Oops!

A few Sundays ago, I got myself and everyone else ready to go to church especially early. I had a few things to take care of so I rushed everyone out the door. I finished my projects on time and was calmly seated in my seat when everyone else started to arrive.

As I began rounding up the kids to go and sit down to prepare for worship, I couldn't find Elisabeth.

I noticed that there was a lot of commotion coming from the entry way and decided she might be a part of it.

Sure enough, she was the cause of it.

Elisabeth is extremely flexible. Her favorite stance is the bum in the air, legs straight, peering through her legs stance. I usually laugh and think nothing of it.

This Sunday not only was she wearing a dress, but somehow she made it to church with no panties on. So she was mooning everyone, and I do mean everyone, as they walked into church.

It was a fun day.

Outward Signs of Inward Things?

I love going to plays. Something about them leaves me feeling invigorated and cultured.

Life isn't a play. Spirituality isn't a well versed monologue. We are called to be holy. Actually BE holy. Not to convince everyone we are holy. BE holy.

It is so much easier, though, to tell someone that we love Jesus than it is to show them. But if 90% of communication is done non verbally what merit does telling someone we love Jesus have if our lives are in complete contrast to His?

This principle is true of marriage and most things in life.

When I was a young girl, I found a card that a man I know had given his wife. It said things like "I love you more now than I ever have before". I was sickened. You see I spent a lot of time with them and witnessed repeatedly and constantly the disrespect and verbal abuse the couple exchanged on a regular basis. But every year on their anniversary they exchanged cards saying things similar to the above quote. And in public they presented themselves as a united, close couple. It was disturbing.

Pretending to be or convincing everyone that we are who we want to be doesn't cut it. Actions do speak louder than words. But actions don't have any value if we aren't doing them for the right reasons.

It's time to stop acting. WHY not actually work on loving GOD and loving others? I'll be much more convincing if it's who I am than just a facade to convince you I am.

2 Rooms down, 5 More To Go!

I finished all of the laundry room and kitchen chores and I'm pooped! They weren't really bad to start with but I just wanted to really get in there and deep clean everything. And I had a lot of reorganization to do as well. Here's a little mini tour of my house, the rest will come as I get it done! I'm just gonna warn you, the lighting is bad. We've switched over to the more economical light bulbs and they don't produce good picture quality! I apologize! Oh and just for the record, I'm not expecting company any time soon.

Gratituesday!

My house FEELS cleaner! I finished most of the laundry room and kitchen chores today.

Reorganizing the cabinets, getting rid of the hutch altogether and moving everything around was a much bigger chore than I first thought. It took most of the day, but it feels so stinkin' good to have it done.

I don't have a lot of storage in my kitchen. So when my sweet aunt was redoing her kitchen, she gave me some of her old cabinets. Which Michael and his dad were kind enough to put up for me, LAST DECEMBER!

Although I had been using them, I wasn't maximizing their potential. So today, I worked on deciding what would go where, washed out all of my cabinets and then restocked them accordingly. Tomorrow I'll finish up in the kitchen and laundry room. It feels so good to get all of this done.

I am so thankful for the extra space and for all of the lovely people who made it possible!!!

Birthdays and Parades and Camping

The princess was feeling a little under the weather today. I'm posting this as proof that she does in fact be still from time to time.

Daddy and babies getting ready to go swimming.

Nathaniel racing on his big wheel.
The kids having a bike parade.

Lis zooming along on her trike.

Camping at Hull Creek

Born on the fourth of July:

Good Books

I love to read.

I don't do it often because when I get consumed in a book it's very difficult to put it down and then things around my house go awry.

Most of what I read is self help, spiritual topics.

I'm currently rereading the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. They are so good. I can't imagine the amount of research she must have done to make them so realistic.

The first time I read the series I had a hard time getting started with A Voice in the Wind. It took me two years to get through the first chapter, but once I did I couldn't put it down. I've heard from a lot of others that they had the same experience. This is my second time rereading them and they are even better this time around! Francine Rivers is amazing!

If you haven't read them they are set in the first century during and right after the destruction of Jerusalem. A girl named Hadassah is saved by a Roman soldier and sold as a slave to a Roman family to work as a young girls maid. It goes through the hardships she faces as a Christian in the first century. It also tells the story of a German captive named Atretes. He is a successful gladiator hoping to eventually earn his freedom.

If you haven't read them, you definitely should!

Love

Sometimes I have something that I want to say but it just doesn't seem to come out the right way.

A lot of things have been bothering me lately.

One of those things is the apparent lack of love displayed in the body of Christ and even in physical families. It seems like we have a checklist of things that make us feel like good people and as long as we have it checked off, we feel pretty good about ourselves. We may treat our husbands and children with impatience and rudeness, but hey! we were at church three times this week. Or we may gossip about everyone there but at least we sang the loudest or gave the most in the offering.

The apostle Paul says that none of that even matters if we don't have love.

John says that if we don't love our brothers and sisters that we don't know God and he does not dwell in us. He also tells us to not love in word or tongue but in deed and truth.

It's not enough to just tell others that we love them. Actions speak louder than words. We must show them. Paul gives us a very clear definition of exactly what love looks like in one of the most well known passages of scripture.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Our lives must be defined by this passage.

We have to remember that our feelings are not a good indicator of what is right or true and always give one another the benefit of the doubt.

Love is not blind. It sees and loves anyway.

Schoolgirl, Hawaiian, Princess, Skate, Beachbum, Semi Potty Trained Barbie

With her favorite Prince.

The rear view.

Schoolgirl, Hawaiian, Princess, Skate, Beachbum, Semi Potty Trained Barbie, in the flesh.

Gratituesday

Michael has been out of work since November.

He's been going to school now, with a couple of breaks, to be a music teacher.

During this time of unemployment times have been difficult but God always provides at the very best time. I'm constantly amazed by his constant and abundant provision.

The unemployment rates in our country are sky rocketing which means a lot more people in the applicant pool, which makes it even more difficult for each applicant to succeed in gaining employment.

Job opportunities have been scarce with few opportunities to even apply.

But this week Michael has found tons of job openings to apply for.

I am thankful. I cannot tell you what it does to a man's ego to be unable to provide for his family. Just having the prospect of employment is something to be thankful for.

Hi My Name is Hannah and...

I'm an approval addict. Pretty much anything I do is met with the thought "What will they think of me?"

I don't always act on it but the urge to is strong.

Recently I was involved in a situation where I honestly tried my hardest to resolve the problems involved. I was determined to live like Jesus would. To love like Jesus would.

I'm not saying that I didn't make mistakes or that I did everything right. But I'm human, so that's to be expected, right?

My efforts didn't succeed.

I'm still praying that God can use me to resolve this problem but I really just want it resolved, no matter who solves it, because I know that ultimately HE is in control and I just want HIS will to be done. But now comes the part where the parties who have labeled themselves as the victims, tell their story. And I find myself concerned about how my reputation will fall in everything. I'm concerned about how I will be portrayed to those I love and whose opinions of me I care about.

I have to stop myself though, because I know that ultimately no matter what anyone else thinks about me, God knows the truth. No matter what lies and misconceptions are spread about me, He knows the truth. And I am so thankful that others opinions of me don't affect HIS!

Here I am

We've been busy with wedding stuff and being sick.

All of our kids were invited to be ring bearers and flower girls in my cousins wedding. Nathaniel ended up not being able to participate because he got the stomach flu on the day of the wedding. He was very sad.

But other than that we all made it down the isle and were relatively decent, behavior wise, during the ceremony.

Yesterday while playing outside in the sprinkler, celebrating the end of the school year (finally!), Caleb ran toward me screaming bloody murder. Literally. As he passed them, Nathaniel and Lilla began screaming as loudly and as hysterically. When he approached me and turned for me to see the problem, I began to scream like the victim in a slasher movie. Which made the kids scream even louder.

After a few seconds of this incessant screaming, I began to scream my husbands name and to realize that I needed to calm down and calm the kids down because Caleb was growing more panicked by the second.

By this time Michael and my dad had come outside, as I'm sure most of the neighborhood had.

I'm screaming at the top of my lungs "It's okay, it's okay!! It's alright Caleb! Michael help!!!"

Michael couldn't figure out what the problem was so me and the kids were all running around in the front yard screaming bloody murder with my dad and Michael standing there watching us.

I eventually gained enough sense about me to show Michael the problem and ask (or scream at him) him to fix it.

This was on Caleb's shoulder...