My Home

It's time for the Blog Tour of Homes hosted by BooMama...so here's your personal tour.

First, Welcome!

Here's where I do my blogging. I decided not to clean up my desk for y'all. No offense. I'm just being real. This is what it really looks like most of the time. I really hate filing. I love a clean desk, but just can't keep up with all the paper coming into this house!


Our family room...this is where we spend most of our time. The toys are the new decor!


Where meals are made. Again, real. Between cooking and eating, the kitchen is hardly ever spotless. I'm okay with that!


Our master bedroom. That black chair is my new quiet time spot. I love it. The basket beside it has my Bible, devotional books, journals, notebook paper, and anything else I might like to have while I'm studying The Word.

We are so thankful to God for this humble abode. We love to have guests and try as much as possible to use our house to bless others. God has been so good to us!

Thanks for stopping by! You're always welcome here (my blog and my house, if you know how to find it!).

Wow

I'm supposed to be finishing packing and getting things ready to leave, but I saw this article referenced at MommyLife and after reading it I couldn't walk away from the computer without saying something. It makes me sad that some women feel this way about their children:

"And yet many women have spent years studying and then working so that we would not have to do a job as menial as full-time motherhood. I consider spending up to 30 hours a week sitting behind the wheel of a 4x4, dropping children off at play centres or school, to be a less-than-satisfactory reward for all those years of sweat." ~Helen Kirwan-Taylor

Wow. Motherhood is hard, as any mom will tell you, but menial? I think not.

Lord, help me to always find joy in the little things of motherhood. My child is a precious gift from You. May I never see this incredible responsibility you've given me as menial, for raising Godly children is the most important job I will ever have. Thank you for the blessing of Caleb. Forgive me for the times I have been frustrated with him and the work you have given me.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today's the day. We're taking Caleb on a plane for the first time. I think we're about as prepared as we can be, but now we have the weather to contend with. It's been raining A LOT here lately and we're hoping it won't be a factor later today when we take off. My sister flew out of here on Monday and was stuck on the runway for 2 hours waiting for the storm to pass. That's pretty much the worst case scenario for us with a baby on board! We know God will take care of us!

Thanks again to everyone for the advice on what and how to pack. It really helped me formulate a plan. Now we just need a plan for getting all the stuff (3 suitcases, car seat, stroller, 2 back packs, and a baby) from the car into the airport! :-)



I'll be participating in the Blog Tour of Homes on Friday, so be sure to come back. I hope you all will participate, too so we can see how God has blessed you through your living space.

If you didn't see the post below this one about encouraging a sweet girl whose husband is being deployed to Iraq, go read it and consider sending her a note.

Have a great day in the Lord!

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever."
~Psalm 118:28-29

Sending Encouragement

Joy over at Joy in the Journey has asked us to send "a real, touchable, keepable, snail mail letter" of encouragement to a friend whose husband will be deployed to Iraq soon. Jennifer (aka Mississippi Girl) will be a single mom while her husband is away and could really use encouragement and lots of prayer during this difficult time. Please go read this post by Joy and consider encouraging a sister in the Lord.

I was praying for Jennifer this morning and asking God what verses I could use to lift her up. This is what came to my mind:

Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
~Psalm 61:1-4

Thank you, Lord, that your body of believers reaches around the world.

Wisdom

I read Proverbs 18 yesterday morning and several things stood out to me. All are things that I have struggled with...

2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.

8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

13 He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame.

These Proverbs spoke to me. I often struggle with pride and wanting to be heard.

My prayer is found in verse 10 of Proverbs 18...that I would call on the name of the Lord and He would be my shelter:

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

WFMW-Shoe Organizer

This idea is nothing new, but it sure Works for Me!

I just put a shoe organizer on my closet door, located right next to my bathroom sink, to hold all my "stuff"--hair dryer, hair spray, lotion, medicine, face cleanser, makeup, sunscreen, etc. I am the queen of disorganization and my bathroom countertop can get cluttered in a matter of seconds. Putting everything under the sink for some reason doesn't work well for me. Having everything organized, accessible, and in plain sight (when I want it to be seen) works GREAT for me!

My bathroom counter is free of clutter!

See Shannon's blog for more great ideas!

Tour of Homes and Nerds

BooMama is hosting a "Bloggy Tour of Homes" on Friday, July 28. I can wait to see how my blogging friends have made a house a home. It should be lots of fun! See BooMama's site for all the details.


My best friend, who now lives in Alaska, is coming to visit on Thursday. I can hardly contain my excitement! I'll try to get a good picture of us to post.

In other news...
When I saw this quiz, "How Nerdy Are You?," at The Tate School, I had to take it. I'm married to an engineer, a self-proclaimed nerd. His grades in school were insanely high, whereas mine were average. I love that he is so smart and like to tease him about being a nerd. When I took the test, I scored so low they said I'm probably cool. I don't know about that--I just don't remember many elements from the Periodic Table and never did homework on Fridays! It also says I despise nerds, but that's not true, I LOVE mine! :-)



By the way, hubby scored a 52--Somewhat Nerdy.


"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17

Date Night

(Updated to add: this is the concert we're going to. I'm so excited to hear these awesome Christian bands!)

Hubby and I are finally getting a whole evening to ourselves! (Well, I guess we're really spending it with thousands of other people, but whatever.) This Saturday evening we're going to a concert and leaving Caleb in the capable hands of a delightful college-aged girl from church. We are so excited and need some couple time.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon playing board games. It was great fun--no stress and no money spent. Can't beat it!

Fat

That's how I feel these days. (This is not a plea for compliments and please don't send me Scriptures about how beauty is on the inside. I know them already and I really believe them. This is only a post about my laziness.)

I'm lazy when it comes to excercising. I eat like I'm still in high school and playing volleyball, marching in the band, and cheerleading all at the same time. I had high metabolism. Before I had thryroid problems. Before I had a baby.

You see the problem.

Mel over at The Amazing Shrinking Mom has helped encourage me to eat less brownies and move more. I can do it. So can you. Go check her out. She's been there and she's already lost almost 30 pounds since Easter. Amazing. Shrinking. Mom. :-)

A Mother's Ministry

(If you have ever flown with a baby, please go to my other blog and leave your much-needed advice! Thanks.)

I've been reading A Mother's Heart: A look at values, vision, and character for the Christian mother by Jean Fleming at the suggestion of Ann. I found my copy for $1.50...what a deal!

"It is easy to feel frustrated by the seemingly conflicting demands of children and ministry to those outside the home. Reaching the world for Christ with a toddler hanging on your skirts isn't easy...Much of this frustration can be eased when we realize the family is an important part of God's strategy for propagating the faith and redeeming a people for Himself."

"[T]here is no more natural way for a mother to influence her world for Christ than through her own children."

"Although our children should not be the total focus of our lives, if we neglect them to pursue other opportunities we may one day find we lacked a biblical vision of mothering."

Motherhood has changed me. I've noticed things about myself since I became a mother 9 1/2 months ago that I don't particularly like. I'm selfish. Really selfish. I have spent so much time focused on myself that I have missed so many of God's beautiful gifts.

Laura at Here and Now has been pondering thoughts like this herself lately, and today she wrote about how we often try to water fields all over the world but neglect the little garden right here God has planted for us. Go read the rest of her thoughts on this.

Here's part of my comment on Laura's site: "Our God is truly using this time to refine you, and you are indeed changed by Him. It hurts, doesn't it, but the result is so sweet...a life lived in closer communion with Him. I, too, have spent too much time the last 9 months mourning the loss of "my" time that I haven't fully enjoyed what God has granted me. May we never make this mistake again.

Be blessed today by watering the beautiful garden He has planted just for you."

I echo Ann's prayer for today:

"Lord, quiet time isn't relationship with You. Living with You is. So I come. Let's spend all of today together."

Go read Ann's post today about relationship with God in the midst of (crazy) family life. You'll be blessed!

"How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God...
Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere"
~Psalm 84:1-2, 10

WFMW--Prayer Calendar

We have recently decided to institute a "prayer calendar" with another family we are close to. We chose something to pray about for that family each day of the week. This is one of the most precious and valuable things we can do for one another, and it is such a blessing to be able to pray for our friends and know they are praying for us.

This is what we pray for:

Sunday--God's wisdom for parenting
Monday--husband of other family
Tuesday--my husband
Wednesday--kids of other family
Thursday--my child (& future children)
Friday--the mommies (me and other mommy)
Saturday--extended family (siblings, parents, grandparents, etc.)

Of course we pray for our own families more often, but this is a great guide for us. Our two families don't always get to spend as much time together as we'd like, so this is a great way for us to stay connected. We always let each other know if there is something specific to pray for. (Urgent needs are prayed for immediately.)

This has really helped us, maybe it will help you too!

Check out all the ofther Works for Me Wednesday ideas over at Rocks in My Dryer.

"We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." ~2 Thes. 1:12

Stained Glass

I took this picture on Sunday at my parents' church. I couldn't resist. Isn't it precious? That's my dad holding Caleb in front of one of my favorite things...a stained glass window.

"...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." ~Matthew 5:16

"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell." ~Psalm 43:3

"May Stained Glass be all that remains in this place. A vaulting cathederal, a glorious gallery of stained glass, light shafts in a blackened, hushed space.
Simply the brilliance of You illuminating through the the black spaces around these words." ~Ann V., Holy Experience


Read the rest of what Ann has to say about stained glass here.