Do you want some cheese?

Have you ever been asked, do you want some cheese with that whine?  Unfortunately, I have.  Yes, while I do not drink fine wine, I am quite a fine whiner!  It is hard to admit, but the more I look at my day to day life, I feel like I am becoming a complainer and yes, even a whiner.  I try not my hardest not to whine and complain to others, but to my husband, I fear I am becoming a whiner.  I whine about my day, my pains, and can have a nice long pitty party with myself as the star.  I can go on and on about what went wrong that day, who disobeyed, who didn't listen, my headaches, and etc. etc. etc.

But, it stops now.  I am giving up whining.  I am giving up complaining.  I am looking forward to each day as a wonderful gift from God.  I do not want to raise complainers and whiners, and therefore, cannot be one myself.

I am an only child, and maybe some of my whine stems from those years of getting all the attention.  Every time I tell my oldest daughter to stop whining, I can still hear my mother say it to me.  What makes us whine and complain?  What can we do to combat the habit?

We all have some complaints in our life.  There are stories of complainers in the Bible, like the Israelites after being rescued from captivity and even Jeremiah one of the major prophets was sited for complaining.  What can we do as whiney complainers, to put a new song in our heart?

In Proverbs 29 we find a verse that can help us keep our complaints quieted.  Verse 11 says, "A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterward."  The translation for "uttereth" is "vents all his feelings" and "keepeth" is "holds it back", so the verse would read, "A fool vents all his feelings: but a wise man holds it back."

Yes, you might have a day when nothing is going right.  You want to tell the world so somebody will feel sorry for you.  It would be nice to have a pat on the back and be told it's all going to be ok.  But, instead of bringing someone else down, what would happen if we "hold it back" and ask the Lord to intervene.  Tell Him sincerely through prayer, what our problems are.  He is there to help, comfort, and listen. He can put a new song in our hearts, songs of gratitude, forgiveness and love.

Today's Verse
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."  Eph 4:29

I know I have to tell my husband about my day, but instead of whining, my hope is to simply state the facts and together we can prayerfully ask for help with the negative aspects.  We are all going to throw a pitty party now and again, but make sure it's not everyday.  Make sure others do not see you as a whiner or complainer, but as a joyful person with God's light shining through.  You want to build those around you up with edifying words, not tear them down with your negativity.

My youngest daughter is tough as nails.  She gets hurt and she may cry for a millisecond, but she is right back up running and playing again.  While holding her this morning after a little fall, I saw she had a splinter in her finger.  It was red and irritated, so it must have been there this weekend.  She never complained.  She never whined.  She was tough.  My prayer is she remains tough, and maybe her toughness will rub off on me and her big sis.

I am pledging to give up complaining and whining for the week.  It is going well so far, but I really haven't talked to anyone older than four and a half!  I want to only be asked if I would like some cheese when I am dining at Olive Garden!



On a side note...
I love to cook and am working to add some recipe tabs to the page.  With the fall season here, that is when I get geared up for holiday cooking.  I already made a new pumpkin bread recipe this weekend that I will share.  My husband has proclaimed me the "Leftover Queen", and I would love to share some of those ideas as well.  Look for the upcoming additions soon!

If this was your last day...

What a horrible thing to ask, but it does get some thoughts swirling in my head.  If you knew this was the last day, what would you do?  I am a big fan of country music, and the song "Live like you were dying" comes to mind.  And funny thing is, I HAVE been sky diving.  Crazy, I know!  If you are unfamiliar with the song, the first phrase in the chorus is "I went sky diving..." , so I could check that off my list.

But, what things would you say or do, and who would you want to see?  Is there someone you have been trying to win to Christ?  Would you beg one last time?

I was reading of Moses last days in Deuteronomy. God tells him he is fixing to join his people and die in 32:50.  Moses knew he was on his way to be forever in Heaven, but the Lord did grant him one look at the Promised Land he would never be a part of.  He got one last look of earth.

Would you want to see some place one last time, or even a new place you've never seen?

I know the Promised Land was a site to behold for Moses, but we know it is nothing in comparison to what he was about to lay his eyes on when he entered the gates of his eternal home and the ultimate Promised Land.  Oh the beauty we will see.  Thinking about this puts another song in my mind, "What a day that will be".

Today's Verse
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev 21:4

I can't say exactly what I would do.  It's just on my mind after reading of Moses, and just a thought to ponder for today.  I do know what I have to look forward to when my last day on earth comes.  I do know that it will be a "glorious day" when it is my time, because I will be looking upon His face and He will wipe away my tears.


"What a day that will be"
Words and Music was written by: Jim Hill

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
What a day, glorious day that will be!

Bring on the Fall and a pen.

There is going to be a chill in the air this weekend in good old NC.  There will be some nights where the temps will be in the 40s.  BURRRR!  The Fall season is upon us, and although I know there will still be a chance for 80 degree days in October, they will be fewer and fewer.  I love Fall, but cold weather is not my favorite.  I have read in an email before, that one way you know you live in NC is you have to run your heat and your AC in the same day.  That has happened several days in October for our family.

I am trying to prepare today for the inevitable chillier weather.  We are going through boxes of clothes trying to figure out who can wear what and what needs to be purchased.  I hate doing this.  It is a never ending task.  Not to mention, that there are clothes everywhere and we can hardly walk in the girls' rooms.  I am just dreading every time the phone rings, praying it is not somebody wanting to come look at the house.  Wouldn't that be lovely right now.  Sure you can come, but please avoid knocking over the massive piles of clothes everywhere.

I am mindful of two things as I look at all these articles of clothing.  One, we have way too much stuff.  We are endlessly blessed by the material things we have.  Our devotion today was about how material things should never be more important than people.  I pray my girls never view having clothes or toys or other possessions as more important than family and friends.   I fear in today's society, possessions are often placed above the true meaning for our lives.

Number two, was how quickly time has gone by this year.  Every year seems to go faster for some reason.  I seriously feel like it was just Christmas, yet we are entering October.  Yikes!  I usually have a good deal of Christmas shopping done by now.  I am very very behind.

Only appropriate our verse for today is:
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecc 3:1

Each age and season brings something new to look forward to.  I pray the Fall season will be the best one yet!  Each season of life is full of milestones and memories.  Memories that I want to keep forever.  I am going to begin a new page on the blog that will hold memories.  I know these will be more for my benefit than anyone elses, but there are things the girls say and do everyday that I want to keep.  The Lord first kindled this love of writing and words when I became a stay-at-home-mom and started journaling more.  I urge anyone who does not keep their thoughts written down, to just try it.  I would love to do it more than I have a chance to.  It is not only the way to look back on our memories, but to me it is such an easier way to express my thought and prayers to God in written form.  And, although I know the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer when we are unable to speak what is on our minds (Rom 8:26), I find I am able to talk to the Lord so much more openly in letter form.  He can read you know!

I do hope you will consider this thought and try it for the upcoming season.  Keep the memories close to your heart and your written prayers to the Lord in your mind.  The most fun of all is to go back and put big checks by the things He has answered for you.  I love a good check mark!  Bring on the Fall and the pen.

This game called life!

I loved games as a child.  I even had the game called "LIFE".  My dad worked the late shift, so it was just my mom and me during the evenings.  I can remember pulling out those board games and playing until bedtime.  I also remember packing up those same games and heading to my Grandmother's house every other Saturday.  My father would do her yard work, and we would camp out at the kitchen table to play.  I already see the love of games in my daughters.  If we can just get them to turn off the technology and play a good old fashioned game, we always have a blast.  Our kids at church love them too.  I love making up scavenger hunts for them to complete or just a great game of Pictionary.  We even had a game recently where they had to hunt for coins in a bucket of ice.  I was scared some of them were going to lose their arms to frost bite.

Everyone loves a game, but when you do look at life as a game, do we know how to play?  I made a comment to my husband this weekend that I didn't know how to play this game anymore.  With our life in such limbo (another great game) right now, I can't seem to figure out which way God has us going.  We lean on Him for guidance, but right now I feel like the Israelites in the dessert wondering for 40 years.  We are waiting and longing for a green light to move or draw a card that doesn't say "lose your turn".  We are waiting...and unfortunately I am definitely not good at the waiting game.

I've begged God for wisdom today.  I have looked for verses for wisdom today.  The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom verses, including 8:11 "For wisdom is better than rubies..."  Oh how much that is true.  I need His wisdom to guide us through this life.

 I am searching even harder than usual for wisdom, direction and guidance.  One reason is because I was asked a dreaded question for a second time within a week.  "Where is your daughter going to school next year?"  Where, oh where will she go?  If anyone has a clue, please let me know!  We have no idea!  When that is our answer, the looks we usually get are not pleasant.  Do we go public, private or home-school?  What about if our house sells?  That really changes things up as the school districts would change.  All the possibilities, and what if we make the wrong move?

Wisdom verses for today
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."
Jer 33:3
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." James 1:5a
"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1 Cor 2:5

If we rely on His Word, which we must do, we are certain to not make a wrong move.  He might wait until the very last minute, the last grain of sand may be draining from the hour glass, but His guidance will come.

In Deuteronomy 30 we read some of the final words of Moses.  He is asking the God's people to choose a life for God.  They will receive blessings if they focus on Him and not turn away from Him.  He actually says in verse 19 to "therefore choose life."  I want to choose life and live it abundantly.  I know He is the driving force making my moves for my family in this game.  I want to stay in His will as we face the twists and turns.  As Moses says in verse 20 "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life..." 

Is He your life?  I want Him to be my life.  I want to put that everywhere I can see "for he is thy life". I want my life to reflect 1 Cor 2:5 more that anything today.  I want the power of God to be my moving force behind my life.  I want to choose life for Him, and with Him we will always be a winner in this game!

But I worked so hard....

Have you ever said that phrase when something you worked on just didn't pan out?  I am the queen of thinking or saying "But I worked so hard...".  The Lord had already laid this thought on my heart this morning as I was driving back home this morning.  The girls were watching Wonder Pets and my mind was on writing topics.  Driving, showers, and nap time seem to be my most inspirational times.  I didn't know that He was giving me this topic in order to prepare me for what was to come once we got home.  More about that in a minute.

My first and most important time I believe I said this quote was during the labor and delivery of my first daughter.  Now, I will admit that the Good Lord has erased most of my memory of the pain and anguish that I went through in those 17 hours, but I still have a few vivid memories.  One, was asking my husband to never make me do this again.  As we can see with the birth of our second daughter, that was not something I meant!  My other memory was when the Dr. told me I was going to have to have the C-section.  I just remember saying over and over that I had worked so hard.  I couldn't believe this was happening.  Why couldn't I have her naturally?  But, thankfully the Lord blessed us with a healthy baby girl. And, even though I felt like a failure at giving birth, I was quickly able to change my thoughts when I held Macie for the first time.

I also feel like a loser when I work so hard on a project, only to have it rejected, or it simply does not receive the response I was hoping for.  That can be disappointing.  But, I am slowly realizing I have to view it as a learning experience and move on.  Another thing that has recently made me whine that I have worked too hard is preparing the house for a showing.  With our house for sale, we have to keep it clean, which can be hard with the two little ones pulling out every toy fifty times a day.  When someone calls to say they are coming, I work like a crazy woman getting everything just perfect, only to have our hopes dashed when we later find out they like another house better. But, the positive side is I have a spotless house, at least for a few hours.

Today, my "but I worked so hard" moment came with trying to do two small projects for my husband.  It was on the computer.  It involved some ordering and designing a new business card.  I was also trying to finish up and order our new Directories for church.  In other words, I was trying to do too many things at one time, all while trying to entertain the little one.  That is one thing I hate about preschool.  I am the only entertainment around when her big Sissy is gone.  I had things mess up, and I got frustrated, and I finally gave up on some of my tasks.  Some were accomplished, but some were not, and I felt once again like a failure.

You know the devil uses those time when we feel defeated to really bring us down.  He can make us feel so bad about ourselves.  You can have negative thoughts that seem impossible to get over.  When we work so hard and the end result is not what we had longed for, it can be a game crusher.

Today's Verse
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before."  Phil 3:13

"Forgetting those things which are behind" is so hard to do.  We have to move past our past mistakes.  Things didn't go my way.  I had worked hard.  I must learn from it and keep on.  God had a reason for my unplanned C-section, for things not going my way some days, and even the mistakes that I have made.   I have to put them behind me and reach for "those things which are before".  Look toward the future and know that the hard work will pay off in the end.  You can't have a child without the delivery, no matter what kind of delivery it is.  You can't work for Christ without experiencing some hurt and rejection along the way.  The next verse in Philippians is a favorite for most, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  Press towards the mark with me!  Get past the poor poor pitiful me, and keep on keeping on!

Don't whine about how hard you worked.  Just keep working for Him!

These are a few of my NOT so favorite things...

Sickness, unorganized things, packing, dusting, whining, and ticking clocks are just a few of my not so favorite things.  I also have to include when technology does not do what I want it to do and dentist visits.  The final two are what I am dealing with today.  First, I had worked a while on a post yesterday.  Then when I went to "publish post" it said my session had timed out and it only saved the first little bit.  Nap was almost over, and I didn't have time to retype it.  The funny part was, my verses for the day was 1 Thes 5:16-18 "Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In everything give thanks: for this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you."  I had to not be upset.  I had just talked about giving thanks and rejoicing no matter what.  Man, that was a way to seriously practice what I preached.  So before crying and whining (which is part of my not so favorite things), I had to know there was a reason for me not to post yesterday.

Now, for the dentist visits, so not cool either!  My oldest daughter will be going to have a cavity filled.  We brush her teeth and are very mindful of what she eats, yet she has a cavity.  I am nervous.  She is nervous.  We are completely relying on God to get us through this!  Our devotion yesterday was about how some things in life just are not fair.  We don't know why bad things happen, but we will understand one day when we get in heaven.  For now, we have to accept it and ask the Lord to help us through it.  I told Macie that her cavity was a perfect example.  It doesn't seem fair at all!  We want to be upset about, but it is happening for a reason.  If nothing else, we pray that the dentist office staff will see God's love through us today!

Now what are some of your not so favorite things?  How about some favorites?

Hugs from my girls, notes from my husband, reading, writing, the beach, organizing things, cooking, and the list could really be endless.  What about my favorite favorite favorites?  God's love.  Showing God's love.  Living God's love.  Spending time with God to better understand His love.

I've told you about the peace I feel when I sit down with my Bible.  That peace is what is going to get us through today.  The peace and lots of prayer.  Prayers that I know He hears.  Prayers that I know He answers.  Prayers that don't have to be perfect.  Prayers to the ultimate Healer.

Today's Verse
"But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer."

Today the girls' devotion was about prayers.  Oh how He knows what we need to hear everyday.  It was another perfect topic for my child going through so much right now.  It had a fill in the blank prayer at the end.  It asked for some of her favorite things.  Do you know, she said EVERYTHING!  Everything is her favorite.  She can't really distinguish between the good and the bad.  She just knows she is thankful for everything!  She knows God hear's her.  Her prayers, for a four year old, make me so proud as a mom.  She talks to Him like He is right there; and He is.  He is right there listening to us 24/7 - 365 - and 366 every four years!

My favorite things are anything to do with Him and especially teaching my girls about His love.  I am so glad He hears us.  He get us through the Not so favorite parts of our days!


_________________________________________________________________________________
So yesterday was about favorite things in a whole different way.  I have put the small part that was saved.  It is about a game we play at supper.  Supper...another favorite thing.  Cleaning up after, not my favorite thing. But, the joy of our family meal is worth it!


We have a thing we do some nights while eating our supper.  We go around the table and talk about some of our favorite parts of our day.  This way the girls can share their fun activities with Daddy, and Daddy can in turn tell us something interesting that might have happened during his day.  It is a wonderful habit, as is family dinner together, that I hope continues in our house for years to come.  I get a little emotional as I imagine teenagers sitting there, and I pray that even in those tough years, they will want to share with mom and dad the happenings in their world.

We all have a few that we say everyday.  Daddy always says coming home is the best part.  Macie always says  when Daddy came home is one of her favorite things.  I always say that nap time was a great part!  But, we share other stories too.  There is crafts we might have done, lessons and devotion time activities that were interesting.  Interesting stories of people's lives being saved by wearing one of daddy's vest (daddy makes bullet proof vests).  What went down on the preschool playground that day.  Emmie's adventures in discovering everything and learning to talk and sing and everything an 18 month old is learning.  There are always some constants and always something new.

That's all that was saved, and maybe in the future I can finish what happened.  Writing is a favorite, but losing everything I had worked on...not so much!  I do encourage you to try this at your table and make it a favorite part of your day and memories!

Pretty Weeds and Bad Grapes

One of my daughter's Bible verses at the beginning of the summer was 1 Sam 16:7c "for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."  It was so fun listening to her repeat that all week, yet I never can truly get it stuck into my own brain!  Why do I care so much what other's think of my family and our appearance?  We had to deal with me caring too much this weekend, and all I can think about today is how I wish I could rewind time and not care.

When we got home from errands today, my daughter ran out to the yard to pick a lone dandelion that had sprouted.  She loves it when those little yellow "flowers" sprout up.  It is perfect for a four year old to pick.  She ran to me with a big smile and said, "Mommy I got you a prize; it's a pretty flower."  Now, I have tried repeatedly to tell her that this little flower she thinks is so pretty is really a weed in disguise.  It is not the most desirable thing to have sprouting in our yard (especially considering our house is for sale and some family had just left from taking a look).  But all she sees is the outside, and to her it's brilliant yellow color is enough to make it beautiful.  She doesn't know the meaning of the word "weed" and that it is not something that is considered lovely.

Now last week, I had to run in the grocery store to pick up a few things.  My girls both love grapes, and we have them every morning with our breakfast.  We had been out of grapes for two days, and the natives were getting restless.  My girls were missing their grapes!  I picked up a few bags, carefully examining each one, before settling on my choice.  I grabbed a few other things, paid, and we were out the door (one of our more successful trips in the store).  The next morning I pulled them out to start washing and cutting (my little one has to have them chopped).  They were very pretty grapes.  The color was good and they looked juicy!  Now, we are not talking Promise Land grapes, but I was thinking they were going to be good.  But, I started cutting, and they were squishy.  I don't just mean a few, I mean the whole entire bag.  Everyone I checked was just mush on the inside.  How could something so pretty be so bad?

Now, with these two stories in mind, which would you rather be?  Do you want to be a "pretty weed" or a "bad grape"?

The pretty weed is beautiful to the little girl walking by.  Now, it might be a nuisance to some, but a joy to a few. The bad grape has beauty to behold, but on the inside is just a mess.

Today, I am picking the pretty weed!  I would rather my Heavenly Father look at me as a thing of joy and not care what anyone else thinks!  I didn't do such a great job of that this weekend when getting ready for a church event.  It was at my father-in-laws' church.  And it was Homecoming.  Something special for everyone involved.  I had bought my husband and new suit that was worth $310 that I got for $60 - oh yeah I love a good bargain.  And, that was suit, shirt and tie I might add!  The girls had pretty matching dresses, and I had a semi-new dress.  We got up to rainy and chilly weather.  Sweaters couldn't be found.  Hairbows were lost.  Outfits had to be changed.  It was a big old mess.  Now why was I not more concerned about how my heart was preparing for the day of worship instead of what our appearance looked like?  The devil had me good by the time we got there, which was surprisingly on time!

Today's Verse
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Luke 12:31

I had to have a change of heart once I sat down at church.  I had to gather my thoughts toward Him, and ask forgiveness.  I had to tell that devil to get behind me!  I don't want my treasure to be anywhere but in heaven.

I don't want my heart to be about looks and clothing and impressing.  I want my heart to be about Him.  I don't want to be pretty on the outside, but just a big mushy mess on the inside.  I want my insides to be beautiful for my Lord to look upon.  He is looking at my heart, and my heart is what matters.  People might say, "that girl is always so happy, and it gets on my nerves."  That would be fine to me to be nuisance of a weed, but to my Lord I want to be His "good and faithful servant."  I want Him to pick me, even if I am a weed to others.  I want to be a pretty weed for Him!