My dear children

{Love}an entirely huge understatement-> to paint.

and color for that matter

everything, without so much as the slightest exclusion of walls, doors, baseboards, tables, couches, clothing, arms, legs, faces... anything that appears to be a blank canvas, begging to be brought alive with colorful art.

Therefore making it quite the regular experience for this proud mommy to come into the room and be pleasantly surprised at their ingenuity and imagination

that keeps them busy time and time again-occupied by beautifying shoe boxes with platefuls of paint

{completely of their own accord I must add}

And waxing up mountains of papers, tubes, canisters, coloring books and cards with boxes of crayons

Making fish tanks out of cardboard after reading library books about how to care for pet goldfish

And loving it so much in fact...

they will paint anything. Anything.

Even a used apple juice jug from the trash.

And I love it.

I'm busy, Lord!

I'm busy, Lord. Surely You can see

The thousand things that wait for me!

The dishes still lie in the sink-

I cannot stop to pray and think.

Lord, I know You understand,

For You gave these children to my hand;

And now they cry and need me so,

Lord, You understand, I'd better go.

Now I've got them all to sleep,

I'd better go dust and mop and sweep.

I must thaw out the meat for stew,

And the ironing is long overdue!

And kindly my Lord answered me,

"Why do you from My presence flee?

I have so much for you today.

My child I want to hear you pray.

"I love you child; I want you here

To rest and listen-to shed a tear.

What if Paul had stopped to say,

'Lord, I'm too busy to write letters today!'?

"No, My child, I'm what you need,

Through household duties you can speed,

Yet when you're through, there's emptiness

If this quiet time you miss."

Oh, thank you, Lord for reminding me

How much I need to wait on Thee.

For what's an undone dish or two

Compared to sharing time with You?!

-Nancy Stitzel

Wordless (almost) Wednesday

Beautiful gladiolus.

Vibrant and bold!

Given by a thoughtful neighbor who noticing our mess outside,

longed to brighten and cheer up our inside.

Our house may appear to be in unsettling turmoil on the outside,

but like our hearts, is warmer, steadfast and closer knit than ever before beneath it's paint chipped walls.

We are blessed indeed!