I Found Something Fun To Do...

When I load the dishes - I like it pretty full. I hate to run it when there are spaces. So I will wait and sometimes I leave the clean dishes in and just pull from it. Yes, I know, not a good practice but it happens. So when Andy comes home and is being helpful he is loading the dirty dishes into clean dishes or pulling out dirty dishes to use, well no, that really never happens - but it could. Anyway...the other day I had a partial load and I was wondering what I could do to remind myself and him that it was dirty.

My Mom has a magnet that you flip...one way it says clean - the other it says dirty. My kids love magnets...that thing would never last. So I decided to take a happy red water based marker and write "dirty" on the front. Now mine is that smooth, slick shiny surfaced material. So it wipes off with a wet cloth easily. Can I just say that I LOVE writing whether the dishes are clean or dirty on there? It is just plain fun. Of course I had to remind the boys that they could not do that on any other furniture and could only write on the dishwasher with my permission...but what fun is that?

Made my day.

Underwear

Okay...I need to tell you the story behind the poems. It is a game. A person gives you one word and you are suppose to write a poem...

Andy told me it was okay to post this....just so you know

The word for this was cotton.

Underwear

Here's to undies soft and white.
Keeps you comfy, holds you tight.
No other drawers can hold such treasure.

Their worth is truly hard to measure.
So bottoms up to the all but forgotten
Underwear, white, soft and cotton.

Curve in the Road

the word here: dip

The road it curved the gentle dip,
Where sky met earth again
I could not see beyond the curve
and prayed you would attend

My longing heart it's struggle mighty
to see that round that bend
You would come to my open arms
and know peace within them.

Amusing

Word here: amusing

Amusing days spent in the sun
the salty sweat you could feel run
down your back to pool at the small

Radiating heat from warm brown skin
plunged quickly neath the cool blue spin
wet the length of that body tall

Then laying on the towel to enjoy
the cool evaporation used to employ
each summer day and it, endless all

Fringe

Word here: fringe

I like the fringe around your eyes eyes
that reflect blue of the skies the skies
that go forever on
and remind me that you are again, gone.
and all that space between you and me
will cause an empty place to be.
I miss you friend and can't pretend
I long to see your face again
And one day soon to realize
and see that fringe around your eyes.

Oh The Things That Children Say....

We took the boys to a movie yesterday. Andy got home from being out of town early and it was the first day out of school...so it was a celebration of sorts.

We sat down before the movie and while Andy got our snacks, the boys and I were reading the screen trivia. A picture of Brooke Shields came up and I said, "She is a pretty girl isn't she?" Jackson immediately replied, "No - yuck". So I asked him what girls he thought were pretty, and this precious boy gave me the sweetest answer..."There are no pretty girls but you Mamma". Oh my goodness...that is one I will pull out and mull over during dark moments to be sure.

I Am Fascinated....

The other day I was folding clothes and looking for something good to watch on television while I did it. I happened upon "Miss Potter" with Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. It was the story of Beatrix Potter. I have all of her books and have read them countless times to my children but I never knew anything about her. It is truly an amazing story. She is my new fascination. What I loved about her is her courage of conviction and her ability to put feet to her ideas and make them work. I encourage you all to rent that movie if you have a chance. She is inspiring...and I need that! So much!

She bought thousands of acres of land and preserved them as working farms. It is said she bequeathed 4000 acres of land to the National Trust in Britain. Sometimes paying twice as much as what it was worth to keep land developers from ruining the lake district she loved so much. What a wonderful use of the money she made from her books.

Here is the official website. Good for you and your kids!

PeterRabbit

and another

BeatrixPotterSociety

You can find her lovely paintings and a little more information about this wonderful lady!

I have been mulling some things over so you will probably see me back soon. Simplicity and using time and money wisely - so convicted!

Off With The Old On With The New

How many times have you heard that phrase? Hundreds of times probably. Well maybe that is an exageration...but a lot I bet. And I know you know what it means. I have been mulling it over ever since my pastor was talking about it in the sermon yesterday. I want to be a new person. I want to be like Christ. And yet I see myself doing the same things every day - these things actually undermine my efforts to be more like Christ.

I have a problem though. I have a tendency to get pumped up about things....go full force and burn out because I am overwhelmed and not seeing change fast enough. Then I give up. So I figure that plan doesn't work...it's time to try something new. More in the line of little at a time so I can go the distance. After all...I believe it was my cross-country coach that told me I was built for endurance, not for speed. And that was when I was 16. After three kids - well...you know it's true. That makes me laugh though...oh to have that 16 year old body again! Of course I am talking spiritually more than anything - though it certainly has physical connotations as well - and anyway - I digress...though not really - it all kind of ties in together as you will see.

I believe the most valuable and important thing I can do for myself spiritually is get up and read the Word and pray first thing every morning. I am a morning person and this is important to me - and I have always felt whatever you do the first 10 minutes after you get out of the bed pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the day. But I do not always live that way. I am certainly not saying this is the way it has to be for everyone - but I do believe that for me, it is important. It provides a foundation and gives me a good foundation for my day.

So how does this apply with taking off the old and putting on the new? Well, there will be no more of this getting up and getting on the computer first thing. No more piddling around coddling myself with what I think I deserve. I prove over and over again that I am an idol to myself. Self worship is an everyday part of my life...this is also probably the basis of some of my other problems as well. I have asked God to help me be aware of when I am in the midst of self worship.

Physically the best thing I can do for myself is drink my water, back off on the soft drinks and eat better. Make better choices. But I do believe that one thing at a time is better. So I choose to get in the habit of drinking my water. I think I also want to eat before 6:00 or not at all. This will take preparation and may pose a bit of a problem since my husband does not get home until 6:00 most nights. But there are ways I can get around that. I can sit at the table and talk with them while drinking water. And getting to bed on time. 10:oopm should be the latest I get up if I am going to get up at 5:30am. But herein is a example of my overzealous tendencies. I probably should just work on the water and the bedtime for at least three weeks - then add another good habit while continuing with the drinking water and bedtime.

But mainly my desire is to change the way I think about myself. I do believe that I see myself as a victim most of the time. This is a mentality that much of America believes is true. And I REALLY hate that mentality and yet here I am living it. I think I deserve to give in to my desires because it is hard being a Mom to three boys. I think I deserve to sit and watch whatever TV program I want to watch because my life is unbelievably busy and beyond my control at times. These things in and of themselves are not bad. My problem is - I take a little and I run with it. This must change. I need to have guidelines for myself and stick to them.

My first victory came when in the middle of writing this I wanted something to eat. I kept thinking about the Doritos I put in the kids lunch boxes. I also am not feeling well, I think I have Brochitus and when I am feeling poorly I am especially susceptible to letting myself off the hook...not just on one thing...but on everything. I use it as an excuse. I took a trip to the kitchen to get some - but I remembered what I was writing about. I went and got 10 almonds instead. The guideline I followed? Doritos are a big no-no. I really can't eat just one. I do better to abstain. I know - not quite the yum factor of the Doritos but much better for me and I am satisfied now. So I consider that a victory.

This will be a process but the scripture I keep thinking of is when Paul talked about buffeting his body for the sake of the race.

ICorinthians 9:

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Now granted he is talking about living out what he has preached to those around him. His desire is to serve others and to win them to Christ. But he is also talking about self-denial in order to become more Christ-like. His desire is to be held accountable and to live by the rules he made so that he would not fail in his ministry to others. I see this and identify well with it. It is my desire as well.

Self-control is a precious thing. And one I do not exercise. I desire to change that - for the sake of being Christ-like and not being an idol to me. That is what I want to see changed more than anything and I lay it before you so that you can help me do it. I have laid down my desire - I pray that I will be reminded of this when I am tempted to give in when I feel bad, or feel sorry for myself so that I will not fall into the same victim mentality because after all....

2 Timothy 1:7

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I can do this...one moment at a time, one bad habit at a time...

Off with the old and on with the new...

You know I am going to have to read this everyday so I will remember until it gets to be a habit.

Manic Mode

That is where I am right now...I am praying for guidance in what I take on right now. I feel SO good when I am here I am willing to take on anything. That is not so good. So I am in the midst of looking at what I have to do, and what I want to do and what I have been asked to do - which can fall into either of the previous two categories. I am practising the word "No" and asking God to give me courage of conviction to follow where I am led.

And I am praying that I will not allow my false sense of guilt over the house not being where I want it to be keep me from what is more important. I let that happen a lot and waste a LOT of opportunities to serve in places that will see a better return for God's Kingdom. Also that I will control my desire to write down everything I think. I think I do a lot of time wasting with that as well...though I will say it does help me focus and that is not a bad thing! But I think I need to learn to trust that God will bring it to mind when I need it...I am just so concerned I will forget and have to learn it all over again....but that is probably going to happen anyway isn't it?

Forward and Onward...

Blessings in all you do!

Where is that Happy Medium?

As I was sitting in the car pool line (in my pajamas) nestled snugly between a Tahoe and an Odyssey, I was thinking. I have become quite proud of my little Mercury Sable Stationwagon for many WRONG reasons. Of course it has great gas mileage. It was inexpensive and it holds all three of my boys...closely, but it holds them. It is a good car and it has been a blessing.



There was a time I hated it. I was not happy that Andy would not let me get an Odyssey or a Sienna. We did not need them he said. Well, of course that was when we just had two babies...we then, AFTER we got the stationwagon, became pregnant with another. Yes, it is tight but all in all it works just fine. It has taught me many lessons. That is what I am going to share.



I, being me, pined for a bigger car, and complained. But one day - apparently an idea came to me, "You can use this", I must have subconsciously thought, "to your advantage". So I started priding myself in my lowly stationwagon. "We are not in the mainstream, we have godly common sense and do not just go with the flow because everyone else does. We can be pleased we are not keeping up with the Joneses so to speak." Nauseating isn't it?



So I went from wanting to be like others and have a van (more because I really didn't want a stationwagon...too old fashioned I thought and there is a "look" I wanted to have and it wasn't the Griswold Stationwagon look) to using it to lift myself up and make me feel better about our very common sensical choice. And common sense is a good thing. It is a blessing and a joy to have it and to use it. But that is not good enough...I take my lack of self-esteem and run to the opposite extreme of pride. Where is the happy medium? I think it is important...being balanced and seeing ourselves for what we are and trying to guard against pride while remembering how very blessed we are. That is priceless. And a commodity to seek after, I am pretty sure.



Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.



Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.



Proverbs 21:24 The proud and arrogant man-"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.



Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor



Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.



And in looking up what scripture had to say about guarding against pride - in any form...Isaiah 2 came up and the exact same thing is said two times...so you know it must be important...



11 The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

it says it again in verse 17.

If we don't figure it out now...one day we will!
That chapter I am going back to...think it is worth camping out there for a few days and delving into it more thoroughly!



I am a simple person - as a whole. I am not brilliant, I am not one that has amazing revelations. Most of what I come up with is what most people already know and are practising. I find myself staring hard at people's mouths at times just so I can understand what they are saying -(may have adult ADD - feels that way sometimes!) but - what I do know is that our energy should be spent in glorifying our Heavenly Father and encouraging others to do the same. We do well to guard against our sinful hearts and the pride it wants to display. And that means pride in our exalted status, whether money, talent or title plays into that or our lowly status that causes us to want to shun the things of this world - which in turn causes us to be prideful in our so called false "godliness". And that is a danger as well...all prideful people are not rich in the physical things...sometimes they pride themselves in knowledge, in servitude, in being humble (sounds like a oxymoron - but it can be done - trust me). What it comes down to is that if we are not putting God first in all we say or do...if we are managing to lift ourselves, or our children up instead of God, we are in the midst of idol worship and we are failing miserably.



The good news is...God knows this. He is not surprised....nor should we be. But guard against it by being in Scripture, prayer and confessing it to our friends for accountability. Each little step we take to make sure that we are indeed putting God first in all we say or do is simply causing us to be more like him. And that is something I want more than anything.