the stand.

here’s a video to watch…more importantly, to listen to.  the words are powerful, and convict me all the time.  sometimes its easy to think this life is all about this life.  the here and now.  and things can be overwhelming.  however, sometimes i need to be reminded that we are part of a bigger picture.  God, the creator of the universe LOVES us, cares for the details of our lives, and sent Jesus to die so that i don’t have to.  no matter how crappy i am.  his righteousness becomes mine. 
i have to recommit to this all the time…to giving my life to Him.  its not about me.  its about Him.  

Check out this video: The Stand

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whoa!

wow! i haven’t been online FOREVER it seems!  now i’m just checking my email, blogs, facebook, etc….
we were staying at my mom and dad’s for a while, while they were up at the cottage.  it was SO nice to have some more space!  what a treat it was.    the kids were happy (and therefore, so were we!) … they slept great, played great, etc….

now i have my computer hooked up to the internet again, but alas, TOMORROW WE LEAVE FOR TEXAS FOR 12 (count ‘em!) days! 

we are excited! 

i’ll be online there however, so i’ll spread the texas love. 

ok, for fun….check out this website.  you can draw a crazy mustache on any picture, and make it grow, cut it, etc….AND THEN! you can send it to someone and it will TALK…the mouth moves and everything.  just sayin’, if you’re bored.  

i’ll try and post some more later today when i get a chance!  if not, i will see you from the deep-south!

i heart vinegar dot com.

                                                          

dot com? 
that’s just a little thing that jer and i do.  heh.  we’re geeky like that. 
we add “dot com” to the end of things sometimes…..  take for example the other day.  jeremy opened the fridge.  chuckled a bit and closed the door.  i said, “what’s so funny?!?!”  he gives me a funny look and says, “why my fridge stinks dot com”  hahahahah very funny, right?  yeah.
i try to clean my fridge regularly, but sometimes it does get away on me. especially in these summer months full of fresh and abundant produce….someone please tell me you know what i am talking about…. puh-lease.  ???  

but i digress….this post is actually about vinegar and the love i have for it, not my dirty appliances.

so, being a mom, and ever concerned with the welfare of my family, i recently decided to get rid of all my regular cleaners, which are full of toxic things.  i was using spray cleaner to clean counters, baby seats, tables, etc…
you know how those grubby cute little fingers get all OVER the place, well, so…the cleaner was being used FREQUENTLY…
so, i got rid of that stuff, and replaced it with straight white vinegar in spray bottles.  I.AM.IN.LOVE.WITH.IT.  yes.. it cleans like a charm, while disinfecting! and the greatest thing about it is that the kids can help you clean.  heck, they could actually drink the whole bottle of cleaner and live to tell about it.  (let’s just say, i hope that never happens or we are gonna have a whole lotta acid reflux goin’ on…if you know what i mean!)

ok, so, the smell.  seems these days people don’t want to give up the smell of cleaners for the oh-so-delightful smell of vinegar wafting though the house.  i just like to think of french fries on the beach.  heh. that helps. 

you get used to it…in fact just tonight jeremy was eating some salt and vingar chips, and said, “hmm…these taste like cleaner!”….see?  its growing on us.  (he was joking.)

no, but seriously…. the smell dissipates quickly…and if you read up on it, you will find that vinegar is actually like baking soda in that it absorbs other odors. 
AND!  if you mix it with a bit of olive oil, it makes a GREAT wood cleaner/polish! i’m not joking!

well, i could go on about the virtues of this delightful substance (and there are a lot of virtues), but you can check them out yourself at this link here.   they even have daily vinegar tips! funtimes!

and so…maybe next time i will focus on my other love:  baking soda.

(ok, love is a STRONG word, but you get my drift.)

happy cleaning! 

sugar high…

as if he doesn’t already have an over-abundant supply of energy, Joshijah thought he would take a great opportunity to ingest some large amounts of sugar while i was on the phone.  yes, this was an official government phone call, not just chit-chat.  i was pleased with what i thought  was good behavior in the other room.  odd, i thought, because normally as soon as i pick up the phone, things get wild.  (weird…does this happen to anyone else??) 

anyways, as i was saying…i was glad he was so quiet, playing so nicely while i was on the phone….
upon entering the living room several minutes later, i see that joshijah has happened upon the brown sugar canister, has his paws hands right in the jar and is shoveling it into his mouth.  i also notice that it is sprinkled all over the carpet, the couch, the coffee table, and is working its way into every crevice in the house.

and i found poop on the floor to boot.  *sigh* 
toilet training. yes.  
neverending joy and bliss.  *smile* 

so simple…but easy to forget

so many things in the christian life don’t really make “sense” to the rational mind.  it’s one of the things i love about God.  when something seems impossible,  its not. 

so simple…but so easy to forget.

today i was reminded again how praising Him actually sets us free.  when we take our eyes off of ourselves long enough to worship God, it brings such a release.  joy. freedom. all things good. 
our perspective can be changed almost instantly, and life can seem so different all of a sudden.

i experienced this today, as i have so many times.  its been a quiet, rainy day here.  i was SOOOO tired today (yeah, another bunch of punks woke me up last night from 3:30-4:00 am….grrr…!) anyway….that’s besides the point.  i was tired, feeling…well,….just “meh”….you know…and i put on this cd. 
wow.  what a difference.  God is good.  we need to worship him because he is so good and so loving and so faithful…. 
i LOVE this verse. 

you have to love this amazing God we serve. 

btw:  if you haven’t heard the hillsong united “united we stand” cd, give it a listen, or just go ahead and buy it.    its really great.  anointed.   

a few things today

hmmm….so today:

1) joshijah peed on the toilet all on his own…got the stool, the kiddie seat, said, “i hafta pee”, and went!

2) he also fell head first into my parents pool.  janna and i bravely saved him!  no, but seriously…scary!  what was 3 seconds felt like 3 minutes.  however, he didn’t even cry!   big boy. 

3) i was noticing how “sty”-lish our place is.  yeah.  its pretty messy.   argh!   (who feels like cleaning when you can be playing outside in the summer sun?) 

ok, gotta get the kids to bed. 
phew.  2 posts in one day!  good for me!

***edited later to add:***

4) realized tonight just how much of a spider chicken i really am.  i disturbed a spider unknowingly behind the counter.  he ran out, and i whisper-yelped, “oh! oh! oh!”..and ran around the kitchen wringing my hands…then i paced the whole place for about 3 minutes, staring at the area….and i totally had goosebumps.  hmm…weird. heh.

taking stock.

i believe one of the most important things that we, as humans, need to be continually doing is taking stock of our lives:   

what areas of my character need to be changed? 
in what areas have i grown and changed? 
what are the things that i struggle with the most?
what can i do about these things? 
what are my strengths?
what are my weaknesses?
etc….

well, i try to always be aware of my issues…sometimes i think i am almost TOO aware…and i can get down on myself pretty aggressively.  been feeling that pretty strong lately, and have been wondering why.
i think its because spiritually i have been dry.
not because i want to, and not because i feel any differently toward the Lord.  i still believe as much as i ever have and still love God immensely. 
but there’s dryness, and i long for a long, cool drink of the presence of God.  not a one time drink, but a daily drinking.  a daily thirst-quenching. 
i heard a teacher one speaking about how nature often mimics what is happening in the spiritual.    turns out he may be right…at least in my case.   we’ve been in drought here too….they keep forcasting rain, and yet we receive none.  well, minor sprinklings, but none to speak of.   feels the same in my own walk. 
but, trust me, its not for lack of want. 
i feel like its for lack of …..energy, maybe?  or peace and quiet?  i don’t know.  
all i know is i need to feel like i’m connected again.  i need to be able to spend quality time listening to the voice of God, receiving from him, and ministering to Him. 
to not do so is to not truly live. 

my heart’s desire is to find rest within the shadow of His wings.  i don’t doubt that its there and available to me…i am just having a hard time finding that “secret place” lately.  
i miss it.
 

the weekend in review:

well this is by no means an exhaustive review of our weekend, just a few things that i actually remembered to snap with the camera.

tiny.sweet.organic strawberries on the porch
(oh and peanut butter and honey sannies too!)

organic produce from a co-op i joined. 
(every 2 weeks we get a bag of locally grown, organic produce…at first, there wasn’t much, but as the season goes on, the yields are getting bigger and better.  yummy!…and yes..those are my toes.)

  peas on the porch:
 
 

one of the MANY reasons i love my husband!

joshijah sporting his new tool belt:  what a big guy.
(this is the face he makes when you ask him to smile.  he’s REALLY trying!!)

Me and May-May:
(this is a sling i made several months ago…an old (but very cool) sheet, with some folding and a knot.  works great, was SUPER cheap, and i get LOTS of comments on it wherever i go!)

little boy blue:
(yep, we are a fully croc-ed out family now.   heh!)

welcome to the world, beautiful boy…

A big welcome to the newest member of our family!

Jeremy’s sister Sarah and her husband Evan are the newest proud parents of Gabe.  He was born late last night, and is as cute as a button!
We only have one pic so far, but…….{{{{drumroll}}}}  here he is!!:

CONGRATULATIONS SARAH AND EVAN!!!

and how cool that he was born on his nana’s birthday!  very special indeed!

we wish we could be there with ya’ll!!!!!!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

***note:  Another contest by Steph at Adventures in Babywearing.  A cool new sling (actually, a podonbutai) made by Jen at All Natural Mommies. 
yes…i.am.still.trying.to.win.a.sling.  

new obsession.

ok, maybe not obsession, but seriously people, have you watched “THE OFFICE”???
it is likely the funniest tv show eva!

we’ve been watching old episodes back-to-back-to-back…and we have not laughed this hard in a loooooong time.  such a great cathartic release. 
oh fun!   dwight schrute is so cool.