Even on a Good Day...

What a wonderful day!
My husband was off and we spent the entire day--together.
Breakfast--together.
Enjoying the beautiful fall weather--together.
Quiet time with God--together.
Time in prayer--together.
Aaron loved the attention from both of us. We got to watch Caleb's soccer game. He got to study.
The kids did their homework and played well together.
They listened. No fighting. No whining.
Early dinner.
More time as a family outside.
Dishes done, laundry folded and put away.
Bedtime was actually on time! The house was quiet before 10 pm!.
It was a good day.

Then.
It happened. I took something he said wrong and reacted out of anger. I quickly apploigized, but just that fast, the good day wasn't as good anymore.

On bad days, we know we need God's grace. But even on the best day of days, we are still never good enough to earn grace. Even on this very good day, I still need His grace. I am reminded:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, 
through faith—and this not from yourselves,
 it is the gift of God— not by works, 
so that no one can boast."

Eph 2:8-9

Legacy

Recently we had a family reunion. It was one of those big family reunions that go several generations back. One of those family reunions that most people have the same last name, but are so removed, are they really family? One those family reunions you really don't know too many people, but show up anyway to represent your side of the family and for good food and good fellowship with the ones you do know.

My grandfather, one of the oldest in the back, and his  siblings and cousins.

Well, this one turned out to be one of those family reunions I'm really really glad I went to. And glad that I sat with someone I didn't know. I met one of my grandfather's cousins (not sure what he is to me). He was reminiscing as I asked him what his profession was, how many kids he has, grandkids, and such. As he talked, I could tell one thing about him: his faith.

Suddenly I felt an amazing attachment that truely brought us together as family. And I wanted to know more about him. More about his faith that so clearly defined him. I asked him if his parents brought him up in that faith. He didn't just say yes, he said "Oh, of course, that was very important to them. I remember it being important to my grandparents."

That statement amazes me because he remembers his grandparent's faith, prayers, and stories. Even more, his grandparents, are my great-great grandparents! And they were remembered for their faith! How cool is that? God has honored their faith in passing down the covenant from generation to generation. And I get to benefit from it. My kids get to benefit from it. And their kids. I want to be remembered for my faith. I want my faith to define me.  I want to pass down that legacy--a legacy of faith in a God who loves so much, he chose to give his son, so that we may have life in Him.

"I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

Genesis 17:7

Then he asked about me. "I know your grandparents know the Lord, what about you?"

"Oh yes," I responded, "I do, too."

"Well, that's good," he said with a gentle smile. "You know, each generation has to decide for themselves and call upon the Lord as their Savior. You can't depend on the faith of your parents....you have to decide for yourself."

"For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

Psalm 100:5

Lord, take hold of the hearts of my children. Let them know that they are Your workman ship. May they find Your word more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. May they proclaim the hope and joy they find in You and declare Your name among the nations.  

Shadow

Oh, this was so cute. He was so fascinated by his shadow! He would stomp and kick and turn around and fall down and get back up and it was still attached to him! Too bad you couldn't see it in real life, but here's some pictures.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

Psalm 91:1

The Beauty of Thy Peace

Drop Thy still dews of quietness

Till all our strivings cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress;

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace.

 by John Greenleaf Whittier

Order and peace in the home can silently reflect God's character. I know it is possible to have a peaceful home. Growing up, it was something my mom would always strive for. And it seems that God gifted her with creative ways to make our home cozy and warm, surrounded in love.

This year, I was eager to decorate for fall early. Although I dread saying goodbye to summer, decorating and organizing helps makes us ready to embrace the anticipated change in season.

Along with this has come a desire for me to have order and more structure in the home. By that I simply mean structure in our daily routine, order where things are placed, limited clutter, and a cozy and inviting surrounding. It doesn't happen over night. I don't stress if something is out of place.

Having order in the home seems to have some great benefits:

1. Helps our daily routine run more smoothly. Everything has a place. Less chaos.
2. Less chaos leads to less headaches, less frustration, less arguments. Peace.
3. Teaches the kids to put things back after they use something/ clean up their toys.
4. Able to invite others into the home more readily. We are more available to be God's hands and feet.
5. More time to do other things. It takes much less time cleaning when things are kept up. Helps keep me accountable with my time to keep things orderly.

I know that this is something every mother struggles with. If this is a desire of yours, re-read the creation story and see how God pays attention to every detail. Read Genesis 2 and all the details God created in the garden of Eden. What works for us might not work for your family. Keep pressing on and find what does work, how to find order and peace in the home. It's worth it.

The New iPod Touch

Now why did they have to go and release this? 
Looks like I must not have been the only one with those suggestions.

Video calling & built-in HD video camera


For now, I'll have to ooooo and aaaaaaahh from afar!

iPod Touch Review

I love my new toy! I've had it for about 6 weeks and have learned how to navigate it.

There are so many great things about the having this iPod. I love having the internet and all my pictures at my fingertips. Just the other day I was able to show my grandmother pictures from my cousins wedding without taking along a photo album! I never had an iPod before this one, I didn't want one, ask for one, or really even know what it was. But now 6 weeks later, I'm definitely an iPod fan!

Here's what I don't like about it:

• must have internet access somewhere and own a computer (in order to use iTunes, charge it).
• need to buy a wall charger or car charger. We don't use a home computer much to charge with the USB cable. 
• must have apps installed in order to use iPod whatsoever
• battery life when playing games/apps is 2 hours =(
• Most of all, there's no camera! I take this thing with me everywhere I go. I hate lugging around my phone, camera, and iPod. Maybe I can convince Angel he needs an iPod and I can give him mine so I can get the iPhone???? It has a camera! Then I'll have to research smart phones. I really want one I can Skype from my phone/internet access. That would be the best! I don't think you can do that yet with the iPhone. 

Agua de Sandia

Here's to the little things in life you can do to show your spouse you love them.

Angel loved this. He said it was like being in love with me again for the first time. 

Thanks to this recipe, it was super easy. And delicious! 

Thanks Leslie! ;)

To Save a Buck

Shopping for school supplies can add up quickly, especially when you have more than one child. When Alisia was the only one in school, I didn't mind spending a bit more $$ for her to have the cute supplies. This year however, we went to several different stores to get the sale items then finished up at Wal-Mart, just to save some $$.

Well, the first day, Alisia made the remark "everyone has such cute designs on their notebooks." She wasn't complaining, it was just a comment, but I could tell she just wished hers had a bit more to it.

 I told her that her notebook is actually much cooler than the other ones with designs because she gets to make her own design.

So last night we went to it. I need to do a better job at printing pictures. I didn't have many recent pictures. But, she is very excited about her new notebook cover and can't wait to start using it.
She said "now I definately feel like mine is the best!" I think I might have got some "cool mom" points too!

I love how much she loves her family. I realize though, in a few years, it'll probably be full of friends instead of family pictures. That's OK too.

Is it Friday Yet?

It has been a long week!

Oh those two sure look good!


This picture is funny where Caleb's friend just walked up and smiled in our family picture on the first day of school.



This has been the loooongest week! We've been adjusting to new back-to-school schedules and getting up earlier. The kids usually are so worn out and eager for bed-time. (so am I!) I don't remember it always being this hard to adjust? I'm so ready for the weekend. I need to wash clothes, put dishes away, and catch up on everything! Now I'm looking forward to some special time with this one. I'm gonna take some vacation days just to spend time with him....

So Is This Normal?