So not there yet.....

As I was driving Daria to her piano lessons this morning, I was listening to a radio station that plays a lot of praise music. I've been waiting for days for them to play a song that I have just been needing to hear again, so I've been listening to that station faithfully any time I am in the van.

This morning, as we were driving, I had the volume down low as Daria and I were conversing. During a quiet point of the conversation, I thought that I heard a Christmas song. I turned it up, and sure enough it was a Christmas song. Okay...I thought....one Christmas song, I can handle that. Then a couple of minutes later....they were playing another. What????

Today is Halloween. We still have Thanksgiving to conquer before I really feel like Christmas season is here. This is just ridiculous. I am so not ready for the Christmas season. Can't we celebrate being Thankful first????

Wow.

Repeat of Last Friday

Here it is 7:15 on a Friday morning. My kids don't have school. We have an insanely long day filled with way too many activities....and candy....and my boys have been up since 7:00. They are in their rooms at least....but they are up and feisty. I was hoping they would sleep longer today so that we wouldn't kill each other.

Here is our day:

9:00: Daria's piano lesson
10:20-11:40: Parent/Teacher Conferences (they'll have to entertain themselves while I visit with teachers)
2:00-4:00: Halloween Party at a Friends House (The Kids)/Decorating for Trunk or Treat (Me)
4:30 to 6:00: Back to church to finish Trunk or Treat set up
6:00 to 8:30: TRUNK OR TREAT!!
8:30 to Whenever-We're-Done: Cleanup for Trunk or Treat

Long day. Potential for a lot of stress and nasty words. Yesterday afternoon/evening was not pretty. Kids and Mom were crabby. I am not sure I can handle a repeat of yesterday.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

• Caden receiving a Character Award for the month of October. So proud.

• For the opportunity to help at the Harvest Festival at the kids' school today. It was a lot of fun.
  

• For my friend, Julie, who is also our church secretary. Her help and support in so many ways has been a blessing to me.
  

Short, sweet and to the point. Have a happy and thankful Thursday.

Clinging to Promises

Trusting God and His timing is difficult sometimes. Especially when something is pressing so hard on my heart and mind that I almost feel like I can't breathe sometimes. I'm not very good at this "hope deferred" business....or at least glimmers of hope that get squashed by incoming doubts. Makes me so weary.

My precious Luke has stretched my faith probably more than any other event in my life. He has also increased my joy as well, too. Right now, he is stretching my faith. God has given me some promises for Luke and I am clinging to them with all that I'm worth. I'm trusting that God will do His thing in His time.....but I'd sure wish that He would hurry along.

Shortly after Luke was born, God gave me this verse for Luke:

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Because of this verse, I truly believe that God has great things in mind for Luke someday. I am so glad that I've got a front row seat to see what He's gonna do.

Even though that is a wonderful promise, full of hope, Luke hasn't quite obtained the fullness of that verse. Right now, there is an issue that I'm really having to use every ounce of faith I have in order to keep myself together. As my heart has been struggling with it, God gave me another promise.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." Galations 6:9

Do not give up. (sigh) It isn't a promise for a quick response. I must persevere. But I sure am looking forward to the harvest.

To God will be the Glory.

I love Mondays.

I never thought that I would get to a point where I would proclaim that I love Mondays. Oh...but right now.....I absolutely adore Mondays. In particular....I love Monday mornings!

Monday mornings are my only "free" morning of my entire week. The kids have gone back to school after a busy weekend. The house is quiet. I can eat my breakfast without interruptions. I can check my email and read the paper. I don't even have any places that I have to go to or people I need to see, unless I want to. Monday mornings can be so peaceful. I really love them.

Today, I have taken time to read the paper, check my Facebook account, send some emails, and listen to Awesome God like two dozen times. I feel like I could almost take on the world! Now, I am going to go out there and tackle some errands for Trunk or Treat night while I have no little beggars to mess up my plans. (Gotta love the little monkeys!)

Have I mentioned that I love Monday mornings?

Why is it?

Why is it on the days we have obligations and must get up early, I have to shake my kids, drag them out of bed, and prop them in the corner to get them dressed?

BUT......

On the days where we have no obligations and they can sleep in as late as they want, they wake up at the same time as the other days? Not only that...but they are UP and playing and yelling and having a great time?

I was hoping for a sleep-in kind of day today. No such luck.

Taking a Moment to be Thankful

I feel like I can breathe. The load of the week has come and gone....and I can breathe. Must mean that it is time to be thankful....for God is good.

This week, I am thankful for:

• The beautiful, glorious, heavenly, fabulous, gorgeous.....fall weather we have had this week. Even though it has still been chilly at soccer practice, it has still been so glorious to sit there with beautiful, blue skies overhead. The forecast looks like we should end soccer season with beautiful weather.
  

• Speaking of soccer.....OUTDOOR SOCCER SEASON FINISHES THIS WEEKEND!! No more 8 practices a week. No more 4 soccer games a week. No more sitting in the cold and rain...though rain hasn't been too much of a factor this season. Woo hoo. No more packing dinners because we get home too late. We might actually get to have dinners like a real family now. Praying that our schedule will now become more bearable....breathing room at least.
  

• My Moms In Touch friends. I am so thankful for them. How can I even begin to express how thankful I am for them? They stand with me through the best of times and the worst of times. When I feel like I can no longer pray, I know that they are there praying for me. They remind me of God's faithfulness when I forget. They are such a blessing in my life. I'm not sure that I could survive without their faithful presence in my life.
  

• My beautifully painted house. Just to look around at the beautiful new colors in my house has spoken peace to me this week. Beauty seems to do that.
  

• For Luke's teacher. For her confidence, for her patience, for her wisdom and direction. She has a faith that fills my heart with joy. She is another blessing in my life.