New Mercies Every Morning

I absolutely love writing in the solace of the morning, so here I am again...

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'  The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.  It is good that one should wait patiently for the salvation of the LORD. "

Lamentations 3:22-26

This scripture was written by the prophet Jeremiah during a very hard time for the Jews.  A time that was filled with tragedy and sorrow.  In the midst of what is known as a rather depressing book in the Bible, he pens these words of hope that come out of his heart from God.  

These words of life and hope are what the prophet chose to meditate on amidst otherwise very dark times!  I wonder how many mornings He had to choose to remember this truth?  I had this verse on my mind this morning in my quiet time, because I'm so thankful for new mercies every day, but as I read deeper in the chapter, it's amazing to see how such peaceful words came about in a time devoid of peaceful circumstances.  That same inner peace is what I am accepting from God, and that is truly a peace that passes all understanding!  

The dew is fresh and the air is still cool, as I'm here sitting outside on my patio in my pjs, (warmest) robe, with a cup of favorite dark roast Caribou coffee.  I've been talking to my Lord, and I'm thanking Him for the wonderful things I have in my life, and the promises He's fulfilled!  My marriage, children, house, my personal growth in knowing God, and so much more than time I have now.

Thanking Him for carrying me in the times I couldn't lift my head from the fog of worries and fear.  When Psalm 91 was my air in the day, and blanket of security at night.

For the future and hope He has for my family that I have yet to know!  While there are crossroads we'll meet, and bridges to cross, Holy Spirit will direct us along the way.  There is not even one place we could ever go in our mind or heart or on the earth that is out of reach for God to meet us there.

I'm sitting in wonder at the incredible beauty that all my senses are soaking in! Just sitting in the small part of the world He has given Heath and I to live.

I admire the old yet strong, steady, heaven-reaching oak that stretches his massive branches up and into about 4 different yards surrounding us.  It has endured years of storms and change, yet keeps growing!

The flowers so delicately formed, so varying in color, so dependent on the water I give in order to stay fresh.

The squirrel families who chase or dance from branch to branch and tree to tree with all the energy my own two "squirrels" wake up with each day!

The chirps of birds in the neighborhood singing a song about something that invites me to want to be a part of.   Maybe it's the tune of their babies hatching or perhaps it's their own way of rejoicing over God's creation!  

The patio is the outside hub that parks a pastel pink tricycle and Spider-Man bike that is waiting for eager little feet to jump on and find roly-polies to play with. The stack of coloring books with a jelly jar of well-used crayons waiting for innocent hands to make their black and white pages come to life.  The crumbs on the table from last night's supper eaten on the patio.

There is no denying God exists, when we take a moment to truly look at what is going on around us.  He will not only open our eyes but fill our senses with new wonders every single morning, if we just ask Him to!  

Speaking of new, I'm crazy thankful that His mercies are brand new every morning!  My heart and soul (cup) can be filled over and over to overflowing and I can once again receive His joy, peace, hope, love, patience, forgiveness, grace, direction, wisdom .....

New every morning, Friends!  The God of Wonder gives us new mercies!!  

Let us wake up and come to Him laying our doubts and trials at the cross, at His feet.  I have been inspired to take His (free!) gift of forgiveness, love and peace in order to live the life He has planned for us.  As Christians, we have access to that!  At His feet is where freedom is found, and there are no limitations to God using a humble heart who is free in Christ and willing to serve Him!!  

Today is --again-- a new day for me, and  I choose to accept the gift of mercy and peace!

My coffee is now gone and though I could go on and on, my sweet ones are waking up!  Excuse me as I use my new portion of His peace and love on my family this beautiful spring morning!  

**Keepin it real update: It's actually taken a few hours after actually writing this between breakfast and playtimes to finish this post!  While my blogging isn't a high priority now, I still love to share our experiences with you and pieces of my heart!! :D 

Thank you for reading!

April Showers

This morning I woke up just before his alarm, to the steady rumbling of thunder and soft pattering of rain above our 2nd story, loft bedroom.  April showers had come!

What a soothing sound to lay in the covers and listen to, but still I would've rather been asleep at 5:15.

 

My dedicated husband rolls out of our warm bed to start his busy day while I still had two more hours to sleep.  Sleep didn't come, but a myriad of familiar thoughts did instead.  Tossing and turning for over an hour, I began to crave a cup of dark roast coffee more than the dark bedroom I was so relaxed in.  There is only so long I can lay alone with my thoughts.  

I talked to God about Heath's day, and prayed for our family before making the decision to make myself some coffee downstairs.

Our stairs creak--loudly-- under my feet as if the 69 years old floors moaned from arthritis.  It was something I found rather charming until we had children who wake too early upon the sound of a pin dropping.  

Creaky floors by sleeping babies will make you walk like the Grinch in Cindy Loo-Who's living room!

Eagerly I made a fresh pot of coffee, and raise the blinds in the dark to see puddles on the ground and rain glimmering on the window.  God is watering the earth.

What is more relaxing than the sound of spring rain?

So, here I am with my dark roast coffee splashed with cream, while being under my sweater blanket more for comfort than warmth, and asking God to prepare me for what may unfold today.

He is telling me to get my eyes off myself, my problems, setbacks, and (dis)comforts.  When my focus begins to shift to others, my children, husband, a friend, family, and those I don't know, I'm more likely to be used effectively by Him.  

When walking through life, you'll miss out if you're looking down at your feet!

This isn't a new concept at all or some epiphany.  Sometimes for me it takes the quiet to really hear Him and to get that seed of truth planted deep in my heart.  That's when He begins renewing my mind to be more like Jesus.  When that happens I start seeing things more the way He does.  (Lord, that's my heart's cry!)

What joys there are in life besides earthly pleasures! 

Today alone, I already have so many!  A loving husband, 2 beautiful, precious children, our good health, and a safe dry home.  There is the soothing rain, the job Heath gets up early for, the beds we sleep in, and coffee hot and delicious to savor.  

God gives us a new morning every 24 hours for His new mercies that I'm always so grateful for, and a fresh start of our life, if we want it!

As the kids stir in bed, I'm reminded of blessings that should be counted but are usually overlooked and then there are ones we feel entitled to without realizing just how precious they are.  

Sometimes I forget there was One who gave it all for those most precious "things" I have.  Like my salvation, redemptive love, and transforming forgiveness and grace!  Priceless things money can't even touch.

Perspective from my Heavenly Father, on this April morning, is just what I need to live in His fullness today!  

~ Mommy

I Am a Work in Progress

God is so good!  He has given us two children who have turned our world upside-down while filling our cups with laughter, silliness, joy, innocence, dancing, singing, stories, imagination, crumbs, and --yes-- chaos! 

But He has also used them to inspire change within us resulting in more patience, humility, discipline, maturity, conviction, compassion, integrity, trust, and beyond all of that LOVE in our own lives.

Being a parent has convicted me to step up to the plate (or cup) that God has filled brimming full in my life, as I strive be the person I want my children to become. 

Are you following me?  

As a parent I have certainly become more aware of my own shortcomings and the need for the Holy Spirit to be the air I breathe.

Let me explain...

I have never needed more patience than with my two eager and rambunctious little people, who have strong wills and ideals of their own.   This should speak for itself.  Can I get an Amen?!

Just as marriage has taught me humility, being a mommy has too.  So very much!  I have to humble myself and say "sorry" when I have messed up.  It happens all too often.  I've raised my voice (too loudly) when I've felt out of control. :(  I have misunderstood the kids and sent the wrong one to time-out...  I am guilty!  When I do these things, I always come and apologize sincerely to them to set an example and let them know mommy needs God's help, too!  I'm all too familiar with the taste of humble pie, and that's ok.  I'm a work in progress!

I not only discipline my children in love when they need correction, but I have had to discipline myself in my schedule and duties as a woman and mommy!  One way I do this is I set the alarm to go off before my kids get up in the morning.  This way I drink my first cup of coffee and talk to God as the sun comes up.  It's not easy, but it's better than waking up to "mommy, mommy!"  and getting quite literally a running start right out of bed.  For me this works better.  We're all different!  :)  I need my time to shake off my sleepy head and wake up.  There are too many examples to say of how a parent sacrifices and disciplines oneself to make sure they are doing what's right for the family.

I want my children to see my convictions.  My faith in the Lord is everything, and what I believe He has called for me to do--or not do.  I need to acknowledge what these are as a parent... I'm still learning!  But I seek God to get a clear understanding of what He wants me to stand for and against, what is really important in life, and where my passions are.  Our children watch and listen to us intently--whether we know it or not--and I want to live a life of with intention and conviction.  As they grow older this will become even more important!

I'm learning what compassion is every minute as I'm beckoned to their little "needs".  Little minds can be distraught over such things as a favorite blanket being lost.  A boo boo that needs a prayer, and a kiss before getting back on the tricycle, or a little girl afraid of the wall "flashing" at night.  I'm trying to show compassion when I see my little ones needing me for what seems like nothing at all, because I was a child once.  I remember how sometimes I just needed to extra hug and "it will be ok" from Mom before I could go on.  So many times those things seem to arise at in opportune moments.   Like when I've finally fallen asleep, when they've finally fallen, or when I'm on the phone with the dentist office, but I am working on compassionate tone of voice instead of a harried one in response.  Compassion goes a long way in little hearts.  

I am working on being a mama of integrity.  I want to walk the talk.  Even in the small things like if I said I would get all the birthday balloons down so my son could play with them right after he naps, I want to do just that.  If I tell them that we would have bedtime reading and rocking chair time, I want to stay true to my word.   It also applies, if I say that one more time and "you will be in trouble", I stick to my word.  I want them to know what mommy says, they can count on!  I especially believe a person who follows Christ should have integrity if they want anyone to listen what they say.  Integrity is what helps to build ...

Trust.  This has been a big one for us.  Since our children were adopted, Heath and I had to earn their trust, and they've had to earn ours.  This does not happen overnight!  After 10 months, we've established a bond of trust that is now strong, thanks to God answering our many prayers for this!  As you know, trust is a huge component for any healthy relationship, especially between child and parent.  It's almost everything.  I was pretty discouraged in the beginning, because most babies seem to be born trusting their mommies and we didn't have that bond.  God was faithful and gave us the patience and hope we needed to push through the difficulties in the beginning.  Now we know each other and they understand how much we love them!  We follow through with what we say and we've opened our hearts to them fully, so we've come to earn their trust.  It's a beautiful thing!  My trust in God, on the other hand, for the lives of my children is massive and probably another post altogether. 

Our cups runneth over with love for our son and daughter!!  This really can't be explained.  Love is something that I feel is continually growing and because of my great love for them, I seek more patience, humility, discipline, maturity, conviction, compassion, integrity and trust in my life.  

God's love overflows in my own life, and it's that outpouring that runs off and into my marriage and children.  He is the wellspring (of life)!  

I honestly don't think I would be even a good parent at all without Jesus in my life helping!  I'm not kidding!  

While parenting is hard work,  I have the ultimate parent in my father God to learn from!  As parents, we are learning and growing on the inside just as our children are.  I need God just as they do!  The more I see my similarities and my kids', the better I know how to parent.

I am a work in progress!!

As you can see, both our children just celebrated birthdays!  We now have a 3 & 4 year old!  I pray in Jesus name this by far their most joyful year yet!!!

Marriage Retreat

Last week has been an incredible one for us and was a long time coming! 

I don't claim to have parenting advice since I've only been one for 9 1/2 months.  Saying that, here is one piece for those of you who are married with children, or planning a future including those things one day.  This is something that I've known all along, but now that we're parents it's quite valuable!

Keep your marriage and spouse your #1 priority under God!  

My husband comes first, and our children a close second.  Everything else is after them.

What good is it if you are super-hero, rock-star, "parent of the year", if you're failing to meet your spouses needs?  While some may think that is extreme, the truth is that my relationship with Heath lies so much of my little children's security.  

Please hear me.  This is not meant to be any sort of guilt-trip at all!!

I think we all go through times when our caring for our children overtakes our marriage, but I want to be intentional in taking it back.  Jesus Christ should be our family's cornerstone for us to not only survive -- but thrive together--and with His guidance, finding a balance is possible!  

Here are some reasons to carve out time for your marriage:

1. Our marriages need to be nurtured so that in turn we can set an example of what sacrificial, whole-hearted love looks like to our children, and hopefully they will love with the same passion in their own marriage one day.  

2. So we can be a team in parenting, and on the same page as we raise our children together.  It's hard to do when there isn't much communication flowing in a marriage, but it can be easier and fun to train children when you have a partner who will support you along the way!

3. We will be married --by the grace of God-- far longer than we will have children at home!  We need to water and tend to the relationship that was set in a covenant before God!  I want to go through the my entire life with my best friend being just that, even once we're empty nesters!

4. Those are just a few of the many reasons I want to keep our marriage so important in my life, but the most is probably because I love Heath soooo much and I simply miss him!  I miss the heart-connection during the chaotic, tiresome days that sometimes turn into weeks or months between his hectic work schedule and my full home life.  

I feel so thankful to the Lord that I married someone with whom I am so in love with, but we still need to put in an effort to make sure we don't over look one another.  We were at the point where Heath and I need time to focus primarily and solely on each other.  It had been several months.... Well honestly maybe years since we've had time like this together!  We're going to do our best to not let that happen again.

This week, our parents kept our little sweet peas so that Heath and I could have sort of a "stay-cation" at home.  This was actually a week of intentional-reconnection on a deep level, and while Heath did work during days, when he was home we made it all about each other and the other one's needs.  It was amazing!!  :)

Folks, you don't need to have the beach or a luxury hotel for this (although nice), if you need a time of refreshing with your spouse it can be done at home!!  We don't have family closer than 3 1/2 hours away, so that is one reason why we needed a chunk of time for this.  It's not like we have regular date nights right now, and so it was just easier in our case to make this retreat last few days.  Anywho, I wanted to share some pictures of the week.  I wanted to take more of each other since usually it's all about our children instead of ourselves.  Ha, I just can't take enough photos of our kids!! :)  I think they're the cutest things!

Let me share a few of the highlights of our week:

One night we watched a movie at home and made homemade popcorn.  Always so much fun!!! It snowed all afternoon and night, so it was awfully romantic to sit by the fire with my Love.

Another night, we decided to dress up and go out on a date to a really good restaurant we probably wouldn't take the kids to, at their age.  We wanted to try out something new together, and had so much fun!!

After all, food is our thing!  We have always connected over delicious, unique food and music!

We decided to go to a highly recommended restaurant in the heart of Louisville called, Eiderdown.  It was perfect!

The food is a Deep South interpretation on Bavarian (southern German) cuisine.  The food was down home and yet presented beautifully!  We ordered the German pretzel sticks with house made mustards... Highly recommend!  They were chewy and buttery.  

I ordered the roasted chicken on a bed of grits with collard greens and sausage and it came with a slice of crusty bread. -- shown here

Heath got the spaetzel with goat cheese and sausage.  Yum!!

Everything was divine... Even the coffee!

The atmosphere was cozy and romantic with a single flower on each table with a lit candle, and dim lighting by way of spotlights and chandelers.  It's located in an old inconspicuous building, but the inside is redone and still has exposed brick and original hardwoods in the main dining room.  Our kind of place!  We were seated at a two top by the window, and it was lovely.

The next night, I decided to make a nice candlelit dinner.  It's rare for me to go to such lengths for dinner anymore as a mommy, but since I enjoy showing my love through cooking, I knew a special dinner was in order for my man.

I got started too late on cooking the meal :( , so we had an evening dinner around 8:15.   Good thing Heath was fine with that, and was just so thankful for it at all.  I made an appetizer plate with sliced bread, assorted pickles, mustard, and cheese to munch on while it all cooked.  Yay, for improvising!

For the meal, we had a baguette of soft dark oatmeal bread and a crusty baguette.  The salad was a Bibb, strawberry and feta cheese salad.  I also added tomatoes and toasted walnuts with balsamic dressing.

Our entree was fall off the bone, braised short ribs with creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes.  It turned out better than I had hoped!  They cooked low and slow in the oven for about 2 1/2 hours.  Both of these recipes come from the Pioneer Woman, and are relatively simple, but include good ingredients!

I'm not a "selfie" person unless it includes somebody else, but here I am in my bright pink coat about to go to Barnes and Noble to just browse the isles and read.  What a treat!

I snuck in a s'more cupcake at The Cheddar Box.  Did I mention, this was a week to splurge??!

Heath treated me to a surprise spa day on Thursday!!!  

I've never in my life had such a wonderful experience!  I left feeling like a goddess!  My body was so relaxed and refreshed, and my face was clean and illuminating.  Sigh... It was like a dream.  (Amazing... Especially for a girl who sometimes forgets to wash her face anymore.)

Honey, thank you with all of my heart!!!!

We also prayed together a lot, read in the Word, and just talked about our life, goals and shared our heart.  I love doing that with him!  I've never been so intentional with Heath, and I have loved it!  I absolutely love serving him, and listening to his ideals, concerns, prayer requests, and just whatever.  I'm constantly learning more about him.  We listened to music, he played guitar and we sang.  We did everything we have so been longing to do for a while, but never do.  

We slowed way down.  This literally hasn't happened in a very long time.  Life living away from family with a hubby in residency and two 3 year olds is usually fast paced, (but fun)!

What a sweet, loving, gracious heavenly Father I have.  He sure gives rest to the weary, and gives us our hearts desires!  Thanks to our parents for allowing us to nurture our marriage by keeping our kids, but I have a strong feeling that it was their pleasure!  I know the kids have had a big time!  I'm so glad they're getting time to really connect with our parents, too. 

I just had to share with you what God has done in our life this week.  I am walking with my life long love and friend, and we ride the waves together in every season that comes,  the calm and in the storm.  We have sure seen them all.  I want to invest time, effort, and love into him, even now that we have children.  He is no less important to me!

I truly want to date Heath forever!  I pray that as we place our marriage first, we're leaving a legacy of godly love to our children and for generations to come.  

Matt. 11:28

Phil. 3:19

Psalm 67:11

Eph. 5:22-28

Gen. 2:24

~Mommy

Love Remains

Our first Valentines as a family was nothing short of wonderful!

I wasn't expecting much of one since Heath was scheduled to work both Friday and Saturday night. 

To my surprise and delight, Thursday when he came home from work he handed me a bouquet gorgeous roses that faded from deep pink to delicate ballet slipper pink petals.  They were perfect for me.  He even arranged them in my favorite silver pitcher.   He also surprised me with chocolate covered strawberries and a special gift that I completely didn't expect at all!!!

Heath was dressed so handsome in a suit and tie already since he had a big presentation that day, so we decided to use a gift card we had to The Cheesecake Factory and all go for a family Valentines dinner!  I usually cook Italian for the two of us on Valentines Day, but this surprise of going out as a family sounded good to me!  We dressed up the children too, and they looked so sweet.  Yes, our daughter did wear shoes to the restaurant. ;)

We had a long wait there, but never worry, the kids danced enough in restaurant to entertain everybody around!! Especially Sissy, she really knows how to make new friends.  

She loves attention!!  What a little ham we've got on our hands. ;)

He is a little charmer to all the ladies with that precious grin.

I was so proud of my family!

We came home with two very sleepy children, which worked out perfectly for Heath and I to have our own date at home together... Sometimes those are the best kind!

I've decided to never write off any day, because you never know what blessings they will hold. :)

The next morning we set out the kid's little stuffed animals and chocolates, a card, and I decorated with hearts to make things a little extra special!  

Kylie just had to tromp around the house in my heels, from the night before.  

She loves shoes!

I made these yummy little strawberry wafer cookies-- that I happen to love-- extra special for Bubby's Valentines day party for his class.  They are just the sweetest little things!

Just dip half the cookie in white chocolate or bark (I used equal parts), then add your favorite sprinkles! I tinted some of the chocolate with a dab of red food coloring to make them pink.  This would be great with the chocolate ones, too.  Our son helped with some of the sprinkles, and he was so proud to bring them to school!

I'll be making them again, maybe with the little round pastel sprinkles for Easter.  Which will be here soon .....hopefully the snow will be gone by then!

It was a sweet day to share as a family!  Heath and I never put too much stock in the commercialism of Valentines Day, but why not make it extra special sometimes!?  

On Valentines, our family celebrates real, honest love, while the rest of the world may not!

Ann Voscamp just wrote on her blog, A Holy Experience, about this kind of love between a husband and wife.  (She always says everything just the way I want to but never could, so just go to her blog, and read her own words. :)

She talks about love--God's way, which is the truest form--not only changes us but changes with us.  

As life happens: children come along, sleep becomes altered by sweet little ones or work filled nights, schedules get crazy.

Sickness may arise, discouragement can creep in, and unexpected dissapointments cloud idealistic views.

A move, a promotion, ministry, a new church, a new family member or a long- time prayer gets answered miraculously.

Children grow up and move out, grandchildren come, routine changes course.

Life is so full of ups and downs and changes, it seems that change is the one and only constant!

The good news is that Christ IS love!  He is faithful, steadfast, unfailing, and a constant that we can hold onto like an anchor in whatever waters we're sailing.  When a marriage has Him as the center, and His love as the third cord, it will not easily be broken!  I know from experience, this is true!

Are we perfect or is our marriage always perfect?  Heavens, no.  But we make it a priority to be open with one another and always strive make things right.  The love we have makes it worth working everything out.

I love that my man is a true romantic!  I was drawn to that about him, as I am too!  He always has been a modern knight in shining armor to me, and truly goes out of his way to meet my needs.... But mostly it's the pure love we have for each other that draws me so intimately to him!  

On unromantic, ordinary, harried, no gift, dirty hair and left over meal kind of days, we can rest in our steadfast love that doesn't need pomp and circumstance to thrive.

I'll always try to honor what this scripture says about love.  This kind is the example of love our parents have given us and we admire!  This kind is worth celebrating!

"Love is patient.  Love is kind.  Love does not boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on it's own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

**I feel I need to add a disclaimer of sorts. No, we didn't name our children Sissy & Bubby!  We may be from the country, but didn't grow up under a rock, lol.  We're keeping their names private for now, on our blog. 

 

God's Grace, Cookie Crumbs, & Cabin Fever

Hiya Folks!  My name is Leslie, if you've forgotten since we last talked (forever ago!).  :)

I've really missed writing here and catching you all up on our lives!  Blogging has become so easy and enjoyable to me now that I've done it for over 4 years now.  Mind you, it's only for pleasure and no profit as some beautiful and amazingly delicious looking blogs are, but nevertheless it's a creative outlet for me that I enjoy!  I wanted to start off this year--2014--more simply.  One of the easiest ways for me to do that is lift some of the pressure off myself to blog as often.  One of the awesome things about keeping this blog and The Cozy Little Kitchen, is that I have no obligation to write... Therefore all that I say is very truly from my heart! 

Why do I feel the need to relax?  Well, for one thing (if you want to know something brutally honest about me), I can almost be compulsive about things.  I really, REALLY strive to do all things diligently, thoroughly, faithfully and to completion, and if I don't I am disappointed with myself.  I'm still learning that it's impossible to do anything without my Lord to help, much less doing things perfectly!  I think once I moved out and married Heath, with our own place and all, I developed a (tiny) bit of perfectionism.  I'm not OCD at all, but I can have too high of expectations of myself.

Example: 

I always have to clean up the kitchen perfectly every single night before sitting down to enjoy anything!  I like for all the pillows and throws to be just right on the couch before bed so I'll wake up to an aesthetically pleasing living room.  I usually always feel the need to fully put makeup on and fix hair to go out for errands.  I blame being a hairdresser, where that was literally part of my job description.   Please know these things are only me, not Heath!   He is amazing at never adding pressure to my load, but being a help and stress reliever when I try to do too much. I think he noticed my perfectionist tendencies even before I did!

Those examples are a just few things to give you an idea of how within 9 years of the same kind of routine I was able to --sometimes painstakingly-- accomplish almost any housework duty, work obligation, church responsibility, family- friend commitments, and personal goals that I made.  Almost, but of course not perfectly!  ;)

Enter 2 tiny, energetic, rambunctious, beautiful, loving children.  

Everything changes!!!

In order for my sanity to stay intact I have been asking God to help me "loosen up" on some of my high standards of cleanliness, appearance, and always naturally perky demeanor.  I have also had to ask and receive grace from Him for my stinky attitudes, pity parties, and less frequent Jesus quiet times, which is probably the answer.  

Now I need to ask you, my family and friends, for patience as I am not calling y'all nearly as often, not quick to reply to your texts, emails and messages, not as available for to you on your sad or sick days, or your showers and parties, and in general stammering just to get sentences out for lack of opportunities to talk with adults!  (I feel like a lame friend.)

I am having to accept that I am in a very fruitful season but also challenging season of life (with 2 growing little children and a busy hubby) that requires more patience, more need for grace, more of my attention and energy, and less cleanliness in general.  Ok, yes crumbs in the kid's car seat cup holders are going to happen, pillows will be scattered around the house like ants at a picnic, my hair will sport more buns and dry shampoo, and laundry will get piled up if nothing else but for the fact it's in the basement!  Thank you cards may be forgotten and volunteer opportunities will be passed up.  It's okay if I have to rely on breakfast bars some mornings or if the cookies we make aren't from scratch!

When we make and decorate cookies (embarrassingly) my tendency would be to make sure they don't make a mess, but they are 2 & 3!!! This is the only time in their lives when messes can me made and it's really okay.  It's part of the fun, and now that I expect that... I love it and have the best time getting sticky and messy myself!   They're challenging me to get back to my childhood days of my own messes in the kitchen in order to make delicious cookies with my loved ones!!

Life happens.  

Life is happening!!!  That's what I don't want to miss.

I don't want to miss the sweetness of my  daughter "makin" in her kitchen, tiny kisses on my leg, or funny moments when my son tries to make me laugh, because I'm constantly whirling around while trying to keep up with everything!  I think if I did, I would look back with so much regret and say how it's just not worth it!!!  I'm asking God for help as I continue to adjust to my new normal.  I LOVE being mommy but with it comes so many changes, and I want my life to flow with those.  I need to lean into the changes instead of resist.  I'm trusting God will help me re-balance my life to fit my family.  He did it once, and He'll do it again!!

This blog is such a blessing to me, just being able to share my heart across the miles!   I have had so many pics and heartfelt stories to share of the kids, but I can't blog about them all.  Luckily, if you're a non-blog world friend you see many on Facebook.  My posts may not be as frequent as I would like, because it's not worth making a blog happen if it means taking away the time I need with Heath after the kids go to bed or a nap when they're laying down to revive my body.  

I have to be okay with not doing it all, all of the time!!

With that being said, I also think a little less e-time will free me up to do what I've put on the back burner for a couple years.  Reading real books! :)

I've already finished my first book, Balancing It All by Candace Cameron Burre.  It was just what I needed to read!  Fantastic book about her life from the beginning to the present and her real life struggles with keeping a balance on priorities.  She certainly has a full plate, but God has given her wisdom to how to do life where it gives her joy and glorifies Him!

I'm starting to burn up the library with our kids, and in fact that's a goal of mine for this year.  Lots of library time!  I grew up there and we checked countless books out every week.  I want my kids to have those memories, too!  Right now, our daughter is really into Clifford's First Autumn and The Little Engine That Could's Valentines Day Surprise and Our son loves these two dinosaur books that's probably over his age, but are fascinating!  He is really into dinosaurs now, so we watched The Land Before Time (XIII) this week and they loved it!  I can't wait until they're old enough to appreciate history museums!  We'll have to visit Taylor in Chicago and go to the Fields!

Today I made chicken stock for the second time, and I'm loving it!!  I use what's left from rotisserie chickens I buy, add veggies, garlic, herbs and water to simmer for 4 hours.  The house simply smells amazing as it reduces down to flavorful stock.  Perfect for a pot of soup this week!  

The snow has been a constant almost the whole month of January, and I must say it was gorgeous!!!  We so much love to watch it fall and bundle up to play outside!  Sometimes it's hard for me to want to do all the bundling, layering, and getting outside (with empty bladders), but it's always fun and so worth it to play with the kids!  Heath and I usually make cocoa with marshmallows when we come in from playing on the cold snowy days!  I have to admit I almost got a serious case of cabin fever with as many single digit temps as we've had, but I've been trying to get more creative by building tents in the house, baking and decorating cookies together, and playing marching band, or hide and seek!

As January closed, I can't help but be excited to look forward as Heath will have a little more time at home this month and we'll be celebrating our baby girl's birthday!!  Good things are here and more to come thanks to my Redeemer.  I need Him to be any sort of mom and wife at all!!! 

Please stay warm out there and, oh,

Happy February!

~Mommy