A Friendly Reminder

It has been a while since I have posted. Life has just been carrying on. But I felt led to share something with my small corner of the world wide web. The last two weeks I have been struggling with pretty painful back pain. Some days I had to crawl around. Others I thought I was getting better. It can be a pretty defeating feeling at times. You start to believe that you are never going to get better. But God gave me this little, I don't know what you would call it, maybe manifesto? Anyway, maybe it will bless you…

I believe God is good.
Even when my back hurts and there is no relief in sight.
I believe God loves me.
That I am His precious daughter.
I believe that He is with me, even when I feel alone.
I believe my tears are precious to Him and that He saves them.
I believe I am the apple of His eye. I believe that He has the power to heal.
I believe that He could heal me right now, but even if He doesn't, I believe He is good.
He is healer.
He is faithful.
I WILL CHOOSE JOY.
I will choose thankfulness.
I choose trusting Him.
He is kind.
He is generous.
He is patient.
He is loving.
He is faithful.
He is gentle.
He is long-suffering.
He is FOR me.
Even when my feelings and my body say differently, I know in my heart, these are TRUE.

Some of my most sacred moments have been when I was in the worst pain. And as I slowly start to get better, I don't want to forget that. And sometimes you have to say these truths out loud to really believe them in your heart.

Photo Friday from the Farm.....

I thought it would be fun to add a weekly post...perhaps to make it me more disciplined in writing? or not....but photos from the farm....which of course would happen on Friday so I have the perfect alliteration going on!!! My language arts teacher, Ms. Fetterolf would be so happy...her name even begins with an F! 

So here we go...pictures from the farm.....

sunset over the mountains

corn

and more corn!

grain bins up

beautiful view

So this is a little bit of my world.....through my husband's camera phone!! He does a great job.
Life has been crazy the month of June. I am glad that we decided to take a break from homeschooling for the month. Both my sisters were out and we had a great time....making nutella fudge, canning peaches, watching BBC shows on Netflix, and reading. So.much.fun. And VBS was thrown in there and the kiddos were sick for like two weeks and we were MIA in general. So glad that's over! :)

Hope you had a great 4th of July. Maybe next week I'll have more to say....

Spring

My heart feels happy just writing the title to this blog post....spring. I love spring. It's a very brief season here in Arizona, but so lovely while it lasts! Here is a picture I got tonight at sunset...the view out my back door...

The fields are starting to really green up, there's grass poking up in random places in the yard, and the flannels have come off the beds and light cotton sheets have taken their place. I washed all the kids sheets, even their comforters today and they will get to crawl into a sweet smelling bed tonight...I love clean sheets day!
It's been warm here the last week. We have been in the low to mid 80s almost all week. It has been so nice to go outside in short sleeves. The freckles are popping out across the bridges of noses around here...including mine! The girls have been helping dad nozzle pivots and working on their tans.  Anne's been out in her walker on the back porch scooting around. She's growing way too fast....as she should with the way she enjoys eating....

Spring always fill me with hope for the coming year. After a winter of brown, windy, desertyness (I think I might have made up a word), it's refreshing to see green fields springing up and warm spring breezes.  I can't wait to hang laundry out on the line and smell the sunshine. It also means that bath night will be occuring on a regular basis (nightly) and there will be a ring around the tub for the next several months. (grin) But at least they are outside and not parked in front of the television.
I hope you are enjoying springtime as well!

abide

So many blogs I read have a word for the new year.  Yesterday in church, I felt the Lord whisper in my spirit that my word for this year is abide. Learning to abide in Christ. To be constantly walking in his  presence...which I always am, but to actually be aware of his presence. I can too quickly be overwhelmed with chores, my never-ending "to do" list, children, my own selfishness, and just plain tiredness. So I am excited for what the Lord is going to teach me this year.
I had an "abide" experience just a few days ago. I was washing dishes and there was music playing in the background. I was listening to Phil Wickham's Singalong 2. I usually don't like live albums, but there is something about live praise and worship albums that make you feel as though you are there. And suddenly I could feel Him. The kids were all outside, playing, and I was standing in the kitchen, alone in my thoughts...I can't even remember what I was thinking about, but all the sudden the words broke through my muddled thoughts and HE was there. And the crazy thing is that He is always there, but I am not always aware....I am so thankful and humbled that He comes in the mundane..in the everyday...even in the washing of dishes. That's how much He desires our company, our friendship, our love. And as I stood at the sink washing dishes, I thought how He was washing my heart clean, refreshing my spirit, bringing healing, grace, and love. How He brings wholeness to a broken life and brings beauty from ashes....yet He comes without any fanfare while I am washing dishes...Who is this great God that He sent his Son from perfection to this worn out , weary world, selfish and self-absorbed with its own desires? And He not only sent him from perfection, but had the audacity to send him in the form of a helpless baby, born in a barn...smelling of hay and animals and all things smelly and dirty....just for me...and for you. Amazing love, amazing grace. And so in this new year of 2013, I want to learn how to be in his presence, to abide in Him. Not just when life is going great and I am feeling blessed, because the truth is, we are always being blessed, but are we aware of it? But also in the everyday, the routine, the what we consider "boring" or "non-inspired." May we all learn to ABIDE in the grace and love that our God lavishes upon us....Happy New Year!

contentment

Oh, this has been a week!!! I don't even know where to begin. Life has just been feeling crazy for the last several weeks. And I notice when I start to feel overwhelmed, I begin to play the "if only" game. Like, "If only we were moved into our new house, I wouldn't have to walk out and turn the switch for the water to come back on..." "If only we were moved into our house, I would be more organized and the house would be cleaner, because obviously it's much easier to keep a "new" house cleaner then a not so new one.."..."If only the hay buyer would pay us from two months back, I would be able to get caught up on bills, and not be biting my fingers down to nothing!!!" You get the gist.....discontentment wells up big time in my heart and I take it out on my kids, my man, and my fingers!!! But God is showing me that until I learn to be content in my circumstances now, I won't ever be content in my circumstances later, when the trial has passed. Look for the gifts in the midst of the storm. God is continually blessing, always blessing, even when I am NOT blessing or deserve the blessing.
I could tell my frustration has reached the boiling point because I am getting mad at my children over things they can't control. And then I explode and then have to apologize later because I have been preaching to my kids they don't need to yell to express themselves, and then here is mom doing the exact thing she told them not to do. You may be surprised to know this sad little truth about me....but I am a YELLER! And I hate that about myself. It's something I am really trying to get a handle on, but it just bubbles out, more like a tidal wave, and I find myself raising my voice. Parenting is one of the most humbling jobs EVER!!! I think my job is to mold and shape my childrens' character and more often then not, they are molding and shaping mine. Bringing to the surface all kinds of junk I don't want to deal with. I am just preaching to myself.
Since this is November, I thought I would name some of things I am thankful for....the little gifts throughout the day I have been finding. I am still keeping my list. I just haven't been blogging about it. I reached 1000 a couple of months ago. It felt like a big milestone! :) So, just to remind myself to breathe and  slow down.....

fireplace on
pjs in the afternoon
flannel sheets
heater
boy going potty!!!!
butterflies breaking out of cocoons
last field of hay for the season
corn harvest over
activities slowing down
inching closer to moving day (Praise Him!)
encouraging talk with sister
making Christmas plans
carpet being installed
washer and dryer delivered (no more duct tape)
kids all bathed
afternoon quiet
quick forgiveness from  my middle child
hard lessons on patience & self control (grin)
being humbled
baby girl sitting up ( all ready!!!!)
learning contentment (please let it be a short lesson!)
school on the blanket
Thankgiving tree

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is.next.week. Where is the year going? My baby girl will be SIX months old in two days!!! Trying to remember to be thankful and content.......

And the boy turns TWO!

Earlier this month, August 5th to be exact, our lone boy in the bunch turned the big TWO! Time is just a flyin' by! I did manage to get a few photos to memorialize the day....

Tools! He was so excited to have his own hammer and drill and measuring tape....instead of trying to sneak off with daddy's!

Lighting the candles.....

Getting too excited and blowing out the one before we were done singing!

Lets try again!

He did it! Be still my heart, how his smile melts me!

Landon is two. Already. What a bundle of fun he is! He is very hardheaded, literally and figuratively. He can do a pretty good headbutt. He can also be VERY stubborn. But, according to Dr. Dobson, that means he will be a leader in the future.....right?!?!?! He's very quick to help. I love the way he leans down or squats and watches everything you do so as soon as you turn your back, he can do it himself.  When Landon's in trouble he will come over and hug you and say "sorry." And when he asks you something, he usually ends it with "K?" 

We love you so much Landon Boy, and are so glad you are a part of our family!!!!

I can....

Alaina came in last night, so excited and proud of herself. She had finally gone across the monkey bars both ways without any help!

And she's off!

Holding strong!

Halfway done! So proud!

Almost there! At this point she breathlessly called out a prayer for God to help her across!

Phew! She made it!

" I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

When it hurts...

I have been soaking up my little baby days. They will be gone too fast. And it hurts. I feel such a finality that this little baby, our Anne Noelle, will be our last.  It's bittersweet. I am looking forward to the days ahead, of watching our children grow....grow in stature, grow in maturity, grow in wisdom, grow their faith...make it their own. But a snuggly baby, that smell, that soft skin....will be missed. And so, I have been busy, being mom, wife, cook, teacher, organizer, bookkeeper.....and the list goes on. But I am trying to remember to live IN each moment, to be PRESENT in whatever I am doing. So that's a little of the reason why I haven't been writing much. If you have the choice between writing or snuggling this one.....I mean really, what would you choose? (grin)

I have also been reading some really good books....which once I have time to flesh out my thoughts on them, I will. But just so you know, I have recently read, Radical by David Platt and Seven by Jen Hatmaker. I also have the Irresistible Revolution up next and a book called the Seven Sacred Pauses. Book review coming in the future....maybe!

But for now, here is a Day Journal......

Outside my window...... are puffy white clouds over the mountains, warm breezes, and golden sunshine

I am thinking.... of how I will arrange our house, once it's ready, paint colors, lighting fixtures, and how overwhelming the whole process is!

I am thankful for......my family, healthy children, my husband, a God who is faithful even when I am not...

From the learning room..... praying over our new school year, and figuring out what we will learn, and when we will learn...what with a toddler who is forever getting into something, and a new little one..

From the kitchen.... finding a granola bar recipe to use the granola mix I got this morning

I am reading..... The Irresistible  Revolution and Seven Sacred Pauses and How to Make a Nature Journal

I am hoping..... to be obedient in all the Lord tells me, to encourage my kids to do the same, to love my husband and children more, and to follow hard after Jesus....

I am hearing..... the children playing, the air conditioner and peaceful music on Pandora...

Around the house.....I am slowly packing up for the move, whenever that is!

One of my favorite things....waking up in the morning and he hasn't left yet for work!

A few plans for the week....making cookies, washing the suburban, mowing the yard, making baked oatmeal for the morning, finish reading Little Women aloud, sweet sleep!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Spring is coming.....

Winter time out here can kind of be a drag. We don't get snow to cover the ground, so all we see for the majority of winter is brown, brown, brown. And it gets windy about February and can sometimes last till Spring. But I know spring is coming. It's already been decided. Reading verses in the Bible about the desert mean more to me now because I actually live in the desert....in a dry and thirsty land. But, come about January, you see tiny changes, fields greening up, which means spring is coming.

 I love that verse about the darkest hour is just before the dawn. I think about that sometimes when I am watching the sun come up. It's the darkest just before the light starts piercing the darkness. Just before the miracle. Just before God acts.

 Here are our patches of green in the desert. It's amazing that even in the desert in winter time, there is life. The fields are starting to green up. There is hope!

Just thought I would send some encouragement to whoever might need it. Spring is coming. If you feel you are in your darkest hour, and all hope is gone, the Son is just about to rise!

More Gifts

Already that time of the week! It's Sunday afternoon, we have yet again missed another storm, and so we are praying and trusting that God knows we need the rain, and His plan is best! This is an accumulation over the last two weeks.....

36. afternoon naps
37. kittens
38. shucking corn
39. cutting corn
40. hugs
41. kisses
42. little girls' bedtime prayers
43. ring around the tub after kids' baths
44. girls playing with kittens
45. dirty boy
46. old recliner
47. pancake syrupy baby
48. warm slice of homemade bread with butter
49. homemade strawberry jam
50. damp curls at the nape of the neck
51. desert turning green during monsoon
52. storm clouds growing
53. kitten curled up in cowboy boot, napping
54. naps in the car
55. freckles across the bridge of her nose
56. cotton candy clouds
57. lightning show
58. barley loaded on hopper
59. thunder
60. baby boy pushing tractors on his knees
61. "vroom" "vroom" noises by baby boy
62. the promise of life eternal
63. working as a time
64. clean floors
65. dishwasher
66. clothesline
67. fresh dried clothes
68. freeze pops
69. sharing a freeze pop with baby
70. a quiet morning reading the Word
71. children sleeping in
72. You are in the details!
73. mountains
74. cloud cover during an afternoon run
75. cool breezes during run
76.ice cold clean water
77. a full freezer to organize
78. blueberries
79. raspberries
80. fresh cut grass
81. sweet smelling rose
82. dirty kids
83. nursing baby boy for the last time
84. flying a kite
85. kids playing outside, rather then sitting in front of the TV
86. last days of summer
87. sprinkler watering the yard
88. cut rose on my kitchen windowsill
89. sweet scent of roses
90. newborn baby
91. baby snuggled up on my chest
92. baby showers
93. soft, curly, baby hair
94. smooth perfect baby skin
95. brisk mornings
96. hot coffee
97. good fellowship
98. sweet "good nights"
99. cheerful boy
100. chocolate chip cookie dough

We have dealt with the stomach flu this past week, and it was challenging to find many gifts those days, but one was definitely knowing this too shall pass! I am not as diligent as I should be in writing them down, and then I forget. But what a great practice. It really can make a difference. Take the time, write down the gifts, they are too numerous to count!

www.

Beautiful

We sang this song in church this past Sunday. We have sung it before, but this past Sunday was one of those moments where we (the church) was singing in unity. And it was amazing. Like where you feel like you are just going to jump out of your skin. Especially when we sang the last verse, "arriving on eternity's shore, where death is just a memory and tears are no more." I just wanted to share it here.....

Shout out

I just have to give praise when it's due, and this is absolutely due. I just have to shout what a great and awesome God we have. For the last four months, everytime I have needed money to help cover the bills so I don't need to draw on our line of credit, God has sent us a check. To.the.day. It's been amazing. To see the way God answers prayers and takes care of us, it's just so humbling. Just saying.....

Oh, and I finally finished my Beth Moore bible study. It was only six weeks, and it ended up taking me more like ten or eleven weeks. I don't know what my problem was this time around, usually I can't do it fast enough, but this time, I was totally not into a routine. But I watched my final video today, and it was so GOOD!
One of the points she touched on, was in Hebrews 12:1 where it says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us....." The bold faced part isn't referring to sin, but anything that overloads, including good things. Sometimes we can become so overloaded with good activities, that it can actually hinder our relationship with God. That's why it's so important to take the time and evaluate what might need to go. Not because it's bad, but because it isn't growing us or our relationship with God. Oftentimes, God is nudging us to give it up, and we are refusing to listen. That is something I really needed to hear. Especially at this phase in my life. At times I feel guilty because I am not as involved or doing as much in church as I am accustomed to, but this season in my life, my purpose right now is to raise our young kids and make sure they are getting the good foundation they need to become strong leaders in the future.
The next part I wanted to share comes from Psalms 84:7, "They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion..." We need to take our next step with the next strength. The grace of God will ALWAYS be what I need. We need a FRESH anointing for each new trial. She mentioned when we look at other people who have gone through a terrible heartache and we think to ourselves that we could never go through that, or we pray and ask God to never send us that situation because we would just not be strong enough, we forget that God gives us a fresh supply of strength to make it through the next hurdle. Praise God!
These are all things I've heard before, but yesterday, for some reason, it was like I was hearing it for the first time again. And I think it's something that I need to hear over and over again, to just be reminded.

Oh, on a less serious note, my mother in law just finished the baby quilt she's been working on, so I'll share pics once I get it! It's so cute! And no, there is no baby.....yet!