Rest

Rest has taken on new meaning in my life.  Rest doesn't always have to be sleeping, or relaxing, or doing nothing.  Rest can simply mean taking a break from something.  Taking a break from one thing doesn't mean taking a break from everything.  Even taking a break from ONE thing can be rest.

God has made it clear that I need to rest.

The first time I heard God told me to rest was during a gallbladder attack.  My second attack.  After some research, I did a gallbladder cleanse and I'm feeling pretty good.  No surgery needed.

But, I still needed rest.

Shortly after I was diagnosed with gall stones, I attended a small event with women from my chapel.  One of the women gave a short devotion on resting, literally resting, in Jesus.  She was one of those who was always going and going and going as she served the Lord.  She found it difficult to just rest when health problems struck her.  But that's where she grew and God used that to teach her that being a Christian isn't always about serving Him, but it's taking time to rest in Him and listen to Him and just soak in His Word.

I am one of those who keeps going and going and going when I'm serving outside the home.  As I did this, my home was being neglected.  When I was home, I was stressed trying to balance homeschooling, keeping house, and serving in outside activities.  I needed to rest.

However, I was very involved in planning the Valentine banquet for our chapel.  Sometimes I'm in chrage but this year I just had to plan the entertainment.  That seems to be my specialty.  As the day grew closer, I was starting to lose it.  I could feel a cold coming on.  I couldn't think straight.  My energy levels were extremely low during the day.  Homeschooling suffered as did the house.  I was a complete mess.  I kept telling God, just get me through the banquet then I will rest.  Then I will take a break.

God wanted me to rest sooner.

The night I was to have everyone involved in the entertainment get together to practice, I became extremely dizzy.  Now, I'm no newby when it comes to dizziness.  I often got dizzy when I was younger.  I could stand up, feel the dizziness come one, even go black, but still walk straight.  That's how used to it I was.  I've come close to passing out many times and actually fainted twice.  Dizziness is almost just a regular part of life.  But this.  This knocked me down so hard I couldn't even move my head.  One little turn and the room was upside down.  I couldn't possibly direct the practice and the banquet was 2 days away.  I handed over my directions to a friend and went home.  Don't worry, I didn't drive.  Some friends drove me home.

That was a Wednesday.  On Thursday, I surrendered.  God really wanted me to take a break.  I was losing my grip on everything and I just couldn't keep that many balls up in the air any more.  So, I rested.  I didn't bother to do anything that wasn't required of me.  I didn't even dare to think about the banquet or anything that was going on in my life later.  I just took that day and rested.

Friday, I did the same.  But, not completely.  Afterall, the banquet was that night.  I rested all morning, not allowing myself to worry about the upcoming event.  Then in the afternoon, I slowly prepared.  I even prepared a possible back-up plan if I felt I couldn't be there.

Thankfully, I made it to the banquet but I refused to stress about it.  Well, I tried not to stress.  The evening didn't go quite as planned and there were things that really bothered me, but I couldn't let it take over.  Whatever happened, happened.  The most important thing, however, was that everyone enjoyed themselves and God was glorified.

Finally, the banquet was over.  I could finally take a break and rest.

Then, it hit me.  That means I have to say no to singing for Easter.  How could I do that?  I was very excited about the song we would be singing.  I also asked my daughter if she would like to sing something with me.  I started looking for songs we could do together.  But, as the days went by, I realized I couldn't this time.  I honestly and truly needed to just take a break from all outside activities that required extra effort and time on my part.  So, as difficult as it was, I had to say no.

Between the Valentine banquet and preparing for our VBS, I have about a month and a half to rest.  I'm very excited about this.  I can focus on homeschooling and keeping house and just resting in the Lord's presence.  I can take my time doing things instead of rushing through because I have to be somewhere.  My family can have my full attention because I'm not thinking about what else I have to do.  I can rest.

The difference between serving and resting is the difference between Martha and Mary.  Being a Martha isn't bad.  Being a Mary is just better.  There are certain times to be a Martha.  There is always time to be a Mary.

I will be back.  Afterall, people have made it very clear that they can't have VBS without me.  Don't worry, come April, I am diving right in.  But for now, I'm not even going to think about it.  I refuse to let future events stress me out now.  This is my time to soak in my Savior and just rest.

2012 in Pictures

We had a fun and busy year!  It was filled with multiple trips to Iowa, camps, Idaho, friends, family, church, house projects, wedding, VBS...what an amazing year!

We love playing in the snow when we're in Iowa since we rarely get any here in Kansas!

Here is our new puppy.  He was so tiny and shy when we first got him.  Now he's overly friendly, loves to snuggle, loves to play, and is over 5 lbs.

 

 

Snow in Kansas!!

Princess themed bridal shower for Amanda.  We all dressed up like princesses.  Well, we had something a little different for the bride.  :)

The kids love going to AWANA which is a kids club where they learn Bible verses.  One of our favorite theme nights is crazy hair night.

Every year the zoo has a free day so we try to go on that day even though it is way crowded.

Back in Iowa for a wedding shower for Nate and Amanda.  All 4 of us sisters along with John and Connie Clark were "forced" to play a game similar to the Newlywed game.  We didn't win.  haha

 

 

 

We had a campout in our backyard.  Rambo was ready to go back inside before we even got in the tent for the night.  We enjoyed roasting hot dogs and s'mores.

 

 

 

J and K spent a week at Kansas Bible Camp.

 

 

K celebrated her 9th birthday while at camp and then with us while we were in Idaho.

 

 

We went to Idaho to help with the roof and see all of Seth's family.

 

 

Then J turned 11 shortly after coming back home.

Nate and Amanda were married on July 13!!

Our Detective themed VBS took the kids on a search for the truth about Jesus.

We headed off for a week at family camp!

First day of school.

 

 

 

 

Then Seth's parents came from Idaho to return the favor.  My parents and brother-in-law also came to help with the roof.

 

 

 

And while the roof project was going on, this suddenly needed to happen.  I plan on writing an entirely separate blog once it is complete.

I donated 10 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Our church put on an amazing Christmas program.

We celebrated Christmas with my family in Iowa.

And with my mom's family at Grandma Lola's house.

Here is our tree on Christmas morning.

Little A turned 6.

We finally got some snow!!

We had a blast bringing in the New Year with friends.

 

 

I do not have a resolution this year.  I simply just want to follow the Lord and take my life one day at a time, enjoying every moment and every blessing I have.

 

Happy New Year!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Little A turns 6!

I was pregnant with Little A the longest.  She was my first baby to go past the due date.  But she was well worth the wait.  At 9:56 PM December 29, 2006, Little A entered the world at 6lbs 10oz and 17 inches long.

Big brother and big sister are thrilled with their new sister.

 

 

She was walking like a pro by the time she turned 1.

 

 

 

At age 2, she already knew how to pose for the camera.

 

 

She loved owls before owls were cool...age 3.

 

 

 

Every 4 year old girl loves to dress up.

 

 

 

By age 5, it was obvious she loved to draw, inheriting her artistic abilities from her dad.

 

 

 

By the time she turned 6, she had lost her first tooth.

 

 

 

The kids spent the day playing their new game they got for Christmas.  Little A chose what to eat for lunch and supper then we had cake and ice cream while we watched The Polar Express.  It was a nice relaxing day.

 

 

Here are a few A-isms:

 

 

Age 1 - After I closed the oven door she would come blow on the door to cool it down.

 

Age 2 - In order to get my attention, she would say, "Mommy!  Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo!"

 

Age 3 - When I was trying to get her to use her words instead of whining at me to get something she says to me, "Word."

 

Age 3 - Both of our faces were sunburned so I asked if her face hurt.  When she told me it didn't, I said mine was killing me.  She then says, "Nah, you're alive!"

 

Age 3 - As we were heading out the door to go somewhere, Little A informed me she wasn't quite ready to go..."I need underwear!"

 

Age 3 - While swimming, Little A is tracing the numbers on the side of the pool 6 - 3 and saying them as she traced, "6...mustache....3"

 

Age 3 - When she was having issues with the computer, I came to her rescue. "Mommy, you did it!  You're a hero!!  Thank you, Mother!"

 

Age 3 - One morning, I told her that her hair looked really cool because it was standing up all over.  She responds, "No, hair can't stand up.  They don't have legs!"

 

Almost 4 - While eating quesadillas, she gave me a kiss, then laughed and said, "I put cheese on your face!"

 

Almost 4 - Little A finds a recipe card I had thrown away.  She brings it to me and says, "Mommy, this isn't trash.  It has your writing!  It says, 'you have to make food forever.' "

 

Age 4 - She pointed to my hat in church and asked, "Where's my quiet hat?"  I gave her one of my lacey head coverings and she says, "This is my quiet hat."

 

Age 4 - When Seth asked her to say her "ABCs" she says, "A...C....phlegm." (Thanks to Achmed the dead terrorist and Jeff Dunham)

 

Age 4 - I had told Little A that I came downstairs for some peace and quiet.  As I headed back upstairs she says, "Are you going upstairs for some peace and loud?"

 

Age 4 - My cell phone was beeping because the battery was dying.  Little A was telling me it needed to be plugged in, but I wasn't in a rush to do so.  She says, "But it's saying 'please!' "

 

Age 4 - After praying with Little A because of bad dreams, she tells me that God took them away.  I said, "Isn't God awesome?"  She responds, "God is cool like a rock star!"

 

Age 5 - I made a comment about being so tired that my brain was melting.  Little A replies, "Your brain melts when you're too close to the TV. Duh!"

 

Age 5 - Little A follows me into the kitchen and says, "I'm hungry as a human!"

 

Age 5 - K asked how people make 3D paintings so Little A answered, "With 3D paint!"

 

Almost 6 - Little A was concerned that I was catching her cold so she asked if I was getting what she had.  I told her I probably was.  Very apologetically, she says, "I'm sorry for breathing."



 

 

Happy birthday, Little A!!  I love you!!!

 

 

 

 

10 years

You may recall a blog I wrote near the beginning of the year about the most difficult year of my life.  10 years ago, we lost 8 family members.  One of those was our baby.

Today was the due date 10 years ago.  I think about that baby often, especially in May, the month we lost it, and now, when it was due.  I miss that baby.  It's strange to me that I could miss someone whom I've never met, never held, never even felt in my womb.  But I do.

Of course, if we had not lost that baby, we would not have K.  I cannot imagine our life without her!  What a joy she brings to our family!  By the time we reached the due date of the baby, I was a couple months pregnant with K.

This flower was given to me in the hospital after they took the baby out.  There's a tiny ring tied onto the ribbon.  There's a shelf in our hallway where I keep this flower.  I think of our baby every time I pass by.  Although I miss it, wishing I could have had the chance to hold it in my arms, I am thankful that it didn't have to suffer in this world of sin and is enjoying the presence of Jesus.

I look forward to meeting that baby in heaven.

Not giving up

A long while ago, I made the commitment to not cut my hair until I reached my goal weight.  That was about a year and a half ago.

I worked out.  I ate healthier.  I drank more water.  I drank a lot less pop.  I quit eating at night.  I had one helping of meals.  I had small snacks throughout the day.  I cut down on junk food.

Nothing worked.

I finally googled "how to lose weight with hypothyroidism."  There I discovered that it is nearly impossible.

So, I surrendered.  I realized that because of my thyroid, losing weight was probably not going to happen unless I had the money to eat EXTREMELY healthy and had hours of time for exercise.  Neither one of those are in abundance in my life.

My hair had grown very long.  I was sick of it and Seth has told me more than once he hates my hair long.  I knew my goal weight was unreachable so I decided it was time to cut my hair.

Don't get me wrong.  I am NOT giving up on being healthy.  I still want to workout, eat right, drink water, etc., but now I'm just focusing on being healthy, not losing weight.

I also thought that I could donate my hair.  I did some research on various companies that use donated hair to make wigs for those who have no hair of their own for whatever reason.  I settled on Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Here is my hair the day I got it cut.  I think this is the longest I've ever had it.

 

She cut it in pig tails.

 

 

Right after the cut.

 

 

It was done!  No turning back now.

 

 

I was able to donate 10 inches, but I wasn't too thrilled with how it turned out.  Neither was Seth or the kids.

 

 

This is what it was supposed to look like.

 

 

But I got this instead.

 

 

This is my mom.  I looked so much like her that the kids called my "grandma" all day and Seth refused to look at me.  Hmmm, I had to do something!

 

 

I styled it differently.  Which I liked better, but still, too much like my mom.

 

 

So, tonight, I dyed it.  It's a little redder than what I was hoping for, but at least I don't look so much like my mom that Seth can't look at me.  Haha  He now says I look like my cousin, Amber.  Seth wants me to put in some highlights.  We'll see.

 

 

For now, this is my hair.  I'm glad I was able to donate it.  I never thought I would be able to grow out my hair long enough to do that.  It will take some getting used to, but I'm really ok with it.  Now to convince K...

 

Halloween

I love Halloween.  I just love dressing up and becoming a new person.  I don't like to spend a lot of money on costumes.  I tell the kids to figure out what we can use at home to create most of a costume and then we'll buy accessories as needed.

Well, this year, Halloween landed on Wednesday.  Wednesday is prayer meeting at church and since we want to encourage our children to attend all meetings of the church and to consider all of them an extremely important part of a Christian life, I couldn't say we could miss it for trick-or-treating.

The kids were a bit disappointed so I told them that we could dress up for the day while we do school but they couldn't be too crazy since we would be going to prayer meeting in the evening.

October came and suddenly, we had tons of things going on (which will be in a later blog).  I realized that dressing up probably was not going to happen.  We had no time to come up with costumes let alone get out and find those finishing touches.  I knew the kids would be disappointed so I came up with a fun idea to help ease the pain of not getting to dress up this year.

I created a scavenger hunt.  I bought colored index cards and wrote out 10 clues that eventually lead each one of them on a different path to their Halloween bucket full of candy.

Little A had the orange cards.  Since she can't read, yet, I helped her out.

 

J had the green cards.  He whipped through the scavenger hunt very quickly.  I guess I didn't make the clues hard enough.  Hahaha

 

 

K had the pink cards.  Here, she finds one hidden underneath one of the cushions of our porch swing.

 

 

They all found their buckets and said this was the best Halloween ever!  I'm so glad they enjoyed it.

 

 

I still bought candy for the trick-or-treaters who might have stopped by while we were still home, but no one came before we left for church.  After church, I thought maybe we could find something to dress up in for those late trick-or-treaters.  When we got home, we all dashed inside and found our costumes.

 

J is a ninja.  Little A is a fairy cat...I think?  And K is a princess, with a dog I guess.

 

 

Of course, I had to get in on the fun.  I am a nerd.

 

 

 

No one ever did come to our door begging for candy so I guess we got ourselves some extra.  :)