Laundry Room Make-Over

I've been working for the last month or so redoing our laundry room and reworking how it functions.  I'm not quite finished yet, but I'm in the home stretch.  Here are a few pictures of the bench I built with only 2 X 4's and left over paint.  It was super simple too.  I purchased the baskets for our shoes at Garden City.

 The bulletin board we already owned and I spray painted it black and then added the cloth on the cork.  I'm still working on adding the push pins around the edges.

 The key board has a hook for each of us with our picture above our set of keys.  This was a lot of fun to make.  It's made from a scrap 1x6, hooks and picture frames.

I'll post more pics in a few days.  

Beauty

What an amazing God we serve!  I get so caught up in my everyday life and the problems that come with it that I can forget how truly amazing God is.  The intricate detail that is visible all around me.  I need to stop and breath in God himself!!  There is beauty all around me in nature, in the food I cook, in the retired greeter at Walmart, in the crying child, even in death there is beauty.  We may need to look closer, listen harder or adjust our mindset to what beauty really is.  Look how beautiful death on a cross is to those that need a savior.  Beauty is all around, I hope to notice it more today.

My First Love

I have an ache in my heart and an emptiness that I cannot explain.  As I sat down to do my devo this verse is what popped out:


  Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
Rev. 2:4


Wow!!  How convicting and right these words are for me.  As I look back on the last few weeks or even months I can see where I have deserted God.  I have not spent time with Him alone, alone without the distractions of my daily life.  That doesn't mean I haven't worked to serve others and help where I can, but I haven't carved out time that only God deserves.  I have missed this time with Him and I know He misses it with me.  I know, I said He misses it with me!  I'm not saying this to sound arrogant I say this because I know how much he loves me!  What a gift He gives to each of us, Himself!!  I have to nurture this relationship.  Doing deeds that glorify Him is wonderful and necessary, but it's not enough.  If I only did things around my home to take care of my family like cook, clean, run errands and so on but never spent time alone with each of my boys or Clay then those relationships would suffer.  I cannot abandon them and expect our relationship to grow or even stay strong, over time I would lose touch of what is going on with each of them and them me.  I have to give time and attention to each in order to stay close and in touch with their lives.  The same is true of God.  Even now I feel lighter realizing where I've been amiss.  God is so true and loving and honest especially when I need it most!!


Enjoy this day He has given you!!

Make Good Choices, one day at a time!

With the new year finally here I find myself thinking about all of the many things I want to do this year.  I have scraps of paper in several notebooks with jotted down ideas, to-do lists, projects and dates of upcoming events.  I feel like my hand is involved in a lot of areas that I am responsible for yet, where do I begin?  My husband, Clay, is the youth minister and I'm involved with the children's ministry plus homeschooling our boys, taking care of our home and the countless projects I would love to tackle.  It feels a little overwhelming at times to look at everything I'm doing or am supposed to be doing.  So, I'm discovering that I really need to make better use of my time and seeking God in my daily routine before it even begins.  There are times I'm great at spending time with God in the mornings and then something happens or life happens and screws up my routine and BAM, my special time with just me and God is out the window.  I think the my "motto" for this year is going to be:  Make Good Choices, one day at a time!  Today I spoke those words aloud several times when deciding what to eat and how to react (which I may have failed in that area today) and how to spend my time.  Each day is brand new and I may need a do-over several times a day.  I want to cut myself a break and change a little at a time so that I can sustain the changes.  I'm gonna stick with my motto and hope the other areas will fall into place.  


Here are a few things I did accomplish today:


-Spent most of the afternoon running errands with my man!!
-Ate a healthy lunch (the evening was kinda bad in that area)
-Played a family game with my whole family.
-Did the dishes
-Worked on scheduling for youth ministry and went through mail.
-Ordered some books.
-Made ham and beans for dinner tomorrow night.


It was a good day!

Looking Back, One Year Anniversary!

Today is the anniversary of my first chemo treatment.  I'm very grateful for what God has done in me physically, allowing my life to continue here.  I'm also aware of those who continue to fight cancer, and those who have gone on to be with our creator.  There were many days during my treatments that I didn't want to fight anymore, I was tired of being sick and unable to do anything on my own.  There were days where walking to the bathroom on my own was a huge accomplishment.  Bathing myself, dressing and even eating were tasks that I could not do alone.  I became completely dependent on Clay and the boys.  There are things I don't fully remember about those days which is probably a blessing.  God was teaching me even then how tight my grip on "being in control" really was.  He was gently prying my fingers open one by one.  It was difficult and very painful for me to let go, to allow God to take over, I mean completely take over.  Even though I nor God caused this cancer, He did allow it.  He also allowed me to see the areas of my life that I kept from Him, the areas I didn't trust Him to have.  I'm still learning to give Him everything each day, but I've come so far since last year.  I'm not the same as I was physically, emotionally or spiritually, I doubt I ever will be.  I have to embrace my life I have today not forgetting where I've come from.  One year ago today my life took another path, one I really didn't plan on, but one that opened my eyes and my hands.  


I love this Cindy Morgan song and how she puts into words what my heart feels:

Saying the Wrong Thing

There are so many times that I find myself saying the wrong thing and not able to say what my heart is feeling.  Since chemo has finished and my response was wonderful many conversations  somehow always touch on this topic.  Yesterday was not any different.  A long time friend was saying how wonderful it is that God answered our prayers for healing.  I know what is meant by this type of statement, but for some reason it really bothers me.  I feel as though so many of us want to say, "praise God" when our prayers are answered the way "we" want them answered.  I know that's not what most people mean but, we shouldn't forget the world is watching.  We can't and shouldn't give praise to God only when things work out the way we had hoped.  I no longer ask God for the obvious solution, the obvious may not be what brings kingdom growth or what brings about a heart change in someone.  I have been so guilty of praying in a way that "I" thought was best, asking God to do what "I" had decided in my mind would be the solution.  "I" had become God and never gave a second thought to what weight my words really held.   My heart is now humbled in a way that I don't ask God to change our circumstances.  What blessings would we miss if we always got our way when difficulties came into our lives.  It's so hard to have a heart change when we live a trouble-free life.  The times in my own life that change has occurred have been through those trials.  I now see why God tells us to count it joy when we suffer trials.  Let's praise God for the trials and what we learn from those trials.  


Be content where you are today, thanking God for your life no matter what your circumstance are knowing He loves you more than you know!!

Taylor Swift - Never Grow Up - Music Video

The house is quiet except, for the Taylor Swift music playing. I enjoy having the entire house to myself to clean and think. The summer is going by so very quickly and so many changes seem to be happening all at once. Zach will be leaving for college next month, Taylor will be attending a public high school and getting his license next month and I'm not sure I'm ready for this phase of my life. My heart aches just writing this. My sons are growing into young men and will soon be leaving the nest. I know this is what I have prepared them for and when the time is right each one will leave one by one. I think it feels more like they will be leaving with a piece of my heart. When they were small I couldn't imagine how would I be able to say goodbye. I still don't know how. I know that fighting cancer was easier than preparing myself for what the next few years lie ahead. I'm probably just being dramatic today. There isn't anything in this life that compares to the love a mother has for her children. The only thing greater is the love God has for us. I will be eternally grateful for the chance to be Zach, Taylor and Matthew's mother. I'm feeling weepy tonight...

Here's a beautiful song to express what I so often feel.