Truthful

Click on this truthful post from Large Family Mothering! This is just what I needed to hear today.

You will find it here.

If you were with me this past week…

If you were with me this past week, you would have experienced…immunizations galore, a broken nose (literally), a burning smell from the front hood of our 12 passenger van, a surprising gift, four walmart trips (that’s scary to me, too), an encouraging card from an unlikely source, fevers of 104 degrees,  a laundry pile that refused to shrink and some calls to the local pizza place and Chinese food resturant.

I’d say that things went pretty smoothly 

Attn: Homemakers needed!

A neat little post on the necessity of homemaking…

Lessons from vintage fiction

Starting the day off

It is only 10:30 am and the day has already been rough.

Reasons for the difficulty:

1. I started the children on the newly tweaked schedule.

2. My attitude stinks.

3. There is an insane amount of housework awaiting me once again (after the weekend).

4. It has been raining a lot, so the children are experiencing cabin fever.

5. There is a pile of ‘just discovered’ potty trainer poop on our living room floor that everyone stepped on and tracked up the stairs.

6. The one year old has been crying since yesterday. At the moment he is calm because he is chewing on a spoon. He’s teething again.

7. I am still finding traces of the previously described bowl movement on everyones feet-including my own.

8. My attitude stinks today. Yes, I know I wrote that twice.

It is really a prayer matter. Life goes on and on and on whether I complain or dig in my heels…whether I nag or scream. I can stay on the rollercoaster quietly even if I don’t enjoy it; waiting for the the loop to be finished…or I can scream, “I want to get off!” at the top of my lungs to no avail. I can go on strike or ask for some perspective from God. I have the choice at this moment to turn everything around. I may have no control over the events of the day, but I can skip out on the temptation to throw a pity party. I throw those parties because of pride anyway-It is a self centered emotion.

“Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9

An addiciting blog…

Do you like gardening? How about pretty pictures of flowers, veggies and plants? Are you wondering what other people do with their dirt?

Pop on over to this cottage gardening blog. I dare you to look at just one page. This blog is like a good novel…or chocolate…………….or something.

Home decorating on a budget Part 1

It is pretty important to pin down your personal style when it comes to home decorating. If you look through magazines or any of the various online websites like Better Homes and Gardens, you will often find styles that you like. When you look at the pages containing styles you like, notice the common themes/items and decide what you like and don’t like about them.

For example: I like pictures of certain kitchens. I have all these pictures in front of me. I notice that the thing they all have in common is white painted cabinets and cottage style decorating. Something I don’t like-I see that they contrasted the white with pastel colors on the wall. Not enough contrast for me. I’d like a bolder color to wake up my kitchen.

Another example: There are three pictures of bathrooms that I have finally settled on. The common theme that ties all three photos together (after looking closley at them) is lilac colored paint on the walls and framed floral prints. I don’t like the contemporary steel fixtures and the contemporary bath. That’s not me.

If you pinpoint your style, you are less likely to make impulse buys. If you are less likely to make impulse buys, you will save money-which makes everybody happy!

 

Overwhelmed?

We had a long weekend. There is a large mess awaiting me this morning strung all over the house. I feel like my brain is on overload!

The bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

What does this mean? It is not as obvious as it seems. It means that I can do all that God would have me to do…and that he will give me strength for it.

Take (for instance) a steam enginge. If a steam engine keeps going without ever filling up with water, the machine will stop moving. Let’s hope that the engine doesn’t stop on a hill!

I know too well what it is like to run out of steam. I do things on my own agenda. I do things in my own strength. I run out of water. I don’t refill my engine.

Jesus promised us ‘living water’ that will never run out. What a blessing it is to know this in a world of instant gratification and dashed hopes. God offers us the right measure of strength for each job he calls us to. We can rely on that…even when we have a kitchen full of  dirty dishes.

Cucumbers on my fingers

Children are so creative. 

I remember being a pre-teen and saying, “I don’t want to grow up. Adults are so cynical.”

At dinner time my second oldest son pushed sliced cucumbers through the tips of his fingers until they turned into ‘rings’. He was so excited, he showed the entire family. He then ate the cucumbers; nibbling each and every corner until they fell off his digits.

Children see life so differently than we do. Yes, they are just starting out in life and a lot of things will happen to them that will make them conform…I just never want to loose those wide opened eyes of wonder. I hope that my boys keep a little bit of that.

What about you? Is there anything you need to see through the ‘eyes of a child’ in your life?