A Child's Perspective

I was reading a book for a few minutes this afternoon ("Any Minute" by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford) and came across some words that spoke powerfully to me.

In the story, a mother & her son were rushing down a busy city street. The mother was attempting to soothe her guilt-ridden conscience by spending time with her son. In all reality, she was simply dragging him thru her own daily schedule. Let's pick the dialogue up here...

"The Chicago Board of Trade clock gawked down from the end of the street. As he watched, the clock's minute hand jerked from Roman numeral III to Roman numeral IV.

"Mom. Did you see that? Another minute just went by."

She'd been gulping her coffee in great mouthfuls, hardly stopping to swallow as they'd hurried along. Upon hearing his words, she picked up her pace.

"No, Mom," he said. "I didn't mean we were supposed to hurry up and catch it. I mean, we missed it."

So often I need to remind myself to let go of my in-order-to-be-purposeful-I-must-be-running-helter-skelter mindset & simply spend time with my son. Though I love him to pieces, this does NOT come naturally to me...but I am trying.

This week we've spent extra time outside. Every morning we have rocked & read books, a whole PILE of books. Our usual 2-minute walk into the YMCA (me walking while carrying Xander) has turned into a 10+ minute adventure filled with curb-jumping & investigating rocks along the way. We're wrestled more. Cuddled more. Giggled more.

Oh...I pray that I can continue to align my priorities so that I do not miss a minute of the joy of being a mom.

Livingroom Inspiration

We've not been doing many projects thru Designs by Blake lately but we have tackled a few projects around our OWN house. If interested, check out this post on how to create a sitting area with mix-and-match furnishing, some of which you might already have sitting around your house or stashed in a drawer/closet.

Ahhh...Washing the Truck with Daddy

Blake informed me on Saturday afternoon that he was headed outside to wash the vehicles at which time I had a brillant :) idea. In an attempt to keep our very active little guy entertained (and out of mommy's way for a little bit), I put on his swimsuit & sent him outside with his daddy.

Minutes later Blake hollered (in a whispery-not-wanting-to-spoil-the-moment-sort-of-way), "Honey! Come here & check out our son. Quick!" Here's what "daddy's little helper" was up to!

Banana Love!

In our house, BANANA is its own food group!
I think Xander would eat this yummy, mushy, I-can-hold-it-all-myself-and-shove-it-into-my-mouth fruit every meal.
Here's a few shots of him gobbling up his banana for a snack this afternoon.

Oops! Sorry, boys!

We recently planted grass seed in our yard.

This morning I walked to the back of the house to begin my daily 'watering schedule' and turned on the water faucet when I heard SHRIEKS and giggles from the front yard (where the hose/sprinkler was placed).

I cautiously peeked into the front yard to see two little boys screaming & peddling furiously away from our house.

Ooops! Sorry, boys! This time you can honestly tell your mom is WASN'T your fault! :)

Cousin Isaak

My sister (Brenda) and her 3-month old (Isaak) spent a few days with us this week. It was some totally fun sister/cousin time. After they left, Xander would say (with a confused look on his face), "Benda? Zuk?"

We attempted to take some pictures of Isaak but found it just a wee-bit tricky. Perhaps we would have been more successful if we had planned our 'photo shoot' during Xander's nap time! He simply could not understand WHY the camera was aimed at someone other than him :) Here is the best shot of little Isaak (sans-Xander)!

A New Adventure: Titus 2

I like to write.

I really like to write words of encouragement.

And I really, really like to write about the greatness of our God.

I have often prayed for God to open ministry opportunities in my life & He recently answered that prayer, in part, by providing me with the opportunity to act as editor of a newsletter entitled Titus2. The mission of the Titus2 newsletter and its writers/contributors is to publish practical, biblical articles encouraging our readers in their worship, work & walk with the Lord.

Some articles will be educational. Others might make you laugh...or possibly cry. Still others will contain practical tips for managing your time/money/kids/life. Whether directly spiritual or simply entertaining, it's my prayer that God will use this newsletter to impact lives for His glory.

If you'd like to receive a complimentary Titus2:Christmas Edition which will be mailed in November, please email me your name/mailing address by September 15th. The Christmas Edition will include a subscription application form which you can return (along with a $10 fee) if you wish to continue receiving the publication.

NOTE: If you have interest in joining our writing team, email me. I am specifically looking for writers for the following columns: Wallet Matters (topics related to money management) and Healthy Living (topics related to nutrition, women's health issues, etc).

Designs by Blake: Livingroom MakeOver

If you're interested in a simple solution for 'enlarging' a piece of artwork that is too small for its designated space, check out this post at our Designs by Blake blog.