Thank You, Friend!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10......

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.

If one falls down, him friend can help her up.

But pity the one who falls and has no one to help him."

God spoke this verse to my heart in the middle of the night. In fact He did it in the form of a dream. I won't bore you with all the details...so relax. But I awoke this morning, with it still very real and very fresh on my heart.

One of the greatest gifts from God to me have been friends. So with this burning on my heart, I want to thank all of you whom I can consider a friend. You ALL bring something unique into my life, that I could not do without! You make a difference in my life! Thank You!

I have added some new "Link Buttons" to the right of my blog. You can click on them and go to some of my very favorite blogs!

Happy Thursday Everyone!!!

Mt. Washmore

So, last week, I was showing off my really clean, organized laundry room, with the empty laundry baskets. This is what I get for bragging.......

Upon opening the door of my laundry room this morning, this is what I was met with...Mt. Washmore! I almost cried, then decided it wasn't worth the energy. Instead I tackled it! Once more I will sort, wash, dry, fold, hang, and thank God I don't have to scrub them on a wash board with lye soap and hang them up to dry!

Memorial Day 09

We spent the day today doing fun things and being with people we love! While Duane and Alex were golfing, we girls spent the morning, having breakfast in Murphy with family. Then this afternoon, we enjoyed a BBQ and swim party with a group of friends, at the Cotner's. The kids and guys wore themselves out in the pool and all the food was yummy!
It was a good day! Now only six more days of school, and then our Summer will be in full swing!

I looked up and saw Marc with his arm around Talisha, and thought, "awwww!"

Nikki catching some rays and waves!

Ashley, Addison and Alex...cousins!

Ash and Addison having fun in the pool!

This evening, we were hanging out in the backyard, watering the garden, and the yard, and Tucker started attacking the sprinklers.

Pretty in Pink

Duane surprised me yesterday with flowers...hoping that I recover quickly from my dental/tooth/root canal pain. He is such a thoughtful man, and when he shows his love with flowers, he is speaking my language!! Pink Rose=Perfect Happiness!

Daisy=Loyal Love!

Laundry Room

With Summer coming and the kids living in the Swimming Pool, I realized that I needed to find a place for the beach towels to hang dry. I already had these hooks, so I got busy hanging them in the laundry room. I think this is going to work very well!

I had to include a picture that showed you that at this moment in time, my laundry baskets are empty...it will be like that for a couple of hours, and then everything we wore today will be in there. I am so going to enjoy this moment...ahhhh!

Inspired

I recently came across a few really amazing ideas, that I want to try to do this Summer. I thought I would share them with my ever-faithful, yet completely and utterly silent blog readers...just because I love you!

I have to make one of these jars!!! Layla over at The Lettered Cottage makes "The Quote Jars" and "The Good Jars" to sell, but I think it would be very easy to make one for myself. (BTW...I love this blog! Her decorating style is fresh and her ideas are amazing!)

Chris at Just A Girl did something really creative with plates, that I think would be fun to incorporate into my decor. I have a facination with word and letters, so this is very appealing to me!

I am just amazed at how Kimba at A Soft Place to Land redid this headboard! You are going to love it too!!

I love just about every idea at Simple Mom. Her recipes, organizational solutions, advice on living the simple life....it is all good!!

And please, just tell me who wouldn't want to have and Outdoor Room to relax in? I know I would!! The Inspired Room has some beautiful ideas for creating such a space outside. I love it!

I just recently found this site, Money Saving Mom, and am loving her ideas for coupon cutting, bargain shopping, and freezer stashes!

Do you need a great idea for planning menus? I am always looking for new menu ideas! Go to Small Notebook for a Simple Home and check it out! She even has a free printable menu and grocery list you can download!

Although the color, orange, would not be my first choice for decorating...I thought this was amazing!! Darby at Fly Through My Window took what I would consider a decorating nightmare and came out with a stunning result!!

You really must go visit this site and see all the color!! Miss Maggie at Daisy Cottage inspires me with color! I love her creativity with flowers, books, garden wares, tea cups....her site makes me feel happy!

Melissa at The Polka Dot Chair has an idea that I can't wait to create! She took clipboards, hung them from a wall above her kids names, and made a space to keep school papers, chore lists and schedules organized! I already know where I am going to do this, and can't wait to get it done!! (While you are there, take a look at the adorable clothes Melissa makes!!)

I love looking at My Sweet Savannah for fun, different ideas for decorating!!

Karla at It's the Little Things That Make a House a Home has been baking a different cookie every week.... for twelve weeks! She is sharing her recipes and they look delicious!
Don't forget to look around her site at all the wonderful things she creates!!

Hope you enjoy all these sites. May you be inspired!

Being a Mom

I have just spent the day being treated like a queen for Mother's Day, and it was a beautiful day! Now, all the children are tucked in for the night, and I sit here with my thoughts about being a mom.

Dreaming of Motherhood...
Some of my very earliest memories in life, are of wanting to be a mommy. I used to think having my own husband, home, and babies would be a all that I would ever want or need! I dreamed what my husband would be handsome and kind...I dreamed that my house would be yellow with white shutters and it would be full of peace....I dreamed that my six children would all have red hair and I would dress them alike!
How funny our dreams can be, but thinking back to them now, I am so aware that God had a dream for my life, so much bigger than my dreams ever were!
My husband is handsome and his kind ways are as natural as breathing for him. My house is not yellow with white shutters, but peace reigns in this home!! My three children are not red-heads and they would shoot me if I tried to dress them alike...but they are beautiful and loving in so many ways!

The Reality of Motherhood...
It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me and yet at the same time, it has been the hardest thing I have ever done! There are days when being a mom is fulfilling and natural; other days I wonder who took Sheila and replaced her with me...and where did these children come from?!?
But I love being a mom!! I really do! I have loved the moments of babyhood, when they depended on me for life, food and love. I have loved the moments of indescribable adoration that I see in their eyes as they look at me. I have loved hearing them say "Ma-ma" for the first time and the pleasure of knowing they love me even when I mess up! I have loved watching them discover their world from the safety of my lap, and when they venture a few feet away, only to come running back to me. I have loved teaching them about God and how much He adores them. I have loved listening to them explain something new they discovered, or how their day has gone. I have loved the long talks and hugs of comfort when life has been hard.
That is just it...I have loved!

One of my hearts deepest desires is for my children to always know that they are loved...not because of anything they do, but simply because they are mine!
I love being a mom!

Mom and Mother

One I call "Mom" and one I call "Mother"
They are not the same person, but they do know each other

One gave me life and raised me with love
One gave me love and raised me a husband

One lives in the desert and one in the city
But they both drive Cadillacs, and oh! they are pretty

One has gray hair and one has light brown
But when Macy's has sales, they both head to town

There are differences plenty between these two women
that make them unique in the way they are livin'

But one thing is true, one thing I can shout,

"You are both the best Mothers in the world...there's no doubt!!"

Praising First!

Lately I have been studying the Old Testament and that long ago practice of sending the singers and musicians into battle before the warriors. What was their duty? To praise God and claim victory before the battle began.

In our day, it is common for the "front line" of offense to be an aerial attack of bombs and missiles. How different from those long ago days when the singers declared the praises of God before the battle!

In Chronicles 20:21-22, King Jehoshaphat made a decision when facing a vast army. He stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; having faith and your will be successful." He then appointed men to sing the the LORD, and to praise him as they went out at the head of the army saying:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever!"

As they began to sing and praise, the LORD sent ambushes against the men who were invading Judah and they were defeated!

In Psalms 68, David praises God for victory in a similar situation where it appears the choir led the procession into battle

(vs. 2., 3)
"When the righteous see God in action, they'll laugh, they'll sing, they'll laugh and sing for joy! Sing hymns to God all heaven, sing out...

(vs. 19-20)
"Blessed be the Lord--day after day he carries us along. He's our Savior, our God, oh yes! He's God-for-us, He's God-who-saves-us. Lord GOD knows all!"

Why did the singers go first? Because it was acknowledgment that the battle belonged to the Lord. The very first thing I must realize and claim is that the true power is God's, and I do that through my praise and worship to Him!

There is a battle going on, and I intend to praise my way into it, and through it! God is doing something big, and I am excited for the victory!