Christmas time is here...

It's still amazing to me how time never slows down. Listed update since August: neighbor got married and moved away -- news because he's over 50 and never married before. Front landscaping almost done. Garden harvested and cleaned for next spring. Anniversary celebration! 6 years married and still wildly in love. Everyone very SICK! Family loss. Ramona finished her 1st year. 2 week VACATION to Florida for girls to meet Mammaw and Grandpa for the first time. Now the family room is clean and ready to be decorated for Christmas. Whew!

There are lots of things on my heart. The incredible blessings of the Lord is first and foremost. He never ceases to confirm his Love and Faithfulness. There's a certain magazine that I love to read. A friend gave me 2 old copies over a year ago and I continue to go through them and receive encouragement. I made the comment to my husband one evening (as I was reading one for the 100th time) that I'd love my own subscription, but can't justify the cost for myself. I left it there. Just after my birthday I was visiting my neighbor where I also get milk and eggs. She asked if I knew about "this" magazine and could she buy me a subscription for my birthday? :D! God even cares about the little things! He put it on her heart for me to be able to get new copies. She gets the blessing of giving the gift, and I get the blessing of reading something encouraging! Sometimes the best things are the little things!

Another story: There's a certain college professor who has been on my heart quite a bit for the last several years now. As we were waiting to board our plane for FL I looked over and saw him at the airport! Our flight had been delayed an hour -- which seems like an eternity with 3 small excited children -- but it turned out to be a blessing because I had the chance to introduce one of my favorite professors to my family!

There's a song which just keeps coming back to me over and over again in this season. "Bless the Lord oh my soul, oh my soul. Worship His Holy name. Sing like never before, oh my soul. I'll worship His holy name." I just know that this will be the best. Christmas. Ever.

These days...

I've been working on a new post since mid-January, but I can't seem to get it right. So, I'll just forget it. Suffice it to say I've learned a LOT! My marriage needs nurturing, my children need nurturing, I need nurturing, the garden needs nurturing...you get the point. The weight loss goal is on track. The landscaping goal is a constant struggle. And the "keep in better contact with loved ones" goal has just about died.

But through it all, I'm learning so much about the Lord! People may let us down (sometimes I'm pretty disappointed in myself, too) but I'm amazed every day by how Faithful He is to us. A few "God stories" for you:

   God provided exactly the right amount of $ for a project I had done, but needed to pay for.
   The Lord made a way for me to get home on my bike while loaded down with milk and eggs. I noticed that my front tire was extremely low on air after I had left home. It "just so happened" that our Amish neighbor had filled his portable air tank the day before -- and left it outside right next to where I park my bike.
   He gave my 2 year old daughter a dream about an accident that really had happened the day before. I got a message about what had happened at 10 pm -- 2 hours after she had gone to bed!
   I recently had a dream about my neighbor woman grieving for a local man who had been killed on his bicycle. The next day I learned that they were cousins.

I have been so blessed! My wonderful husband, sweet babies, and cozy neighborhood all reflect the goodness and kindness of the Lord at every turn. He has been speaking to me through dreams quite a bit lately, too. He's revealed to me certain areas that I need to repent of...but He's also reassured me of His Faithfulness and also shown me when and how to pray for loved ones. I just have to ask Him what He's saying and He'll tell me! The babies are beginning to wake up from nap time now. Duty (and blessing) waits! :)

How Many Days?

We never know how many days we'll have. I went to the viewing for a relative today. On New Year's Day, her boyfriend shot her in the face before driving away and shooting himself. I even heard it on the news that morning, but there were no names reported, so my thinking stopped at, "Oh, how awful! What's this world coming to?" Then, I learned that it was someone that I knew and loved and played with as a child. Mindy was a little older than me, so I always looked up to her when we were together. I always thought that she was so stylish. The saddest part of the whole ordeal for me is that they had 2 little babies together who now don't have a Mommy OR a Daddy. My mother's heart weeps for them more deeply than I can even talk about...I'm even crying as I write this. My first impulse was to volunteer to take them home with me and become the mother they'll never know. I want to help them work through the trauma of their father murdering their mother while they were in the next room. I want to protect them from having to go through anything like that ever again. But reality and sense come close behind to remind me that they're not my responsibility. Those 2 precious babies have other people who can step in and take care of them and love them. I just want to pray for them. Sure, they're only 6 months and 2 years old, but even little kids can tell with something's wrong.  All I can really do is pray for their little hearts...and pray hard. But, should the Lord decide that they should be here with us, well, we'll make room.

The rest of the day is just a blur with a headache. My drive to do only good things toward others and to spread Hope and Sonshine is renewed. Mindy only had 34 years of days. I don't know how many days I'll have, but I want them to be good ones.

Godliness, and Marriage, and Children; Oh MY!

I actually did it. I made a list of New Year's Resolutions. I already KNOW that they won't all be kept "in the way that I prefer" (read: perfectly), but I wrote them down and intend to do my best to stick to them! The 1st one on my list (I won't share them all at once) is to have a regular Bible study time...alone. I know from past experience that this is vitally important to my physical and spiritual health, and it jump-starts my day for me in a positive way.

Another goal is to re-vamp my family's diet and to pay closer attention to what we put ON our bodies as well as IN them. I've enjoyed searching for some hard lotion (hard lotion? It's new to me!)  recipes and am excited to try one...sometime soon. Some friends of mine began their own blog/online market (find it here) and mention a book which I'll have to look into...they even have a free copy to give away; and who doesn't like free stuff!?

Marriage has really jumped to the front of what's on my heart right now. Perhaps more on that later. Suffice it to say that I'm learning more each day that my marriage is a precious gift from God. We work hard to nurture our marriage and draw closer together as time passes.

In other news, Ramona joined us on 11-11-11. Pretty cool, huh? She's doing famously well (she's getting so fat) and she smiles and tries to laugh. At 8 weeks old today, I don't know what I'd do without her. After experiencing different periods of depression with the other 2 (post-partum with #1 and ante-partum with #2) I just delight in having my Ramona! #1 and #2 just adore her and ask what Ramona's doing if they can't see her. Nursing is going even better than I had hoped and I intend to continue with that for as long as possible.

I'm trying to get into a routine with the kids again. The holidays really messed up our routine! Keeping the house clean is helping me to stay focused on routine. I always feel scatterbrained when all our clutter is scattered, so keeping everything in its place allows me to focus on the kids and what we should be doing--instead of cleaning all the time. Danny has even begun asking to use the vacuum. Believe me I cash in on that request! After dinner each night, we all work together to get the dishes done, the kitchen cleaned up, and the house swept before bath time. Then we can all sit together and watch something child-friendly before the kids go to bed. My day usually ends with hanging laundry on the drying rack. It works for us.

That's just a glimpse into my life for today.

It's amazing to me how much housework can build up over the course of a single day away from home. Dean & I were gone much of last Friday and I'm still trying to catch-up on the cleaning! Factor in a 7 months pregnant belly in the way and you've got the recipe for desiring very little "up and down" work. Right now, both kids are napping and I'm enjoying the quiet--instead of doing some of the much-needed housework. I've really tried to include my babies in some of the more mundane chores. Like, dishes. I'm trying to wash the dishes everyday (preferably after every meal) and Danny LOVES to use the "squirter" to help me. I just wash them and put them in the other sink for him to rinse off and then I can put them into the drainer when the sink is full. We have a good time...often a wet time. But, he's learning an important lesson: help. I'm so glad that he's naturally helpful. And, at least with the dishes, he really does help. I'm trying to be more patient with my babies. Rosie and I had a bit of an argument last night over her last bite of supper. She was pretty sure that she didn't want just ONE more bite...but I told her to take it....and then I had to make sure she did. 'Cause I'm the mom and she needs to be obedient. After I sat her on my lap for awhile and told her that I expect her to eat her bite, she was happy enough to comply. And, I think she appreciated that I stuck to what I had said and didn't give in to her. She IS only 1, after all. Both of them know we're having another baby, and they both know what their job will be when he/she gets here: to give the baby lots of hugs and kisses and keep mommy company while she feeds the baby. I even think they're excited about it. I saw them cuddling dolls the other day and rocking them while singing a lullaby. I'm not worried about them being jealous at all. In fact, I'm kind of excited to see their faces the first time they meet their sibling.