"A Place of Abundance": February 2011

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Living simple...Simple Living- It's fun!

Disclaimer: This blog exists to 1) keep our friends and family updated on

the "day to day" of our lil family, and 2) as documentation for us of the

sweet memories we are making, things we are learning, etc. ( I do plan

to print the "blog book" annually as a keepsake for our family)

SO- My point in saying that is to let you know that this is by no means

EVER intended to be a place to "show off"- or "appear" to be something

that we are not. Ha- I don't think I have said the word "show off" in years!

Anyway...my point- we are who we are :-) just trying to listen to "the voice

of Truth" and be who He has made us to be... we(people, families) are all so different-

isn't that what is so beautiful about The Lord's creation! Diversity!

God has unique plans for each of us and they too, are so different! So, we

don't have to walk around feeling "judged" or "different" or _________.

We can be confident in who the Lord has made us! And enjoy who the Lord

has made others to be as well.

Now, for the fun stuff! Here are a few snapshots of our "simple living" :-)

Need flower arrangement + tight budget = get creative
can of beans, scrapbook paper, and modge podge

Clippings from the bush in my back yard

$3.99 Spring Bouquet from Aldi ( taken apart and cut)

VIOLA! Pretty flowers on a budget!

(compliments to my friend Colleen)

SIMPLE things that make me smile...Charis wrote

the letter "A" all by herself. This photo is not staged!

Why buy a vacuum cleaner when you have

an 11 month old baby who eats everything

off the floor!! :-) I often find AK "getting her

own snack"...please don't call Child Services!

We use old baby jar lids for "paint plates"

She loves to paint outside!!

Tonight we had breakfast for dinner!

and we ate off the same plate :-)

(cheap, easy, and mess free)

Wed night we had a picnic at the park.

WE are loving the warm weather. So excited

about Spring! Oh, and when the picnic was

over all I had to do was shake the sheet :-)

I am all about "easy clean up"

Great way to spend "Hump Day"

AH! I love Thrift Store shopping. Mom and I

went on Monday....and found some treasures.

Glass plates .25 each

Vintage wall art $1 each
Old Silver butter dish $1

Red heels $3

Saturday, February 19, 2011

"Thankful for Cheerios"

"I LOVE CHEERIOS?? NO!! BUT, I HAVE LEARNED

TO BE CONTENT!"

"I have learned to be content"...was racing through my mind as I rushed to get everyone fed for lunch. The baby was screaming loudly due to it being 45 minutes after her usual lunch time and big sis was hanging on my legs fussing and crying about the chaos..So...I am scrambling through the kitchen in what I call "the heat of the moment" and it seems like everything I touched spilled, broke, or fell in the floor (no kidding) CHAOS!! Oh, and did I mention I myself was hungry?? At one point, I actually considered joining the girls in the floor kicking and screaming... SO here I am in the kitchen... and all I can feel is HUNDREDS OF CHEERIOS crushing under my feet, and finding their way in between my toes! Ah! I literally wanted to scream! Kids crying, stomach growling, house destroyed, heart racing- needless to say it was an intense moment! Well...we survived and I finally got them fed and in bed for nap and I returned to the war zone to clean up the aftermath- I was washing dishes (mainly little pink sippy cups, bottles, purple bear plates and little yellow spoons- WHEN SUDDENLY IS STRUCK ME... "the longer I wait to clean these cheerios, the bigger the mess will be" (by this point I had crushed the cheerios in a thousand little peices...like sand!) SO, I decided to get out the quick vac and take care of the issue- and that is when this moment turned from a "frustrated duty" to a "grateful pleasure"- What do I mean? what changed? Did I somehow begin to enjoy the thousands of cheerios crunched on my floor and wedged in between my toes? Did I enjoy that I was using "my precious time" while the girls were napping- to clean up their mess?

NO! To be honest, I still do not enjoy millions of cheerios on the floor or 20 dirty pink sippy cups for that matter...BUT WHAT I DO ENJOY is having a kitchen full of my 2 babies. I enjoy watching sweet Charis run circles around the bar, I enjoy watching her give AK CHEERIOS to help her stop crying (even if it means she spills the whole box- bc that is what happened). I love watching AK learn to feed herself...I love being with my children...I love watching them learn and grow and discover new things. I love reading them books at naptime, and seeing their excitement when daddy walks in the door...I love being a mommy...

SO, my heart became still, quiet, if you will...And I thought to myself, "what will it be like when there's no cheerios to clean up, when there's no pink sippy cups to wash, and lunch time is quiet? WHen there's no laughing or babbling or crying? These moments, I don't want to wish it away or coach myself with thoughts like "it's only a season". No, I want to embrace every moment (challenges and all) as from the Lord's hand. I know His wisdom and plans are far above mine- and much greater...so, I will not just learn to be content...but I will rejoice! I will not wish for a quiet home or a clean floor... I will be thankful! I will rejoice that He has given me 2 precious children, I will rejoice that He has given me a husband who works hard to keep me home, I will be thankful for the grace to see past circumstances and to see His goodness..." Thank you God for crunched cheerios, and for dirty pink sippy cups...for that means that my little people have been here!"

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Monday Madness

I have long designated Monday as my cleaning day each week. This has really

become one of my favorite days, as we are intentional about making no plans

outside the home- or even inviting guests into our home. This day is set aside for

cleaning, tackling the laundry, cooking/meal prep, and attempting to "fill"

every one's tank so we are set up for a healthy, happy, purposeful, and peaceful week.

So...with that being said I am here to say that THIS Monday didn't exactly work

out that way...but, I took a deep breath and tried to make the most of it...Hope you

enjoy!

DISASTER #1- DISHWASHER OVERFLOWED WITH BUBBLES...covered kitchen floor and soaked the carpet to the right in the dining room! Charis enjoyed the bubbles though.

(This photo was NOT staged!)

DISASTER #2- ADDY KATE DECIDES TO THROW ALL HER SPAGHETTI ON FLOOR!!

Thanks Addy Kate!

DISASTER #3- I ATE ALMOST ALL THE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS I MADE FOR WOODY.
They were too good...click here to get the recipe www.passionatehomemaking.com

THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL!!

Hope this quote encourages you(as it does me) to embrace the deep, deep love of Christ!

"The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin." — Timothy Keller