Is it Just Me?

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone else that you know just always seem to have it all together?

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Everyone else's kids seem to be so much more well behaved, their homes are more tidier, and their marriages so much more romantic and more blissful and than mine own. Christmas just passed us by and if your mailbox looked anything like mines, you received a box full of cards with family pictures of well dressed, beautifully posed families. When you gaze at those pictures, am I the only one who wonders about the story behind the picture? If their family Christmas picture posing day was anything like mines it included a disgruntled preteen worrying about finding the right pair of pants to match her sweater, a cranky toddler wanting to nap a bit more before getting dressed, and the threat of a rainstorm looming in the weather report just in time for our outdoor photo shoot. Because we don't get to see the struggles, the upsets, the life lived behind the picture, we sort of get tricked into thinking that that everyone else's life is so much more easier, blissful, and happier than our own. God promises in the Bible that in this life, we will have troubles so we shouldn't be surprised when unfortunate things happen.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

1 Peter 4:12

If we compare our homes, our marriages, our children, and our personal successes to the achievements of others, we'll develop a sense within ourselves that we're never measuring up in life.  Is the grass truly greener on the other side of your neighbor's fence?  The truth is, no one life's is as blissful as the family portrait with a cleanly shaved husband, perfectly groomed children, and a well manicured dog. Some days your family won't like the meal that you slaved over for hours, the car will not always run as smoothly as you like and just may leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere now and then, and the weather will not always be clear and beautiful when you've scheduled a vacation.

Life is not a Hallmark Card, though we'd like to think that it should be.

The next time that we start to compare the behavior of the kids that sit so quietly in Church to your own fidgety, easily agitated kids, just praise the Lord that you're in Church and they're hearing God's Word. We need to count our blessings, thank the Lord for every moment that He showers His grace upon us, and be grateful for the grass within our own fences.

Bringing in the New Year... Together

 

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

To All My Blog Readers

~ Merry Christmas & Happy New Year ~

May the Lord

Bless & Keep

You in His Loving Care

Gingerbread Goodies

A Twist On the Gingerbread House

According to Plan - Hupomone

In my efforts to continue the According to Plan series documenting our house construction, I wanted to ensure that I provide an update before Christmas. Our intentions, and plans were to see the construction come to a close in time for Christmas. Folks have been cheering us on to be able to have our first night in the house before the clock strikes midnight in 2014, and break bread finally at our own dinner table, and be able deck our own halls this Christmas.

While this was in our plans and in the hopes of many others, it wasn't exactly God's plan. At least not this Christmas.

This Christmas, the Lord wants us to Hupomone.
Hupomone is Greek for,

To be Patient.

To Wait.

To Endure.

While the inclement weather delayed varying aspects of construction, God has not been delayed. The title of this series has been "According to Plan" - God's Plan that is. Though we're not seeing the final culmination of our home in 2014, God is asking us to not swerve in our faith, knowing that all things work together for our good.

Ok, so no Christmas in the house this year. So, what now? What can we do while we wait?

Hupomone,
Remain steadfast in prayer,

&

 offer up Praise for what HAS been done. 

I praise the Lord that the drywall, and all the interior painting has been completed. All the external siding has been completed. The location for the septic system has been cleared away and made ready for its installation. We have electricity and can now walk through the house in the evenings and at night without running into walls. Fans and lighting have been installed. The well was successfully dug and the water that they reached over 600 feet in the ground was plentiful.

Several years ago, if I was told that I'd be where I am today, out of our first home, homeschooling, and nearing the closure on a second home, I'd gasped and stare at you in shock.
I praise the Lord that everything that has happened has been His will for us, as He's training me up in patience and dependence on Him. He's granting us a second chance as a family to walk in the financial freedom from being bound to a home in the past that required a dual income home. He has blessed me to walk in the freedom of serving my children at home and through this second chance I'm experiencing joy, peace, and the Lord's Grace.

But as for me, I will hope continually,

And will praise You yet more and more.

Psalm 71:14

Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon Entrance

We had our first field trip of the school year this week with a trip to Mount Vernon. The girls have been studying the life of our first President, George Washington, in all his varying roles as a Surveyor, a Commander in the Army, and a politician.

 

Swearing in of President George Washington

Lea being "Sworn In" as President

 

Trey listening to Washington's Farm Animals

Its hard not to admire a man that willingly took on the role as the first President of the U.S. In a time when Americans of that day knew only what it meant to be ruled by England, it had to take a hefty measure of both courage and imagination to embark on a journey towards independence.

 

George Washington's Home at Mount Vernon

 
The location of the home is in a beautiful spot, nestled right on the Potomac River. We walked the grounds of Washington's Estate with the highlight of the trip being the tour of his home. Whenever I tour the home of a notable person I always find myself imagining what it would've been like to have experienced a day in the life in the home I'm touring. I imagined George and Martha entertaining guests in their fancy dining room, servants running to and fro to wait and serve, and Martha at the President's bedside when he took his last breaths as he passed away after suffering from quinsy (an inflammation of the throat).

What a day in time it must have been in the 17th century. What was it like to establish a new and fresh government? It could not have been easy and I can believe that George had a many sleepless night pondering over in his thoughts what he needed to do to establish America. No one has all the answers to why the events of history happened the way they did. While in the establishment of the U.S. Government there are many injustices that have been experienced since the breaking away from England, what has remained constant from one generational group of leadership to the next is God's sovereignty over it all.  We may not have the answers, but God does.
 

A New Hobby Patch

I have added a new patch to my Hobby Vest. Up until about a year ago my only patch was the Book Reading patch for my love of reading. When people would ask me, "What do you like to do in your spare time?". Well, the only hobby I could think of was reading. Maybe that's because until leaving the career world behind, there wasn't much time for me to discover any other hobbies. I'm happy to share that I've gained a new patch that I'm going to sew next to my Book Reading and Kniting patch... Wreath Making!

It's sort of strange to think that I arranged a wreath because I'm not the crafty type with my hands. Most crafters that I know are very meticulous and careful as they paint, create, and arrange crafty things into wonderful masterpieces. I'm more of the just-quickly-put-it-together-and-be-done-with-it sort of crafter. I did do my research for this wreath. I perused the pinterest boards and found several wreaths that I liked and then sketched a design that I liked. I'm delving into the burlap wreaths as well and will post them as the inspiration comes!

If you're interested in putting together your own twig wreath, the materials that I used consisted of:

- a twig wreath (you can find at your local craft store)
- a hot glue gun
- light-weight floral wire
- artificial flowers specific to the color scheme you choose
- brown burlap ribbon
- monogramed letter 'J' came from the Michael's craft store
- acrylic paint in the color you choose to paint the monogramed letter