Blessings!!! usually unnoted!

Our family is finally feeling better. I still have a nagging cough - but we figured out what was wrong with kat with some abdominal xrays last weekend and kevin survived a bad back and we are on the mend!!! I wanted to share an awesome poem another mom wrote. I can't give her credit b/c I don't know her name (niemen?)!!! So if you wrote this, please tell me! It is such a good reminder of what matters and the proper attitude!

Counting Our Blessings

I'm blessed with a sink full of dirty dishes that greets me everyday and every evening without fail...
It means I have been able to put three meals a day on the table for 10 people.

I'm blessed with walls smudged with finger paint and carpet stiff with play-dough...
It means the happy hands of children have been creative.

I'm blessed that my favorite shopping spot is the bargain fabric table at WalMart, where the fabric sells for a dollar a yard...
It means I can make 8 beautiful Christmas outfits for all our children for under $15.

I'm blessed with a clothes drier, a microwave, and a dishwasher that all broke down within one week of one another...
It means we have a roof over our heads.

I'm blessed with the task of trying to find lost library books under the furniture, and occasionally paying over-due fines...
It means my children love to read.

I'm blessed with a hallway littered with a tangle of shoes of all sizes...
It means I have 16 walking, running, jumping, steady and joyful feet to put them on.

I'm blessed with the soft murmurs and hushed giggles of little girls staying up too late talking...
It means my daughters will always know the sweet joy of having sisters.

I'm blessed with two messy, loud, rambunctious, smelly, naughty little twin boys who came crashing unexpectedly into our lives...
It means my sons will always know the warmth and love of a brother.

I'm blessed with a husband who sometimes gets home late...
It means I have a husband who comes home.

I'm blessed with college students who drop by at all hours of the day and night, often with laundy in tow...
It means our ministry is touching hearts and lives for Jesus.

I'm blessed with a brood of children who constantly clamor for another baby to hold...
It means they must feel there is plenty of love to spare and therefore plenty of love to share.

I'm blessed with yet another home pregnancy test with a little pink plus sign...
It means that God has seen fit to breathe an eternal soul into a clump of cells and give us a new child to love.

I'm blessed by the daily comments of passer-by who inform me that my hands must be full...
They remind me that my heart is full as well.

I'm blessed to realize that the things that daily can exasperate and overwhelm me are the proof of God's unending love and faithfulness in our lives.

Count your blessings today!!!

a little rough spot

above: heavy glass dining room light that just fell onto the table


above: French door in back of house that just shattered into a million pieces a few days ago

Since writing last, things haven't necessarily taken a turn for the better...yet. Do you ever wonder - Is God trying to teach me something? or Is Satan trying to discourage me? or Do I need to refocus? or All of the above? Anyway, I am feeling better for sure, but still not 100%. Still coughing and having a hard time sleeping.

Last week on Weds, I heard a loud thud - ran downstairs to see that our dining room table light "randomly" fell from the ceiling and onto the table. It is very heavy and glass and I am so thankful no one was sitting there! The next day, I heard a loud noise - ran downstairs to hear what sounded like a fire crackling - but is was actually my back door shattering within itself into a million pieces. A week later you can still hear the cracking. My nice neighbor came over and duck-taped it to brace it for now. The next day, my five-year old came home from school with a fever, diarrhea, vomiting for the night and severe stomach cramps. These cramps are still with us and kept Kat and I up from 12:45-5:15 this morning. I then couldn't get back to sleep from the coughing. It is going to be hard to get better without sleep! We took the little one to the doctor to make sure it wasn't appendicitis or something - her daddy's ruptured when he was 5. They were worried this morning and considered sending us to the Children's ER at the hospital - but thankfully they think it might just be gas and some blockage stuff. Sleep sure sounds good now! I know things will get better and this is just a little phase - a very small phase compared to what some people have to go through...but I am still tired.:) Thanking God for the fact that this little thing is our biggest thing right now.

Pneumonia

That would explain why I have been feeling so bad for so long. It is funny - I have hardly done anything over the last two weeks and our house is still standing - people are still happy...It just goes to show how easy it is to fill up our time with things we think we have to do - when really the things we NEED to do our much less...hmmm...simplify... What a novel concept!

Prior to this, I was actually in better shape than I have been in in several years. I had even lost a few pounds. Now I haven't exercised in almost 3 weeks! Yikes - it is hard to start over...Oh well - I have enjoyed my quieter lifestyle and just pray that the rest of the family stays healthy!!

love, me

The Ferris Wheel

Have you ridden on one of these lately? Do you know how high they are?

I took my girls to a county fair and allowed them to ride on three rides. We walked through the area where all the kiddy rides are and I asked them "Which ride would you like to go on first?"

Yep. They said "The Ferris Wheel." My 3 year old and 5 1/2 year old daughters chose the grown-up (not the kiddy) ferris wheel! Completely expecting them to freak out and change their minds at the front, I said okay...Nope - they did it. I was terrified when we stopped at the very top and the girls kept trying to look over the edges...I imagined us freefalling to the ground! AND - the older I get, the less I can handle moving rides...

The girls had a great time though!

My fairy tale...

I have felt so crummy for the last two weeks... Since being a mom, I hardly ever get sick - I mean really sick. The kind-of sick where you lay on the floor or couch or whatever is closest by and don't talk to anyone, don't read, don't watch tv, don't eat - don't do anything except be miserable and rest. Which - I should be resting. But when I lay down, I feel like an elephant - a really heave one - is sitting on my chest. Like I am going to suffocate. Do you think there are any invisible elephants in my house?

Thankfully - this is currently the worst of my worries. There are so many other worse things to deal with...So - this has been on my mind lately:

My FAMILY...and the huge blessing they are to me! I could add our parents and siblings too... I have so much more to add to this, but you get the gist ~ THIS is my fairy tale! Thank you Lord!

These Three Qualities - Group Writing Project

MommyZabs is hosting a writing project! Her topic is "These three qualities make me a better..." (student, blogger, athlete, reader, mother, etc.) You can write three words or elaborate such as I have. She is offering a prize to one person and it is a great way to get more links to your blog. If you want to participate, go HERE.

These three qualities make me a better wife:

1. Student
2. Servant
3. Christ-follower

There are plenty of other qualities that I could include - but I will stick with these three for my husband. In my opinion, every husband needs a wife with different qualities to help complement him. I chose these three because:

STUDENT - A student is any person who studies, investigates, or examines thoughtfully (dictionary.com) As a student, I am constantly learning. I am open to criticism and willing to learn from my own mistakes, from people around me. I seek advice. I want to learn to be a better wife - I want to work on this consistently. As long as I remember that I haven't obtained "perfect wifeness" and always have more to learn, I will also remain humble.

SERVANT - I want to lift my husband's needs above my own. I want to serve him and live unselfishly. Again - promoting humility and thinking of Him first.

CHRIST-FOLLOWER - Jesus Christ is the ultimate model of love. To love my husband fully and unconditionally, I need to be more like Christ and study His Character.

Fear of Failure

Fearing Failure - This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Ever since I was in middle school and probably younger, I have feared failure. Or maybe it would make more sense to say that I have feared letting people down (I am a die hard people-pleaser) and that is what I consider to be failure. Do you know that I have never danced at a wedding b/c I am so afraid of what people will think that it makes me feel sick?

We are going to fail. We are going to disappoint people - it is inevitable. So, for me - it is crucial to not seek other people's approval as my main goal. I am completely imperfect. I cannot keep everyone happy. And I do mess up - This week I had quite a humbling experience which has just driven home the fact that I am going to fail. No matter what my intentions or what my effort - it is humanly impossible for me to not fail.

So how do we live daily knowing we are going to screw up? FOCUS ON CHRIST. Seek to please Him in all that we do. (Colossians 3:23-24 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving".) He has already forgiven us and continues to - daily, moment by moment ( Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." ). He knows we aren't perfect. He will give us strength and He will extend grace and mercy. Focus on those truths - and bathe in His unconditional love for you.