Home Sweet Home

There is nothing like coming home. It doesn't matter how fun the trip was, I always look forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed. We had hoped the drive coming home would be shorter, but it wasn't. It is still a 14 hour drive to Colorado no matter which way we go.

But what does it mean when you come home and a huge red bow is attached to your garage door, red ribbon wrapped around the front of the house, and a wreath made of red forks is hanging by the door? (I wish I would have taken a picture)

a) don't ever leave again because your house is fair game?
b) someone just paid off the loan on your house and is gifting it to you?
c) the forty or so people who beautifully decorated the church last Sunday for Christmas wanted to make sure they shared their talents with us personally?
d)someone is mad at us and couldn't bring themselves to "toilet paper" us so instead decided to "bow" us? (this tells me women were involved?)
e)someone discovered how much I love the color red and wanted to bless me?

Any guesses??

Thanksgiving Day

I awoke this morning to some familiar sounds from my childhood. I could hear my mom in the kitchen. Cupboard doors were being opened and shut. The clanging of pots and pans and the sound of running water echoed through the house as she cleaned and prepared the Thanksgiving Turkey for cooking.

She always enjoyed getting up before anyone else and putting the turkey in the oven so that by the time everyone else was awake and breakfast was being started, this part of her day was complete.

My parents home has a huge window that faces Pikes Peak. This morning the sun was shining right over the top of the mountain and you could see it's snow capped top perfectly. It was a beautiful site!

The day has been quiet and very relaxing. The boys have spent alot of time outside. The girls watched a fun movie.

The food today was wonderfully familiar and generous. My uncle and cousin joined us for our simple gathering. We read allowed Psalm 100 and prayed together.

There are so many changes in every one's life that sat around the table today. Most are too personal to blog about. We each have so much to thank the Lord for even in the midst of change.

As I look back over this year, I am thankful to the Lord for all that He is doing to change me. I don't want to change. But the Lord in His loving way nudges me along and as I look at the difficulties ahead as a result of change, I am also tempted to glance back at what seemed comfortable and familiar and want to stay there.

I am sitting quietly tonight with Coleman sleeping soundly next to me in a dimly lite bedroom. I am ready for bed. I have written down all that I am thankful for from this past year even the really difficult times. I don't just want to thank the Lord for the good stuff. I want to never forget the really hard stuff and how He has carried me through.

A Thankful Heart

It's late. I am sitting in a bedroom in my parents home. Everyone else is asleep. I should be too, but today is my mom's birthday and I think the piece of chocolate cake eaten about an hour ago is keeping me awake.

My parents retired and moved to Colorado a year and a half ago. This is the first time I have seen their new home. I am so grateful to be here.
It had been just over a year since I had seen my Mom and Dad. Too long! The distance and the busyness of life had prevented an earlier visit.

But we are all together now and I am so thankful!

Our family has taken many long road trips. Living apart from extended family for the past eight years as allowed for us to spend many hours in the car together driving down the interstate. I have grown to absolutely love road trips. This time was no exception. The only difference was the kids are older and take up much more room in the car. The challenges of keeping everyone comfortable can be cause for some tense moments. But we make it through and everyone tries really hard to work together. Road trips will be on the list of memorable moments in our children's life. (or at least I can hope so)

Road trips provide something else for me though. It is a time to talk. Long hours on the road with no where to go but buckled in your seat allow us to talk through all that is going on in our life. And the rest of us have to listen.

It is a time to think. Just when everyone is starting to feel a bit irritable, we have thirty minutes of silence. No talking, just thinking. It's my favorite time.

It is a time to reflect. There is no where for the kids to run off to, so we usually have some moments on the road trip where we encourage them to reflect on all that God has done in our lives as a family, and for His grace and His goodness.

But out of fear of sounding like peace and joy ooze from our vehicle as we head down the highway at seventy-five miles an hour, we have plenty of sibling arguing, whining, and cranky people in the car too. It is almost comical at times to watch us go from deep conversations to absolute frustration over the next kid asking, "how much longer?"

It was a long trip this time. But another road trip has been logged and I am so thankful to be here.

Happy 4th of July!

It was a great day!

The weather was just right!

The parade was fun!

The food was totally yummy!

The fellowship was even better!

Happy 4th of July!

If anyone is in Christ....

So the cross not only brings Christ's life to an end, it ends also the first life, the old life, of every one of His true followers. It destroys the old pattern, the Adam pattern, in the believer's life, and brings it to an end. Then the God who raised Christ from the dead raises the believer and a new life begins.

A.W. Tozer

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

The 2007 "Come to the Table" Highlights

Here is one of my favorite posts from each month in 2007. It was good to look back over the past year and read what I had been thinking and experiencing. I am so thankful to the Lord for His goodness and grace in my life.

January Too often I find myself relating to the mother in this cute yet smelly story:...

February I have felt a bit weepy this past week. It is both a physical weariness and a heaviness I have on my heart over many things. Some of the heaviness is for others and what they are facing and the rest is my mother's heart...

March As a young bride at twenty two, married to the man who had prayed for me at the tender age of fifteen, I had a very limited understanding of what God's design for marriage was. I knew I was to "leave" and "cleave" and that we were "one flesh", but beyond this, I began a life hoping to find joy and fulfilment only to discover that I struggled deeply within myself....

April As I gaze at my husband’s face, I see the reflection of my mother in law in his life, her gentle touch, her warm embrace and her love for God and His word. But I also see the smile of another woman who laid her hands on her belly and thanked God for her unborn child...

May As a newly married twenty two year old young woman never did I imagine those two things happening at the same time in my life or better yet on the same day. Never!...


June It was a wonderfully overcast Southern California June morning in 1986 when we took our vows to love and cherish each other....


July A dear friend sent me an email yesterday and this was the final paragraph. It was like she was standing in my home watching. Her words described the scene so well....


August The first day of school is slowly ticking away and I am trying real hard to think about what our new routine will look like since I admitted that I was sooo ready for one. But even though, I must say that first day of school good-byes always leave a lump in my throat. They did eleven years ago when my oldest started school and this morning was no different....


September I give thanks to the Lord when life is a bit uneventful. Today in the midst of my laundry folding, dust bunny chasing, and bathroom scrubbing, I pause to praise God for redemption....


October For six or seven years, this was entirely true of me. Then one day, when I found myself on the couch in the middle of the day (for the second week in a row) and I wasn't sick, just exhausted, it was time to take inventory...


November This morning I woke up early. Earlier than I would have liked. I couldn't sleep any longer....


December We have lots of snow!! It makes this Christmas season so sweet. This is a picture taken from my back door. The kids have been out playing in it almost everyday after school. My favorite is the untouched snow. I did not grow up with snow, so it is still very fun for me....


Happy New Year!

From Our House to Yours

Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

Monday morning we were greeted with "frosted" trees. They are so beautiful. I couldn't help myself but go out and take some photos in my neighborhood.

Snow

We have lots of snow!! It makes this Christmas season so sweet. This is a picture taken from my back door. The kids have been out playing in it almost everyday after school. My favorite is the untouched snow. I did not grow up with snow, so it is still very fun for me.

Snow reminds me of forgiveness. Christmas time is one of those places or seasons in our life where expectations can literally drive us from thing to thing or place to place. Often times how we approach this time of year and what we do is based on what others expect rather than on what we know we should be doing or shouldn't be doing. We place unnecessary demands on ourselves!! Maybe even our good intentions are a bit unrealistic and ideal. Because in the midst of planning and making Christmas memories, we still have everyday life happening all around us.

I am doing a little self-talk to myself this morning. I have had some good intentions and great ideas, but have yet to accomplish everything. The last couple of nights there have been interruptions, others who have needed things, kids not feeling 100 percent etc.. But what message do I want to communicate to others and especially my children. The message is that God became flesh, left his heavenly throne to become a living sacrifice for our sins. There is so much about the Christmas message that I desire for my kids to understand. Not the pretty decorations, gifts, baking, parties and so on. The message of love is what I want them to see. God loved them so much that He was was willing to give up so much in order for us to be reconciled unto Himself.

My kids won't remember in a few years whether or not the cookies were decorated just so or even if there were bows on their gifts, but they will remember if mom was a little uptight and short with them in the midst of the Christmas season. Like yesterday!! I was trying to finish something and all (it couldn't of been just one) of my children were in the room and I used a tone that I was not proud of to express my frustration. It wasn't just the tone but the body language and everything that comes with it. And the worse part was that the offense did not deserve it or even come close to this type of reaction. Immediately, the Lord convicted me and as I looked about the room filled with Christmas decorations and the sight of Christmas planning all around me, it made me want to take back my tone and everything that went with it, in lieu of everything around me. No amount of physical beauty in the home can replace the atmosphere that a mother or father brings.

Last night I asked for forgiveness and then I went to bed. I knew I was tired! Today, I am looking at the beauty of the untouched snow and the picture of God 's love and forgiveness it reflects for my own life and I am more and more thankful for Christmas.

Open House

Next week I am hosting a Christmas Coffee Open House at my home for the ladies in our church. My hope is that ladies who are new to our church or who have been attending for awhile and may not have had a chance to meet other ladies will come and make some new friends. Or that some of the ladies who work and care for their families might be able to take a few minutes and stop by for some much needed fellowship. I am offering two different time slots one in the morning and one in the evening in hopes that everyone would be able to join us. Yes, I know we could of set up a huge coffee at the church and planned a two hour event in which everyone showed up at the same time, (nothing wrong with this idea) but I felt strangely impressed this year to make it simple, unassuming, and inviting. My only prayer is that no one will stay away in fear of coming to a strange home.

As I have been busily preparing my home in the midst of our day to day lives and routine I have been thinking alot about the idea of opening up my home. My first thought is that it could give the impression that the only reason I am doing this is to "showcase" my home. Which is the opposite of my whole reason for doing this...simplicity. I even felt compelled at one moment while setting out some of my snowmen I have had for years to run out and buy some new things. And then I thought if this was the reason for someone stopping by they would be greatly disappointed. Yes, my home is decorated, and some may consider it elaborate depending on your taste and style, while others may consider it plain and simple. My point is that it really does not matter. My hope is that no one comes to just see my home, but rather to see those who will be in attendance.

A couple of ladies came up to me this past weekend and told me that they were looking forward to coming. One lady told me I was so brave for doing this. Another lady thanked me for doing this. I have given some thought to these comments. I am fully aware as women we put alot of pressure on ourselves to perform. We would never call it that, but most of the time the expectations we have are those we have inflicted on ourselves. My home is just that, "my home". It is a dwelling place for my family. We live here. I would NEVER ever want it to be a place for show. Yes, I like my home to look nice...we all do. Our homes should be comfortable and a place that is warm and welcoming first to our husbands and children, never to what others think or expect. Oh, if I had only understood this when I was first married. The many opportunities I missed out on to invite others into my home out of fear that they would think differently of me.

Things have changed alot. Children have a way of keeping us very humble. Yes, I promise the bathroom will be clean, the coffee will be warm and the treats will be plenty, but I can't promise that you won't see something like this...

(Christmas tree ornaments being dragged across the table by a lego)

This morning while I was putting our dinner in the crock pot, Coleman had several tree ornaments set up across the table and was using them as part of his train. I have to admit initially upon seeing all those things off of the tree, I wanted to immediately scold him and remind him not to touch, but then I reminded myself that his sisters and brothers had been given this exact freedom during their toddler years and that the tree has always been decorated by the kids and most of the ornaments were things they could touch and look at. And guess what, it is my home and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Walk Slowly

Today I actually ventured out to shop on the day after Thanksgiving. I don't know if I have ever done this before. I may do it again only because so much was on sale! But in the midst of so many people I walked slowly, looking, waiting, and I was reminded of this little piece I wrote last year at this time.

Christmas is coming...hopefully snow will be falling.
The decorations, the smells, the gifts are all because of a loving God who chose to give the greatest gift of all, His own son!

Walk slowly and enjoy each moment! No matter what our circumstances we already have the greatest gift of all.

Walk slowly through your home. The hands that touch all the pretty decorations will not be the same next year.

Walk slowly through the stores. It is not about what we
give, but what has been given to us.

Walk slowly through the parties and family traditions. People matter most to God. He died for them.

Walk slowly and look at the beautiful lights, savor the smells, and worship the King who came for us.

Walk Slowly!

(originally posted
November 2006)

Christmas Music

Michael W. Smith has a new Christmas Album and if you go here you may have an opportunity to get one for free.
I have enjoyed his music for many years. I remember after my first child was born picking up a copy of Today's Christian Women with Michael & Debbie Smith on the cover. The article was about her and the wonderful support she was to her husband. But I think what really grabbed the heart of this young mom at the time was she had five children. At this time in my life, I never dreamed I would someday have five children. It just seemed huge! I still have the magazine as a result of the article.

Gratitude

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I am sure it has something to do with the season, but really it has to do more with where it forces me to focus. Too often I focus on what I need, or what I would like to see changed in my life, or what I still don't have, or what I am still struggling with instead of on what He has shown me, mercy. As Thanksgiving approaches this year, I am conscious of the benefit I have received (the meaning of being thankful). I am grateful to God and His great mercy towards me. Take a moment and meditate on the words of Charles Spurgeon:

"The fear of a man who really knows the love and goodness of God, will be somewhat of this kind: He will fear lest he should really be, or should seem to be, ungrateful. 'What' he asks, 'can I do? I am drowned in mercy. It is not as though my ship were sailing in a sea of mercy; I have been so loaded with the favour of the Lord that my vessel has gone right down, and the ocean of God’s love and mercy has rolled right over the masthead. What can I do O Lord? If thou had given me only a little mercy, I might have done something, in return, to express my gratitude. But oh! Thy great mercy in electing me, in redeeming me, in converting me, and in preserving me, and in all the goodness of thy providence toward me;--what can I do in return for all these favour? I feel struck dumb; and I am afraid, lest I should have a dumb heart as well as a dumb tongue; I fear lest I should grieve Thee by anything that looks like ingratitude.”

Memorial Day

This morning I woke up safely in my own bed. I didn't have much to worry about or fear. Yet thousands of men and women including my youngest brother stand in the face of danger each and every day to serve our country and protect the freedoms we so easily enjoy.

Let me never forget what it has cost so many. As I drove past our local cemetery with the parade of American flags displayed so beautifully this week, I am moved by what those colors represent. I am thankful for the men and women who have gone before me to protect what I have and what my children will also have FREEDOM! Freedom to worship God!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

**updated to add: yes, I changed the template for my blog. I am waiting on a new design. But in the meantime I thought it was time for something new to look at.

Welcome 2007!

New Years Meditations
Hosted By Laurel Wreath

I awoke earlier this morning than I expected after staying up past midnight. I am filled with excitement and anticipation of a New Year. Each week of my life I sit in a unique position. Most attend their church each week sitting next to their spouse or other loved ones hearing a message from their pastor. I on the other hand have known only one thing for most of my married life. To sit alone listening to my husband share the word of God or serve in some other area of ministry in the church. Now that my children are getting older I have the wonderful privilege of having one or two of them sitting along side me. I am often asked questions like, "is it hard to listen to your own husband each week', or "do you always know what he is going to share", and on occasion, "I bet you have heard all this before." and the answer to all those questions is, "No".

I have another unique privilege as well that so many other women who also walk in a similar place are allowed to experience. I know the man behind the words. I pray with him, listen to his heart, and share everyday life with him. So, what does this have to do with New Years Meditations, my hopes, dreams and goals. Well, yesterday my husband gave a message that was simple in nature, and oddly he had shared much with me this past week, and yet I walked out of service knowing with a fresh perspective that all my hopes for my family, my dreams for the year and the goals that I usually like to set for myself are nothing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING apart from God. I had a sense of new revelation about my life. Colossians 1:16 says,

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

The words, "all things, and "for him" have played over and over in my mind in the last 24 hours. One of the questions he asked was, "What's the reason for everything? It's all for God's Glory Romans 11:36 says,

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

As I look at my life, the season I am in, raising a teenager, toddler, and everything in between, the hopes and dreams I have for my home and family, the daily goals I have for myself to take better care of myself, to live a life that matters, and my own tendency to make plans and figure things out, I think of this statement made yesterday morning by my husband in the context of finding purpose and meaning in your life, "who cares who remembers me in this life 100 years from now....WILL GOD KNOW ME!

This is my hope, dream, and goal for 2007. To KNOW God! And everything else will find its right place. The only way to really know someone is through spending time with them and so I continue on with my "Life Journal". My daily devotion with the Lord. It has always been a priority...but for some reason it has a new vengeance. I don't' feel compelled to make the list of things to accomplish, my dreams, my plans, and so on but I find it almost too simple, as my husband shared, "seize the day" and Know God!

Thank you Lord, that I can go to your word and look for Your hopes, Your dreams, Your goals for my life, for my family, for my future, for ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

To read more New Year's Meditations go to Laurel Wreath

What I GOT for Christmas

Time to stop and reflect on God's love
A renewed perspective on salvation
A husband's compassion for the lost and hurting
A two year old continually saying "Carrrr"
Kids looking under the tree and moving packages around
Little hands waving backwards when he wants you to follow him
Sweet words from a brother and uncle
Two sisters playing together
Grandma's smile when shopping for gifts
A son's hug
No greater joy than watching a little one open a gift
A most beautiful conversation with a teenager
The joy of a young girl playing with a baby doll
Kind words spoken by children
Heartfelt prayers
Cards and letter from old friends
God's provision
Helping a six year old learn to skate
Visiting with extended family
Playing games with my kids
Tears of joy
Tears of missing loved ones
A chance to watch the world stop for one day
Joy in the faces of children

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May the joy of the birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord, fill your hearts and homes.

Merry Christmas!

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 2:11-14

One Solitary Life

All the armies that ever marched, and all the governaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, have not effected life upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life.

author unknown

Welcome to Our Home!

Boomama is hosting a Christmas tour of homes. I thought I would join in on the fun (for all of you who live out west).

Welcome and come on in! Merry Christmas!



This cute fellow adorns our front door.



As you enter into our foyer you'll find my favorite spot. A dear friend gave me this small flocked tree and it sits perfectly next to the table with the white church, snowmen and a miniature nativity. For years I owned a wooden nativity set which little fingers played with and it's location was usually unknown, but when a few of the pieces disappeared we decided it was time to keep our eyes open for a new one.



These cute snowmen are some of the few Christmas decorations that survived our cross country move.

On the opposite wall Christmas cards are starting to gather and we love hearing from all of you.



Straight ahead is our living room. This is the only room I decorate.


The stockings hang from the fireplace and if you look closely you'll see a snow globe of The Nativity given to us by dear friends.





Behind us is our piano showcasing a lovely poinsettia. The pictures on the wall is our family picture taken at Christmas time last year.



If you look closely at our tree, you'll see one of my favorite ornaments. Two of these glass doves have survived 20 years of marriage.


In my kitchen I bring out my poinsettia tea pot and tea cup to enjoy! And of course my red snowman dishes. There is a picture here.



Thank you for stopping by today. And may the Joy of the Lord fill your home and heart as you celebrate the birth our Lord and Savior! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Traditions

Kim at Lifesong has posted some of her families Christmas traditions and has encouraged those reading her blog to do the same.

Some of our traditions have changed in recent years, but we have a few that have lasted for over a decade.

1) Through the years I have created an advent celebration based on the age of my children. It has changed over time, but the message is always the same. My prayer is to create anticipation and expectation in my children's hearts at the coming Messiah. We have tried to communicate the message of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Christmas morning we read "The Birth of Jesus" a beautifully illustrated book for my younger children and Luke chapter 2.

2) I have truly enjoyed this book (which I had shared about here).

3) Christmas music filling the house as much as possible and as often as possible. We sing Christmas carols after reading in the evening.

4) Many years ago I began buying each of my children new pajamas for Christmas. Some years we did matching, but now we do something either themed or based on their personality. It is something they truly look forward to and on Christmas Eve we open up our new PJs and wear them to bed.

5) Similar to Kim, we put all our Christmas cards in a cute metal box after Christmas. And during the month of January we pull one out each night and pray for the family. I used to tell my friends to make sure we got their card if they wanted our prayers! :)

6) I have a baking day FOR THE KIDS. This means I am not looking for perfection, but rather giving them a chance to enjoy the process. I let the kids decide what they will do with their finished product. Some years the dough barely made it on the cookie sheet before being gobbled up by little mouths.

7) We pop popcorn and watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one evening.

8) One of my favorite traditions is Shopping Day. This one is only a few years old, but it is so fun. We usually go to Target and each child (the older four) has $25.00 that they have saved or earned. (We don't let them bring more than $25.00 and we give our six year old the money for now) They each shop for gifts for each of their siblings and dad and mom. (the baby will be included in a few years, but don't worry he will end up with several gifts in the process) They each have a $5.00 budget to spend on each person. I let two go in one direction and I go with the two with the six year old included. They can put their money together or not. I let them completely decide. I get so much joy in watching them carefully pick gifts for one another, and yet they try so hard not to look at things for themselves. And you might think that nothing good can come from $5.00?? Well think again, last year I got lotion, a candle, and a beautiful black pearl necklace picked out by my son. The tricky part is getting around the store and through the check out without letting each other see what is being bought. But that is part of the fun too!
**special note** And in case you are wondering. The first year we did this our budget for the event was $20.00 total. My husband took the boys to buy gifts for the girls and I took the girls to buy for the boys. We had so much fun! The girls received cute little socks and the boys received baseball cards and a rescue hero on a clearance rack. They now save for this day and it has taught them to appreciate what is bought so much more.

9) Our tree usually goes up the first week in December. My home decor for many years was very simple. We collect an ornament each year hopefully representing some special meaning. My kids each have a box with their own ornaments and they enjoy taking each one out and talking about what each one means as they put it on the tree. This year I found cute wooden sled ornaments for the boys and wooden ice skates for the girls in hopes of a White Christmas!

10) My husband always has some type of Christmas service at church and of course we all enjoy it very much.

Here are some new traditions for this year:

11) I bought "The Christmas Carol" from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre Programs on CD. One night next week I want to gather some pillows, light the candles, and sit on the floor and listen to the story.

12) My husband took two of our children to see "The Nativity" and said it was excellent. I hope to see it soon. Watching this on DVD could be a great tradition in the future.

13) And finally, a word of caution. Traditions should be there for our benefit and enjoyment. They should not rule us, but we should rule them. This is why ours can change and do. They should not be based on what we have or able to purchase, but rather on spending time with one another. When I had three children five and under it looked very different than it does today. It is not about the doing, but enjoying the time spent together and giving and receiving the message of hope in Jesus Christ.