No Sign Of Intelligent Life...

The little Mr. is always in deep make-believe play... today, he was Buzz Lightyear.  I was loving everything about his imaginative exploration...he's very creative.

*Yep...that's a clear rubbermaid tote on his head...

How cute right?  I thought so too, until he looked right in my eyes, raised his wrist to his mouth all covert 'buzz style' and said, in his most serious Buzz voice, "There is no sign of intelligent life anywhere!" Hold the phone!  What?!  That's just rude...

 The little Miss was playing Buzz too.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember the toy company

marketing a 'pants-less' space ranger...

 

Either way, she's of the pants-less persuasion and would be

glad to support a 'Free The Buns' campaign...

Hope your day was full of adventure!

Be Thankful...



Friends, I'm pulling this one straight from the pages of my journal...if that isn't real, then I don't know what is.  Just don't expect me to let you look in my closet...'cause it's not gonna happen *wink*. 

Being thankful in difficult circumstances seems to be the lesson I am supposed to learn during this season of my life.  Oh, how it is so easy for me to give thanks when the road is smooth and life's bumps are at bay.  But, when life gets tough, praise and thanks to God doesn't roll off the tongue so easily. 

During the last six months, there have been times where I've found myself asking, "Lord, when will this end?  Have I done what you've asked of me?  Bring Your answer quickly!"  Most of my prayers have been asking for deliverance from this trial. While I do believe that will happen, out of frustration, my thoughts and my prayers have not always been focused on thanksgiving for God's blessings.

If I am not careful, discontentment creeps into my heart and I turn my eyes away for a moment and begin to forget all the ways the Lord has blessed and cared for us during this time.

I am often reminded of the children of Israel's exodus out of Egypt.  Their praise for the Lord's goodness, mercy and protection, soon turned to grumbling once they experienced a trial.  They cried, "We want food!"  So God gave them manna.  They whined, "We want meat!"  So God gave them quail.  He protected them from their enemies and personally led them through the wilderness in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire.  Yet, their continued complaining and lack of recognition of God's deliverance cost them the right to enter the promised land.  They failed to see they had the favor and protection of the God of the Universe!

How often have I forgotten during this trial that we have experienced miracles and blessings!  I look at the circumstance and say, "God give me what I want!" And fail to say, "Lord, thank you for the blessing of this time...the opportunity to experience your goodness.  Thank you for your daily provision and for using the kindness of others to bless us!"

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

                                                                        Psalm 34:8

My desire is for others to see how He is caring for our family in a miraculous way and give praise to Him.  Lord, have your way.  The desire of my heart is to master a heart of thankfulness and give Him the praise He deserves in all areas of my life.  I Thessalonians 5:18 says:

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

I have yet to come across a verse that says, "Praise Him when your up and kick Him when your down."  It's just not anywhere in the Bible (well, except when Job's wife told him to curse God...but she was off her rocker).  But, time and again we are urged to be thankful in all things.  But, why?

He wants us (me) to turn our eyes from our circumstances and look to Him.  We're not to focus on the gift or lack of, but the giver...God. 

I guess I'm sharing this entry with one motive...to give a reason for the hope that I have.  To remind myself (and you, if any of this resonates with you) that my circumstance does not shake or nullify my faith.  In fact, this trial has reminded me that while I do not know what tomorrow holds, I am firmly in His had.  He has not forgotten us, nothing surprises Him, and He never finds Himself ill-prepared to care for those who love Him.

In all things, be thankful.

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

                                                                  Colossians 3:17

Be Gracious...

*Disclaimer--I am in no way admonishing fellow bloggers or readers.  These thoughts are ones that I feel convicted by, and am trying to grow and learn in my daily walk.  Let's be honest friends.  I'm trying to effect change in my life, and I'm taking you, the reader, along for the ride.--Now we will resume your regularly scheduled programming.

Accepting praise, compliments and encouragement has always been difficult for me.  I readily give praise, but don't receive it well.  Most often I feel I am unworthy or undeserving of the giver's praise, or have difficulty believing that I could possibly possess that which they are expressing. 

My response to a person's kindness is usually a 'thank-you' followed by a big but... 

 "Thank you, but I made a mistake." 

"Thank you, but 'so-in-so' is so much better."

"Thank you, but it's really not that good."

"Thank you, but I really don't deserve it."

"Thank you, but..."

I responded in this way for years, lowering my head, and mumbling "Thank you, but..." believing that I should not accept praise, or that by doing so, I was not being humble.

Maybe it was my mom, or a well-meaning friend, or another wise woman, but, I finally heard someone say, "When a praise or compliment is given, receive it with graciousness.  Do not dismiss the compliment or the giver.  Receive it, own it, and be thankful for the kind words and the giver."

After hearing that, I realized that it's okay to graciously receive a compliment by thanking the giver and recognizing their heartfelt kindness.  In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul reminds them of the importance of encouragement:

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

                                                                           1 Thessalonians 5:11

 I learned that excusing or begrudgingly accepting praise is not gracious.  Receiving praise with conceit or pride isn't gracious either.  It is important to receive praise with a tender heart, without letting conceit or pride corrupt it.  The Bible tells us to receive praise with caution:

"For I say through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

                                                                           Romans 12:3

It is still difficult for me to receive praise.  But, I am working to receive the praise, believe it, and be thankful for it.  It is possible to take great joy in receiving praise while being gracious and remembering that, "Every good and perfect gift comes from above..." James 1:17

She's Got Issues...

It's true, I've got issues.  The quirks that come as a bonus to my otherwise crazy normal package were initially deemed 'cute' by my sweet B-man pre-marriage.  Now, they just drive him crazy.  I acknowledge it's a long (and growing) list of nonsense, and I'm laying it on the line to validate B's stance on how strange quirky I am...

1) I won't eat leftovers.  For some reason they gross me out...but, I'm working on it.

2)  I leave a trail everywhere I go.  You can fill in the blank here--clothes, purse, other random things.  My hubby claims he can accurately recount my day by looking at the trail of evidence.

3)  I'm abnormally protective of my pillow.  No one else may sleep on, touch, fluff or squish my pillow.  If I am being particularly testy, B threatens to steal my pillow and fart on it.  The thought nearly sends me over the edge and puts an end to my antics.  Gross.

4)  I sleep in the middle of the bed.  I love how B's side stays oh-so-warm...so I keep pushing the imaginary boundary until he shoves me back to my side.  So, I guess I'm a bed hog.

5)  I crunch chips...but he's almost got me broke of it.

6)  I have to have a bite of anything he's eating.  Thankfully he shares food...

7)  I take long, steaming, hot showers and B takes short cold ones...not by choice.  Sorry *sheepish grin*

8)  I tap my fingers and feet to every beat I hear...he prefers me to leave the beat-keeping to the experts.

9)  I'm always in la-la land.  I know he's caught me when my thoughts are suddenly interrupted by B exclaiming, "And then a hot pink turtle jumped in the car and ate my twinkie!" Huh?  Busted.

10)  I spill food, drinks or just about anything on my clothes on any given day.  There seems to be this invisible force that smacks my hand about four inches from my mouth.  Or there's a hole in my lip.  Or, I simply need to lean over my plate.  Either way I'm thankful for Oxi Clean.

Let's just be honest friends...I had to narrow the list down to 10...and I didn't even include the worst offenses (a girl has her dignity).  Despite my bad habits and shortcomings, B loves me anyway.  I am so not perfect.  Ugh...far from it.  Praise Jesus B's a pretty patient guy.  And he's super-cute.  *Sigh*  I love him.

Hopefully I'm not the only girl driving her oh-so-lucky hubby batty!

Happy Wednesday!!!

He's 5...

Every year on the eve of the little Mr.'s birthday I have the same routine.  B and I set out his gifts for him to find first thing in the morning, and I have a good ugly cry that the little guy is going to be another year older.  B consoles me and assures me that I'm not crazy for being so emotional (although deep down we both know the truth), then I sneak into little Mr.'s room to hold and rock him while he sleeps, while

images from each of his birthdays flash through my mind...

Today, he is five.  Five seems like such a big deal in my mind.  Five is more independence and more expression of his own little personality.  Five is NOT a baby.  Five. 
I am so thankful the Lord has given us another year with Ethan.  He is sweet, loving, funny, expressive, creative, animated, smart, and talented. 

Little Mr.,

You bring joy and laughter to our lives.  You are a blessing and we cherish you each day.

We continue to pray the same prayer for you:

That you will be good and kind towards others and bring joy to them.

That you will trust Jesus at an early age and follow Him all the days of your life.

That you will be a man of integrity.

That all that you do will be for His glory.

Lean on Him for understanding and seek Him for wisdom.

We have roughly 13 more years of caring for you and preparing you for manhood.  But, know that we will never stop offering you our love and support.  You can come to us for anything...we will listen and pray.  We love you and are so proud of the sweet little boy you have become!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Like Brother, Like Sister...

I used to think my wee ones were totally different.  They didn't look alike as newborns, and their temperaments are different.  But, I'm learning they are more alike than I used to think:

*Ethan 20-months                                   *Eva 22-months

They both have a killer sense of fashion.  After taking the above picture of the little miss hanging out with pants on her head, I realized this newly discovered fashion choice seemed oddly...familiar.

That's because the little Mr. rocked it first.  Big brothers always have the best ideas...

Happy Thursday!

What's In My Bag: Hair Edition...

This is not a profound, thought-provoking post today (when are they?).  Frankly, I am suffering from a huge case of writer's block.  I'm feeling a little uninspired, I have a growing sense of restlessness, and maybe my mood is just a bit off.  I'm just not feeling very...perky. 

So, I guess it's time to let you see what's in my bag.  The last time we took a look in my bag, I shared with you a few of my favorite make-up products, but, today I want to share with you some of my favorite hair products. 

I have really long hair, but it's super-fine.  I love having long hair, because it gives me lots of options from wearing it up, to down and straight, or down and wavy.  The problem?  Long, fine hair = long, limp hair without the right products.  So, I had to get to the root (sorry!) of the problem.

Thankfully, my hairstylist/friend/keeper-of-my-deepest-secrets, Mollie, turned me on to some really awesome products!  Here are a few of my favorites:

1.  Garnier Fructis Shampoo (wavy hair)--I don't believe this is 'Mollie Approved', but I really love this shampoo and conditioner.  It leaves my hair moisturized and whether the claim is true or not, it seems to prep my hair if I choose to wear it wavy.

2.  Tresemme Dry Shampoo--I don't wash my hair every day (*gasp*), but, I spray this at the roots and fluff my hair a bit, and you'd never know I skipped a day.  I love the citrus scent too!  In a pinch I've used a little baby powder and that works just as well (just make sure you rub it in really well, so it doesn't look like you are graying at the roots!).

3.  Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus--I don't know what I did before Mollie suggested I use this!  This gives me so much volume starting at my roots.  While hair is damp, you lift sections and spray just a bit at the root.  Fluff, then dry with a blow dryer working in sections.  I love this stuff.

4.  Redken Spray Starch--A little bit goes a long way.  I really love to spray a bit of this on the ends of my hair (once it's dry), and then run my flat iron over my hair for a sleek look.  If I want to wear my hair wavy, I group my hair in sections (while damp), spray a bit on each section, then twist each section while drying with a blow dryer.  When I'm finished I have nice soft waves.

5.  Osis Dust It--This is hands down my favorite product ever.  It's a powder that you sprinkle in your hair at the roots for a little added volume.  You can also use it to absorb oil if you are skipping a wash.  If you notice your hair losing volume by the end of the day, simply fluff a bit and you get volume again.  This is also great to use to give your hair a bit of grip to prepare it for an 'up-do'. 

6.  Short Sexy Hair 'Slept-In' Cream--I use this product if I notice my waves are frizzy, I have static (a common problem for those of us with fine hair), or fly-aways.  I rub a pea-size amount of cream in my hands, then run my fingers through the ends of my hair.  It's not at all greasy, and usually does the trick.

Well, there you have it!  Just a little peek at some of the products I use to give my locks some life! 

What are your favorite products?

Happy Wednesday!