Blog title - A little bit of a lot

Maybe blogging isn't something I am meant to do, but I want to do it.  So I keep trying. :)

With that said, there seems to be a little bit of a lot going on all the time.  Now that I have two kids to keep up with during the day, it seems like time just disappears.  Except when one of them is teething.

In the past few months, I haven't had a lot of down time but recently I had the opportunity to go on a date with my husband and friends of ours.  We had so much fun!! I finally remembered how to have an adult conversation sometime during the evening. :)  We did have to change restaurants because the storm zapped the electricity and their registers.  We ended up at one of my favorites, Olive Garden.  I love love love some Italian food!!

The mommy alone fun-time continued for me the next day at a freezer meal party. Now this may not seem like a big time to you, but think about 12 women in a room trying to measure and prepare 6 meals, at the same time!  It was a lot of fun!  It was also a great learning experience as I hope to do something like this in the future.

I have had some sewing time lately and been able to work on some new dresses for my sweetie and for my shop.  I am excited to list them once I get the pictures back from Kayla (K. Kelley Photography).  I have 5 more to test out hopefully in the next few weeks.  I am loving loving loving my serger right now.  Ask  me tomorrow and I may be mad at it. Haha  :)

I have a new Proverbs 31 Bible study I hope to start soon.  I will tell you more a little later on.  I love a good Proverbs 31 study to get me a little more focused.

Well, good night and God bless!

Lee Ann

One Thousand Gifts

I have a group of friends that are reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and I have had some emotional moments reading it so far. Oh and I am only on the second chapter, a word to live. .  and die by.  :)

In the beginning Ann has nightmares and she talks about how she feels when she wakes up.  One of the things that speak to me, is the way she says she feels other days.  She feels like a loser, mess and a failure and says this is self-hatred.  These are things I struggle with a lot.  There are days I feel like such a failure as a person, mother and wife.  A lot of it has to do with normal activities and not accomplishing them.  Anxious and afraid of failing again, she is weary to wake up and start another day.  I can identify with this!

How do we not feel "not good enough?" How do we get past the feelings of inadequacy? Where do they come from?  I think they come form Satan and he makes us focus on ourselves and the world's definition of a successful wife and mother.  But God has more planned for us.

In this chapter, Ann Voskamp takes the word eucharisteo and breaks it down to simple words that mean a lot.  This is where I have that ah-ha moment but at the same time, wonder is it really that simple?

eucharisteo - Thanksgiving
charis - grace
chara - joy

To live a life of joy and grace, we must give thanks for what is in our lives.  The good and the bad has to have thanks given for it. How do you give thanks for the bad?  In those actual bad times, how do you not stay there?

Ann Voskamp talks through her discovery process and towards the end of the chapter she talks about the 10 lepers.  Only one returned to thank Jesus for cleansing him and saving him. Jesus then tells him his faith has made him well.  This is after he has been healed from leprosy.  The word sozo comes to light as being true wellness, salvation.  His thanks gave him the door to see complete salvation.

Towards the end of the chapter Ann Voskamp talks about saying yes to God, but living the no.  How often do we do this?  I know I don't do it often enough. The living the yes part.  Too often in the heat of the moment, I don't live the yes.  I respond the wrong way.  I live the no.

How do I live the yes?  The best I can tell is to live with thanksgiving, to show grace to others.  Then I will appreciate the grace and have joy.  To live the yes every day, whether it's a day after a good nights sleep or one where you wake up at six two days in a row short on sleep.  To see what God has given me or taken away and be thankful.  Can I do this?  I don't know, but I can try.  God's grace is new everyday and I am glad because I need it!

Sorry for the random thoughts and poor writing, this post is more of a journal entry working through ideas than it is a complete thought.

Have a blessed and thankful day!

One Year of a Sweet Little Girl

Wow! People always say time flies, but you really don't know until you have a child.  Yes, it flies, but nothing like when you are watching your child grow from a small, helpless newborn to an active 12 month old on the verge of walking.  I catch myself just sitting and wondering where did time go?  I know it just gets faster so I want to make sure I soak in every moment of our precious little girl. 
Esther has such a personality and it is definitely a people-person one right now.  Everyone talks about her being such a happy baby and she is the majority of the time.  We all  have our moments.  ;)  She loves seeing people in the stores; she just smiles and talks to them.  She likes to wave bye bye or hey to people also, but it is usually after they have turned around.  When we go get the mail in the afternoons, she waves at the cars as they pass. 
Esther loves to be active and on the move.  We have so much fun watching her explore but it does come with moments of "uh-oh."  Child-proofing cabinets and moving breakables out of reach came quickly in this house. 
Food is a love hate relationship, as it is with most babies I think.  One day she will eat everything and want more, the next day, she isn't interested in anything at all.  :)  We are trying to branch out and eat more things, but sometimes it is a little hard to find dairy-free options.  Bananas are out best friend right now.  :)  Apples usually work too.
Esther loves being outside!  She will pull her carrier down and bring it to me to go outside walking and now we have a wagon she got for her birthday and she loves riding in it.  We took it to the pumpkin patch and she just sat there and looked around and had a ball.  Just don't stop before she is ready to stop, which doesn't happen!  :)
It still doesn't seem right that Esther is one year old today, but we will celebrate and have fun going to visit daddy.  Later we will have some more cake we saved from Saturday, but for now it is nap time.  Nap time is still the time where mommy nurses and rocks her sweet little girl.  She is still my little baby for a little while longer.  She will always be my baby but she won't want to be held and rocked much longer so I am going to soak up these moments and treasure them.  Later we will play and have a big time, but for now it is mommy time, I mean nap time.