Two Choices

Inevitably, when momma tries to find even the smallest "piece of quiet" SOMETHING will fall apart!

By all appearances, Tyler had everything under control this morning while I stayed in bed to nurse my headache.  I even went so far as to compliment him on the amount of peace that was happening downstairs.  All the quiet and calm!

Well, that should have been my FIRST CLUE!

Turns out when one of your small children is taking a bath (with ALL soap removed from the tub, because experience is nothing if not a GREAT TEACHER), that that child will remove their body from the bath full of warm water JUST TO GET THE SOAP!  Because BUBBLES!!  Apparently the small amount of bubbles preciously provided wasn't nearly enough.

So, I have 2 choices:

1. Rage.  Rage at all the naughtiness!  Why, for the love of all things sane, do my kids insist on SEEKING OUT THE NAUGHTY?!

or

2. Thankfulness.  Yes, thankfulness!  Thankful for a sweet, quiet hour where nobody was fussing or fighting or hurting my ears in some way.  

I chose to be thankful, and it has undoubtedly changed my morning!

So, buy more soap.  Build a shelf and install it out of reach and store the soap there.  But in the meantime, be thankful for the cheap entertainment and the blessed hour of peace! 

Before bath time:

After bath: completely empty, completely empty and enough left for 2 showers. 

For A Purpose

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending a business conference with my sweet friend, Sandy

Of the 3,000 women that attended, I feel like I may be the ONLY one who came home and completely shut down her business.  Beep, beep, beep, beep ______________________ flat-lined.

I am nothing if not a little compulsive and a go-getter, so it's no surprise that I would come home from a summer vacation and remodel a storage shed and start a little baking business, in a two week time frame.  The only problem with this is...

I don't LOVE baking.  Hey, I don't really even LIKE baking.  So I believe it's safe to say that it is not my passion.


Was I scared to start?  Yes.  Was I afraid to put myself out there?  Yes.  Did I do it anyway?  Yes.  Did I fail?  NO!  I made back every penny that I invested in my little Sugar Shack within the first 2 months.  The last month and a half was all profit!  That is not failure.

Was I sad when I made the decision to call it quits?  A little.  Did I give it everything I had?  Yes.  I gave it what little I had in regards to time and energy.  Do I regret starting something just to have to shut it down after 4 months?  No!  I learned so much and was able to meet so many amazing people that I would otherwise not have seen.  I succeeded at what I wasn't sure about in the beginning.  I was scared and vulnerable but I did it anyways.

What now?

Where do I go from here?

The second day of the conference we were told to write a letter to exchange with another lady that weekend.  Say something encouraging to someone who may be scared to start, or just needs to hear that she has what it takes to make it work.  Be an encouragement.

Here's my letter:


Date 11/5/16


Dear                                              ,

Never forget to always remember Whose you are.  Use your gifts and talents to shine for His Kingdom and His glory and point people to Him.  You were created for an amazing purpose.  Take time to be still and hear what He has to tell you and move when He speaks.  Don't doubt!

To love others well, you must first love yourself.  There is no shame in treating yourself well.  

Be humble and kind.

Step out in faith and take the next step.  Always take the next step!


Yes!  This is my advice and encouragement to everyone.  All of it.

However, a few hours later, when it was time to exchange letters, the host tells us to open our books and fill in the Dear____________________  with our own name.

Why?  Why is it SO HARD to apply these things to my own life when I feel like it's good advice for someone else?

Why is it so hard for me to love myself?

Why can I not wrap my brain around the fact that I was created for a specific purpose?  ME.  Little ol' me.

Why?

Because that Satan,..  He is a crafty thing and always bent on destroying love and beauty.  Women are his specialty.  Of course he attacks men, too.  Don't get me wrong.  But he has a special hatred for anything that brings life and portrays the beauty of God.

And I have listened to his little whisperings in my ear.

"Who do you think you are?  You are nobody special.  You will never amount to anything.  Nobody cares."

And on and on he goes.  And I have sat and listened to him for long enough.

I was created ON PURPOSE - FOR A PURPOSE!

I am still seeking out what that might be, but in the meantime, I am going to take some time to just be still and listen.  I am going forward from here believing that there is a special place for me and a me-sized hole waiting to be filled!


                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You and I are chosen for a purpose, we are healed for a purpose, we are called for a purpose, and that purpose always involves other people." - Christine Caine

This past weekend we were challenged to write 2 things, every morning, that we are thankful for...

Here's the catch...

BEFORE clicking on any other app on our phone!  No email, no Facebook, no Instagram, no news, etc. (you get the picture)

Open your notes app and get to typing!

Easy peasy.

Right?

Well, old habits die hard and as I have made it all the way to my SECOND day... I fail!

Yep!  Wake up.  Grab phone.  Click Facebook.

I am weak!

Well, I did make it downstairs, grabbed my Bible, sat down and open my notes.  And there they were; number one and number two.  My 2 things I was thankful for yesterday.  Next up:  number 3 and number 4.  Easy enough.  3. My kids and 4. Quiet time.

I kid you not!  No sooner did I finish typing the 'e' in time and I hear a huge crash, so I jump up (from my quiet time) and check on the puppy.  Not because I care more about the puppy than anyone else, but because it was so loud that it sounded like it was where I am, downstairs.  Nope, puppy's good.  Let her outside, then head upstairs which is the only other option.  As I top the stairs I see one son standing by the bathroom door waiting his turn.

M- "Is everyone alright up here?!"

T- "Yeah, he fell out of the bed onto his face."

M- "Is he ok?"

T- "I think so."

(Now an alarm is going off! Y'ALL!!!  It's FIVE THIRTY IN THE A.M.!!)

Said child comes out of the bathroom and I ask, "are you ok?"

T2- "yeah."  And heads back to bed, scrambling to get to the alarm clock so he can apparently GO BACK TO SLEEP, because I haven't seen either one of them come down the stairs to start their day.

Now to get to my number 4...

QUIET TIME.

Well, I'm back.  Let's see if I remember how to do this.

There's The Wonder of Sunset at Evening

As most of you probably alread know, Johnny and I purchased some land in November.

We have our house up for sale and intend to start building a new house as soon as this one sells.

I am so excited to get started, but never more so than when we were out at the land the other night and got to see this.




I can already picture us sitting on our front porch in the evenings, watching as God paints many different, beautiful sunsets on the canvas of the sky.



We have set up our houseplans so that we will get to see the sunrise while we eat breakfast in the mornings and then be able to see the sunsets as we relax in the evenings, either in our livingroom or on our front porch.

It's not 'Big Sky' country, but it's still beautiful and I can't wait to get started.

Bring It On!

I have had such a busy day today.

It started out with three little girls and two boys waking up quite early and then wanting to eat right away. So, I let Johnny get up and feed them while I rolled over and groaned. I'm the model wife, I tell ya!

I soon decided that I better get up, because my friend had called me the night before and said that she may show my house.

I got up and made sure the kids were all taken care of and then I went and started cleaning my bathroom. I came back in the kitchen and wiped off the table and told the kids to go get dressed and then play for a while.

My friend calls me at 8:30 and says, "I have someone here who would like to come look at your house."

Great! That's wonderful. Just give me a few HOURS to get my house cleaned.

Then my realtor calls and says, "You do know that Kelly is coming to show your house now, right?"

And I said, "RIGHT NOW?!?! Um, she said she was going to show it, but she didn't say she was COMINGRIGHTNOW!!! I have five kids here and my house isn't READY to show."

Bring it on! LOL

So my realtor then called my friend and had her stall a little bit for me.

Long story short, my friend showed up with the guy to look at my house at 9:15 (giving me 45 minutes to clean my house with 5 kids in tow), while I was still in my pajamas trying to get the breakfast dishes washed, because I had been upstairs the rest of the time trying to get that room straightened up, plus taking care of a naughty little 16 month old with a messy diaper and three girls that would rather talk then clean.

It was a wonderful way to start the day, but if my house sells, it will be completely worth every ounce of stress I suffered from.

My sister-in-law then stopped by to pick up her girls and stayed for about an hour and a half. It was great to visit with her.

Cheyenne also had piano lessons today and I had to go to the store to pick up some groceries for tonight.

Needless to say, I am exhausted but enjoying my clean house while my kids sleep, and getting ready for company tonight after church.

Food, fun and fellowship with friends. What better way to end 2008? I can't wait!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!

Away In A Manger... My SAVIOR!

I am so excited about Christmas this year.

I look at the excitment in my kids faces, and I can't help but join in.

All of my shopping was done last week and I finished up a big project yesterday, so now I can just sit back and relax and marvel at the joy all around me.

I didn't get caught in any of the hustle and bustle of the season and have been able to sit and reflect on the story of Christ's birth quite often lately...

Can you imagine being 9 months pregnant, hopping on a donkey for what would seem 'the longest ride of your life' and telling your husband, "I think it's time. Can we please find a place to stop?"

So your husband says, "Yes, Honey. I will ask in this next town." He asks around and everywhere he stops he says, "Please! Do you have a room for my wife and I?" And the only reply he gets is, "Sorry, sir, there's no room."

Time after time.

Until, finally, he comes to this one place where he says, "Please, sir, my wife is ready to have her baby, and we need a place to stay for the night!" (Can you imagine the panic in him at this point?) So, the owner says, "Come with me!" They follow him out to a stable and the guy says, "It's not much, but it will keep you out of the weather. I'm sorry, but it's all I have."

They didn't tell the man, "But we are going to have a KING, you can't possibly expect us to lie on the ground and bring our baby into the world in these conditions!"

And I'm sure they didn't say, "Lord, WHY? Why can't we have a nice soft bed and a room with a door?" Or, "We deserve better than this! Do you not know who we are?"

I imagine that they humbly accepted what the man had to offer and politely said, "Thank you, sir!!"

It was nothing like I can even imagine. I have given birth to three children, one in a hospital and two in my home and I can tell you, there were no foul odors, we were all nice and warm, and I had my family surrounding me for each one of them. And as special as my children are to me and to the Lord, they were not the Son of God!!!

Yet He humbled Himself to be born in a stable and laid in a manger.

A manger... something the animals eat out of! No fancy crib, or cute little clothes.

Born in a stable, laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes... The King of kings and Lord of lords!

It is so easy to get caught up in the 'spirit' of the season with all the food, decorations, gifts, both giving and receiving and so easy to forget the "Reason " for the season. As pretty as all the gifts under the tree are, they don't even compare to the Gift that was wrapped in swaddling clothes!! THAT is the Greatest Gift of All!!

As I look at each one of my children, I am that much more thankful for His humble beginning.

There are so many details that I left out...

Like, having visitors... strangers... bringing gifts to your child, knowing there is something very special about Him, and politely and humbly welcoming them and thanking them for their thoughtfulness. (Not pouting about your poor conditions, and being rude to your guests, and maybe thinking, "Why me, Lord? Why didn't you make it nicer for me?")

If the mother of the SON OF GOD can be content with very little, why not us? Why not be thankful for healthy children and be glad to spend time with them? For they truly are God's gift to us!

Don't get me wrong, presents are fun, (our's don't even all fit under our tree), but let's not make

that the focus of our Christmas this year.

Follow the star, to a lowly manger bed and see your Savior lying there, wrapped up for you. Then reach for your children and thank the Lord that you have it so good!!

As you read the story of Christ's birth this year, don't just sit there and read the words. LIVE the words. Delve into the story as if it were your own.

And have a wonderful CHRISTmas!

We love you all very much!!

Another Tender, Tennessee Christmas

Well, it's that time of year again.

Time for the...

I debated on whether or not to participate this year because I have nothing new and the decorations I do have are very sparse. But here I am... #890 in the tour!

Welcome to my home.

Come on in and join us for some milk and cookies.

Here we have Santa's little helper and Jack Frost. They will entertain you during your visit. They're so cute, you could just eat 'em up! oh, sshhh, don't let them hear you say that.

Rudolph has also shown up, pulling Santa's sleigh.

Hop on board one of our trains and it will take you on the tour through the rest of our house.

Have a seat at our table and let's chat while we see how some of these goodies taste.

My piano is pretty much the only piece of furniture that I have, right now, to decorate. It houses my nativity and a few other odds and ends.

And let me take a moment to say that THIS is the real reason for this season! Let's not forget that without Christ there would be no Christmas!

Here is our Christmas tree. And I promise you that our kids have more than four presents. I just haven't taken the time to get them all wrapped.

Be warned that if you stand too close to our tree it will reach out and grab you, causing you to trip and fall over the few presents that are out. Not only are they a fire hazard, but they could do some serious damage to a small child who refuses to smileforthecameraalready!!

Thank you for visiting us this Christmas season. Our doorman will see you out.

If you would like to tour more homes, surf on over to BooMama's site. This is really a fun way to entertain guests without really having to clean anything!!

Oh! I almost forgot to show you my outside lights. After living here for four year, we actually bought icicle lights this year.

And one week before Christmas, this is how they look...

Yep, all ten boxes of them... still full.

Oh well, 2009 is another year :)

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