passion...

i've got passion yes i do!!! how about you? what are you passionate about? what is your ministry, your calling, your love? i have several main passions, numerous minor ones and many things i want to study more to either discover a hidden passion or i then move on to the next.

i'm quite certain that you're aware that my glorious Posse is a huge passion in my life! that my most Amazing Man is who i'm intensely passionate for! but of course, my first and foremost passion in life is my Savior and King of the Universe, my Comforter and bestest Friend, my Lord Jesus Christ!! i am able to get up and go, go, go each day due to the gift of life from God. He has saved my eternal soul that i may live forever with Him in the most awesome place ever, praising Him 24/7!!! some day i'm going to get to meet Moses and Noah and Joseph and David with Jesus by my side; you can't tell me that the thought of hanging out with Paul and John and James with Jesus sitting in the golden chair next to doesn't ignite passion and excitement?! whew!! i'm getting a little carried away, but for us as children of Christ this Earth, as good as it can be, is the worst thing we'll ever have to experience, this is our hell, even on its best days. if you don't know Christ as your Savior, i implore you to email me or talk with friends that know Jesus or head out to a nearby church this weekend, because Jesus has more for you than you could ever plan for yourself. without the love and saving grace, the best you will ever know will be this world, and i'll say it again and again, but the Lord has HUGE plans to love you and bless you if you're willing to accept His gift of life!!

okay, i had not intended on going all the way through that but i'm always willing to share my heart for Christ. where i was planning on going was through the other major passions i have as a wife and mama of three....

1. music, singing, playing music, writing music, listening to music!!!! i was born with a love of song and i am thankful for the gifting and ministry that i was given to sing and play and write. music is powerful and i love to share that with my Posse of babes and my Man loves it when i take the time to sing to him (which i don't do enough, sorry sweetie). i love to sing for the Lord, to teach others how to use their personal gifting; music just brings me to life and is a real expression of who i am. my lil' 'Lou-Who' just started her piano lessons with an astounding musician and good friend of mine, Ms.'R'. and Master 'P' is okay on the piano but is beginning the endeaver into guitar lessons, he has the electric guitar with amp and everything. i'm going to have to sound-proof his room soon (giggle)! and while Big 'K' is still not quite there in age for lessons, he loves music and to sing and he has rhythm!! i know that you may not believe me but he can shake it to the beat, promise!! i can't wait to share with you an entire post about music & meaning...

2. you might have guessed this one: i love to decorate and paint!!!! i am completely unafraid of color, our house is a crayon box!! i love to paint murals in my Posse's rooms and anywhere else i can get creative and crafty. i like to use items created for a one purpose and turn it all upside and look at it from a different point of view and design it for a new purpose! kind of like these iron shelf mounts i have used in the doorway to my dining room and family room...

3. cleaning... it is an obsession, i'm not denying it, i am a little OCD but i love clean.... enough said (don't judge me)

4. everything has a place and if not i will find it one! organization!!!! i have a label-maker and i'm not afraid to use! i realize this might be silly, but with the entire Posse of kiddos and my Man plus a kitty and our mammoth dog (he's a Great Dane) we would be a huge mess, and you know how i feel about that now. the one place in my home that is semi-disorganized is the breakfast bar area in the kitchen where the family calendar is plus the mail separator (from WM where i purchase many organization tools), it seems to be a dumping ground for school notes and mail not yet separated and countless other things. i like simplicity but elegance in the majority of our humble abode, so less stuff=less mess. even the Posse has shelving with buckets and labels and corkboards and many things to keep them organized. and yes, i do have them hang up their clothes in groupings of color and type of clothing (don't judge me, hee hee)

5. natural medicine... this will have to be an entire post in itself, but i will leave you will the fact that i think doctors are blessed and have much knowledge, however we don't need some random RX everytime we have a leg cramp or an eye twitch.... so more to come very soon.

6. shopping!!! this brings me much joy, it's sad, huh? but don't you love finding a deal?!! it is addictive! i love shopping for almost anything: shoes is #1, kiddo clothing, home decor (yea hobby lobby & pier 1 & i do really like targets products but i really can't stand that store, long story don't ask, smiles) mama clothing, home improvement stuff, holiday decor..... i could keep right on going, even enjoy grocery shopping when i'm not dragging the fiersome threesome along for the ride. so if you're up for post of my fav buys and where, put it in a comment and maybe you'll get your wish!!!

okay, i think that's all i'm willing to share right now. you're thinking that i'm very OCD and need professional help but i'm perfectly happy with my 'unique' quirks, it makes me who i am: a work in progress, utterly devoted wife to an awesome and loving Man, mama to the bestest Posse of Kiddos ever, child of the risen Savior, loving daughter, bossy oldest sister (hee hee but it's true), and friend to those who are willing to put up with my crazyness!!!

Not Me! Monday

alright, alright, alright!!!! this is the first installment of a fun idea started by MckMama herself as a way to come clean about the imperfections of being a mama without the guilt... none of us are perfect, right?! so without further delay, here are all the things i most certainly did not do over the last week:

i most definitely did not have tears in my eyes as i went to church last sunday to pick up Master 'P' from his long five days at camp. i did not hug him furiously in front of all this friends, not me, why would i do that! he had an amazing time with his friends, and his awesome uncle 'E' and aunt 'M' were leaders at camp and so it was extra special!! he said that he really felt like he grew in his relationship with the Lord, as well as his team won the overall competition! he was on the pink team, oh yes i said pink!! real tough guys for God wear pink!! hee hee

while trying to get Big 'K' moved into his new room he is co-sharing with lil' 'Lou-Who' i did not, no sir turn on Finding Nemo and set 'K' down in front of it so i could attempt to get the room painted without his little fingerprints in it!! 'K' has been residing in the sitting area of our master bedroom (thank goodness we have a very large room) for these last 23 months of his life. 'Lou-Who' is totally okay with sharing her used-to-be pink & purple striped princess room, which is now a neutral seasame seed color (it is very not like me to put a neutral color on the wall) with a theme of dots and stripes in green/blue/pink/yellow/brown. it has turned out great, and i will post pictures when the project is fully complete!! but i most certainly did not leave 'K' watching the movie for an hour, to the point where he fell asleep on the floor in our room, are u kidding me, i would not do that.....

anyway...

while on a date with my Man on friday, we did not stop in the middle of the sidewalk downtown to kiss a little, or even a lot, nope not us!! and after waiting (well we walked around downtown) an hour to get into the restaurant we did not scarf down chips/salsa/cheese dip like we hadn't eaten in weeks!! we absolutely love to eat mexican, well i love me some chips and salsa from anywhere!! and after walking through some antique stores, the farmers market, and going shopping for new shelving for the 'Lou-Who' -n- 'K' room, we did not stop at andy's for frozen custard, and i did not, no way eat my entire blackberry concrete... oh so yummy!

who knows what this week will bring!!!

you can head over to MckMama's blog and post your own Not Me! Monday... go now

i just opened the door to the past!!

you've been there before, i'm sure: you're 18, finally an adult (or so we think) planning out your path for college, what your career will be, where you would like to end up living and the kind of house you'll live in. did your day-dreaming become reality for you? was it everything you thought it would be and more?!! or a huge disappointment? okay pull yourself out of the past (smiles)! i'm only asking because i took a moment of reflection this week of where i currently am in this walk of life. what? you'd like to know where i thought i'd be as a 31 year old when was i was a mere high school graduate at the tender age of 17? i'm so glad you asked! it goes a little something like this:

i was 17, i graduated from high school early (yea me!! is what i thought, should've been thinking, yea God, but hindsight 20/20, huh?!) my plan was as follows: i was going to work that summer to save money to fix my car, shop, save a little back, and of course have plenty of money to go out to the clubs with my friends multiple nights a week so i could party as much as possible before classes started, when i would have to get 'serious' (wow! what an oximoron that was: drinking/partying & serious). i would have to be serious because i was going to school with the intent to be an attorney - i know it's very cool, i thought so too. i was going to finish college as quickly as possible so i could get to law school - i wanted to go to Louisiana or up to George Washington. my plan was to move away to a big city somewhere, live in a cool, industrial loft, and go to work as a guardian ad lietum for abused children. i had no plans for children, no plans to find the love of my life at the young age of 17 and no plans to listen to anything God had for me.

it's true - i didn't think i wanted to be a mama - i loved God and was 'churched' my entire life but i didn't follow him or pray daily, i wasn't in the Word daily, i wanted to go shopping, go to school, to work, to the clubs and drink at night with friends (and i use the word 'friend' loosely because while we all cared about one another, we obvisously didn't because of how we all condoned each others' sinnful lives). what a waste, oh hindsight!!

and so these plans were mine a short 14 years ago: kinda sad, self-centered, self-serving, utterly God-less intentions. i openned this door to the past as i was on the campus of my former university this week during master 'P's football camp and as i watched big 'K' play in the fountains in front of the library, see...

Thankfully, God has amazing plans for our lives, He has awesome plans for me today, tomorrow and in the years to come: Jeremiah 29.11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

when we make plans without prayerfully bringing them before the Lord, they're just junk & my plans were junk! i have written this so many times that i am grateful for the call to mama-hood!! it is my main ministry, only secondly to the ministry as a wife to my Man. i'm not saying that my Man and my Posse are more important than serving the Lord, but by serving my Man and my Posse i am honoring the Lord because that is what He has called my to do!! i'm ecstatic that i was called to this minstry, i wouldn't want to miss this....

i want to the be Proverbs women, i'm a work in progress:

Proverbs 31.26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:29"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

you're curious what Jesus' plan for my life now and forward? how sweet of you to be so interested in lil' ol' me (wink, wink!), well let me tell you what i do know:

Jesus beautifully planned out hundreds of thousands of years ago the path for my life, He knew where my steps would lead me if i obediently followed His Word and where i would stray to if i chose worldly temptations. bless the prayers of my mom whom interceded to the Lord on my behalf. God so wants to bless my life and He is speaking to my heart & soul all the time about the plans He has for me and my Man and our splendid family. i want with all that is within me to download His plan into my blackberry (which i cannot live without!!!! ahem.. excuse that outburst) and follow to Him step by step 'til the end. and i will only get those daily downloads if i walk close to Him, spend time praising & worshipping His Holy name, praying impudently for direction and the Lord's help, by digging into His Living Word and believing by faith and trusting on His promises to lead me to the Promise Land.

i am ashamed of my former plans, i am not proud of the way i lived my life back in my early college days, however i am saved by the Lord's Grace! the Lord knew what it would take to bring me and my Man back to Him, and by giving us first 'P' we were awakened to the miracle of parenthood, and i fell in love with my baby, and then i fell head-over-heals with my girl 'Lou-Who' and He has taught me deeper lessons in mama-hood with baby 'K'. i don't like that i did things backwards (i.e. life of sin instead of for God, dating out of context, drinking, baby, then rededication to God, then marriage), but i am training the next generation the ways of the Lord, not with just words but by my actions and by my unwavering desire to serve the Lord.

so as i have enjoyed the reflection that this door to the past has offered me this week, i am ever so excited to keep moving forward in my walk and see what the next door the Lord opens has to offer!! the best is yet to come!

and yes, big 'K' did get himself wet in the fountain, just in case you wanted to know!!

patience for one, please...

everyday can be, no it is, a lesson in patience and love. i was exhausted yesterday, the synapes were not firing on all cylinders!! big K decided to pull an all-nighter tossing and turning in his bed and ours, needing a "dink, peeeasse!", it was seemingly endless, until about 4am when 'K' decided to fall asleep. so i got to sleep for about an hour and a half before my alarm went off. sometimes i hate mondays, sometimes i feel no patience with my toddler, bless his little whiny heart, when he won't go to sleep, however my God gives me energy and love that i don't believe i have on mornings like this. He is so faithful to fill me when i don't have anything to give. so in our rush to get the entire Posse ready: master 'P' had to get ready for football camp after just coming home from church camp 10 hours prior, lil 'lou-who' was headed for a fun day of fossil-finding at summer school and big 'K' was going to play at the nanny's house and mama had a meeting at 8:15am sharp!! no big, right?! remember, patience? all went well, i took 'lou-who' to school and headed to the office, while my Man was in charge of the boys, such love!! and then the wheels kinda came off: 'K' cried and wailed for his daddy when being dropped off and my Man can't handle that, then he remembered he left 'P's football stuff in the garage and had to go back, and then he decided he couldn't handle 'K' be left to cry his ever-lovin' eyes out (giggle, he's a such a sucker!!) so he went to pick him up and somewhere in all this 'P' actually made it to the university on time but just as they all pulled into the parking lot my Man's car broke down. PATIENCE!!!!

needless to say, my Man took a day off from work, i picked up 'K' and daddy and we got the car to a garage to be fixed, had a nice lunch together and the boys played together at 'P's camp while mama worked. whew!! things don't always come together the way i picture them happening, but in the midst of my meltdown God is there feeding me patience and providing for my needs, such as money to pay for the car repairs!!

after a long monday, and 'P' was still at camp, i went and got my babe from daddy and headed for the homestead and to pick up my lil' girlie!! and the three of us headed to sonic for a strawberry slushy (real fruit!! i knew what you were thinkin'!) and then for a trip to the park to unwind...

posing for her close up...

'lou-who' wasn't excited about the first set of park equipment since it was for little ones, but i reminder her that life isn't all about her and her desires (aka. a re-routed day with a broken car thrown in) and this was a chance to make it all about her brother. and she of course stepped up and 'mothered' him all over the slides and the climbing nets, loving all over him!! she is so great!

and big 'K' had a blast playing with his "sissy" and showing mama how big he is....

i love my Posse, i love that the Lord chose me to be their mama and i pray that even when i'm running on only 1.5 hours of sleep, i bring glory to the Lord through my parenting and joy and love into the hearts of my family!!

go natural baby!

is it June already?! wow! however, i love summer so i'm glad it is finally arrived, even if i wasn't quite ready for it! and with summer comes the farmer's market and yummy, organic fruits and veggies. what?!! you don't eat all natural, organic foods?! gasp! shock! okay, i'm not surprised, many of you wonderful folks eat whatever you want not giving a second thought to how that food was grown or what was added to it; BUT STOP!!! the more i learn about pesticides and food coloring and additives, it makes me wish i had pulled my head out of the sand sooner. (but if i had never gotten sick i never would have made these important changes, so another blessing through the trial!)

so relax and let me give you a quick check on my principles for shopping for all natural/organic foods for yourself and your family...

1. if nothing else try to buy the following produce in the organic section of your grocery store (and i am an addicted w.m. superstore shopper and they are carrying more and more organic produce each week!) because these fruits/veggies are typically treated more heavily than others with pesticides/chemicals (yuck!!): peaches, strawberries, winter squash, grapes, lettuce, spinach, apples, green beans, blueberries. feel free to head to http://www.organiceating.com/ to check out the big list.artifical colors. again for the chemical components, why do we put things we can't pronounce in our mouths?!! it's not real food if you can't read the ingredients ... many doc's a

2. i don't buy, okay i don't like to buy, foods with attribute hyperactivity and allergic reactions and rashes to artifical colors and flavoring and there are tons of natural alternatives, but many companies don't want to because artifical is cheaper. but is it cheaper if these artifical chemicals cause health problems later?! my Man and me are trying to be proactive and be a good steward of our posse of kiddos health.

3. i stopped buying 'easy to make' processed foods/meals. now i know that this isn't popular, and there are so many nights that i simply don't feel like making everything from scratch, but making meals for my amazing family that fuels their bodies and contributes to the well-being of their overall health keeps me going! and i'm not perfect, i like to say i'm a hybrid!! the Posse does eat a hamburger from a fast food restaurant every now and again, but all that fat, bad oils is enough to keep us away!

go buy a cookbook from your fav chef ('lou-who' and i love rachael ray!! and paula dean) and start experimenting with new ingredients, you get to control what goes in and it is super yummy and healthy all at the same time. or head to www.foodnetwork.com and there are tons of quick ideas there as well (and no they're not paying me to say that, but i wish they were!)

4. check out the local dairy and beef farms!! we switched to organic, raw milk and it tastes awesome and is sooooo much better for you and yours! and the natural beef and chicken is in my humble opinion essential to your health!! now i'm not a natropathic doctor, but i play one in real life (heehee), but why do we settle for meat and milk from animals with artifical hormones and antibiotics given to them?! yuck! we wonder why the childhood cancers are on the rise, colon cancer is more previlant than ever in adults, and girls are starting their cycles sooner in their adolesence (and that is from my ped dr) due so much to the large amount of artifical hormones & antibiotics given to milk/beef cows and chickens. i vote for natural moo-cows (per big K)!!

5. if this is all overwhelming to you, let's start here: snacking! stop buying all the chips, pop-tarts, cheese crackers and fill your little pantries with natural, healing, fueling foods. you want some examples?! i'm so glad you asked! here's what is in my cupboards right now:

flaxseed granola w/ dried blueberries, almonds (great source of protein & good omega-3 fats), walnuts, all-natural kettle popcorn for something sweet (w.m. sells this!! yea), annie's bunny crackers (just like cheezits but good stuff in 'em), all-natural fruit snacks, mandrine orange slices. and sitting on the countertop in cute candy-like jars (another good buy from my friends at WM for only $2 a jar) are homemade, completely organic chocolate chip/walnut cookies (oh my goodness they're good!), organic apples, bananas, more nuts. and in the fridge we have a snack drawer and it contains things like: organic cheese sticks, organic baby carrots, snow peas, sun-dried tomato hummus, spinach veggie dip, celery, organic/natural vanilla yogurt (more cost effective to buy in a large container instead of individual and then the Posse can add whatever they want to it like granola, nuts, honey, etc), grapes, nectarines.

i could go on but healthy snacks mean my Posse has the energy to keep playing outside, riding bikes, swimming (a big fav right now), going on walks, and simply staying in a better mood. i have seen if i put good stuff in them, it helps good attitudes to come out along with much prayer!!

and i am not spending much more on groceries than i was when i purchased more processed/less healthly food. and if the cost of some things scares you right out of your shoes, just think that you are saving yourself the healthcare costs down the road!! because it's expensive to be sick, don't ya know!!

now i know in the last post i promised a coveted hobby lobby gift card (again i didn't get paid to say that, but i'm really should look into that), but you guys aren't cooperating with me (smiles)!! you need to stalk me, i mean sign up to follow me (lower left sidebar) and then leave me a pretty comment saying you did!! and then pass this blog onto a friend who is a mama, or not we love ya all!! simple, right? you might be the blessed winner, but until more peeps sign up and stop by, i'm gonna hold off for now, ok?!

be blessed today!