I Didn't Give Up

At times, during a long day like today, it is very tempting to just want to give up all disciplines and just do whatever.

It started off with taking Luke to Piano...he's doing very well, by the way, for beginning just 6 months ago. Thanks to MBTA and footing the bill. It's soo wonderful! I wait in the car for a whole 40 minutes while Luke is in his lesson. All the while, the big scary dog that lives next to Luke's teacher barks at us like he wants to eat us...nevertheless it is awesome entertainment for a 14 month old (A.J.) He loves the scary thing and now knows how to say dog. So I guess Fridays during that 40 minutes that we wait in the car for Luke is designated for A.J's turn in homeschooling and learning how to say dog and what a dog sounds like. He's got the bark down. You should hear him, it's so dang cute!
What was next on my mind? Salvation Army...my favorite department store. Something about it. It's like digging for treasure, literally. I seriously have to walk around the store several times really slow to make sure I don't miss a thing. At times I'll be walking around to discover that someone scored something that I really like and I can kick myself for not looking better. So seriously, it's like a treasure hunt and a competition to see if I can spock some cool stuff at a really cool price before anyone else gets it. Is that retarded or waht?! That's where we went next and I scored once again.....let me see, what did I get: Oneil rashgaurd and a yellow GAP rain jacket/windbreaker for AJ (at a $1 ea.) , 3 really groovy looking drinking glasses-vintage style- of course, small white milk pitcher, really cute small vase- small enough to sport one gardenia, a mirror for the wall for $5. that I plan to paint a vintage color, banana yellow saucers that are already hanging on my kitchen wall-.50 cents ea! khaki green shorts for Victoria, two pillows that I plan to recover, a vintage bedsheet and a Wheel of Fortune board game for Luke. Yes, I pretty much went on a little shopping spree....so terrible. But the great thing about it, is that I left happy and got away with everything for pretty much pennies...gotta love it!!

Next, AJ's hemoglobin blood test then back home to eat lunch, hurrying the kids out the door to go back to town to do TB test's for the "school" kids- Olivia was crying ALL the way to the Dr's because she was terrified of getting the TB test and to her surprise it wasn't even bad at all...I even had to pry her out of the car...., unexpected visit to the park, pit stop at the library for Olivia who has been waiting for a long time to get her library card and all the other kids had to get a replacemet. I underestimated the time that we would spend at the library and by the end of it all.....EVERYONE including me was cranky.

Here I am several hours later...almost midnight and remembering how I regretted fitting all that I did into this one little day...why am I writing a post soo long? Because I enjoy writing and I almost forgot how much I love keeping up my blog and moments like these when I'm by myself doing something that I like to do makes it all worth it after a very looong day..... and I didn't even Give up......even though I felt like it. Did I mention that I love all the little companions that I get to spend my very long days with all six of them. They're awesome!

Good Nite for now.

Stillness

I love the stillness of the morning. I love the morning song of birds. Everything sounds so calm out there. And in here everyone is sound asleep, so quiet.....I love this time of day. My soul is a rest.

Sweet Jesus, may you keep my soul at rest even amongst the busyness of my day. I will find rest in trusting You, in knowing that You love me......Your peace , I love.

Appreciate

appreciate according to yourdictionary.com: to think well of; understand and enjoy; esteem to recognize and be grateful for; be thankful for to estimate the quality or worth of, esp. favorably to be fully or sensitively aware of; notice with discrimination ☆ to raise the price or value of

A word I need to remember lately.

Waking up early in the morning to the quiet song of birds or the croaking coqui frogs, everything calm and nothing to tend to, the dark still skies.....these kind of moments are easy to ponder upon what I most appreciate.

Hustle and bustle, scurrying around, doing this and that, tending to the cries of a baby or the constant requests of a toddler, petty arguments between children.....these are moments that more often I forget to appreciate.

This morning I am reminded that there are many things in my life to appreciate.

I appreciate.......
the relationships that my children have with one another
the help that I get from Cody, Luke and Seth
that my husband likes to and knows how to cook (sometimes better than me now!)
that baby Ash makes me melt everytime I hold him
that my children have a yard to play in
that my children are healthy
that I am healthy
that I am able to stay home with my children and that Ash can stay home more too!
the frienships that I have
the encouragement that I recieve from my friends and family

....and most of all I appreciate that God has entrusted me to be a mother and a wife to seven beautiful people, my family!

There is soo much to appreciate, it makes me appreciate even the moments that are not so easily appreciated....

Chickens and Kids

Kids as in children not goats. We would love to get a goat, that is the children and I, but daddy says, "No way, chickens are enough!"

Thanks to Cody's innovative ways, we now have a lovely little chicken coop in our back yard with 5 lovely chickens that we have adopted from our dear friends, Jaime and Eva. They are the ones who started all this, well, Cody has been talking about it for a very looong time now, but if it weren't for Jaime and ordering all those cute little chicks, well...we wouldn't have some of them in our backyard right now. If I'm not mistaken, we have 2 rhode island reds, 1 buff orpington, a black star?? and hmm? I forget the other one?? As you can see, I am still learning. It's great though to observe the curiosity of my son and taking a liking to these amazing birds. He has learned soo much and it kinda just rubs off on ya. The hens will give eggs in about 5- 6 months. Isn't that great! Just think we will have fresh free range eggs very soon.

So, I guess chickens are enough for us ...for now that is. Maybe in a year or two we can convince daddy to let us have a goat ...or two. You know, for milk and cheese and I guess a whole lotta those, smelly breezes. So....our chickens and kids...are doing just fine these days. Just as long as they are fed!

Soon, I will post some of our latest pictures of our 'little farm' in Papaikou.

Oh, and one last thing....Well you know, we had a beautiful full moon shining high in the sky last night and when we got home from dinner at The Ganoza's, Ash and Cody had a clever idea to go hunting in the field behind us despite the fact that it was nearing midnight....the pigs have been leaving their tracks behind for quite some time now. Well, they decided to go hunt some down and they came back in the middle of their hunt with so much excitement because they ran into a few LARGE pigs. Ash shot at one with his bow , but it got away without being able to track it down....so now, the boys are following daddy's instructions to go find it this morning before it rots. Let's see what they come up with...they're still not back yet.

Lovely Wednesday to you all!!

Book Review Credit

I would like to credit my previous post to the actual Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God Blog. Hope you all have a beautiful day!

Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God: A Book Review

Here is a book worthy of your time! I have been eyeing out this book for a long time and just as Marci in her review shares her reasons for not reading many books on being a wife, I share the same reasons, but this book is an exception. I have not yet read it myself, but I have been following their reviews and the blogs of the authors for quite some time now. I am in that place now in my life where I think it's time I ought to just go ahead and buy the book as a reminder of what it is to fulfill God's calling in our lives as mother's, as wives.

Marci's Review

For the most part I don’t read many books on being a wife. They tend to make me plummet into an abyss of perfectionism and in turn make my marriage worse. That said, I loved Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. It is a book that unashamedly challenges the standard cultural perceptions of homemaking, encourages and gives hope in the role of homemaker, and it examines the roles of wife and mother in the light of God’s perfect plan. The authors start off by dispelling common cultural myths about what a housewife is: a mindless maid for a tyrannical husband, the “desperate” housewife living a double life, or more commonly a woman who feels obligated to do her duty at home while leaving her dreams at the door. Though these myths may be founded on some reality, the author’s seek to, “lay aside the stereotypes and glamorized myths and discover the rare jewel of godly womanhood—to rediscover what it means to be a passionate housewife ‘desperate’ for God alone!” They challenged many presumptions I have as a wife and mother; the need for “me time”, my personal needs vs. serving others, the advice of self-help gurus, and the subtle messages that we ingest through living in a self-centered society. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God.” This challenge really helped me to look at the things that were influencing me and ultimately stealing the joy I have for my position as a wife and mother.

More than anything I loved the encouragement and perspective this book provided on the unique and special role of homemaker. I think the thing that makes me most unsatisfied as a wife is the feeling that my job is futile and never ending. Laundry is always dirty no matter how much I wash, the work seems never ending and that I must be wasting my God-given talents by “slaving away” in my home.

I gained new perspective on the work of home making through these words by Martin Luther, “What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did them up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God...”
The authors also point out that homemaking is one of the only jobs where the worker will see the direct results of their work, will experience immediate benefits from, and that the worker at home is truly their own manager. The combination of these two insights has changed how I feel about working in my home and for my family. I now see that what I do every day does have eternal importance, if done with a heart of service to the Lord, and that I have so much more freedom working in my home than I would working as an employee to someone else. Lastly, I loved how the author’s unfolded the role of wife and mother in light of the plan God has put in his Word. Though God’s plan is a far cry from the realities of homemaking in our society and even in my life, it encouraged me to change my perceptions, my selfishness and to stop being influenced by the shallow role that the world has made being a wife and mother into.

It encouraged me to find greater satisfaction and passion in life through the only one that can provide true and lasting satisfaction, “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I shall give to him will never thirst. But the water I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14).

Really, I have been dealing with these own issues in my life for too long now. Normally, I am focused and know exactly what my purpose is and what my vision is as a wife and as a mother..... but lately my mindset has been quite the opposite. I have been holding on to a "ME" kind of attitude. And this kind of attitude has only left me with discontentment and ungratefulness for the blessings that immediately surround me daily. I have not been able to see clearly the blessings that God has intended my family, my children, my husband to be to me. And really, when I am not walking in God's will for my life and walking in my own ways or allowing the ways of this world to influence me I am quick to end up in the danger zone. I have been experiencing the repercussions on relying on those influences and feelings. Not a good thing at all.... Why am I sharing this? Because I know that we as women, housewives, mother's, have a unique calling, a precious calling and oh how challenging it is at times, but let me promise you that God's Word is the final authority above all and only He can fill what we are missing or what we need and when we we rely on Him and only Him than the purpose that we have for our life would be carried out with passion, not allowing our joy to be stolen. Let us rejoice in the joyful life God has so promised us!

My sweet Jesus, I am so sorry for allowing my self to be influenced by the ways of this world. I am sorry for always seeking after my wants, my desires, and not considering your truth to be my sole reason for living. Oh how easy it is to get lost. It says in your word,
A person who strays away from home is like a bird that strays away from it's nest.

Proverbs 27:8

How does a baby bird, aside from the safety of his nest, feed himself? Lord , You are good and I just want to praise you for your faithfulness in my life and never allowing me to get too far from my nest without rescuing me. I love you!

Love

Why do I do the things I do for my children? Well, because I love them. Love goes around...if you give it, you will receive it. I am overwhelmed with the love my children show me through the many things they do for me. Cody, always lending a helping hand in many ways; Luke is quite the big brother to little "A"..always pitching in when I'm busy or even need a break; Seth, always drawing me such sweet pictures; Olivia, finding new ways to make things pretty for me; and little miss Tori never fails to give me a big smile; A.J, just being his cute self...that is love.

Last week in our devotion time this is what we read:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1John 4:7-11
Thank you Jesus for your LOVE!

Service

It has been awhile.....I'll make a long story short...service is a good thing, a real good thing and He is so faithful.

For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45

On another note our friends have this sticker plastered all over their automobiles (scooter, truck) :

He>I

I couldn't figure out what it meant, well, it's simple, He (Jesus) is greater than I.

Wow! How profound, I've come to love this sticker. So simple, but oh so true!