Sunday

Sweet Moments...

Yesterday, my Dad came and picked up

my brother's three children to spend

a special weekend with Papa and Nana.

So as of about 1:30 yesterday afternoon,

it's been "just us".

And it has been oh, so sweet.

I have been savoring this blessed time that I've been given

to re-connect with my two boys.

I really feel like in all the hustle and bustle

of the recent changes in our home,

(though I know with out a shadow of doubt that He is in this)

that my boys have kind of gotten a little lost in the shuffle...

and that's the last thing on earth that I want.

So....

last night, after a fun day doing silly little things together,

as I was tucking the boys into bed,

Malachi, my three year old, says,

"Mommy, let's all snuggle in my bed together."

What a great idea.

So the three of us (Daddy was out looking at a truck)

pile into his bed (the lower half of a bunk bed),

*smile*

and in the soft glow of their favorite snowman night-light,

we snuggle. and talk.

We chat about what the tooth fairy might look like -

(Cade recently lost his first two teeth, hence the interest),

and we talk about the fun things we had planned for today-

a trip to the library, making pinecone birdfeeders,

and anything else that popped into their little minds.

We decided that the tooth fairy has gauzy gray wings

with shimmery pink swirls,

she had medium length, curly, green hair

and beautiful sparkly blue shoes.

*smile*

We lay there together in the soft light,

snuggled under layers of blankets,

and we said our nigh-night prayers and then

we just kept talking and sharing our hearts

until Malachi's started to drift off to Dreamland.

It's THESE moments that I sorely miss.

THESE tender moments that I long for.

This connection.

This sharing of hearts.

This T*I*M*E.

I find myself so very, very grateful for the gift of a

respite weekend that my parents have given us.

It was much-needed.

So, off I go to spend the rest of my day with my boys.

We're going to ambush the library -

*smile*

(only kidding, my kids are very good a the library)

and then I hope to make some pinecone bird feeders!

But first I must purchase more birdseed.

Here we go!!!!!

Grace

Here are the lyrics to the choir song

I mentioned yesterday.

Written by Carolyn Hamlin

(I'd never heard of her before,

but these words touched my heart in a big way.)

Grace

Lord, as I seek Your guidance for the day,

I find my thoughts unyielding,

confusion crowds my way;

But then when I bow to You,

the challenges You guide me through,

Your promises are ever new,

I claim them for today.

Your will cannot lead me

where Your grace will not keep me,

Your hand will protect me.

I rest in Your care.

Your eyes will watch,

Your love forgive,

and when I am faltering,

I still will find You there.

Each new day's design

is charted by Your hand

and graciously revealed

as I seek Your master plan.

Keep my steps faithful when I go.

Return me to the joy

that Your blessings can bestow.

Your will cannot lead me

where You grace will not keep me,

Your hand will protect me.

I rest in Your care.

Your eyes will watch,

Your love forgive,

and when I am fatering,

I still will find You there.

(repeat)

Your eyes will watch over me,

Your love will forgive me,

And when I am faltering,

I still will find You there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I dwell on the significance of these words,

I find it becoming my heart's prayer.

How often I falter in this Mothering

and yet He watches over me,

never allowing more than I can bear.

And how encouraging to remember His forgiveness

in those times when I fail my children or my husband.

And so sweet to savor the knowledge that indeed,

His mercies are new every morning

and the promises in His Word there are for me to claim.

He is always there - with me every step of the way.

Such comfort.

I hope I will be able to sing this song in a couple weeks

without being a bawling mess.

*smile*

Daybook Entry

FOR TODAY...

Outside My Window...

I awoke to the view of a breathtaking, delicate hoar frost

that drapes across every branch in the trees

and bushes in our neighborhood -

and now there are giant, fluffy snowflakes

falling from a sky full of moisture-laden clouds.

What a divine artist our Father is!

I am thinking...

how nice it will be to have a weekend

with just the four of us

-my sweet hubby, and our two sons-

Nana and Papa are giving us a respite weekend

and are taking our two nephews and niece

for a special long weekend visit.

I am thankful for...

the way my Shepherd speaks to me through

so many diffent avenues.

In choir practice yesterday,

we sang a song that contained the most beautiful

lyrics - I'll share them with you tomorrow. ;o)

From the learning rooms...

we are continuing doing "double duty" in math;

almost finished with our handwriting book;

and are so enjoying the variety of "living" books

we have the priviledge of reading!

Such sweet "one-on-one" time.

*smile*

From the kitchen...

I'll be baking a double batch of Honey Wheat bread

either today or tomorrow,

and hope to make a batch of lip balm -

we're running low.

I am wearing...

melon, pumpkin, mint, chocolate and olive striped socks,

(now I'm hungry) :o)

my favorite gray jeans,

and a sky blue camisole

layered underneath a sea blue knobby hooded sweater.

I am creating...

a few knitted dish cloths - just for fun,

still working on my knitted handbag -

I've moved on to the second color -

which is a fabulous shade of mustard-

(it looks great combined with the base of olive green)!

And I'd love to make a batch of soap sometime this week,

but don't know if it'll happen.

I'm in need of distilled water for that project

and I have none in the house right now...

so we'll see if it happens.

I am going...

to the gym a few nights this week,

and Monday is Girls' Coffee Night at Starbucks

(yay! I have the best girlfriends in the world)

and I'd love to take the kids to the Library one day

this week - (it may end up being in the evening when

my hubby can come along to help me wrangle all the kids).

I am reading...

the gospel of Matthew and I'm still enjoying

working through the Psalms

and of course, Spurgeon's Morning and Evening.

I am hoping...

that I will be maleable clay in the hands

of the Master Potter this week

and that my ear will be in tune

to what He has for me to learn.

I am hearing...

the kids watching Wile-E Coyote.

Around the house...

tons of laundry to catch up on -

(man! take a weekend off and it piles up

WAY too fast!),

the usual weekly household cleaning to do.

"And whatever thy hand findeth to do,

do it with thy might!"

One of my favorite things...

hearing my oldest son praying at the end of the day,

"Dear God, thank you for giving me

my Mommy who loves me and takes care of me..."

*a tired smile finds it's way across my face after a long day*

I just made bonus.

A picture thought I am sharing with you..

Closed for Worship

A Thankful Heart

I just got done writing in my "real" journal,

*smile*

one modeled after the example here,

and I attempted to record all of my heavenly Father's

blessings that He has poured down on us

in the last few weeks-

difficult though they have been.

After writing in my journal of the struggles we've faced

with the raising of 5 small children,

I then began to scribble down the many blessings

our Jehovah Jireh has bestowed...

and you know what??

once I was able to really sit and dwell

on all the ways He has provided,

well....

let me tell you.

It's overwhelming.

He has proven Himself faithul on so many levels

yet I'd been too consumed in the day-to-day struggles

that I'd missed so many of them.

But no more!

I bless His name!!

He watches over us -

even when we're too stuck in the mire of

the daily grind to notice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lord, let me lift my eyes from the "here and now"

to instead gaze on Your loving face

and rest, rejoicing in Your eternal goodness;

Your never-ending faithfulness!

You are indeed, good...all the time!

Such a blessing...

You know of my fondness for Spurgeon.

Yep- you guessed it -

*smile*

today's post will be an excerpt from his book

(one of my favorites)

"Morning and Evening".

I find it delightful and so very encouraging in my Walk.

And so I share...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel -

"HE careth for me."

Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care;

come, cast your burden upon your Lord.

You are staggering beneath a weight

which your Father would not feel.

What seems to you a crushing burden,

would be to him but as the small dust of the balance.

Nothing is so sweet as to

"Lie passive in God's hands, And know no will but his."

O child of suffering, be thou patient;
God has not passed thee over in his providence.

He who is the feeder of sparrows,

will also furnish you with what you need.

Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever.

Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble,

and your opposition shall yet end your distresses.

There is One who careth for you.

His eye is fixed on you,

his heart beats with pity for your woe,

and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help.

The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy.

The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning.

He, if thou art one of his family,

will bind up thy wounds,

and heal thy broken heart.

Doubt not his grace because of thy tribulation,

but believe that he loveth thee as much

in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.

What a serene and quiet life might you lead

if you would leave providing to the God of providence!

With a little oil in the cruse,

and a handful of meal in the barrel,

Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same.

If God cares for you, why need you care too?

Can you trust him for your soul, and not for your body?

He has never refused to bear your burdens,

he has never fainted under their weight.

Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care,

and leave all thy concerns

in the hand of a gracious God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Father, as I walk through the remainder of this day,

oh, that I would (continuously) lay at your feet

the burdens that threaten to crush with a weight I cannot bear.

That I would place in your loving hands every moment

and seek your face for guidance and wisdom.

Those times that I instinctively want to react in self,

let me instead respond in You

so that my children would not see Me,

but only You.

Let it be this day, I pray...