WHAT! Has it really been 7 years?

So, I was talking to my husband and mentioned our blog. He response was simply, "I didn't know we had a blog."  😳. 

In his defense the blog I started almost 10 years ago was more for me, than anyone else.  If you take a look at the past posts they are a bit cheesy, but really, they are more like a dairy than an editorial meant for public view.  I stopped blogging when I left my job in 2013, and really hadn't thought much of it until recently.  

So what has happened in the past seven years?  Ehh, not much.  I did have Maggie in 2016 and she has rocked our world.  She is a firecracker, and I hope and pray she keeps that spunk all her life.  She will be so much fun as an adult if she can just not let this big old mean world push it away.

After Maggie's birth I stopped working outside the home, and started homeschooling the kiddos. (We have gone back and forth between Home school and Public School.)  Home Schooling takes an amazing amount of energy and patience, but my favorite part is simply letting my kids sleep in, (so we can stay up at night playing and watching sporting events and other non essential like things).  The girls are growing and changing every day, and I love being here to help guide them.

I teach art to Preschoolers once a week, and run an art class through our CO-Op for High Schoolers. Art has always been such a spot of joy in my life, and I am really grateful when I get to talk about art for an afternoon.

COVID 19 started almost 2 months ago and we have been well.  The isolation has been hard on all of us, but I am glad we have stayed healthy. My husband still has a job, and technology allows us to still see family and friends, really it hasn't been nearly as hard as it could have been, and I can't put a price tag on remaining healthy.

So, I guess 7 years doesn't take too long to sum up.  
Maybe it will be another 7 years before I post again, but Maybe not.

Thanksgiving

Thank you Lord, for the family and friends you have given me, for the crazy job, and most of all for being with me through it all.

There are things to be thankful for if we just stop and look. Yeah, yeah, I know that we should be thankful for breathing, and walking, and clothes, and family, and all that great stuff, but what about the crazy day with too many children and not enough patience.   The daily stuff is what's so stink'n hard, and yet it has Your beauty in all of it. The whining of my three yr old, the 4th dirty diaper in an hour, even the husbands dirty socks left under the coffee table have the glow of You.  Can we be thankful for yelling at our kids, for seeing the pain and heartache in the world?  No, I don't think anyone is Thankful for their shortcomings, but please remember that without them we would not have a need for a savior.  We would have no need for anything but ourselves, because we would fill all our needs.  So in a way I am thankful for my shortcomings.  Pride comes before a fall, but if we remember how far we are from perfect, I think we might just see things closer to the way God does.  I am thankful this Thanksgiving that God made us the way He did, and that He gave us the gift of salvation to remedy that fact.
Happy Thanksgiving

What a great Sunday

Yesterday after a great time at Church we ate lunch outside, then Dustan and Sophie grabbed a football, and Lily and I sat outside in the shade while the ball was passed around.  

It feels like a long time since they have played outside with their dad, the girls were both giddy to say the least.  (I was pretty giddy myself.)

Dustan left for work, Sophie attempted a nap, and Lily tried her hand at sneaking into the room to wake up Sophie.  After coming to the realization that Sophie was not going to nap, we all went outside and played with chalk and pretended to fish.  Lily did nap, and I made a crazy potato, cheese, and chicken casserole for dinner, which Dustan made it home in time to eat.  Then it was time for some football watching, and baths.  

It was a great day!

What a great Life

So, I am tired, lonely, frustrated, and all around grumpy, but I'm not sure why.  God never said he would give me an easy road. He promised me He would never leave me alone on that road, and guess what, He has followed through with that promise over and over again.

Teach me to lean more into you, Lord, and expect less from this world.

Hotel

So, let me start by saying I have a phobia of mice, rats, anything in the rodent family really,  So, when I saw a mouse in my house last night I "freaked" out.  Grabbed the kids after being carried to the bed room and calmed down by my husband, and went to a hotel for the night.  Judge me if you will, but I could not stay a night with my babies, knowing there was a mouse there.  So on a lighter note the girls got to spend the night in a great hotel, and we had a really good time.  My husband is in charge of ridding the house of it's guest, and we will spend a great time with the grandparents this weekend.

Sunday School

Yesterday at Church I taught the 3-4 Sunday School lesson.
We had 5  little ones in the class, and had a great time.
One part of the lesson stuck in my mind.  The lesson was on Jesus' return to earth (in Revelation). I asked the kids what they thought heaven would be like, and you could have heard crickets chirping.  So, I asked what they would say to Jesus if they saw or met him, still no response. Then I asked what they might give Jesus if they met him.  This question I did get a response from.  They might give him a cake or a puppy, or even a  hug.
This got me thinking what would I give Jesus if I saw/met him?
At first I am silent like my little ones in the class were. I just don't know.  Then I start to think, wait I meet Jesus every day. What do I give him, or do I even notice him? There are many "Sunday School" answers that come to my mind, but truly, what does he desire of me?  What does he want from me, and will I give that to him?
All I feel capable of doing is calling out, "Help me be more like You, I am your's!".  That sad un-elegant prayer is probably a more true statement right know than anything else I can say, and the only thing I am capable of giving my Savior.
I hope each of those precious children grow to give their lives daily to Christ, and encourage others to do the same.

My funny little girls

How precious you two are. Gifts from God, and nothing short of miracles.  I pray each day that God gives you both Wisdom, the ability to see Truth, and Peace over your lives.  I will not always be there to protect you, but you have a heavenly father that loves you more than your earthly daddy or I ever could. Hold on to that truth, and do not let Satan still the power it gives you!  You are daughters of the King held high and exalted. 

I love you always and forever your Momma-