I Felt....

...so productive today!!!
I got three children bathed!!!!!!

(Did I hear gasp of surprise?)

I was really proud of myself...
And it was done at 4:00 p.m. while children were helping to cook the meat for supper, just after I had come home from several hours on the road running errands and taking Noelanie to speech therapy.  Before that we had a productive school day, watched a documentary, ate lunch - them, not me.  I was running to town for gas and I shamelessly used a few dollars of this pay check for a small Sonic Strawberry Limeade and a few chicken nuggets to eat while I was driving.  Through out the day I broke up several children who were fighting and tried to help other darlings with their various problems.  Before that I woke up at 2a.m., went down stairs for some milk, wrote a blog post, and took pain medicine for the root canals and the stubborn cold I’ve had. I stayed up for a while and then finally went back to bed to find my little son, Keshawn, had been searching for me in his sleep and was now lying upside down in our bed.  I fixed his position (head up) and finally fell asleep, Steve woke me up before he left for work and I told myself all the reasons that I needed to get out of bed and start the day well with my children. 
And now, it is time for bed again...
and I feel so proud that I got three children bathed. LOL

Interrupted

"I decided that my children were God’s best will for my life, I saw all of my life through this grid. So when I went through my day, in general, if an interruption came into my life, since my “grid” said, “My children are my decided and valued priority,” then I could say yes to my children and put the other non-essential things aside because it did not fit with my priorities.  The other tasks and goals in my life are secondary to the plans I have made to keep  the Lord, my children and my husband first.

The effect that this had was that once I had determined that they were God’s best will for my life, it was easy to make the choice to keep them in a place of priority. And when I knew and had decided that they were God’s will for my life–then I didn’t see them as often as interruptions but as gifts. I would see my moments with them as opportunities to love and to teach and to train, instead of seeing them as interruptions to what I wanted to do with my time and with my life. They were not interruptions–they were my priority, from God.”

From Sally Clarkson

Interrupted,

that’s where I’m at right now.  Interrupted by the LORD.  He is reminding me of some things.  I’m trying to slow down my “thoughts” and “look” around me more...look into their eyes and the other precious people that the LORD has given to me to walk this journey with.  

I have been praying that my words AND my thoughts would be pleasing to Him.  (Ps. 19:14)  How quickly I miss the mark and let rude words come out or began to realize that my thoughts are selfish and well, whiny.  

So, I will let the interruptions come and look at them, and ask the LORD to teach me in the moment.  I want to remember ...

to see ...

and to find the treasures that He has in each moment.

This last week, I had FOUR root canals, yep, 4.  Want to know the good in that?  There "just happened" to be a dr. that was in town from California interviewing with my normal dentist.  He just happened to be doing molar root canals as part of his interview.  He just happened to have ONE spot open which was offered to me at the last minute.  And he just happened to be doing the work for “insurance only” prices.  Know what the LORD blessed us with that day through these awesome people?  Just under two thousand dollars of work for free.  So, yet, I am up at 3 a.m. with my face hurting, I interrupt my self pity and remind myself of the LORD’s goodness to me.  We really could not afford that dentist bill.  But the LORD had a plan...

a good plan.  

My Pretty Little Blond

I remember when Caresse, Kalyn and I were at the art fair when a sweet, older man laughingly said, “She must be yours?”, pointing to Kalyn, and then pointed to Caresse and said “But she can’t be.”
I laughed back and teasingly told him that she was just following us around hoping that I would buy food for her.  
  

My side of the family has American Indian in them, which is obvious when you look at Kalyn.  Caresse definitely takes after Steve’s family who came from Holland only two generations ago.  
The fun part is how much Kalyn can be like her daddy, and how VERY much Caresse is like me in personality. 

Today I am taking Corbin to the ENT to find out what is going on with that thyroid cyst.  

Beautiful Day, Sweet Love

My favorites from this weekends pictures for my sweet friend Hannah and her fiancé, Ben.  
Aren’t they cute.  Of course, a beautiful Autumn Colorado day doesn’t hurt things any.
(Silly me, yes Rebecca, I took these pictures...)

Yarning Along

Two of my favorite things, knitting and reading!  I’m joining Yarn Along over at Small Things this week!
I am in love with the yarn I a using for these fingerless mitts for Kiana.  It is a Cascade 220 yarn.  I don’t remember the color, but you might be able to see from these pictures that it is ridiculously gorgeous - hints of blue and pink whispered  through out the purple.  The pattern is called Handsies.  I really like this pattern, and it has several different sizes so that I can make some for the other children.  I have never knit mittens before, but I am enjoying them.  They are quick and I feel like I have really accomplished something pretty.
I am being encouraged by a book called Found Faithful by Elizabeth R. Skoglund.  

Visit Small Things if you would like to see some other beautiful things!

Thyroid Cyst

My poor little Corbin Samuel has a thyroid cyst right under his chin.  I’m grateful that it doesn’t hurt him to much, but we need to see an ENT as soon as possible to look into it.

Not Even Chocolate...

After a hard weekend of cleaning mouse nests out of the garage, painting a garage wall,  and scrubbing water stains off of the outdoor windows, 

this is how you would find us this afternoon.

Some days, not even chocolate is enough to keep me going!