Remodeling

What a busy last few weeks!

Don't you just love springtime? Doesn't it just make you want to fix up your house, clear out the clutter, get outside, and start anew? So refreshing.

Here lately, the handsome hubs and I have been hard at work on our home. We have been cleaning, painting, planting, and rearranging.....You know, all of those homeownerish things people do this time of year. Since this is our first home and since we have a baby girl coming this summer - we have been buzzing around here getting it all done. Whew.

Last night, as we were wrapping up our painting project in the hallway, I started thinking about all of the things we had improved or redone over the last few months in our house: The kitchen remodel is underway. The carpet was replaced. New laminate was installed. We had to get a new roof. And the list goes on. But then I started thinking - Sure, our home is steadily improving and becoming more like the way we envisioned it when we bought it, but....

what about the people inside?

Hmmm. Are we concentrating at all on improving us, our relationships, our faith? Where are our hearts at the moment? What condition is our faith in? Do we need to do any remodeling and updating in our relationships? Do the walls of our hearts and souls need some fine-tuning? Any improvements needed?

Oh, yes.

So, I've decided to start going through Stormie Omartain's book The Power of Praying Together with my husband. What better way to work on improving our family than to turn to The One that knows how to improve us the best?

Sure. We will certainly continue to work on our house and get things accomplished. But, we are also going to work on us, too: Our relationships with the Lord, our marriage, our kids, our attitudes, our struggles, our prayer life, our friendships, our desires. Sometimes you just have to sit back, slow down, and evaluate where things are at the moment. Because while living in a home that is comfortable and updated is nice - living the life that God calls us to live is essential. We can paint pretty colors on the walls of our home all day long - but if the hardened walls of our hearts and lives aren't tended to on a steady bases (or just torn down completely!) - it doesn't really matter does it?

Revelations 2:19 encourages me onward in all this:

I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

Yes. I want to be more like that.

I'm looking forward to sharing with you what we learn through all this. I love each of you dearly.

Lord, you know where we need improvement. You know what we need to work on. Please reveal to us the things that you want changed. Make yourself known to us. Be present in our home AND in our hearts. Thank you for being a God who is in the remodeling business. In Jesus, Amen.

The Crater

As if I didn't already feel like a blimp, my almost 3 year old son sealed the deal for me today.....

Since the weather has been warm - my son and I have been hanging out on our back patio...which means I have been frequenting one of our cheap lawn chairs that we inherited from the home's previous owners. I had been noticing that the chair seemed a little loose lately - but didn't pay much attention to it. Today though, as we walked outside - my son walked over to the chair...examined it...and said:

"Whoaaaa Mommy! Did you do dat?"

I walked over to the chair and noticed that my big-as-a-barn pregnant bottom had formed a huge crater in the seat of the chair. Awesome.

So I simply replied, "Yes, Baby. Mommy did do that."

And then I almost cried.

So as if that wasn't enough - as we walked back inside I caught a glimpse of myself in one of the zillions of mirrors in our home - again - that we inherited from the previous owners. And at that moment, I decided that I would not ever look at my backside in a mirror again until this baby girl arrives. Unbelievable.

Don't get me wrong... I'm thankful for this pregnancy and the little diva that is making me grow and grow. Yes. I feel blessed that I am now in the third trimester of this whole ordeal and things are going well. But my goodness. I can't wait to throw on a pair of running shoes and go nuts again. That will be a happy day.

As for me and my large-and-in-charge self -I'm going to do two things until then: 1) take down all these dang mirrors that I never liked in the first place and 2) get a new lawn chair - a sturdy one to get me through the next few months.

Lord, help me.

Your big crater-making friend,
Kate :)

Gardening Girl

Can y'all believe it?

It turns out I'm crazy about gardening.

We started planting our veggie garden this past weekend and I will have you know that I'm totally into it. We planted peppers, squash, broccoli, lettuce, green beans, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and watermelons. I even did some of it all by myself. My husband was swelling with pride in his never-planted-a garden-before-and-had-no-idea-how-to-do-it bride. I've come a long way, kids. The next time you see me, I might even have on a pair of those weird gardening shoes. I wonder if they come in leopard print?

Another thing I'm finding myself interested in? Flowers. Yep - I'm totally amazed. My country bumpkin of a husband has been teaching me all about annuals, perennials, planting and feeding. And I'm not bored. At all. I have even gone so far as to google about flower gardens. I purchased some hanging plants from one of our local farmer's market type places and I'm in love with them. They smell so good and they look so pretty and they just make me happy. I even got a steal of a deal for them. That makes me just love them even more.

Speaking of that....I'm amazed at how much cheaper it is to grow your own produce. It's unbelievable. Where has this whole gardening thing been my whole life? Goodness.

But I know what you might be thinking.... Gardening can be hard work. The weeds. Keeping out the rabbits. Plants dieing. The watering. The canning. I know, I know. I'm sure I'll run into some snags here and there. But I think I'll learn a lot too. Plus - I'm sensing that it will give me all sorts of blog posts ideas. There's so many comparisons to be made between tending a garden and tending a heart for Jesus. I'm getting all inspired and excited just thinking about it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to water my pink petunias :)

Integrity in Me

The sweet little phrase "bloom where you are planted" is one that I've been concentrating on lately. It seems as if God has brought it to my attention one too many times for me to ignore it. For example, I opened up my Bible last night and randomly read Psalm 101. Another one of David's psalms - I quickly started to skim through it.....until I read the second part of verse 2:

I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

It stopped me in my tracks. Seeing as though I'm a stay-at-home mama - it should.

This line from verse 2 makes me think about what integrity is and how I can put it on display even "in my own home". Even when no one is watching. To get a better grip on this - take a look with me at some synonyms for integrity. Wow....

Virtue.
Goodness.
Morality.
Purity.
Righteousness.
Trustworthiness.
Incorruptibility.
Uprightness.
Cohesion.
Wholeness.
Soundness.
Completeness.

And a few antonyms for integrity? Wow again....

Dishonesty
Fragility

(Ahem. One of the definitions of fragility is lacking substance; tenuous or flimsy. That very well could describe yours truly more often than I would care to admit. Is this hitting a little too close to home for anybody else? I'm squirming in my computer chair.)

To make this even more clear for myself - let's insert a few of those synonyms into the passage:

I will lead a life of virtue....in my own home.
I will lead a life of trustworthiness.....in my own home.
I will lead a life of purity.....in my own home.
I will lead a life of wholeness....in my own home.
I will not lead a life of dishonesty....in my own home.
I will not lead a life of fragility....in my own home.

The whole "in my own home" thing is where this all gets serious. Living a life of virtue and purity and integrity while others are watching - is one thing. But living a life of virtue and purity and integrity in my own home with no one watching - is a God thing.

All this kinda kicks me square in my fanny.

So as I'm riding around this morning running errands, two songs I heard on our local Christian radio station totally captured the essence of all this integrity stuff.

The first one is "The Motions" by Matthew West.

I don't wanna go through the motions.
I don't want to go one more day
without your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't want to spend my whole life asking
what if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions.

Just going through the motions. All too often I just hurry my day along - going through my everyday grind - without pausing to see if I'm living my everyday life with passion. God's "all consuming passion" to be exact. How different my day might look if I approached my stay-at-home mom workday with conviction - giving it my utmost effort. It wouldn't only make a difference for me - but for all the other people and creatures living under my care. Something to think about.

The second one is a line from Life Light Up by Christy Nockels.

So let my life light up like the city lights
And let it burn for you in the darkest of night

And may I add...

in the dirtiest of laundry rooms
in the messiest of kitchens
in the weediest of gardens
on the most hectic playground
in the dustiest of living rooms
and so on...

I don't want to just go through the motions. I want to dance the heart out of every step I take. I want to thrive. I want to be a light. And as much as I'm able, I not only want to do my job with integrity and passion, but I want to do it joyfully. I want to be a Joyful JottinMama....everywhere. Yes, even in my own home.

I'm off to post Psalm 101:2 all over my house to help me do just that :)

Lord, make me good at what I do. Make me useful. Make me live a life of uprightness in my own home - with my own family - and even in my own mind. Let me be a light, Lord, to the ones I minister to day in and day out. Fill me with your all consuming passion. Help me to choose joy . Help me to choose soundness and purity and love and goodness over apathy and mediocrity. Help me to choose faith over flimsyness. Thank you for calling me out and chasing me down in the areas I need your guidance the most. In Jesus, Amen :)

*Synonyms and Antonyms from www.thefreedictionary.com

Jottin About Dreams

My husband and I had the privilege of attending a Leadership Summit last night. It really lit a fire under my very, very pregnant butt - and I wanted to share with you some of the wisdom I jotted down. I am JottinMama, after all :)

Dr. John Maxwell was the speaker, and he spoke about dreams. As I sat in that auditorium last night listening to this man talk about commitment, stamina, and success - I realized just how much I'd changed in the past few years. In good ways - and in bad.

You see, I used to be a dreamer. I filled notebooks with plans, preparations, and possibilities. Famous quotes and snippy little phrases were plastered all over my dorm room walls, school binders, and bathroom mirror. I wasn't afraid to approach successful people - at all. I wasn't shy about sharing my hopes and dreams with others. I longed to be around other people wanting to do big things with their lives. And I so enjoyed recognizing potential in others - rooting them on in their pursuits.

But then, things began to change. I'm not exactly sure how - but they did. Somewhere between getting married, having a baby, working, moving, and becoming a stay at home mom - my optimism, my wherewithal, my hoopla.... diminished. Some of it needed to. Coming to terms with reality is a good thing. But, I kinda wish that more of the dreamer had stuck around. This brings me to last night's summit....

Listening to Dr. Maxwell - I realized, the girl who used to believe and conquer and actually cared enough to wash her hair once everyday - had become a woman who doubts, runs away, and washes her hair about once every week. The girl who believed, has turned into a woman who doubts. The girl who oozed optimism - has turned into a woman who produces pessimism. Yuck. But as I hurriedly scribbled notes on a scrap piece of paper last night - that girl began to emerge again. Maybe reading a few of my notes will bring her out in you, too.........

Random Wise Words from Dr. John Maxwell

Add value to people.

Do something that is a little bigger, a little better than you are.

Don't climb the ladder of success only to realize that once you've reached the top - the ladder is leaning against the wrong tower. Make sure your dream is yours - not someone else's.

At the beginning, the picture you have of your dream should be clear, but not total. The picture gets bigger only when you walk toward it.

Fuzzy leadership makes for fuzzy followership.

Understand that disappointment lives in the space between expectation and reality.

Are you a fantisizer or a dream builder? Fantisizers merely dream when dream-builders actually do.

Teamwork makes dreamwork. You can't achieve greatness by yourself. If you can achieve your dream all by yourself - you don't have a big dream.

Action changes our lives.

SECURE
S: State all your positions.
E: Examine where you are.
C: Consider all your options.
U: Utilize all your resources.
R: Remove all non-essentials. They keep you from doing the essentials.
E: Embrace all of your challenges. Don't erase them.

The dream is free - the journey isn't.

As soon as you take action - the friction starts.

Have you ever heard a successful person say, "the journey was easier than I thought it would be."?

Sometimes successful people are no more gifted or talented than anyone else - but they ARE more committed.

It IS possible to pay too much for a dream.

A lot of you are closer than you think.

Waiting for everything to be right is wrong.

Do five things everyday that will help you achieve your dream.

Have passion and energy. Some people are already dead - they just haven't made it official yet.

You are a success when the people closest to you - admire you the most. There is something wrong when the people who know you the least, like you the best.

(That last one is a real good one, huh?)

Be blessed as you go about your day today, friends. And maybe do a little dreaming, too :)

The Trellis

I almost always read before drifting off to sleep. Last night, I nestled into bed and decided to start re-reading a small devotional book called The 100 Most Important Bible Verses for Mothers. Since I need all the help I can get when it comes to two things: faith and parenting - this little book really encourages me onward in my journey. I just want to share with you a little snippet from what I read last night:

"You wish for your children to grow up the best they can be. Picture them shooting up, like thriving green plants, strong and vigorous. Train them to trust completely in God for all things, for he is like the trellis around which their tender shoots wrap."

Don't those words draw such a beautiful picture? They touched me and I pray they touch you too :)

Lord, please encourage me in my own faith walk and help me to encourage my children to seek, and see, You in theirs. I feel so weak in these areas and I pray for your divine guidance in both. Please let me and my household grasp how high and how deep and how real your love is for us. In Jesus name, Amen

Happy Easter

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. ~Clarence W. Hall

For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born. ~Alice Freeman Palmer

Be blessed as you celebrate Easter Sunday :)