I have created a new blog found here:  http://lifeonthepotterswheel.blogspot.com/

I hope you will all come to visit me there!

Hugs,

Donna

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Here it is, ready or not, the day before Christmas!  I am not ready, but I never am, so I guess I could say things are normal as always...lol 

I know it has been a while since I updated my blog.  It has been a very busy fall/early winter for me and I have struggled a lot with feeling totally overwhelmed and bone weary.  In the past 2 weeks I have been spending a lot more time with the Lord seeking guidance for the new year and I believe He has spoken some things into my heart that I will be starting to work on very soon.

So, just in case anyone happens by my blog today, I just want you to know I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a very Blessed 2008!!!!

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Well, as October has gotten underway, I am totally enjoying the cooler weather.  The days are still nice and warm, but the cool nights are heavenly.  I don't hear the "cha ching" anymore on my electric meter either since the A/C is not running, and that is a really nice feeling...:)

Something God has been teaching me this month has been about "choosing joy".  As many of you know, we are just into our second year of homeschooling and while we have always tried to raise our kids in a christian home, I have to admit that we weren't as diligent as we should have been and my girls don't have real great attitudes when it comes to helping out around the house.  They aren't bad, but they just don't have a servant's heart or attitude.  They will do what they are asked, but they will definitely let it be known they are not happy about it. 

I find myself daily feeling down and discouraged about their attitude, especially when they roll their eyes at me when I try to "teach" them why attitude is so important.  Their favorite words are, "I know", and "whatever".  Sigh....  I have just beat on the throne room of God daily seeking answers and help for this and God showed me something.

Everyday I would get upset with my girls for not having a good attitude about helping out with chores and I would start doing the chores myself (I did this because I was too tired to fight with them over it), but when I did them, I was muttering under my breath the whole time about how lazy and ungrateful my kids were being and then I would even mutter to God under my breath that I didn't understand why He wasn't hearing my prayers to change them.  And then, all of a sudden it hit me.  I wasn't modeling for them a servant's heart and attitude.  I was doing just what they were doing or rather, they were just doing what I had taught them to do by my example.  Ouch!

So, then I started praying and asking God to help me change my attitude.  When I go in and find the laundry hasn't been switched, or the kitchen tidied up, instead of muttering under my breath or complaining loudly in efforts to manipulate them into feeling guilty, God told me I had to make a choice.  I could choose to be joyful or I could choose to continue murmuring and complaining.  And God let me know I didn't have to "feel" joy in order to choose to walk in it. 

So, this week has been one in which I have really worked hard at choosing joy over murmuring and complaining and though it hasn't been easy, I feel, ever so slightly, a change occurring in my heart.  And maybe, just maybe, when my girls see that I have a good attitude towards chores, they will start to copy that as well.  And honestly, as I choose joy, it affects not just the housework, but all aspects of my life.  I truly can say that The joy of the Lord is my strength!  Choosing joy gives me strength to be what God wants me to be!  What an awesome God we serve!!

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Well, here we are at the end of September.  What a fast month it was!  We got school underway, joined a new co-op, dealt with all sorts of unexpecteds, but have come through it all intact. 

Actually, some parts of this month were extra special.  My parents decided to take a vacation to see Niagara Falls and they graciously invited Shelby & Lindsay to go along.  They left on a Saturday morning and returned home the following Thursday late afternoon.  They had a blast!  They were full of stories to tell and surprised me by how much "history" they absorbed from the trip.  Of course, I like to think it was because I have done such a good job retraining them to like history....  LOL

While they were gone, Tom and I attempted to refinish Shelby's bedroom floor, but didn't get it done before they got back, which was disappointing, but it was just another one of those "unexpecteds" that tend to frequent my life....:)  Tom put the final finish on it last night, so when we got home from church today, we could start moving furniture back in.  Shelby is so excited to have this done.  Just one step closer now to getting her room all ready for the baby to arrive. 

As I have mentioned before, fall is my most favorite of the seasons.  And I feel like, even though the busyness is still ever present, my inner person is responding to the fall weather and is calming down some.  I feel a renewed sense of purpose in my steps and a deeper connection to things of a spiritual nature.  It is a good feeling. 

So, as we say goodbye to September and welcome in October, I am excited about what God will use in another fall month to draw me closer to Him.  What about you?  What has God been doing in your life recently as you pass from one month to another, or one season to another? I would love to hear about it! 

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Well, if you have been following my blog in the recent months, you will know that I am going to be a grandma.  Being a grandma at the age of 38 was not on my list of things to accomplish anytime soon, but then not everything works out the way we hope they will.  I have had to remind myself over the past weeks that God is the one who opens and shuts the womb.  We make our choices of course, but ultimately, God is the one who decides who is conceived.  There is strange comfort in that. 

So, while some have acted like any happiness we show is in some way condoning our daughter's sin of premarital sex, let me just say that we are not condoning her sin, we are simply choosing to celebrate the life that God has created and allowed to come our way.  Sure, we wish the circumstances were different, but is it this little baby's fault?  Nope.  And we are going to love him and do our best to raise him up the way the Lord would have us too. 

So, if you caught that, we found out 2 weeks ago that our daughter is having a boy.  Well, they were as sure as they could be that it was a boy.  I have known many people who got a big surprise on delivery day, so we aren't going to go gung-ho on buying boy things, but if it turns out the ultrasound tech is right and it is a boy, it will be the first in our house, and we are excited about that.  My husband has often stated that with a wife and 3 daughters in the house, there are times the estrogen is so thick he can cut it with a knife...  LOL

So, below you will find our precious little grandson's first pic.  He has his arm stuck out to the side of his head.  Shelby has done amazingly well so far and has even made HUGE strides in her spiritual walk, despite the fact that the father of the baby has chosen to opt out of his relationship with Shelby because she is choosing to follow God's plan for her life.  It has been a hard time for Shelby and for us to watch her go through such heartache, but we are proud of her for finally standing strong for what is right. 

Psalm 139: 13-16

13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

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Last Wednesday, we officially started our 2nd year of homeschooling. We got off to a pretty good start last week and then today, I enrolled Shelby and Lindsay in a "new to us" homeschool co-op.  They offer 3 classes for 3 hours on Tuesday afternoons.  The classes this semester are art, science experiments, and cooperative games.  Before we got there today, the girls were discussing what they thought they would and would not like and art was high on their "will not like" list, so imagine the laugh I got this afternoon when they informed me that art was their favorite class?? LOL

This year feels different already in comparison to this time last year.  I guess that is because we have 1 year officially under out belt, but I also think that part of the reason things feel differently is because we are different people.  God has really challenged each of us as we embarked on the adventure of homeschooling and He has done it in many areas of our lives, not just the ones we would obviously think of.  While not all challenges were met with a Christ-like response, overall, we have grown and learned more about who we are as individuals, we have learned who God wants us to be, and we have learned just how far short we fall of that, especially when we try to make any change under our own strength and without God's leading and direction.

This year as we continue on our journey of homeschooling, I look forward to a time of continuing to learn more not just academically, but also spiritually, and to becoming more like Jesus in all that we do so that He receives glory and not us.

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Ah, the beauty of fall.  I don't know if it is because it comes after a heat-scorching summer or if it is because of the vibrant colors it usually heralds, or what, but fall is my most favorite season of all.  For us, fall means many things.  It is a time when we start cutting our wood for our winter's heat.  It is when we start pulling out the board games in the evening as darkness descends much earlier.  And it is a time of change in our househould routines as we start the school schedule up.  In many ways, fall feels like New Year's Day to me.  A time to start something new and fresh.  I find myself thinking more about my homemaking skills, my cooking/baking skills, and even more about my spiritual life.  Summer is awesome and I love it, but too often for us, it gets so hectic that we are all but rushing through each day and fall seems to signal a slowing down of sorts.

As I sit and ponder on all these things, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 come to my mind.

 1TO EVERYTHING there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:

    2A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted,^(A)

    3A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,

    4A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

    5A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

    6A time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,

    7A time to rend and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,^(B)

    8A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.^(C)

^{I had a pastor's wife tell me once when my girls were all very young and I was easily frustrated with the stages they seemed to constantly be going through, that "this too shall pass".  I didn't really appreciate her words of wisdom until many years later unfortunately, but it is true.  Nothing stays the same forever, except God.  Seasons change, people grow and change, circumstances come and go, good times come and go, and yes, even bad times come and go, though sometimes when you are in the midst of a bad time it doesn't feel like it will ever end, but it will.}

^{So, as summer comes to an end and fall, with its crisp clear mornings, vibrant colors, and warm, sunny days arrive, let's take a minute to embrace this change and thank God that He loves us so much He will never leave us in one season forever, but He will see us through each season and teach us and grow us more into His image each day no matter what season we are in, as we embrace all that He has for us.}

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Well, this has certainly been a busy week!  Actually, most of my weeks seem to be busy, or at least busier than I would prefer them to be, but this past week we moved our oldest daughter into her dorm for her first year of college.  What a transition that was and still is. 

The actual moving her in went fairly smoothly.  Her college is approximately 2.5 hours from home, so we left out early that morning for check in was at 9 a.m.  While she and her dad went to "check in", me and her sisters set about unloading and unpacking her things.  We noticed right quickly though that the A/C was not working and it got up to 101 that day!!!!  She had a small fan, but it was truly a "personal" size fan, so we took turns hogging it....lol  She text messaged me this morning to say that the A/C got fixed yesterday, her roommate got moved in (she is a senior and their move in day was yesterday) and she had been to the most awesome worship service EVER.  So, she is settling in well.

I actually did pretty good emotionally through the whole process.  I did get teary a couple of times, but I am so proud of her and excited for her, that it overshadows most of my sadness at my little girl really growing up.  The hardest part is when I get ready to go to bed and I realize I don't have to wait up for her to come home and when I walk by her bedroom door at night.  But I know she is safe and happy and she will be coming home in 2 weeks for the Labor Day weekend, so all is good.

One thing I have thought on throughout this week is that change, even the good changes, is scary.  My daughter is very strong willed and doesn't let anything stop her from going after what she wants, but she was very nervous the week prior to leaving for college, and grumpy to the extreme!  I overheard her tell several people that she really didn't want to go, she wasn't looking forward to it, etc.  I was hearing those things with utter amazement!!!  It was completely the opposite of what she had been telling us for weeks, months, years??  LOL  I then realized she must be nervous and her way of deflecting it was to act like it wasn't something she wanted. 

That really got my mind to going.  I realize that I do that very same thing in many areas of my life.  I pray and ask God for something, then when it starts to happen, "change" starts occurring, I get nervous about it and then start back pedalling, acting like it really isn't something I wanted, when deep down it is, I am just petrified.  So, with that new revelation, I have asked God to remind me of this the next time "change" comes my way, so that I can be a better model of gracefulness in change, instead of grumpiness in change....:) 

So, those are my ponderings for today. 

Hugs to all my blogger friends!!!!  And to the blogger who keeps posting as anonymous, I would love to see your blog, but you gotta give me a name or at least a link so I know who you are...:)

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I have been pondering a name change for my blog for a while now and I finally settled on "Life On The Potter's Wheel". 

Next February, I will be married for 20 years.  I have joked off and on throughout the years that when I said "I DO", my head started spinning and it hasn't stopped since.  We got married and then 4 months later found out we were expecting our first child  - that was not our plan, but I guess God had a different plan.  Then when she was a little over a year old, we found out we were expecting again - again, that was not our plan, but God again had a different plan.  (We did plan for our 3rd child though.)

Anyway, as I look back over the past 20 years of my life, I get a very real sense that my life has been spinning fast and furious and for most of that time I had no idea where I was going or what real goal I was striving for.  I was basically in reaction mode for most all these years.  Yes, I have been a christian all those years, and yes, I have gone to church, and yes, I thought I was working towards a goal of sorts- you know the one, becoming a mature christian.  And yes, I have made progress on that, but truly when I look back over my life, I realize that I spent most of my time reacting to every crisis or circumstance (aka jumping off the Potter's wheel) instead of being focused and determined to really let the Master Potter shape me into the vessel He wanted me to be.

Over the past 3 months I have been faced with situations that I really didn't think I could ever handle and I have discovered that I was right, I couldn't handle them, but I also discovered that when I finally didn't have the energy to "react" anymore, God was waiting right there for me and He has lovingly and gently started making me into who He wants me to be.  I just had to get to the point where I was finally willing to really trust Him and stay where I was supposed to be, and He has been very real in my circumstances.  No, all my situations/circumstances have not worked out the way I wanted them to, but I have started to discover a deep, abiding peace in my heart that I have never experienced before.  For the first time in my life I am actually staying on the Potter's wheel and letting Him shape me into the person He wants me to be and I am finding rest. 

Lest you think I have achieved perfection, rest assured, I guess I should amend my previous comment and say that I am actually staying on the Potter's wheel for "longer stretches of time" than I ever have before.  I still jump off occasionally and scurry about trying to fix things and do things in my own strength, but more and more I am learning how to stay on the Master's wheel and what a great thing that is.

So, that is how my new blog name came to be. 

What about you?  Is there a story behind your blog name?

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I love Mondays!  I think I have mentioned that before in my blog.  It is like a fresh slate to start with each week.

This week holds a very significant change for our lives.  Our oldest daughter will be moving into the dorm of her college on Thursday.  We are closing a chapter in our lives, but opening another one.  It is scary, yet exciting.  I have been pondering lots of things about the past 18 years and all the great times we have had and even the struggles we have had.  Despite it all, we have survived and we still love each other....:)

So, as I go about my daily chores this week, I will be extra busy as I help my daughter move into this next phase of her life.  As with most changes, there is an element of bittersweetness to it.  A sadness that my little girl is all grown up now.  An undercurrent of worry as she moves into the adult world.  But yet an overwhelming sense of peace that this is how it is supposed to be and that God has always been in control and will always be in control and He loves her more than I ever could.  I look forward to a new relationship budding between us as we move even more into not just a mother/daughter relationship but hopefully a close friend relationship.

This year has certainly been one of change for our family, and not all of them were changes we were expecting, but God has proven His faithfulness to me time and time again and I have never felt quite so loved by my Heavenly Father as I have in the past few weeks.

One of my all-time favorite verses is the one that says, "His mercies are new every morning".  What an awesome promise to not just read about, but to experience.

I know I have been slacking a bit in my blogging, but I have many things to share and will try to make time to enter more of it this week, but for sure next week after we get Kayla all settled in.

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Per request, here is the meatloaf recipe my daughter fixed the other night:

CHEESE-STUFFED MEATLOAF

Makes 6 servings

1-1/2 lbs ground beef

1 jar (26-28 oz) Ragu Chunky Garden Style Pasta Sauce

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz)

1TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In large bowl, combine ground beef, 1/3 cup Ragu pasta sauce, egg, and bread crumbs.  Season, if desired, with salt and ground black pepper. 

In a 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan, shape into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.  Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese and parsley down the center, leaving a 3/4-inch border.  Roll, starting at long end, jelly roll style.  Press ends together to seal.

Bake uncovered 45 minutes.  Then pour remaining sauce over meatloaf and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.  Bake an additional 15 minutes or until sauce is heated through and cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

It is very good... If you try it out, let me know how you like it.

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Okay, for most of my life I have cooked.  My mom had my sister and I in the kitchen helping almost from the time we were born I think, and so cooking has just been a natural thing for me.  I have always tried to interest my girls in cooking, but none of them have really taken a huge interest in it.  My oldest one is pretty handy with "packaged" recipes, you know - Hamburger Helper type meals, but rarely tackles a "from scratch" recipe.

My 16-year-old has only mastered making mac & cheese from a box and declared she had no interest in learning to cook at all.  Well, as we get ready to embark on another year of homeschooling, I was discussing with her that we were going to be adding several home-ec type lessons to her school work this year.  My sister was in the process of making several meals to put in her freezer to have on hand as she recovers from knee surgery and Shelby went to help.  That must have been the magic pill.  She came home with a totally renewed interest in learning to cook and, in fact, brought home a recipe for an italian meatloaf that you stuff with mozarella cheese and roll.  She made the entire thing all by herself last Friday night.  I didn't even venture into the kitchen, let her do it all herself.  It was excellent and her dad has requested it to be done again this week.

I had to laugh one time though.....she came into my office looking for a calculator.  I asked her why she needed a calculator and she said she needed to know how much 1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup was.....  Guess I know what we need to work on in math class this year, huh????? 

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Well, I really don't want to be known for using my blog to only vent the troubles in my life, but this past week has been probably the hardest week I have ever had in my life.  I kept telling God that I couldn't handle anymore, but "more" continued to come.  I guess I have found out that I can survive more than I thought I could, but that really doesn't bring me much comfort. 

I have gone back and forth between being so angry at God I could hardly stand it to weeping and crying and begging for His strength and help.  I guess in some ways my prayers and the prayers of those who knew what was going on helped me because I did survive it, but survive it is all I have done.  I am certainly not a picture of the "abundant life" we read of in Scripture.  Unless one's definition of life is nothing but grief and heartache, then I would say I guess I do have abundant life. 

I know that sounds very negative and I truly don't want to feel that way, but the circumstances that just keep piling up in my life are suffocating me and it is hard to think very positive when you are choking.  I have been a huge emotional wreck all week and some of my behaviors have not been appropriate and I have asked forgiveness for those I hurt and I am trying to meditate on scriptures to get me through this time.

There are still many decisions to make and due to the circumstances we are in, there will be many more emotional days I am sure, but my prayer is that God can somehow help me to forgive and help me to heal my broken heart, and to move forward and bring some sort of peace and happiness to my home and make it a refuge instead of a battleground where the enemy comes in to steal, kill, and destroy. 

If any of you feel led to, I would appreciate your prayers for our family and that I, in particular, would have calmness instead of panic and fear, and that God would grant peace to all of us and grace and mercy for whatever lies ahead. 

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Hey blogger friends!

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while.  It has been a long month and it isn't even over yet.    So, here are the highlights:

I have mentioned in a prior entry that we have a 16 year old daughter who is pregnant.  Though we are in no way condoning her choice to sin, we are loving her and looking forward with excitement to the new life God is giving us, and encouraging her and teh father of the baby to get their hearts right with God totally and completely and seek His way of life for theirs.  The plan for our daughter at this point is to continue with her schooling and then pursue training to be a medical transcriptionist so she can work from home and earn an income and still care for her child.  We have encouraged the father to get his GED (he is an almost 18 year old 10th grader) and to pursue his dream of being a diesel mechanic, but first and foremost, we have encouraged both of them to pursue God.  They are making that effort.  A week ago, at the urging and conviction of the Holy Spirit, they both totally confessed to us much more than we ever wanted to know or hear, but though it broke our hearts to no end, we are thankful that they listened to God's leading and cleared their consciences.  Now it is my turn to let God help me forgive and move forward as I am really struggling with all the lies and the deception that they told and devised. 

I keep trying to remember that God must feel the same way I am though when I choose to sin and lie to cover it up.  How painful it has been to me as a parent to learn of all this, but how painful it must be to God too.

Then, our oldest daughter had applied to a bible college, this decision coming last September after she had already decided on a secular college.  She was reminded of a call that God had placed on her life and she had let slide, and last September she decided to pursue that call instead of her original plans.  So, she has worked very hard to make that call a reality.  Unfortunately, she has hit roadblocks every step of the way.  She got only a paltry sum from her FASFA and some Stafford Loans, but not enough to pay for it all.  She was told if she made just 1 point more on her ACT she could have received an automatic half tuition scholarship, so she tested as a standby at the last national ACT test date and she scored not only 1 point more, but 3 more!  She was elated!  Then, to our dismay, we found that the scholarship coordinator had erroneously conveyed to us the information.  Scoring higher on the ACT only made her eligible to apply for a scholarship that is awarded to only 2 students a year.  So, she applied for that, but we have no idea when she will know if she got that or not and when we called to check on it, we found that the scholarship coordinator no longer works there and the person who is filling in only takes voicemail and never returns a call.  Kayla has been in tears and I have been too, wondering just what God is wanting from her/us?

So, today, Kayla makes a decision that she will try another college.  It is not a bible college, but it is a christian college.  She made calls today and found out lots of encouraging things that makes attending there a bigger possibility, but we are under a time crunch to get everything in by August 1.  We will make a trip to this college on Friday to tour the campus and to meet with the enrollment and financial counselors.  We are praying God will give us direction and peace above all.  Kayla said she just wants the stress to end so she can move forward with her life.

And the heat..... if life wasn't tough enough this month, the heat is sapping what little energy I do have. 

But, a friend reminded me of a verse that I have printed out and am holding onto and I thought I would share it with you all as well:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  2 Corinthians 2:8-9

No matter how hard life may become, God gives us hope in His Word.  We just have to hang on to it.

I believe good things are coming because these trials are not going to destroy me!

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I can't believe it has taken me over a week to find the time to write a blog entry!  And when I think back over my week, I can't even remember what kept me so busy.  How said is that?  LOL

Anyway, today is Saturday and my husband and I have the weekend to ourselves.  Yesterday, all 3 of our girls went with our church's youth group to the National Youth Conference.  They will be home late tomorrow afternoon.  So, what will us "old fogies" do with a rare weekend alone?  Well, my husband is actually sleeping....LOL  He works 3rd shift and had to work last night so he is "taking a nap" this morning.  Then, the plan is to declutter and clean up the carport (if I get brave I will take before and after pics), then take a drive down to some campgrounds we want to check out for a possible camping trip we hope to take in the next few weeks, and then we are going to come home and cook supper over our fire pit and just sit and relax together. 

It is really just what we need as a couple too.  Though my husband has been working 3rd shift now for 2 years, it still hasn't gotten easy.  I have made the comment before that at times I feel like a "single wife" if there could be such a thing.  But I am very thankful that my husband has a job when so many others don't and God has even opened new doors of opportunity for my husband in this job, which is such a blessing as well. 

So that is my rambling thoughts for today.  What are you up to this weekend?

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Thank you Angela for sharing with me how you upload photos!!!!  You may be sorry you did...LOL

Here is the picture of what I like to call "the new room unassembled".  Amazing how much money is lying there...LOL

Here is my hubby starting to work on the new room in his shop:

Here is the room framed up - the view from the rest of the shop looking at the new room:

And here is the view when you first walk in the doorway of the new room (It still needs some organization, but at least I am in there...lol)  This desk is where my computer currently is, but it will be my scrapbooking desk when I move the computer and the armoire that is on the left will house a lot of my scrapbooking supplies and other craft supplies.

And the wall where the door is:

This desk is actually going to be where I move the computer to when I get my flat panel monitor back from being repaired and this will be my "office" area.

It needs lots more organizing done to it and I am working on it a little each day.  We are going to eventually put hardwood floors down in there too and my hubby is building me some more bookshelves. 

It is my "retreat".  The shop is only a few feet from the main house, so it is private and quiet, but not too isolated. 

I am blessed!

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Back in May, I was praying and praying for a solution to the problem of not having an adequate space for my office and craft things.  For years I had my computer in our bedroom, but then my husband took a 3rd shift job and I had to move the computer out so he could sleep during the day and since I work from home on my computer during "daylight" hours, I had to have access to my computer.  So, to the living room I went.  My living room and dining room and kitchen are all connected, but each room is small, and though I managed it for 2 years, it was just becoming increasingly difficult to function in grand central station. 

After much prayer, I decided to move the computer back to the bedroom and ask my husband to build me some sort of screen to block the light and muffle the noise so he could still sleep.  He didn't like that idea at all and asked me to let him think on it.  About 30 minutes later, he came to me and said, "Let's go out to the shop."  Now that was a surprise as the shop is "his"domain.  Though he only uses it on a rare occasion, he had always shot that idea down when I had mentioned anything about utilizing some of that space for myself before.

Well, as soon as he decided to let me have a "corner" of the room, I made him measure it out immediately and that very afternoon we made a trip to the lumber yard to buy materials.  So, after about a month of working on it, I moved into my new office/craft room a week ago.  It is so quiet out here I can actually hear myself thinking.  And my mother-in-law blessed me with an early b-day present - an A/C unit for my office.  So, now I can enjoy the quiet and be cool at the same time! 

So, even in the midst of trying times, God loves to bless His people and I just wanted to share one of the ways He has blessed me recently. 

 If I could figure out how to share pics on my blog, I would send pics of my new office.  Any hints??? 

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Well, here we are at the start of a new week. Okay, well, technically, the start of the new week was yesterday, but I am always a little behind...lol

I am so thankful that I am finally learning how to live my life with more of a  "one day at a time" mindset than I ever have before.  And it is true that no matter what emotion you may be experiencing today, tomorrow you may be experiencing an entirely different emotion, so I have learned not to get caught up in the "I will never feel any better" trap.  That has been incredibly freeing.  And I even saw the results of this changed mindset not only in myself, but even in my girls this weekend.

We had made plans to go camping this past weekend.  My girls all enjoy camping and with their dad working 6 days a week it has been hard to find the time to go.  But we had plotted and schemed to finally find a weekend to go and so Thursday evening the girls did a bunch of baking and on Friday we worked hard to get everything packed and loaded up and by noon we were on the road.  We arrived at our destination by 2, set up 1 camper (my dad was going with us too and he set up his camper), then went to the storage facility to get the camper we were using (it is my brother's) and hauled it to the campsite and set it up.  Then, to our disappointment, we discovered that the A/C was broke. 

After praying over it, and my dad working on it for almost 2 hours to no avail, we made the decision to just go back home.  It was over 90 degrees in the camper and the little camper wouldn't hold us all for sleeping and we had not taken our tent.  The girls were all incredibly disappointed and so was I, but instead of pouting and being mad and ruining the entire weekend (which is what we have done more than I like to admit to), we determined to salvage the weekend.

On Saturday morning, we got up and Tom built/dug us a fire pit in our backyard.  That is something I have wanted for a long time, that he just hasn't had time to get to, so that was great!  Then, we decided to follow the menu we had planned for our camping trip and we were going to put the tent up next to the fire pit, but it started to rain so we didn't get to do that.  However, we did sit out by the fire even while it drizzled rain off and on, and my girls, along with their cousins, made Smores.  We slept in on Sunday, and had another lazy day together, playing games and just enjoying each other.  So, even though it wasn't the camping trip we had planned, we had a great time being together, which is what the camping trip was for anyway.

So, now it is back to the daily routine, but it is so much easier after a time of relaxing and re-energizing, plus, knowing and feeling God working in our hearts/minds has been reviving as well.

A verse which I feel God has given me lately to ponder on is what I want to end today's entry with.  I pray it will encourage you as well.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and overburdened,and I will cause you to rest, [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.  For my yoke is wholesome (useful, good - not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne."  Matthew 11:28-30 (Amplified Bible)

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Sometimes I question God's sense of humor, but I couldn't help but smile when I saw the scripture in my "daily blessing" box that is on my blog, especially in light of what I am sharing about in this entry.  So, just take a second and smile with me because God truly does love us and care for us, enough to remind us no matter where we are. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I really have thought when I said it in the past, "I need to change my attitude", I really meant it.  I am now having to face the possibility that just maybe when I said that I was really down deep (in secret) hoping everyone else around me would change theirs so I could just go on doing what I was doing, but be happier about it.  Not real fun "food for thought" is it?  But it is something I was in need of facing and dealing with and God is so faithful to keep working with us in those areas we need to bring into obedience to Him, isn't He?

Earlier tonight I was sharing with the ladies on my email list and so I decided to share some of those rambling thoughts here as well.  I have a feeling I am going to be chewing on them for a while anyway and I can access them here easier than scrolling through email...lol  How's that for deciding what to blog?  LOL 

The lessons God wants to teach me seem to be never ending.  And though I am weary, I think God is teaching me even about that. (God brought to my mind the scripture Matthew 11:28-30 and I am going to be studying that over the next few days and I will be sure to share any nuggets He gives me.) So, as I attempt to share what God is doing in my life, please forgive me if it sounds too rambling.

It seems that strife has come and set up camp in our home.  It is hard to find anyone really doing anything from a loving heart/attitude including me.  I know I need to work hard at changing my life, to be more loving in my actions, and to truly show the love of Jesus to everyone, INCLUDING my family.  I am frustrated because my girls are not very loving to one another or even to me or their dad.  And I will even admit that a lot of times they really struggle with even showing respect to us or to each other.  Either it has gotten significantly worse or God is just making it glaringly apparent to me so I will address the issue and do it His way.  I suspect the latter is more the case.  I know God is telling me to teach my kids how to be loving by being loving towards them. And though I have loved them with all my heart all their lives, I have not always acted in a loving way towards them with my words or actions.  I have tended to let my life frustrations affect all my words and my actions and so they don't really see me as a very loving person.  I have always heard it said that if you want to know why your kids act the way they do, just look in the mirror.  And yes, I know that at some point, they have to take responsibility for their own actions/words, etc., but if sarcasm and frustration and impatience is the pretty much all they seen from those they live with, how can I expect them to extend grace, mercy, or love?

God is working in my heart and I believe He is working in the heart's of each of my girls too.  I think we will have a short informal meeting tomorrow.  They rebel when I say family meeting so I am hoping to do just a quick meeting of sorts to outline an attitude adjustment I am trying to make in my life and how they can help hold me accountable.  What I am trying is maybe kin to reverse psychology in some ways, but I am hoping that while I am focusing on making changes in my attitude and asking them for their help to hold me accountable, it will spark a desire in them to change their attitudes as well.  

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