Routines

So, between summer (lack of) routine, busy days (no naptimes), and  the move; I have been managing to stay up way too late and then I just can't get up in the mornings... Anyone else have this problem?  I am so busy being mommy during the day, and my house is so crazy loud, that I'm not able to get much done as far as writing, working,  or Thirty-one...  until oh sometime between 10:30 pm and 1:00 am.  But I have to find a better routine! So here is to another late night, and another morning that is going to come way too early! :) Goodnight. ~Cup of Daisies

Being a Patient Mother

Lately I have been learning alot about God.   With the move, trying to make a new house a home, a growing Thirty-One  business, and trying my hand at some free lance writing, I have found myself in unexplored territory.  I am pulled in many different direction, and still trying to find a good balance.

Unfortunately, in the midst of turmoil, I have lost my focus and my patients.  I absolutely despise bad attitudes, but unfortunately it is something I struggle with. I have been going through survival mode, and putting up a very strong front... The Lord has continually used my children to show me  the meaning of Grace, and gives me opportunity to practice patients and self control everyday! 

While looking for some encouragement and guidance the other day I came across these scriptures. If this is something you struggle with I pray they will bring you as much peace as they have me.

A Patient Mother --

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9

The Message (MSG)

 ^7-8"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
   the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
   putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
   never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
   bearing fresh fruit every season.

Romans 15:5

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,

Galatians 5:22

The Message (MSG)

 ^22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Philippians 4:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

James 1:3

The Message (MSG)

 ^2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

The End of a Chapter: The One Where We Move

Well. I am sitting here, in a bare room, blogging for the last time in this Home Sweet Home.

 Tomorrow is moving day!  It is a bitter sweet. We moved here when William had just turned 2, Cade was 6 weeks old, and Brennan was not even a twinkle in our eye.  For them, this home encompasses  every memory they hold so far. 2 of my 3 children took there first steps here. William has grown and started school here. We got our first dog here.
 Earlier, as we left they new house tonight and headed back home, this actually became a hard reality. William became serious stating "I don't want to move!"  It made  me come back from my excitement on the journey ahead, to remember that these sweet little boys didn't have the same pull from the Holy Spirit. They didn't know the same securities on the levels that we know them.  They don't understand the reasons we are moving.

They know they will miss the mud pits in the backyard, and the playroom, and the memories that we have made here, and frankly so will I. 

My prayer is that as we begin to move their world tomorrow and as the comforts of home become a reality in a new house; that the security will be a little more renewed, and the feeling of home will be overwhelming, and they too will look on to the journey ahead.

Always Remembering a Faithful GOD!

I don't know how many of you actually know this or not, but we are in the process of selling our home. We have lived in this house for 4.5 years, that is the longest Michael and I have lived in any home since we got married.  Yes we have been married almost 9 years and have moved 5 times!!!  Thank goodness this time I'm not pregnant and I don't have a newborn, like several of the other moves. Anyways, back to the house selling...
It all started about 4 months ago.  For several months Michael and I have  felt a calling for a change in our lives and we have tried to be obedient and follow the path God is leading us down. The biggest challenge for obedience our current situation was selling our current home.
We put our house on the market, a market mind you, that does not favor a seller.  And in a miraculous 60 days we had a contract and now at 90 days we are 4 days away from closing. Through a series of events, delays, and mishaps; several things have remained "up in the air" as they say.  One of those thing being where we would be going once we sold our home. If you would have asked me that two days ago, I would have answered, "I don't know, but we can't stay, we have to go somewhere!"  That's right, we had no where to to and I'm pretty sure it terrified everyone around us. But of course I could totally relate;  About day 75 into the selling process I hit a wall! A big, fat, double enforced concrete wall, figuratively of course.I had gone from excited about the transitions that were coming to complete worry.  I was picking fights with Michael, getting quickly angered by my children, I couldn't concentrate on anything... finally Michael made me talk.  As a series of irrational thought and comments came tumbling out accompanied by sobbing.  I saw a calm come over him, which I have to admit frustrated me!  He looked at me and said, "Babe, why are you worried.  It's just stuff! It's just a house!  Hasn't God been faithful to us so far, why would he stop now?"
While at church a few Sundays ago I was blessed to hear Pastor Joe McArthur speak on remembering the blessings God has reigned into our lives. He spoke about Abraham and his encounters with God.  As soon as he left God's presence,he built an altar so that he could always remember what God has done.

 When in the midst of my worry, I had lost all concept of where God was and what he had and was doing in our lives.  I am so thankful for Michael, a man of faith.  He is always able to help me refocus, when I lose my way!

Well I am glad to say, moving day is here. God has provided us with a great home, and I am so excited about the journey that is ahead.

I know this blog post is a little long and wordy, but  I am sharing this blog post as an Altar of remembrance for our family.  To remember that our God is a faithful God, who always provides!

Sign of the Times

I like technology, I mean... come on, their are so many things that come much quicker due to technology. Email, Direct Deposits, Music, Information... I mean you can sneeze and because of social media and sites like blogger,twitter, and facebook anyone and everyone has the ability to know within seconds afterwards.  I love the ease of being able to share and store stories and memories of our life, and connect with people I would have otherwise never met. 
But... sometimes I step back and go old school on myself.  Thinking about the days I spent as a kid, running around in pastures, playing with the baby calves in my grandfathers barn, and helping my brother track numerous animals in the pipes on our sod farm.  We didn't own an Atari or a Nintendo like some of our friends, nor did we have cable. I remember the day my dad brought home our first VHS player. The Internet wasn't around our home at that time, and computers where still a huge luxury. 
My children will never know a time like that.  My six year old already knows how to send and receive emails.  My four year old is a pro at using a laptop mouse pad, and my two year old maneuvers an IPhone/IPad like a pro!  Netflix is the new VHS, and computers are now a necessity. Instantaneous results are now an expectation... hm mm it defiantly has it's benefits, but I do miss those days.
I know I'm talking like I'm 80 years old... but... well it's my blog so I can! :) Ha!

Not long ago, William and I were in a public restroom. He had just come out of the stall and went to wash his hands. He turned on the water, placed his hands under the soap dispenser and .... waited.  Then he shook his hand a little and ... waited.  Annoyed he looked at me and then back at the soap dispenser. At that moment, it hit me, he was waiting for the dispenser to automatically shoot a bit of soap onto his hand.  I looked at him and said, "Babe, you have to push the button."  It then occurred to him that maybe the dispenser wasn't broken, it was just, "old"...  HA HA!  I got a good laugh out of it, but it is such a sign of the times.

By the way... I just ran spell check and it caught terms like, Netflix, IPhone, IPad, and Facebook... I guess my spell check needs to get with the times also! :)

Musings from a Mother of Boys: The one about the Frog.

Oh, to have boys...

I know many of you are in the same boat with me, as a mother of only boys, and boys close in age at that you probably hear comments like this all the time,

With a sad tone "You poor thing. Only Boys?"... "Girls, are so much fun... but boys?"..."Don't you wish one of them were a little girl?"

Come on people? Really?!? You do know my sweet, lovely, energetic, feisty, boys are standing right here! Listening to every horrible inflection in your comment! But, I'm not writing this post to tell you all the "stupid" things that people say, but instead to tell you what an awesome privilege I have to be a mother of only boys, and the fun we have as a "warrior" family. A family of wrestling and rescuing; of laughing and loving; and of competition and compassion.

Today, I want to share one snipet of what it is like to be a Mother of Boys.
 About a month ago, the boys began to find small frogs, about the size of pecans, in our dogs outdoor water dish.  They had obviously gotten stuck in there and were near dead each time. But to no avail my warriors, especially Cade; were all about rescuing the frogs. I mean they were as far as the brothers were concerned "still moving", a little anyways.
First a proper home must be made.  An old leggs pantyhose egg, left out from Easter decor, did the trick.  It was clear on one side  for proper frog viewing, had a small hole for air, always important, and fit nicely into a four year olds hands. After a bit of grass for a bed and a small black beetle, for food or company I'm not sure which, were placed inside the frog was scooted in and the egg was closed. 
The frog was then a member of our family for the next couple of days.  It traveled to the grocery store, our daily walking at the park, the dinner table. You name it the frog, cozy in his egg, was there.
 Let me remind you... this frog was on his death bed when we found him, and more than likely dead 5 minutes after being placed in the egg, but never the less when you shake something enough, no matter how dead it is... it will move or at least slide around. So, Cade was convinced it was still alive. After about 5 days the frog and his egg were forgotten about, and I hadn't thought much about it until....

About a week ago, I sent the boys to clean up their room. In the midst of the noise and disaster, Cade(4years) brought me a treasure he had found in the toys.

I'm not going to grace you all with a picture of this life event, and I know some of you will be grossed out, some will be absolutely disgusted, but for those of you who know our family... well you are probably going to laugh at the complete understand that this is a fairly common event in my home! Cade found the frog! The Legg's Egg had busted open releasing the stiff, dried, skin covered skeleton of a frog from his withered grassy bed.  Cade broght it to me, with a huge smile on his face and said, "Look mom, it's my frog!"  To which with one look said, "Awesome babe, take it to your Daddy!"  I found it laying on my computer the next morning... thanks honey! But that's how we roll in a family full of boys and I love every minute of it.

I would like to wrap this post up by dedicating it to all the frogs, carpet snakes, tadpoles, stink bugs, and anything else that crawls, hops, squirms, or wiggles...past, present, and future. Thank you for the memories! The joy you bring into our lives is clear by the smile that crosses their sweet faces even when you are just a memory.