MOVED

I decided not to renew this domain name, but I also felt that I needed to start over. You can now find me here: Faithfully Home. Hope to see you!

And so we wait...

"Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" ~ Isaiah 6:8

We're at a place in life that I like to call "limbo." I am not a patient person, so this is a difficult place for me to be. We thought we had a plan, but it didn't turn out as we had hoped. So now, we wait.

We wait on graduation.

We wait on summer.

Above all we wait on God.

God is shaping us as we wait. He is teaching us patience, teaching us to trust. He is teaching us to see a bigger picture.

We had a dream of serving Him overseas. That dream did not play out the way we would have planned, but I am reminded that His plans are always better than our own. Our primary goal above all else is to serve....where we are, as we are. Contentment is a hard thing to come by, but even if we never do anything "big" (by human standards), we will learn to be content.

So we wait. While learning to be content right where we are, we wait.

We wait for an open door.

We wait for God to move. To move us...and we will go wherever He leads.

Our Little Gracie Girl

Our beautiful little Grace Evangeline entered the world at 12:57 am on January 26th.

7lb 2 oz, 19.5 in

Gifts and Ponderings

Lulls in blogging that go on for multiple months seem to be my new thing.

I don't really have anything to say, but I feel like God is stirring words in my heart.

They may not be written for a long time (or ever), but He's working on something in me. If I blog and share again, I don't want it to be about me. I don't want to try to sound like someone else or worry that my space on the internet is not the prettiest or most technologically savvy. I just want to say what He has put on my heart to say and have it be all about Him and His glory.

That's where I am right now.


Today I am celebrating the second birthday of my sweet, bright, ball of energy little boy. It is his birthday, but I feel like I am the one who has truly received a beautiful gift by being given the privilege of being his mama.

Merry Christmas, friends. May we all remember the true gift we have been given. It does not come wrapped in shiny paper and bows but rather in swaddling clothes. It is not given by a man in a red suit but rather by an almighty loving God.

Making Your Home a Haven

Even though we are not active homeschoolers (yet ;), I occasionally receive homeschooling publications in the mail. I was browsing through one yesterday and came across an article about finding balance and what it really means to be like the woman in Proverbs 31. The author (Joanne Calderwood - http://www.urthemom.com/) pointed out that although it seemed like the P31 woman was more like Martha in the sense that she was very busy, she was only able to accomplish what she did because like Mary she chose the better things first. I felt like Mrs. Calderwood was speaking directly to me in this passage:

"...by constantly praying when feelings of stress and strain come over me, I am freed from their grip. When I spend that close fellowship time with the Lord at the beginning of the day, my heart is in tune and is worshipful and reverent. What a beautiful way to start a day. But it doesn't end there, at the "amen" before getting the children up for breakfast. As we go through the day, the Holy Spirit will inspire us to do what He calls us to do. He will grant us the wisdom and resources we need to homeschool, to be a wife, and to be a mother. Contrast that with just jumping out of bed in the morning, grabbing a cup of coffee, waking the children, and getting started on the day - without any quiet time or instruction from the Lord. I've done the latter, and it doesn't bear good fruit. I am quickly absorbed with my kingdom, and I am either overwhelmed by busyness or I accomplish little because I am so overwhelmed that I go in circles because I don't know where to start." - 'A Guide to Getting it in Gear' from Homeschool Enrichment Jul/Aug 2010

Going in circles because I don't know where to start accurately describes my day to day life. How much different would my life look if I made an effort to spend time with the Lord at the beginning of every day? Even if I am getting things done, it doesn't matter how Martha I am around the house if I cannot first be like Mary.

God, of course, didn't stop this lesson with this article. I stumbled across THIS post on Women Living Well about making our homes a haven. When I read about what kind of woman it takes to make her home a haven, I was saddened by the realization that I am more like the woman described in Home #1 in the article. I am often distant, distracted, crabby and discontent. Worst of all, I do not pray enough. It's interesting to think that the first four things mentioned would be significantly remedied if I would just do the last thing. So, I am taking part in Courtney's challenge to make my home a haven for my family and all who enter it. That is my calling, and I want to see to it well while always remembering that I cannot possibly accomplish any of it on my own.

The Dishes Can Wait

Lately Eli has been especially clingy and in need of my attention. I have found myself getting frustrated with his constant need to be near me as I think about all of the things that need to be done around the house. I'm embarrassingly behind on so many projects, and I can't seem to find the time to get them done. I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. If he didn't need me so much, maybe I'd get more done.

But then I look into the big hazel eyes of that sweet boy and realize that I don't want to miss a single second. I always thought that people were exaggerating when they said that kids grow up too fast. Surely that wasn't true. I see the truth in that statement now. The past 16 months have gone by faster than I ever imagined. My tiny baby boy is a busy, smart, inquisitive toddler. He loves testing his independence, but he still needs his mama very much.

I may never catch up around the house. The overgrown flower bed in the front yard may never be tilled and replanted. As much as part of me wants to do those things, a much larger part of me realizes that my baby may not always want me to cuddle with him and play games and read stories. He'll grow up and won't need me (or at least he'll think he won't - we've all learned that lesson, haven't we?). I want to cherish these moments. So what if the dishes sit in the sink a little longer? Throwing a ball, reading a story, or just giving a hug are far more important. It is also moments like this when I say an extra prayer for babies who want nothing more than to have a mama to hold them and for mommies who are waiting on Heaven to hold their precious babies.

Now I hear a sweet voice chattering away in his room, just waking up from a nap. It's time to play!

The Great Outdoors

If you live in the Midwest, you know that we have some GORGEOUS weather lately. As a result, the adorable little boy and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors. He's not crazy about walking in the grass, but he loves to stroll up and down our gravel driveway. He adores being outside, which makes this mama happy. I hope to spending even more time outside as we take care of the garden we planted last weekend! I'm looking forward to showing Eli how things grow and harvesting our own fresh produce. This is my first real adventure in gardening, so I am just praying that things actually grow!