get some sleep!

Sometimes the best thing I can do for my blessings is to say...it's time to get some sleep.  

Yesterday, my 10 year old and I went on a field trip to the Omaha Zoo.  We were at school by 6:45AM and returned by 9PM.  We walked and walked all over the zoo...looked and looked at the different displays and buildings...and rode and rode the bus (we live about 4+ hours from the zoo) :) 

This morning, we were at the soccer fields for a double-header (for my 10 year old) and a single game for my 6 year old.  Bundled in a stocking hat, gloves, and two blankets, we cheered them on.  So, by the time we came home for lunch, we were dragging...at least 2 of us.  

Have you ever had the grumpies just suddenly hit at your house?!  That's what happened here...we hit a wall!  So, after lunch dishes were done, we read a chapter in The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, and took naps.  Aahhhh!....How refreshing! 

*****************************************

Oh, Lord, please make me aware of our busy schedules and 

take the time our bodies need to get refreshed and rested

before we drain ourselves of our energy

and deplete our bodies of their abilities to fight illness.

  

Give me wisdom as a Mommy

to take the time I need and

to give my boys the time they need

to rest so we can be at our best 

when You send opportunities

to serve You.

checking things off

the list

getting shorter by the minute

time spent working

outside--

in the flower beds

in the garden

digging out railroad ties

and flowers from the

vegetable garden

flowers in the garden?!

What was someone thinking??

Strawberries in the flowers??

things moving

by the minute

out and away

in different places

looking beautiful

growing

blooming...

planting

onions

broccoli

spinach

peas

check

check

check

and check

lots of things

done

loving it

quickly and quietly

My family and I were watching the movie "Up" last night.  Have you seen it?  

It's a sweet movie about a man who married an adventurous gal.  Through their life together, they were always saving up to go to Paradise Falls...the trip of their dreams.  But inevitably their savings were always used for necessities.  She died with their dream still unfulfilled.  

After her death, a building developer pressures him to sell his house.  He refuses, and with balloons attached to his house, he floats away...to Paradise Falls.  Unknown to him, a boy scout is stuck on his front porch when his house leaves the ground.  The interaction between the elderly man and this young boy scout is one of the focal points of the movie.  In the end, he begins to make his own dreams come true instead of living the dreams of the past.


One quote from the movie really stuck with me...as he and the boy scout are heading toward the falls, he says, "Quickly and quietly"...referring to how the boy is supposed to travel along with him.  How many times have I spoken with my children in that way?!  A lot..."hurry" and do this...."quickly!"  "Would you be quiet?!"


Amazing!  God has made children with such an incredible thirst for learning and life!  They love to investigate and discover.  They are loud and noisy.  They move around a lot.  They laugh.  They want to see the right things happen--justice.  They are creative. Those are just a few of the wonderful things about children.


They have things that they need to learn...how to speak with a nice tone of voice, how to respond with kindness, how to share, etc.  But often when it comes to teaching them, the teaching of the how gets lost in the schedule of life.  The time that younger son yells at older son is when we're heading out the door for something we "need" to be at...and that's when the comments about time might just jump out this mommy's mouth.


Now, I am fully aware that children need to be taught.  Every time we eat, I long to turn on a recording on manners!  Children do a lot of foolish things, too.  And in those areas, we are responsible to teach and train them how to go.  But, they have a way of finding joy in the little things...of laughing over almost nothing.  And in that specifically, I want to increase in our home.  Joy and discovery...and taking time.  

What would happen if we started to get ready not just a few minutes before we leave?  What if we took the time necessary to instruct and appreciate where God has our children?  


I know my home would be filled with more peace.  I know that I don't want "quickly and quietly" to be my motto!  I'd rather have "joy and discovery" be mine.  After all, didn't Jesus say that we were to be like a child?  (Matthew 19:14, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.")


We won't be using those "Q" words anymore here!  With a little bit of planning on my part, we can respond with more kindness and joy to each other...and it starts with me :)

**************************************

Lord, thank you for calling us to be like children. 

Thank you for making us Your children.  

Help me today to appreciate the wonders of being a child.  

Give me eyes to see the ways of taking time to 

discover and find joy in You.

The Infamous Corner of the Garage

The front corner of our garage is infamous...in our home at least.  It is just one of those areas that has never been organized and seems to be a magnet for things...a few boxes that have yet to be sorted through since we've moved (over 4 1/2 years ago!)...plastic and brown paper grocery bags...and a few empty boxes are just a few of the things piled up there.  (I need those boxes for my upcoming landscaping project.)


This morning I decided that Today is the day!


**First, I pulled everything out of that magnetic corner while visiting with a friend on the phone.  Sometimes the best way to organize is to chat with a friend :)


**Next, I will take those grocery sacks to recycling.  I'm on a roll from yesterday when I had no sympathy for those containers without lids and threw them straight in the trash can!


 **At some point, I will need to go through those boxes that haven't been touched...when I get to that step, I'm going to grab my kitchen timer and set it for 15 minutes at a time.  (I'm not sure who gave me the timer idea first...but I am very motivated by the Fly Lady  flylady.net  and that is one of her suggestions.)


When my dearest came home for lunch, we decided that while everything was out anyway, we might as well organize our garage the way we want to instead of living with the organizational structures left by former owners.  I'm not finished with the project yet but am running right now to grab my timer and start in with those boxes :)


One day soon, our garage will no longer have an "infamous" corner.  I'm really looking forward to pulling into an organized, beautiful one-car garage :) 

******************************************

My youngest and I used the same "organizational" strategies when we tackled his room yesterday:
1.  Pull everything out from the area needing organized.
2.  Make a decision about the things (throw, keep--put away, or give away)--also a Fly Lady idea.
3.  Dust or wash the surface, shelf or vacuum the area.
4.  Put back only a few of the things we love...keeping it simple :)


Ta-daa!!  A beautiful area :)

Lord, help us to tackle these areas in our homes.

  As we work, help us to not cling to things but only to You.

the list

Have you ever had a day when you have so many things...BIG things to do...that you can't figure out where to start?!  That was the start to my day...the last day my boys are home from school for the Easter weekend.  Time to be spent with my blessings AND time to get some things done...


I got the best advice ever from my sister S, too..."make a list, Jennie...and start working your way through it."  So simple and yet sometimes so hard to do! 


So here's my list for the day...


1.  Container Cabinet--We have a corner lazy susan cabinet where we store our containers...and the past few times my dearest has looked for a container, I hear..."I can't find a lid."  That is exactly where I started.  I now have a beautiful corner cabinet!  All extra containers without lids or lids without containers...yogurt containers and whipped cream containers are GONE :)


2.  Organize My 6 Year Old's Bedroom--My youngest and I tackled his room...I really think his collections multiply while he's at school!!  I had him pick only his favorites to put on his shelf and dresser...the rest, we found new places for :)


3.  Clear Off the Flower Beds--In the fall, we raked the leaves off of the flower beds, but all of the dried plants from last year needed to be trimmed back and the leaves that had blown onto the area cleared off again.  Late afternoon, I was able to get out and begin that several day project while my boys were mowing our lawn and our neighbor's lawn.


4.  Dishes Put Away From Our Sunday Dinner--We used some fun dishes yesterday when extended family joined us for the day.


5.  My 10 Year Old's Thank You Notes Written--Yeah to him!  He got that done :)


6.  Family Time--My husband takes Mondays off from work since his weekends are his big work days of the week.  Today, our two boys had the day off as well.  One of the things we love to do together is watch movies..."Rudy" and the "Little Giants" were our choices today...lots of laughs :)


7.  Design My Re-do For My East Flower Bed--This is an on-going thinking process right now...lots of things to do before the "real" work can begin :)  I'm loving the dreaming right now!


8.  Organize the Corner of Our Garage--The next rainy day, I'll be tackling this.  All can't be done in a day :)

The day ended up being really relaxing---I relax by getting things done.  That may be weird, but it's me.  

The day was very productive---lots of things on the list are now crossed off.

The day was filled with peace---God gave me patience with my blessings and a calm spirit so that my interactions were loving.

The day was a gift---from God and God alone.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, 

but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,

and for his children it will be a refuge.

Proverbs 14:26

A patient man has great understanding...

Proverbs 14:29

A heart at peace gives life to the body...

Proverbs 14:30

***************************

Thank You, Lord, for this day!  
Thank You for giving me clarity of thinking,

for using my time today wisely, 
for helping me to

start at one place and keep working

rejoicing in YOU and Your

many gifts to

us.

the perfect day

The Man

taken upon Himself

the weight of all the world

the weight of all of the sin each person who has lived

and who ever will live

The cross

the nails pounded in by Roman soldiers

the yelling, the screaming, the crying

the blood

The love

for me--for us

that held Him there

to become the perfect Lamb sacrifice

The God-man, perfect man

not a wrong thing said or done

living to help and to show the way

the only way to fellowship with His Father

The day

planned since the beginning of time

looked to by prophets

and back upon by us

The perfect day

the perfect Lamb

the perfect gift

His life for ours

Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your life so that we might truly live!  

Open our eyes, Lord, that we might see 

how to praise You on this day of celebrating 

Your Resurrection.

a reason NOT to complain

Sunday, February 13th, 2011,  I woke to a BIG BANG.  It was around 2 in the morning, and the noise sounded like one of my boys had fallen out of bed and hit the wall.  But when I checked their rooms, they were both sleeping soundly.  What was that noise?!  The bathroom light was on, and I discovered my dear husband was on the floor!

As he attempted to get up, he sat on the closed toilet and suddenly went limp...twice!  How utterly scary!  My college health aide training went into high mode as I quickly tried to figure out what to do.  What would cause that?!  Stroke??  Heart attack??

I grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1.  As I was talking to the operator, my 9 year old woke up and asked what was going on.  I told him that I was calling the ambulance to help get Daddy to the hospital.  He then got dressed and woke up his 6 year old brother and got him dressed.  It's amazing how responsible he really is when called to action!

I also called a friend from down the street and she came right away and brought my two blessings to her house.  Praise God for friends who hear their answering machine in the middle of the night and jump out of bed to help!

The ambulance team arrived shortly after I had called and worked very quickly to get my dearest in a neck brace and onto a stretcher.  During this whole time he had been telling me that he didn't think that he needed to go anywhere.  I was positive that I wouldn't be able to get him into our van by myself and that we needed to go to the hospital in case something serious was happening to him.  He was awake and completely alert during the whole time as well, except the two times that he went limp after I had gotten up.

You see, he had awoke in the middle of the night because his foot was hurting him.  It felt like gout that he had had in the past and he knew that some ibuprofen would help, after all, in a few hours, he would need to be headed to church to get ready for the service.  He got two ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet, went to the bathroom, and was then looking for some gout medicine when he fell.  He didn't feel dizzy or anything, just fell.  (Those two ibuprofen I found on the floor later that day.)

As we were then headed to the hospital, my husband in the ambulance and me in our van, I called his parents to let them know what our morning was turning into.  They live an hour away and headed right over and were actually to the hospital before we were taken to the hospital room from the emergency room.  I am so very thankful for them!

After running several tests, the doctors came to the conclusion that his blood pressure had just dropped after he got up from sleeping.  There's even a name for it...and it's very common.  Almost everyone can have that happen at least once in their lives.  I had never heard of it...and hope that no one I know has to have that happen to them.  He is fine now, really as though nothing happened at all!  (The loud noise turned out to be him hitting our fiber-glass tub...which now has a crack...but he had no bruises or signs that he had hit anything.)

That Sunday, God really showed me how He is Sovereign (has a plan and is in control) of my and my family's lives.  That day, I faced the possibility of having to raise my boys alone.  What would life without my dear husband be like?  I didn't at all want to even think about it...but that's what happens in those few minutes that seem like an eternity.  A person considers what is never thought about.  And at one point, I even stood over him as he lay in the hallway and begged him not to leave me.  At which he was telling me that everything would be ok...even if something did happen to him.  God would take care of us.

My life will never ever be the same...I don't ever want to take the time that I have with my husband and boys for granted...thinking that I'll have all of these days with them.  Balled up socks in the laundry?  Coats not hung up on the hooks?  Toys out and not put away?  Late night meetings? 

None of those things have the same effect on me...I now LOVE un-balling socks and thank God dearly for my blessings each time I have the opportunity to do something for them that will make their lives sweet.

And that, in a nutshell, is just one reason I do not complain about anything...not my husband, not my children, not the weather, and not anything that God allows into my life.  God will take care of us.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing."

Philippians 2:14

"Praise be to the LORD,

for He has heard my cry for mercy.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy 

and I will give thanks to Him in song."

Psalm 28: 6,7

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 

my coffee shop

I love coffee!  My love for coffee probably started when I was in college, not black, more of a light tan :)  Growing up, I remember my grandma drinking coffee...black, very black, and I recall my dad drinking coffee.  He would regulary take a morning break from work to visit.  At church, following the service, we would always have rolls and coffee.  Dad was almost always the last one out as he just loves to catch up!  Although, he doesn't drink black coffee anymore, I think he likes an occasional cappuccino.  There's nothing like a good heart-to-heart visit over a cup of coffee!  

Fast forward a few years...I also love visiting one-on-one with people!  Sitting down with them and finding out where they have come from and what their life is like.  (I must have inherited that from my dad!)  However, my husband is a pastor, and most often, I don't see people one-on-one.  They more or less come in large packs and herds!  I don't do herds, packs, OR large groups of people.  I remember our first year and feeling like I had tunnel vision and was going to drown in people.  Breathe, Jennie!  Breathe!

Despite my weakness of dealing with crowds, over the years, God has helped me to see the individuals instead of the large group.  I find people who I can talk with and am much more comfortable in the large group setting.  It's better if I have something to do, though.  For instance, I love to stand with my husband after church and greet people...one-on-one.  I love to ask them about the last thing I remember talking with them. 

While talking with people one-on-one, God really started to show me how this person had a lot in common with the other person over there.  And He really started placing this thought in my mind..."Is there a way to get them together and have them actually visit?"  At church, we just breeze in and breeze out..."Hi, how are you?"  "Fine" are just the phrases we use to greet each other as we head to where we're going.  But life is so much more, and we really do need each other!  How neat it would be to see someone from church at the grocery store and be able to visit with them.

These two areas--a love for coffee and a need to see connecting--really started to come together in the idea of a coffee shop.  A coffee shop, you ask?  Well, not one that's open at regular hours.  I guess you have to have an invitation to come.  Kind of like those fancy hunting lodges that only the select few can get in.  There is a goal in mind behind my coffee shop:  to connect people from church in a smaller setting to enable them to have something in common to visit about...and people of different ages and backgrounds and walks of life.

A few years ago, my coffee shop kicked off with a few gals coming over to visit, children invited to come and play while we gals shared life over a cup of yummy coffee.  We all loved it!  And how fun to see people at church start to visit with each other, knowing that they really met over a cup of coffee! 

In the past year, I haven't been able to run my coffee shop as regularly as I would like, but it will come...not everything in life happens at the same time.  This summer, I hope to get my coffee shop going again...inviting a few gals over to share life while our children play. 

Of course, if you were to stop by without an invite, a pot of coffee doesn't take long to make.  We could enjoy a cup together and a nice chat.

only one life

Today is all I have to offer...

It's all I've been given.

I can spend time with my Savior...

gaining perspective on life from the One Who made life

getting from Him peace and strength and wisdom for the day

that I do not have on my own.

I can greet my husband when he comes home

at the door with a kiss and a smile

since he IS my prince charming

and the answer to so many of my prayers.

I can plan for my children's arrival from school

with a snack and time to spend with them

with peace and a patient voice.

I can turn on some praise music

and be inspired while I

take care of things I do each day around our home

and pray for my blessings while I clean and prepare for them.

I can enjoy a cup of yummy coffee

and read a good book

or work on a creative project

that will be a blessing for my blessings.

I can give to others 

and bake something special to share

with a friend or neighbor

and be a shining light to their day.

I only have one life...

only today...

how will I spend it?

Take this day, LORD,

I offer it to You

as I follow. 

Bits and Pieces

Each one of us is called to do something--
whether that something is working in the home or outside of the home
raising a family or building a career.

My calling as a wife and mom
is to create a place where my husband and children want to return to
a place away from the usual.

For now, I am managing our home and all of our maids...
YES, we have maids...
they are otherwise known as our dishwasher, washer, dryer, and answering machine. 

The difference can be in how our home looks if you were to walk across our thresh-hold
but it can also be in how you feel when you walk in
welcoming, calming, and yet filled with life.

Life for us is busy and bustling with school and sport activities
church meetings (for my husband), AWANA, Bible study
and being available to help at church or school whenever called upon.

If I can take the time each day to take care of a few
little things like making beds, emptying or filling the dishwasher,
or keeping the laundry going...nothing gets too chaotic.

Life in our home includes everyday maintenance AND long-range projects
such as redesigning a flower bed, getting things around for a garage sale
or sewing ragged jean and cotton potholders.

However, if I spend time making everything wonderful
and am not pleasant to be around,
everything I've worked for is lost.

I caught myself just this morning as we were getting ready for school
using a not very pleasant voice with my blessings
as we were headed out the door.

Did our home feel like a sanctuary then?
Most likely not...not for me...not for my blessings...
thankful today that I can begin anew with forgiveness from my blessings AND from my Father.

Living in a sanctuary is NOT living in a museum,
or living in a perfect place...but it is
making where I am living perfect for my family.

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. --Proverbs 14:1

Lord, today I want to build my house.  Use the words I say 

be as a soothing balm to my family and as sweet honey to all who hear.

May the things I do help to promote peace and rest for

my blessings.

Amen

Seasons

 an outdoor sanctuary

Creating a special place to relax, whether it be outside or inside, has always been a special joy...a way for me to make life extra-ordinary for my blessings (husband and children).  Keeping our home takes time and planning.  Some of the time is just regular maintenance (cleaning and organizing), but much of the time, I'm dreaming of a way to make what we have even better :) 

The projects that I work on vary by season, since I live in a climate that changes with the time of year.  Re-finishing furniture that we find treasure-hunting (a.k.a. garage sales or auction sales), landscaping our yard, or sewing quilting projects are just a few of the ways that I've been able to make our home a get-away from the ordinary. 

Currently, I am sharing perennials from a flower bed that we will be re-designing.  In the next few weeks, weather permitting, if you were to drive by my house, you might just see dirt flying!

 

Spring

           Summer

                        Autumn

                                     Winter..........Seasons of the year

Infancy

            Childhood

                            Youth

Adult

                                                Death..........Seasons of life

Painting

           Sewing

                     Organizing

                                     Planning

                                                 Planting

                                                            Growing

                                                                         
Nurturing                                                                       

               Loving

                           Blessing.........

                                                  Seasons of a Sanctuary

One of my goals is to make my home is a sanctuary for my precious family.  And as I share the fun projects that I'm working on, maybe some will inspire you in your own home :) 

Make me a blessing today, Lord to my husband and my two precious children.  Help me to make our home a sanctuary...a safe place, a place to refill and refresh, a beautiful tapestry.