to you?
What makes a good leader in your eyes?
Are there things that are an absolute?
Things you can work around?

Come on, gimme the details! I can not wait to read your thoughts!!

Can I get a drum roll please????

2008-10-24T21:26:00.002-05:00

Well, my kids have decided on a name for the hamster.. are you ready for this??? They came up with this all on their own. Even when I tried to persuade them to change it, they stuck to their guns. So the long awaited name is Hamie.

Yep, we are the proud owners of Hamie the hamster.

As promised...

2008-10-22T21:22:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pics of the new hamster... Still no name yet, any suggestions???

Why do you?

2008-10-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

Tonight during a search for a new blog to follow, I came across several posts with people stating 'this post may be my last.' As I continued to read, each of them said the same thing: no one comments, not many people read my blog, not sure why I do this. So, that got me thinking.... Why do I blog? I know that I have not been very consistant, but I am working on it. I do not even really promote my blog.. So, why do I do it?

I guess I do it to get my thoughts out of my head. So, why do you blog?

Guess what we found???

2008-10-16T23:52:00.002-05:00

Guess what we found in our garage????

A hamster! Can you believe it??? Abel went out in the garage to get some food from the deep freezer and the hamster was just hanging out in our garage - by the door to the kitchen. Can you believe that? We have no idea how it got in our garage, as everything was locked up tight.

So, now we have a new pet - unless some one puts up signs looking for their missing hamster. (Don't laugh - there is a sign in our neighborhood for a missing turtle, that answers to Molly.) Out of neccessity, Abel went to Wal-Mart and bought a cage, shavings and food. The kids are still awake, it is midnight, so school may be a wash tomorrow..I can not believe that they are still up - too much excitement.

My kids are in love, so I am kinda hoping no one looks for it; or we will be making a trip to Petsmart to buy a hamster. Thanksfully they are not that expensive!

Will update you tomorrow on the great discovery!

Desires

2008-10-02T10:12:00.006-05:00

September came and went this year in the blink of an eye. (Actually it was a very long blink because of IKE, but a blink none the less!) I love September for a number of reasons - but the main one is because I celebrate an anniversary. This anniversary is very special to me, because it is a testimony that shows God keeps His promises. It is not my wedding anniversary, which in itself is a testimony of God's grace and mercy, it is the anniversary of when I became a Stay At Home Mom (S.A.H.M)!!

I know it may seem like a funny thing to celebrate, when we are growing up and someone asks what we want to be when we grow up most of us did not say a housewife! However, I feel that for my life, there is no other profession that I could aspire to that would bring me any greater fullfillment. So, in honor of my first anniversary; here is a short chapter on how I became a S.A.H.M.

Seven years ago this month, I became pregnant with my son. From the minute I found out I was expecting I started dreaming of being able to stay at home with my child. However, I knew that financially we would not be able to make it on one income. Like most young couples, we had an incredible amount of debt to pay off, which also included a mortgage and car payments. With that knowledge, I started planning and praying. My husband will tell you that I am not very good at planning, so I was mostly praying. I knew that God would not give me a desire to be at home with my children, unless He was going to provide a way. My praying intensified when we welcomed our daughter four years ago!

In all His wisdom, God did not shower money on us. In fact, we faced some very difficult financial situations, due to poor planning and irresponsibility on our part. However, He did give us wisdom to correct the bad decisions we had made. And, He blessed me with an awesome part time job that allowed me to be with my children as much as possible. Then, through a very complicated series of events, my husband was blessed with a job that would eventually allow me to be able to stay home!
After careful planning (on my husband's part) and a lot of praying (for us both!) in September of 2007 I was able to quit my job and begin the adventure of staying at home.

I have loved every part of staying at home, all the while never forgetting the sacrifices my husband has made. He works so hard to insure that our family is provided for. I am very proud of the man God has molded him into. I am so blessed that I have a husband that listens to God and to me! With out the love and support I receive every day from him, I would never be able to live my dream. I love you honey!

As I start my next year of being a S.A.H.M. I am filled with anticipation and excitement. I know I am blessed beyond measure: I have an wonderful marriage, 2 awesome children and the desires of my heart have been met by my Lord and Savior. As I continue to focus on improving my relationship with Christ, I know that everything else will fall into place!

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NASB)

Starting over....again.

2008-09-26T22:07:00.002-05:00

Lately I seem to be coming up short - way short. In many areas I am way ahead of the curve, but in one that I hold very dear, I am falling behind, and fast. And I am blaming it all on mother nature. I know you are asking yourself "where is this going????" stick with me.....

Ike seemed to wreck havoc on a lot more than the Southeast Texas landscape. It also took over my life! I have been consumed by it. Watching the news, looking for news on the internet, listening to talk radio, all to hear about Ike and the destruction it caused. Turns out I should have been a tiny bit more introspective in my search. I willingly gave Ike the place in my life that my relationship with God deserves. This realization hit me today, and when I say hit; I do mean HIT!! After watching yet another news clip about destruction and desolation, holding back tears, wondering why I was getting more and more effected by the images; I felt God drop some truth into my heart. "You gave Ike MY place."

Ouch! I knew that was true. All the time I was spending searching out Ike info, it was time I was using before the storm, to search out God; to strengthen my relationship with Him. SO, with this post I am starting over again! Saying goodbye to Ike and hello to my God. Thankfully He is there, arms open wide, waiting on me!

....'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 1:3

A lot to be thankful for

2008-09-24T22:07:00.003-05:00

Wow!!!! Time flies when you have a natural disaster hit your town..So, as everyone is probably aware of, IKE tore through southeast Texas 2 weeks ago. We were ordered to evacuate, but after the debacle that was the RITA evacuation, we went as far as Pasadena to my parents house! We (my awesome husband, 2 wonderful kids, parents, brother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew, plus 3 dogs!) all camped out at my parents house to wait out the storm. I could write many blogs about the time spent watching the hurricane pass through Pasadena, the eye of the storm (such a surreal experience!) and the time with out power, getting power and coming back to our home; and ALL the times in between. We had our power restored late Sunday afternoon and have been slowly getting things back in order. With every item I unpack, my sense of gratefulness grows. I am so grateful to have a home to come back to, one that was not damaged. I know that IKE caused great destruction all around me, but one thing it caused was my contentment to increase dramatically. I know it sounds slightly off base to be thankful for a storm, and I am in no way thankful for all the damage and destruction, I am just choosing to look at things from a different view point. So, here is a list of things I am thankful for in IKE's wake:

My family
My friends
My undamaged house that has power
My incredibly clean refrigerator and freezer (freshly cleaned because of the power outage)
My parent's hospitality - let us stay at their house during and after the storm
My Dad's foresight - he had generators to keep us cool, and ice machine that kept us stocked with ice, BBQ pit ready to cook on, I am sure there are things I am forgetting!
My husband - he is an all around awesome guy! Kept me laughing, even in the tough times
My kids - they did awesome during all the hoopla
My kid's school is ready for them to come back on Monday.

There are so many more things to be thankful for, I just wanted to get some of them out there. Hope you are focusing on the good too!

So much to do...

2008-08-27T18:15:00.002-05:00

I can not believe how time flies! School started this week, and with it the days of my kids being babies are officially gone! (I think they have been gone for a while, I was just refusing to acknowldge their departure!) I will post pictures of the first day of school tomorrow, today I wanted to post a link to my fabulous husband's blog. Abel posted an audio file of the mini sermon he gave in church last week. It is really good and worth checking out. Hope you enjoy! (It is the August 24 post.)

Here is the link:

http://www.tapped-out.blogspot.com

You will probably have to copy and paste, because I can not figure out how to get it to link. Sorry!

One way to look at it

2008-08-22T14:49:00.000-05:00

At church this week we had a service where all the children that are going to school were prayed for. Our pastors called them up by age groups, so Aiden and Olivia were seperated. Aiden went with his group no problem, did not even have to tell him twice! Olivia on the other hand, would not go by herself. So, I was able to go with her. While our Pastor was praying for the children, I started to cry. The thought of my baby going to school was getting to me. Thankfully, the prayer was over! After I set back down my sister kept looking at me and laughing. I thought it was because of my emotions, but then she told me what Aiden asked her during the prayer and it cracked me up!

"Ti, is mom crying because she is so happy Olivia is going to school?"

I guess that is one way to look at it!

Crazy Kids!

2008-08-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

Aiden and Olivia had friends spend the night last night. Boy, have I heard some funny things! Following are a few snippets of conversation:

Caroline to my brother: "I am not scared of you, I know Kung Fu!"
When asked where she learned it, her response? "T.V."

Olivia talking about Tom and Jerry the cartoon: "You have to be 18 or older for that!" Must have been wanting to order from an infomercial!

The Boys (Aiden and Matthew): "Why won't the girls play tea party with us?"

Natalie is the only surprise, normally she says all kind of off the wall things - not yet! I am waiting, I know she will come through!

A Quiet Heart

2008-08-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

I am working through a devotional book my friend Tracie passed on to me. It is titled "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. This book is wonderful, when Tracie passed it on to me, I did not know how important it would become. Soon after I started the bible study, my husband lost his job. Fast forward a month or so, and he still does not have a job. I am learning how to be content first hand! When I started the bible study I thought it would be a good study for me to work through some of my quirks - ha! I did not know the words and scriptures listed would become a great source of encouragement for me. There are so many wonderful points in the book, however, there is one part I know the Lord keeps sending me back to that I want to share. Hope you enjoy it too!

Psalm 16:5 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.

Speaker and author Elisabeth Elliot makes this thought-provoking statement about Psalm 16:5:

"I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" ("This belongs to it, that does not")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quiet heart is content with what God gives."

The last line is my favorite! I am praying that in all circumstances God will teach me how to have a quiet heart.

I want to go to school!!!

2008-08-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

School is starting soon - can you believe it? Summer seems to have flown by! Aiden is so ready to start 1st grade. He is counting down the days! I have to admit that I am excited for him - he loves to learn and does very well with routine. Olivia recently turned 4, so I have been looking forward to her last year of freedom before she starts kindergarten. I have been mentally planning things for us to do while Aiden was in school; you know typical mother/daughter bonding things.

Evidently, Olivia had other plans! Friday morning she came to me with some interesting information. "Mom, I want to go to school" she told me with a huge giddy smile on her face. I had to ask her to repeat herself because I could not believe it. My baby?? Go to school?? No way! I have plans for us!

So, like any good mom would do I gently let her know what that meant. "Baby Doll, do you know that when you go to school, you are gone all day?"

"Yep momma! I want to go to school!"

Never one to give up easily, I tried again "Olivia, all day everyday? Just like bubba?"

"YES Momma! I want to go to school" She flashes those big brown puppy dog eyes and winning smile - what more could I do??

"Okay Olivia. Let me see what I need to do to register you! I am so proud of you, you are such a big girl!"

"Thank you Momma!!" Runs off yelling to no one in particular, "I am gonna go to school!"

As I sit in the office crying that my baby is growing up, Abel reminds me that we can not keep her little forever, I try to explain that I was not asking forever, just for one more year. Even so, I know this will be a great thing for her, I just need some time to adjust to this!

Goals

2008-08-08T20:49:00.001-05:00

I have set a goal for myself. I am aspiring to blog at least 3 times a week. Can I do it? Honestly, I am not sure. But I am up for the challenge. SO, stay tuned... Hopefully I can accomplish this goal. I just pray I have something interesting in my life to post 3 blogs a week!

A true friend

2008-05-05T22:37:00.001-05:00

There is a song that I love to sing - everytime I hear it, I want to jump, spin around, clap my hands, well you get the idea. The song??? Friend of God, by Israel Houghton. My favorite part in the version we sing at church is this:

It's amazing that the creator of the universe,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Invites me to be his friend.

Those few lines amaze me. Think about it, I mean REALLY think about it. The creator of the whole entire universe, the one that spoke everything into existence, desires to be my (and your) friend. That concept blows my mind.

I have been a christian my entire life, grew up in a christian home, strayed a little as an adult, but am now faithfully seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ, yet I think this concept eluded me for a while. I am just now coming into an understanding that God truly wants to be my friend. Now, don't get me wrong I always knew he was my friend, but I think the friendship level God desires is much more complicated than the friend level we put Him on. I am sure you will agree with me, we all have friends on different levels - ones we like to hang out with becuase they are fun, ones that let us slide when we know we are wrong, the ones that when the going gets tough; we are never sure how long they will stick it out. Then we have the few, the bold, the brave - the ones that no matter what, they stick it out. In my life I have been blessed with a couple of these. The friends that never let us get away with the pity party we continually try to throw, the one that calls us out - the one that encourages us to pray about things, to have an active, intimate relationship with Christ. This is the person we seek out when we can't go on, when we feel like the world is falling down around us. The one we go to for comfort, peace, encouragement, wisdom. This is the friend that doesn't leave us no matter how hard we push them away.

Now, take that bond and multiply it by my children's favorite number - infinity! That is the friendship level Christ desires for us. He invites us to that intimate relationship with him. Isn't that amazing????? And the kicker is, that level of relationship is not even hard. He wants to spend time with us, for us to know Him deeply and intimately. What a privilege - What an honor!

A sense of wonder

2008-04-21T20:54:00.001-05:00

I love to see the world through the eyes of my kids. Their perspective on things is amazingly simple, yet so profound at the same time.

For example, my daughter Olivia has the unique ability to constantly live in a moment of thankfulness. Whatever the circumstance, she finds something to be thankful for. She continually thanks me for the meals I cook - even if it just chicken nuggets. She tells me I am "the best cooker." At almost four, she has more insight into how being thankful can effect every area of her life than most people 10 times her age. She takes joy in the small things and lets her family know she appreciates them. She is not shy in telling her brother she appreciates him, that he is a good brother. I have heard her many times tell Aiden "you are the best 'brudder' in the world" and of course, her dad is not to be left out. On Easter Sunday, Abel dressed very nicely - (for the choir debut at church). When she saw him that morning, she was so excited, she told me "oh mommy, daddy looks so handsome!" For a little girl, she takes notice of so much, and is thankful for all she has; big and small. I only pray she continues in this as she grows.

Not to be left out, Aiden is a wonder of his own. His love of learning is so amazing. He relishes in each new concept he masters; whether it is school or church or conquering a hard part of a drawing. Aiden enjoys learning. It is nothing short of pure joy to watch his face light up as the pieces fall together and he "gets it". His thirst for knowledge is not limited to things I consider "normal" for a 5 year old; he can talk for days about the solar system or dinosaurs and he does not talk in generic terms - he is so specific. He has questions that make me stop and think - even some that I have a hard time answering. I pray that this love of learning only continues to grow.

Both of my children are gifts from God - no doubt about it. Seeing life through their eyes gives me the opportunity to remember that God desires so much for us. "God desires for everything to be new, for us to be thankful in all things - no matter how small; just like Olivia. He wants us to relish learning new things, to have a desire for him that is unquenchable. Just like Aiden's thirst for knowledge. My children teach me so much every day, I am so grateful for them! Their approach to life at such a young age leaves me filled with such a sense of wonder. I know they are truly God's gift to me!

Why are you in my seat???

2008-03-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

At church this weekend our 11:00 a.m. service was packed. I knew it would be, it was Easter afterall. It was also the debut of our new church choir. Since I am in the choir, I made sure to save seats for my family, because they were not there yet. However, other people had a different idea for my seats. By the second song, my "saved" chairs were dissappearing - fast! If my family did not get there soon, they would have to sit on the floor! Finally, my mom arrives and stakes claim to a few seats. The reason I was so worried about my family getting there, was the choir debut - this is not just any choir - it is an awesome group of people from my church, but it is also lead by the world's BEST worship leader. My husband, Abel.

I was so blessed to see Abel being used by God this past Sunday. For many years, I doubted that Abel would allow God to use him. I felt that he was determined to self destruct, making bad decision after bad decision; with no regard for anyone else. However, in the past 3 years, Abel has allowed God complete control and the transformation is amazing. As I was singing in the choir on Sunday, I was overwhelmed by all God has done for me and my family. He has restored my marriage, given me back my best friend, blessed me with 2 awesome children, I could go on and on. While standing on the stage - I was so thankful that Abel allowed God control. He did an awesome job leading praise and worship - his desire to be used by God was evident that morning.

I can not put into words how thankful I was for that moment. Being a part of God's divine plan is wonderful! I believe that when we give up control of our lives and allow God to reign, mighty things happen - just like Sunday morning. God took the broken pieces of our lives and has skillfully, over the last 2 - 3 years, pieced them back together into a masterpiece so beautiful words can not describe.

That is why I was standing on stage crying like a baby in the second service - I know I looked out of place. Everyone else was smiling and I am trying to pull it together - and not being very successful. But if I had heard the quick exchange between my mom and sister after Kristen got to church - I might have been able to pull it together a little quicker.

Kris: "Why is Bree crying so much?"
Mom: "Because you are sitting in her seat!"

-b-

Why not???

2008-03-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

There are many times in the course of my day that I think to myself - why not? The questions vary from the mundane ("Should I really eat that piece of chocolate?") to the important (" Should I read my bible and pray?") and everything in between. However, there has been one question on my mind lately that I have not been able to come up with a good anwer for. Drum roll please.... "Should I start a blog??"

I have waffled between several answers: "OF COURSE!!! Who wouldn't be interested in my life!" or "NO WAY! Do I need anything else to take up my time?" and of course the all powerful " WHY??? Who would be interested?" And usually, I just end up putting my attention somewhere else. Until now.... I decided that I do have a story to tell - and since my 3 year old will only listen to me for so long before she wants to talk about princesses or pink power rangers, I am starting my blog.

If no one reads it, at least I have a forum to get my thoughts, ideas and opinions out. If one person reads it (outside of my family - because they are obligated to) then I will have hit the jackpot! So stay tuned, there is no telling what I will post..