It's Summer

It's Official!

The Little Ladies finished Kindergarten and...

It's Summer!

We decided to throw a little Welcome to Summer party, the new counterpart to my traditional End Of Summer Splash!  Our favorite little buddies who happen to live across the street joined us!

 

 Thanks Dollar Store for providing inexpensive fun!

 Oh, and those colorful beachball cookies... bought sugar cookies at the bakery and frosted them!  Semi-homemade, that's how we do Summer!

 This was a fun party game, Shoot The Color.  Remember the plastic table cloth backdrop from the Rainbow Tea Party?  I didn't throw those away and they came in handy!
Each child got a water shooter and we shouted out different colors that they raced to shoot. 
It was so much fun!

 Then a little swimming of course.

 And we wrapped up with super fun bubble time with those Dollar Store wands.

Goodbye school!

Hello Summer!!

*what are you doing to celebrate the start of Summer?



Fleeting

The other evening my daughter asked if I’d read her a story while she was in the tub.  I told her I needed to clean up the kitchen from dinner and said we’d read later.  A few moments later, I walked by the bathroom to see this

 It broke my heart.  Her sister stepped in and took the time to read her a story in the tub when I didn’t.

Today those little girls are in their last day of Kindergarten. 

It’s going by so quickly – just like everyone says.

In one little year they learned to read and if Mommy is too busy to read to them, it’s ok, they can read to themselves now.  Where once they needed me, now they don’t. 

How lame to be too busy to honor their requests.  These seasons are fleeting, we must embrace them and live into them fully, for in the blink of an eye they will be gone.

Happy Weekend All!

Next Friday I'm kicking off my Summer series... A Summer Romance!  I can't wait!

Masterpiece

My little dolls will be in their first dance recital on Sunday.  I danced for over 13 years growing up and this is a dream for a dance mom!  We had a dress rehearsal last week and I put real makeup on them for the first time.  I wouldn’t let them look in the mirror until I was finished.  When they first saw themselves, their reaction was priceless.

A smile so huge enveloped their little faces.  They were beaming. 

They felt so beautiful, and in fact they are!

 But it really hit me and I started to well up with tears.  It wasn’t about this significant moment when they first got to put on mascara.  It wasn’t about them getting their first dance costume.  It was about them looking in the mirror at them selves and totally loving what they saw.  It was innocent.  It was pure.  It was beautiful.  They weren’t embarrassed at how they felt about their reflection.  They weren’t arrogant and snotty.  They were surprised at their own beauty.  They were happy. 

They were content.

I pray that the precious little loves of mine will always be confident in who God has uniquely made them to be.  I pray that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  I pray that no matter what insults the world hurls at them, they will always find their worth in the one that created them.  I pray that when they look in the mirror, makeup or not, they see the masterpiece of God.

It's Coming...

We're on the final countdown to Summer!

This is the last week of school and then look out!

 Last year I did a Summer series called Yummy Summer where I shared fun Summertime activity ideas.  You can check out the archives here. 

But now with Pintrist, I'm not sure I'd have any new ideas to share!!

But fear not!  I'll be kicking off a new series next Friday, June 22nd, that I'm really excited about!

Get ready,

It's coming!

10 on 10 June

1.  Some alone time with one of my favorite "devotionals"
2.  Morning devo with the children at breakfast
3.  Off to the gym
4.  Lemon harvest
5.  The sound I heard all morning - hedge clippers
6.  Lunch with the boys
7.  Picked up the little ladies from school
8.  Back to cleaning while they rested
9.  a treat for me - the not so pretty, delicious, German chocolate cake
10.  swimming at last!

*little disclaimer - just realized that today is the 11th!  So I guess I did 10 on 11!  ooops!

The Final Word

We’ve got one week left until my little ladies complete their first year of school!  I can’t believe it’s almost over.  It’s been a pretty rough year for this Moma.  I never knew Kindergarten could be so stressful… for a Mommy!!!  My eyes have been opened in huge ways.

There have been a lot of gifts this year as well.  One thing that I love is that our school is in our neighborhood and we get to walk to school!

I also love how much pride the little ladies have in their school.  They we so excited to get all dressed up for open house and show their little brother around their school.  It really is wonderful to see these little people grow up!

I’ve been struggling with some anxiety again this week.  I woke up the other morning with my heart racing and feeling sick to my stomach.  It was 5:22am.  A few weeks back I really felt God drawing me in closer to Him and making it clear to me that now, more than ever, I need to be spending time alone with Him and the only way that was going to happen would be early in the morning, before anyone was awake.  It’s been amazing how several times a week He wakes me up around 5am to get alone with Him. 

I got up and sat in front of the sliding glass door in our play room.  As I looked outside at the dimly lit morning, I began to pray.  I’ve been really stressed out about school next year (I know, one year at a time!).  I’ve been concerned about who my girls will be placed with as we’ve had some difficult personalities in our class this year.  I’ve struggled with things other children have said to my girls, they way they’ve been treated, and some things they’ve learned that I wish they hadn’t.  Through my tears in the early morning I felt like God gently told me that He has the final word in my children’s lives, not the influence of other children at school.  I’ve been giving some of these children more power than they deserve rather than trusting God more with my children and His power over them.

It was another phenomenal moment of peace flooding over me.  I’m so grateful that God woke me up to remind me that He has the final word in this life and not the sin that surrounds us in this world. 

“In this world you WILL have trouble.  But take heart.  I have overcome the world!” 

Thank you Jesus for that promise and truth.

Amen.

Have a great weekend!

14 Steps To A Perfect Life

When I was first engaged, I asked a pastor at my church to recommend some good pre-marital books I could be reading.  He said there aren’t any!  He said most books are giving you 10 steps to eliminate mess in your marriage and the reality is that marriage is messy!  We can’t eliminate it, but need to learn how to live in and with it. 

SO GOOD! 

Best words I’ve ever heard and I’ve tried to apply them to every area of my life.

 Recently, my neighbor asked me if I’m enjoying a magazine that I was gifted.  I told her that I’m sick of “10 ways to simplify your life.  20 things you can do today to organize your closet.  35 things to do to make your child eat their vegetables.  9 simple steps to clean your house.  15 ways to have perfect children now.  8 steps to eternal happiness without leaving your home.  98 meal ideas that will take the stress out of nightly cooking.  12 simple things to achieve perfection in your life!” 

PLEASE STOP ME!

Seriously?  Why am I drawn to the catchy title and “quick and easy” fix to the mess that is marriage and motherhood?  I want that magic formula to ease the mess, make life easier, and bring me a little happiness.  It's like chasing the wind - you can never really catch it.  The truth is, there is no way to get rid of the mess – but there is a way to learn to live and thrive in it.  I can waste many hours of my life reading 157 steps to making my life better and come up frustrated and empty handed time and again.  But if I take that same time and energy to just sit at the feet of Jesus everyday, I mean seriously sit with Him and let Him direct my time, my day, my steps… then it’s amazing how fulfilling life can be in the midst of a messy closet, chaotic house, and not so perfect children! 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:32-34

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Read another phenomenal word yesterday in my ever favorite Jesus Calling. “Much frustration and failure result from your seeking perfection in this life.  There is nothing perfect in this world except Me.  That is why closeness to Me satisfies deep yearnings and fills you with Joy.”

Go stand in the midst of your messy closet, your child's messy room, your kitchen floor covered with crumbs, toys and chud - and thank God for the gift a full life!

Sit at His feet and ask Him to order your steps.

Make Out Monday

It's Make Out Monday!

If you haven't embraced the Make Out Monday challenge - check out the details here!

So, I've been creating these little dates for my husband for quite a few months now and I just got a wonderful surprise - he did a date for me!  I didn't drop any hints, I didn't ask, I didn't say anything.  He came up with it totally on his own!  I guess we do learn by example!

I walked out and saw this beautiful scene.

My husband had taken down half of our pool fence and set up a table right by the pool.

He also purchased a few tiki torches!

It was a Mexican themed affair with margaritas

and lovely mariachis playing in the background (thanks to Pandora!)

He grilled shrimp and made the most amazing shrimp tacos!

Wish I would have taken a photo of them, but I was too busy eating!

As it got dark, all the candles glowed so beautifully.

Thanks for a great date babe!

****************************************

Now it's your turn!

The Make Out Monday Theme for June is

Dining Al Fresco

The weather is getting nice, so create a date for a little outside dining!

If you want to share the details of your date with us all, please do so here.

Happy Dating!



God's Spirit

Well Hello!  It’s been a long, good, break from blogging.  My girls’ first year of school is wrapping up so quickly and I needed space to focus just on them and be present.  I don’t know, I kinda liked it!  I kinda liked going off the grid for awhile.  Let’s see if I can get back in the swing of things here on this little blog!

God has been speaking to my heart about so many things over the past few weeks.  I’m so grateful that my relationship with Him is growing again and at a place I’ve longed to return to for many years.  I know my deep struggles with anxiety have only served to deepen my intimacy with Jesus and for that I’m grateful.  One thing I’ve learned lately is how the Spirit of God is moving in me right now. 

 My life before marriage and babies was rather dynamic and exciting in college ministry where I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in some bold and obvious ways.  I encountered some frightening evil and spiritual battles that God’s Spirit defeated in miraculous ways.  I saw lives radically changed.  I saw people physically healed from disease, wounds and suffering.  I felt like my life with Jesus was alive and moving in such radical ways, I almost couldn’t keep up.  It was amazing.  It was exhilarating.  As I left college ministry to become a wife and soon thereafter a Mommy, I’ve struggled with a less than dynamic Spiritual life.  Don’t get me wrong – I know that God doesn’t change and neither does His power, but my life became so much more simple as a stay at home wife and mother and my encounters with people of extreme pain, problems and suffering on a daily basis diminished, so my relationship with God changed too.  Without the dramatic needs and battles, I started to call upon the Holy Spirit less and less. 

 Does He still move in me, guiding me and directing me in this simple life as a little mom? 

 As I’ve sometimes longed for the life of excitement I once had, I’ve asked God to fill me once again with His Spirit.  I want to be moved by Him again.  I want to hear His voice.  I want to be used in a mighty way again.

I had just come home from the gym, showered, and had about 45 minutes to spare before picking up my girls from school.  “I can run to the grocery store and get some things done in 45 minutes,” I thought.  A much softer thought entered my head, “I should just spend some time with God.”  That voice was not as strong.  “Ok, if I leave now, get to the market, park, get my stuff, get back to school… I should just sit on the patio and read my Bible.”  This little dialogue took up about 10 minutes where I finally realized that I didn’t have enough time to get to the market and back before school was out, so I went outside and sat on the patio and prayed.  I picked my devotional book and read powerful words that addressed a deep problem I was facing and I began to cry.  I needed to hear those words so desperately and what I thought was a faint voice of what I should do, was actually God’s Spirit moving in me – moving me towards His gift of guidance and peace in that day.

Simple, I know, but it was a huge revelation to me that that little voice of common sense (as I dismiss it to be) is really God’s Spirit speaking to me.  I didn’t recognize it because most of my experience with the Holy Spirit has been very dramatic in extreme circumstances.  I now know that those little thoughts that flit through my mind all day long, “go here, sit down, take a deep breath, read this, call her…” those are not suggestions.  They are God’s Spirit within me, moving me.

 I’m grateful for the seasons of life I’ve had where I’ve seen the power of the Holy Spirit and felt His presence in extraordinary ways.  But I’m grateful for the realization that He is not limited to the extraordinary.  He moves and speaks in the simple, ordinary life of a stay at home mom and His words and power are just as great to heal, transform and save someone like me.

Do you sense God’s Spirit within you?

*See you Monday with June’s Make Out Monday challenge!