Something Special!!

Have you ever had a "secret", something so good that you REALLY wanted to share it with others, something that made you very excited you wanted to shout it from the rooftops??!! Well I have something very special that I want to share but I am not able to do so yet. I know terrible right?? :) I have been so blessed in many ways in my life, given so many opportunities and feel so grateful to God for the amazing people He has put in my life. And I can't wait to share this exciting info with all of you....but you will have to wait....just a little while. Within the next month I will be posting this "something special" and allow you all to share in my excitement about it! Until then I will have to keep my little "secret" secret just a little while longer!
Happy Tuesday!

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net" to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

One morning this week, while trying to get everyone organized and ready to head out the door, I “did not” tell Gabriel that he could choose one toy to bring in his bag even though I know this is strongly discouraged. Knowing that this can cause a problem with the other kids and sharing, I “did not” justify it in my mind just because I wanted him to hurry up and get his coat on. Because I “am not” a mother ruled by her children’s behaviors!

When our furnace stopped working on the night last week that the average temp was –12 below, I “did not” get angry with my husband just because he was at a board meeting for the evening and unreachable at the time. I also “did not” throw a mini tantrum when he finally did come home because he wasn’t doing things my way to make it better. I am not a 3 year old and I “do not” act like one at times to show my outward disagreement/dissatisfaction about a situation.

In preparation for the new baby we (I) decided that we needed to paint the room since it has never been done. When we went to buy the paint Dominic thought it might be a good idea to paint the entire upstairs....since we were doing the work already. I "did not" get very overwhelmed and stressed about the enormity of this job and cause yet another "situation" over how I perceived the job would go. I mean I know better than to let my emotions cause a disagreement with my husband who was so willing to do the work - don't I??

And after working all day with little breaks, I "did not" have a handful of Peanut M&M's as my dinner because I was too tired to fix anything else!

Hopefully you all had a Happy Monday - my week at work starts today so I might be messed up for the rest of the week! :)

What Was I Thinking??

Each morning while Dominic is in the shower I go downstairs and wake up the boys. This way they have a few minutes to wake before it is their turn in the shower. I don’t turn on the lights or yell loud or anything. I usually can just go in and say “good morning boys” and at least Gabriel will wake up – Isaac takes a little scratch on the foot but usually Gabriel is happy to see me and ready to be awake.

Not this morning! The first thing Gabriel said to me today was “Mom, what are you thinking? I am sleeping mom, why did you wake me up?”

He marched upstairs with a grumpy look on his face and acted quite mad at me. Really what was I thinking??

Needless to say after the shower, a pancake like “the girls” make at Fryn Pan and some fruit, Gabriel seemed to forget his resentment towards my waking him up and told me how much he loved me. Boy – does he make me smile!

The Shack

I just finished a new book and wanted to share a little about it here. I was encouraged by several different people at different times to read this book. I had never even heard of it but found it at http://www.christianbook.com/ and decided to order it.

It is called ‘The Shack” and is written by WM. Paul Young. It is a fiction book and I really don’t want to share much here – because I don’t want to chance giving away the main plot line. But I will say that it is a very interesting look at God’s love and explores the question of “Where is God in a world filled with unspeakable pain?” If you want to learn more check out their website at http://www.theshackbook.com/.

Not Me Monday!

Once again – thanks to the genius of MckMamma – I am participating in another installment of the Not Me Monday. A lighthearted way to be honest about things that we surely “did not” do! Enjoy – and consider trying yourself!!

When running late for work last week and having to drop off Gabriel at daycare – I “did not” start pulling out of the garage and have my very responsible 5 year old say “Mom I need to put on my seatbelt first!” Certainly a mother such as myself would know the importance of safety even if only going 2 blocks to the daycare and would NOT do that!!

Another morning last week while again driving to work I “did not” get so involved in the music I was singing along to that I couldn’t believe I was already to town and realized I wasn’t aware of what was happening on the road around me – I am a much better and more safe driver than that!

I “did not” take out our tweezers from our medicine cabinet and promptly drop it into the toilet where I “did not” have to reach my hand way in to retrieve it and then after a quick wash and very little sterilization – “did not” go ahead and use it and put it back where it belonged. I mean Gross – who would do such a thing??

After hearing a funny sound in our furnace room and realizing it was coming from the sump pump hole, I “did not” discover that yet another son of mine has a fascination with throwing things into the hole, LOTS of things, that may have lead to the pump not working properly. I “do not” leave my children unsupervised where opportunities for such deviant behavior can occur – no “NOT ME”!!

And finally due to yet another bathroom emergency I “did not” run downstairs this morning when my husband was in the shower upstairs only to discover a little too late that the toilet paper was all gone. I “did not” proceed to push open the door with a fish net I “did not” find under the sink and I “did not” try and yell upstairs to my kids for help. My screams “were not” ignored and I “did not” have to sit there for over 5 minutes until my husband finally came out and heard me coming to my rescue. And in my frustration I “did not” get angry at my oldest for “ignoring” me and also not taking care of restocking the toilet paper in his bathroom. I mean who should be more responsible him or me?!

I am sure there is a lot more things that I "did not" do this past week - but this will have to do for now! Happy Monday!

"It Must be Grace"

I have been to several Women of Faith conferences over the years and this last one was on Grace. I bought their worship CD and wanted to share one of my favorite songs off of it. I love the words because they describe so perfectly the understanding I have about God’s grace in my life.

How could One, One such as You be longing for me?
What would I, I have to give that You’d ever need?
Why, no matter how far I run
Do You pursue me?
Why, when I fall time after time
Do You still love me?
What could make You love me?

I, I don’t understand what is it You see
In the heart of someone like me
When I let You down but You still believe
And prove Your love time and again and again
All I can say is it must be grace

You know me, my wretched heart longs to be free
You heal me with only a touch
How can that be?
Tears falling like rain
On this dry and weary soul
Flooding my heart with a love
That will never let go

I, I don’t understand what is it You see
In the heart of someone like me
When I let You down but You still believe
And prove Your love time and again and again
All I can say is it must be grace

Undeserving so unworthy

I, I don’t understand what is it You see
In the heart of someone like me
When I let You down but You still believe
And prove Your love time and again and again
All I can say is it must be grace

You’re so holy
And offer to me – grace

I can’t always understand why God would love a sinner like myself – I just know that He does and I am grateful to be His child given an amazing gift of grace.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life.

Prayers for Haiti trip

My dad left early this morning with a group of people for a medical missions trip to Haiti for 2 weeks. They were on the road before we could call and wish him well one last time and were headed down to Omaha to catch his flight. Please pray that they will have safe travels on their way!

My dad has done this type of trip before and it is something that he really has a passion for. He has also gone to Africa, Nicaragua, and probably other places that I am failing to mention. He definitely has a heart for missions and it is an example that I am so proud of!

This morning I woke up in a nice warm bed, took a hot shower, had no lack of choices for breakfast, dumped my leftover milk down the drain, had a husband who started and warmed my car for me before I left, drove to work in warmth and safety in a car that is paid for and came to a job that affords me all of the “extras” that I so often take for granted.

This morning in Haiti there are probably thousands of people who woke up cold, uncomfortable and hungry. Who don’t know where their next meal will come from or what it will be, people that are dealing with medical issues that to us in the States are easy fixes with over the counter medication, and people that must struggle finding the hope and desire to press on each day.

My dad was bringing Tums and prenatal vitamins with him, two things that I use every day and don’t worry about affording when I run out and need more. I guess the group brings a very small amount of personal effects with them and the bulk of their luggage is filled with medical supplies etc. He showed us the menu of the foods that they will be served each day they are there. Oatmeal every morning for breakfast. Instantly when I heard that I thought, “I would have to go hungry”, but then I think about how so many people in that country would probably give the shirt off their backs just to have a warm bowl of oatmeal for breakfast each morning.

Haiti is a country with extreme poverty. Poverty we don’t see here and really can’t comprehend. Dominic shared a story he read online awhile ago about how in certain areas the people of Haiti were in such need for food that they were mixing dirt with their flour to extend it farther and that this was causing severe medical problems in their intestines because it was usually more dirt than flour used.

Seriously people – can you even imagine having to consider that as an option for a meal? I can’t begin to understand that kind of poverty, that kind of hopelessness. Today please and for the next 2 weeks, commit with me to pray for the people of Haiti. That the group of men and women headed there right now will be a beacon of hope in a dark situation. That they will be blessed by the groups’ presence and that God’s grace will be felt and seen.
And when you have your lunch, your snacks, your dinner, drive a car, climb into a warm bed, play with your kids, watch TV, head to a job that you may or may not like….remember that each of those things is a gift we have been given, a luxury, something that I/we should be grateful for. I may not have a new house, a new car, a perfect life filled with every “toy”. But I do have the ability to worship my God freely, the ability to help provide for my family and so many extras that at times they become mundane to me. May the mundane be seen as gifts and our hearts and minds filled with gratitude for each and every one of those gifts today!

Not Me Monday!

On one of the blogs I love to read “MckMamma” has created a “Not me Monday” post. Each week she shares she shares truths about her life in a creative format that is honesty at its funniest. She encourages others to join in the fun and I decided to try it out this week. For a look at how it is done at its best check out her blog above!

For starters I “did not” spend a half hour writing this “Not Me Monday” post when I was at work instead of doing actual work because I was having a hard time getting focused after our long weekend. No Way – Not Me!!

While we were rearranging rooms on Sunday in an effort to make way for our newest addition I “did not” knowingly leave Gabriel unattended upstairs where I “did not” know that he was bringing DVD cases upstairs from the basement to make a racetrack for his cars in the upstairs living room– and I “did not” consider denying that I knew he was doing this when Dominic asked if I was aware of what Gabriel had done!! No Not Me!!

During that same time I also “did not”, in total disgust of all of the clutter in our home, throw out things that maybe I should have saved, like a slightly water damaged but adorable photo of Isaac when he was just born, or papers that I had been saving from when Isaac was in Kindergarten. I would NEVER do such a thing – what mother would do that??

And last night, before we headed to bed, I “did not” in anger at our little dog who barked like crazy while outside who also tied herself up around the smallest of ice chunks and made me walk on the deck in my pajamas and socked feet, tell her that she was the stupidest dog ever! She is too cute and I would NEVER do that!!

While having lunch today with my good friend Jen I “did not” buy a cookie just because the nice cashier asked if I wanted one and I “did not” eat the whole thing even though I was stuffed and didn’t really want it, and I most certainly “did not” eat a strawberry fruit roll up right before I left to have lunch just because I was bored. What kind of weirdo would do that? Not Me!!

And finally I “did not” for the 300th time almost pee my pants when I once again had waited too long to go to the bathroom because I was trying to finish this blog post, No Not Me – because after all of my 299 other almost accidents I most definitely would have learned my lesson and gone to the bathroom before the situation turned into an emergency!

See how much fun that can be?! I encourage you to think about all of your “Not Me” moments and even if you don’t share them with someone – have a good laugh over them anyways!

Happy Monday!

Photo Op - 20 weeks!

I finally got some of my pictures downloaded off of my camera and thought I would post how I am "showing" these days! This was taken on New Year's Eve!