The Snow Days of Winter

Much like the dog days of summer, they are the long, winter days where the weather is unbearable enough to keep you indoors for much of the day.  Did I mention winter hasn't even officially began?  We are on snow day #5 here and the kids are starting to get restless.  However, we have had quite a lot of fun sledding until our clothes were soaked through, making snow ice cream, having snowball fights and riding the four wheeler.  We have also baked brownies, cupcakes and fudge and make pumpkin cheesecake and frozen peanut butter pie!  The seams of my pants are begging me to stop!  I was able to snap some great photos of my kids in a rare, deep, Arkansas snow.  This is the deepest snow we have had since either of them was born.  About 8 inches!

I'm tossing around the idea of opening my own studio after the first of the year.  I have always loved photography and can remember torturing my brother who is 9 years younger than me by setting up make shift backdrops and taking picture of him with my Minnie Mouse 35mm camera! I have a lot to learn still and some equipment to buy.  Anyway, that's another post.

Today is just over a month of my being a stay-at-home mom and I can't believe how fast time is going.  I had this delusion that I would have an infinite amount of time on my hands after quitting my full time job to complete the hundreds of pinned Pinterest projects I have on my boards; complete the small, unfinished projects around the house and grow my blog into such an internet sensation (not the Miley Cyrus type internet sensation; I'm not that desperate for publicity) that people wouldn't be able to function without reading my next post. Guess how many Pinterest projects I have done.


http://www.sodahead.com/



That's right folks, ZERO! As for my blog, it goes neglected most times even though I love it so! I catch myself longing to write a post while I'm loading the dishwasher or making my grocery list.  And for the blogs I love to read, well I think about them too and how I would love to leave my two cents worth of comments because I know how much I love when people leave their two cents on my blog!  Oh well, enough whining already.  I mean, I can't complain about more quality time with my children, the ability to have dinner ready when my sugar daddy waltzes through the door after a long day's work and the comfort in knowing that my future has a lot of options.  So, I will continue to work on time management and hang onto the hope that Skip the Sugar will become an internet sensation!!  Well, I'm off to pin more projects...

Midweek Recharge

Last night was midweek service at church.  Babes worked until after 11pm Tues night and was exhausted and after a long day at work I wasn't particularly feeling it either, but we had committed to greeting so we went.  And how glad I am that we went!  Isn't it amazing that we will sacrifice major blessing in our lives for any old excuse?  It was "first Wednesday" last night so all four us of went into the service as a family and the preacher taught on Miracles.  I am a note taker so of course I was jotting as fast as I could jot.  I looked over and Brother Bear was doing the same thing!  He was copying my notes onto his paper.  He sat there and soaked in the entire service.  At the end there was a normal tithe taken and then any loose change or bills went to our Mercy Mall.  Brother had found a penny earlier and had it in his pocket and he could not wait for that bucket to come by so he could give the only money he had on him to this great cause.  I mean he was on the edge of his seat making sure that bucket didn't pass him up!  I can't tell you how swelled with pride I was but at the same time I realized, he's watching me.  He's hungry and I'm so glad we are in a church that feeds his young faith but me and Babes need to continue to feed it at home.  I thought, wow, that's the kind of faith I want.  The kind where I'm not afraid to put my last penny in that white bucket as it passes by me!  Of course I need to brag on SisterLu too.  She's not one to sit still, but she was quiet as a mouse during the entire service and only waived at the preacher one time! 

So, I already said the lesson was on miracles and how to see God's miracles in your life.  The pastor asked this question: "What is your disability?  What keeps me from getting well?"  The verses we studied were John 5:1-10 where Jesus tells the invalid to "GET UP!"  Why am I not getting up and doing what God is leading me to do?  I want to experience the miracles that Jesus has in store for me and I know the areas of my life that keep me from doing that.  I know I feed those areas with the same excuses that almost prevented me from receiving the blessing that this Wednesday night service was.  Here is what I will be working on:

1.  Patience with my children - God chose me to be Brother Bear and SisterLu's mother and I can't think of anything else I would rather do, but I have got to learn how to parent the way my Father parent's me.
2.  Self control - particularly in the area of eating.  This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is to me.  I eat for fun, not for life which is okay sometimes, but not all the time.  Just because I WANT a BigMac vs the ham sandwich I brought doesn't mean I should run out and get it.
3.  Priorities - I can pray all day about a deeper relationship with God, but it's just not going to happen unless I prioritize a quiet time with Him.  Reading a few verses before I go to sleep isn't cutting it.  He's right there waiting for me to make the first move.   

There are other areas, but I'm going to stop at three because I think these three will result in major growth for me.  Next Wednesday starts the adult classes in conjunction with the children's classes and I am so excited and expectant to apply those lessons to my life.