So I did it!!

I did the change!!
I am now over at my new blog.
I plan to take things a little differently.

I really hope you all will hop over and join me there.

I have sure enjoyed having each and everyone of you here.
From the very depth of my heart...THANK YOU!!!

Changes

So I've been thinking a lot about this little blog here of mine and wondering what I'm doing?
Why do I have it?
What do I want to write about?
Do I even want to continue?

As you all know I haven't been around in here much in the past year or so.
Part if that was strictly being busy.
Dance, summer, holidays, looking for a house, finding a house, buying a house, moving, etc.
However a good chunk is I just stayed away.
I often wondered if I would continue to write and then another blog post would pop into my head.
Always another blog post.
In fact I have a few in drafts and a few just on paper.
However I still wasn't satisfied with actually pressing publish.
So I just stayed away.

However now I've decided to comeback.
I am hoping to be back and at it fully by the end of the summer.
We've got lots of changes coming.
Lots has been happening which I will write about, but mostly I will be sharing my heart on something that The Lord has been pressing on me for quite a while now.

So if any of you are still following me AWESOME!!!!
I can't wait to see you all again soon.
Get ready for some big changes!!!!


I'm coming back!!!!!!!

Contentment

I've been struggling lately to find peace.
Partly because I feel unsettled with some changes we are making.
Partly because some changes are happening that are not in my control.
Partly because last week I struggled hard to do my bible studies.
This week is somewhat better.
I am however still struggling with letting go.
Letting Him in fully.
Fighting for that control I know I really shouldn't have in the first place.

Than I stumbled across this old post I had wrote but never published and I thought how apt it is for what I need right now.
It's about how I find contentment in the middle of chaos.



Sometimes contentment can be a struggle.

Especially when you are looking for it in the wrong places.

Contentment for me means spending time with HIM!!
It means spending time with my handsome hubby and wonderful children.
Family, friends, pets, peace.

One thing I really noticed is the more I grew closer to the Lord, the more happier, contented and at peace I grew. Funny how those things go hand in hand. lol

Today I thought I would show you some of the places where I can find peace.

This kitty that loves to cuddle ALL THE TIME!! Wherever I am in the house she always wants to climb into my lap for a snuggle even when I am working.

My crazy sisters.

I have two more that aren't in this pic as they weren't there for the weekend. But love having the family time.

This sign that said above crazy sister gave us for house warming gift.

Pretty much sums us up. LOL

My girlie and her puppy.

Heading to the vet for the first time. There is a post soon to be up regarding that. 

This incredibly handsome man that I was fortunate enough to snag off of the market when we were virtually babies.

Here he is helping me add some color to our house. Also a post on that coming soon.

The ability to laugh at myself. To be myself and to love myself.

Love my elmo onsie that my handsome hubby gave me for Christmas.

How do you find contentment?
Do you ever struggle with this? Please tell me I am not the only one. :)
When you find yourself struggling do you know why??

Becoming a Mom

With Mother's Day this past Sunday I have been doing a lot of thinking not only on my own Mom but also on being a Mom.
23 years ago I celebrated Mother's Day for the first time. My handsome hubby and I had given birth to a beautiful baby boy 7 months before that and I was thrilled (although extremely exhausted and slightly stressed) to be his momma.

You see, I didn't become a mommy the way I thought I was going to. It didn't quite happen as planned. I met Rob (aka my handsome hubby) in March of 1990. We hit it off pretty much immediately and soon became inseparable. Two months later he moved 6+ hours away for work. We stayed in touch via phone calls (no cell phones WAY back then. LOL). We continued to grow closer and about 6 weeks later he proposed. I accepted. :) 6 weeks later I moved in with him.
Yep not quite what I had thought I would do growing up. I had assumed that I would remain 'pure' until after marriage. You know first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Sherri pushing a baby carriage. ha
Well it did kind of work that way but in a MUCH faster version.
In January I became pregnant with our son and our wedding plans sped WAY up. We were married May of 1991.
Our boy arrived in October of that same year.
That first year was crazy. Then I became pregnant with son #2 and crazy got amped up.
Five years later our beautiful daughter was born and I was a Mom to three busy young ones.

Now fast forward many many years. Our oldest is 22, our second is 20 and our baby just turned 16.
We have gone through so many seasons in life.

This past week it was said to me that it I basically thought it was a mistake that I became a Mom the way I did. You know since he was conceived out of marriage. Oh and I was 19. I actually was shocked. I never once ever did I think it was a mistake.
Unplanned...YES
Hard...YES
Exhausting...YES
Challenging...YES
Mistake...NO!!!!

Now I will quickly put this out there. I do not recommend this way of doing things to anyone. And in fact praying that my children will take a different path than we did.
However I love our 3 crazy, challenging, beautiful, talented, frustrating, complex children VERY VERY much.

I am also so thankful and grateful for a God that forgives.
That forgave me for sinning this way.
That has given me forgiveness.
That has shown me grace.
That has loved on me, my handsome hubby and our 3 kiddos so much.
That has been there when things were so rough I didn't know how I was going to put one foot in front of the other.
That has been there when my boys graduated high school.
That has been there through sickness, through dis pare, through joy, through tears, through toddler years, through teenage years.
Who has never left my side.
Who has helped my and my handsome hubby be the parents we are.

I am weak.
HE IS STRONG.

So although I would never in my wildest dream thought I would become a parent this way I am just so thankful that I am blessed with these kiddos who call me Mom!!
(At least when they want something. LOL)

Reflecting on the most world changing 3 days ever

I've been doing this bible study called The Story of Easter.

Yesterday I was asked to meditate on what 'broken and poured out' looks like. 

They used the communion... His body broken for us and His blood poured out for us. 

So what does it look like/mean for us to be this way???

As I was thinking about it I was wondering what does that look like? How can I be this way so that I may give glory to Him? 

I even posted it on my Facebook page asking for some input in what it looked like. 

My friend/fellow blogger Carla tweeted me this "the word 'surrendered' comes to mind".
Man I love that lady!!! 

I love that look on it. 

Then I started thinking about my take on it during my prayer. 

This is one line in my prayer last night...

"Lord help me, show me, use me, mould me, strengthen me, break me. All for You Lord"

As I reflected more on that I realized I need to be broken.

I need to be humbled. 

I need to let go and give it ALL up. 

ALL my control. 

ALL my weakness. 

EVERYTHING!! 

In order to give Him ANYTHING. 

I'm nothing if I still try to hold on to control. 

I need to let go of ALL things in order for Him to be EVERYTHING!! 

As Carla worded it I need to be surrendered. 

So today as I reflect on just exactly all that Jesus gave up for me I realize just exactly what I NEED to give up for Him. After all He gave me His Life!!!!!!!

Wacky Wednesday.

I thought it would be kinda fun to show you that non-perfect pictures that I take.
You know the ones.
The ones where the faces are weird. The people are positioned differently. Maybe slightly out of focus. LOL
The ones that you don't delete simply because they are worth a good chuckle every time you see them.

So here are some of mine.
These all happen to be from this past Christmas.

Yes??? Love my Christmas Elmo onsie. :)

Really you are taking a picture of me while I am getting the turkey ready? Seriously??

 So for the next few pics you are going to see a handsome young man in the corner that kind of stole the spotlight from my hubby opening his Christmas present.

And of course my beautiful daughter had to get her fingers in the shot as well. LOL

Here he is again. 

And again. lol kind of a picture hog. hahahaha

Look at me rockin it out. hahaha

Oh yea I am all that and a bag of potato chips. hahahaha Oh my maybe I should have deleted these. :)

Like mother like daughter. hahaha

Arghhhhhhhh!!

My turn for some photo bombing. lol

This is just so attractive in so many ways. lol

There is no words for this... hahaha

Ok maybe we are a teeny bit nutso. lol
Stay tuned for next week for some more wacky wednesday pics.

Playing catch up

Do you ever feel like you don't have it all together?
Or do you ever feel like your running a race and are in not only last place; but the starting gate still?

No???
It's just me??

So sad...

However in the off chance it's not just me I thought I would write a humorous look at how I can get caught up and 'forget' about being on that treadmill.

1. I love to read.
If I let myself I can read a book a day. If...I...let...myself. I say it like that because it's really easy for me to get engrossed in a book and 'forget' that real life is happening around me. That is until either I suddenly realize it's really quiet or else (which is more often the case) I'm needed.

2. I love to sleep.
I remember with great longing those days when I could sleep and sleep and sleep and sleep and... You get the idea. I spend now a good chunk of my morning in a daze filled with coffee and yawns as I manage struggle to function. Somehow I have to make sure Sarah does her chores, walks and feeds her dog and gets started on school work. Somehow...

3. I love to be outside working in the yard.
I WAY to often especially in the spring/summer/fall months love to be outside working. I love creating a spot of  'tranquilness' in which all I have to do is look at it and smile. Unfortunately all to often all this working out there can have it's toll. If I am fortunate unfortunate enough there is too much sun and I get sunburned. Or more often than not I am needed as I yell just 10 minutes longer and come get me. Then usually we are running somewhere me with a ball cap on and dirty stained clothes because I have no time left to change and we had to be there already.

4. I love to sew/craft.
I can spend hours and hours holed away in my new 'Mom cave'. I love it so much in there. However one thing I did do was put a clock in there because see all the above, I tend to get caught up in what I am doing and forget about the time. Then all the sudden it is 5 o'clock and I haven't started supper. (Planning meals usually helps....If I remember to plan them.hahahaha)

5. I very much dislike doing housework.
 Although strangely enough I LOVE having a clean house and try to make sure every night before I go to bed my kitchen is always tidy and coffee is set up for the morning. That though could have more to do with my morning state of mind than anything. hahahaha
 Now as you can tell I love to squirrel away and do other stuff until I am needed. Then as I step back into reality I realize my house has been hit by a tornado!!! Or a kid, dog, cat, life. lol Then either I walk back into my alternate universe and try hard to ignore what is happening out of my fantasy life or I have to spend hours in reality trying to make it so it doesn't look like we belong on a TV show.

6. I am a home body.
I am not fond at all of running errands or driving ms Sarah to all her activities.(read dance, dance, dance, youth, youth, and occasionally a play practice. ) (although since we moved those are few and far between)
That is probably why I tend to ignore the fact we have to leave and try to do just one more thing.
Although I did find it helps if I bring along a crafty thing for me to do while I am there. (embroider, crochet, read)

I realize that this is kind of a crazy humorous look at my life. But in reality I always feel like I am running behind. I always feel like I don't have it together and I always feel like I am failing in some way.
I have to have several calendars and write things down all the time. When I am organized and meal plan and check my calendars life is much easier. However when I get lazy and don't keep up that's when I feel like I am crazy.
The other HUGE key for me is to ALWAYS spend time EVERY day with HIM!!! I like to get up in the morning and spend time with Him, focusing on Jesus and loving on Him.

The other factor that I love is how He provided me with an amazing hubby who is there when I am acting a little insane. He keeps me grounded and reroutes me back to what really matters. Jesus, and my family.

I am linking up today with Kris today for List it Tuesday.
Hop over and share some love.
Also if this is your first visit to my site, I'm honored. I hope you enjoyed your stay and I would love to visit with you more often, so please come back again.