To slow down

I've been counting the gifts, the 1000, the infinite gifts, graces from God for a while now. I've lost count, I've stopped and started again, I've reached 1000, I've joined the JoyDare. But still, I struggle! Some days I don't see a single gift, I'm grasping for straws, I complain (and whine). And I wonder, why can't I get it, why do I feel like I am right back where I started? Where is my "easy button"?

And then I realize, I rush though my day, I hurry and rush, and hurry those around me. I run from one thing to the next with no transition time. I don't take time to see. I forget how to WAIT!

My impatience leads to frustration and anger and even a little road rage and I crush the hearts and spirits of those who should matter most to me! And I think and pray and wonder? How can I slow down? How can I enjoy the moment? How can I teach my little ones things I haven't figured out yet?

To live balanced, or unbalanced? It shouldn't be equal time for God, for my kids, for my husband, for my house, for my craft, for my blog, for my friends. All things that are important, valuable. But must be lived out of balance. It's about priorities. What do I value? What do others think I value based on how I live my life?

HOW do I make the necessary changes? Where do I start? It brings me back to grace... Receiving grace, giving grace. Hugging more, touching more. Taking time. Making time. Wasting less time.

Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath!

Family Matters had a giveaway on their blog this month ...for a ticket to Allume!!!  I would LOVE to go to Allume! I think it would be such an adventure. All I had to do was write a post on how I was helping my family to REST in this hurried life. I hemmed and hawed and thought about it, and procrastinated some more... and then I convinced myself that I had nothing to offer in this matter because I am NOT maintaining a sense of calm in my house ... quite the opposite, in fact!

I think I could probably benefit from this resource that Family Matters has on their site...  Little House on the Freeway ...help for the hurried home. Believe me, I could use some help!!  :)

It's not that I don't try... We limit our kids to ONE outside (of church/school) activity. It's not ballet and swim and karate, and soccer and baseball....  We usually eat dinner together, as a family, at the table, without the TV.  We pray together most nights before bed, but sometimes that's hurried, too because I am just plain exhausted by that point.

A few months ago, at the suggestion of a friend, I added a step to the bedtime routine. Individually, while in their beds, I ask each kid, "What was your favorite thing today?"  Sometimes between the 4 kids, it takes 15 minutes to get through... some times it's rushed and completed in less than 60 seconds.  But it gives me a moment to connect one on one... To make eye contact with them and let them know they matter.  It's not easy, and on the nights I can't get off the couch, one or more of them will call out, or come back down the hall and say... "Mommy, you forgot to do our favorite things!"

I am also trying to work our way through The Jesus Storybook Bible with them, one story before bed and although we've been hit and miss on this task, too, I can see the fruit of my labor. We had an amazing conversation about heaven in the van on a recent trip into town (about 20 minutes). And God totally gave me the words to say, when I felt so ill-equipped and unprepared!  Even my 4 YO is getting it!!

And each morning (or most mornings) my kids will ask me to look at the JoyDare list hanging in our kitchen and ask, "mommy, what are we supposed to look for today." and I am reminded that the greatest gift of all is Jesus, and that He loves my kids way more than I do. And when I fail them, He fills in the cracks. And when I let go of trying and striving, He gives me the strength I need. And when I put blogging ahead of my kids, He gives grace and second chances.

Thanks for joining me in this journey of mine. I haven't figured it out yet...have you? What works for you? How do you add rest to your home?

Five Minute Friday --Community

It's Friday and this morning I was busy building community... Here's my story!

I'm linking up with The Gypsy Mama and Five Minute Friday... which is a community of it's own!



START:

Piles of bags of clothes lined the walls. One room was filled with baby toys and equipment. Donations provided by church members and community alike.

Friends and neighbors gathered to sort, sort, sort. We arranged things by size, by boy or girl, even by color! Shoes, purses and accessories over here; coats over there.

Conversation flowed freely between friends and acquaintances.  And we laughed, oh how we laughed!
"Who would wear this???"
"People paid money for this?!?!  "
"How did this unmentionable get in the bag?" ... wanna take it home?!?! :)
Hey, did you say you needed size 14 girls? Here's a great pair of pants."
Oh, look at these adorable baby clothes, makes me wish I had a little one again"
Who donated the Hooters tank?!?!?

So excited to be able to bless the town in which God has raised our church. To throw open wide the doors of our family room and invite our neighbors, the grocery store clerk, our kids' friends and teachers. To come, to "shop," to fill bags for FREE.  To be a witness and outreach to our community; to show the love of Christ.

Tomorrow is our annual Heritage Attic... where we offer FREE clothing and accessories for women and children, plus toys and other baby equipment. So thankful for this faith community that I am a part of!

Project 52 --Green

It's Spring... Green is everywhere, so you would think this week's Project 52 challenge would be easy. But I just didn't want a picture of another tree, flower, field of grass... although that would be beautiful. But I was trying to think like our wonderful Project 52 host... like why did she pick the theme Green... and then I realized it was Earth Day.

Now, I'm not an environmentalist or tree hugger! And I love all of God's Green earth (and all His other fantastic artwork, creation and colors), but I also believe it should not completely control my life ... like our neighborhood bears, I'm not too fond of them right now and would love to take a shot at one, but that's neither here nor there.

So, here's what I came up with. Recycling Day was just last week, so the box isn't very full, but I do my best to recycle the cans, jars, bottles that come through our house... plus the box is GREEN (are all recycling boxes, green?)

Previous Project 52 entries

Things That Grow

Sacrifice
Foolin' Around
Details
Hunger

Keepin' it Real

So, I'm reading blogs, checking out Twitter and Facebook, wasting time when I should be getting to bed. and I see a tweet from @Jennyitup, reminding me that it is #PinFTW Wednesday tomorrow... and I think, "I've got a lot of Pins that I would love to try out. So I skipped over to my Pinterest Page to see what fun pin I could do at the spur of the moment that wouldn't take too long and I came up with this one!!  Dawn+Vinegar = Soap Scum Killer





Because my shower is not a pretty sight!! I have a bottle of Clean Shower in my shower... with DUST on it, y'all!!  So I'm all about getting some soap scum off.  However, I wasn't really sure it would work on my shower curtain. The original pin showed this magic on a shower stall. But I figured it couldn't hurt to try it once. If it doesn't work, I will just go buy a new shower curtain. That sure beats taking the shower curtain down and throwing it in the washer, or soaking in the tub... both of which I have tried before with less than desirable results!

I am so embarrassed to actually be posting these pics!  (BEFORE)

So, I gathered my ingredients (Vinegar, Blue Dawn, Spray Bottle)... and couldn't find a spray bottle (I almost used the half gone bottle of Clean Shower). But I found a handy little squirt bottle and just hoped that it would work.

I'm cheap, so I didn't want to use a whole cup of Dawn, and the squirt bottle only holds 8 oz. So my recipe was 4 oz of HOT vinegar (microwave it in a glass cup for 1-2 minutes) pour into bottle and add 4 oz of Dawn.  I squirted it on and left it over night... It ran.... which resulted in streaks... :(

 Got up in the morning, grabbed my scrub brush and turned on the shower and wiped it down and scrubbed... It's not very easy to scrub a shower curtain... I think I might just be buying a new shower curtain!

But my bathtub was definitely showing some signs of the cleaner working, but in streaks!  So I took a picture and realized that I couldn't be that real on my blog... I couldn't show you how DISGUSTING my bathtub was, even after cleaning... the bathtub my kids JUST took showers/baths in last night!

So, I decided to forgo the shower curtain... and add it to my shopping list, but the TUB, that still needed some help! So I added the super power Baking Soda!!  a little more Dawn (because I can't bear to use a lot) and some more HOT vinegar, just hoping and praying and wishing and dreaming that the 1970's green tub would look like new again!!  :)

I have to admit, I had to put a whole lot more elbow grease into this project then I thought I would wanted to!

Here is the end result... definitely an improvement, but still not great!

But hey, you win some, you lose some! I will still be browsing Pinterest for the "easy button" of house cleaning! :)  Do you have any great recommendations for the bathroom cleaning?!?! (It has to be easy, because I'm lazy in this department!)

side note: my house smells like vinegar now!

My Colorful Kite

So apparently, I'm not the only writer in the family. My First Grader came home with this treasure in her backpack this week and I couldn't NOT share it with you all!

Once upon a time I flew a "butieful" kite. My kite was red, teal blue, violet, primrose, light blue and hot pink. One day I flew it. I held the string. It flew in the wind. I saw some trees on the way. I run faster then ever. My friend, Jillian, was there. I "flyed" it very well in the air. It went high in the sky. The breeze was cool.
The End

just a few notes... Seriously?!?!  That is ONE COLORFUL KITE!!  and her handwriting?!??!  AMAZING... she didn't get that from me, but then again, I am a lefty!

She does not cease to amaze me! I am looking forward to encouraging her along the way... so that when she's my age... she'll have a killer blog! :)

And, I have to say, that I think this would make a great writing challenge... hint, hint, my #BetterWriter friends. To take a list of 10-12 semi-connected words and write a story!!

Why am I counting?

So, I've been struggling with the counting of the gifts lately. My focus has been way off.

Am I counting for you? (I hope not, these posts get the least amount of comments) 
to win a camera?(not sure I fancy myself much of a photographer these days) 
to give me something to blog about?(afraid so, more than I care to admit) 
or to honestly give God glory?? (oh, I so want this to be the reason) 
to remember and live in gratitude, which will result in JOY, True Joy!!

So this week, I'm skipping the daily counting and just sharing some gifts I want to remember!

351. my snuggly 4YO and her well loved bunny

352. overabundance of laundry waiting to be folded!
353. making cheesecake for the birthday girl

354. my 4YO surviving rooster chase and knock down (It was really scary and really comical)
355. shopping at Dollar Tree.. and finding stuff for Hawaiian theme!

356. celebrating my 7YO... and reminiscing about her birth!
357. flavored coffee in my Keurig
358. a coupon for $3 off a shirt at Target
359. wildlife in my back yard... TURKEY! (fun) Coyote (scary)

360. working on legos with my daughter
361. being alone
362. coming before the throne of God with sisters-in-Christ
363. getting sunburn... just sitting outside reading
364. hanging clothes on the line to dry
365. swinging with my daughter
366. the gift of flowers from my girls... even dandelions

367. a love note from my hubby while he was on a field trip with our daughter
368. a picnic lunch
369. listening to my 4YO "rock it out" in the basement with her sister's play guitar!
370. creating a $5.00, 5 minute wreath for my door

371. His artwork displayed across the sky!

372. bottle cap art

 373. MORE turkeys in the back field!

 
374. surviving a bad day
375. His mercies are NEW every morning!
376. great reminders at church
377. reading (and doing lots of underlining in) You're Already Amazing
378. undercooked brownies
379. reading Jesus Storybook Bible with my kids before bed
380. a freezer full of pig meat!!

381. reminder that I am lovely because God Loves Me!
382. unloading my camera and finding treasures taken by my kids... :)

thankful for Joy, gifts, gratitude, remembering, grace!

Five Minute Friday --Together

It's Friday again... (and it's still Friday) and I'm going to get my Five Minute Friday post in before Friday is over! :)

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back with Lisa-Jo and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

TOGETHER


For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 
Matthew 18:20

There is something about praying together that encourages and strengthens. Something about hearing someone else pray for you, with you that strengthens your faith.  Prayer is powerful, prayer together is unstoppable.

We met in a room at church, just four of us this time, but God was in the midst of us. Beginning with praise we communed with God. Giving thanks to God... for WHO HE IS, not just what He does.

Continuing in prayer for our spiritual growth, prayer for our husbands, prayer for our church and community.  Following the leading of the Holy Spirit we brought our requests before the Lord.

Coming boldly before the throne of God, praying believing, shedding some tears, begging God for revival... let it begin with me.

We aren't meant to do this spiritual journey alone, we are meant to do it together. And when we gather in His name, He is there together with us!!




Can you share your 5 minutes on Together?

Project 52 --Things that Grow

This week's Project 52 theme is Things that Grow!  We have a lot of that around here... grass, flowers, laundry piles, toy messes, birthday girls, hearts full of love, etc!!

But when I was going through my photos this week, I found this treasure... not taken by me!

Feet are definitely something that grows!! :)  My 4 year old enjoyed borrowing my camera for a little bit! I cropped it and gave it a little Lomoish effect courtesy of Picasa.


Here's one of MY pictures of said 4YO!! She is a treasure and is growing faster than I can stand it!! :)

 

Previous Project 52 entries

Sacrifice
Foolin' Around
Details
Hunger
The "Eyes" of March 

5-Minute $5 Spring Wreath!

So do you have five minutes?! Do you have $5?  Then you can totally make this cute wreath to decorate your door... or anywhere else for that matter!!  Perfect for April/May flowers!!

The CSI Project has a Dollar Store Crafts challenge this week! and the purpose of The CSI Project is to "Create Something Inspiring" or to Create, Share, Inspire...

and one of my favorite crafty blogs is Dollar Store Crafts, and I get most of my inspiration lately from Pinterest. So I combined the two and found this great pin!

That same day, I took a trip to the dollar store and I picked up a foam wreath form, some crepe paper, and 4 flower bunches in my favorite spring colors!  I had the glue gun at home and dug in my stash for the perfect ribbon to match!

What you need:

• Wreath form, $1
• Crepe paper, $1
• 3-4 faux flower bunches, $3-4
• Ribbon, on hand
• Hot glue gun with glue sticks, on hand

What you do:

Wrap crepe paper around wreath form to cover it (not sure this step is necessary, but it does cover the green), and secure it with hot glue gun.

Pop the flower heads off the stems.

Using hot glue gun, secure flower heads to wreath form in random order (unless you are OCD, then plan out a pattern and be very exact, in which case it might take you more than 5 minutes to complete the craft)

Wrap the ribbon around the wreath form and tie a knot on the top. Hang from your door and you are done!!

EASY Peasy and so cheery!! and it was time to replace my Spring Green Wreath!!




I'm also adding it to Tatertots and Jello's Weekend wrap up!

The Birthday Girl

She has more personality than I think can fit into her little body... which may be why she is so tall! She has a heart of gold! She has never met a stranger and has no concept of personal space. She loves everyone she meets. She doesn't have shy bone in her body.

She is NOT like me, and I am working soo hard not to conform her to my way of thinking.

This morning, she went to school in a flowered shirt and a plaid skirt! When I tried to get her to change, telling her that she wasn't matching she said,
"Mom, matching isn't fun!"

Definitely one of a kind!

But one way she is like me, is her love for CHEESECAKE!!
Here she is with her birthday cake (sans cherries for her siblings sake). She piled the pie filling on her piece.

She's like her daddy in her love for Chocolate Chip cookies... 
This was the treat she took to school to share with her classmates!

We are so thankful for her and the fun she has added to our lives in the last seven years!

Have you been redeemed?

UPDATE: Giveaway over: winner chosen by writing names on slips paper and drawn by my 5YO.  WINNER is Zohary Ross! Congrats!

I've mentioned on occasion how I love Dayspring! I've been shopping there a bit lately! I've won some giveaways, and enjoyed some great sales! Like the one for 20% off select Redeemed items! through the end of the month.

Recently I was able to receive some items specifically for review on my blog! About 2 weeks ago, I got yet another package from Dayspring... and inside were two items from their newest line (at least I think it's their newest line! :)



"The Redeemed collection celebrates the way God, in His generous grace, sews together every beautiful bit of our lives to form one masterpiece creation after another."

I am so thankful for His grace and His work on the masterpiece of my life!  I also enjoy using these items from Dayspring!

This fantabulous Makeup bag... which I so desperately needed to upgrade! (my last makeup bag, I'm pretty sure I've had since college... which was over 15 years ago, but we won't go there) This one has lots of space, such fun prints and patterns inside AND some pockets!!

and the message on the front... that God makes everything beautiful... in His time (makeup or not) makes me stop and think, each time I pull it out!  and it held everything I needed for a trip home to see family!  PERFECT!!

Redeemed - Truly Beautiful - Makeup Bag

 

I also received this chic wallet that reminds me where my treasure is!!
I have to confess that the little clasp on top reminds me of my grandma's change purse... does that mean I'm getting old, that I like it anyway?!?!  :)  So it's fun to use and my wallet needed replaced, too, so I am enjoying these new items!!

I also have the opportunity to give ONE OF YOU a Redeemed Wallet, to remind you how treasured you are in God's eyes!!

To get in on the giveaway, go visit Dayspring, then come back and tell me what your favorite Redeemed product is!

Tweet the giveaway for an extra entry and let me know!
Giveaway is open until Monday, April 23! Winner will be announced Tuesday!

(Disclosure: I was given these items to review... and I'm experimenting with affiliate links, but struggling. so there is a slight chance that I could benefit from you clicking on a link and buying something from Dayspring)