{1} Mumma Life...

       I love that the girls often enjoy helping out with chores around the house. Chores other then cleaning their rooms, making their beds and putting their laundry away. They enjoy helping dust, and putting dishes away, sweeping and vaccuuming. And even using the swifer wet jet mop in their rooms.

       I find with wood heat you have to dust every other day at least, good thing I don't have too much to dust. So today, Savannah wanted to dust. And she did a pretty great job. The house has a nice lemon-y scent to it now. And most of the wood surfaces are nice and shiny again. She enjoyed every minute of it. Sparying out the pledge, seeing the dust disappear, filling the air with a clean aroma. It was great, and allowed me to finish up the lunch dishes and sweep.

      There was only one down side really... She used half a can of pledge! The dust cloth was SOAKED! HAHA!!

Sweet little Savannah,

I love your willingness to help around the house,

taking part in thingsso everything runs smoothly. 

Thank you for your help!

Hurry Up...

HURRY UP!

Those two words probably come out of my mouth WAY too often. Hurry up is what I tell the kids as they get ready for school, eat their breakfast and brush their teeth. Hurry up is what I say as they are getting ready for bed, or when we are getting ready to go somewhere. Hurry up is what I say to my husband when I want to get the chores done at the barn because inside my head I am telling myself to hurry up because of the dishes that need washed, the laundry that needs folded, the dusting that needs done, the floors that need mopped, the bread that needs made. HURRY UP!

Well, I really need to hurry up and stop saying that so often. I mean, really, what am I in such a hurry for?!?  I guess the reason that it is so present in my mind right now is because tonight, as the girls and I were reading scripture, I uttered those words, to hurry up, pay attention, settle down. Great way to enter the word, huh?! Yeah.... maybe not so much. I apologized to them, telling them that our time in scripture is so important and it shouldn't be rushed. (Especially when you have girls like mine who LOVE to hear the stories of Jesus, or read how it all started in Genesis, or about how moses was found... you want me to hurry up and move on, don't ya!) I shouldn't rush their questions, their curiosity, their love story with Christ. I only have these little girlies for a short time before they stand on their own. And let me tell you the time is F L Y I N G!  I believe I will never have the time to teach them everything I feel I want or maybe even should.

I am very thankful that no matter how much of a hurry I am in that God never tells me to hurry up and be perfect. Hurry up and memorize the entire bible, today, in an hour! Unlike how I expect my kids to do so much in an hour. (and how I generally want God to hurry up and let me know what it is He is up to!!)

Instead, He does tell me to:

 

"Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." ~Psalm 46:10

 

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need , and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience the peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard our hearts and minds as you live for Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6&7

 

"Jesus replies, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.'" ~Matthew 22:37&38

I love how no matter how much of a hurry I am to want an answer, direction, love...God is always on time.

Praise Him \0/

Dominos...

Have you ever played dominos? I used to call it this when I was a kid, when in actuality it wasn't the way you played dominos at all. You know, standing them all up just a few centimetres apart making a super cool trail with lots of twists and turns. Then you knock that first one down and watch them all fall. Occasionally it will only go so far because you have placed a few tiles too far apart and they won't hit. So you try again, standing them all up again, making the necessary improvements and then you knock down that first one again. There was something so satisfying about resetting those tiles especially around the turns just to see them all fall smoothly! You just can't help but rejoice in success.

When I think about some of the trials I have been through I can relate it to a big game of dominos. Everything is going so good then all if a sudden there is a malfunction. A malfunction in my relationships, my communication, my love for others. So, I try and learn from my mistakes, and try again, hoping this time I can get past this "turn". Usually I am ready to learn really quick wanting the mess to just be over.

But why not rejoice in the mess as well?

Why only in the end, when things work out?

Why not walk with open eyes, an open mind, an open heart to see what it is I am supposed to be learning, see the way I am supposed to live as a better Christ follower.

In Romans 5:3-5 it reads:

 

'We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens or confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given is the Holy Spirit to fill out hearts with His love.'

 



Can you see the domino effect there? Our problems help develop endurance, which leads to our character being strengthened, which leads to hope. Hope in Christ and what He came here to do. A hope that doesn't lead to disappointment (this part was my favorite...I have hoped so much in things... just to be disappointed...) Hope that leads to God's great and unending love for me. And for you.

So rejoice.

In the beginning, the middle and the end;

 of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

 REJOICE!



2013...

This year:

I want less sleepless nights,

       less heartache,

               less confusion,

                                         less fear of the unknown.

 

This year:

I want to read more.

Write more.

Love more.

 

This year:

I want to run.

                                  ...Well :)

 

This year:

 I want to grow deeper in my faith,

 and be broken,

       humbled,

             stretched

                                             challenged by scripture.

 

This year I want to go in His direction.

 

This year I want peace.

 

This year, is like no other year. And it is already filled with so many blessings. My husband, my children, my family. I have a house and food and a vehicle. I have a job I love where I can bring my kids with me and see my husband more (seriously, it's awesome)

 

This year...really, I have little control over, but there is One who knows exactly what will unfold, and for that I am so thankful.