My Family

COME ON IN, GRAB A CUP OF COFFEE & SHARE A RANDOM MOMENT WITH ME

Thursday, July 30, 2009

tell me about it thursday



I decided to follow my friend Sandy at One Day at a Time and write a post for her meme called Tell Me About IT Thursday each week she gives us an idea of something to write about from our childhood. this week's theme was "An event in your life that changed your life forever" if you want to read more Tell Me About It Thursday posts stop by and check out her blog to find them.


i think back on my childhood and i can remember being so aware of everything that seemed to be going on. i remember events that happened in other people's lives that i probably should not have even known about because i was always paying attention to every detail that was happening all around me. i could be playing in a room somewhere and still know what was going on in the next room and hear the conversation that was being spoken. i was very interested in everyone's lives that i came in contact with. i learned a lot as a kid. i grew up with a lot of wisdom and knowledge and understanding because i paid attention to how people handled the storms in their lives and came up with my own ideas of what i thought they should do even then. i saw people make poor choices with their lives and wondered what in the world they were doing. as a kid, i could see that was a stupid thing to do. i sat back and listened and i guess i would say i even judged people's choices and actions that they took in their lives and i watched to see what the outcome of their choices were. this sounds odd for a child but i was interested in people and how they handled their life.

this part of my personality caused me to learn a lot in my life without having to experience bad things to learn them. I learned from other people's mistakes. i learned that doing the right thing paid off in the long run. i learned that following your feelings usually got you into more trouble than you were in before. i learned that when people are hurting, they should never make important decisions. all of these things made me grow up with wisdom beyond my years and i knew it. as i got older, i felt very wise and competent to help people with their issues and welcomed people to come and beckon me to help them with their problems. and they came.

i began to feel as if i could handle any issue in my life and other people's too. many times i felt like i just wish people would let me live their life for a few days and i would get them all fixed up. sounds arrogant, i know! i was getting there. i saw myself as a young girl who wanted to do what was right. i thought i knew what right was and i did it. i could not understand why other people did not see life the way that i did and I could not understand why they made such stupid choices in their life. i had little compassion or mercy for people because i felt like their poor decisions got them in their predicament and they would have to do what was right to get themselves out of it. don't get me wrong! i was not mean or hateful! i loved people and wanted them to be happy and do right. i wanted them to experience the good life that i knew that God wanted them to have. i just felt like their struggles were brought on by themselves and they would have to do the right thing to get themselves out of their own messes. i was prideful and judgmental because i thought that i pretty much always did the right thing all of the time, so why couldn't they?

what i learned about God did not help me much because it seemed that everything that i learned about Him backed up what i believed as a child. i learned that God would bless you if you do good and curse you if you do bad. so, of course, i wanted to always do good and i expected to be blessed because of it. i thought the same would be true of everyone else also. as i grew up and became an adult i took my self righteous attitude along with me. but, life became different for me because i began to see things differently, with adult responsibilities and issues. i looked to God to take care of the things that concerned me because i had been so faithful to serve Him and do right. i felt i had done my part and i expected Him to do what He said He would do now. i felt His presence strong in my life but yet my concerns still lingered. i began to get confused and wonder why God did not seem to be answering my call to take care of me in many different ways.

i struggled with this in my walk with God for a couple of years until i finally asked Him to show me what was wrong with me. i had done what i thought He desired for me to do. i had lived my life for Him. i had not strayed into the world and lived in sin. i had done things right in so many ways. then one day, God showed me something me that changed the rest of my life. it was as if He took me by the hand to walk me to a destination and i followed. He lead me right to the foot of the cross and stood me next to Jesus. i immediately felt my heart grieve inside for i knew that He was showing me that my righteousness was nothing in comparison to His Son. i recognized immediately that i was expecting God to move on my behalf because i thought that i had been good enough rather than because Jesus was good enough. my heart was broken yet freed at the same time. I felt like crying yet laughing at the same time. i realized i was trying so hard to be good before, that i missed the whole point of leaning on and depending upon my savior for my access to the provision of God. my righteousness was as filthy rags to God and He could not bless it.

i have never been the same since this time in my life. now, compassion and mercy flow from my innermost being and i long to take people in my arms and hurt with them and ask God to take care of their needs because He loves them and is a merciful God. His heart now flows from me. now, instead of me seeing people's failures, i see their need for the revelation of the love and goodness of their God and Savior. God continues to show me more and more areas today where i find myself seeking God to take care of an issue based on something that i have done instead of what Jesus has done. but, God gently continues to lead me back to the cross every time and i repent and return my gaze to the proper means of righteousness.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

a little about my home and my favorite kid photo

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Zest

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No

Is there anything moldy in your refrigerator? Probably

Are there any dirty dishes in your sink? Yes

What would you change about your living room? I would make it twice as big

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean

Do you have a can of mushrooms in your pantry? No! Ate them on pizza tonight

White or wheat bread? Wheat!

What is on top of your refrigerator? Two baskets full of junk

What color is your sofa? tan

What color or design is on your shower curtain? solid periwinkle

How many plants are in your home? zero alive! two fake

How many candles are in your home? I don't know, several

Is your bed made right now? no

If you have a coffee pot, what color is it? stainless steel and black

Electric or standard can opener? Standard but mine is a piece of junk. I need a new one

Comet or Soft Scrub? neither

Is your closet organized? semi-organized. I try to make it organized, but five kids do not cooperate very well when putting things away

What color is the flashlight that you use the most? black and silver

What kinds of things are in your junk drawer? you name it, i probably have it in there

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Glass

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? no

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? we have a three car garage. and only two cars can fit in it

Curtains or blinds? Both!

How many pillows do you sleep with? Two

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? no! pitch black

How many ceiling fans are in your home? six

How often do you vacuum? Never. I have 5 kids

What color is your toothbrush? blue.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes

What is in your oven right now? two trivets, a pan that I fried a hamburger in earlier on the stovetop and a hand towel hanging over the handle of the oven door

Is your microwave clean or dirty? always dirty

Is there anything under your bed? a pedestal with drawers of clothes
Chore you hate doing the most? The bathrooms

What retro items are in your home? None.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? No I wish!

If you have a yard, who mows it? my husband, along with my toddler son,(see pic below) and my 15 year old son

Is there anything on your kitchen floor right now? a bowl of dog water and a dog

How many mirrors are in your home? A lot

Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? no that would be nice though!

What color are your walls?living room-sage green, sun room-yellow, kitchen-red, dining room-cream and brown, coffee colors, hall-mustard yellow, bedrooms-blue, pink, purple, green, periwinkle, tan, bathrooms-light yellow

Which rooms in your house have wallpaper? None

Do you have a peephole in your front door? window

Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? no

What does your home smell like right now? burning hair! My daughter is straightening her hair with a flat iron. I hate that smell

Fave candle scent? mulberry

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? dill

Who are in the pictures you displayed? My family

What color is your favorite bible? red

Do you have plenty of cabinet space in your kitchen? no!

Ever been on your roof? No

Do you own a stereo? no

How many tvs do you have? two

How many house phones? four

Do you have a housekeeper? I have 5 kids

What style do you decorate in? mostly traditional

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? I like both

Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes one in every room

In case of fire, what are the items you would grab if you only could make one quick trip? My kids, my pets and my pictures (family photos).

Do you know how to work your electrical box? no

What temperature in your home is most comfortable to you? 71° in the summer and 69° in the winter.



 
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jacob thinks he is so big helping daddy mow the lawn


Sunday, July 26, 2009

more fun in the sun

yesterday we had a fun family day over at aaron's brother's house. he just put up a big pool in his backyard and we went over to try it out. the kids always enjoy going to see their cousins. i think that they all had a great time.

 

jacob and daddy in the big pool


 

rachel taking jacob for a ride on the raft


 

olivia and jacob


 
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good catch daddy!
 

jacob loved being tossed in the air


 

CANNONBALL!



time for a little water basketball
 

 
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even jacob got in on the basketball fun



 

daddy and his girls




 
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amanda is ready to be flipped




 

happy cousins! amanda and carissa just chillin'




 

jacob got cold! but he was happy in his towel




aaron and rich {two brothers and their families had a fun day!}
 


Now it is smore time!
 
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olivia has got the idea!



 


 

look at all of those boys! johnny, caleb, josh, and josiah
 
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father and son with a mouth full of smores!

we all had a great time!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

fun in the sun

it was one of the warmer days of the summer, so far today. when i was at the store, i picked up a little blow up pool that i thought jacob would enjoy playing in, outside. olivia and amanda thought that it was a great idea too. they all had fun in the sun.
 

 
filling the pool
 

 

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drinking the pool
 
isn't she cute?
 
amanda thinks the water is deeper than it is. she is plugging her nose.
 
our dogs enjoyed the day too
 

 
olivia loves to try to get angel, our beagle, close to the water. she really hates it!
 

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time to get wet!
 

 

 

 

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AAWWWWW! How sweet! Baby kisses are the best!



just a little video to share the sights and sounds of our day. there is a little excitement here! we had someone else decide to join us in the pool.