Real Life

What does that mean? Well most of the time I have happy news to share and I guess I consider myself to be a very positive person. But there is Real Life too. And today was one of those afternoons.

This week I made some positive changes in my life. Eating & exercising. I'm even being accountable and doing this together with friends. We are being sensible and doing Weight Watchers. So far (wow a whole 5 days LOL) it's been great, but this afternoon was one of those times.

Maybe it was the weather (it's cold and rainy out..........feels more like fall than August), maybe it was boredom (it's not like I didn't have anything to do, but they were not things I was looking forward to and my mind was wandering too much), maybe it was a bit of stress.....not really sure. But I felt so unsatisfied. Not hungry really, but unsatisfied. I kind of expected a bit of that (I remember last year this time of the year), but still I was stuck for an hour or so. What would make a difference?

Well I kinda pushed through it and then starting getting ready for our evening (wedding reception tonight). Then it happened. I tried on my first choice outfit. Ewwww....just a tad snug. Maybe more than a tad. Then I grabbed another one (remember I'm grabbing cold weather clothes since it's cold today.......haven't worn them since spring), same thing. Well if that isn't motivation and renewed enthusiasm to count those points and not care that I'm not satisfied for that moment, I don't know what would work!

So there....I'm past the mini pity party and see my goal again. And now I know exactly what to do next time........get a favorite outfit and try it on. If it doesn't fit well I can renew my committment......if it fits better I can feel good about doing something positive for myself.

Tomorrow is a new day. I'm still on track and it will be easy to pass on the wedding cake tonight. I'll figure out a few boredom busters and maybe do some duel rewarding for when I do those jobs I've been procrastinating on when I hit that wall instead of thinking about whether or not this is hard. :)

Tomorrow is also a mini vacay with friends to visit extended family and...........IKEA! :)

New Camera!

Well technically it's not new, but I did get my Digi Reb back! Unfortunately it had some shutter issues and I was waaaaaaaaaay too long without it. But in honor of the camera coming back I took some house photos. Only from the outside....but, hey, it's a start.

We did get our lawn planted and a few flowers. Today Heather dropped off a cute little table and chairs for the front porch. I'm "table-sitting"......ever heard of that? It's so cute it kinda makes me hope she has a really small front porch if she gets a new house. Not really, but......well, kinda. :)

Not too much to add.......just views of the house.

Brace Yourselves........

Yes, yes indeed, it is a post three (count em!) days in a row! I'll admit I've been more "miss" than "hit" in "hit or miss," but I'm working on it! Now if I could just get my exercise heading in that direction too. But that's a whole 'nother blog post.

Well I've had lots of requests for house photos, but I'd really like to get my camera back (soon....it's supposed to be this week......let's hope so!) and take some nice shots. I did dig up a picture of the dining room from before we moved in. Just before. It's one of my favorite spots. I love the circular tray ceiling a bunch, but my fav thing is that we entertain there. Have friends over for dinner, invite the Pink Flip Flop girls for scrapbooking, family meals....enjoy life there. Better photos soon.......promise. Less than 10 months. Really! :)

This weekend we are going to have a chance to meet up with Andrew in the U.P. We have a 50% chance of rain, but 100% chance of having a great time! He and his college friends are camping on the Lake Superior shoreline, so we are going to see some of the sights with them. They are camping......we are moteling. :) But we'll join them for a campfire I'm sure. I've done lots of baking in preparation for the trip. Why is it that we think so quickly to feed their tummies? Well I don't get to spoil Andrew very often, so I think that's why. Yeah, I totally went overboard, but I'm sure 5 college guys can polish it off very quickly.

Well that's today in a nutshell! Off to a graduation open house tonight for a terrific young gal. One thing about open houses is that it's a great time to just relax and visit with friends. I love that!

Just a little something....

I saw someone post "what a difference a year makes" the other day. How very true! In my case it's been a year of some of the biggest blessings of my life and some of the biggest challenges I've ever faced. But in the end, God is just so very faithful and always, ALWAYS, good.

We are in our new home that you saw pictures of earlier.....clearing trees and making the foundation. I will take some new and updated photos when I get my good digital camera back (hopefully this coming week). Nothing is really decorated or anything yet, but that will come with time.

It seems like we moved in, unpacked boxes (still a few to go), got settled, tilled the soil and planted lawns, planted two flower gardens and a little veggie garden, began building a pole barn (for all the stuff we had in the barn at the farm), had our youngest graduate high school and celebrated with an open house and so on. It's literally been one thing after another. All good though!

So there will be time to decorate later. And after we are in the house a bit and knowing exactly where we want things, right?

But we've had lots of fun in there too! Lots of evenings on the deck having dinner or dessert......or both........with friends. Lots of crafting days with friends (and through the evening and night). :) I've done more crafting in the last two months than all of last year. So what have I done?

Okay, well I admit first of all that I am no Carin or Renee, but I did make a little something that I think turned out pretty cute! Lyn gave me a link to this website ( http://lifeaslou.blogsome.com/2008/01/30/magic-boxes-a-life-as-lou-online-class/ ) and I printed these instructions.......and there they sat. Until the last 24 hours. Then I just HAD to do something (you know when you get like that)...and this was that something:

I'm using this as a birthday card/gift box for my niece. I will fill it with little candies, stickers, do-dads and a gift card. All I need to do is add a birthday tag to the top, that she can remove so she can use her box for whatever she wants.

Well thanks for sticking with me. I guess there wasn't much to stick with over the past 10 months. I can't say that I am a faithful blogger, but hopefully a faithful friend makes up for it. That's more important anyway. :)

Waiting...

I find myself in a place of waiting on God. That doesn't mean that I sit twiddling my thumbs doing nothing, it just means that I'm waiting for answers...direction maybe...from God. I know He hears me. I know He answers. So is He saying something and I'm not hearing?

I've been seeking Him and searching His word. Sometimes I wonder how so much "stuff" could seem to come against me all at once. Other times I am just so thankful that God has blessed me so much. What I realize is that I am truly blessed--there is always someone struggling with far more.

It's a freezing cold morning today, literally. It gets light a bit later each day. The view from the chair where I love to drink my coffee and read my devotions and spend time in God's word is usually a window with blinds that are down, but open...waiting for the sun to arise, but still dark as night behind them.

Today I am home and the view is the sunrise. Not a full on view of the actual sun, but a view of what the sun is casting. A view of the product of that sun--the golden light over my frosted front lawn. And of a rosebush that is in front of my window. One last branch I didn't trim a while ago because it had buds on it.

Two days ago in the wind that branch seemed to screech across the window as the thorns made a noisy ride across the glass. I remember thinking I should just go out and trim that branch back. It was annoying to say the least.

But today I am so happy that I didn't! In the still of the morning there are rosebuds ready to burst forth. Beauty as everything else around it is dead. LIFE. HOPE. Flowers that are so close to the way they are supposed to be at their peak.

Today I thank God so much for knowing exactly what I needed and when I would need it. His timing is so perfect!

I leave you with some verses from Psalm 33:20-22

We wait in hope for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,

even as we put our hope in you.

~

The Message Bible puts it this way:

We're depending on God;

he's everything we need.

What's more, our hearts brim with joy

since we've taken for our own his holy name.

Love us, God, with all you've got---

that's what we're depending on.

He is My Everything

I'm not one to really get 'down' so to speak. Even with life's struggles, God continually shows himself to me and blesses me in ways that I never could've scripted in my wildest dreams.

How would I have planned life if God had given me a blank book and asked me to write every dream, every desire that I have for myself or my family? Would I have been able to contain the words and pictures to a single volume? I think not.

And yet, God has to be looking at me sometimes and think, "My daughter, I have SO much more planned for you. And it's so much better than anything you could possibly think of." And He smiles. And He waits for my gaze to rest back on Him. And He takes my hand and we move forward once again.

To be honest, I'm in the middle of some struggles. I know God has a plan. I absolutely know it! And no matter the 'circumstances', I see God everywhere I look. In huge ways!

Being a Christian woman is the most interesting life possible. I have to say that I find JOY everyday. When life doesn't go according to my plan (which of course is always happy, pain free, conflict free, sickness free....you get the picture), I can honestly be filled with JOY.

And it isn't fake either. Most people in my life would have no idea that I struggle at times. But it isn't fake, it's because my eyes are set on Jesus and He's everything to me. He's so much more than Savior. He's my Peace, Joy & Righteousness here on earth! And I am so blessed! It's because of where I am focused and whom I am focused on.

Some people think Christians are fake and phony. That simply isn't true of a follower of Christ....one who is in relationship with Jesus and not just a part of 'religion'. It doesn't mean that my life is perfect or without struggles. But I have the perfect Father to see me through. Who allows me to find JOY amidst the difficult things of life. Who brings peace to the situation. It means I don't have all the answers....but I know who does.

I am not, but I know "I AM".....

Where are you looking today?

A song that's had a lot of Christian radio play is Matthew West's "You Are Everything," but it's more than a great song. It's really a great testimony. The words are:

I’m the one with two left feet
Standing on a lonely street I can’t even walk a straight line
And every time you look at me I’m spinning like an autumn leaf
Bound to hit bottom sometime
Where would I be without someone to save me
Someone who won’t let me fall

You are everything that I live for
Everything that I can’t believe is happening
You’re standing right in front of me
With arms wide open
All I know is
Every day is filled with hope
'Cause You are everything that I believe for
And I can’t help but breathe you in
Breathe again
Feeling all this life within
Every single beat of my heart

I’m the one with big mistakes
Big regrets and bigger breaks
Than I'd ever care to confess
Oh but, You’re the one who looks at me
And sees what I was meant to be
More than just a beautiful mess

Where would I be without someone to save me
Someone who won’t let me fall

You are everything that I live for
Everything that I can’t believe is happening
You’re standing right in front of me
With arms wide open
All I know is
Every day is filled with hope
'Cause You are everything that I believe for
And I can’t help but breathe you in
Breathe again
Feeling all this life within
Every single beat of my heart

You’re everything good in my life
Everything honest and true
And all of those stars hanging up in the sky
Could never shine brighter than You

You are everything that I live for
Everything that I can’t believe is happening
You’re standing right in front of me
With arms wide open
All I know is
Every day is filled with hope
'Cause You are everything that I believe for
And I can’t help but breathe you in
Breathe again
Feeling all this life within
Every single beat of my heart
You are
Oh You are
Jesus, You are
You are everything

You can listen to it on his myspace: http://www.myspace.com/matthewwest

Soccer

It's that time of the year again.......I time I absolutely love! We have cool nights and warm days........just perfect for soccer games. I must admit that next year at this time I will probably be a bit depressed. This is the beginning of my 'lasts' for me. It's Wes' last year of soccer. *sigh* He's a senior. *sigh* We still haven't taken senior photos. *sigh* I love that he's growing up.........and I hate it at the same time.

So I am just going to enjoy this soccer season to it's fullest! It hasn't been a stellar year for the team, but Wes has done well! So far only one other kid has scored this season, but Wes has done pretty well. His best game so far was last friday night (Dave's birthday too, so it was a great little present). He had 3 goals in the first 20 minutes (if you aren't a soccer fan.....gasp!!!, there are two 40 minute halves), then followed up with 2 later in the game. So out of 6 goals, he had 5 of them! Way to go WES! :)

I had the camera and got quite a few shots, but nothing really great...until my friend asked to take a couple photos of her son as goalie. "I don't care if he's just standing there, I'd just like a picture of him in the goal." I wandered down the field, the action came to that end, I snapped 4 photos and two absolutely captured the moment! Too bad I couldn't get great shots of my son. Oh well, we have lots of season left. :)