State of Being vs State of Mind

I've been thinking about a concept since last night and had a chance to "cook" on it a little. In most circumstances I would say that the following is true. Surely this concept breaks down at some point but I like it for it's simplicity. This is probably not original to me but I don't know of anyone who has written/spoke it in this way. If you do, let me know, I want to read more of what they have to say.

Its not a state of "being" that usually causes me problems, it's my state of "mind"
It's not my future state of being that will cause my current fear, it's my current state of my mind about my future state of being that rattles my bones.

Review: Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



This was one of the best books for parenting young children. I will be reading this again so that I can grasp more nuggets of information.



View all my reviews

Uncooking101 is having a giveaway!

You can win a recipe book and videos. Here's the link I have used her site several times.

Times are a changin

Announcing(2 wks late) the birth of our 8th precious little one that God has so graciously loaned to us for a time.

Melody Anastasia
Oct. 31
6.6 lbs

Grateful for my husband!

This morning Jason and I were talking about some things and I am just so grateful that God has given him insight and he helps me to understand certain things. Sometimes my view becomes cloudy and I can't quite understand the full picture. We were talking about the "all or nothing" mentality. I have mentioned on my blog that I struggle with this daily. What I haven't recognized is that there are others who struggle with the same thing and I need to understand and give them grace in this area. Just because you can't be the best musician, programmer, artist, mother, daughter, father, papa, etc.. doesn't mean that you give it up all together. It means that you do the best you can and work with what you got. Jason gave me a beautiful imagery. He said " Picture 2 gardens. One is lush and has thick black soil with abundant fruit and beauty. It would be awesome. Now picture another garden with boulders around everywhere and very few spots for adequate plant growth. But on the boulders you see cracks where plants have sprung up and one even has an apple tree! Wouldn't that be amazing?" He said " Your life is like that garden with all those boulders. You have to live in this garden, it's just the way things are. Don't you want to let God make it the most miraculous and awe-inspiring as you can? To tend to the plants that you CAN grow, even if it's not some botanical garden? God is growing plants where you least expect them. Don't give up and settle for a yard of boulders. Let God make it something beautiful" So all those people out there who struggle with the all or nothing mentality, Let God make something beautiful out of your garden of boulders!

Andrews birthday

We celebrated Andrew's 4th birthday yesterday with the grandparents and cousins. Everyone had such a great time. Here are a couple of gruesome pics of the cake, lol.

Update on Pregnancy

Things have been going fairly well, with the exception of my typical issues like restless legs and circulation issues. I haven't had many braxton hicks contractions so that's awesome. I have, in the last 2 wks, experienced a change in things though. It looks as though she has dropped a great deal and I am having more issues with varicose vein pain, especially after waking in the morning. It's very weird. I haven't been to the doctor since my 20 wk appt but I am going tomorrow so we will see how she is doing in there. I have this huge fear that they will put me in the hospital. It seems every time I show up there that's what ends up happening, lol. I rest in the knowledge that God is in control and he knows the perfect plan for this little one. That is a very comforting thing for a Mom. I will update how the appt went.

Updated Toby's Books

I updated Toby's books on the left hand side. Also, if you click on his name, it will take you to his website that he made ALL(he did get help when he had a question of course,lol) on his own, hand coded. Kaitlyn taught him HTML and a little CSS. So proud of him!

Sewing Projects

I thought I would post some pics of what I have been working on over the last 2 wks. These were really fun and lots of love in return. This is Summers new art bag. She starts classes on the 6th. She is so excited!! 

This is a guitar strap that I sewed for Daniel. He LOVES the guitar and obsessively plays it all day. He really needed a way to carry it around. It has multiple button holes so it's adjustable. Next time I would make it a little bigger so the older kids can use it. I used a guide from online.

Family Computer Projects

 I am having so much fun doing the HERALD5 website! It's been great showing the kids what's going on as well. I don't think I have posted on here about them learning html, css, javascript, and jquery, but they are making great progress in those areas. They have a site they are working on right now that I think they will be very proud of. So, it's been fun working as a family on this stuff. Of course Jason is ALWAYS working on something, finding a new idea, or WANTING a new idea to work on.lol So if any of you know of something that might be great to have, whether it be a site, a gadget, or database integration software/code snippet, let me know and I will pass it along. Oh, if you want to check out the HERALD5 site, go to http://www.herald5.com  I will put up the kids' when they are done. I am so proud of them! It will likely be Charlotte doing the graphics and some html, Kaitlyn doing the javascript/CSS/jquery, and Toby adding much input and learning html. I can't wait to see how these little people flourish(even if it's something totally unrelated to computers and music.. ;) )

The Christian Life as a Skill

Recently I have been heavily studying in several subjects. The more I study, the more I realize I need to study more! It can be frustrating but very rewarding. There are words that are so foreign to me and concepts that are so difficult to grasp that I need a little while to "chew" on the info I've taken in. I was thinking the other day how much my christian walk has resembled this process of learning. First comes those words that you don't understand, then concepts that are impossible(it seems) to grasp. The biggest difference, and one I am grateful for, is that God knew we were simpletons. He sent a helper to guide us along when we have no clue. The Holy Spirit is so instrumental in our lives if we are sensitive to Him(and he leads us back when we have gone WAY off course,lol). As for these other things that have me boggled at times, Jason helps with some, books help, and plain old fashioned hard work can get me a long way...I hope.

Lovin the Piano

Fun Ideas

We had a very old laundry basket and I cut out the bottom to make a basketball goal. The white things everywhere are sock bombs(one sock stuffed in another one) that Jason uses to teach the kids fluidity when fighting.

I had to do something about the crayons. Our little organizational system. This also helps the younger ones with color sorting. I can put the top on to prevent Daniel from getting in it as well!

Celebrate and Reflect

Today Jason and I celebrate our 13th anniversary! In reflecting on these past years there are so many emotions that can overwhelm me if I think about it all at once. God, in his mercy, has spared us from so much. God has blessed Jason with a forgiving and loving heart. He has shepherded me like Christ and taught me so many things. God has used him and the kids in my life to STAY ALIVE. I am so grateful for the sacrifice that Jason does each and everyday. He shows me how my weird and quirky thoughts are NOT real. He is a constant, a healer(just as his name is defined), a loving father, and humble man. He doesn't demand anything out of me but truth and loyalty and if I fail to give him those, he is quick to forgive. He desires to please me, encourages me to shoot for the stars. He asks me "What do you want to do(meaning hobby, etc...), I will support you!" He massages my legs every night and sometimes 2-3 times during the night to help with pregnancy induced restless legs. He doesn't come home and watch TV, he eats and then plays with the kids, individually! He leads me with God's word and shows me my flawed reasoning. He sets a Godly example for the boys, that they would have honor and respect for themselves and for young ladies. He doesn't make rash decisions without going to God and really praying about it. He leads with a gentle but firm hand, always asking my opinion and considering it, but making the decision based on God's leading. This has been so paramount in our lives. When I thought he should have made a different decision, I would always submit and say "If God is leading you, then go with it." He would and guess what? He was always right(of course I would tell him that)!! LOL He amazes me. I often think "What did I do to deserve him?" And the answer is always the same "Absolutely nothing." God has poured out his blessings on me for no apparent reason and it humbles me to think about that. So with a very thankful heart, one that desires to be that Proverbs 31 woman someday, I say "Thank you God for the last 13 years that you have revealed yourself through my husband and kids. That you have had mercy on this sinner and blessed me beyond my imagination. You have sustained my life when I didn't want you to and brought me to your feet time and time again."

Worry vs Worship

Jason and I were talking today about worry. He said, "What if you pretend that worry and worship were the same words. Would that change how you were thinking?" Wow, what an eye opener. When I am worried about something, it could possibly be a form of worship. Who or what do I want to worship? This thing that has me consumed, or the one who can handle ANYTHING that I could possibly be worried about and consumed with? Try it out and see if it's applicable to your situation. It really puts things into perspective. Changing my focus(or the lens through which I view my circumstances) changes my perspective. I can see so much more clearly.

July 4th 2011

Some fun 4th of July pics. We had a blast!

Alex playing with snap dragons

Sparkler fun!

Charlotte's outfit

Daniel's first sparkler

Snap Dragons!

He doesn't know what to think

Toby getting his snap on

Toby's New Book

Toby has finished his book and is bubbling over to start his next one. If you have a chance, please send him a letter of encouragement or donate(the button below the pic) to his "writing fund". I am so very proud of him!!

How often do you stretch your abilities?

I was just thinking about this today. I feel like I am constantly out of my "confort" zone. It seems everyday I have to or need to learn something else. Do you feel like this? Is it just me, maybe I never learned what I should have or something.Like cleaning..

And cooking(or uncooking)

                                                     
                                                   And then of course there's technology...

                                                                   

And those are just the things that I really need to know. I like technology but it gets hairy when you want to learn a skill for money and not only for fun(javascript, no-sql databases, etc). To top it off I have all kinds of things that I WANT to learn. There's music. When will that beast let me rest? Why can't I just say TATAh... Why does it matter so much? Do you know how difficult it is to relearn theory, practice piano, learn guitar, and have this nagging desire to write songs when you know you likely suck? All this knowing that it is likely a hopeless cause? There are so many things that I want to be involved in as well. I would love to be in choir again, there is someone that is wanting to get together to play around with some music he's written, and of course I would love to learn guitar via teacher. And that's just MY hobbies. The girls are learning website design and web marketing. Toby is wanting to get into electronics, and the little ones just want tons of love that requires keen observation on just how that love should be given to them. I feel like I should be learning  right along with them to support them and help them if they have questions. I FEEL LIKE GUMBY!!!
                   

                                                                     
 I know that God, in his sovereignty, has not given me more that I can handle. However, deciding just WHAT areas he intends for me to "stretch" to is a whole different story. Laying down, picking up. Laying down, picking up. What to lay down, what to pick up.

Alex's 5th Birthday!!

Charlotte says "Mom, I am so glad we are taking school off for some of the summer. I can be so productive." I look at her with curiosity "What do you mean Charlotte?" She gets this serious look on her face and says, "Well, I can write and do research all day. We just really aren't productive when we are doing school." I just smile and shake my head in agreement.