Little 'Uns And Laundry

Life with 4 kids...is filled with such blessing, and then there's the "laundry" side of it....and some craziness;) When I think of it like this, I realize that the work and the blessing are two sides of one coin. You can't have one side without the other. Blessing comes with training.

Deu 6:5 - 7 "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

I thought of how laundry relates to kids because it always needs to be taken care of, it is hard to keep up with when you have more than 1....and in this house it tends to need some extra TLC to come out bright and white! It also mildews and ruins if it sits for too long-the laundry :)not the kids, if it piles up, it requires lots of undivided attention, it needs the occasional repair, and spots must be noticed and given prompt attention or they will turn into stains. When my laundry is cared for properly and sweet smelling, folded in the drawers...it is such a joy to reap the blessing of the faithful work involved in caring for it- I so enjoy fresh laundry. How sad that I am comparing my precious blessings to laundry, but I think you get my point...we can allow our children to fall into being classified as just another task of the day, like, laundry-when we lose our focus or get overwhelmed in our work/outside ministries,bloggin', and when they have fallen into "disrepair" they are less than enjoyable-they become a burden. Well cared for children are a joy! Sure, just like laundry, this takes constant work, but it is work well worth the effort :) This isn't a "how-to" post...lol, just a "where I'm at" post.

"Craziness" is inevitable at times and I have had to learn to smile and just roll with it-and yes, you would have to have a larger family or small, close together children to really really understand this. :) It is good for the children to see that God can truly keep us in perfect peace and joy even in the midst of "craziness" and the smile on your face will be such reassurance of what an awesome God full of abundant grace we serve. Not that I am good at doing this-I must admit.

Anyway, back to my little epiphany (hahahaha)-Laundry for 6 people has become so routine that I don't put much thought into it-I just.want-it.done. This was the *aha* moment- I notice that when am not *attentive* to my responsibility to the training of my children-really *caring* for each one, I start to treat them like I treat my laundry-like just another task. I try to make sure they get the proper amount of attention every day, I clean, feed, teach, care, listen and correct, but when I fail to "connect" with them individually each and every day on a personal level...relationships become strained-"spots" get neglected. Excessive sibling rivalry is a big indicator to me that my children feel they must compete for a limited amount of attention. Correction becomes a power play-they want attention and I want to quickly get the situation taken care of so I can get back to my work. "Cause' I said so" starts to be the catch-phrase, repeating myself at louder and LOUDER and THAT'S IT-is the final indicator of my neglect. The paddle is left collecting dust because I somehow rationalize that at least I'm not spanking them in anger...sure so I'll just hollar...soooo much better *rolling eyes*. Ummmm yeah, so, since I am relentlessly sticking to my poor little analogy: *ahem* the "laundry" if you will, is making it to the laundry room and really, just set there-out of sight- to deal with later...when I feel up to it. Day after day the "spots", to include my own more serious spots of selfishness and neglect, that needed immediate attention sit and become tough-to-remove stains. When I finally get to the stain, I feel guilty and frustrated and think, "If only I would have taken notice and dealt with it when it happened!" as I am having to spend a great deal of time scrubbing and soaking and scrubbing and soaking wondering if the beautiful fabric will ever be right again. Instead of being angry with myself, I become angry with the consequence of my neglect. This is the same trend at times with my children, if I don't take notice of the "spots" that come up in my children on a daily basis and deal with them then and there...they/we start to develop tough-to-deal with "stains". Bitterness, pride, covetousness, selfishness...they rear their heads in subtle ways at first, and I can catch these symptomatic spots early if I am really getting to know my children on a personal level every day. At least when I give the spots and stains to the Lord, HE is the one who does the scrubbing of my heart...the longer it's left, the more scrubbing is needed-ouch! :)

Getting to know them is such a joy and I don't know how I let the cares of the world crowd out the precious time I have been given to train them. We do many special things together we read, play, act silly, spend time singing praises and learning more about God, but no time is as special to them as the one on one "talk" time. One of my girls' favorite things to do is have tea time with me...and I know that's because we talk while we have our tea...really talk together-share our hearts with one another-express concerns, ask questions, reconcile old hurts, shed some tears, pray... Brianna will ask me early in the day, sometimes, if we can have "tea- when the babies go down" this, I recognize, as needing me to *connect* with her and it is at that time I can notice and ask the Lord to do some "spot" treatment on the areas of concern I see in my child and in myself. I'm sure when Ayden gets older, he and his dad will have their special moments while tossing a ball around, but for now I get to cuddle and talk with him, teach him to pray, read him stories and love and kiss on him. These moments with my children, when I choose to take them, are so precious and beautiful-there are no words to describe how the Lord blesses it. It is better than a Downey fresh, warm smelling stack of folded plush towels...Mmmmmm.

Ps 127:3 Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.

image from allposters.com

An Oasis

An Oasis...that is what I felt I came to when I read this devotion (which I pasted below) from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions...It was a much needed and SUCH a blessing this morning in the midst of some "growing" pains and after days of experiencing some heavy spiritual attack. After much prayer and heart searching and scripture searching...in closing my time I read this wonderful reminder and was instantly strengthened. The Lord knows what we need when we need it!

( The following was copied from Blue Letter Bible)

"Looking unto Jesus." —Hebrews 12:2
It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.
"My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesu's blood and righteousness:

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesu's name."

*image by Peter Carston-copied from allposters.com

An Update On Cate

My friend let me know that Cate has gone to be with the Lord. You can read here about this precious baby girl who is now with her Heavenly Father. She was 7 mo old when she left this old earth, and now, she will live with our Lord in her glorified body for eternity. Please be in prayer for her parents and siblings. Thank you so much to all of you who lifted up this precious one in prayer...our prayers were answered according to His perfect will...she was healed completely, though not on this side of eternity.

image from google images

I'm Blonde

...so I can tell blonde jokes ;) My husband sent me this today and I laughed...on the inside, so I though I'd share.

A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me.I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get it started." Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?" The blonde says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a tiger." Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says, "First of all, no matter what we do, we're not goingto be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a tiger." He takes her hand and says, "Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then ..." he sighed, (scroll down)

"let's put all these Frosted Flakes back in the box !"

Eat Your Veggies!

I love listening to my kid's conversations when they think I can't hear them-though I'm only like 10 feet away ;).

For lunch we had the rather unusual combination of grilled cheese, orange slices and a side of steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Lily was not looking forward to eating her "collifowler" as she calls it. So, Anjolie, recalling her little accident last year, says "You wanna have broken bones this summer?!". Lily replied, " Nooooo" nervously wondering if her bones would just fall to bits that very moment for lack of ...vegetable eating. "Then you better eat your veggies!" Anjolie warned, a little too sternly-*ahem* it was noted ;).

I should use her own logic in telling her that if she doesn't take her nap, which she just *today* decided she is too big for, she won't grow properly... She informed me just a moment ago, "I'm not one of those TEENY numbers anymore, like 2 or 3 or 4...I'm 5!!" . Whoa!! So, in light of this revelation, she has now graduated from nap time to REST time ;) Funny how they both result in the same thing...sleeping.

UPDATED about 20min later to add....yep, the triumphant "rest" time. Her hair is still wet from running through the sprinkler...mom's know when their little ones are tired...even if they aren't a "teeny number" anymore ;)

picture from googleimages

Week In Pics

From Brianna's birthday party (finally...and my camera is having some battery killing issues) to mine...it has been a week filled with blessings (well, a little over a week).

Do you see the beautiful apron Pam made me??? (Don't look at me...you're lucky I just got over myself and allowed these to even be posted ;) )You can get a better look at the tatting (the lace) she did by hand on her site. I LOVE it :)

I made a sand-castle cake from rice crispie treats ;) I used brown sugar for the "sand" and cones for the spires. The blue icing was supposed to be like the water ;) I wasn't super pleased with it, but it did taste good and Brianna loved it.

As for my cake, that Brian surprised me with on the way home, Brian missed the moment of me actually blowing out the candle...so I had to "pretend" which felt pretty ridiculous. Look at Brianna and Lily "helping" me
keep my lips pursed hahahaha...

After cake...ahem, which I will *pay* for later ;) It was aqua girl and aqua boy to the rescue :) Have a wonderful weekend!

Urgent Prayer Request

A Bloggy Friend has asked for urgent prayer for a little girl named Cate who is on life support after heart surgery. Please lift this little one up in prayer! I will update as I get information. Thank you so much!

John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

8 Sticky Pounds

About a month ago, my husband did this crazy lemonade diet...out of curiosity, I tried a modified version of it for a couple of days. I'm not saying it doesn't work for some people, but it messed me up! It put my body into "starvation" mode, dumped tons of toxins into my system and gooped up my intestines. For the first time, I was shocked that 5 stubborn pounds gained this past winter increased to 8 and appears to be here to stay! I believe that a fresh fruit and vegetable fast would have been much better-but even that can be hard as far as toxins dumping into the bloodstream.

So, after reading a few of your blogs about your struggles with weight, I figure I will share mine. Don't laugh (those that know me) I would like to lose the 8 pounds ( that's just my preference, as it is my pre- 4 babies in 4.5 years weight), but I have noticed that every time I cut back on food, I gain weight. Food, in my case-and in many others, I suspect, is not the problem, it is a lack of exercise and failing to drink enough water (preferably distilled). The key is, when I exercise more, I shouldn't eat more. I think I am also experiencing some insulin resistance-so cutting back on sugar specifically is a must. This article was very helpful in understanding what is going on in my body and why the usual "shock" remedies aren't working for me.

Here's the plan: I am going to cut back on sugar, increase my water intake, continue eating the way I have been, which is honestly pretty healthy and mainly up the exercise-30 min cardio (elliptical machine)a day and 10 min high rep weight lifting(using bands) to get things moving smoothly and an ab work out once a week, which will relieve stress and flush my body of toxins which in turn will keep my metabolism up. As far as fluctuating hormones tripping things up, I take Evening Primrose Oil, Calcium, Supermom vitamins and use a progesterone cream to help. Everyone's body is different so what works for one doesn't necessarily work for someone else!

Finally, the Lord wants us to be healthy and keep our bodies functioning at its best so I ask Him to guide me in the right direction when it comes to weight as I tend to go overboard if I do get into losing weight. When I have asked Him concerning the children and their health, it is amazing how He leads (concerning food dye sensitivities and such)! I will keep you updated!

Another Blessed Year

Yes, it's official...I am now to the point that I cringe as I see my birthday approaching....

In 34 years I have learned:

Frowning makes wrinkles

So does smiling

So do children ;)

All those years of eating whatever I wanted without so much as a dimple are starting to pay me back...with interest (okay, it's not THAT bad, but I def. have to watch what I eat now)

Everyone wants to feel special

People are mean when they don't like themselves

Children can see right through a hypocritical attitude

The very thing that you criticize someone else's child for...your child will do

Kids are very very very messy

Boys like gross things ( don't need to elaborate do I?)

Childish things may be annoying but not necessarily wrong

I'm not training up children to be pleasing to others, I'm training them up to want to be pleasing to God

My mom was right when she said the blue eye shadow looked guady and lots of other things which have resulted in the destruction of the evidence of such "what was I thinking" moments (ie pictures)

My prediction of bell bottoms never making a true come-back was accurate

My prediction of pegged bottom pants never going "out" was sorely wrong

"Jelly" shoes make your feet stink

Organization makes me happy

My house must be clean but it's not perfect and this is okay!

The key to a clean house is to clean as I go (only blog when the kids are sleeping riiiiight)

Embarrassing moments are what life is made of-especially with kids

The key to a good friendship is listening more than talking

Most offences are not worth even a second thought

It's not about me

If I think of a small thoughtful deed...I need to do it right away

Someone is always watching

Chocolate is my friend

PMS stands for Press Mouth Shut for the duration of the irrational hormonal roller coaster

Finding the funny side of a situation will save me from having a heart attack-this is what I tell myself

A simple smile can make someone's day

Nobody cares if I'm right and they're wrong

People don't want a solution to their problem, they want a listening ear

Time is wasted when it's not planned out

Most blessings are found when I am willing to step out of my comfort zone

I love people :) All types...I genuinely enjoy them

Loving my husband means overlooking his shortcomings

Making my husband happy comes before making others happy-including my children

Well, unfortunately, I have learned that deeply jealous people are dangerous and should be avoided

It has never benefited me to worry about something I have no control over

A good hug, a gentle touch to the arm, a squeeze to the hand-goes alot further than any word

God is always the same and is always good

A Good friend is truly a gift from the Lord

(having some major blogger quirk issues)

Day to Day...Fun

What ON EARTH??? Yes, I retrieved this real life mystery meat concoction from Ayden and Lily..."makin' butter!" Ayden revealed. Lily had apparently mixed butter with bologna(?) while I was *ahem* typing the ultra serious post below *what-can-you-do-shrug* to make this super (blllech) duper treat this morning. Bon Appetit!
I wish I had a picture from last week of the *entire* box of Kix that Ayden was able to dump in the .23 seconds that I left his side to put away a step-stool which more often than not is his trusty side kick in all his mischievous attempts and successes. Yes,he was able to grab the bottom of the newly opened box and as he pulled it, it toppled alllll over the floor. He was just delighted and did a little "smashy the Kix" dance as I scrambled for my new vac (which I hate *sob* but the other one gave up a couple of weeks after Ayden cleaned out the toilet with it). It was quite the mess. But I can laugh now!

110% On Gate 2 Street

" 110%" was David's answer to my question to whether he was sure of where he would spend eternity. He was sure..110% that his meditation and religious practices and studies of his "ancient" Hindu beliefs would land him in "heaven". He said it without hesitation. Scary. David appeared to be very interested in what I had to say and looked me straight in the eye as I shared what the Bible said...it was as if I could "feel" the Holy Spirit stirring him, causing him to question that 110%. His demeanor was soft and receptive and a great encouragement to me. When I finished talking with him (he needed to keep shop-I didn't realize), he studied the map we gave him to our church and sounded as if he would visit. It would take much more than the 5-10 minutes I had with him to point out the truths in the Bible needed to lay some groundwork for understanding and belief. God (lower case g) to him is completely different from who God the Almighty is in truth. I am sure there were language barriers as well. As I left him, I prayed for someone to water the seed that was sown and that he would truly make time to visit our church to learn more.

David believes he can meditate and work his way to heaven. My friend Alice ,a missionary to the Japanese, explained a bit more of his beliefs to me and again the magnitude of what the Lord does here on earth to reveal truth overwhelmed me. Nothing is more affirming of the Lord's work in people's lives than soul-winning. It is unexplainable and far beyond my understanding. Anyway, David has been deceived into thinking that his religion is ancient and dates before the Bible and therefore must be the truth. The lies of Satan reach in every direction don't they?

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

David was one of the many that Alice and I handed a tract to last Thursday... we saw mostly Japanese. Most Okinawans are either Shinto in belief or Buddhist . My missionary friend Alice was able to speak with many of them- which is such a blessing to witness! Alice amazes me :) I love when we go together in search of those who will listen. We met all types, the polite, the indifferent, the rude...one Japanese man called after Alice sarcastically in Japanese..."Oh, God will only help me AFTER I accept Him...AFTER". Yes, my Japanese friend, all things become new *after*...just as marriage is offered AFTER acceptance of a relationship, there is an acceptance and a giving of one's self to the would be groom-it is an agreement, a covenant, not some happenstance it is not a slavery- it is a choice.

The old man's chuckle followed us to the next group of lost souls...Japanese youth, still in uniform and giddy. One boy looked interested in what Alice was sharing, but the rest joked and laughed. I prayed for clarity and understanding as Alice spoke-she asked me to pray that she would "think in Japanese" to better explain the Gospel. She finished by asking them to read the tracts she had distributed, and we walked on down Gate 2 street as we had only a short time remaining. One of the boys Alice had just spoken with, probably encouraged by his peers, raced loudly passed us as we walked, he tagged a pole in front of us and then raced back to the cheers of his friends, Alice calmly looked at me and said, "He's showing off" which just tickled me for some reason. "Well, he is", she said, in the same matter of fact voice, *chuckle*. I can't wait until I can share more with you about Alice! Her testimony points to what an Amazing God we serve.

As we distributed tracts, Alice continued to handle the Japanese and I handled the Americans who were mostly GIs out to hit the bars and clubs on Gate 2 street. Jesse was the last person I had time to speak with before meeting back with my husband and heading back to church. Jesse was a young GI of not more than 25 years of age and when I began speaking with him, his breath was heavy with the smell of alcohol and a sarcastic grin played at his mouth. After some small talk and a turned down invitation to visit our church, he allowed me to share the Gospel with him. When I concluded, it was clear he was convinced I was just trying to push "religion" on him. He was "spiritual, not religious", he informed me...did he even know what that meant? Probably not-I have heard this many times.

The scripture I pointed out to Jesse in hopes of him allowing it to penetrate the darkness he was in, fell on dead ears and blind eyes, only the Lord really knows what was going through his mind as I looked into his blue eyes..glazed over due to the affects of at least alcohol -but who knows what else he was laced with to better deaden him to any truth offered. This night was fought over in the spiritual realm long before Alice and I came on the scene. He probably prided himself on having an "open mind" since he shared that the Bible was created by Kings to "control" the people- "wisdom" from the god of this world blinding his eyes to keep him on the path of destruction. Rather than argue the lies he had been fed, I just kept sharing the Truth-I would not be tempted down the dead end road to which arguing against lies leads. I would step over each lie and offer the Word in its place. The darts of discouragement burned as they hit my heart-he would not *hear*. I offered a few more "pearls" before I retreated in one last hope of the WORD being received which could cause the scales to fall from his eyes.

Dear lost soul, in the end, it is not your spirituality that saves you- or your religion...it is your trust and belief on the Lord Jesus Christ...only He can regenerate the heart dead in sin, but it is a concious choice to respond to the Holy Spirit. Finally, "That is your belief" J. dismissed me with, "I'm just along for the ride...then I'll see what the next life brings". I was silenced by this frightening remark delivered so casually after just sharing with him what the Bible says about his lost state...my heart sank as I gazed upon the seed that fell on the wayside (or appeared to) and was trodden down...the fowls of the air, or his preconceived false ideas plucked up the precious seed and left him standing unchanged-for now. The Lord did remind me though, that His Word will not return void which filled me with hope (in hindsight). I thanked Jesse for listening and prayed that the Lord would send another sower and prepare the ground for the seed or the water if Jesse read the tract and perhaps thought back on the Word that was shared.

In the end, the lost all say the same thing, I will go my OWN WAY, I will cling to MY OWN god of this world. If I choose to think on it, in a negative sense it really depresses me- to basically hear the same thing over and over-different words, same truth- "I will go my own way". They are lost and rejecting Christ- they will blindly follow a lie to destruction because they have turned away the Light. It makes me sick inside, to see so many who will not hear, but at the same time, I am urged to keep sharing in this knowledge: the Bible says the fields are white already to harvest. The days when the Lord allows us to reap...oh the JOY...but sow, we must, until He returns. This verse was key to my understanding our labor in the fields: John 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

It is the Lord allowing us the BLESSING to reap where others have labored! Along with our sowing and watering...yes, there will come reaping! When I think about that, I feel the obligation and better understand the commandment to share the Gospel. We enter into "fields", not our own and I think of those Believers who have DIED sowing and watering and here I am afraid to risk reaping?! How is it that my heart so quickly grows indifferent to the commandment to GO or even just to open my mouth when the Lord drops them in my lap, so to speak? Again, Eph 6:19...let it be my prayer for the rest of this life. We need to share the Gospel because there are many like David and Jesse who believe a lie... 110%.

Choose to be burdened for the lost. 2Cr 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Give-Away!!!

Pam from

Good News From A Far Country

is having a souvenir give-away! She is in Jerusalem and it is their 1 year anniversary so she has put together a neat little bundle of goodies! Stop on over BY SAT JUNE 7th!!! and get your name on the comment list...you must have either a U.S. address or an APO address so she can send it.

Busy Bees

At play
or getting ready for church...there is never a dull moment....and recording it here has just become a part of my life. I look forward to sharing a glimpse of our day to day with you. Through the good and the bad, my prayer is that our love for the Lord will shine through. I know you HAVE to see His grace ;) what with all our little adventures and such LOL-it is only by His Grace that I can laugh and cry and continue on!

....Or Not...

Okay, so Brian (my husband) has protested my blog closing. I assured him that I was going to open a new one upon moving...that I want to get that super talented Blog Designer to do me up somethin' super fresh and new... but he is sad that this one will be gone. He does not miss a post or comment on this thing...it is so funny that one of the first things he does when he comes home is gets on my blog and reads the post *blush* and then every single comment LOL!!! It is hilarious to hear him cracking up and asking about each of you and wondering who you are, how I "met" you. Too funny.

Also, it seems that from most of your comments that you think I got offended and went stomping off....not.at.all. I just wanted to address something that had been on my heart from the beginning of blogging and since I didn't know when or really if I'd be able to get another one going, I wanted to encourage you to reach out to the *obscure* blogger, or the one who is struggling, and encourage them when they share their heart-the broken part. Since I have had my bloggy feelins hurt...I know many others had and it really helps to be encouraged after you have shown your heart on something so public as a blog. Don't just be a sunny day friend-stick by when the rain comes too.

So, I guess for now, nothing has changed, Brian can't part with the blog...and I can't say he really twisted my arm either. I have a hard time quitting anything! You don't know how many mental notes I made to blog about...and then I was like "oh, yeah,...that's on hold for now".

Anyway...I hope you will have me back into my old bloggy community until my stuff gets packed out and we are on our way :) Purty Please?