Those Days

You know those days when you just can't seem to get anything done?

When you want to put some chicken in the crockpot for dinner but you have to keep running to the other end of the house to referee the kids and keep them from putting twist ties in each other's hair and wrecking each other's lego creations, then you just get back into the kitchen and remember that you need to switch the laundry, then another fight breaks out and you try for two hours to get that darn chicken into the crockpot but are STILL unsuccessful because you keep getting interrupted??
Oh, and there are no clean dishes so you have to start washing those just to clean a place on the counter so you can put the crockpot where it will reach the electrical outlet?

I am having one of those days today.
I sure can't do this mom thing on my own!

I am so thankful that I read this verse in my quiet time with the Lord this morning, because I desperately do need HIM:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:5,6

I need God's direction today so I don't go crazy with stress and impatience! My path today has been erratic and twisty and full of stress, just trying to get through the day. Nothing super important has happened, yet the day has just been really hard!
It's amazing how when we take our eyes off of our problems (however big or small they may seem or actually be) and put our eyes on Jesus, what a peace He gives us and our paths just seem to straighten out and slow down. When we rest in God, everything falls into place because we let Him do His job, instead of us trying to do it for him.

If you're having a bad day, or overwhelmed with problems, just take a few minutes to fix your eyes on Jesus, and remember that He died on the cross for your sins and rose again for YOU, and that if you let Him, he will make your paths straight, no matter how crooked they may be. It kinda puts things in perspective.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted."
Hebrews 12: 3,4

I feel so much more peaceful after taking some time to ponder and surrender my day to God.
Oh, and I did finally get my chicken in the crockpot. :)

Change Is A Comin'....

Things have been a little crazy around here (or a LOT crazy)

Because...

We're moving!

In two weeks.

Clear across the country, to Washington State.

It's a long story but basically, we're losing our home here in Tennessee and moving to Washington to live with my parents in their big house out in the country.

 I feel like I have to add that we'll be paying them rent and getting jobs, we won't just be bumming around. :)


Please don't feel sorry that we're losing our house.
We know this is what God wants- He orchestrated the whole thing.
He gives and takes away, and we know that this is Him taking (a big) something away for us to purify us from our attachment to worldly goods and comforts. Honestly, it's been really freeing.

Okay so here's the scoop because I know you have questions so I'll try to answer some of them:

We are WAY underwater on our house (a.k.a. owe more than we could sell it for) and couldn't sell it if we tried (and we wanted to in the spring!)
But we just accepted the fact back in April that we couldn't sell or rent our house and were planning to live here for who knows how long and then...
God opened a door.
A big one.
Not the one we expected, not the easiest one to go through, our pride (and credit) has taken a hit for sure!
But the right door.
So we're walking through it.

We got behind on our mortgage and were frantically praying for God to provide, and he said, "No."
He has something better for us in Washington, and I'm so thankful that even though it's been a hard process, I've had such a peace about the whole thing.
I know He's got us. So I don't have to worry about anything. (which is hard, because worrying is kinda one of my favorite pastimes.) But I really feel at peace now. It's wonderful.

We've sold almost all of our "stuff" and are planning to drive across the country on a 5 day road trip with whatever we can fit in our trusty little Toyota Corolla, along with our two kids and dog Lucy AND our kitten, Baby Kitty.

We. Are. Crazy.  Who brings a kitten cross country? We do.
Also: who names a kitten "Baby Kitty"? We do. Original, right??

ANyway.
I'm so looking forward to my parents being able to see the kids (every day!) and for the kids to get a rural upbringing without gunshots in the night and drug deals on the corner.

Yep. That really happens where we live now.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the rednecks that live behind us that blast their country music and ride their go-carts around their back yard ALL DAY LONG and blow dust all over my clean laundry hanging on the line...

Then there are the things that we'll miss here like our dear, dear friends; going running along the Mississippi, the fun free events that are available in the city and just the pretty leafy trees and the cicadas humming and the fireflies twinkling in the twilight.


Instead, we get to wake up and look out at fog-covered cow fields and run around in a huge yard and see bald eagles on a regular basis flying over the blue, blue ocean and not have to worry about getting obliterated by a tornado.
We're going to be right near the beach so we're really excited about building sand castles and taking nature walks and just enjoying the things in life that matter-God and family and being outside with each other, enjoying God's creation together.

Please pray for us, that we wouldn't go insane on the trip and that we'd get there safely.
My blog posting may be a bit spotty here in the next few weeks but I promise you I'm taking a TON of pictures on our trip across this beautiful country. I can't wait!

Beauty

Here is a post from my first blog I started (and stopped posting on last year because I started Sweet Swan Songs, and I liked it a lot better.)
I am going to be sharing the posts from my first blog here in the next few weeks, because I think they are relevant and I want to transfer them over to this blog. So, if you've read these posts, sorry! But in most cases, it's been a year since I posted them, so here is a fresh look at some of my thoughts from the past year.
This was written last summer. I'm about to plant the same kinds of flowers this year, and am looking forward to them looking as beautiful as they did last year!

Some thoughts on..Beauty.


My flowers are finally blooming!

Remember way back in the springtime when I said I'd take pictures of my flowers when they stopped looking like sticks and dirt?
Well, the ones that looked like sticks never really did anything except die. (mental note: do not buy flowers from root stock. None of the ones I planted this year came up! )
Thankfully,  my bulbs and seeds did decide to emerge from the soil and now I have lovely, lovely Zinnias and Dahlias and Sunflowers and Marigolds.