tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218882032024-03-07T19:19:23.789-07:00As the Lord WorksJeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.comBlogger377125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-78040518451836136032013-08-13T21:22:00.000-07:002013-08-25T21:23:06.369-07:00Chloe is 7!For just under seven years, we've lived in this house and for seven years, my lion-spirited, big hearted, beautiful Chloe Paige has been in my life! Chloe, I know there may be times in your life when you feel lost in the shuffle as a middle child, but know this sweet girl, there is nothing lost or second rate in my love for you! You have blossomed so much in the past year, from a timid kindergarten graduate to a confident, outgoing almost second grader! The way you question the world around you hasn't changed, but your questions are getting more interesting and I love trying to answer them. Your love for make believe is still going strong, which makes us so happy! The longer you can hang on to that joy, sweetie, the better! You've made quite a reputation for yourself around the neighborhood this year, as the resident big sister. Cece, Maddie, and Isla look up to you and wish you really were their big sister. The way you play with and care for them has your mama beaming with pride! But the little girl who adores you the most is your own baby sister, Autumn. She follows you around all day asking to play baby with you (she being the baby, you the mama), and most of the time you are so obliging and patient with her. You are so helpful to me just by being you, you're such a treasure! Something I've learned about your personality this year is that you have a gift beyond your years for compassion towards others, especially those you love. At the end of a long day, you often insist on giving me a foot rub with lotion and bringing me water saying, "you worked so hard today mommy, you need to rest". Or sometimes you just sense that someone is sad and it makes you sad too. You are so quick to feel and say sorry when you're wrong, but you don't just stop there, you want to make amends by doing something for the person. You give the best hugs and kisses Snooie! It's like I can feel your soul through them! Happy birthday baby girl! I thank God every day for letting broken me love you and lead you in this life. Every year with you is a gift I treasure beyond words! xoxo Mommy<br />
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-40730318641664418772013-08-09T16:24:00.001-07:002013-08-09T16:26:05.958-07:00And Every Boy Grows UpI just had to write about how cute you were today Sawyer Michael! We went to Walmart to get a few things and since preschool starts in a couple weeks, I let you pick out your backpack. You were so excited about it, so proud of the one you picked, and when we got home, for the rest of the day you were wearing it and asking if you could pack it for school. I had to keep reminding you that we still needed to buy your school supplies and that we have time. You kept asking, "will it be when we wake up?" To which I had to keep telling you it would be a lot of "wake ups", 16 to be exact, until your first day of school. Emma read you your school supply list and when she got to the part about a spare outfit in a ziplock bag, the light went on that you could pack that today and so you raced to your room! We labeled your ziplock bag with your name and carefully placed your folded undies, socks, shirt and pants inside. You then put your backpack on the hook in your room and stared at for awhile, just happy you got to put something inside of it for school. As the day went on, you asked if we could play school. You wanted me to first be your mom and yell, "Sawyer, it's time to get ready for school!" so you could come out of your room with your backpack. We did this and you came out beaming. Oh sweet son of mine, if you only knew how much I enjoy your excitement about this new adventure you're about to go on. You won't always be so excited about school work as the years go by, but it's my earnest hope that your excitement for learning will only continue to grow. It's only natural that you want to get bigger, to do new things, to move forward. But as your mother, I want to thoroughly savor these precious times when you're four. Some day, you'll leave home and marry a wonderful girl, have a career, a life of your own, just as it should be. But right now, your life is with me, pretty much constantly, and I'm loving it! You are a gift, sweet boy, in more ways than you'll ever know! So as you take this baby step in two weeks towards the growing up that every boy must do, know that in your mamas heart, you will always be this boy! I love you!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-86107846616191755012013-07-17T21:47:00.000-07:002013-08-25T21:48:10.810-07:00Emma is 9!Happy birthday Emma Grace! I refuse to believe you are half way to 18, I just don't even want to think about it. The last birthday in the single digits! There I go, doing it again, wishing I could slow time down. But it marches on for all of us, it's supposed to, so instead of being sad about the time passed, I will be thankful for the years given. Sweet peanut, you've had a great year, complete with growing pains in your legs and lost teeth that have given you that wonderful, preteen snaggled grin:). I'm so thankful for our relationship baby, you are so sweet to me! You tell me all the time how much you love me and you continue to prove that your love language is quality time. Your favorite mommy/daughter date is a trip to Mahalo to get frozen yogurt. I love our bedtime chats these days, sharing our hearts with each other, hearing your burning questions. You continue to love all things fashion and friends and your beauty continues to grow from the inside out. You continue to be a wonderful artist and have gotten quite good at sewing as well. It's so fun to see you creating and doing things you love. You are uniquely made and gifted and it gives me such joy to wear the title of "mom" to you. So baby girl, little beauty who made me a mama, here's to another year of loving you and a prayer that Jesus would woo you more and more to himself. xoxo Mommy<br />
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-30583789535983005342013-06-12T15:12:00.001-07:002013-06-12T15:12:21.063-07:00SummertimeI had some great plans before summer break started, plans for a morning schedule, a special activity each day, like the park or library or pool. And those plans have been great, most days really helping us be more purposeful with our time. I'd even say it has prevented fighting... some of it. But today, as the kids were squealing through the house with a couple of their friends, jumping from one "game" to the next, without a thought to the time, the memories came flooding back. I remember when a day seemed like a week, when my friends and I would be deep in make believe, maybe a boat out of TV trays, Little House on the Prairie, lost orphans, and the afternoon truly felt like an eternity in a good way. The only adult thing I can compare it to is getting lost in a good book, becoming part of the story in your mind and not wanting to leave. This is the stuff of childhood, this is the beauty of summertime! I'm not sure when the clock starts to hound us and imagination gives way to responsibility, but I love getting to go back in time as I watch my kids be kids. Childhood is a precious and fleeting gift, sweet babes, I hope I'm creating a home where you are making the great memories I have of my own childhood. Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-38722074582744316892013-02-22T07:58:00.001-07:002013-02-22T07:58:25.475-07:00Autumn is 2!A two year old is a toddler right? Well even if so, Autumn is NOT, she is a baby, MY baby, and she always will be. Oh sweet darling, you are such a gift to us! I think at least one of us says daily how sad life would be without our "Nootie". Your affection, your smile, your laugh, your humor, your dancing, your dresses, the way you love to be held, the way you think you can do everything your siblings do and are so indignant when you can't. Autumn Mae, we are so thankful God gave you to us! These two years with you have been such a present, truly, what in the world would we do without your sunshine in our lives?! Happy birthday my baby fashionista! We can't wait to watch you grow and for our love for you to grow more and more every day!<br />
Love, Mommy, Daddy, Emma, Chloe, and Sawyer<br />
xoxo<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-72872504642727318862013-02-04T12:51:00.000-07:002013-02-04T12:51:12.954-07:00My Stained Recliner<br />
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Whoever invented micro fiber furniture, boasting its stain resistance, obviously didn’t do any thorough research with a family of small children. Let’s just say, our rocking recliner is now more of a magnet for messes than it is a repellent of them. But to be fair, we’ve probably allowed far too many snacks to be eaten in it, so I digress. While I often cringe when I think of all I’ve cleaned off of this recliner, including multiple types of bodily excretions, this worn out, stain ridden chair has some lessons for me.</div>
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This past week, my youngest came down with a tummy bug. She’s already a bit on the needy/snuggly side as it is, so when she’s sick, all she wants is to be in our arms. And when she looks to me with the droopy eyes of fever, asking me to hold her, of course I swoop her up. I’m happy to report that she’s feeling all better now, but my lower back is still feeling all the holding of the past few days. And that’s where the stained recliner comes in. As I was sitting there, rocking my sweet girl, trying to take the edge off her misery with my love, I couldn’t help but look around at all the messes that were not being tidied, going down the mental check list of all the tasks that needed doing that I just couldn’t do. And then the whisper came, that this chair, this rocking, this girl is the best task I can be accomplishing in any given day. Certainly, there is a time and place for cleaning and creating a place of peace for our families, working together on those tasks. But sometimes the greatest way we can create peace for the souls we love in our homes is to just sit still. When Autumn was sick, when she needed me to just sit and comfort and stroke her forehead, something I do in snipets all the time, it made me think about how much my kids would love it if I did this more. And this compulsion to keep working and doing and accomplishing, I’m learning something about my heart in it. I think, if I’m really honest, I’m often doing those things to impress others, not with the simple motive of blessing my family. Thoughts riddled with insecurity, equating my worth with the job I’m doing as the cleaner/organizer of our home, creep into my mind throughout the day. But what if molding and filling hearts is more important than laundry and crumbs and papers in disarray? What if cleanliness is really not next to Godliness as the saying goes? I think my times of just sitting with my children, who long for those special times with me, reminds me that seasons are short, and children are little only for awhile. But how do we really live for an audience of one? How do we stop, in self-focus, always worrying about what others think of us?</div>
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I don’t doubt that we will always struggle with this in a world that likes to keep us busy, that tells us that moving and doing is the only work worth doing. But we find some great encouragement straight from God in His Word that fights the world’s prescription. Let us not forget that when we are still, to just be with and focus on the ones we love, we are following the example of our God, who longs for us to crawl up in His lap, to hear His Words, and to just be. I’ll leave you with these verses that encourage my heart to enjoy moments of Sabbath in my days.</div>
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<strong><em>Luke 10:38-42</em></strong><em> “</em><em>As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha</em><em> </em><em>opened her home to him.</em><em> </em><em>She had a sister called Mary,</em><em> </em><em>who sat at the Lord’s feet</em><em> </em><em>listening to what he said.</em><em> </em><em>But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care</em><em> </em><em>that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”</em><em> </em><strong><em><sup> </sup></em></strong><em>“Martha, Martha,”</em><em> </em><em>the Lord answered,</em><em> </em><em>“you are worried</em><em> </em><em>and upset about many things,</em><em> </em><em>but few things are needed—or indeed only one.</em><em> </em><em>Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”</em></div>
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This passage always reminds me that none of the other work I have on my to do list is as important as sitting at Jesus’s feet.</div>
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<strong><em>Matthew 11:28</em></strong><em> “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”</em></div>
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This verse reminds me that just as Jesus is my place of rest, I need to be a place of rest for my children, not the busy, frantic, “just a minute” mom that I can be.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong><em>Psalm 46:10</em></strong><em> “</em><em>He says, “Be</em><em> </em><em>still</em><em>,</em><em> </em><em>and</em><em> </em><em>know</em><em> </em><em>that I am God; I will</em><em> </em><em>be</em><em> </em><em>exalted among the nations, I will</em><em> </em><em>be</em><em> </em><em>exalted in the earth.”</em><em> </em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
This verse reminds me to rest in God’s sovereignty. Could it be that my stillness bring Him more glory than my busyness?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong><em>Matthew 22:36-40</em></strong><em> </em><strong><em><sup> </sup></em></strong><em>“Jesus replied:</em><em> </em><em>“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment.</em><em> </em><strong><em></em></strong><em>And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’<strong></strong>All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”</em></div>
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<em><br /></em></div>
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And this passage, one we’ve all heard many times, is a good reminder of God’s priority for our time. Giving Him the best of ourselves, and giving our best to others (children/family/friends).</div>
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None of these passages us tell us to be lazy, but rather to rest with purpose. There are many scriptures that warn against laziness, working is good, don't get me wrong. I think where we often get it wrong is when we see times of rest and being still as a hindrance to what we see as more important, the doing we have idolized. Rest serves as a recharging for the work God has given us, it's needed fuel we often neglect.</div>
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Meditate with me on these verses today as we ask God how He might be leading us to slow down for the sake of what’s most important.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-88129125569739174652012-11-11T23:02:00.004-07:002012-11-11T23:02:47.936-07:00We Remain WeakIt’s been awhile, I know. Sometimes living life takes precedence
over writing about it, I guess that’s the best way I can think of to
explain it. A season of quiet, but that doesn’t mean my thoughts
haven’t been brewing or that God hasn’t been working. In fact, I think
it has been in times of quiet that He speaks the most to my heart. I was
able to get away for our church’s annual women’s retreat last weekend
and wow did God meet me! There is something so special about times to
slow down and draw near to God and other women, a chance to rest our
souls at His feet and fellowship with focus over several days as opposed
to the snippets we get in “real life”. And if there had been no
profound message to hear from a speaker, God would have used the
mountains and the time away alone to refresh my spirit and speak volumes
to my heart… but the message WAS profound, and I just have to share
what God spoke to my heart.<br />
<br />
Our pastor’s wife shared on a passage from 2 Corinthians, 4:5 – 5:21
to be exact. I’m going to go ahead and quote the whole passage here to
make it easy for youJ. I encourage you to take a minute and pray right
now before you read this, asking God to soften your heart to HIS message
to you through the Word…<br />
<br />
<span style="color: navy;"><strong>2 Corinthians 4:5–5:21 (NLT)</strong></span> – <span style="color: blue;"><em>“You
see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus
Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For
God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this
light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen
in the face of Jesus Christ.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em><sup> </sup></em><em>We now have
this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay
jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great
power is from God, not from ourselves.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>We are pressed on every side by
troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to
despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked
down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue
to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be
seen in our bodies.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>Yes, we live under constant danger
of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be
evident in our dying bodies. <sup> </sup>So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”<sup> </sup>We
know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus
and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your
benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be
great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. <sup> </sup>For
our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they
produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our
gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon
be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><strong><em>New Bodies</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>For we know that when this earthly
tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this
earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for
us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present
bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For
we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not
that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather,
we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be
swallowed up by life. <sup> </sup>God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>So we are always confident, even
though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at
home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we
are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly
bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. <sup> </sup>So
whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to
please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will
each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in
this earthly body.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><strong><em>We Are God’s Ambassadors</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>Because we understand our fearful
responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows
we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending
ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of
us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry
rather than having a sincere heart. If it seems we are crazy, it is to
bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your
benefit. <sup> </sup>Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we
believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died
to our old life.<sup> </sup>He died for everyone so that those who
receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they
will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>So we have stopped evaluating others
from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely
from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! <sup> </sup>This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!</em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><em>And all of this is a gift from God,
who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this
task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling
the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And
he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s
ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ
when we plead, “Come back to God!” <sup> </sup>For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”</em></span><br />
<br />
This passage has SO much in it. I won’t regurgitate my whole weekend
of notes for you, but I will share the main points God challenged my
heart with. I think many of us have read this passage, or portions of
it, multiple times before. But I love how God reveals new wisdom to us
through the same scriptures, time and time again. His Word never gets
old or ineffective, amen?! It is living and active! Our speaker titled
the weekend, “True Treasure in Common Clay”. One of my favorite
scriptures from this passage is <span style="color: blue;">4:7 (NIV)- <em>“<sup> </sup>But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”</em></span>
I have rejoiced in this truth so many times in my life, that I am weak
to reveal His strength, that God put His light and power in this weak,
cracked pot on purpose so that it would be obvious that it’s HIM who’s
doing a mighty work in me, not me being great by putting in enough
effort. But God pulled back a new layer for me last weekend. Sara (our
speaker) said something that the Holy Spirit burned into my heart and I
haven’t forgotten it since. She said, “we REMAIN weak, HE is forever
strong”. At first hearing, I think that statement can make us
uncomfortable. “Wait a minute,” we think, “isn’t He making me stronger,
better in this whole sanctification (growing more into His likeness as
we move towards heaven) process?” She gave us these two equations to
explain the point:<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: red;">God’s power + my weakness= my power</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">God’s power + my weakness= God’s power</span></li>
</ol>
Sara pointed out that many of us see Jesus as an energy drink, which
would be the first equation. “just gotta drink a little more Jesus and
I’ll be stronger for my tasks, better, less weak”. But do you hear the
self focus in that statement? We have this agenda, these areas that we
want to be stronger in, and so we’re asking God to fill us up for OUR
purposes. Scripture tells us something different, it’s not about us!
These cracked pots (that’s us who have been redeemed and reconciled to a
Holy God ONLY by his grace, which comes through Jesus alone) will stay
cracked, will remain weak, so that HIS strength, HIS power can be
revealed. We will not ever arrive in this life, and any growth and
increased strength we have will not ever be because we’ve become less
weak, it will only be because we’ve drawn nearer to the God who fills
us, fixing our eyes on Him, abiding in Him, allowing His light to shine
ever brighter through those cracks.<br />
<br />
Friends, this was big for me. Sometimes I find myself so frustrated
and confused about why I’m still struggling with certain things, why I’m
not seeing the growth I long to see, why I’m still so weak. Can any of
you relate? But when we ask ourselves why we want to be stronger, I
think we have to get really honest about why. Could it be our
reputation with others? Our desire to do better for those we love in
our own effort? Maybe it’s a desire for proof that we really are new
creations? But here’s the promise, we ARE new creations, “the old has
gone, the new has come!” We have been forgiven, reconciled to God,
adopted into His Kingdom, it is finished if we have put our faith in
Christ! And this, not because of anything righteous in us. God’s
power, HIS strength, has been put inside of us for HIS glory and our
blessing. We remain weak because He wants us to depend on Him, He wants
the world to see the power of the Gospel , man’s need for Him, in our
lives and know the changes they see, the joy in all circumstances, it’s
not because we’re extra cool and strong and great, but because HE is.
And when we stumble and struggle and suffer, we cling to Him, fixing our
gaze on the only one who can carry us through this life, so that others
will see their need too.<br />
<br />
What does this mean for us? Does it mean we stop moving forward,
stop putting forth effort? No, because if we did, we’d be ignoring the
call to “live” for Him, to “walk” by faith, to “abide” in Him. These are
action words. But it’s WHAT we’re living for and WHERE we’re walking
(or running) to that we need to look at.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: navy;"><strong>John 15:4-5</strong></span> says, <em><span style="color: blue;">“Remain
in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it
must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in
me.<sup> </sup>“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in
me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing.””</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: blue;"> </span> </em><br />
This passage makes it clear that fruit doesn’t come from our effort,
but from abiding in Him. And it’s always evident that, apart from the
Vine, a branch can’t produce any fruit. The questions I think we have to
ask ourselves are,<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: red;">Where does strength come from? My efforts to do better or more dependence on Him in my weakness?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">Whose strength is it? Does more growth equal less weakness, or do we remain weak by design so His strength can be revealed?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">For what purpose do I want to be strong, my own agenda or His purposes?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">Can I really be content, “rejoice” in my weakness, because “His power is made perfect” in my weakness?</span></li>
</ol>
Father, thank you, with flat-on-my-face gratitude, for saving me by
your amazing love and grace! There is nothing in me that is worthy of
your love, but You gave it anyway, at a price I can’t fathom. Thank you
for putting your glorious light in this cracked pot, this weak clay
vessel. As I remain weak, I cling, ever tighter, to your strength! I
offer my life to you Father, be glorified as you display Your strength
in my weakness. Make me more like you Father, not for me, but for You!
Amen
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-81361024122925276602012-09-05T18:18:00.004-07:002012-09-05T18:18:50.408-07:00The "Main Things"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Today at my church’s mom’s group, we had one of our pastors
give us a pep talk and boy let me tell you, God had the message on an arrow
straight to my heart!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His theme was,
focusing on the main things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a mother
of young ones, sometimes I feel like I’m always a day late and a dollar short
in the cleaning, meal preparing, busy work tasks of making a home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been feeling really defeated lately,
frustrated at why can’t I get it all done, just sort of grumpy about it all
most of the time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God had
encouragement for me in Pastor C’s message today and it was this, “by whose
standards are you living? By what expectations are you measuring your “success”
as a homemaker?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My pastor reminded us
that God clearly lays out some priorities for us in scripture and here are the
top two: Loving Him, Loving others as ourselves (Husband first, then children,
then the family of God, then those who are lost).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nowhere in this list do we find “Martha
Stewart house pristinely clean at all times” or “perfectly fit body outfitted
in the latest clothes and hairstyle”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those priorities come from our culture, not from Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet it hit me this morning as I was
listening to the message, these are things that most often have me feeling
inadequate and defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell my
children, “just a minute” about 100 times a day as I scurry around to clean a
house that never gets fully clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
like shoveling snow while it’s still snowing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pastor C assured us that this doesn’t mean we neglect the tasks of
cleaning and taking care of ourselves, what it means is that we don’t push the
more important things aside to accomplish them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also encouraged us in the way we greet our husbands when they come
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked us if we barrage our men
with complaints about how hard the day was and all we didn’t get done and need
help with or if we focus on loving and welcoming him home first and simply
asking for help instead of playing the poor me card to earn his sympathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ouch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Boy do I do this more than I’d like to admit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was thinking about it today, it’s like I
feel the need to paint a sad story of my day in order to excuse the fact that I
didn’t get everything done according to MY list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When really, Travis knows what I’m facing, he
knows that we are in a weary season of our lives and that I can’t be super
woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think what it is is that I
WANT to be, so badly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own desire to
be perfect at everything puts me in a grouchy, complaining, defeated mood and
it’s just sin, plain and simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
am focusing on the “main” things, as pastor C put it, those other things will
be seen with the right perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live
righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My children won’t remember how clean the house was or
wasn’t, but they will remember the time I spend with them, doing things
together, laughing, enjoying them, reading the Word together and praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if I’m not careful they will also
remember a mama who’s constantly stressing about all she has to accomplish and
how she made them feel like they were always in the way of those
accomplishments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what’s the
balance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, here’s a list of what I
think homemaking is and isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
claim to have it all figured out, but these are what ring true at the moment:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
creating a place of refuge and peace for our families, which I think includes a
certain level of cleanliness and organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b>, a
perfectly clean and organized home at all times at the expense of lost quality
time with the very family we are trying to create a refuge for.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
living by right priorities with our time and energy, which can mean limiting or
eliminating those things that threaten to take the tops spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> holding ourselves to impossible standards or comparing
ourselves to other moms who are gifted differently.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
filling up our tanks with time with Jesus and His Word, praying throughout the
day for His strength and perspective which will overflow into our families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> trying to do it on our own strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our standards and priorities never work like
His do and we can do nothing well on an empty tank.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
preparing healthy, tasty food for our families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> nightly
gourmet meals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gourmet chefery never
makes an appearance on God’s priority list, only on the food network’s.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
refueling ourselves with retreats of rest and joyful activities (the most
important being time with the Lord).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> feeling
entitled to selfish pursuits or allowing ourselves to be completely derailed by
laziness and selfish hobbies.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b> having a plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homemaking
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> feeling completely derailed
and defeated when daily life doesn’t go according to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s plans are always better than ours, even
when they make us feel uncomfortable.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
including the whole family in cleaning and the work that needs to be done,
expecting that perfection will not happen, but pride in contributing will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> feeling like you have to do it all without asking for
help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone can do something , don’t
play the poor martyr by doing it all.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS</b>
practicing hospitality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homemaking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IS NOT</b> needing a clean home before you
do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be a Mary and not a Martha.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would love to hear your additions to this list and what
God is teaching you about focusing on the main things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sisters, we need each other!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not the perfect façade we may want others to
see, but the real us that knows fancy words and appearances will never get us
to the good stuff of true sisterhood.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-14653799301068680152012-08-26T10:56:00.000-07:002013-06-12T10:57:18.539-07:00Sawyer is Four!Sweet baby boy! See, how I still call you that even though you are four? You are my only son, so I get to do that. Son, it has been so fun to watch you grow from a toddler to a little boy this year. Your sense of humor is in full swing now, taking these pictures was evidence of that you little stinker. Your language grows more every day, but secretly I want you to always say "prain pracks" for train tracks and "wishin" for fishin. You smile with your whole face prince, everyone who meets you tells me you're going to have the girls lined up. I try not to think about it, but it's so true my handsome man cub! You learned to ride a two wheel bike this year, earlier than anyone in the neighborhood. You're leaning out and shooting up, it's happening way too fast. I treasure these years with you home with me full time. Preschool will come soon enough, so please just stay this size for awhile. I love you Sawyer Michael, as much as any mother could ever love her only son. You bring joy to my life in ways you'll never know. I pray every day for your future, for the ways I hope God will get a hold of your heart and life and use you in big ways, for the wife and family I hope he will provide you, that in some small way, every day, I am pointing you to Jesus, that He is the only true fulfillment you'll find. The hat in these pictures we got for you when Daddy and I went to Ireland this summer. You look so cute in it I can hardly stand it! May your fifth year be full of all things a little boy longs for, plenty of adventures and the love of those of us who get to call you ours.<br />
Love, Mommy<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-86921962115499911232012-08-21T12:08:00.001-07:002012-08-21T12:08:40.782-07:00Sending Them Out- Back to SchoolI am a regular contributor <a href="http://www.comebreakbread.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. My most recent post:<br />
<br />
A lot of thought and prayer and seeking the Word went into our
decision to send our children out of our home to school. I know that
most of you who read this blog made similarly agonized over decisions
about how to academically educate your children, some landing on
homeschool, others on different types of school outside the home.
Before I say another word, I think it’s important to remind us all that
pride has no place as we talk about these personal decisions of
Christian freedom. I hope that we can keep an atmosphere of love,
humility, and bodily unity on this blog. I’m sure that what we can
agree on is God’s call to us as parents to model and teach Biblical
truth and the power of the Gospel to our children whenever we are with
them.<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Deuteronomy 6:4-9</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress
them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you
walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on
the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”</span></em><br />
Each year, when the air gets cooler and a fresh start to a school
year is upon us, when the smell of new school supplies intoxicates me
(yes, I love that smell!), my heart goes back to the callings and
promises of God when it comes to my precious children. It’s at this
time of year that we get ready to send them out each day, which means a
huge part of my heart is not in my physical presence each day, a small
taste of the launching that will eventually take place when they’re
older. As we’re mapping out the year and making fresh goals for our
family, I’m tempted to fear, tempted to doubt God’s ability to give me
the wisdom and insight to do this well… but as I pray, the assurance
comes, that these are not MY children, they are HIS. His love for them
is far more than I could ever give, His care of them far more complete
than any sheltering tactics I could employ. He has called me to love
them, to care for them, to lead them, to teach them, to train them, to
steward them well, but ultimately He has called me to trust Him with
them.<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Proverbs 22:6</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”</span></em><br />
I hold to this promise and hold to the promise that God has plans for
each of my children according to His sovereign will. It is my job to
be an overflowing cup of HIS love, HIS grace, HIS presence, HIS word, to
be craving after Him for the filling up that only He can do so that I
can be used by Him and for Him in the lives of my children. I am so
thankful for the blood of Jesus, that His power is made perfect in my
weakness, that it is not up to me to attain perfection in my parenting
by trying hard enough, but rather to lay flat on my face before a
perfect God, begging Him for wisdom, begging Him to do His work in my
children through me and through whatever means necessary to give Him the
most glory.<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Philippians 4:6-9</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the
God of peace will be with you.”</span></em><br />
This Philippians passage is not only a huge encouragement to my own
heart, but a passage I read to my kids often, truths I want them to hide
in their hearts for the times they’re not with me. Because the One who
is always with them, even when I am not, He is the one I want them to
turn to, I want them to know what a personal walk with God looks like, a
relationship that is their own. And hiding these truths of God’s Word
in their hearts, I think this is one of the best ways we can send them
out prepared to face a world full of lies, because it is God’s Word that
has power, not our “superior” parenting. It is the Holy Spirit who
convicts and inspires right choices, not our constant lecturing. Here
are some verses we’re going to hide in our hearts this year:<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Romans 12:9-21</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Love
must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted
to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the
Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: navy;">Bless those who persecute you; bless
and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who
mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing
to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: navy;">Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is
possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do
not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is
written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the
contrary:</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: navy;">“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will
heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.”</span></em><br />
<strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">Proverbs 4:23</span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“</span></em></strong><em><span style="color: navy;">Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Colossians 3:23-24</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not
for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the
Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>2 Timothy 3:16-17</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>James 1:19-27</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“My
dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring
about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all
moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word
planted in you, which can save you.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: navy;">Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the
word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in
a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately
forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the
perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting
what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: navy;">If anyone considers himself
religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives
himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father
accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows
in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>James 5:16</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Confess
your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and
produces wonderful results.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Philippians 4:11-13</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“I
am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be
content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and
I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives
me strength.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Psalm 18:2</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“The
LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom
I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my
place of safety.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>2 Corinthians 1:3-4</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God.”</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Isaiah 41:10</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“Don’t
be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I
will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious
right hand.”</span></em><br />
I know God’s Word is full of beautiful truths to hide in our hearts,
so please share some of your favorite scripture memory verses for kids
with the rest of us. I think one of the most important ways we can
prepare our kids to be sent out is to teach them the very reason we are
to go out into the world at all. We are called to let our lights shine
in a world full of darkness, and that call is not just for grown-ups, it
is a call to every child of God, every person saved by the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ into the family of God. In fact, this is
one of the foundational scriptures that God used to lead us to our
decision to send our children to school.<br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Matthew 5:13-16</strong></span>- <em><span style="color: navy;">“You
are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can
it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be
thrown out and trampled by men. “You are the light of the world. A city
on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”</span></em><br />
And so we pray for our children, every single day, all throughout the
day, that God will protect and lead and comfort and strengthen them,
and that most importantly He will use them. We pray that His light,
shining through them, shining through our family, will permeate the
classrooms and halls, the hearts of lost children and families, that He
might use our family in the mission field of our school, to demonstrate
God’s love and mercy and power to give new life. And when I let this
charge ring true in my heart, all fear melts away. And I take a deep
breath and smile as I face this new year. And this prayer that Paul
prays for the Ephesians gives me new courage:<br />
<strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">Ephesians 4:14-21</span>- <em>“</em></strong><em><span style="color: navy;">For
this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in
heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner
being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power,
together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and
deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of
God.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: navy;">Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power
that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”</span></em><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Practical Ideas</span>:<br />
- Love notes and scriptures written on their lunch napkins<br />
- Verses on pretty note cards to tape inside their desks<br />
- Praise songs in the car to get hearts in the right place as we start the day<br />
- On the way home, when they’re sharing about their days, take the time to pray for situations and people that come up.<br />
- Surprise them by having lunch with them some days<br />
- Organize some play get togethers with other families in the kid’s classes<br />
- Arrange to trade off childcare of your younger children with
another family in the school so you can volunteer in your child’s class
regularly<br />
- Have regular date nights with each of your kids so you can get that precious one on one time<br />
- Set regular times each day to pray specifically for each of your children<br />
- Make a special after school snack and spend time sharing it with them while you have a good chat<br />
- Don’t fill their after school schedule up too full, less is more even though our busy culture would tell us otherwise.<br />
Please share your ideas too!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-66890856387135996862012-08-13T12:27:00.000-07:002012-09-17T12:27:35.237-07:00Chloe Turns Six!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh sweet "Snooie"! This post is much later getting written than I had hoped, but darling, it is no reflection on our HUGE love for you, just a reflection on the fullness of our lives at the moment. We had such a fun birthday party for you this year! We meet Tayden and Milo, Auntie Amber and Nana at Lakeside Amusement Park for the day. We had a picnic lunch and I made you homemade carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. You were a little dare devil on all the rides and I will never forget riding the Spider with you and all our uncontrolled giggles. You started first grade this year big girl, that really doesn't seem possible. I'm certain it was just last week that you were my rolly polly, pigtailed two year old saying, "hogeyou me mommy!" or calling the phone a "whone". But now before our eyes is a beautiful little girl of six with a smile and laugh that are truly infectious. Something that hasn't changed, much to my delight, is that amazing and beautiful imagination of yours. The day you stop gathering random household items to create barns for your animals (plastic ones or your little brother making horse noises) will be a sad day in my book. At this rate, you will be the next bestselling author and I just can't wait to read your stories! Kindergarten was a harder transition for you, missing mommy, just getting used to the school scene. But this year, Chloe, you have taken to school with ease. I get to come into your class every Wednesday this year to be a guest reader, which is truly one of the highlights of my week! You are so proud to show me off to your classmates and I just love having you sit on my lap while I read to you and your friends. And you've found a strong subject this year, sweet girl, you are quite the math wiz! Knock on wood, homework time is a breeze for you and your reading gets stronger every day it seems. Wow, I'm sure going to miss the days of having you home all the time, I have some precious memories of that time we had together. But at the same time, it gives me such joy to see you thriving as a little student, getting to hear all about your day in the car on the way home, the friendship ups and downs, the exciting things you're learning in science. Don't ever stop talking Rooie, telling me everything, the ups and the downs, the good and the bad. You are such a gift to your dad and I, sweet Chloe Paige! We are so blessed and lucky to get to love you as our own as we raise you up, pointing you towards Jesus and His perfect love and plan for you. Happy sixth birthday baby girl! You are beautiful, inside and out!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-12388559664113178382012-08-06T12:40:00.002-07:002012-08-06T12:44:20.018-07:00Making Sense of the Desert PlacesPerhaps you’re like me and received Jesus as a child, or maybe it was
just a few years ago. Regardless, you remember the moment, maybe it was
over the course of weeks or months, but you remember the joy, the
butterflies as the Holy Spirit took up residence in your heart and made
you a new creation. Everything was new and you hungered for God and His
Word like no craving you’ve ever known. As Thumper from Bambi would say,
you were twitterpated! And then life kept moving forward, and for one
reason or another, the spark faded a bit. You watched the flame dwindle
and despite your best efforts and desires, you couldn’t get it roaring
again. Fast forward in time and a really hard life transition was upon
you. Once again, you found yourself clinging to Jesus with white knuckle
grip. He wooed you to Himself, showing you the emptiness of all the
world has to offer , your desperate need for Him, and you were head over
heals yet again.<br />
I could go on and on, couldn’t I? I mean I really don’t think I’ve ever
met another Christian who hasn’t described these waves of closeness and
distance when they talk about their walk, have you? So what can we make
of these peaks and valleys, of these dry desert places and abundant
gardens? What purposes is God working in this pattern, a pattern the
saints have walked for all of history? First let me say that I am
writing these words from a desert place. With parched lips and a
growling tummy, I’m processing these questions with you. I am begging
God to give me insight. After all, if you’re like me, it can bury you
further in discouragement to hear from someone who only USED to be where
you are. Fear creeps in that we may never get out of here, that we may
never know the taste again of a deep and vibrant walk. I think the
following passage explains our struggle well,<br />
Romans 7:15-25-<br />
<i>“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that
the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it
is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in
my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot
carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I
do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want
to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does
it.</i><br />
<i> So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right
there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see
another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within
my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body
of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”</i><br />
It seems like a pretty hopeless picture if we stop reading before the
last sentence… but then there IS that last sentence and in it we find
our answer! So who will rescue us from this body of death? Jesus! Yes,
the Sunday school answer. But maybe we over complicate things in our
minds so that we can’t see the simple answer. Because of Jesus, we are
new creatures, the old has gone and the new has come. I think the
thought process that keeps us down is the false belief that because we
are new creations, we should be perfect, that if we don’t have that
blissful, awe inspiring quiet time every day that we have failed and can
never really be good enough so why try. We wonder what’s wrong with us.
Surely everyone else is having these said quiet times and we must be
missing something profound. Oh how Satan would love for us to wallow
defeated in this vicious cycle. But maybe, just maybe, these dry places,
while never meant to be places we stay and linger comfortably, do have a
good purpose. When you think about the picture of a desert and someone
staggering to find the end of it, what’s the one thing on their mind?
Water! And how good does the water taste when they finally find it?
REALLY good! So perhaps, just as trials serve the purpose of showing us
our deep need for Jesus and of pushing us to stop seeking things that
will never satisfy, dry spells can serve the same purpose. Being hungry
for Him, thirsty for His presence means that eating and drinking will be
all the sweeter.<br />
So what if, as the Romans passage explains, though the thirst and the
hunger and the desire is there, we can’t seem to pick up our feet to
walk in the direction of the water (FYI, this feels like me at the
moment)? I’m drawn back to the answer in that last sentence of the
passage, “through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Am I understanding this
correctly? Jesus is going to help me pick up my feet and walk towards
the water? Maybe my prayer needs to be even simpler, “Father, help me to
lift up my feet and walk to your Word, to open my mouth to pray.” And
maybe those staggering, baby steps need to be small enough that I can
take them on an empty tank. One verse a day could grow into one chapter a
day and praying every time I use the bathroom could grow into prayer
without ceasing… but only by His strength. And perhaps the lush gardens
are fewer and further between than the desert places by design. As we
crave towards more intimacy with the Lord, as we stagger and sway in
weakness towards the only One who can quench our thirst we are also
staggering towards the ultimate lush garden that we’ll never have to
leave, heaven. We have the promise of such sweet communion with our God,
it will make those first butterflies seem like dusty moths in
comparison!<br />
So let’s link arms, sisters, when we find ourselves in these
uncomfortable desert places, and spur one another on towards the water
of His Word and the banquet of His presence. “Father, we pray a simple
prayer in weakness. We ask that you would help us lift our weak and
failing legs to walk towards your Word, towards YOU, oh precious living
water. Let us not wallow in defeat, but rather help us see these parched
times as times that draw us towards you! Amen”<br />
<br />
<i>Psalms 63:1 -"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for
you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is
no water." </i>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-36832816328054005482012-07-17T12:09:00.000-07:002012-08-21T20:31:37.844-07:00Emma is 8!Happy 8th Birthday Emma! I may have said this for earlier birthdays too, but I just can't believe it's been eight years since I first beheld your precious 8lb. 4oz. form for the first time. To say I was in love at first sight is an understatement, because I fell in love with you long before that. Before God ever created you in my womb, I wanted you. I dreamed of having a daughter of my own, prayed for you, and oh how undeservedly blessed I am to have you!<br />
<br />
There has been something special about this eighth year of your life, something about you really coming into your own, that has blessed my socks off! You are MY girl, yes, and you are a lot like me in many ways. But you are also beautifully unique, the only you God has made, and I get the privilege of being your mama for as long as God will let me. This year you have moved into your own room, something you're giddy about. Just a small reminder that you are growing up and I wish it could slow down:(. Your outward beauty is obvious sweet girl, so many people tell you so, but what amazes me and makes me smile from ear to ear is your heart. You love others well, you enjoy serving and encouraging, reminding others of how much you love them by every means you can think of. Homemade cards, daily "I love you more than _____"s, doing things for others, giving them gifts. You are such a great student as well, always doing your best for your teacher, showing respect to the adults in your life, you are a sweet fragrance to every person in your life, sweet peanut! This year you got into Centennial Children's Choir. Your love for singing, and the way you smile at me in the audience while you do it melts my heart into a puddle. I am so proud of you, sweet girl, for every part of who you are. And even when you struggle, against sin and selfishness, as we all do, know that my love for you never changes, because God's love for you never changes! He sent Jesus to die for you sweetheart, a gift you received personally when you were 7 and that you can celebrate every day as you are washed with new mercy. It's not to earn His favor that you live to please Him, but because of His favor, the gift of your salvation, adoption into His family, that you live your life to glorify Him. As we head into your ninth year, your dad and I will be praying for you every day, that God will continue to shape you into all He wants you to be. He has good plans for you, precious girl, and it is our pleasure to watch those plans unfold and to love you the best we can along the way.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-10462516252666022712012-05-07T09:25:00.000-07:002012-05-07T09:27:39.287-07:00Fergus and Mabel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We make plans for our families, it's what parents do right? And we get
excited, really excited, about the ways we plan to add joy to family
life. It was about three months ago that I started making such a plan.
A friend of ours found out her cat, that she inherited from the
previous owners of her home, was having kittens. They were told this
cat was a male, so imagine my friend's shock. My wheels started turning
immediately! Our kids have wanted a pet forever and we keep saying
"later, later, later". Well what if this could be later?! I talked it
over with Travis and after a few weeks of thought, he said yes. I was
giddy. I had both cats and dogs all of my growing up years, but I've
never been "the mama" to a pet, you know, the one who cares for that pet
from day one. So I staked my claim, Tricia granted me first pick of
the litter. And I waited. They were born on March 2nd. Yes, I
remember the date, because who wouldn't remember the birthday of a
beloved member of their family? And then we had to wait some more, they
wouldn't be ready for 6-8 weeks. As the pictures came in, my
excitement grew. And then we told the kids, they were ecstatic! Chloe
started a countdown, she had it down the day without missing a beat. I
ordered a litter box and cat climber, dishes, a brush, toys,
researched litter and got their little spot all ready in the laundry
room. We picked a precious little gray kitty that stole our hearts. We
went out to meet the kittens when they were just barely walking, there's
just nothing sweeter than wobbling, tiny kittens! Travis was surprised
how smitten he was, for someone who never had cats growing up. He
asked me on the way home if I thought it would be good to get two
instead of one. I loved the idea! There were three white females with
the most adorable gray ears, faces, and tails. So we thought it over as
the weeks moved on, and the night before we planned to go get Fergus,
we decided to get one of the girls too, we named her Mabel. On
homecoming day, the kids were on pins and needles, asking multiple times
throughout the morning and early afternoon, "is it time to get Fergus
and Mabel yet?" They bolted out of the car when we got to my friend's
house. When we put them in the carrier for the ride home, it felt
official, our babies were coming home. It's amazing how much joy
playful kittens can bring to every day life, they are so entertaining to
watch! They took right to their litter box and bed and toys. Their
cat climber was a huge hit, this became their favorite nap spot. And
our love grew for them every single day. Every morning when I first saw
them, they gave me special purrs and longing looks and every evening
they snuggled with me on the couch to nap and play and purr with my
petting. I often glanced over at Travis just beaming, and he was
falling for them too. And the kids, oh my goodness, I'm pretty sure
they never once asked to watch a movie that week, those little babies
became their world. But that's all we got with our precious fur balls,
one short but beautiful week. Sawyer came down with a cold a few days
before we got the kittens, so when his eyes started getting red and
watery, we just assumed it was related to the cold, maybe pink eye
setting in. I refused to go to the possibility of allergies in my mind
because I just didn't want to believe it could be possible. But then on
Thursday of that week, after red, itchy, watery eyes off and on
throughout the week, Fergus licked Sawyer on the face. Little white
bumps started to form around his eye and then his eye almost completely
swelled shut as the day progressed. I knew it in my heart then, he was
allergic to cats... and my heart sank. I called all over town to
allergy docs to see if we could get him in immediately to get tested. I
got him in for a friday appointment and sure enough, he is highly
allergic to cats. He also showed allergies to dogs, horses, mice, and
cluster of certain trees. The doctor talked us through all the
medications and sinus rinses she was prescribing for Sawyer and my ears
tuned out, I knew what had to be done. There was no way we could put
Sawyer on a laundry list of medications just so we could have cats.
There are things we can do as he grows up to try to improve his immunity
to cats and other animals, but it isn't putting Sawyer first to make
him suffer in the mean time. Oh it was heart breaking! So I put the
word out to find a new home for the kittens. It didn't take long and a
friend from my childhood offered to take them both, which was great
because I really wanted them to stay together. When we got home, we
broke the news to Emma and Chloe. They were sad and angry and then just
sad. Chloe asked at one point if we could sell Sawyer at a garage
sale! She was only half joking, the little stinker. And Emma couldn't
stop the tears, she just kept saying, "I REALLY don't want them to go!"
On Saturday morning, we packed everything up and the girls came with me
to bring them to their new home. We all held up okay while we were
dropping them off, but on the way home, we all broke down. My friend's
older cats weren't too sure of these new creatures, naturally, and one
hissed at Mabel at one point. Little Mabel hissed back in her tiny his
and was shaking. Emma kept recounting how sad it made her to see Mabel
so scared and that they would have had a better life with us. And I
couldn't stop crying either, I think I was so focused on how much the
kids were suffering that I completely ignored how much this whole thing
was hurting my own heart. I wanted these kittens, they were MY babies!
I had been planning for them for months. But then it washed over me,
what a gift this experience was for my kids, for me, for all of us. It
was training ground for the heartaches of life, the disappointments that
leave us broken and sad. It is moments like these that are the places
we have to ask where our true joy comes from, what fulfills us, what is
God teaching us in the disappointments? And my heart smiled at my
Savior and He smiled back as I talked to the girls about this very truth
on the way home. And then Emma said she wanted to pray, and it was one
of the sweetest, most genuine prayers I've ever heard from her lips.
She told God about how sad we are and then thanked him for promising to
comfort us. And then she went through a list of gratitude, that we got
to have them for a week and that we got to give them to this new family
who would now get to love them. She thanked Him for all we DO have and
asked Him to help her be grateful. The pain didn't stop after we
prayed, but our perspectives did. And I praised the Lord for this hurt,
because it pointed our hearts to Him. </div>
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Good bye sweet kitties! We
loved you well for that precious week and we will never forget you!<br />
Job 1:21- "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." </div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-52091756121116143452012-04-30T10:21:00.003-07:002012-04-30T10:21:38.524-07:00Catching Up<div style="text-align: center;">
Brushing the dust off this blog, whew it's been a full month! I guess it's true that sometimes you're too busy living life to blog about it, I'll count that as a good thing:). I'll start with Easter Pictures. What a beautiful day we had to celebrate our risen Savior!</div>
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Our little "Noodle" is walking well now, I officially have a toddler in every sense of the word! The girls only have four more weeks of school, needless to say May will not be any less full than April has been. I'm already drawing up our plans for summer which will include so many fun things! Swimming lessons, farm camp, choir camp, school time, VBS, lazy days by the pool and picnics at the park, camping, road trips, new baby nephew to meet, but most importantly, time to love on my children 24/7! My big girls have loved school so much this year, but I'm excited to have them to myself for a few months. It's hard to believe it will be garden planting time next weekend! We already have strawberry plants, raspberries, blackberries and rhubarb taking off. Life is beautiful because God gives it! He is good all the time. We had a sad course of events over the past week, but we are counting the gifts even in the midst of broken hearts. These events deserve their own post... soon.</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-21756544229648435742012-03-22T18:11:00.001-07:002012-03-22T18:14:06.333-07:00These Two<div style="text-align: center;">Watching Sawyer be a big brother to Autumn is so heart warming. He loves this baby girl, and no one told him he has to, he just genuinely does. When they wake up from their naps, he always asks if Autumn can sit with him while they drink their juice. She always loves this arrangement as much as he does:). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnny6FZrEBIrqNVgcL8K7qa7R4FL5alAsNp1XCjko-SV45EHOYaYtJhSokrdGuPcn-ZX57dsPIER8cj8DFLHI9Sxgoc2nkltae_d1SNZ1TSBW4lJv9dCp58ddU1kWvRvK8fnfPZA/s1600/edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnny6FZrEBIrqNVgcL8K7qa7R4FL5alAsNp1XCjko-SV45EHOYaYtJhSokrdGuPcn-ZX57dsPIER8cj8DFLHI9Sxgoc2nkltae_d1SNZ1TSBW4lJv9dCp58ddU1kWvRvK8fnfPZA/s320/edit1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> And this kiss? Ya, not prompted by me at all, he just can't get enough of her. He often looks at me and says with amazement, "she's just so cute mommy!" Tonight while they were taking a bath together, Autumn slipped a bit and he pulled her right up quickly and said, "whoa, that was close!" Then he turned to me and said, "don't worry mama, I'll always save Autumn when she falls." And I believe he will. I praise the Lord for this special blooming relationship.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkF-FcI9z-BrQgobLP26n4dpc_lRUJr6QAn3q6FvvsrIHUIs_3FZkpDVEefMmOKRMh3GUA0dq6VpYInYwmpzJOkUXVwjMczCquHgUtE77QmMHHZwoBFaFSndppTuuDgmAmXT2Jw/s1600/edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkF-FcI9z-BrQgobLP26n4dpc_lRUJr6QAn3q6FvvsrIHUIs_3FZkpDVEefMmOKRMh3GUA0dq6VpYInYwmpzJOkUXVwjMczCquHgUtE77QmMHHZwoBFaFSndppTuuDgmAmXT2Jw/s320/edit2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-18606703318820121362012-03-16T20:51:00.001-07:002012-03-16T21:16:57.066-07:00Update in random- It's the middle of March and we've had a week of unseasonably warm weather, I'm talking mid-70's all week! Did I mention this week has also been our spring break? It has been positively perfect! I even let the kids have the wading pool out one day (I know, call me crazy:)! We filled it up with hot water from the kitchen sink and they were in heaven. It's been a summer dreaming kind of week, filled with park dates and sun-kissed skin. I sigh a happy sigh:). Yesterday Travis took the day off and we went to the museum. They had a live lizard and snack exhibit, which was a huge hit.<br />
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- As happy and warm as the week was, I'm tired. As I sit here this evening, all the kids in bed and Travis out with some friends, the silence is golden. Spring break is a good reminder that a plan, some sort of loose schedule, is a must for the summer. Last year I had a more structured morning for us and then let the afternoons be more free, it worked really well and the kids thrived knowing what to expect each day and keeping up on school work helped them stay ready for the following year.<br />
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- I'm feeling a bit restless. Perhaps it's a bit of spring fever, but I just have this feeling that change is coming. Not sure what kind of change, but sensing God moving our lives in a new direction soon, hmmm....<br />
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- Some fun trips are coming up, a women's retreat for me next month, our anniversary trip in May, then a trip for Autumn and I in June for my cousin's wedding, and a family road trip to see my brother and sister-in-law and to meet our newest nephew (due July 8th) at the end of the summer. I love to travel, kids or no, it just does my soul some good to see new places and break up our routines a bit.<br />
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- Needing more time in the Word, longing for it. Have you been studying any particular book the Bible lately? How bout Bible study books that have been great?<br />
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- Autumn is finally sleeping all the way through the night!!! I think four nights in a row can make it official right? I can't tell you how wonderful it is to sleep an entire night through til daylight:). Thank you Lord!<br />
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- It's time to edit some pictures before my eyelids get any heavier. I recently took pictures of an absolutely adorable 8 month old! I'm planning on getting back in the saddle on my photography blog soon, I have SO many pics to get up there!<br />
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- I am blessed, no if's, ands, or buts about it! Nighty night:).Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-41835210122807056902012-03-05T13:36:00.000-07:002012-03-05T13:36:28.687-07:00Autumn's First Birthday!<div style="text-align: center;">My baby is one. We had such a special day celebrating our sweet little tulip!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5l71uu-Z8ZMGRa9eFGrAvurJRKFl1q3mcgYcDnJARnPO5T11qvQv6SEErabFfDCT5C31Sr97bjpTSyX70r2EfJ9KRp1bOlvj0eqsb8kTe_JRap0yggxOR7AzlPeMQQpciOGsLEA/s1600/edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5l71uu-Z8ZMGRa9eFGrAvurJRKFl1q3mcgYcDnJARnPO5T11qvQv6SEErabFfDCT5C31Sr97bjpTSyX70r2EfJ9KRp1bOlvj0eqsb8kTe_JRap0yggxOR7AzlPeMQQpciOGsLEA/s320/edit1.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-a_8I_SbVmZHiDCEQf8SNrEOMV0lk1bWZA69V6fQwGCX1M7W6JaK_prJClHP-Jq42uYY3bnpkm2Pv2J1ZorfpatrzmzXOFPnJekVCnTL9dNamraEzj_vcOcJDyOR-vrUbe7wmA/s1600/edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-a_8I_SbVmZHiDCEQf8SNrEOMV0lk1bWZA69V6fQwGCX1M7W6JaK_prJClHP-Jq42uYY3bnpkm2Pv2J1ZorfpatrzmzXOFPnJekVCnTL9dNamraEzj_vcOcJDyOR-vrUbe7wmA/s320/edit2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Whole Foods carrot cake is the best!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6h_eCw3RanknXKuhGj5l2rh37e3Jy-bYT2Rh6reG31VJ0whi0-yaIcmGbcnGEd2oi_PKNi8hp34DnrJRZvCuw_LPQ75aQxZpn9EyhFjevLLwzZEHf1tOlEX9_7im6VrmR-SAd6g/s1600/edit10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6h_eCw3RanknXKuhGj5l2rh37e3Jy-bYT2Rh6reG31VJ0whi0-yaIcmGbcnGEd2oi_PKNi8hp34DnrJRZvCuw_LPQ75aQxZpn9EyhFjevLLwzZEHf1tOlEX9_7im6VrmR-SAd6g/s320/edit10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xbodIu1Y0octnCRliwaXbT5_v-YEcLt1O-dl9rRrwdLVBURQJnbcQTTzPuwKsArPz0jTbcNKlfJjr4_jP9s8AJi_NkPOduhPMRsWT8AkrZVm99RuSTTqJ0mZJdyKNrjNXipSKQ/s1600/edit11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xbodIu1Y0octnCRliwaXbT5_v-YEcLt1O-dl9rRrwdLVBURQJnbcQTTzPuwKsArPz0jTbcNKlfJjr4_jP9s8AJi_NkPOduhPMRsWT8AkrZVm99RuSTTqJ0mZJdyKNrjNXipSKQ/s320/edit11.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Snuggles with Grammy</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-phy63CYHmUBQY_fOj7QQrKGwSn6-ZkNbQPO6v0nN7hOs5wpPTK3U_MShE1p0xzjgrZeEV-lTqWsuHa4vGuuykp3MgVGcg21yDNDsoujfNNrehNADxJS4MQnKsg1SbaBKESP7_A/s1600/edit5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-phy63CYHmUBQY_fOj7QQrKGwSn6-ZkNbQPO6v0nN7hOs5wpPTK3U_MShE1p0xzjgrZeEV-lTqWsuHa4vGuuykp3MgVGcg21yDNDsoujfNNrehNADxJS4MQnKsg1SbaBKESP7_A/s320/edit5.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Silly, sweet Cousins! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipESLIZFgTspacFo9ETsZ-qf-r5XFJe3sy83idtjbq0LHUj_kOQv9lPTiJCxJZ0p8m1bcD4v_YI9dnRO7vYhZjO1XzaoP46svF4Zwc4hD8aeeMxPTJCGjenoL7yMeBkTrhKojPyw/s1600/edit3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipESLIZFgTspacFo9ETsZ-qf-r5XFJe3sy83idtjbq0LHUj_kOQv9lPTiJCxJZ0p8m1bcD4v_YI9dnRO7vYhZjO1XzaoP46svF4Zwc4hD8aeeMxPTJCGjenoL7yMeBkTrhKojPyw/s320/edit3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Autumn and Alina are just about nine months apart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHEdhkeleJ1wDpdRHp2b_5HZuci8VTs0L81ZLxxjo3vhxteeAMrXAB-qkFvbntLnas_JIh7S8jCLdim6v_gTmbQwuJGd6eG4QBgO489BM077p3Uom9HOubx8d1giib10Ic1WXOA/s1600/edit4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHEdhkeleJ1wDpdRHp2b_5HZuci8VTs0L81ZLxxjo3vhxteeAMrXAB-qkFvbntLnas_JIh7S8jCLdim6v_gTmbQwuJGd6eG4QBgO489BM077p3Uom9HOubx8d1giib10Ic1WXOA/s320/edit4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaexJJEOJ0veE6P2d2NRVFAo5OZWvZ3oJuAVhHEUUZIFYs97cCWFujE8vIPEP0n3FLNte1fJhOzzy9Q5j8OQwN09NJnNy9TRyQc-szpD-hPEVINNlB0ZEnB_9DSjv_reb3HTmDA/s1600/edit12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaexJJEOJ0veE6P2d2NRVFAo5OZWvZ3oJuAVhHEUUZIFYs97cCWFujE8vIPEP0n3FLNte1fJhOzzy9Q5j8OQwN09NJnNy9TRyQc-szpD-hPEVINNlB0ZEnB_9DSjv_reb3HTmDA/s320/edit12.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">She was all smiles during gift time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LAlX2A2ZZ7AjydJC1z874J80H0_c6UlFov_CKcvrxi-PGECOrbe7qlc-uHbDJrFnIf1TLY_PXZIafGA3pWouPOgpVKkQqpVY5iegI492euMuBhhrzf1LqCpVTp2bvOT4OyuHxw/s1600/edit13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LAlX2A2ZZ7AjydJC1z874J80H0_c6UlFov_CKcvrxi-PGECOrbe7qlc-uHbDJrFnIf1TLY_PXZIafGA3pWouPOgpVKkQqpVY5iegI492euMuBhhrzf1LqCpVTp2bvOT4OyuHxw/s320/edit13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjzxxqoOqdxmVYkhK52bI01lOtFeq8E8P2Yq2qL5KLqpuVklEUFaDXtIztzOne4pNzq9Tw1UI1dG5n-9b5egit7fwLtiZosGuof21FMQdXDatLBy4MyVyngVGqSmlxndcEcjCrQ/s1600/edit16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjzxxqoOqdxmVYkhK52bI01lOtFeq8E8P2Yq2qL5KLqpuVklEUFaDXtIztzOne4pNzq9Tw1UI1dG5n-9b5egit7fwLtiZosGuof21FMQdXDatLBy4MyVyngVGqSmlxndcEcjCrQ/s320/edit16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I think the baby Nana gave her was her favorite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OOYC0JokMmM_ZI36aeVwHcsmRsPRKt7E22sdsdJ7ayONvsYVXpBA5HTnJ9JOxRis-DlfIOCyS4qjOs4phcPNM9vLBFMHa2KxE2-IuKYuocAI7ge_jj_uLs3L3efyHPthxHA41g/s1600/edit17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OOYC0JokMmM_ZI36aeVwHcsmRsPRKt7E22sdsdJ7ayONvsYVXpBA5HTnJ9JOxRis-DlfIOCyS4qjOs4phcPNM9vLBFMHa2KxE2-IuKYuocAI7ge_jj_uLs3L3efyHPthxHA41g/s320/edit17.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbgVPNg8MUCXm3tEqG08x4G4iaMYEbPiTZ5by0jYgMVo-da9sw8BEWcsSJ1Ovtf6DVcteBFPxlAGCr3_CohO-gPjSU2Ko0zdSk8INj0W_0JKBA2EAUw8Bj-X4xQtpmsr07AHvsA/s1600/edit18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbgVPNg8MUCXm3tEqG08x4G4iaMYEbPiTZ5by0jYgMVo-da9sw8BEWcsSJ1Ovtf6DVcteBFPxlAGCr3_CohO-gPjSU2Ko0zdSk8INj0W_0JKBA2EAUw8Bj-X4xQtpmsr07AHvsA/s320/edit18.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Autumn adoring her Nana!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoCz0iLpxp6l_tvCqjH91q7AZwmMSHWx3srCqY9PCLhJs3MOMFyuTJChA3Acty9VVXWUGItbC5KVeiqlS5LEdXu_cfIB9r_pehrLTel6n7SXCmaHAD6RkHAbeoKio-s8y-L1mRg/s1600/edit6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoCz0iLpxp6l_tvCqjH91q7AZwmMSHWx3srCqY9PCLhJs3MOMFyuTJChA3Acty9VVXWUGItbC5KVeiqlS5LEdXu_cfIB9r_pehrLTel6n7SXCmaHAD6RkHAbeoKio-s8y-L1mRg/s320/edit6.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-phy63CYHmUBQY_fOj7QQrKGwSn6-ZkNbQPO6v0nN7hOs5wpPTK3U_MShE1p0xzjgrZeEV-lTqWsuHa4vGuuykp3MgVGcg21yDNDsoujfNNrehNADxJS4MQnKsg1SbaBKESP7_A/s1600/edit5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mommy and Daddy's sweet Tulip!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIbpUm2JzDgprGPtcUFr-2rF8xApLrMXnJ_W-im1P6F8lizcxVg-nQINPsLB_gUguK1uY0EC1AtL3L_94R6s4jYWsv2C_UiB7qjDrndAjIqpUvf2x89xXuFMzhfhyphenhyphenfPVYLCy39g/s1600/edit7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIbpUm2JzDgprGPtcUFr-2rF8xApLrMXnJ_W-im1P6F8lizcxVg-nQINPsLB_gUguK1uY0EC1AtL3L_94R6s4jYWsv2C_UiB7qjDrndAjIqpUvf2x89xXuFMzhfhyphenhyphenfPVYLCy39g/s320/edit7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Autumn loves her Grammy and Papa!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujwSU5CrwkTCPcdGkXm6BoWGdqGCpSfYARYIYqsdeS85Bkhv6vc2PTrF-cqObwaDqgem9c_HR6IMNpktrgQU2br_dYmENfW45vtxurLzHO52KTBozGai7yoI_Q1p-wlrKgD3JjQ/s1600/edit8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujwSU5CrwkTCPcdGkXm6BoWGdqGCpSfYARYIYqsdeS85Bkhv6vc2PTrF-cqObwaDqgem9c_HR6IMNpktrgQU2br_dYmENfW45vtxurLzHO52KTBozGai7yoI_Q1p-wlrKgD3JjQ/s320/edit8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg907sFWpaJ2WzZRlAVGgxnnBD4dEWud9Po45oyo-cZWNWC2CO5r0lGpWkgXP5tLkxeG01hbOJNpbiVtceUbMGSYS5pqfSYCy0FF7EkSBu4NXjn0iqfFbc-YndiNsNmoGlzouwEUA/s1600/edit9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg907sFWpaJ2WzZRlAVGgxnnBD4dEWud9Po45oyo-cZWNWC2CO5r0lGpWkgXP5tLkxeG01hbOJNpbiVtceUbMGSYS5pqfSYCy0FF7EkSBu4NXjn0iqfFbc-YndiNsNmoGlzouwEUA/s320/edit9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">A tuckered birthday girl. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFRnxsCa2bP64jZ0dsIRoAFBu7ennMNpr2Uw8Jkr_Ep90pNGvOhK75H2yZEa2zQqMbX3e2OjJ2756rLQMXbBaKFdBVChYq0DtOMWRtfhWknZUJKkVSTANalfg0EwM0pqHZjLf0A/s1600/edit19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFRnxsCa2bP64jZ0dsIRoAFBu7ennMNpr2Uw8Jkr_Ep90pNGvOhK75H2yZEa2zQqMbX3e2OjJ2756rLQMXbBaKFdBVChYq0DtOMWRtfhWknZUJKkVSTANalfg0EwM0pqHZjLf0A/s320/edit19.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">And since Chloe was too busy playing with her cousins to make any of the pictures from that day, here's our sweet Roo at cousin Klain's first birthday a few days later. Happy birthday to our sweet Klain! Just a week and a half younger than Autumn.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-ojBks28sYm55qYDM1t4el4ZUWFogffAp3_ELoBy_BNsuiuS0VZKBsZq68eSwQLSv0uEnzpT1_81Dl8VS68mic_ZsGUG-H7Q-C70hqk43-7ufD6adwD_FY88KvWtneGivhACoQ/s1600/February+2012+093.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-ojBks28sYm55qYDM1t4el4ZUWFogffAp3_ELoBy_BNsuiuS0VZKBsZq68eSwQLSv0uEnzpT1_81Dl8VS68mic_ZsGUG-H7Q-C70hqk43-7ufD6adwD_FY88KvWtneGivhACoQ/s320/February+2012+093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-89896801001550217242012-02-28T08:40:00.000-07:002012-02-28T08:40:05.094-07:00When We've Been WoundedHave you been in this place? Heart beating in your throat, trembling with emotion. The mind says angry but the heart screams hurt. When the hurt is doled out and leaves our jaw on the floor. But why are we so surprised, at this heart sinking hurt? To love, to pursue in friendship is to open our chests and ask for it, right?, because sin spares no one and no one is without sin. What does God have for me in these wakes of rejection? How does he want to heal the sorrow of not being liked or wanted or understood? Run away and shut the door, lock it, that's what I want to do, let the tears flow, wallow in self pity, vow to hold that person at arms length from now on. But then I see Him in the corner, looking at me with an ache of understanding, He walks slowly towards me, arms open, head slightly to one side. He reaches his hand to my downcast chin and lifts my face to His and says, "sweet daughter, I know how this feels, to be rejected by those you love. I know what it is to be misunderstood, despised, to be hated. And I was without sin. But I kept on loving, I kept on being, I kept on doing all the Father asked of me because of my great love for YOU!" And then my heart hears it, the answer to my hurt. Because of my great love for HIM, because I have been forgiven much, I must love much, forgive much, ask for forgiveness even when it doesn't seem fair. Are boundaries really Biblical or have we culturally rationalized them to be good for our own protection? What if loving like Christ means expecting the hurt? What if the best way to show Him to the world is to respond to hurt in a way that defies logic? In a way that proves it is NOTHING in us, but all HIM in us. Oh this is a struggle, our pride hates this, but I grasp His hand and He takes the first step towards the door. He moves my hand to unlock the door. He walks out first and turns to me and says, "My power will be made perfect in your weakness." And so I walk out, take a deep breath, and choose to love more, forgive again, to let His light shine through this cracked and broken and ugly vessel. And if I run into that room again, I trust He will always walk me back out, because it is fire that refines, not feathers.<br />
<br />
<b>2 Corinthians 4:7-8</b> <i>"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair."</i><br />
<br />
<b>Isaiah 53:3-4</b> <i>"He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted." </i>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-3003142383784436602012-02-27T08:28:00.000-07:002012-02-27T08:28:55.770-07:00Why I Love MondaysI often hear moaning about Mondays, getting up early, starting out the routine of the week. But I'm going to buck the system and say that I LOVE them! No, I really mean it, I love Mondays! It's a fresh start see, not just a brand new day, but a brand new week, a brand new chance to start on the right foot, to prioritize my time and relationships, to seek the thrown of grace for those new mercies He promises and to allow Him to fill me up and send me out. Call me crazy, but I'm sure there is a smirk on my face, maybe a full on smile as I load that first load of laundry, make those school lunches, eat my breakfast looking at the big oak tree with the mountainous backdrop. This is the day the Lord has made, I think to myself, I will rejoice and be glad in it! My prayer this morning, "Father, give me the grace to step into your plan for me this week, to die to self and serve those you've placed in my care and life. Lord, show me any offensive way in me, grow fruit of your spirit in my life. I am weak, I fail every day, and I loath the ugliness of my sin. Show me how to live in your forgiveness, to BE the new creation I am because of Christ. Amen." Deep breath and here we go! So much love to you as you read this friend! May HIS power be made perfect in OUR weakness!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-49205944071931459852012-02-10T13:32:00.000-07:002012-02-10T13:32:18.212-07:00This and ThatCohesive essays are overrated... or at least I'll say that to make myself feel better about these random bullet points. <br />
- Just did my workout video! I feel so good after I'm done, but I'd be lying if I said I thoroughly enjoy it while I'm doing it. Jillian Michaels doesn't play around... but she IS giving me some awesome muscle definition, so I'll stop complaining.<br />
- Valentine's Day is coming up, and this is my first year to try to be homespun about it and make homemade valentines with the girls. I can't take all the credit though, I got the idea from Pinterest. What do you think?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ugwcuQcDfBpqQZXeIHfvL0nWNvislx58jyQi6_ZhlIHfGP5gST05YKQMkjuZkdiNnCcvn3xFiIOgHZOlNT214uNiD40b2TXu_r2ks906v0fecBFGBNEN7mxJkxjVqKkiXDfgzg/s1600/edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ugwcuQcDfBpqQZXeIHfvL0nWNvislx58jyQi6_ZhlIHfGP5gST05YKQMkjuZkdiNnCcvn3xFiIOgHZOlNT214uNiD40b2TXu_r2ks906v0fecBFGBNEN7mxJkxjVqKkiXDfgzg/s320/edit1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- I've been reading Organized Simplicity, great so far! Creating an atmosphere of peace and focus, what a gift to our families and ourselves! Still very much in process, but taking steps, it feels good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- I'm ready for a vacation! Just me and my man, some beautiful balmy weather, sleeping until my body naturally wakes up, eating delicious food, reading wonderful books by the water. Our ten year anniversary is coming up in a year and a half and we're hoping to make this dreaming a reality:). Perhaps a little weekend away can happen for our nine year too, fingers crossed:).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- My baby girl is turning one in just 12 days. Nope, not ready for this, not in the least. I've decided she will only ever be months old, not years, because after all you're still a baby when your age is referred to in months right? Here are a couple of her one year pics I took about a week ago. Oh the preciousness!!!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKww2Nl2pPqb9G84KYm6aat9X_VGjdsWkwot2uv2_epJUoI064mf0m1u_i5jAIiW4HxydJkr_7ruBOkxuVbBs_83CdRKenjHnvREf1RHCR9XTIUDqVLuYhBncp1sdzqKpzQUnHrw/s1600/edit12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKww2Nl2pPqb9G84KYm6aat9X_VGjdsWkwot2uv2_epJUoI064mf0m1u_i5jAIiW4HxydJkr_7ruBOkxuVbBs_83CdRKenjHnvREf1RHCR9XTIUDqVLuYhBncp1sdzqKpzQUnHrw/s320/edit12.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq3Zvz9IBd2E3NCEC9bXz5dBDe9ryFr4Dp2UrFVccDKkWkes28GEF3cq4G_Q-wARMEYqyWzGU0pXr1fR6gmbtwyXxPZsQIf7_zlMj-m3ebnPoKaFxy_Nn4Yo8iW8h1gjVn7XLZg/s1600/edit17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq3Zvz9IBd2E3NCEC9bXz5dBDe9ryFr4Dp2UrFVccDKkWkes28GEF3cq4G_Q-wARMEYqyWzGU0pXr1fR6gmbtwyXxPZsQIf7_zlMj-m3ebnPoKaFxy_Nn4Yo8iW8h1gjVn7XLZg/s320/edit17.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2DCYtyLLrFEcWsFOxkwGmHNsxgCe8ZCJcGc516mDdCeRPBFf2HO26Dcte-TG9K5qjEspKb9gmiXfP8ogxf0k9jAGeo6aH8F5ql-Sle2MymOygPnCu-aOJbTFrdR_5EGbwAx2Vg/s1600/edit5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2DCYtyLLrFEcWsFOxkwGmHNsxgCe8ZCJcGc516mDdCeRPBFf2HO26Dcte-TG9K5qjEspKb9gmiXfP8ogxf0k9jAGeo6aH8F5ql-Sle2MymOygPnCu-aOJbTFrdR_5EGbwAx2Vg/s320/edit5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>- Travis needs a new car. And when I say "needs" I really mean it. He has a 1986 Buick that we inherited from a great Aunt upon her passing. Free car, no payment, exactly up our alley, but it's on it's last leg. It dies at random intersections, emits an awful smell, so the windows always need to be cracked, and the girls only have lap belts in the back seat while riding to school in the mornings. Time to start a craigslist search...<br />
-Do you want to know what I think about at about 5:30am every morning? "I wonder how much one of those temper pedic mattresses cost? I wonder how long we'd have to save for one?" Yes, our mattress set of 8 years is starting to give us aches and pains each morning:(. My back aches so much that it wakes me early each morning restless and unable to go back to sleep until I finally give up and get up before the alarm:(.<br />
- Emma just had her hero project at school, she picked Jesus:). She had so much fun making her Jesus figure and doing her research. She was especially excited to tell her friends about Him in hopes that some might ask Him into their hearts. It makes a mama's heart sing to hear this kind of excitement about sharing the good news!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkmXHZ5jTNlVx10jKAvnWBkBU6uJpjij0H7C-grEVi17-2PaCrpS7i-JWLz3sOnLAlf4oRrgLFcu8xYxpvlR32lgmnQuP-ZqzWM85c5-KvpaWdm0Zmpuh-3VMq6GOrWLQt9mCuw/s1600/edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkmXHZ5jTNlVx10jKAvnWBkBU6uJpjij0H7C-grEVi17-2PaCrpS7i-JWLz3sOnLAlf4oRrgLFcu8xYxpvlR32lgmnQuP-ZqzWM85c5-KvpaWdm0Zmpuh-3VMq6GOrWLQt9mCuw/s320/edit2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>- Chloe is reading! Such an amazing skill to master and she's doing so well so far, getting faster every day it seems. And boy is her confidence growing at school, I'm so proud of my little sweetie:).<br />
- How's my "one plan" going you might ask? Well, pretty good I suppose, although I certainly haven't done each of my "one" things every day, but just being aware of what I'm aiming for, a reminder to be purposeful has really been growing some new habits in me, all praise to the Lord!<br />
- I'm wondering if Sawyer might have some speech issues. He's 3.5 and talking all the time, just seems to have trouble with the initial sounds of some words and stutters quite a bit when he's trying to say something he's really excited to say. Going to make a call to our local school district to see about getting him evaluated. I'm guessing these are things he will outgrow, but I'm hoping to get some tips for how I can help him overcome these obstacles at home.<br />
- It's Friday, horay! Oh how I love me some weekend, whole family together for two days time! <br />
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</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-29296322108565919172012-01-20T08:57:00.000-07:002012-01-20T08:57:34.790-07:00Just One ThingIt's January, the infamous month of resolutions. And while some may role their eyes at the notion of making goals for change during the first month of the year, I think that no matter when it happens, it SHOULD happen. Prayerfully and humbly taking inventory of our lives and the way we are stewarding our time is important, at the very least on an annual basis if not more often. As I've been praying about the ways God wants me to grow in the management of my time, I believe He's given me a simple plan that revolves around the number "one". I think one of the pitfalls of new years resolutions is their complexity and hugeness. Now certainly people have been able to follow through on big goals, but I think for most of us, with lives that very much do NOT revolve around ourselves, need to keep it simple and small, building towards our goals one block at a time. So here it is, my "one plan":)...<br />
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One prayer before each task (praying for a different person/issue each time).<br />
One (at least) chunk of focused, one on one time with Travis and each of the kids every day.<br />
One load of laundry (from start to closet) every day.<br />
One room to clean from top to bottom each day (not that other rooms won't get tidied along the way).<br />
One weekly task each day (planning the menu, scrubbing toilets, vacuuming, etc...)<br />
One phone call to a friend each week.<br />
One chapter to read in the Word each day.<br />
One self care task each day, beyond a shower which is a given;) (exercise, reading a book, painting my nails, tweezing my eyebrows, etc...)<br />
One written letter to a friend each week (email or card)<br />
One verse/passage of scripture to memorize each month.<br />
One set amount of time on the computer each day (I'm thinking 30 minutes divided into 15 in the morning, 15 in the evening.)<br />
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This is my list for right now. These are goals, not a prison, a way to refocus on what I believe God has told me is important in my life. I pray for His mercy each morning, to empower me to live inside His priorities for me, not my own. If you would like to join me in making your own "one plan", or any other plan for that matter, let me know so we can pray for each other. I think my 15 minutes are about up, so I'll talk to you soon!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-44642375719869066872012-01-06T20:27:00.000-07:002012-01-06T20:27:40.091-07:00So I Don't Forget- SawyerI could, quite possibly, have the sweetest son that ever lived! Today he was watching Dumbo for the first time ever when he called for me in a sad voice. When I came to see what was wrong, he broke into tears and said, "Mommy, I don't like this movie, he not findin his mommy!" to which I replied with a smile, "but where's your mommy?" his face filled up with a smile through the tears and he said, "right here! Hold me mommy!" And I did, soaking in every ounce of his sweetness! Later on, right before bed, he asked me to rock him to sleep like Dumbo's mom, in my trunk. So I formed my best trunk and rocked while singing the "baby mine" song. I then waved goodnight to him with my "trunk". If he ever forgets how much he loves his mama or how very much I love him I will remind him of this story. Thank you Father, for letting me be Sawyer Michael's "Mrs. Jumbo"!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-38364614759889211612011-12-11T20:14:00.000-07:002011-12-11T20:14:59.395-07:00The Nutcracker<div style="text-align: center;">The day started with a fancy lunch at one of our favorite local Itallian restaurants downtown. Nana and Auntie Amber came up for our special girly date. We had amazing seats! This Nutcracker performance was beautiful and put us all in such a festive mood. I have fond memories of seeing The Nutcracker with my mom and grandma when I was little, I still have the Nutcracker souvenir from that day. I bought each of the girls a Clara ornament as a keepsake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaSY9rWYOab4IO2YQjGhmsncyqO0h42hLfIBbLBYEtd_ZdMF1sgYJhjRvQE1pJOE2aLjQ-oFZKeGYs-3QiJdd-kFm1JvTtyeJMnC5YKFz2ymF2itx61GCzHBj2pzgWFWLtMNCzw/s1600/edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaSY9rWYOab4IO2YQjGhmsncyqO0h42hLfIBbLBYEtd_ZdMF1sgYJhjRvQE1pJOE2aLjQ-oFZKeGYs-3QiJdd-kFm1JvTtyeJMnC5YKFz2ymF2itx61GCzHBj2pzgWFWLtMNCzw/s320/edit1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The girls with "Clara". She was an amazing ballerina for her age! I'm certain she's going places, and she was so sweet to boot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-8S2DG3BDLipafkUPUTVgq6M-iVFAae7R3Q3Ngn0YNFXqFIBjYia6w8WSGMY9d98ebtF4nxdKekgd5KV8ejdvPomb1QD6VrFRu_gOqc9FRN_AOYJW5htZbgwo5DV4KcXjeFDOQ/s1600/edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-8S2DG3BDLipafkUPUTVgq6M-iVFAae7R3Q3Ngn0YNFXqFIBjYia6w8WSGMY9d98ebtF4nxdKekgd5KV8ejdvPomb1QD6VrFRu_gOqc9FRN_AOYJW5htZbgwo5DV4KcXjeFDOQ/s320/edit2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here they are with another amazing ballerina. Chloe was pretty tired at this point, can you tell?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXgSIRzrvSl8J-BBpGApRP40yilMXhhdOZ2Vv6QWt_zY9XLm9u7ZhlHq23qmExPAZV55mU7I6DkYYuyQzU8yIANZqgSJJwMfiCTn4nKainGeYLWDf33MVoE-hu0Ijlb0UrdIpVQ/s1600/edit3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXgSIRzrvSl8J-BBpGApRP40yilMXhhdOZ2Vv6QWt_zY9XLm9u7ZhlHq23qmExPAZV55mU7I6DkYYuyQzU8yIANZqgSJJwMfiCTn4nKainGeYLWDf33MVoE-hu0Ijlb0UrdIpVQ/s320/edit3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And the best part of the whole day? That evening, the girls asked for Nutcracker music, dressed in their ballet outfits, helped each other put buns in their hair and danced around the living room with Nutcrackers in their hands. And of course, asked daddy to do lifts with them. I wish you could have seen the glee on their faces as daddy treated them like prim a ballerinas, priceless!</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21888203.post-1913132732317107062011-12-03T22:42:00.000-07:002011-12-03T22:42:36.198-07:00Autumn Mae at Nine Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q91guQWFacZRwh71QbNcEYSjIB9tqzQ9Dkgk52lFf6GBE0c3QLO5qPQYNJe1gGWesl4kUOX5RhoYKJzMtJaOLhBf0W8XIWYK8p6ON6a6yPBIF0xJUh2jQiMXKK7HRUrSnk5wwg/s1600/Lacy+Family+and+Nana+Grandpa+254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q91guQWFacZRwh71QbNcEYSjIB9tqzQ9Dkgk52lFf6GBE0c3QLO5qPQYNJe1gGWesl4kUOX5RhoYKJzMtJaOLhBf0W8XIWYK8p6ON6a6yPBIF0xJUh2jQiMXKK7HRUrSnk5wwg/s320/Lacy+Family+and+Nana+Grandpa+254.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mommy's precious baby girl!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIj_JFX8DPeljowC0ugHjsOFZ1lMtvF8eiz8p6QhgzJQ97GfDSpiLm-7K0xBllFFWb0pcfHplJVNYUrGud9nA3KRtCvfvk7I6N11L8eZJEXKGaSBpCWXcNbpBiOBtqIt5w2DUV4Q/s1600/Lacy+Family+and+Nana+Grandpa+252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIj_JFX8DPeljowC0ugHjsOFZ1lMtvF8eiz8p6QhgzJQ97GfDSpiLm-7K0xBllFFWb0pcfHplJVNYUrGud9nA3KRtCvfvk7I6N11L8eZJEXKGaSBpCWXcNbpBiOBtqIt5w2DUV4Q/s320/Lacy+Family+and+Nana+Grandpa+252.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Snugglin with Nana</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGbpUT5EpaC5XjEKceq7URTbXow9h0prsZL6jfkOAsrL5JfdYp3Glu6skXt9BJApWBxgTdHrHZOM-ogVc8xYldt_F_YpL-vZqLjCY5sTUK1L6EEkXgK_IUSy4uNRqixjMHtOkDg/s1600/Lacy+Family+and+Nana+Grandpa+240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGbpUT5EpaC5XjEKceq7URTbXow9h0prsZL6jfkOAsrL5JfdYp3Glu6skXt9BJApWBxgTdHrHZOM-ogVc8xYldt_F_YpL-vZqLjCY5sTUK1L6EEkXgK_IUSy4uNRqixjMHtOkDg/s320/Lacy+Family+and+Nana+Grandpa+240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A nap with daddy on the guest bed. Is it just me, or does that little foot peeking out of her blankie just beg to be eaten?!!! I'll post some crawling pics soon, baby proofing is in full swing over here!</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394084012129205626noreply@blogger.com1