Saturday Confessions



• I love Easter but cannot seem to have a year with no mishaps! This year Allie Beth's dress did not come in and John and I had a 'not so good day' together. Good thing is, we have very generous friends that lend their children's clothes to us and me and John are over it. Best thing is.....none of that is the real reason for Easter and HIS grace is sufficient!
• My son is now 4 years old. I cried. Several times.
• 
• My sweet, kind child that turned 4 is going through a mean streak and is being very difficult to be around. I'm confused and not liking it at all! Any suggestions?!!
• The birthday boy's big day turned out nothing like I'd hoped. He was ill and so hard to deal with. I was heartbroken. Birthdays are supposed to be great days! 
• 
• I threw away a lot of candy from Easter baskets b/c I was so tired of fighting my children and eating it myself.
• I told John I was getting up at 5:00 a.m. to watch 'the wedding'. He laughed. He was right.
• 
• We all dug up potatoes today out of our neighbor's garden. I think I had more fun than the children.  I love that!
• My toenails are usually painted year-round. Right now they have no polish on them and are in desparate need of a pedicure.
• We are having part of our deck covered. The first time I came home and saw it completed I cried.  It was not what I had pictured. John and I have come up with a plan so now I'm feeling much better. 
• The saddest part of the above confession is that there are thousands of people right now that would love to have a house. Much less care about the insignificant details.
• I feel like the picture below.
• 
• I got absolutely nothing 'accomplished' today. Therefore I have 5 loads of clothes piled in the laundry room and a sink full of dirty dishes.
• 
• This family went to Sonic tonight. John bought a bag of sonic ice for me! WoW! It's awesome!
• My husband is laying beside me in bed jamming out to the Rocky song that's playing on TV. Hmmmmmm......

Good night guys!

Easter 2011

I'm thankful today for the deep, deep love of Jesus and the hope that Easter brings!

Easter = uplifting music in worship, all dressed up, egg hunts, lots and lots of food, family time, candy galore, and a few bumps in between. Our Easter was good.  

Easter Day

 

Mother's Day Out Egg Hunt

Carolina Baptist egg hunt

Happy Monday!

Amazing love

Amazing love, How can it be? That Thou, my God, should die for me?

He Arose! He Arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Jesus loved me enough to die...... And then praise God, He arose and lives today! How do I know He lives? He lives within my heart!

Now that's love!

Happy Happy Easter!

"I Do"

"I Do."

"For Better. For Worse."

"For Richer. For Poorer."

"In Sickness. In Health"

"Til' Death Do Us Part."

"I Will."

The night we married, I gave John a weding band with the words "til' death do us part" inscripted around the inside. He gave me a second diamond band to match my wedding band.  Pretty good trade, huh! Actually I had really tried to think of something special to give him as a 'wedding gift' but I could NOT think of anything. I didn't just want to get something for the sake of getting something. I wanted it to have meaning. I totally racked my brain and got nothing. So the only way I could think of to tell him just how serious I was about this blessed union was to use the words 'til' death do us part.' So, that's just what I did:)



Five years ago, on April 22, I married this handsome hunk! Yep! Five years ago. In some ways it seems like it's been 50 years, and in some ways it seems like it's been 5 weeks.



In most ways we are as different as night and day. I love lamps and open windows. He turns all lamps off and shuts all the shades. I love bright and cheery colors. He likes all shades of grays and browns. I like change. He very much DISlikes change. I like romantic things. He doesn't know what romantic means.

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs says it well..."The way I like to picture the difference between men and women is that the woman looks at the world through pink sunglasses that color all she sees. The man, however looks at the world through blue sunglasses that color all he sees....not only do men and women see differently, but they also hear differently....God created men with blue hearing aids and women with pink hearing aids."



Unconditional love is eagerly promised at weddings, but rarely practiced in real life.

Isn't it true? Do we really know and understand the true meaning of unconditional love?
The kind of love God has for us?

Love is patient. Love is kind.
It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud.
It is not rude. It is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I have to look at those words. Often. Soak them in. What do they really mean?
It's over-whelming. Unimaginable. Really?! I'm supposed to do that? Be that? Love like that?
Truth is......I can't. Not without His grace.

Thankfully I have someone who will keep-on-keepin'-on with me. Even through my mistakes. Even when I'm unlovable. And after 5 years, it's safe to say, I love him even more. A different kind of love. A new kind of respect. A new level of gratitude. And even still, I think he's just as good to look at as he was 'back then':)



Thank you my love. Thank you .

Now I must go. He has surprised me with a short, sweet, quite get-away! Yay!

Life is not an emergency

Just the other day I posted about being in such a rush.---a constant hurry. That life is always too chaotic. Too hurried. And really it is.

 I found these awesome tips on A Holy Experience. (Don't you just love #1?!) They were so timely for me.  Hope they encourage someone else as well!

10+ Real Helps for Really Busy Moms

1. Life is not an emergency.

Life’s a gift.

Just Slow.


2. Now is not a forever grace but amazing grace.

Do whatever it takes to wake to wonder right here.


3. Sometimes the slowest way is the fastest way to joy.

Make time today, even a moment, to read Scripture and memorize it.

Without the lens of His Word, the world warps.

{Slowest=fastest to joy}


4. Laughter is the cheapest, holiest medicine.

Preschoolers laugh 300 times a day. Aim for double that. Tickle someone, (yourself!), if necessary. This is good!


5. Motherhood is a hallowed place because children aren’t commonplace.

Co-laboring over the sculpting of souls is a sacred vocation, a humbling privilege.

Never forget.


6. Homemaking is about making a home, not about making perfection.

A perfect home is an authentic, creative, animated space where Peace and Christ and Beauty are embraced.

{Perfect does not equate to immaculate.}


7. A pail with a pinhole loses as much as the pail pushed right over.

A whole life can be lost in minutes wasted, small moments missed.


8. Believe it: I have all I need for today.

The needs of our day are great but our God is greater and we call Him Providence because we believe: He is the One who always provides.

{And when God provides, He should be praised, and if God always provides, shouldn’t praise always be on the lips?}


9. Slow. Children at play.

The hurry hurts the kids.

Time’s this priceless currency and only the slow spend it wise enough to be rich.

If we had to actually buy our time, would we spend it more wisely — spend it more slowly?

{God’s Word never says Hurry Up. God words only whisper: Wake Up.}


10. Love is patient.

Parenting’s this gentle way of bending over in humility to help the scraped child up because we intimately know it takes a lifetime to learn how to walk with Him.

Patience.

Love always begins with patience.


11. The art of really celebrating life isn’t about getting it right — but about receiving Grace.

The sinners and the sick, the broken, the discouraged, the wounded and burdened — we are the ones who get to celebrate grace!

Regardless of the mess of your life, if Christ is Lord of your life, than we are the celebrants out dancing in a wild rain of grace — because when it’s all done and finished, all is well and Christ already said it was finished.

***Source:: A Holy Experience



The mom song

I love it! There's so many of these expressions I can so remember my mama saying to me and now I hear myself saying it! Oh my goodness:)

***Scroll down to the very bottom and pause the playlist first.

To all you moms out there...Enjoy!!!

Saturday Confessions

Confessions? I like honesty. I like to think I am a very big fan of it. But when I really stop to think..... am I truly honest in all things? In my thinking. In my talk. In my way of life. In my marriage. In the way I am raising my children. In my time management. In my priorities. In how I portray myself to others. Bottom line...am I an authentic person? I want to be. I really, really do.

I found Melissa's post at A Familiar Path  and even though it's not full of deep confessions, it's still fun and it does help me check up on myself. 

So here goes::

I have a really hard time letting go and allowing my children to be children. Therefore this was hard for me.

2.  I'm very rarely satisfied with things around my house. I'm constantly rearranging furniture, painting, and looking for ways to change the decor.

3.  I struggle with knowing if #2 means I'm not content.

4.  I am OCD about several things and I hate it. I consider it a curse.

5.  I love to get new books. Lots of times it's more about the idea of reading it than actually getting around to reading it.

6.  I have no self-control when it comes to food.

7.  I am a "screamer". When I get angry, I yell. I hate it.

8.  I think Sunday is the most stressful day of the week. I wish very much that it wasn't.

9.  I am not doing very well at keeping up with my 49 weeks of words. I am way behind.

10.  I forget everything! (Thus #9.)

11.  I want to be able to accept people for who God made them and not try to make them be who I think they should be.

12.  It is not even Saturday anymore. So should this be Saturday/Sunday confessions? Or should I just simply be in the bed?!!

 



I have a mini obsession and a mini confession!

I want need a 40 oz. bag of these! 

I ate all of the ones my mother brought for me to give to the kids. They never even had a chance. I completely did away with them.

 I have a problem. 

Crazy hobby

It is a long standing "tradition" for the girls in our family to ride around wherever we are, and find the pretty houses and yards.

The men in our family think we are a tad on the luney side. Although John is usually a pretty good sport when its just me and him, and I don't have any of my "househunters" with me.

These next two are my favorite style.

They are so "homey" (is that a word and how on earth do you spell it?) and inviting.

I love to see what colors are used. And what the front door looks like. And what flowers are used in the landscaping. It's just fun...to some.

Aren't they pretty?

Lots of times my sweet little man is with me. (Which worries his daddy a little:) But I tell John he's just learning about those "little things",that aren't so "little", but will make his future wife feel very special.

ONE of the things I love about that sweeeeet little boy, is that he is so complimentary. He notices everything! And then he compliments it. For example:::"Oh Mama! I loves your new pretty shirt." (a t-shirt) "I loves your pretty shoes." It might be a flower I've bought to plant. He says, "That is so,so pretty." Or a picture I've drawn. He'll say, "That is so good Mama. You did an awesome job!"  No matter what it is, or what it really looks like, or what I really look like, he gives me a sweet compliment.  It can be as small as a toy from a happy meal, and he will say, "That is awesome!" "Thank you Mama, thank you!" I think this is my most favorite quality about my sweet man. And he is growing up and I do not like it!!!

Back on track Beth....

Check out all of these front doors. Love.

We went down to Fish River for a short leisure trip. It started out that way, and then went south. Fast. Super fast. I will spare you the details.

We found a super neat little place to eat. It was right up my alley. Outside under the big trees, with good music, and pretty flowers.

And a perfect view of the sky.


(What is up with the 1980's hair?)
I tried to snap some sweet pictures. I have one sweet little angel, and one ummmmmm, we won't go there....

 

**The blanket this precious, sweet, cooperative little angel is holding was mine when I was her age. I think I was much more "angel-like".

Anyway, that's life.

You know sometimes (like this weekend) when things just go baaaaad really quick, it's hard to remember to "count it all joy".  I wonder why in the moment, it's so hard to except? So here is my reminder. (And this is for you too little sister.....Love you!)

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have it's perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4