The power of music...

When I'm having a bad day (as you all know that I do), music works wonders to lift my eyes up from my circumstances to a powerful, loving, good, heavenly Father. When I make the choice to praise him, my day goes better. I won a free CD from the radio station last week & this one is a new favorite...

Arms That Hold the Universe -- by Fee

I know it seems like this could be the darkest day you've known.
But believe you me the God of strength will never let you go.
He will overcome I know.

The arms that hold the universe are holding you tonight.
You can rest inside.
It's gonna be alright.
And the voice that calmed the raging sea is calling you His child.
So be still and know He's in control.
He will never let you go.

Through many dangers, toils and snare you have already come.
His grace has brought you save this far and His grace will lead you home.

You can hope.
You can rise.
You can stand.
He's got the whole world in His hands.

The arms that hold the universe are holding you tonight.
You can rest inside.
It's gonna be alright.
And the voice that calmed the raging sea is calling you His child.
So be still and know He's in control.
He will never let you go.

He's got the whole world in His hands...

Hello, Reality...please leave.

Today has been a rough day. I'm not writing so you'll feel sorry for me. I'm just writing because I know that you can relate. My life is not sunshine & peaches all the time...and today is one of those days. I would just like to climb back into bed & start the day over...but then I would have to rewind the clock to last night...

What my sons destroyed in 3 hours will take me all day to restore. Can I get a witness? How many mothers dread leaving the house for the simple fact that they never know what they will discover when they return? And upon opening the door, how many of us just want to run back to our vehicle & drive away...all the way to a deserted island?

This morning, plans were pushed aside when my youngest reminded me his chapel was this morning & he really wanted me to be there. I looked at myself in the mirror. Big mistake. There wasn't a ball cap that could hide that mess. So in addition to corralling kids, making lunches, and all the craziness that is the morning routine...I had to bring order to my chaos.

On the drive to school, I was helping Abbie with math, explaining why 0.036 is smaller than 0.367, and why that is smaller than 0.38! Out of the corner of my eye, in the rear-view mirror, I caught sight of my boys spitting at one another!! The first words out of my mouth were, "Oh, NO...you DI-UNT!!!" If I had a free hand I would have done the snaps too. I pulled the van over on the side of the highway & tanned two naughty bottoms. I didn't really care if the trucker passing by thought I was abusing my children. Swift action was necessary. And if there was any question, the next trucker saw me hug them & tell them not to do it again! Spit on the ground or in the sink, but not at each other! My sons were over it in 2 minutes, but my soft-hearted daughters were not. They cried the rest of the way to school. And I felt guilty.

Now I am home. I had a little pity party for myself. No cake, just Pepsi. I grumbled, and mumbled, and cried out to God. "Does anybody care? Does anyone see? Does it matter to anyone?"

And then, I could almost hear that small voice...

"I do."

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit & when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me..." Psalm 139:1-5

"Aunts" and other pesky bugs

Once upon a time...there were two sister-in-laws, free Fridays, and shared pregnancies. A bond was formed and kindred spirits were established. One summer, amidst new surroundings, those sisters commiserated about kamikaze ladybugs and filthy flies...and who had it worse.

Thus began the ladybug obsession. A card here, a stuffed bug there, frames, pictures, socks...and so it went.

And then there was camp. A fun-filled week of laughing & cooking together. And in the back of our minds, the inevitable "good-byes". So the one who was leaving, decided to leave something behind - little reminders to bring a laugh & a smile.
4 months later, she was the one laughing, finding ladybug after ladybug popping up in the oddest places. It took a while to figure out that the aunt had enlisted her nieces to carry forth her little plot.

The nieces watched, and they learned. They saw how those ladybugs brought a laugh & a smile to their mother's face. Now it was their turn. A favorite coffee mug, a little note...

A way to show their love...those pesky lil' bugs!

Meal Plan

So...I'm not as consistent as I would like to be on making a weekly meal plan. BUT when I do, I find:

It helps me save money. (I'm not buying food I don't need...that gets bad and goes to waste. And I'm not making extra trips to the grocery store for miscellaneous ingredients.)

It helps me be more organized. (My husband is not a fan of eating PB&J or cereal when in a "time crunch"...don't ask me why?) So, on nights we have a lot on the schedule, I need to plan ahead.

It takes the stress out of meals. (I'm not standing in my kitchen, looking through my cupboards, despairing "WHAT am I going to make for supper?!?")

So, for those of you interested in what we'll be having at our house for supper this week...and next...and the week after that...

...feel free to hop on over to my other blog: A little bit of...something delicious!

Enjoy!

Degree of misery?

Poor Noah is home sick with fever today.

I asked him if he felt miserable.

"Not really miserable, just a little miserable."

7 years ago today...

...our (not-so-little-anymore) boy was born. It's hard to believe he is seven & will soon be a 2nd grader! He was thrilled to get several Star Wars items - figurines & Legos. It is an obsession right now. He also loves his Rescue Hero (thanks, Grandma for a great Big Lots find!), camo shirt, ball cap, books, and tractors (just like Hudson's!). :)

One day when I was looking through my cooking magazines, he spotted a picture of this cake & requested it for his birthday. It was easy to decorate & would have been easier to put together if I hadn't tried making it two layers tall. The sides of the hat kept falling on, despite being secured with countless toothpicks! Oh, well. It was still yummy.

They may be rapscallions, but they sure make cute pirates...

(I think Noah thought I was taking pictures instead of video & held his "pirate pose" for the whole time!) :)

Gardening

I may not be successful at growing a flower garden,

but my prayer is that I'm doing a good job tending to these beauties...