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I've recently gotten some

FABULOUS, FANTASTIC, FANTABULOUS

news from the doctor!

Read all about it here.

Perspective

Sometimes life gets so overwhelming that you need to stop.
Take a deep breath. Step back from the chaos.
And then change your perspective.
If the big picture is more than you can handle,
then maybe just concentrate on the beauty of some details.

Assurance

(Photo taken by Aaron)

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Bonding

Seeing my men laughing together
always brings a smile to my face.

(Excuse my finger which made an impromptu appearance in the second pic.)

Small Steps Toward Stupid

This is a shout-out to a post that I read today from someone else's blog. It's something that I can totally relate to - I'm pretty sure we all can. It's actually something I've been thinking about lately in my own life. Check out Jon's insight on "Discounting our small steps toward stupid" here. He explains the topic so much better than I could ever. For a little info on this guy, this blog is being turned into a book, being published by Zondervan - coming out later this year, I think.

My own small steps toward stupid include:

Eating constantly. This doesn't mean that my actual food intake necessarily increases (though sometimes it does), it's just that I'm constantly munching. I try to fill any void in my life, or concern, or stress ... with food. It's a bad habit that started when I was a pre-teen. This is one small step that actually happened when I was pregnant with Harrison, and I lost weight during that time. My concern was how out-of-shape (read: sick) I felt. And it's started up again lately over a stress/concern that's going on in our life. But this time I'm not losing weight.

Cursing in my mind. I've never been a big curser. When I was growing up I was punished for even saying "darn" or "heck" because they were substitutes for worse words. But I find each time I start slacking on my alone time with God, the first indicator I have is that curse words start to pop up in my mind. I rarely verbalize them. But when I stub my toe, or someone cuts me off in traffic I hear the words in my head.

The quality of tv/movies I watch. Generally my tv (if turned on at all) is on a cartoon channel. But on the rare chance that it's my turn to pick the channel, it's generally HGTV or FoodNetwork. But when I'm starting to take steps toward stupid, I find that I watch more trash - murder/crime shows, rated R movies, etc. When I'm where I should be spiritually, those types of shows/movies simply bore me.

So, now you know some of my steps toward stupid. So, if you notice that I'm starting to walk in that direction, please point it out to me. Often it's easier to brush it aside if no one but me notices, or comments on it.

What are some of your steps?

Productivity

I've had a productive past week and a half.
I have crossed 86 things off my massive to do list.
(And no - brushing my teeth was not on the list!)

The past three days I've been side tracked from my list.
Harrison is sick and has been held almost constantly.
It's a good priority - just not so productive.

Only 18 items remain on my list.
Six of them have been started - just aren't finished yet.
Hopefully by the end of next week, my list will look like this:
More realistically - I'll probably just have a new list to start on.
But today - I'm grateful for...

PRODUCTIVITY!

The Red Monster - ATV

Question - how many guys does it take to put a helmet on a 12 year old?
Yeah baby!
Getting used to how it rides.
Alex is nervous around noisy things, so he watched from the safety of the steps and Grandpa's arms.
Aaron got a short turn - after all it wasn't his birthday.

And since he bought it, Field got a short turn too.

After about an hour, Alex was finally brave enough to give it a try. Josh was an excellent big cousin - took it nice and slow.

Before we left for the long drive home,
Josh kicked up some dust.

One final look - isn't she a beaut!?!

Josh Turns 12

Several weeks ago our nephew turned 12 - and of course there was a party to celebrate. I had forgotten how old 12 is ... until he walked in and we all yelled "surprise" ... and he spoke. It's amazing how quickly the male voice can change! Here are some highlights from the celebration.


Seeing how strong Alex is. Wow - what huge muscles - he's strong enough to pick up Josh! ^_^
Finally it was time to open gifts - which of course included a million dollar bill. Excuse Uncle Aaron's hand swooping in to grab it "for safe keeping" until it was time to pay for college.
Safety first! Our gift was a helmet, 'cause we've heard he's been riding a friend's ATV without one. Or at least, that was the cover story. The real reason came later.
The boys went on a scavenger hunt to find the big gift - the one from his Dad.
More scavenging...
And finally the big reveal - a four wheeler of his own! And boy, was he ever psyched!
Finally he was convinced to come inside long enough for cake and ice cream...
...And a song.
But then everyone went back out to play with the new toy. Pics and videos of that to come later.

Shushing that Voice

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

(Taken from Proverbs 31)

That is a LOT to try to live up to! I've had a VERY productive four days in a row. God has blessed me with the stamina to tackle project after project after project. ..... But - I still hear that voice inside saying "You're not good enough. You aren't earning your keep as a stay-at-home mom. Your children and husband aren't having their needs met. Stepping up to the plate and accomplishing the massive to do list is a stupid accomplishment. It's not enough. You're. Not. Enough."

Sixteen months ago I was in heart failure and couldn't stand up. Sixteen months ago a machine even had to breathe for me. God has given me the energy this past week to do massive amounts of physical work while caring for my two active youngsters at the same time. I refuse to listen to the negative thoughts that are in my mind any longer.

This post isn't really for you. It's for me. It's a reminder that tonight I've told Satan to shut up. I'm taking "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5b). I am not enough - but HE is. And that's all that counts.

A reminder...

My future sister-in-law found (and bought) this recently.
I think it's wonderful.

M - I - A

I know it hasn't been even a week since my last post, but I feel like I've abandoned you. My mind has been preoccupied lately - and not with blogging. I have a lot on my mind (nothing bad) - just a lot. And none of it is really blog-material - at least not at the moment.

I'm headed out of town in a couple days - have an appointment with my Pulmonologist in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Also will have a right heart cath done that day, and do a 6 minute walk test. Maybe I'll get some good news. Here's hoping, anyway.

See you on the flip side, if not before.....