Summer how I have missed you!

It has been a summer full of days spent at the swimming pool till our cheeks turn red. Lots of splashing and laughing. Mornings spent in pj's till 11 o'clock. Having brownies every now and then for breakfast.

A trip to Sea World that the kids loved. Feeding dolphins, watching seals, & amazed at killer whales. It was a fun trip all the way around. One week of no work just loving on the greatest accomplishments we have had in our life.....Our sweet babies.
(our son hates pictures thus the sad face in the above picture)

(this one I did a sneak attack for a picture so I got a smile)
Movies that makes us all laugh and giggle. Especially the way we looked with those glasses on!

Funny how you forget how much you love summer until it comes and then you remember how wonderful it is to have fun with your babies and not have to try and balance school, ministry and home life. June is coming to a close soon and July will be full of conferences and youth camp. July life will quickly go from slow and peaceful back to busy and a different kind of wonderful. For right now I am thinking of how wonderful it is not to have something going on everyday. How great it is to just have time to breath. Most of all how thankful I am for the two babies we have in our life....

Barbie Dreamhouse

Every girl no matter what age you are can say that at some point you dreamed of having a Barbie dream house. A wonderful home that Barbie can have everything she needs.

I always wanted one as a child. My parents unfortunately didn't have the money to buy such an expensive item for my birthday. My grandpa built a wooden shelves that held dolls with different small compartments. I would stack books and other random objects to make these wood shelves a "home" for my Barbie.

My daughter just turned 5 and has decided that she LOVES all things Barbie which is the best news under the sun for me. I am so excited to play dolls with her. Something that is so coming of age to dress and primp your Barbies just says you are no longer little but that you are more mature (this coming from a 26yr old mom that is giddy over her daughter liking Barbie so much). One thing that Brailey Kay wanted for her birthday was a Barbie dream house.

We were able to get it for her thanks to her amazing grandparents that jumped on the opportunity of having the hands down hit gift of the party.

As we assembled it I began to think of the hours spent playing with those wooden shelves when I was younger. I began to remember how I would wish I had a Barbie dream house.... There I am 26yrs. old sitting on the living room floor.

I began to think of all that God has done in my life in the last 10 years. Barbie's dream house comes with all things wonderful....

Beautiful furniture, chandeliers, bubble bath, fully stocked kitchen, bedding, and a cute closet. I remember thinking as a child if I had a place of my own stocked with all those beautiful things how it would make life great.

Barbie's Dream house is just an empty shell. The beauty is all in there. It is waiting for the dolls that it was created for to come and play inside.

Made me think of life. I have everything I have always wanted. Not because I live in a nice home with nice cars and a great closet full of wonderful clothes (and shoes). But the wonderful thing about my home is the people in it. My amazing husband and beautiful children. They are what makes my home into a dream home. It's the laughs we share, the cuddle time spent on a Saturday morning, dinners with family that we love around the dinning room table, and the hallway filled with the sound of running feet in a game of chase....That is what makes my home a dream home.

I looked around and thought about the wooden shelves and how many amazing memories I have of playing with my dolls in those old shelves. Sure I always wanted the fancy home, but the memories made with my brother and sister weren't based on what that home looked like. It was based off of the laughter and the love we shared as we played. It was still fun even though it wasn't the marketed DREAM HOME by Barbie. It was our dream home and we loved it. I wish I still had those shelves....

Do you see your life as your dream home? Or do you see it just as wooden shelves?

Maybe the dream home you have been asking for is what you already have...you just are looking at it in the wrong light.

What work are you doing?

I read this the other day and it resounded in my spirit. Jesus was about to be crucified he is praying to God in John 17:4 I have finished the work that you have given me to do.

Something inside me just resounded....the work that God the Father gave Jesus to do...that is what He finished....

How much of our life do we spend working on things that everyone else wants us to do?

How much time do we spend doing things that in all reality we don't like at all trying to make other people happy?

How much time to do we waste on things that in all actuality don't matter at all?

Think about the above questions. I think all of us can say that at some point that we have had one if not all of them apply to our life. Funny how quickly that happens that we get caught up in what others want us to do and somehow get lost in the most important thing of all....what God our Father wants us to do.

My daughter is in pre-k. At the beginning of the year her teacher asked me to be the room mom. I declined the position and told her that I had a lot going thanks but no thanks. She said ok. Only to ask me again the next week with me saying no again. Finally on the last week she asked and I finally agreed to do the job.

Women are so catty especially when it comes to their kids. The majority of moms have been wonderful. Well more than a majority just one mom has been difficult. She has not been so pleasant....

Things have really been a struggle with this mom and I. Balancing doing it "all " and getting it "all" done has been so much at times. Finding the balance with another ball in the air has been rather stressful. I was before the Lord praying about the situation....The Lord spoke this in my heart "When things feel difficult you are doing things that I haven't graced you to do."

Then I remembered the text I quoted in the beginning of this blog.....What work has God placed me here for. When you feel stressed, frustrated, angry even you are trying to do things that God has not graced you to do. Jesus said my yoke is easy my burden is light. That means you aren't going to battle those kind of feelings like you will when you are outside of grace.

I am here to be the best wife I can be, my kids mom, minister to hurting people, encourage this generation to be all they can be....That is the work that the Father has given me to do. How easy it is to get caught up in all of the other things that come our way and forget what it is that we are here to do.

What are your things that are pulling away from your time that aren't what you are here for? Are you doing the work man has made for you or the work God has given to you?

What makes a house a home

Well we have been ripping up carpet, tearing out toilets, painting the walls and doing all kinds of things around the house. It is looking so much better yet so much worse. Right now as I type this I am sitting on the carpet in my living room as some of our youth helped us move all the furniture out this evening because this carpet too is going bye bye in the morning.

It is funny though how a house doesn't feel like "home" without all the little mementos. You know your kids first pictures in frames that you bought when you were pregnant with them. The little stuff people pick up that reminded them of you. All the little things that make your house a home. The pillows on the couch the mirrors on the wall. Funny how welcoming all the little details are in your home....So what makes a house a home?

What makes your house a home? I can think of things that make each person's house their "home". For nana it is the sweet little old stove by the back door. The times spent out shooting guns with the boys, or the apple pies that are made at her counter. It is dominoes played at the table with Aunt Gay, Nana and Misty till wee hours of the night.

At Mimi's house it is time spent outside in her beautiful yard just enjoying all the beautiful surroundings. It is cookouts with yummy grilled food in the summer. Grass between my toes as we play baseball with the kids in the yard.

At my Grandpa's it is breakfast meals eaten at the bar with memories of him reading the newspaper sports section. While grandma does her crossword puzzle. Each memory special and unique in it's own way. Each makes you go back to that moment in time when you think about it.So sitting here on the floor looking around I begin to think about all those little mementos....all those things that seem like they are what make my house feel like home. When you think about it....those little mementos aren't what makes our house a home it is the people in our house. It is the tickle fights that happen on the living room floor. The fact that our dinning room table is always full with people we love. The backyard filled with the noise of laughter as the kids swing. All the decor is nice. I enjoy them....but the best memories I have of home is the people that are in my home. How thankful I am for my amazing family!

Personal inventory......

I love that song by Michael W. Smith "I'm coming back to the heart of worship". What I like the most about that song is when he sings...

You're looking into my heart......looking into my heart.......

Wow think about it for a minute.....Jesus......Looking into your heart....

If we all got real for a minute and really meditated on that line & took time to think about what is in our heart. What is in there when no one is around no one is looking what are those things that are deep within us?

Around this time of the year I always think about goals I had coming into that year. Was I successful after those or not? Did I make the best use of my year or is there room to do better in the next year....if yes then how....

Every good business takes inventory of their merchandise so they know what they have. Shouldn't we do the same thing in our life?

Questions to think about

God: Am I......

Actively choosing God and His ways at every decision, word, moment, thought and step each day?

Consistent in my quiet time?

Daily spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading?

Husband: Am I.......

Praying for him DAILY?

Being a help meet to him?

Preparing for my husband daily?

Spending time with him?

Positively responding to him?

Noticing, regarding, honoring, preferring, esteeming, praising, admiring and loving him?

Bending or bucking with submission?

Being predictably happy?

Giving away to others what I haven't given first away at home?

Children: Am I.....

Spending quality time with them?

Praying with them daily?

Teaching them to follow God by my words and actions?

Home: Am I managing my home effectively. ....

with finances and budgeting?

with housecleaning?

(Managing it instead of it managing me?)

with planning meals and shopping wisely?

by taking care of needs at home?

Others: Am I......

Loving others correctly?

Serving others?

Preferring others?

Self: Am I......

Growing in my walk with God?

Eating properly and exercising?

Making sure I am healthy and give myself rest when needed so I can be what my family needs?

You see I don't think that I am perfect. I wish I could say I could put a big check mark by all of these questions as though I have done them all. But you know what I am just like you a normal person with real issues and real life comes along the way and distracts us. That is why it is so important that we look inward to our self and see what we can do better. Being a good mom and wife is a process not an overnight thing. It is a daily journey with lots of mistakes along the way!

K-3 Graduations, road trips, new members to our family, lake, and good times!

Well I have missed all of you! Things have been so busy around here! There has been so much going on! I took pictures a long the way though knowing that I wanted to let all of you in on what I have been up to!

For starters Brailey graduated for her K-3 program at her school....she is very excited mommy was a little teary.

Do you see my little baby up there??


Once again Brailey loves pictures.....Rylan not so much.

This was at her after graduation party!


We got two new members to our family two goldfish. One named Henry (my son's) and Little Miss. Sunshine (my daughter's).

This is bear asleep in the car holding the bag with his fish.

Brailey was so excited to get Little Miss Sunshine home!!

All of my family always goes to the lake on Memorial day weekend. So off we went to the lake to spend time with the family! There is nothing like getting away from everything for a while and just enjoying nature and your children!

Brailey will never pass up a chance to have her picture taken. Bear on the other hand didn't want his picture taken that day!

Then it was off to Bryan's hometown for his cousin's high school graduation! No trip to the farm would be complete with out hay rides, Popsicles and rides around to see all of the animals!

This is Rylan and my nephew Ian.

Rylan and Aunt Brenda

Ian eating his Popsicle!

My beautiful sister in law and her daughter Zoe and Ian.

So that has been my last two weeks! It has been fast and furious. Brailey's 4th birthday was yesterday and it was wonderful! We are having her party on Saturday and she is super excited! I hope all of your summer's are off to a great start mine sure is!