Heads up...

Coming at you with a new hair color....yikes. Went a bit bold. Just wanting to spare you the shock (and me the shocked looks!) when you see me next.

In other news:

13 yo decided to record himself reading some books to make CDs for the kids to listen to on our trip to NM...all on his own. I can hear him reading them downstairs as the kids sit around him attentively listening. An act of true brotherly love. My heart is soaring. It's funny how this thing called motherhood can be such a rollercoaster ride. This morning my heart was not soaring...it was seething. Disrespect from every angle, every age group. And mostly because I lack the confidence in my decisions as a mom at times to be the strong boundary they need to see in order to know I mean business and they should walk away quietly. Reading her blog I would think she has read my mind...don't you just love her? I sure do!

My product review...a day late...

Ode to the Crockpot

Oh, the joy that can be found

Inside the steamy round

Pot of stewing, bubbling goodness.

All day aroma we savor

Anticipating the heavenly flavor of

One dish, and so little mess!

Split Pea Soup is bubbling away in the crock pot as I write. I love cooking in that thing. The flavor of the food is so good, and I love not having to rush around cooking in the evening time when toddlers and preschoolers are cranky! The aroma makes your house feel homey...it's a great way to use up leftovers...it's convenient for cooking when I can't be home...what a great invention! I have cooked baked potatoes in it, as well as enchiladas, soups, stews and chili. It's great for cooking up chicken to use in enchiladas and such, and then you can use the broth to make soup or stew!

Putting things in order...

"Drop thy still dews of quietness

Till all our strivings cease.

Take from our souls the strain and stress,

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace."

John Greenleaf Whittier

In the book Let Me Be a Woman, Elisabeth Elliot says "The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on all speak loudly about what you believe. 'The beauty of Thy peace' shines forth in an ordered life."

That's probably why we feel so much better in a tidy atmosphere. There's peace there.

We could use a little more order around here. And I'm not just talking cluttered closets, though they could use a little order, too. Order speaks of things in their proper places...and I'm thinking the attitudes in this humble abode need a bit of a realignment.

Starting with me.

I'll just pick up that self pity over there and throw it in the trash. Then I'll toss those dirty old complaints and grumbles into the washer and add a bit of All (you know, cast All your troubles on Him, for He cares for you...) Those distractions scattered across the floor can be put back on their proper shelves, and I'll clean out that junk drawer full of offenses.

There, that's better.

Now, to tackle those closets.....

Safe in Him

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe."
Proverbs 18:10

Safe from worry. Safe from fear. Safe from accusation and condemnation and misrepresentation. Safe from the enemy. Safe from myself. Safe from the storm. As I call on the name of the Lord... As I hide under the shadow of His wing, I am safe. And His strength is my strength. I'm amazed by the peace I can have (for it is a choice) in the middle of the storm. I'm surprised by prayers answered and miraculous provision. But if I truly believe His word, none of this should surprise me. He is my Defender. My Provider. My Liberator. My Peace.

I'm running into that tower. There's safety in there.

the proof....

Just in case you can't quite picture me dune jumping....I wrote in an earlier post that one of my favorite places to visit is White Sands National Monument in Alomogordo, NM. This is a pic of Andrew, Jon, Emma, nephew Sep, and myself jumping off the edge of a dune. Ken was sitting about 1/3 of the way down the dune to get this shot. Daniel was just a baby then, so the year was 2005. Isn't that a great shot? (Just don't look too closely at the nicely rounded just-had-a-baby body of mine!)