One of Those Days!!!

I HAVE HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS!!! It has been awhile since my morning started off as bad as it did today. As I look back, my reaction to the things that were disturbing me may have made it worse...;). I have had plenty of mornings like this but this was different. The way I usually get after mornings like that was to remove something from my plate immediately. I try and get rid of the biggest stress asap, which usually is a bot of an overreacting mindset. If we bought a puppy and I started to stress, the puppy was gone by nightfall. If Homeschooling was sooo hard one day, my first thought was to stick Katelyn in school (even though God has called me to do it). If something in the house doesn't look right, I do everything in my power to change it: even if that means buying a new item or going crazy finding a replacement. I don't know why I do that. I don't know if it is an issue of comfort, contentment, or control. It could be all three. Now, back to this morning. As the morning started off dreadfully and I was totally stressed by 9am, I had not thoughts of changing anything. I didn't want to give up homeschooling. I didn't want to ship my kids off. I just pushed through and everything was back to calm by 12. Why is that? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!! God's grace, waking up before the kids and digging into the Word (which rarely happens when its quiet), or growing in the calling the Lord has for me. All I know is that I like feeling this way. I like seeing the stresses of the day as just that, STRESSES. They are not the end. They are not meant to break me (unless God wants them to). They are not my excuse to give up and throw in the towel. I am thankful that God keeps showing me my shortcomings so that I can grow closer to Him. He has so much for me and until I surrender all the craziness that is me, I will stay in chains. True freedom is my desire. Thought I'd share what I learned to day and let you in all my imperfections...haha.

Jesus' calling.....my calling!!!

God showed up this morning while I was reading. My reading was all about knowing your purpose that God has called you to, waiting on Him, and trusting His faithfulness. In this season of life, this was perfect for me to read today. I thought I would share some scripture that I read. Jesus knew His purpose. The prophet Isaiah foretold it centuries before His birth. Let this be our purpose as well:

" The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."                                                                

                                                                                                                   Isaiah 61:1-3

Here is a quote of encouragement:

Live everyday to fulfill your personal mission. God has a reason for whatever season you are living through right now. A season of loss or blessing? A season of activity or hibernation? A season for growth or incubation? You may think you're on a detour, but Go knows the best way for you to reach your destination.

                                                                                                               Barbara Johnson

When she thinks I'm not listening.....

 There are those days when you feel like you say the same thing over and over and no one is really listening. " Can we put the dirty clothes in the hamper which is only an inch from where you dropped them?" or " Can we throw trash away in the actual trash can instead of just leaving it on the counter?". Those are just a few of the thousands of things I feel I repeat every single day. There are days when I teach Katelyn what it means to have a happy heart while she obeys and that the way she talks to us should be respectful and loving because that honors God. I feel, most days, it goes in one ear and out the other. UNTIL....... the other day when she didn't know I was listening. She was with Samuel in his room changing his diaper and getting his clothes on so I could finish getting ready. I heard her say, " Samuel, show me how you can obey with a happy heart because that makes Jesus happy." and "Samuel, mommy is working hard in the house, we need to talk nicely to her because God put our parents in charge of us and they love us." WHAT????? SHE HEARS ME????? I wonder sometimes why she doesn't want me to know she hears me or if she does and now she's ready to pass it on to her little brother. Anybody who knows my children, they are loud (which I blame on my northern husband..hehe), busy, has never ending energy, strong-willed, and selfish. They were born sinners. Some of those things are just who they are and I need to cherish their personality with grace and patience. But some of those things are because they are sinners just like their parents. They are not perfect and never will be. That is why training and teaching them to love Jesus and others is our goal. When I realized that Katelyn was listening to me and was even applying it, I melted. I realized that all the time and effort I pour into her for the glory of God is worth it. It is my calling. This is the life God has called me to. There are days when I feel unheard, unappreciated, and invisible but God sees it all and then shows me glimpses of it in my children. I guess I wanted to encourage parents: THEY HEAR YOU!!!!! More than anything: THEY SEE YOU!!! Does what you say match up with what they see? This parenting thing is hard but joyful all at the same time. I will mess it up at times and have to apologize over and over, but my God promises that in my weakness, He is strong. Thank you Lord that she hears and sees me. Please let me see that as the High Calling that it is. Thank you for this life and for motherhood.

THIS IS CHURCH!!!!!

I saw this video and I can't stop thinking about it. This is my vision of what church should be. I have felt so busy doing " Programs and Productions" before in churches that I walked away exhausted and tired more than excited and glorifying God. WE ARE THE CHURCH....CHRISTIANS. The building is not, the programs are not, the music is not, the productions are not. Those are all great things but that is not all. If Jesus is not in the center and the reason behind it all, then you are not doing Biblical Church, you are doing Religion. I can't wait to begin the journey Josh and I are on and see amazing things God will do. I have to step aside though and let Jesus become first. This is hard to do. I hope this video impacts you and the way you view Christianity. Let today be the day you see people the way Jesus did.

Change is a Comin'

If any of you are like me, CHANGE SCARES YOU TO DEATH!!!! The lack of security that comes with change is terrifying to me. In the last 6 months, change has been all I have known. My life has been uprooted in many ways and God has seemed very quiet. But, change is a comin'. God has been spoken very loudly and we are ready. This time, I am more excited than scared. Oh the fear is there but I working through it with my Savior. That is all I will say. More to come!!!

No Eating Out!!!

" No Eating Out". Those are the words my husband said to me this morning. I LOVE TO EAT OUT!!!! I seriously could every meal. Josh and I have some changes coming or way and we must prepare to not spend money unnecessarily. So, in order to prepare, we are going this whole week with no eating out. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner AT HOME!!!! Now, some of you think this is no big deal because you do this every week. You are my hero if you do. I am not a fan of cooking and I like to get out. Now, because of this awesome website, crockpotgirls.com, I have our meals all planned out. If you have not gone to this website, you need to check it out. Anyway, i thought I'd share my plans for the week and hopefully some of you will be inspired to EAT AT HOME!!! These are just dinners because lunches can be the leftover's.

Monday: Chicken Casserole but took to eat at friends house for Labor day
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Baked Beans, and Tater Tots
Wednesday: Pot Roast
Thursday: Bacon Ranch Chicken
Friday: Grandma's Pork Chops
Saturday: Crockpot Enchilada's
Sunday: Out

And yes, this is all going to cooked in the crockpot besides the baked beans and tater tots!!!! I will let you know how this goes. As the Crockpot girls say, " Happy Crocking!!!"

Frogs and Dirt...that's my girl!!!

This is what makes Katelyn happy.

If you can't tell, she caught a frog. I remember when she was born, everything I had for her was pink, lacy, fluffy, and lots of sparkle. I was so excited to have a girl and I couldn't wait to see her grow up wearing princesses dresses and picking out sparkly shoes. WELLLLLL, not so much. When she hit about age 3, she said to me one day, " Mommy, I don't wanna wear that big bow in my hair. It gets in my way when I play." And, it had begun. By age 4, anything pink, princcessy, or sparkly was out the door. She wanted a Superman Birthday cake and camo boots!!! I fought it for a long time. I'd beg and bribe. Then, all of a sudden I realized. She's AWESOME!!!! I am not prissy so why was I making her? I love going as many places as I can without shoes and you will always see my nails short and no polish. I love swimming in the dirty lake and grew up helping dad in his toolshed. Now, I don't claim to a tomboy. There are still parts of me that are very girly and I love pink. But, I see now, that my daughter was created to do awesome things. Whatever He has given her in interest and talent is what He will use in her life to do His will!!!! I LOVE HER!!!!! I never know what will come out of her mouth and she makes us laugh a lot. We have almost finished 3 weeks of homeschool and I am seeing even more the gifts and great things within her little heart. My job is to train and disciple her to know how to use those things for His glory!!!!