Graduation

Just a quick post to let y’all know that MY husband will be graduating from college in just 23 days.  About 5 years ago we began this journey together and it is coming to an end.  I am more proud of him than I can express.  We’ve both got senioritis pretty bad, but I think we can make it through these last 3 weeks of papers, tests and homework.  (Me having senioritis is akin to the man having morning sickness during his wife’s 1st trimeseter of pregnancy)

More to come on this exciting and momentous occasion soon!

Christ in the Midst

Today was busy for us.  We were out and about most of the day, and looking around the house this evening is evidence that we didn’t spend much time here.  It’s well, messy.  My sweet husband asked me if I wanted to watch a movie with him and I think I will leave all the stuff undone until tomorrow.  Maryanne over at www.happyhelms.com wrote an amazing post this evening that I’d like to recommend to y’all.  If any of you struggle with this thing called life, this thing called mothering, being a wife, being a Christian you will find answers over there.  Her remedy to all the difficult things in life is Christ.  It is so simple, yet so profound.  Let’s face it, life is hard.  My thoughts and my sin make it incredibly hard sometimes.  So I pray that God would give me the grace to look to Him during those hard days when it is so difficult to look to Him.  I am thankful that He surely is there, strong and mighty to save!

Returning Protocol

Is it wrong to return something you bought, only to re-purchase it at the sale price?  If I was reading the looks of the check-out clerk correctly she was not too thrilled about my behavior.  I bought some face soap with my CVS bucks (so, yes it was free to me   and then saw in the mailer that it was on sale this week.  So, I returned my unused face soap and re-bought it.  Is that wrong?  Let me know what you think.  I’m trying to save money around here, but I don’t want to break rules.  Thanks for your input.

Balance and Loving Your Neighbor

Thanks ladies for all of your encouragement in regard to schedules and getting myself together. I’m realizing that some of my desire to have it all planned out is a control thing. I need to trust the Lord with the daily interruptions that occur and allow myself some room to breath. I also need to balance that with the need to get certain things done. Things like clean, not wrinkled clothes for my husband and dinner are essential to creating the peaceful atmosphere I desire around here. So, in an effort to maintain that tender balance I’m creating lists. I’ve done this before, but always find it releasing to do again. What are those things that we desire to accomplish with our little ones daily, weekly, etc? What about in the home? What things do I need to accomplish daily, weekly, etc to make our home a peaceful, functional place for us to enjoy together? Most importantly what do I need to do daily, weekly, etc to honor and serve my husband? I know what makes him feel loved and cared for, so I strive to make sure those things are my top priority. In serving my family this way, I am honoring and serving the Lord which is my goal. Doing all that with a cheerful contentedness is how I can glorify God and enjoy Him. So, that’s where I’m at since my last post. Pretty much, taking the time to think and then put things on paper makes a huge difference for me. Otherwise I feel like I’m carry this never ending to-do list around in my head that never gets done, and then I feel like I’m failing. So, there’s hope.

Another thing I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is evangelism. Now that we’ve moved to this new home and neighborhood it is my prayer that the Lord would use us here. We desire to be loving, giving neighbors that are salt and light because we’ve been forgiven by an amazingly gracious God. I pray that the Lord would open up more opportunities to meet and get to know these people. That He would give us a real love for them. That they would be open to being friends, and that our relationships would move beyond the small talk and into the deeper things of life. So, the Lord has us here and it is our mission field. (Now if my Spanish was only better, and if I only knew German I’d be good to go!)

PS. Any tips on how to become “friends” with someone who doesn’t speak your language? There are two ladies who frequent the park near our home who don’t speak English hardly at all…

Aaaahhh!  Schedule, schedule, routine, normalcy.  Has anyone seen mine?  Oh, we’ve got a schedule going around here, but it’s not really what I’d like to consider our “normal.”  Some of the components are still working and being practiced, but some are just not!  Will the one who’s responsible please come forward?  OH, that’s me.  Right, I need to get it together.  With moving, packing, losing baby, being pregnant, the holidays right before that I have just let things go.  So, here I am realizing one of the huge contributing factors to my scatter brained, not getting enough done, less than patient days.

There is this part of me that loves not having everything planned out.  Fly by the seat of your pants, take what the day gives you, see what happens, do it on a whim…but then when I run with that for a while I always end up landing on the seat of my pants instead of flying.  Maybe there needs to be balance?!  Now, there’s an idea.  Anyways, so I’m trying to get it together.  Oh, Lord would you help me get it together because whenever I try it just doesn’t work.

My guys need routine.  Did I mention that they really NEED routine?  It is so helpful when they know what’s next and what is expected of them.  (It alleviates some of the questions too-nod quietly if you have a 4 or 5 year old.)  It gives me a whole lot more confidence in my mothering as well, because then I am able to decipher what is disobedience and what is them just not knowing what’s going on.   When we follow a carefully crafted routine I am able to look back at the end of the day and say that we accomplished what we aimed to, God permitting.  I don’t have to analyze everything all the time because I know that the basics we desire to do with the boys and our home are being accomplished.  Oh, but right now it’s all a mish-mash.  I’m an overanalyzer and an over-guilter, so anything to relieve those two habits is a great thing.  (Just ask my husband!)

So, if you made it this far you must be really bored or a great friend.  Pray for me if you think about it as I try to assemble some order around here.  Not crazy to the minute stuff, just a nice flow to our day with lots of time for Momma to sit  and love on my littles.  We would never want that to get squeezed out and so often that’s the first to go.

Squirrels, Lizards and Bats !? Oh My!

Wildlife abounds here. It is so exciting to watch the little ones discover all these creatures. I believe little boys need to dig around and play with bugs. Our new home has provided them with lots of opportunities thus far. Lizards abound here. Just today the big guy was chasing a lizard with the hopes of catching it. When he finally got his hands on it, he ended up with just the tail. We’ve been telling him that lizards can shed their tails when they need to, so it was so exciting to see it in action! The tail laid there twitching awhile. It made their day. The bats I could do without, but I do believe they were a passing fancy that has passed. I am very thankful for this opportunity the Lord has provided for our family!

Slow Saturday and Resurrection Day

Wow, it’s been a long time since I blogged. Today is a cloudy one here in Southern California. The air feels wet outside, as though it might rain. We are enjoying a different kind of Saturday around here. My beloved is studying hard, and the boys and I spent the morning shooting things with pop-guns, making tents, camping out and other things of that nature. Normally we would be cleaning our church, but since we’ve moved that’s no longer our responsibility. I must admit that it’s nice to have more time together that’s not so hurried. My friend over at The Happy Helms (www.happyhelms.com) has Saturday brunch with her family every weekend. Now that we’ve got our own space, and will be having a bit more time on our hands come mid May I think we could handle something fun like that. Do you and your family have any fun traditions that you wouldn’t mind sharing? Weekly, monthly, yearly. What are those precious together times and memory builders that you all practice?

Tomorrow we will celebrate Resurrection Day. Our Savior is Risen! Praise the Lord. I would have nothing without that glorious truth. Without the death and resurrection of Christ there is no hope for any of us. Oh, but He IS risen and is seated at the right hand of the Father and He forever lives to intercede for us. He is alive and we have hope, forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternity with the Lord. May He enable us to understand His sacrifice afresh this weekend!