Friday, April 23, 2010

ambitious

Exercise and remodelling. Getting in shape and landscaping. Planning Spring and summer visits and vacations and finishing up homeschooling. Blogging and reading more. Sleeping less and eating right...

Am I alone in my multi-tasking binges? Are my lofty intentions too high? Planning. Planning. Planning. Planning.

Spring brings on the go-&-get-em energy I suppose.


Here are a couple of our Spring caused aspirations:

We are planning on remodelling the front entry of our house along with updating the landscaping this Spring. We will keep looks in mind as we go about the process as our 1938 house is due for a more contemporary front entrance but the major factor behind this remodel is to keep water from invading our basement.

When it pours cats and dogs, I mean drenching rain, the kind of rain that comes down so hard on the windshield that you can't get the wipers to wipe fast enough to see through it kind of rain; the street drain just off the corner curb of our yard can't handle the huge amounts of water and it backs way up into our front yard, bubbling over, sending hoards of dirty H2O rushing towards our foundation, reeking havoc on our nerves and our house!

We are determined to come up with a solution, whether or not the city will help us out with the project. After all it is their drain, right?
This type of rainfall only happens once or so every twelve months if at all in any given year. But when it rains, it pours if you know what I mean.



I have also been running my Fanny off this spring! Starting in February my long-time friend, Jenn (fellow mother to many small children) and I decided to start the 'Couch to 5k' program and have made it feasible by coop-babysitting each other's kids. We have been meeting up twice a week for our running escapades. We take turns hauling our kids to each others house and then take turns once again running our program while the other watches ALL of the kiddos.

Kudos to my dear friend Jenn because hey, what's 3 more on top of my five for me to keep track of, BUT 5 more on top of her three? Well, amazingly she handles it like a pro!

We finished that program with flying colors in 10 weeks and have been training for an 8k since then. We have both conquered running 3 miles and running them faster than a 10 minute a mile pace. YAY! In fact just today I ran 3.5 miles in 30 minutes! That's a split time of 8 minutes and 30 seconds a mile!

I recently ran 4.5 miles in 40 minutes... STRAIGHT, BABY! Just to give you an idea of how out of running shape I was, I hadn't put on my dusty running shoes for any amount of dedicated time for, Oh... about 10 years or make that HIGH SCHOOL. I know. Too, too long. I've been pregnant, breastfeeding, overweight, depressed, busy, working, otherwise occupied, lacking prioritisation and many other excuses I'm not remembering at the moment. I look back to February of this year and think about how stinking hard it was to run for a minute straight and I am amazed at how quickly hard work and dedication pays off! We've been hurt, our knees have killed us periodically, we've been tired (as mothers often tend to be) we've been sick, our kids have been sick, it's been raining out and we have STILL pushed through and are better because of it. It just feels good to have something to be working towards.

Jenn and I are excited and nervous at the same time to be signed up for a 5k race this May. It's the shortest runner's race out there but it's a start and who knows... maybe a full blown marathon isn't that far out of our adventurous reach.

A heartfelt thank you to my dear running partner, fellow mother and sister in Christ, Jenn.


I couldn't have done it without you!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

not so little

My baby is not so little anymore. That makes me slightly sad. Momentarily. Then I move past the melancholy and enjoy the moment. This dear precious present season of life.

She is growing like all kids do. FAST!

My fifth blessing is not only crawling but now pulling up to standing on everything and all moments of the day. And she's quite tickled pink about it!


She is 10 months old now.

Loves to suck her pointer finger.

Eats banana just about every meal.

Is very impatient.

We love her dearly.

"Hi", "dada" and a string of unpronounceable, non-understandable words are all a part of her vocabulary these days.

We call her our little 'organic' baby, baby girl, and ella bean.

She's her mama's girl.

From completely breastfed for her first 7 months of life to solely on the bottle as of a week ago it has been a long transition.

Mama has had a harder time with that transition, I believe.




This little girl is gem in my crown. Gleaming brightly, beautifying my days and filling an otherwise vacant hole of unwitted loneliness.


What a blessing you are little girl!

You complete our family.


We thank the Lord for you always.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Of which I rant and rave

Oh, how prideful I am!
How often I seek recognition from marred humans or to be applauded for my earthly good fortune from sinners!
Am I so much different from anyone else? Does everyone tend to think they have the best of things, the hardest of situations or the strongest of honest and true love?
I think we are all more alike than we would venture to honestly say.
Oh, how lovely a hug in private company.
Or exchanging of secret handmade love notes.
How delicate a whispered adoration;
or the look of pleasure and longing in a loved one's eyes.
What has happened to our display of affection? Has it become only for show?
As if we have to prove ourselves or our worth to others!
Those pleasant gifts done in intimate secrecy are far more precious to me than a thousand "I love yous" plastered on a billboard for the world to see.
For it was done not for satisfaction, applause from others or a pat on the back (or a "like" from facebook "friends")
but humbly done by my loved one for me in the view of our Maker only and for far greater rewards from above.
Let's not flaunt love and make it cheap, ordinary and for show!
How lovely the bond strong enough between two individuals to be steadfast in motion, secure in foundation, holding strong to character, with not the slightest needy of notions, the silly urgency to be reassured every moment, or the weak wavering of faith in what has already been expressed and needing proof to feel it again. How tiring the act of being swayed like a tree in the wind, giving into every insecure whim.
Let's believe. Have faith. Hold onto. Live. Cherish. Love. Protect.
True love needs no affirmation. It just is. It just is. True love is steadfast and immovable. It isn't fed by "need", selfishness or proof.
When life becomes a show, anything real slowly ceases to exist. And the perception and definition between the two becomes obscure. It is sad to be witness to such things... it makes me long for passage back to simpler times-or to be able to fly ahead to heaven's waiting arms. To leave these worldly struggles in the dust and be thrust ahead into perfection.
Privacy is still needed and the protection of it, so crucial.
Show love off? No! Flaunt it? No, I say again.
Love each other. Sacrifice pride. Share hearts in a personal and intimate way! Find true identity in Christ and Him alone!
I am content in pleasing His and my lovers eyes alone! Not in parading my every blessing and good fortune in life and love for all to see.
This is why I tend to abhor facebook, which is the biggest culprit of all in this!! It becomes seemingly a game, a competition of sorts, a SHOW.
How silly!
I take pride in Christ; I stand firm in Him. I find my complete worth in HIM.
For in the end, recognition and satisfaction, through the blood of Christ, in the eyes of our Lord God, is all that will matter... and everything else was just for show.
Yes, we are all the same. We're all imperfect humans. We all long to be seen. For other's to know we're loved and adored. We ALL are. We all have good things, bad things and all that there is in between. This I know: Jesus loves us all specifically and individually. I'm so thankful for my intimate Savior and the selfless gift of love He's bestowed on each of us.
Change my heart, O God.
Lord, I find my worth in you today!
I'm so thankful for your perfect love.
I'm so sorry if this resembles a ranting rave, but this is my blog for Pete's sake and I did give myself permission first. {smile}

A devotional review

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Among others, I am reading through this riveting little devotional this year-A Gentle Spirit compiled by Ashleigh Bryce Clayton. It is a GREAT book with a diversity of reminders for your Christian walk as a woman. It's chock-full of stories from fellow sisters in Christ such as Amy Carmichael, Joni Eareckson Tada, Corrie ten Boom, Stormie Omartian and many many more, plus daily verses from the Bible, excerpts from biographies and books both classic and contemporary... every time I pick up this devotional it blesses my heart to see into other women's lives and the lessons they have learned, the hardships they have lived through. They share ways to live out practically, the truths from God's Word. It's convicting and encouraging at the same time.
A handy plus is that each page is dated! I absolutely LOVE the journaling aspect of this devotional as well. On each and every page it has a section just to write down thoughts, prayers, answers to prayer, daily struggles, people in my life who need to be prayed for... whatever God speaks to me at the moment or things that are on my mind and heart. It is amazing to read back through your journal later and be blessed ALL over again as you see God's sovereignty and grace was working in those areas of your life; answers to prayer. Growth. Maturity. A change of heart. Lessons learned. Peace found. A season passed. Praise. A thankful heart. Forgiveness. A promise kept. A gentle spirit.

It's a great devotional along side your everyday Bible study, or perfect for a quick nap-time pick-me-up halfway through your day and makes a wonderful gift!
I love it. I think you will, too!
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