Thursday, December 31, 2009

New Years Eve Random Thoughts

We are having a great get together at church tonight....I couldn't believe how many people were there. It was amazing. I am home early, though. Moms of babies and toddlers and young kids in general can't be staying out until midnight...well, not without regretting it the next day! :) The little ones are in bed, my husband is still at church and I am going to enjoy a bit of quiet time.

2009 ----- what a year. It is impossible to count the ways that God blessed, provided, comforted and cheered. God is so good. I am excited to see what God has in store for 2010. (so, how do YOU say that....'twenty-ten'? 'two thousand ten'? :))

Things have been slow here for the last week - it has been wonderful! Audrey is finally over her ear infection....one that lasted most of the month of December. I am taking her to the chiropractor next week and hopefully we can deter any more illness on her little body. She has been smiling and laughing a lot in the last few days...I have missed that. Emily seems to be growing up just before my eyes. The other day she picked up a piece of Tupperware and said, "OH MOM....this is just gorgeous!" What a goofy angel she is! Jacob is missing school - well, he misses playing basketball at school. He is seven and is getting really tall....nearly up to my shoulders. I sure love my munchkins....I am blessed.

I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for my husband. We will celebrate 12 years of marriage this summer. We dated for almost 3 years before that. We have been 'us' for almost half my life....I am so thankful. He is stable, wise, sure of himself, loving, tender, stubborn-at-the-right-time...and the list goes on. I am blessed.

I am so thankful for my church. We are truly a family. A growing family. I took a new 'attender' out for lunch yesterday. I saw our church fresh through her eyes and I am so thankful. Sometimes when you have been in a church for a long time your eyes are naturally drawn to what needs to be fixed/changed. This dear lady was bragging about all the wonderful things about our church....it was all true....God is working in our church. You can feel it. I am thankful. I am blessed.

I pray you have a wonderful last few hours of 2009 and a blessed 2010...however you say it! :)

Monday, December 28, 2009

He's More Than Wonderful

I am a fairly musical person. I really enjoy good music and I really love to sing. God often gives me a song that really speaks to me in different circumstances of life. My song right now is "More Than Wonderful". Have you heard it?

He promised us that He would be a counselor
A Mighty God and the Prince of Peace
He promised us that He would be a Father
And that He would love us with a love that would not cease.

Well, I tried Him and I found His promises are true
He's everything He said that He would be.
The finest words I know could not begin to tell
Just what Jesus really means to me.

For He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He's more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams.
He's everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He's promised and so much more
More than amazing, more than marvelous
More than miraculous could ever be
He's more than wonderful, that's what Jesus is to me.

I stand amazed when I think that the King of glory
Should come to dwell within the heart of man
I marvel just to know He really loves me
When I think of who He is, and who I am.

For He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He's more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams.
He's everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He's promised and so much more
More than amazing, more than marvelous,
More than miraculous could ever be
He's more than wonderful, that's what Jesus is to me.


As I talked to many people in the last few weeks this song kept coming back to me.

He's More Than Wonderful -
When we spend Christmas with the family that we love.
He's More Than Wonderful-
When that money comes just when we need it.
He's More Than Wonderful-
When you FINALLY find a job.
He's More Than Wonderful-
When you see God answer that 'impossible' prayer.
He's More Than Wonderful -
When the cancer test comes back negative.
He's More Than Wonderful -
When that loved one finally LISTENS to the Gospel for the first time!!!

But...

He's also More Than Wonderful -
When the money is gone.
When you spent another Christmas alone.
When the cancer test comes back positive. Very positive.
When you discover that a loved one has once again gone back to
the besetting sin that they have struggled with for years.
When your child is diagnosed with medical issues.
When your spouse will enter Heaven at an 'early' age after giving
his life for missions.
(PRAY FOR THE KALAPP FAMILY!!!).

These are the things that I am thinking when the Lord brings this song to my mind. These are the people that I will be thinking of when I sing this song in church on Sunday morning. Jesus IS more than wonderful. I am thankful for it, and I will be praying that He shows Himself very real in each of your lives today.

Monday, December 21, 2009

I'm in love

Have you seen one of these?

SWIFFER VAC
(okay, so that picture is advertising the replacement filters, but on the box it DOES show the actual swiffer vac. :))

I AM IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a personalized "I love you" from Jesus yesterday and it was one of these amazing machines. I may never use a broom or dustpan again!

This thing is great.

In our house we have a wood floor in our living room and hallway, and despite the fact that there is no eating allowed in that room, the crumbs migrate. It is a many-times-daily task of sweeping in there....but this machine makes it fun! :) It works great on the laminate in the bedrooms and on the kitchen and bathroom floors, too. So, I am off to continue my Monday cleaning....and I can't wait!

(do you think that I should contact Swiffer and see if I can be compensated for my 5-star endorsement??? At least a box of cloth refills would be nice. :))

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Life is hard, but God is good

Have you heard that song before? I haven't heard it in quite some time, but the title and a few lyrics kept coming back to me over and over this week. It seemed that every day I would hear of a dear Christian going through a trial or heartbreak. One particular day I heard some truly heartbreaking news - about the loss of a child. My heart hurt for this family that I knew briefly while in college. My heart was so heavy for their grief. I prayed and prayed for them. "Life is hard, but God is good" kept going over and over in my mind. Despite the fact that life IS hard, aren't you glad that we have Jesus? He truly is so good. I am so glad that I can trust Him with my life.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

I love Sunday!



I think that I say this every week, but it is true. I really do LOVE Sunday!!
I love my Sunday School class. I teach High School girls and they are so fun.
So honest.
So real...what you see is what you get.
I love them.
I love seeing each family in church. I love seeing the visitors God is bringing in each week. I love it that the auditorium is FULL and we are struggling to quickly find ways to accommodate our crowds. I love it that God is working in our church and in our community.
I love sitting around the table on Sunday afternoon having the kids tell me about their Sunday School classes and Junior Church. It brings me such joy to hear them talk about what they are learning. I pray that they will always LOVE church and the Word of God.

I love Sunday!!!!!!!! How was your day? :)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Rambling....



In the days since I have started this blog, I have become more aware of the 'style' of the other blogs I read.
I love Amy - who doesn't?
She is so real.
She has ELEVEN kids.
She homeschools. (With 11 kids I am sure that I would be looking into boarding schools.....in Switzerland. Just kidding. I think.)
She is amazing.

I enjoy Julie Fink's perspective as a fellow pastor's wife.

Those are just two of the blogs that I frequent - some more than others. Each blog has its own 'personality'....have you noticed that?

Have you also noticed that I am struggling to find my 'blog personality'?
I have always been more of a private person.
I type out a post and the re-read it.
Too much information, I tell myself.
I RE-type a post.
Too boring...not enough information.
But then I wonder - does anyone care what I did today?
And then I remember one of the main reasons I decided to start this blog - to remember. To remember my kids when they are older. To remind myself of all that I forget when I get old.

So.....to that end, I am going to find my blogging personality. Not too much information. (I had toast for breakfast....whole wheat bread and just a touch of butter.) Not too boring. (I am wearing a brown skirt.)

And now I must close. I was going to type more, but my older kids are trying to shove my baby into a kitchen cupboard. Really.

Have a great Sunday! :)

Friday, December 11, 2009

Dearest Blog....



Dearest Blog ~

You poor neglected thing, you.

Should I use our newly fallen 14-ish inches of snow as an excuse?

Or perhaps our sub-zero temperatures?

Mounds of laundry?

Baking lots of yummy things?

EATING lots of yummy things?

Perhaps I should be busy EXERCISING???

Hopefully, dear blog, you won't be neglected much longer.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Friday and playing catch-up

This last week has been such a whirlwind. It all started the day before Thanksgiving. My sister, her husband and their 4 boys arrived just before church. Then, just before 2 a.m.(*YAWN*) my brother, his wife and daughter and my parents arrived after driving 13 hours.


By the time Saturday hit, Jacob had 'partied' out....he was sick all day, but by Sunday morning he was feeling fine. Saturday was also Audrey's first birthday!!




Audrey wasn't feeling all that great and was totally unimpressed with the birthday 'hoopla'. In fact, she took only one bite of her birthday cake. She proceeded to be very cranky all day Saturday. On Sunday in the church nursery she got a fever. I thought maybe she just had a flu bug, but by Wednesday afternoon she wasn't better. Her fever had come and gone but the crankiness remained....oh, did it remain. I am not the kind of mom that runs to the doctor for every sniffle, but all my 'remedies' hadn't helped the poor baby. By the time we got in to see the doctor on Wednesday I was ready for drugs. If nothing was wrong with Audrey, then the drugs would be for me.....either way, one of us was leaving that office with a prescription - preferably for something STRONG :) Audrey has/had an ear infection, so an antibiotic was given....I asked for drugs for myself, but all they did was laugh?!?!? I was serious!

Audrey has improved some and isn't crying ALL.THE.TIME. anymore. Amazing what a little amoxicillin (however it is spelled...wouldn't you think that would make it into the spell check?? :)) and a good nights rest can do for a mom's sanity!

Christmas preparations are now going strong and with 3 semi-healthy kids I am ready to tackle the decorations....but first, laundry. :)