frustration

wow! it's been quite a while since i've been able to grab a minute to chat with you on here! i'm sneaking in a few minutes to write/confess/be honest while the girls are busy watching Max & Ruby and also memorizing lines for a drama test tomorrow.

frus·tra·tion/frəˈstrāSHən/

Noun:

The feeling of being upset or annoyed, esp. because of inability to change or achieve something. An event or circumstance that causes one to have such a feeling.

have you ever felt this emotion? frustration?
if i'm being real, and you know i am sometimes a little too real, this has been a word to describe me lately.
frustrated or in a state of frustration
frustrated my mail inbox is over 1000 emails and growing daily
frustrated that i don't seem to be able to get a morning routine down pat
frustrated that my times with the Lord have not been what i want them to be
frustrated that one child is content with not giving her best in her school work  (*praise...training is happening and this is ssssslllloooowwwwlllyyyy starting to get better...baby steps :)*)
frustrated that bed time routines are thrown off on school days and the girls are getting in bed late
frustrated that i am tired all the time
i could go on and on...

at the end of the day (well, at the end of sunday night), i have realized i have some issues.
i have realized there are things i try to hold on to and control that i need to give up.
i need to let go of the fact that life happens and routines don't always work.
i need to remember that good habits can be formed but take time to establish themselves.
i need to remember that other people, even the people in my home, don't think like me, are not clones of me, and i have to be gentle in accepting other ideas, values, and ways of thinking.

sound simple and reading this thinking "that girl has issues"?
i hope not, but maybe you are right.
simply confessing that once i realized what my huge issues are, my perspective has been different.
i am working to correct the things that are in my power to control and remembering to let go of the things that are out of my control and not worth creating an issue out of.
the most important part of this journey through and out of frustration is realizing that my relationship with Jesus is HUGE!
without Him and His help, i will stay in this continual state of frustration and lack of happiness.

praying for you today and praying that you will keep me in your prayers.
we need each other, for sure!

gotta check this out

now, i'm not telling you how to live your life (that phrase is a constant joke in our home) but i really think this would help YOU if you would take the time to listen/watch.

at NewSpring Church, we are in a series called Overwhelmed.
have you ever felt that way?
the inbox never gets to 0, the messages on phone always come in, the laundry piles up higher and higher, as do the dishes in the sink....i could go on and on, but let's face it. we are all currently or recently have been overwhelmed!

this past sunday was an INCREDIBLE message titled "How to Overcome Stress and Anxiety".
hello?! did you read my previous post??? you all know, by now, that this (along with insecurity) is the area the devil likes to play crazy games in my head about.

i took so many notes on important info and quotes that i completely filled my paper...no margin anywhere left clean. :) i want to share some of those things with you. i want you to know that this is not "i have arrived, listen to me" but rather, here is TRUTH and let's focus on this and get our minds right, together!

first of all, please take a few moments and go HERE to check out Daniel 3:13-30. this is the text that is walked through in the message.
if you really want to have your mind blown, then go HERE and actually check out the service--Week 4. i PROMISE you will not be sorry about this!

today our pastor, Perry Noble, blogged about the service and I want to share what he said. you can check out his blog, which is amazing, by going HERE. all the notes i had taken were right here in what Pastor P blogged about. here you go!

Some of the things we covered this past Sunday were…

• Stress and anxiety comes about as a result of what is unplanned or unprepared for in our lives…which means we will ALWAYS have to deal with it.  So when it comes we should…
• Understand that God is Holy & Good – (Matthew 7:9-11) – Our circumstances do not alter His character, and if we doubt His goodness based on the fact that He did not do what we asked Him to do then that makes us the object of our worship and not Him!
• Believe His Promise – (See Isaiah 41:10) – HE IS WITH US!!!!  He will never leave us or forsake us…and HIS PRESENCE is greater than our problem!
• Stop Fighting For Control – Control is the greatest illusion in the universe (wrote about that here) and when we realize how little we have it should DRIVE us to our knees worship!  The enemy seeks to control you by getting you to focus on your circumstances…which is why we so desperately need to constantly dive into God’s Word, as I’ve heard it said before–who or what you listen to will ultimately determine what you do!  Listening to the enemy = fear, anxiety and worry.  Listening to the Lord = freedom!
• Open Your Eyes – When we are in the fire we should stop praying “get me out of here” and start praying, “Jesus, let me see you!”  Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego didn’t see Jesus until they were IN the fire!
• Embrace Freedom – The ONLY thing that was burned off of Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego in the fire was what the enemy put on them!!!  They went into the fire bound…they came out of the fire free!  God wasn’t trying to punish them…He was promoting them, but sometimes promotion comes through the fire!
• One more thing…three men went into the fire, four men were there, three came out…Jesus is still in the fire & so if you are there you are not alone (Isaiah 43:1-3!)

friend, know i am praying for you.
 
 

out of control

do you ever feel like you have the perfect day planned out only to have something come up and take out your plans?
i have felt this way often.
i will admit that i am a true type-a person.
i like lists, order, structure, routines, checklists, etc.
one downfall in this type of person is wanting to have control at all times.

sometimes this can be a good thing...if used in the right way.
it seems to help when in a roomful of kiddos or situation that needs some order.

it is not so helpful as a true follower of Christ.
as a follower of Christ, we know and believe that it is His plan we seek to follow--no matter what.

for me, it is something i continually have to fight against--my will trying to trump God's will.
it can be in the smallest things, like weekend plans thrown off by sickness.
or in the big things, recurring pain that puts life on hold.

either way. here is what i know in my head and want to fully embrace in my heart...
God's plan for me, in the little and in the big things, is SO much better than anything I could ever dream of.
it may not look like what i thought it should look like or be in my time frame, but His will is GOOD.

God is GOOD and God is ABLE.
He loves me more than i can even comprehend.
He loves you too!
like me, i hope that you will continually submit to Him, trusting Him with ALL of you and your heart.
it will not be something you regret...i promise!

will i ever be caught up?

have you found yourself asking this question...maybe even today?
i don't know about you but it seems like there is just not enough time in the day and not enough days in time to get all accomplished and checked off the never ending to-do list.
i guess it seems that way because it is truth.
the hard reality is that there will probably never be a day where you are able to get all of your to-do's checked off, quiet time with Jesus, all chores complete, family taken care of , exercise or you time in and anything else I may be forgetting.
are you okay with that?

if i'm being completely honest (and you know I always am!), there was a day (not so long ago) that I would answer that question with a resounding NO!
i want it all! i want my relationship with Jesus to be top notch, my relationship with my husband and kids to be what it needs to be, all homework and work complete before we eat dinner, baths and stories before bed, all chores to be completed, and fit some work out time in there somewhere.
on a good day, most of this happens...on a good day.
but then there's normal every day life.
stuff comes up.
life happens.
what has to go?

I had started off this year in full on cleaning crazy mode! let me tell you, my house looked good and I was so proud of that! I carried this on for a full month.
and then something happened.
I decided to get serious about exercising and my health. With my mornings starting at 5am now, that meant my schedule had to be adjusted.
cleaning became lower on the totem pole. as did blogging.
oh, how I have missed you, but I had to readjust some things.

I feel like I'm on the upswing of getting things in a proper balance.
my crazy cleaning mode is dying to come back out but I am choosing to replace the craziness with intentional time with the girls and not being distracted b/c of chores.
blogging has had to take a back seat to really spending time with my family and my man...instead of spending a few minutes disconnected on the computer.

this has been a big shift that I didn't think would be hard.
I realized I was holding tightly to some things that needed to let go.
my priorities needed an adjustment.
if you ask me the question now, am I okay that it all may not get done?
my answer is YES!
i'm still working on squelching the little part of me that wants to scream NO!
but balance is becoming my friend and Jesus is helping me see what needs to stay and what I need to let go of.

His help. His guidance. His wisdom. His thoughts.
that is what I need.
praying you find some balance today and this week!

What are you craving?

 Recently I shared that I was excited about this new book and study I had found in Made to Crave. I watched a live web cast last Monday night and I got so excited about what God is doing in and through this book/study that I purchased the book & Action plan on Amazon that night.

Friday my husband surprised me with an overnight stay in Asheville, NC to celebrate our 1 year anniversary (1.7.11)! How fun?! We had a great time in the chilly weather, but no snow sightings. :( Anyhoo, when we arrived back home Saturday evening, I opened our mailbox to find these goodies inside. I immediately started flipping through, taking measurements, and reading the material. Let me tell you why I am so excited to get this thing cranking....

 This time last year, I was at least 20 lbs lighter. I may have been at a slightly unhealthy weight, due to not eating well with the Endo pain. Regardless, 20lbs in a year is pretty significant. The weight was coupled with the fact that I have been very physically limited and completely unable to do exercise for 1 1/2 years. Needless to say I am not in the best shape I have ever been in. I have been honest with you guys that I have struggled with self image issues and insecurity for as long as I can remember. I am sure you can imagine how the devil is creating WW3 in my head daily with the extra pounds, clothes fitting way too tightly, bulges in places I have never had bulges, and seeing a person in the mirror I sometimes don't recognize.

Here is what I know. I can't help what has happened to me. I can use it for excuses and stay as I am. Or I can change. I can continue to use food, the thing that never changes and is always there, as my comfort or I can turn to Jesus.

You see, we all crave something. As I have learned from reading Lysa's book, we were created to crave. The definition of craving is something that you long for, want greatly, desire eagerly and beg for. Doesn't this accurately describe what our Heavenly Father wants from us?  What we are craving will always depend on whatever we are consuming. I can continue to consume comfort food and junk, or I can take control of my cravings and focus them on my Creator. I can either be saturated in the object of my desire (food/comfort) or I can be saturated in God's truth.

This day starts a new day. I will continue to stay hungry for Jesus. Is this going to be easy? Heck no! Satan loves nothing more than replace my craving for God with something else. But the more saturated I am in His truth, the more powerfully resistant I can become.

I want this for you! I want you, like me, to be healthy and whole. You know that Jesus desires that for you too? I was reading in Ephesians, with the Good Morning Girls, and this verse stuck out to me like crazy: Ephesians 1:4 (MSG) Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.

Friend, I want to be whole and holy. I pray that you will join me this day, this year, in pursuing Jesus with all that we have. Know that I am praying for you!

DeWeils Come to Visit

Recently we had a very special treat. David, Scott's brother who lives in Columbia, Kelly (his awesome wife), and Caroline (adorable daughter) came for a visit. We have  not made enough of these day trips, but we will definitely be making more. The girls had a BLAST getting to play with their cousin Caroline. Kelly and I had a great time laughing & playing with the girls, as well as great conversation. Scott and David had a ton of fun, doing brother stuff--including a dance off in Just Dance 3. We LOVED having them over and can't wait for many more of these in the future.

Tonight at dinner, we asked the girls to share their top 3 "roses" of Christmas break. One of Sienna's was Caroline coming to her house. So sweet! Hopeful we can make more roses with Caroline, as well as cousin Ella in Florida!

Here is a recap of the day....

The girls enjoyed a delicious tea party, complete with yummy chocolate chip pound cake made by the amazing Chef Kelly & hot chocolate/Sierra Mist/milk as drink options. What more could you ask for?

All three ladies enjoying their desserts and "tea". So sweet.

The weather was kind of iffy, but we made sure to enjoy playing outside as much as possible. When it started to sprinkle, we brought the fun onto the front porch. Here is Caroline having fun with sidewalk chalk & paint. (By the way, look at those cutie patootie boots!!! Love them!)

So sweet!!!

Sienna braved the weather and wanted to show off her riding skillz! :) She is a ball of energy & fun for sure!

When the rain started coming down harder, we took hide-and-seek inside. Here was a favorite hiding place. Sienna was hiding in the linen closet while Mycah & Caroline went on the hunt. Surprise!

Such a fun part of this day was watching brothers Scott and David play Just Dance 3. Song choice--Jump On It. Hilarious? Why, of course! We had so much fun laughing WITH them, not at them as evidenced by Scott's face in this picture. Fun times for all were had for sure!

I snuck this sweet picture while Caroline was watching one of Sienna's many "shows"/performances. Sienna loves to perform and we love to be the audience. Caroline wasn't quite sure what to make of Sienna's crazy costumes and crazy antics, but I think she enjoyed it. (At least I hope she wasn't scared too badly from our silly Sienna)

We tried to get a group shot here but Caroline wasn't ready to be in front of the camera. Here is Mycah and Sienna, in one of her many costumes/make up.

Snuck this shot while Caroline had Sienna's pom-pom and was pretending to cheer. Precious!

2 - 4 - 6 - 8, Who do we think is really great? Caroline, Kelly, & David! We can't wait to visit together again very soon! Love love love our family! :)

In Process

Hey everyone!
I wanted to let you know that I have several posts brewing in my head and heart.
I have stumbled upon several amazing sources of vital information that has fed my soul and can only be described as words, to my heart, from the Lord.
Trying to put all that is stirring in me into words has been a bit of a challenge.

So hold tight.
I promise there is some good stuff on the way...at least it has been good stuff for me!

I will let you in on 3 of the things that are rocking my world.
I encourage you to check them out and then we can "chat" about how these things may/may not have impacted you.

THIS post is amazing!

Choosing to Cheat--Andy Stanley (Best of North Point Ministries Podcasts)
This is an absolutely amazing, convicting, challenging, and encouraging podcast.
It is about 45 minutes, but it is SO worth it.
You MUST listen!!! So so so good!!!

LOTS more to come on this topic, but for now, here is the latest book and lifestyle change I am embarking on. Check it out HERE!

That is all for now!!

Hoping that today you can: smile more, hug more, SLOW DOWN, listen more, and pray lots!
Stay safe in this wild weather (where it is stormy and foggy here in SC).
A crazy thunder and lightning storm just started....so weird! :)
Love you guys!