Attitude of Gratitude

I am working very hard to take my thoughts captive. Really, it is a challenge for me to do this so it takes almost constant effort. 

Everytime negative thoughts enter my mind, I am thanking The Lord for any and everthing I can think of in that moment. 

For example, we planned to get up early this Labor Day to get things completed in the classroom area before our first day of school tomorrow. I was unable to fall a sleet until 1:30am. I was up with the baby from 4:30am to after 5:00am so when my alarm click went off, I proceeded to hit snooze for a solid hour. 

It discouraged me because I told the kids I wanted to start early and here it is 8:00am and I'm just barely getting my eyes fully open. 

Instead if starting my day off feeling frustrated about things outside my control, I thanked God for babies who could tell me they were having trouble, beds, pillows, new days, a house to live in, etc.  Really think about it for a minute. What if you didn't have any of those tangible items I just listed. As simple as they seem, it would not be very fun to be homeless without a bed or pillow. It would be terrible if your baby couldn't let you know they had a problem - you would always have to be on alert for everything. And of course, new days bring new chances and new beginnings. 

Just that short list can really help me refocus and start from where I am. My perfectionistic tendencies make me want to throw in the towel when the plan doesn't go as, well, planned. This is what I'm working to overcome. Amongst many things. 

God created each of us for something very unique and special. When he told us "It is finished", he meant it. The redeemed need to walk in that redemption with purpose and victory. We are no longer slaves to sin. We have been bought with a very dear price. We are new creations!

Thank you Lord for your mercies - they are new every morning!  Even on the days your morning starts out later than you had planned. 

Works for Us!

I am hoping to capture a number of little things that help a mom running her home. 

(ok, it is really for me to keep track of these flashes of brilliance...quick, bright, and too soon forgotten)

I will post them as they come to me. 

Tip for cleaning up baby after meal:

Put baby body wash/shampoo in a foaming soap dispenser that sits by your kitchen sink. Use that soap to wash baby's face and hands after the meal. No worries it will sting her eyes and the diluted foam soap washes off easily. 

The purging continues!

This little project has now become someone else's little project. 

I feel a surge of energy with each item that leaves my home!

Onward and upward!

My Dad

My Dad died July 11, 2013.

I miss him so much. It is hard to not have someone in your life that has always been there. 

He wasn't just my dad he was my friend. 

I could call him any time of the night or day. He was always happy to talk with me. 

After we lost our baby, I thought my heart would never heal. When God sent us Grace Anne, it has been like a salve for my soul. I still feel sadness over Lydia, but that empty hole has been somewhat filled.  I don't know how this empty space   will ever be filled. Most likely it won't. 

Strange feeling I had today was like I didn't want much to change so my dad won't miss anything. Weird, I know. 

Still processing all of this. Not sure what else to say. 

Thank You Salvation Army!

Today the SA truck came and took all this stuff away. 

Now, I feel so much more free!

That cradle seemed to have a lot of emotional energy tied to it and I'm not sure why. It is not from my family, but it feels very sentimental to me for some reason. 

We continue to lighten our load and seek God's direction. 

Bye old stuff!  I hope you will bless others as you have blessed us!

Sent packing

Well, hopefully I will be able to say that at some point in the near future. 

What is going to be sent packing? Procrastination!

That is my goal. I don't know why I procrastinate. Fear of making the wrong decision? Laziness? Disliking change?  I'm sure at some point and on some level they are all true. 

I actually forget I even keep this blog. So, I'm really not procrastinating about this. Woohoo!

Today, I cleaned up around my sewing machine. It was getting pretty messy over there. I still need to complete some forms and I won't go to bed tonight until they are done. 

Baby steps.

Invisible accountability. I don't think anyone reads this blog, so I write whatever I want. It is more for me. 

Writing down goals and the accomplishments feels pretty good. 

Update: Forms are done!  Baby Steps!

Super Moon

Well, we took a few minutes to go outside and look at the super moon. It was noticeably brighter and it was fun to be a little bit crazy and let the kids go outside in their pjs. 

Sorry for the grainy photo. It was what we had. 

For more info on the super moon: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/super.moon.tonight.2013.june.22.23.facts.full.perigee.moon.video/32937.htm