Mother of Seven + 2

Thinking about all the time I often mindlessly spend on the internet.  I may be catching up on Facebook status updates, looking for recipes I want to try, reading my favorite blogs, or writing on my own blog.  All of these things can be good, but I often waste away precious minutes that turn to hours.  This holiday season I'm putting my computer away for a week.  I want to spend every moment enjoying time with my family.  I want to be fully present, not half there.  I desire to just spend time soaking up this celebration of my Savior's birth.  Praying you and your families will be doing the same. So until the New Year.... Photo from freedigitalphotos.net  

My daughter, Kaytlin, worked hard and designed a new blog header for me.  Then with the help of her brother, Ryan, they redesigned my blog.  A big thank you to my kids.  I love it!  Photo from freedigitalphotos.net

 Claiming God's Word as my prayer at bedtime O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63:1-5 Parched Thirsty Longing Up before dawn with a song in my heart My prayer for the day "Draw Me Close" [Chorus:] You're all I want, You're all I've ever needed You're all I want, Help me know you are near Driving down the highway Car lights penetrating the darkness Switching off the radio Desiring solitude Looking up the beautiful quarter moon shining Then there it was just to the le...

I just found the draft for this post that is a part of my series on the heart.  I never posted it.  There was a reason for that.  I was struggling with having a forgiving heart at the time.  God is good, and I am amazed by his timing.  He provided exactly what I needed through His Word.  I'm praying now that the time is right to share this post with you. "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.  But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17 There are times in life when there are wrongs that need dealt with.  These are never easy.  I've been in a few....

Kaytlin pointed out to us the other day that our neighbors might think we are just a little different.  I like to think we are pretty normal people, but perhaps she does have a point. We have had fire drills and had the children crawling through the house and climbing out upstairs windows onto the roof.  I might wonder a little bit about a family if I drove by a house and saw a bunch of children on the rooftop. To dry the onions from the garden, my husband put chicken wire over our garage windows (which had the glass broken out of them).  Then we poked the onion tops through the chicken wire.  It worked well.  However, I guess dried onion tops hanging out of the garage windows might look unusual to the neighbors. Then there is really no explanation for this.  We just like to have fun.   We may appear a little strange.  Some of us even look like aliens.  However, it's not all bad.  God calls us to live as aliens and strang...

Some days it feels like I can't go on. I'm tired. Life's burdens weight me down. I'm weary. The children's needs wear on me. I'm worn. There is no strength left to face another day. I'm weak. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28   Photo from freedigitalphotos.net Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?   My help comes from the LORD , the Maker of heaven and earth.   He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber;     indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.   The LORD watches over you--   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;   the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.   The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life;     the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and ...