The moon

At around 11:00 last night I saw a friend posted "GO LOOK AT THE MOON" on FB. I did of course, and we won't talk about why my kids were still awake at that late hour, but I took them to look with me. I would say it was maybe 20 degrees outside & we weren't wearing much in the way of clothing, but we darted in & out looking up at the sky from our backyard. My son, of course, uses this opportunity to "water the lawn" ugh.. boys.. and my daughter shrieks about the cold so I wrap her in a blanket & hold her out the back door. After we've looked at the crazy black circle around the moon we come back in and get all cozy again and I decide I will attempt to get a picture of it. My nothing fancy digital camera got this shot..


but I found this one on the net.


It's called a lunar halo and it's really cool. Hope everyone got a look at it last night. I kinda like my shot.. it made a cross in the sky and we all know that only God could make a beautiful scene like that. Thank you for the wonderous beauty you share with us Lord, it is much appreciated.

This morning I got up at 7:00 a.m. and went for a run around my neighborhood. Then I jumped in & out of the shower in 15 minutes, got dressed & was ready to begin my day! Nope, not me. I cleaned the entire house from top to bottom as well as organizing & decluttering every room I encountered. Nope, not me. I also got my kids up, got them bathed & dressed and took them for an outing in the park.. okay well maybe it's too cold for that anyway.. maybe I baked them a cake or something else those super-duper domestic goddesses do on their days off. Of course, if you know me, you know I am totally full of it. But let's pretend it wasn't me who slept in past nine and hollered at the kids to find a breakfast bar or something. It wasn't me who ate chocolate Santas for breakfast. Let's say I didn't stay in my pajamas until almost noon playing around on the computer & watching useless television. Let's all agree that I would never spend an entire day doing pretty much nothing of any value. It wasn't me who left lunch sitting out on the counter until it was time to make dinner. It wasn't me who 10 minutes into cleaning Princess' room decided I felt dizzy & had a headache & it was time for a nap! LOL. Okay so I'm enjoying my day off.. is that a crime?

Oh the things my daughter will do..

She knew this morning I was going to tell her to clean her room. It's bad.. I mean like really really bad. She had strep throat just before Christmas and we never got it cleaned up for company so we just kept the door shut over the holdiays. When I went in there yesterday I nearly fainted. It looks like a bomb went off in there. I don't even know how everything she owns ended up in the floor! So this morning before I'd had a chance to say anything, she brings me a letter in an envelope, addressed to me of course. It's covered with Hannah Montanna stickers and hearts & peace signs. I open it and it's a sweet little invitation to a play she is putting on in our living room.. which of course drags on and on til lunchtime and I have a hundred other things to tackle this afternoon. Oh well, I guess her room can be put off for another day.. lol, oh the things kids will do to get out of cleaning their room.

The big surprise

The kids have been asking for a pet for some time now. We had discussed a few different things but in the end we went with a kitten that we got from the local vet. It has been a new experience for us all. The little guy has been named Milo and is quickly becoming a part of our family. We couldn't be happier.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Santa vs. Jesus?

This holiday season I've really been contemplating the whole "Santa" thing. In the past we've always just not been a Santa household. I've never told them that Santa wasn't real, just that everyone decides for themselves what they believe in. We try to focus on the real reason for the season.. Jesus of course. This year, however, my kids seemed to take more of an interest in the Santa issue. There's been more questions about the how and why's of Santa Claus. We've met a few Santas at holiday parties and Christmas programs and noticed how some are um.. let's say "rounder: than others, lol. My sister tells my nephew that Santa is a nice Christian who goes around giving gifts in celebration of Jesus' birthday to tell them of the Good News. I like this, but my kids are old enough to know that Santa must have some kind of magical powers to be able to do this and they tend to liken him to God, which I don't like. I guess it's not any different than the tooth fairy really. As you well know, my kids definitely believe in her. I guess that one doesn't bother me because I don't feel like it's stealing God's glory like Santa or the Easter bunny, which quite conviently come on the most important Christian holidays. I guess my approach to all this is to keep pointing my kids toward Christ and downplay all the make believe business. I don't want to take the fun or magic out of their childhood, but I feel like God is miraculous enough to inspire that same kind of awe. I will say that they were very much in awe when Santa pulled them up in his lap for a picture at the Fire Department Christmas party.. and I think that's okay as long as we keep the focus on Jesus.. during the holidays.. and always.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Enough to SMILE about

Okay so we all have different parts to our lives right.. there's the spiritual part, the marriage part, the kids part, the career part, the friends part.. and I guess some ppl actually have time to have a hobby? Craziness.

So, anyway, we have all these different areas of our lives where things can go wrong and it seems that we need each one of them to be going pretty good to feel "happy" -right? If one section has become a struggle, a challenge, a battle.. it seems to somehow outweigh the good that is in all the other parts. Why is that? Should we be so absorbed by just one part? Actually we should always be completely consumed with God and our relationship with Him, so let's take that part out of the equation for now.

Why is it when we've been hurt by a friend or a family member forgot our birthday or we've had a fight with our spouse, or things've become very difficult at work, or our child is misbehaving.. (you get the idea).. things all seem to fall apart?

How can we feel so defeated when we still have so much good around us? Why do we focus on what is hard for the moment? Whatever we are facing right now we should look for ways to be thankful.. count our blessings.. be -too blessed to be stressed! It's so easy to lose perspective and let something wear us down and have it affect all the other areas of our life.. we have to fight that! And by "we" I really mean "me." I've let myself get down and lost sight of the prize to be claimed at the end of my journey. I consider that the trials I am facing are nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in me! Satan wants me to feel powerless, defeated, consumed with my struggles.. his lies invade my thoughts, my speech, my attitude.. but I can overcome them with THE TRUTH. I must seek it out and proclaim it if I hope to win. God is my hope, my strength.. my shield and HE is in control.. no matter how out of control things can seem. I know I am doing God's work.. what He has called me to do and I know that He will work all things to my good because I love him and am called according to His Purposes.. and -ABSOLUTELY- THAT IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO SMILE ABOUT!