worship while you work

i can't get enough of this song.

it's true.

the faithfulness of God is my life,

my breath,

my strength to endure.

with plenty of time to get the housework done on this beautiful friday,

i choose to worship while i work.

can you testify to His faithfulness in your life?

other people's children

I have learned that one of the greatest ways to bless a friend or peer is to delight in their children.

As much as parents try to tell themselves that their identity and worth is not found in their kids (or particularly the behaviour of their kids), it always does the heart good to see someone else enjoy your offspring.

Lessons come in many different ways.  I would say, for me, this lessons is born of three observations:

1 ~ a mother's face.  Look at it when you take interest in her child, bending down to his level, chatting about something that's important to him.  Look at her face as you share something that is delightful in her child - his funny laugh, his sharing during playtime, the sound of his voice singing.  A mother's face will tell you that you've been an encouragement to her, that you've validated the hours, weeks, years she's invested in her little ones.

precious Ms. Hester - Abbey's kindergarten teacher in NC

2 ~ the flip side.  I tell myself I'm not the only one, but so many times people have come to share a little story with me about how my child said this-or-that and isn't it so funny, when it's very obvious that the child was being rude or obnoxious.  I never know how to respond - am I expected to flush with embarassment (my go-to response) or should I laugh along (kids say the darndest things....oh yeah not YOUR kids, just mine.).  I really do believe these people are just trying to connect or something like that, but I always walk away feeling less-than.

masked man takes time to play with wild children! :)

3 ~ my heart.  The Lord knows me, He's called me by name (Ps 139:1, John 10:3,  2 Timothy 2:19).  He delights in me and sings over me (2 Samuel 22:20, Proverbs 3:11-12, Zephaniah 3:17 ).  These are scripture words that never fail to speak to and encourage my heart.  As I child, I didn't lack in this department.  I relished in the knowledge of being cherished by my family, valued and enjoyed as a friend.  And yet - I still love to hear it!   I love to hear it from my Lord and anyone else who wants to say it! :)  And I love to hear it through the dear ones who delight now in my little ones.

delighted in being the centre of attention.

Everyone has the fundamental need to be valued and I have the opportunity to share Christ with people as I make the choice to delight in others.  I may not always connect on some deep level with all my friends kids, or the kids at school and church, but I can always find one thing.  I can be a blessing to parents and children alike as I choose to see whatever is lovely, whatever is praiseworthy....

And that's what I think of other people's children. :)

new camera!

i should be folding laundry,

but instead i'm playing with my 

NEW CAMERA!!!

my old point and shoot was fine 

(though the lcd display had a huge blotch...

and it was incapable of taking pictures from far away...)

but when my hubby surprised me with an early anniversary gift,

this lady was thoroughly delighted!

a perfect and much needed pick-me-up:

hours playing with the most enthusiastic model. :)

and since my friend (KENT) said i should tell you about this 

new thing - can we call it my new pet? - 

here you go!

thanks to my sweetie.

(love)

this mom's heart

I'm not like other moms.  The things that can melt a mother's heart (tiny sleepers, first steps, first day of school) are not the things that make this mama weep.  Sure, I marvel at sleepers and celebrate all the firsts along the way, but the one thing that warms my heart as I watch my children grow is watching them move in the world with confidence.

via

Yesterday was our elementary school's annual bar-be-que.  This was a much anticipated event for the kids and I was all set to do my part volunteering at the ice cream station!  As the kids jumped out of the van, they ran into the school yard, each independently looking for their friends.  Almost three years ago, we first pulled up to that school and the two eldest stayed together until the bell rang.  They were the new kids and nervous about meeting everyone and how they would fit in.

As I watched them stroll around, acting like they owned the place, I praised God for what He's doing in these ones He's given me for this while.  I thanked God that even though we moved around a bit in the early years of their education, my kids are strong and confident.  They know who they are and that they're loved.  And as each one caught my eye, smiled and waved at different points of the evening, my heart squeezed with a mixture of pride and pain seeing them grow before my very eyes.

I'm in the early part of the book of Proverbs in my reading and I can identify with the father wanting to pass down wisdom to his son; wanting to prevent his son from making some of the same mistakes and yet releasing him to his own journey; putting faith in God, not parenting techniques.

To my children:

 "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, 

remembering you in my prayers. 

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the glorious Father, 

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, 

so that you may know him better. 

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened 

in order that you may know

 the hope to which he has called you, 

the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 

(eph 1:16-19a)

mission accomplished!

I have a little quirk in my personality 

~I know, shocking! :) ~

call it determination...

call it a dog with a bone...

call it obsession....

(personally I like the first one the best!)

My little quirk is that when I get an idea for something I plan or need to purchase, I must MUST search high and low, left, right and centre for the perfect item.

Perfect for me means:

the absolute best priced,

super quality,

long lasting,

and

personality suiting

item.

This problem great affects me when it's time to purchase a new parka for my kids because then

warmest,

most wind resistant,

and

a colour that won't show the dirt so fast,

get added to the criteria!

So several months ago I decided to buy a new bed spread for myself  my husband and I.  It was over a year ago that I noticed where my quilt had become threadbare, but at the time, I wasn't ready.

(do you wonder if EVERYthing in my life is a really big deal??)

As my birthday approached, I decided that a new quilt would be a good gift for me my husband to give me,

so the search intensified!

I've never searched so long and hard for anything...

not even a parka!

But today ~finally~ I found what I was looking for

(cut to U2 music)

ta-Da!

creamy and heavily quilted coverlet with pretty damask sheets in lilac!

(thankfully my husband is very secure in his masculinity...)

I found the accent pillow first (love!) and it helped build "the look."

The best part is that my treasured afghan from my aunt fits perfectly!

Overall, the look is very B&B, I like to think!

And all those hours (and miles) spent on the hunt?

totally worth it.

yay!

calm

motivation often strikes at the most inopportune moments. 

here i sit at "my" desk at the church, trying to focus on the tasks at hand and all i can think about is my closet.  and my kids' closets.  and my storage closet.  all i can think about it getting some boxes and maybe some work gloves (because that seems official) and pitching things.

anyone else need a fresh start today?

last week i read in psalm 89:10

"You crushed the great sea monster."  

isn't that so inspiring?? :)  

ok, stay with me....  

the footnote in my bible said that the sea monster was called "Rahab" and was a mythical creature that represents chaos in ancient literature.

"You, God, crush chaos."

isn't that so inspiring?

now, i'm not trying to suggest that God will crush the chaos in my closets,

i don't want to seem flippant,

but i do know that my closets can represent my heart to some degree...

and there's something very therapeutic about sorting and cleaning when you have the time...

and though my closet will never be able to look like this:

via

(a girl can dream!)

i can bring calm to my heart and home by tackling this (not so) little project this week.

but can someone tell me it's ok to not have a garage sale instead of dropping off your used things at goodwill?

effort

when you think of peace, what comes to mind?

peace like a river....

world peace....

a hike through the mountains...

a day at the spa...

hard work?

This morning I was continuing to read in the Psalms as I'm still trying to catch up on my read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year goal.  (The trouble with reading to achieve chapters is that I'm always a little concerned I'm going miss what God wants to tell me...)

But this morning, it was as if He bold typed a part of a verse in Psalm 34:14

"Work hard at living in peace with others."

When I think of day to day living, I think of my home; my family.

And I don't know why it's never occurred to me before but

today I realized with distinct clarity: 

peace takes work.

Peace doesn't just happen because everyone wakes up in a good mood

on one miraculous morning...

or when there's a special day planned and everyone is on their best behavior.

Peace takes effort

and being intentional

and discipline.

"Lord, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"

in my heart

 and in my home.