35 and some goals ...

this past weekend
i turned
... gulp ...

35

yes ... i am now officially in my mid thirties

and I am ... okay with that.

but i was thinking last night of a few good goals ...
a few things i wanna become better at ... 
a few things that i want to focus more on ...

1. take more pictures

2. maybe give Pilate's a try

3. save my pennies for the beach

4. learn to sew

5. family comes first ALWAYS

6. write more letters

7.  HE must become greater ... i must become less John 3:30

8. read more

9. tell those who i love in my life why i love them in my life
10. God... others ... myself - in that order
11. be a better listener
12. when a friend stops over ... stop what i am doing and just enjoy the conversation
13. Answer all phone calls ... exp. from friends and family... never hit ignore
... gulp ...
i mean not that i ever do ... hit ignore ... gulp ...
14. Be still and know that HE is God
15. allow myself to be more in the moment
16. let my light shine
17.  tackle something new ... for instance today that would be replacing the whole inner part of my upstairs toilet... gulp ... good thing my mama is here and unlike me
good thing she tends to finish things until completed.
18. finish more projects that i start... er ... or maybe just finish the ones i have already started.
19. start each day in the word
20. just simply ... love.


xo

All in a name ...

i am in love with something i have been working on

it's a piece for my own home

a piece that is so personal ... so emotional for me

you see i believe that ...

 sometimes decorating your home does not mean

to fill it with items you have purchased

or items that hold no meaning

too often i feel you walk into someones home and you have no idea who they are

you get no view into the person who actually lives there

what their interests are ... where they came from... what they enjoy

and i am a big believer

in that your home ... well it should tell your story

your home should be made and not bought

a home needs to reflect your heart ... your loves...



and well this piece ...

a beautiful copy of my father's third grade

cursive handwriting skills

which also includes the month i was born

yes ...

this piece speaks my heart

xo



One day at a time ...

so today i woke up and as i started my morning

... after only a few hours of sleep

i was looking back on all that has been going on these past few months ...

my father passing away

my husband coming home only to leave again

meeting my new niece from Sierra Leone Africa

a good friend announcing that her husband and her are divorcing

my aunt getting news that the cancer currently in her bones is stable

er visits

re connecting with an old friend

and the list could go on and on ...

i thought of one of my favorite scriptures

... this is the day the Lord has made let us REJOICE and be glad in it

Psalm 118:24

 

did you catch that part ... REJOICE.

this is the day the Lord has made let us REJOICE and be glad in it.

you see regardless of what we may be facing ... regardless

of how hard it is or how much maybe we do not understand it

we are to REJOICE.

and honestly ... on certain days that's a tough one.

there are days that i just simply do not feel like rejoicing... days when

i do not want to hear about someones problems... days i long to be having

a conversation with my dad... days i just want to be able to laugh with my husband

days when i simply just want to say ... i m done

and yet there also are the good days...

the days when you see your daughter playing with her new cousin ...

a cousin that only months ago

 was close to death and living at an orphanage in Africa

the days when thru technology your kids are able to show their dad...

who is at war in Iraq ...  their new shoes over skype

the days when i think of my father and i simply smile without tears

yes ...

... this is the day the Lord has made , let us REJOICE and be glad in it

the good days...

the bad days ...

HE has made.

xo

p.s  back to decor soon. promise.

Simple ...

Monday inspiration ...

i love.

Happy week to you all

xo

( photo by Hem )

Orange

inspiration

i am in love with this orange perfectly imperfect chair

*sigh*

in love ...

enjoy your day!

xo

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it ...

Psalm 118:24



the Army Cot ...

i love ...

busy day here today ...

i hope your day is great

xo



Let's begin again ...

my thoughts have been consumed lately ...

my life has been busy

i have been checked out ... checked in and back out again

it's a one day at a time kind of time for my family and I

...

a lets just see what the day brings kind of time

...

but ...

He never said there would be no suffering... He said Rejoice in your suffering.







He never said there would be no times of feeling weak ... He said delight in weakness






He never said there would be no hardships ... He said delight in hardships.






When I Am Weak, He Is Strong !






Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

xo

( photos by me and Alice )

Saturday ...

                                                           

                                                          A lazy day here today ...

kids are playing ... i'm finishing up

re-arranging my bedroom

and we are heading to a movie a little bit later

have a great weekend everyone!

xo



A girl ...

there is a girl ...

and she is loved by me

she

in her own spirited way, brings to me what i have been needing

a friendship

a love

a soft place to land

an ear that can sift through my ramblings

a second set of hands with the kids

an eye for junk

an excitement over the perfect rescued find

honesty

REALNESS

a i am who i am kind of attitude

she can come visit on a whim

she can change my day with one comment

she is family

and today i miss her.

these images remind me of her ...

my Kelsey Rose

xo



all in the details ...

i could look at these photos all day ...

taking in every little detail

they inspire me so much

these images are from one of my favorite

Swedish blogs that i follow

i.love.them

have a happy day!

xo



Rejoice ...

i think ...

no actually i know

i am a pretender

i like to pretend that things are great...

i like to pretend that this deployment is all going to be good

that i will not be discouraged ...

pretend that we will not be affected

and yet ...

deep inside... way down i know the truth

we are going to go through ups and downs

we are going to have days of deep lows

days of nothing but heartache and tears

and that... is truth

you see God never says it will all be an easy walk

he says ...

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God... Not only so

but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know

that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character

and character, hope.

Romans 5:1-5

and today i continue on ...

rejoicing

in my kids ... in the fact that first thing this morning i was able

to hear my husband's voice on the line...

rejoicing in friendships

looking out my window last night to see a friend

scraping off my snow covered car ...

receiving a perfectly timed email of encouragement ...

neighbors shoveling my sidewalks

good girlfriends bringing pizza and Starbucks

friends stopping only to give a quick hug

yes ... today i will continue to REJOICE!

knowing that even on the days of suffering ...

 He is here

He is whispering in the ears of those around me, He is providing

encouragement ... He is doing just as He promised He would

demonstrating His love

xo





Admit one ...

it has been awhile ...

i am adjusting to this new life

and to be honest some days i feel like this is exactly what i need

or deserve ...

a admit one ticket to the 4th floor... the mental ward

but everyday ... i discover more about me

more about my limits...

more about digging deeper than i ever thought i could go  ...

more about my relationships with friends and with family

and

 everyday i learn more about this man whom i love

i have discovered just how much he carries for this family ...

i discover just how much light he brings to us ...

how everyday at 5pm the kids and i both feel this heartache

knowing he is not going to be walking through that door ...

at least not today

...for when i am weak, HE is strong

my intentions were not to turn this into a blog about deployment

or a blog about my personal life

and yet

right now ... it is hard to focus on much else

my thoughts ... my heart ... my days

they are consumed

completely consumed with what can i do today to make

the kids not focus on their dad being gone ...

what can i do today to keep my mind busy so i ...

do not focus on him being gone

and we continue on ...

TRUSTING

OBEYING

STANDING FIRM

on HIS solid ground ... his own words

the ones that say ...

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT

ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING

BUT IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM

AND I WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.

Proverbs 3:5-6

yes ... we continue on

one day at a time we continue on

xo

 ...