Can't Get it Out of My Mind

A dear family friend of mine, woke up and his life changed forever. He was diagnosed with luekemia on Friday. He was admitted and chemo started on Monday. I just can't imagine how much my life would change faced with 'life threatening' news. He has a wife of three years, a very sweet brother and sister, and wonderfully caring parents. He has a wonderfully supportive church home and I am sure he has one where he lives now.

But I just can't get him out of my mind. I literally think of him and my little friend 5 yo Mathew (who is also fighting for his life with luekemia). When I wake I rush to the computer to check for updates hoping for good news, then check them through out the day. I don't know why their hurts hurt me so bad, make me so sad - but I have been in tears for them for days.

So, with my sadness, I pray, plead, beg to the Lord to be BIG! To fill their needs, to heal their bodies and to be glorified. And He is being glorified... if you go to their http://www.caringbridge.org/ (visit mathewjgliddon or joelmartin) and read their guestbooks you see the words of His children encouraging them in their fight.

So, I guess since its on my mind that's why I've blogged it.

How can life turn around just like that?

All of a sudden I was overwhelmed and totally disgusted with myself, as a mom, as a Christian, and a wife. Seriously, I was on top of the world (which means I had ALL the plates spinning simultaneously) and felt like my life was doable!
Then there was the CRASH heard around the world. All the plates stopped spinning and crashed to the ground. As I looked around, I didn't have the energy to get a broom to clean it up so...I just sat down on the floor amidst the mess.

Today, I found a broom and have cleaned up the mess...but I dont feel like the plates are spinning yet. I feel like everything is in slow motion and I am just BLAH! Looking back over the week, I tried to figure out how I got here. And I have figured it out..I think...#1 - lack of sleep - going to bed WAY to late! #2 - not enough Bible Study . So I will live and learn and change that this week.

Tho, I was stubborn and did not turn to the Lord when I was struggling. He sure reached out to me. The perfect song came on the radio and my super supportive husband told me what I needed to hear.

Admist my slow motion - I did do 'school' today with my kiddos. We are working on projects for the Imagination Fair. The best part of the day was talking to my 3yo about how things sink or float in water. Boy did we have fun.
Here's a picture!

Update on New Year, New Start

Well, its been about three weeks since I tried to start something new in my home. The three areas were home management, quiet times with the Lord and exercising/eating right.

The results:
In the area of home management the kids are definitely on board to helping A LOT more and we are keeping the house A LOT neater!
In the area of quiet times, I am not where I want to be. Everyday brings new challenges to 'fight' for quiet times. Please keep praying for me!
In the area of exercising and eating right...I've lost 5 pounds I gained over the holidays and I've exercised 3/4 times per week. My eating is not GREAT. Till cheating a little too much of the 'not so good' foods. I think I'll switch it up a bit and try eating the CORE plan with Weight Watchers next week.

Overall, I feel like I've made some great new starts to the year and can't wait for my habits to continue to change.

Posted by Tampa Sis

More Pictures, Great Fellowship!!

This past weekend the kids and I journeyed to Tampa via Lakeland to spend some time with my Sister and her family and to check out the progress of our house. The house looks ready to have the foundation poured. My family and my sisters family signed our names on a piece of paper which was written, "As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." We crumpled it up and dropped it down the foundation wall to the left of the front door. I have included some pictures so you can see.

The kids and I had a great visit with my sister and her family. WOW!! Cant wait until we are closer so we dont have to try to squeeze everything in on a weekend.

Lakeland 2B'er

More Wisdom from God via Beth Moore

"in our last lesson, I received a fresh instruction from God about becoming more deliberate in setting my gaze. If I have low expectations, skewed feelings, and impaired spiritual hearing, my eyes are either looking in at myself or out at people and circumstances. God wants our eyes fixed upward like somone down on her knees at His feet."

That really spoke to my heart...and to my outlook. So often I get in a funk when I look at the circumstances around me. I, at times, am just like my kids. If things don't go the way I planned or thought they should, I pout (or more adult-like fall into a funk). And that saying ... 'when mama aint happy, aint nobody happy' is so true. When I fall into a funk...sure thing, the girls and even Sam get grumpy too!

So, I need to keep my 'eyes fixed upward' like I am on my knees looking at Him!
Join me...keeping your eyes on Him!

YAY!! The Walls are Growing!

Ok, my parents were wonderful enough to make a detour to Lakeland this past weekend and to take a few pictures of my growing house. I am SOOOOO excited!!! ( I won't mention they are also building a house in the same area....=P)

I worked very hard this past weekend in our Lake Worth house trying to get it ready to be sold. It is very close. Most of the major stuff is done.

A BIG YAY!!! goes to my TAMPA SIS for her amazing ability to set a goal and keep on track, well actually setting several goals and staying on track !!

Me on the other hand, I am not doing so well staying on task with my goals. Right now I am house focused and I am not keeping up with my bible studies....so many goals and my focus is all wrong. So this morning I changed my schedule. I woke up a little early (5am...yuck )and did my bible study in the morning and my day has gone well; I journaled my eating, my stresses and some goals for the week! I have to say though I have an awesome role model of how to keep on keeping on in my TAMPA SIS!!

This week I have added a goal of getting my resume together. One more step to moving to Lakeland!!

More later....

Lakeland 2 B'ers

Good bye 5

Yes! I weighed in today at Weight Watchers.. and I lost 5 pounds this week!
Unfortunately, its 5 pounds that I lost in 2007, but I'm back in the groove.
Tampa Sis

AAAAAAAAAAHHH! - Sigh of Relief

What a refreshing morning. It's amazing that the Lord, who is on his throne, gives us exactly what we need. This morning as my exercise alarm went off I was thrilled that Sammy was not up. (He has been up the past 3 mornings BEFORE my exercise alarm). I exercised and when I finished, he was STILL not up so...I did Bible Study.

This mornings nugget: "God calls us to look to Him, seek and find in Him, but He wants us to approach on terms based on who He really is. Not as we think we'd like to make Him." Instead of a treating God like a buddy, like a person, I need to talk to him like He is looking down at me from his Almighty Throne! Boy, that is humbling..

Why o Why??

Why is it when I get on a roll and I am in a rhythm do things just go KaPLooeY!?!?

The kids were doing their chores and school with joyful hearts. I was getting my devotions, exerices and my chores done. Then all the the sudden the house looked like a bomb had gone off - and company was coming for lunch!

I was soooooo frustrated, so full of frustration! So, I walked the dog...and tried to chill out. Of course, I prayed to get things in focus. Weighing on my mind, besides company coming - lost camera!, lost cell phone!, NOT enough time!

I know my house will never look like a Better Homes and Gardens house. If my children are going to grow their imaginations, there will be projects-in-process around the house (hopefully - not too many). And while I have a three year old, there will be toys on the floor. Thank you Lord for him.

I guess I thought this "new outlook and habit" would make my house picture perfect ALL the time. Wrong! It has given us all better habits, it has given the girls new skills (they cleaned the toilets today- my 7yo response - that was cool, I"ll do it again for you). And slowly but surely we'll be masters over the clutter.

The Lord is so good. There is a balance I need to find that I worship the Lord more than my house. That I think about serving the Lord more than feeding my face and that I look for the good in those around me not focus on the annoying. Lord, make me balanced!

Posted by Tampa Sis
(update: found cell phone, still no time and NO CAMERA!! UGH!)

UUUUUUUUUUUUUGH! GRRRRRRRR!

i'll post more later...

tampa sis.

HOUSE PHOTOS!!

Well actually just some concrete bricks sitting on our property. But any change is exciting!

I too have started a Bible Study. It actually takes you through the Bible in a year. It has been very interesting so far.

I'm back at work. I really enjoyed the two weeks off with my kids and my sister and her kids. I spent a week with them and then a week painting and packing my house. That was some hard work, but the inside of my house is looking good and the painting should help it sell, prayerfully.

Posted by the Lakeland 2b'ers

Whatcha Lookin At?

I love it when I do Bible Study... right now its like a 'pull' that tugs me. I plan it all day. Tonight it came a little later than usual, but I finally answered that 'pull' by sitting down to see what God had to say through Beth Moore...tonight one paragraph caught me.

"Like the crippled man begging at the Gate Beautiful, we can rise up early in the morning and keep our routine prayer time, say all the right things yet remain so focused on our circumstances that nothing ever changes. Let's hear our wonderful God say to us today, "Look at Me!" How worthy is He of our gaze?"

I don't want my bible study to be a check off my 'to do' list, I don't want my home and trying to manage it be my focus, I want to serve God with ALL my heart and by focusing on Him my circumstances that may have me down...will change.

posted by Tampa Sis

Peace in My House

Focusing on the three areas that I feel God wants me to work on, I can already feel a difference in my home. I don't know what the secret ingredient was or is but I'm telling you my home is different than it was 2 weeks ago even 2 months ago.

I've decided we are going to be better keepers of our home and the kids are on board...even the 3 year old. With the Lord's help, I'm restless until things are in their place. And my friends will attest, that is not the usual. Tonight when we started our bedtime routine, everything and everyone fell right into place. I read to my 3yo while the 7 and 9 yo did their night time routine. After he was in bed, I read to my girls for 45 minutes (Judy Moody books). They all love the time they have with me.

After the last kisses and the blessing, I sit down and do my Bible Study. Tonight, my hubby is home, he sat down to do his own study too. It's amazing what 6 days of making an effort to run my home smoothly has accomplished... God is amazing!

In Psalm 122, a psalm of ascent, the psalmist says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" and "may there be peace within your walls." That is my hearts desire: that my home would be filled with peace of the Lord - not chaos. Thank you, Lord that on you are molding me into a better manager of my home.

Posted by the Tampa Sister

New Moves for the New Year!

The Lake Worth Clan will be moving! We have bought a house in Lakeland, which began Construction on January 2, 2008! The pictures dont do it justice, but its MY dirt! The kids and I are very much looking forward to moving closer to my sister, Kim and her three darlings. Kim and I are looking forward to trading of cooking and babysitting. I am looking forward to moving out of South Florida. I have been ready to move for quite a while now.

I guess you can say with the New Year there brings New Adventures. Ours will be packing up, saying goodbye to friends in Lake Worth, Me finding a job in Lakeland (please pray), moving into our brand new home, finding a church home and making new friends. Just a short list i would say!

Posted by the Lakeland 2b'ers

New Year, New Start

I love the New Year. I always feel as if its a chance to take a deep breath and start afresh things that I didn't do so well the past year. This year three areas are heavy on my heart, no doubt because the Lord has laid them there. First, the complete chaos that my home is in. Due to a crazy busy life, I am not being the manager of my home that God wants me to be. The specific areas that are bugging me are: training my children to keep up with the house/their stuff, having time for friends, having a daily routine, and strenthening my relationship with my husband. (God has already given me some good ideas .. I'll share them if they work. :-) )

Second, I need to continue on my quest for a healthier me. In 2007, I lost 45 pounds. Tomorrow as I weigh in, (weight watchers) I will continue my goal to lose 125 pounds total. I've been working since March, but have dropped the ball most of December. So, my new start will begin tomorrow and I will eat healthier and exercise 4 times next week.

Thirdly and most importantly, my walk with the Lord needs a larger priority in my life. I know how to 'do the God thing' but leaning on God and making time for Him daily is a struggle. My 'new start' began this evening when after I put the kids to bed, before the TV goes on or the email is checked I spend time learning about Him and listening to Him. Tonight I finished day 5 of week 1 of a great Bible Study by Beth Moore called Stepping Up. It's fantastic. I was so challenged by what she said, that I continued my studies by listening to her audio lecture (I LOVE THE INTERNET). I am so encouraged AND convicted. One of those most impactful things she said..."if we don't mean what we are singing...it is not worship".

So, that's the 3 focuses for me for the new year. Thank you Lord for refreshing me and thank you Lord that through you I can do these!

Posted by Tampa Sis

Hello from Tampa

I am the Tampa Sister with three and I am excited about this new venture. I am not sure if I am more excited about finally have a BLOG or more excited about doing this with my sister! We have 6 great kids between the two of us and we have a lot of fun. I am the first to admit that parenting is hard work and at times very exhausting. My hope with this BLOG is to record family activities and discover God's blessings. He is a Great God and through the good times and bad times, He is always there.... always!

Why We Blog

My sister, Kim, and I (Jen) decided to start this blog to encourage other moms whether they are married, single, divorced, or what ever their status. We want to encourage them, show them God's love, and the need for reliance on our savior, Jesus Christ. We hope to provide devotionals, bible studies, conversation and encouragement. We appreciate comments, responses, and questions in return. Thank you for visiting our Blog and stop by to visit us anytime.