Wednesday, November 30, 2011

peace



I was holding my 3 year old son the other day after he had a bit of a freak out and I just hugged him and said, "Oh, Vander, if you only knew how much I loved you then you would never worry about anything ever again." And I felt God move like a subtle push in my heart that those words were His for me too.



Thursday, November 17, 2011

The cupcake truck

My sister-in-law is visiting from NC through the weekend and we have had some fun adventures already. Today we went on an adventure with the kids to track down the Twisted Sister Cupcake Truck. Do you have a service like this where you are? It's amazing. You go on the website, and take a look at the menu- it changes constantly as they come up with new and incredible flavors almost weekly. Today was as follows:

Cinnamon Twist
Drunkin Cranberry Orange
Chocolate Law
Southern Belle Red Velvet
What the Fudge Peanut Butter
The Great Pumpkin

Then you figure out where the truck will be according to the schedule and you hop into your car and go! Today just as we were going to park on a busy city street and walk over to the truck it began to pull away! We chased that cupcake truck all the way to a gas station and ladies inside were so cute. They opened their window and sold us some love, and then asked if we had any idea how to get to thier next destination. Lucky for us my sis had her trusty GPS app. The kids happily feasted on cupcakes in the car...and...oh my goodness...these are gourmet heaven. You must try them. Julia would be proud. 














Now that's a great time. 

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The things that come with us into marriage

credit
I owe you a little something after a week of silence! I loved this engagement photo that I found on A Beautiful Mess this morning. It makes me think of all the things you bring along into the commitment with you.  If this had been my brother and his wife he would've been holding a pile of books, and his wife would've had her favorite old floppy pillow that's she's been carrying around with her since forever! I think if it were me and Chad he would have had a wierd hat (yes, his nickname was "Weird Hat Boy" in college), and I probably would've also had a sewing machine. What would you and your spouse hold?

 Happy Weekend. I'll be back in fuller swing next week.

Friday, November 4, 2011

the happy couple


Apparently two of my daughter's toys have decided to take the plunge and she is excited. I didn't attend the wedding, but apparently this is the first time any of her toys have ever married. And all this time  I assumed that there had been weddings galore up in the toyroom while her imagination runs wild by the hour. It is nice to know that the toys she plays around have the good sense to enjoy a long engagement and not rush into something that will last a lifetime anyway. I'm glad she hangs around such level headed dolls. :)

Have a happy and joyous weekend!

Jean Luc!

Yes, I think it happened. I may be addicted to coffee. My gateway drug must have been General Foods International Coffee's...those little pretty tins, with really sugary coffee flavored mixes in them...it all seemed so innocent...and divine. Remember this?






Tee Hee. Enjoy.

priorities and where i've been...

Here is why I've been gone...I wrote this post months ago and I felt I couldn't keep blogging til I got around to it....and I just finished it:






I was ridiculously stressed last week. Two days in a row. So stressed that I felt like I was being stepped on- crushed to the ground, and still going, going, going. I was cranky, angry, and apologized to my kids alot for snapping....but in reality the age old excuse is true- there really is only so much one can take. You know what I did? I called my mother. I cried. I sobbed. I love that even though she was out on a day-date shopping and enjoying coffee with a girlfriend she hardly sees that she was eager to step outside for 45 minutes and do the mom thing...she did it well. And she reminded me of something that she taught me- not just long ago, but every day of my life either with her words, but usually her actions...God comes first, your family next, then your ministries, and other stuff.

 It seemed so obvious and simple...and of course my family is huge on my list, but when I hung up the phone and really spoke with God he confirmed it, and the realities hit me. I had just told someone a few weeks earlier that if she wanted to have a happy home and healthy love for her kids than she needed to do more than just answer to their needs...but actually invest in them relationally. I am a homeschooling mom and invest many hours into my kids. I cook them good meals, mend their clothes, bring them to playdates, and put them to bed with stories and kisses. But the truth was that while I was doing those things, many days I was just waiting for them to be over so I could do the things that I really wanted to do. I realized that even though my kids were a huge priority on my schedule that they weren't a big enough priority in my heart.

Part of me didn't believe that it was right. Like it was selfish to focus on my own family.

 So I read the Bible and found:  Titus 2:3-4 "3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." And then there's the Proverbs 31 women. In 21 verses about her work that is poetry all about her household and her family only one points out that she helps others. One...the rest are about how strong her family is because she invests in them. 


I felt free. I felt like I was given these kids and was given permission to pour into them, even if that meant that other things, even other people who had needs (husband excluded) got less attention. I felt like a big part of my schedule, and what I was expected to do got cleared...and with it a burden of stress. It seemed so simple...and maybe for some it is...but for me I had to learn it. 


It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that a mom that isn't there for her kids relationally gives Satan plenty of space to infiltrate. I sort of wondered if that was his plan all along...now thwarted by God's freedom and purpose for my life taking over. 


There's more that I've learned, but for those who know my blog this is already long enough. I'll sneak it in later. But that's where I've been: with my kids. Til next time.