perfect

God did not make me perfect.
He did not make be movie star beautiful.
He made me with average brown hair that I routinely change the color of when I can.
He made me with eyes that change color depending on the mood I am in. Yes this is true. It's weird I'll admit it, but true.

He did not make me model skinny.
He did not make me with beautiful skin.
He made me with a body that I will always have to work at to stay fit.
He made me with still now ache prone skin.

He did not make me happy, happy, joy, joy.
He did not make me a neat freak.
He made me with depression. I am sure so that I could emphasize with others that walk that path.
He made me enjoy living in a comfortable disarray. I am positive so that I could be more relaxed.

I am not perfect. Not if worldviews eyes.
I am perfect to HIM.

I stumble, I fall, I sometimes lay down on the side of the road while HE has to drag me.
I praise, I am thankful, I am blessed.

There is many times in my life when I am so sad by what I am not. I am not gorgeous. I will never be the woman that strangers look at and say she is striking.
However now I realize that I want to be the woman that strangers look at and see a glow. A glow of happiness, A glow on contentment.

I desire to have HIS light shine through me.
Guiding others to HIM.
The way that I know to honor HIM.
HIS way, HIS truth, HIS life.

Not mine...HIS!

Adoption Update

I thought I would try to post once a month or so and let you all know what is happening on the adoption front.

So far not a lot. LOL

We just sent in the application and the fee a week ago today. We were waiting on some of the paperwork to come in before we sent it.
I decided that I had better phone our adoption agency and let them know that I had already handed out some of the reference forms and they might be getting them back before we had applied. They told me to just go ahead and sent in the application so that's what I did.

What we were waiting for is our marriage certificate. When we got married someone had spelled my husband's middle name wrong so we then had to apply to have it changed to what it legally is and then apply for the certificate again. A tad bit annoying. If only we had done this sooner. Oh well you live and learn.

Our physicals are booked. We have our criminal checks already done but they expire in October so we will have to get them redone. Our child checks will also have to be redone then as well. Lots of paperwork and lots of hurry up and wait and see.

Some days I am so excited and others it feels like we are never going to get everything organized. Oh well I guess one step at a time.

We were told that since we are planning to adopt from the special needs program in China that it would now be more than likely it would be a boy.
It feels weird as I still feel so strongly we were meant to have another girl but I am also very much at peace with whatever God gives us. That part for me is really no different than having a bio baby. I had no pick on what He chose to bless us with. This is all in HIS hands.

Mostly done!!

Yay for being a crazy month I feel really confident on the fact that I managed to achieve the goals that I set out for me.
I'm linking up today with Aurie. Hop over and join us. ;)

1. Step out of my box.
I really think this will have to be an ongoing goal. I have stepped farther. However I can really see the areas that I constantly need to work on.

2. Enjoy life.
I am making conscience choices to do just this. This past weekend I decided to drive a little over 2 hours one way just to spend a few hours with my parents and sister and brother in law. It was really important to make sure that Sarah gets memories with my family as well as Rob's. (something we need to continually work on). Then the next day another sister came to my house and we drove to go watch my cousin race chuckwagons. My family has been doing this for as long as I can remember and the last 20 years or so I have really fallen out of touch with that part. I love going to watch the races. Especially when I get to see my cousin race. His mom and sister were there as well so we were able to have a small visit with them also.
Sarah came along both days. I was thrilled to make sure that she was a part of something that I hold so dear.

This weekend we are off to a family get together for my Aunt and Uncle. Two sisters, their husbands, Rob, Sarah and I are going from my side of the family. I am looking forward to catching up and seeing everyone. Also making sure that Sarah knows them as well.

3. Our spare room.
It is done!! I have managed to also keep it clean and even go in there to exercise occasionally. *teeheehee*
It feels so good to finally have that completed.

Love Language

Every other Monday around here can be really crazy. Mainly because my handsome hubby is working 7 nights on 7 nights off and so every Tuesday we are either greeting him at the door or saying goodbye. :(
The Monday before we are greeting him is a swarm of activity around here. Running around, making sure laundry is caught up, floors are cleaned, etc. This is not to say we don't do these chores on other days but those Mondays we kick it up a notch.

This man sacrifices so much for us. He is often gone during birthdays, anniversaries, special events, etc. I believe the least I can do for him is have the house looking decent when he comes back home.

I like knowing that this home is inviting for him when he walks in.
This is one of the many ways that I speak my love language for him.

What about you? Is there something you like to do for your hubby? Some way you speak a love language to him??

I would love to hear about!!

Organizing and Cleaning

There are areas in my life that I NEED to have organized and clean.
This is not to say they are always that way, but when they are wow is my life simpler.
When I let these areas slide I am more stressed, sleep is disturbed, and I am more grumpy with my family.

These areas include:

1. Having dishes done daily, washed, and put away and then counters and sink cleaned and tidied up.

This makes such a big difference for me. I LOVE waking up, brewing my coffee in a nice tidy kitchen. So relaxing to start my day this way.

2. Making sure my coffee is ready for me to brew in the morning. 

Hubby has a tassimo and I have a keurig. I know, I know we are spoiled. Yes we are. *grin*
I make sure every night before I go to bed that these are both set up with our favorite coffee cups underneath, the right amount of sugar in each cup and our favorite brand of coffee waiting to be perked. I also make sure they are full of water.
This little bit every night helps so much when I stumble out bleary eyed in the morning. It then takes no thought process to quickly brew a cup of coffee.

3. My bed made everyday when I get up.

Alright I will admit it, this might not get made as soon as I get up, but when I get dressed I make it. There is nothing like climbing into a well made bed every night. This is also great as our bedroom is connected to our living room so I can have our bedroom door open without worrying about people wondering why I didn't make my bed that day.

4. Have a menu plan.

For me this is wonderful. I write down meals we enjoy, meals that I want to try and meals that are easy, comfort foods. Then I set them on the calendar depending what is happening that day. Now not every day do I make the meal on the specific day, but because I have the ingredients handy for the meals on the plan I know I can switch it up if need be. It helps by remembering to take the stuff out the night before if frozen and takes all the guess work out of what I am going to have for supper that night.

5. Keep my laundry caught up.

I am one of those weird ones that actually enjoy doing laundry. I love pretty much everything about it from washing it, hanging it out in the summer to dry and even folding it. I love knowing that I am making sure that our clothes are clean. I also love the smells from it, the feels from clean fabric. I often do laundry several times a week even if it is only one load.


I also have tricks that I use to help us keep on track.

1.  I make a weekly plan on things that I would optimally like to get down that week. 

Then as I do them I cross them off. I look at it every so often throughout the day to see what is on there. It really helps motivate me. I also look at it most every night to see if there is something else I want to add to the list.

2.  Then I make a daily list.

This is stuff that I need to get done that particular day. Such as mopping floors or calling about an appointment. By breaking the weeks list down this way it helps by not seeming such a large task.

3. My calendar.

This is often my best friend. I have two that I refer to regularly. I have the one in my phone which helps me keep track of appointments when I am out and about making them. I also have a large family one that I keep on the fridge. This is really great especially during the school months when our lives get really hectic. I make sure that I write down as soon as something comes up or guaranteed I will forget.

4. Write a grocery list in my phone.

When I buy my big grocery shop I make sure I always have a list made out of what items we need/want. However often throughout the weeks there is always something we either run out of or need for something or other so I have a grocery list in my phone. If I write it down then I usually remember to grab it. Then I will check after my day of running around to see if I managed to grab what I need and clear it off of the page.

5. Planners

OK I am obviously I list person. I like to have a planner made up for Sarah's schooling. I am usually really good about following it and adjusting it as needed but I have yet to find one that works for my daily like. I am a paper person so have just been using a pad of paper on a clipboard but I would really like to get a good one for my phone which would also work on my iPad.
I just downloaded one called Planner Plus. Unfortunately I can only get this on my iPad and not on my phone. So far I don't mind it, but I am curious if it is really going to work for me.

What about you? Do you have a planner that you can recommend?

Also what tricks do you use to help keep your life running as smooth as possible?

Is there some things that you have to do to help with your stress??

I am linking up today with Many Little Blessings.

Just a quick update

Wow to sure where the past two weeks of gone but here I am again.

Things were busy as I was gone for 5 days on a girl weekend. Fabulous time was had and we are hoping to do it once every year. 

I did manage to get some stuff done though on my list so I'm really happy. In fact I got organizing done that wasn't on the list. So score one for me. Lol

1. Step out of my box. 

Well this is probably the one thing I need to work on the most. I'm really struggling so if you think about me please take a moment and pray. 

2. Enjoy life. 

Well I sure enjoyed my trip. Lol. However I've really noticed that I need to make a concentrated effort to spend more quality time with my kids. I also am working hard to make memories with them. This weekend we are off to visit my parents on Saturday and then off to see the chuck wagon races on Sunday. 

3. Our spare room. 

Well this was a biggie for me. Do you remember what it looked like? Scary. 

Well drum roll..........

It's done. I took a couple days and tackled it. I managed to move things around, sort, put things together that needed to be together, emptied out other areas in the house and put it away. I also managed to move two of our pantries into the room. Now each thing has is designated area. 

The two pantries I moved in. 

The organized desk area. Please ignore the dust. I haven't had a chance to dust this week yet. 

I have room to walk around. Floor is neat!!

I also have another cabinet that I use for craft supplies in this room but I was uncle to get a good picture of it. 

The dresser is used to store all my fabric! Oh man I love that it is organized and in one area. 

And YES I do have my elliptical in the middle of the room. Small house not many place to store it. Lol. Although I do like going in there now to exercise now that the room is clean. 

And one more pic of my cupboard in our dining room that was full of fabric. 

I love that I managed to find room in other places now.

Plus since I've been home I went through all my clothes and cleaned out 2 black garbage bags full of stuff to donate. Plus so far also 7 pairs of shoes. It feels awesome. Less clutter!!!

So that's my last two weeks, how have yours been?
I am linking up today with Aurie. Come over and check out what everyone has been up to. Or better yet join up with your own 3 in 30. 

I'm back in!

I realized towards the end of last month that I REALLY needed to get back focused. This spring things got really chaotic and I just went into survival mode.

However now things are evened out and I want to start being purposeful again. 

So here are my 3 in 30 for the month of July. 

1. Step out of my box. 

For me this will probably be the hardest. I let fear overtake me, that loss of control so I climb back into the box thinking I'm safer. 

I want to let God use me. I need to let God use me. 

I know if I write it here I will have to show how I did it. I will have to have that accountability so therefore I will be forced out of my box. :)

2. Enjoy life. 

I need to make sure that I'm in the here and now. I tend to daydream or worry or think ahead to much when I need to be focused on those around me. I want to make sure that as Sarah gets older she knows how much she is loved not only by her Father and myself but also by God. By letting her hide out in her room because it's easier for me so I can daydream myself, I want to make sure that we talk, we do things together. We grow together. 

3. Our spare room. 

Ok this one is a biggie. You all know that Rob and I are wanting to add to our family through adoption. What you may or may not know is that we are starting all the process of adopting through the special needs program in China. 

Several months ago I had cleaned out our spare bedroom thinking we were going to need it right away with the foster to adopt program and then I believe God had other ideas. 

So all the stuff that was in the spare too got shafted to other places. 

Well now we know we don't the need that too for a bit and we are honestly sick of the clutter. ( it got turned into a dump room). So we've decided to for now make it a craft/sewing/pantry room. 

I'm bravely putting pictures up so I can have real accountability otherwise how are you ever going to know if I do it, unless I show you. 

Ok that's what the room looks like now. Gross hey. 

All of our scrap booking/craft supplies got sent out to the school area. Not a good set up. 

Some of my main sewing supplies are in our dining room cupboards. Would LOVE to have this space back again. :)

I'm not even showing you the boxes we put outside in our storage area. 

My main goal is to make sure I have proper organization of all the stuff. 

Each genre of stuff will be organized and set up properly. 

Now in saying all this I'm leaving next week for a girls weekend in Seattle so I know I might not get a ton done next week, however I need to make this a goal otherwise I might never do it. Lol

I am joining up today with Aurie. Hop on over and encourage others as they work on their goals. Or even hop in and set some of your own! :)