Resolutions....

Here are my New Years "Resolutions".......

*I'm not going to ask anyone to do anything I wouldn't be willing to do myself.
*I'm going to increase my reading and prayer time.
*My friends and family will know I love them and cherish time with them.
*My children will get letters from their momma this year.
*My husband will get everything on his Christmas list from me.
*I will pay off that stupid last credit card.
*I'm going to work at my job as if I were working for Jesus himself.
*I am not going to let other people dictate my relationship with Christ.
*I will watch Duck Dynasty as much as possible. (trying to keep up with teenage boys)

I don't think the usual I will get healthy, lose weight, save money blah blah blah is going to cut it this year. I want to simplify. I just finished reading a fabulous book by Jen Hatmaker called 7, and let me tell you- feeling inspired! I am also feeling a little guilty, bitter and embarrassed about our spending! Seems like we have an opportunity to make a difference and I am willing to try!

I would like to blog more this year too, I have a lot of things to say so maybe you will be seeing more of me in the near future.....

I got a new job...
I have new clarity...
I have new hope for a brighter future.

2014 is looking fabulous, and I can just feel its going to be amazing!

Praying for a new outlook on a new year for us all.

My Thanksgiving

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is......

The Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I think we completely overlook the act being thankful in our everyday lives...however, this week, Thanksgiving is at the forefront of our minds. Sure, there is turkey and all of the trimmings. Traditionally I purchase poinsettias this week to keep for the holidays. We divide the tasks for the big dinner between myself, my momma and my sister in law. We eat, shop and laugh the entire weekend. The guys go hunting for pheasant, and spend time together bonding in the great outdoors with a bunch of dogs who run amuck like the kids...then on Monday- back to reality .

Reality
Now that is something worth discussing.
Why is it that our reality doesn't include being thankful everyday for every moment? When we are young, we are taught please and thank you. We learn to write thank-you notes for graduations and weddings. But what is being thankful really about?

The word I like for giving thanks is eucharisteo. It means to give thanks. When considering that every moment of every day is a gift from God, shouldn't thankfulness be a part of our everyday, like prayer and showering? Maybe thankfulness is just hard for some, because of their circumstances or life situation.

As for me, I will continue to give thanks for every single thing. God never gets tired of hearing from his children, and I never get tired of thanking Him. This holiday weekend, lets start a new tradition- of giving thanks every day for every thing. 

Praying a prayer of thanksgiving for those who deserve it...

 and for those who think they don't.

Still all True...:)

Over the past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of reflecting.
Lets face it, there has been a lot to reflect about.
The Two oldest children got married.
The youngest one entered High School.
The third one got his drivers license.
The granddaughter said "Mimi".
There has been an overload of in laws.
I got laid off.

Things have been pretty stressful.

So, when things are like this, I reflect. Sometimes until I want to scream. I ask crazy questions, and then try to answer them. Some weird things have happened too, and they send me over the edge, so to speak. Like screaming all the way down. (I'm still waiting to hit the bottom)

This is what I have come up with.

1- When "good" friends moved away, I  found out how good of friends they really were. Like when they came back to town frequently and I don't even know it.(thank you social media) Then I run into them and they act shocked and hurt that they didn't know my children were getting married that weekend. (among other personal life things close friends would have a clue about if they were indeed as close as they made themselves out to be.)

2-There are some relationships I've worry about my entire married life, then I realized in one clarifying moment that I just do not care anymore. My marriage, my relationships with my husband, my children, my parents, my family, should not matter to other people. ( And their opinion of me should not impact their relationships with my husband and children either.)

3-I am maybe not meant to work a full time job with great income and great co-workers. I have applied everywhere. My degree is a piece of paper that cost me a lot of money, that looks pretty on my wall.(personally would like to throw darts at it)

4-People in my direct circle do not take me seriously when it comes to my expertise.  Therefore, they consult other people with my expertise because those people are more likely to know the facts and I am not. (P.S. I know a few things, but I guess I will keep them to myself)

5-My walk with Christ is personal and sometimes when I sing, pray or worship I get full and I cry...That is just how I am wired. I am not the same person I was before my spiritual revolution, and some people do not know the new me. Sometimes people make assumptions based on things they have heard, instead of things they have found to be true for themselves. It makes me sad, because these very people should know better. And if they do not know better, then they do not trust in the word of God to be true. Redemption is real. Forgiveness is real. Change is real. I know, I have experienced them all. 

Should I feel so frustrated for so many reasons? I think so.  I am human after all. It gives me something to pray about, learn about, study. Provides me a place to grow. I like growing. It hurts, but its good. 

I find in my reflecting, I am letting things go. Letting people go, and their judgement and false perceptions of me.
I do not need "friends" who are fair-weather- I need commitment. 
I need prayerful friends who have a common goal- heaven.
I need in-laws who love and respect my husband in spite of his wife. 
I need someone to take a chance on me and give me a job I can be worthy of.
I need people I trust to trust me with my expertise. 
I need for the people who judge me to feel accountable for their own shortcomings first and understand I am redeemed by Christ- I'm not looking for redemption by any man.

Praying my attitude improves, and my reflections on all of these things is helpful for the future.

I love fall.

I LOVE FALL.

That is about all I have this morning.

Except this.

The sun is shining, it is a beautiful morning. I have no to-do list that is pressing, and I am looking forward to a wonderful day of things with my husband. We may move some roses. We may fix the garage door. We might have soup for lunch, and we might have time for a nap.

I love days like this.

Wishing I had a camera to collect the memories of a day like today.

My phone is pretty quiet.
My house is warm.
My coffee is hot.

My God is fabulous.

And my dogs are barking- which means they are hungry and want to come back inside with the family.


Praying everyday is a blessing for every one of you who read.

This has been too much

The grief that overwhelms me is just to much.
The anxiety that overwhelms me is just too much.
The fierceness of the love I feel for my children is just too much.

Yet through grief, anxiety, fierce love, I have an opportunity to grow.

Growing hurts this girl.

My last few weeks have been rough to say the least.
Planning weddings, grieving a loss, working like a dog and watching my family hold on during a crisis has made it a very full time.

It's hard enough when it's just my personal struggle I have to deal with. But watching my children struggle is tougher than anything. And hearing a co- worker compare her thoughts about her children to that of the way a child forgets his kitten when it grows up is heartbreaking.  My children mean the world to me. Aside from my God and my husband, they are everything. So the struggle continues. My heart continues to break, not for myself this time, but for my co-worker who doesn't see the light.

I do not compare myself to Job- only thank God everyday
For the time I have with those I love , and for the ability To love them in the best way I know how.

I'm a child, wife, mother.
And I am very grateful.

Praying for broken hearts and sour souls.

SIMPLICITY

So I was doing a little "Spring Cleaning" when I ran across these plates i purchased last year this time, at a charity auction. i really do not know a lot about old dishes, , but what I do know is to look for a mark on the back which typically indicates their origin.....These are a set of four, dating in order from 1977-1980, and are made by "Royal Copenhagen" in "Denmark" They each have a title, and are in great shape. So what the heck do I do with them? Do I have them appraised, and try to sell them? Or should I work them into my new kitchen plan? Im just not sure, so I thought if anyone reads this, they could check them out and throw me a suggestion.

I started out with the plates to make a point I almost forgot to make- but let me back up a bit. Every year we drive to Holmes COunty Ohio, where the heart of the largest Amish community resides. It is a fabulous place to visit when you need a break. You can shop, eat- ( oh can youeat), or just drive around in your car and take it all in. Having been there enough , we drive around a lot- backroads, dirt roads. No cell service, no interuptions. Just you, your spouse, the kids and God, in an awesome landscape no matter what time of year. Having an appreciation for different cultures is one thing, but standing and being in awe is a whole other story. I love the Amish and everything they stand for.
I collect the little "words" as my family calls them. Little plaques of one or two simple words that have a great deal of meaning. My favorite one is "simplicity" Thaat is what the Amish provide for me. A lesson in simplicity. No electric, no cars, no video games no complexcity . Just God and nature, recycling at its greatest, and enough love to share with your neighbors. Everytime we return from a trip there, I come back wanting to simplify things. Not everyone in my house likes it, but they know it is for good reason. Like those silly plates. I only bought them because I was trying to "drive up the bid" for the charity. lol Now I have been dusting them for a year. If you are interested in a trip to see the quiet life of the Amish, I highly recommend it. The reality of simplicity can bring you peace and joy and an understanding for things you never understood before. And isn't that just beautiful?