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"...He will come to us as surely as the dawn comes.

He will come to us like rain...."

Hosea 6:3

Against such things there is no law

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Little things

I pinned this almost a year ago with the caption 'note to self'. 

At the time I had an infant and I was in the throes of the most disorienting year of my life: no longer working outside the home, missing my friends and colleagues, sleep-deprived, adjusting my expectations about life with a baby, trying to build relationships with other stay-at-home-moms, adjusting to the changes in my relationship with my husband, overwhelmed with love and adoration for my baby, and sleep-deprived, sleep-deprived, sleep-deprived. 

Even in that fog where everything was so unfamiliar, I knew this statement was true. And it helped me remember that those baby days would pass. I pinned it to remind myself to stop dwelling on the things I wanted to accomplish, and find joy in the quiet (or not-so-quiet) everyday moments with Michael. The short fuzzy hair right above his forehead. The way he cooed at us in the mornings. How it felt to hold him and nurse him to sleep. The way he grinned when Tim tossed him into the air. How he smelled like soap and baby cereal when we put him to bed at night. Even during all those months when I didn't write a single blog post, I took pictures to remind me of those precious things I wanted to remember. And I still do that, especially when the days are long and my patience runs short. 

Today I enjoyed the way he wakes up all warm and snuggly from his nap, calling for Ella. The way he devours his yogurt and dips his crackers in peanut butter. The way he tries not to smile when I take his picture. The way he holds his finger in the air and scolds Ella for barking, and how she waits patiently next to his chair, confident that the food will fall. Our routine of eating and talking, cleaning up, then running off to play again. They are little things, but they're the things I want to remember when these toddler days have passed.

~ linking up with picture me {im}perfectly and monday mom musings~

Picture me {im}perfectly

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Isn't that the truth? 

I've been reading The Happiness Project, and doing a lot of thinking about my attitude. 

What I have is so much more than enough: my precious family, a loving husband, a beautiful son, my health, their health, friends, financial stability, education, a career I love, freedom, the grace of God, assurance that I will live with Him in heaven. I consider those the "big ones", but there are thousands and thousands more that I take for granted every minute: clean water, electricity, having a car, being able to buy good food and however much we need, health care, clean clothes, having a telephone, being able to call and FaceTime with family whenever we want....

I get a little sick to my stomach when I look at the extravagant blessings God has given me and think that I would ever feel dissatisfied or ungrateful. But it happens. I struggle with contentment. So, I love that beautiful print up there, and I love these words from Matthew 5:5:

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. 

That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

(The Message translation)

~linking up with Hill at Capturing Motherhood~

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I don't have a blog post ready to go today because I'm too excited!

My niece is going to be born today!!

So I will be spending the day in prayer for my brother and his wife, and their precious little one.

And glued to my phone waiting for news and pictures.

Be back soon - to introduce you to the newest member of the family. Eeeep! xoxo

~linking up with This Kind of Love~

Picture me {im}perfectly

>:

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"She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day....

First thing in the morning she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. 

She senses the worth of her work..."

Proverbs 31

I don't know how many times I've read Proverbs 31 and marveled at the woman described there. She is everything I want to be. If I knew this woman in person I might be tempted to compare myself, and I would not be happy with the contrast. But, thankfully, I know none of us are perfect and God put this in His word because we need the inspiration. There is so much to learn here, and I'm sure I'll spend my life trying to be like this godly woman. 

Right now the passage above really speaks to me. 

Because I love to sleep. Like, really love it. Since Michael started sleeping through the night I love it more than ever. When I have a choice between an extra few minutes of sleep in the morning and...just about anything else, I choose sleep. Which isn't so terrible, but I'd like to be more 'eager to get started' in the morning. To get a little exercise. To spend some time in Bible study. A few quiet minutes with Tim before Michael is up and ready for action. 

Maybe it's time for me to start embracing the early mornings again. With eagerness.

On acceptance

I read this passage a few days ago and it was just what I needed to hear. It's been on my mind ever since, so I thought I would share it here - plain words about acceptance and minding our own business. 

Don't we all need that reminder from time to time?

¹ Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.


 ^2-4For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.


 ⁵Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.


 ^6-9What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.


 ^10-12So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:

   "As I live and breathe," God says,
      "every knee will bow before me;
   Every tongue will tell the honest truth
      that I and only I am God."

So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.


 ^13-14Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I'm convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.

Romans 14:1-14

Ancient promise

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Pinspiration

Are you on Pinterest? I am (find me here), and it has been a huge source of inspiration and fun! I love trying out the recipes and DIY projects that I pin. Some turn out to be a disappointment (like this cake), and others make me wonder how I ever lived without them! (Like this recipe for cilantro lime chicken - it is fantastic, and easy! The chicken cooks in the crock pot for six hours, then we serve it with black beans and spanish rice, and it is so, so good.) So, rather than keep them to myself, I'll be sharing some of my 'prize pins' here from time to time. 

Today I found one of my favorite pins, to date - ABC scripture cards. This one got me excited because although Michael and I read from a Bible story book every day, I am excited for him to learn real scriptures and not just the stories. This project is great, even for a very little one. There is one short scripture for each letter of the alphabet in an attractive, colorful template. 

I started by printing the scriptures onto cardstock, then laminated each page. 

Next, I trimmed the edges and cut apart the scriptures. I punched a hole in each one and put them on a ring. Easy as pie, and it took under an hour (counting the time I spent chasing my rug-rat around and pulling him down off of various furniture).

And it includes a bit of encouragement for the card-reader, too.

Now the fun part - sharing the words of life with my sweet baby :)

 (via I can teach my child)

~linking up with Jellibean Journals~

February 2 - words

Breakfast with the risen Savior, John 21. 

Maybe my favorite passage in the whole Bible.

I'm so thankful my Lord cares for me enough to watch over my soul and my stomach :)

via Jones Design Company

Wise words

spotted on good tots

Just a little applause

Remember how much I love Design Mom? Well it turns out her mom has a blog too! And she recently wrote the best post about how meaningful blogging is for moms and how it has changed motherhood in wonderful ways. I couldn't have said it better. 

Here's to all the moms out there past and present - I applaud you!!

Lay baby lay

I've only been acquainted with this blog for about 20 minutes now, but I am already obsessed. It's full of great advice (see below) and downloads, and it's gorgeous. So nice to know other women are out there learning to be mommies too - and doing it with style and grace. Enjoy!

"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God."

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." 

-Colossians 3:12

Or, as my mom would say, "Remember who you are!"

sarah abbott via design is mine

william edmonds

Happy weekend

mary ruffle via shelter