Real Life and Reverie

Better late than never

I realize that Valentine's Day was a couple months ago but since you could make these gifts for just about any holiday, I thought I'd give you a peek.

Now these were sooo easy you wouldn't believe it! Just take a 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper. Whatever color or pattern fits the holiday. Wrap it into the shape of a cone and staple - you could staple on a ribbon if you wanted also. I just stapled the tag on over the original staple. Fill with some yummy treats and give away! The popcorn I put in them was covered in melted white chocolate mixed with crushed up peppermint candy. Since it was so soon after Christmas I used candy canes but you could use mints anytime. It was delicious and my friends loved it. You could also fill them with fresh flowers. I would love to hear what you would put in yours!

School wasn't this fun when I went.....

So for those of you who don't know, I am the crossing guard and library assistant (or librarian jr. as my son calls it) part-time at my kids elementary school. Now we did alot of fun things when I was in school but it's even more fun now. Probably because I get to go in the teacher's lounge ;). Last week was CRT state testing for 3rd-6th graders. In order to prepare and get the kids pumped up they had a theme called "Rock the Test". The staff got these great t-shirts and we had a different 'musical era' dress up day all last week. After the first day it was clear the teachers were having way more fun than the students. My two friends, who are first grade teachers, and I planned our outfits together every day and had a morning photo shoot. You can definitely tell we are in school by the word wall in the background, ha! I know, sounds crazy but it was so much fun! Here are a few of the pics from our morning meetings:

Monday was Hip-Hop Day

Tuesday was Country Western Day

Wednesday was 60's Day

Yes that's me with the blonde fro. Even more proof that I am meant to be a brunette!! Thursday was Disco Day and we tried to be Charlie's Angels but it flopped...none of us could get our hair to feather! And Friday we all wore our t-shirts. It was a great week and the kids loved seeing their teachers dressed all crazy. Who says you can't have fun while learning?

Held

I would like to meet the person who first spoke the phrase, "Don't sweat the small stuff, it's all small stuff". Not to congratulate or agree with them but to tell them just how wrong I think they are. The fact of the matter is, this world is full of problems, BIG problems. And it's okay for us to "sweat" it. In fact, the Bible says we WILL experience pain and suffering, not IF. The beauty of being in a relationship with Christ is not that we will never have problems but when we do He will be there with us, not to always make the problem disappear, but to help us to grow and become wiser through it if we allow Him to. We can trust that He always has a plan and that plan is always for our good. Even if it makes no sense to us now. I think God is way more interested in where our souls end up for eternity than our earthly comfort now. And to be real honest, it's not always about us!! Sometimes when we question God and why things are happening to us it could be that someone else will see His glory through the situation - that is the ultimate goal after all.

I love the song 'Held' by Natalie Grant. Some of the lyrics are "we're asking why this happens to us who have died to live, it's unfair. This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held." Thank you Jesus that you promise to always hold us up in our weakness.

The last few weeks I felt like my world was falling. We sold our house and purchased another but in the long process, through no fault of our own, we ended up moved out of our home with nowhere to go for over two weeks. It was extremely stressful and emotionally draining figuring everything out. We are in our new home now and I am really grateful to the Lord for his provision. However, what I am more thankful for is the way the Lord showed his presence all over this situation. Miracle after miracle, prayer after prayer. I felt for the first time in my life I truly held onto Him for dear life because I could do absolutely NOTHING to change my circumstance, but I knew He could.

During these last three weeks I also attended two funerals, both men who went before what we would consider their time. One of them was named Eric and he was 36 years old when he died after an 12 month battle with cancer. He and his wife had been married 18 months. Needless to say, it was a devastating death for all involved. But the funeral was the most amazing I have ever been to. During his illness Eric came back into a relationship with the Lord. He went from listening to death metal and Beastie Boys to insisting on praise music being on in his room 24/7. Toward the end, he would throw up every 30 minutes all day and night. His wife said sometimes during trips to the bathroom he would sing songs to the Lord.

She stood up at the funeral and spoke of his peace during his illness and the fact that he had reached his ultimate healing. She explained how Eric would want everyone there to come into a relationship with the Lord and if they did it was all worth it. That is BIG stuff!! That is not something we can blow off and not "sweat". That is the ultimate nightmare - but Leah and Eric used it ultimately for God's glory. She is a 36 year old widow but she knows God is taking care of her. WOW I will leave you with some lyrics from a song he requested to be played at his funeral. Thank you for listening to my ramblings.

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I stand

LOL

It says in Scripture that we were created in the image of God. I know a lot of funny people, so I'm thinkin' Jesus must have been pretty funny too. He did create laughter after all. Sometimes I like to think about conversations he might have had with the children that used to follow him around while he was on earth. Can't you just see them lining up for their turn to have Jesus spin them around? And when they got so dizzy they both fell over, he would throw his head back and have a good belly laugh.

I have no doubt he still laughs with us as we fellowship with each other and enjoy the relationships he has blessed us with. And when my son tells me at the dinner table that he and his best friend named their nipples at school that day, I think Jesus may have spit soda out of his nose along with us!

Goodbye.....Hello

So here is the house we have lived in for the past eight years. The house my son learned to walk and talk in and my daughter spent her entire elementary school career. It is filled with many sweet memories as well as hard work and sweat from making it our own.

And here is our new home. Ready to fill with more memories and good times. The fact that I am posting this is scary because as we all know, until the papers are signed at closing, the bottom can still fall out. But I know God is taking care of us and the situation so no matter what happens He has a reason.

Just looking at this picture makes me excited! I already want to add black shudders to the window and paint the front door and mailbox black. Don't even get me started on the inside! :) Our closing date is set for March 26th, your prayers in the mean time would be greatly appreciated - mainly for my sanity!

Hard to let go

Like I said in my previous post, we are moving in a couple weeks. Needless to say, I have been going through each room and weeding out what needs to go. My husband thinks I have no sentimentality when it comes to things because I am always so quick to get rid of stuff. The truth is when you live in a 1100 sq. ft. house with 2 kids you have to be tough or you will be over-run with McDonald's toys. Anyway, what he doesn't realize is how hard it is to get rid of certain things that have so many memories for me. Like this adorable little table.

I saw this table at Toys R Us when Sydni was two years old. It was $40 and that might as well have been $400 back then to us, so I called my parents and cried about not being able to buy her this cute little table which I was sure would make her two year old life so much better. My parents came down for a visit a few weeks later and low and behold they bought her the table. She did love it and sat at it to color or play. I even have a picture of her chugging my Thirstbuster she snuck from me with a big grin on her face. Then when she got too big for it it went to her little brother who did the same. When I see this little table I think of our apartment we lived in when Sydni was little and the house we are now leaving where Colby used it. He's really been too big for it for a while now but I kept holding on. Last night someone came and bought that little table and it sounds corny but I was sad. Not because that table was worth so much but the memories it holds and the fact that once again I have to realize how old my kids are getting. They need desks and phones in their rooms, not cute little tables. So goodbye crayons and blocks - I will sure miss you but the days of sports, sleepovers and diving boards aren't all that bad.

"SPRING" break?!?

We are in the process of moving. Don't get me started on all the stress that has come from it and none of it includes packing and actually moving!! That being said, I haven't posted in a while because I have been dealing with all of the stuff that comes with moving. Hopefully, when we get in the house I will have lots of new posts about decorating and such. But for now I am so sick of THIS.....