Where There is Mud…

…Speechless.

Messy.

But, oh so gooey.

 

*Andrea*

A Quest For Contentment

    I am beginning a quest. Care to join me? In this quest, I hope to find many things but most of all I hope to find contentment. You see, I currently am not content. Not even a little bit. I’m also needing peace. Peace and Quiet. The kind that you don’t get when your kids are small and your house is trashed. Yes, my house is a disaster. I just get it cleaned up, and then 5 minutes later you would never know that it took me an hour to clean it. Take last night for instance, I put my kids to bed and then I spent a good hour and vacuumed and washed my floors. I thought it was a brilliant idea, doing it after the kids were in bed. However, I forgot about the dog. My dog is as messy as my kids. She leaves her toys everywhere, and she also sheds so I have to keep on top of that too. So, this morning when I woke up, I vacuumed again.

Anyway, back to my quest for contentment. I have been feeling lately that I would like to do something (anything!) different. I’m not sure what though. I would love to move to the ocean, or buy a big old historical house somewhere in the country (it could even be in a different country) and maybe restore it or just enjoy it’s beauty, I would also love to go on a missions trip, or just go away for a weekend to do some shopping. I have thought and prayed about many things, but I have not been led to do any of them. So, I just have to wonder, what am I supposed to be doing? Where does God want me? Every time I ask that question, the only thing that comes to mind is ‘right here’. Here is where he wants me, right in the middle of my life, raising my kids, being a wife to my husband, and building my relationship with Christ. But ‘here’ is not where I want to be right now. I’ve been ‘here’ for so long with so little change that I’m getting bored/restless. So that makes ‘here’ a difficult place for me to be. Maybe that’s why I’m supposed to stay ‘here’, maybe that means that I’m growing and soon He will move me and use me in the way He (not I) has planned. Maybe I’m being tested to see if I can ‘keep the faith’. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m where (I think) he wants me to be and I need to accept it and do my best to be content. So, I will continue to be ‘here’ and keep bringing my discontent to Him cause only he knows what my future holds.

How have you been lately? Are you content with your place in life? I would love to hear from you.

Psalm 119:35 “Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.”

*Andrea*

A Fun Summer Weekend…

We had a couple of things that we did this past weekend. First, Arielle had a baseball ‘jamboree’ on Friday, where they played a baseball game and also they did some different tests (?) to see who could throw the farthest, bat the farthest, run the fastest, etc. Afterwards, all of the kids received medals and t-shirts. It was a really fun time for her.

Also, on Saturday, there was a fair in a town nearby that we went to. It was a lot of fun. There was a little of everything…

                                              Clowns on Stilts…

                                               Face Painting…

                                                  

                                              Stick on tattoos…

                                              Crafts for the kids…

                                                      Musicians playing on the street corners…

And of course, we can’t forget…

                                      THE PETTING ZOO!!!!!  That was the favourite part for both of my kids. They really enjoyed seeing the different animals. (There was a whole lot more to see and do, I just thought I’d share with you what I had taken pictures of).

Daddy and Gabriel hanging out waiting for Arielle to get her face painted.

And, I would love to show you a picture of me doing something at the fair, however, I’m behind the camera so you’ll just have to imagine me in one of the pictures.

But here’s one of me at home after the fair…

Taken by my little photographer in training.

I hope you enjoyed the little stroll through my weekend. How was yours? Did you have some excitement as well? I would love to hear about it.

 

I hope you have a wonderful day!

*Andrea*

Fabulous Fours?

   Today I need to vent a little, So please bear with me.

Lately, I have been having some trouble with my four year old. She has that terrible-two attitude but more extreme. I thought that with her being four, we would be past some of her busy stages of life but they are only beginning again it seems. Every day, my biggest struggle with myself is keeping my frustration under control. She just does so many odd things! Things that don’t make any sense. She knows better, so why does she do them? I just don’t understand her right now, and that’s what frustrates me the most I think. I have to keep reminding myself that she’s testing the boundaries and she’s also learning a lot in this stage that were going through. So, as her mom, I need to try to be more understanding and hang on to every ounce of patience I have left! That’s what I will continue to do. I will also continue to thank God for blessing me with her, even when we go through these difficult times.

On the other hand when she is behaving, she is a very sweet girl who loves her brother so much and does a lot for him. She is also a big help around the house for me and she can be very kind. I would love for those days to happen more than the other days. So, I just need to keep those days in mind when I’m having a rough day with her.

But if anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears! I would love to know if you went through this and what worked for you. 

Have a great day!!

*Andrea*

Mind My Manners

It just occurred to me. I can be a strict person when it comes to please and thank you and I don’t think I ever said thank you to those of you who read my blog. So… THANK YOU, VERY, VERY MUCH!! I’m so excited each day when I check the stats on my blog and I see that people have checked it out that day. I don’t have a Huge fan base, (not even really big, if you want to get technical) but I really appreciate each and every one of you that takes the time out of your busy day, to read what I have written that day.  It makes my day just knowing that some people find my blog interesting. Thank you again.

I received a very complimentary phone call today. A lady from Compassion Canada called me and she mentioned that she had received an email from head office regarding a question I had. In that email, the person had said very positive things about my blog. That was very exciting for me. I never in my dreams imagined someone from Compassion head office taking an interest in my blog. I’m nobody special, I have terrible grammar, and I’m just a ‘housewife’. What could I possibly have to say that’s really interesting? Nothing! However, It is often not for me (but sometimes it is) that I write, but for the one who sent me. He guides me in what he wants me to share that day, if anything at all. If the words that he’s guiding me to write are drawing people to my blog, that’s wonderful. He’s the one that I want to talk about the most.

Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.”

May God Bless You Abundantly!!

*Andrea*

Busy little daydreams

    I have had a busy week. Actually my daughter has been the busy in my week. I don’t know if she’s going through a phase or what, but she has not been herself lately and It’s been difficult. She has been very mischievous lately and getting into things that she doesn’t normally get into. Maybe it’s because I have been doing a bit more babysitting than normal. Yea, that could be it. Well let’s just add it to one more stage in this roller coaster ride called ‘parenting’.

I have been thinking back lately on life before my kids. You know, when the house would never get dirty and you wanted kids to come over so you had something to clean up. Or, Saturday mornings when my husband would sleep til noon and I was SOOOOOO bored. Oh How I wished for a kid to keep me occupied. I used to bang around and make lots of noise just hoping he would wake up! Or, when I would go shopping and there would be no one to say “mommy I have to pee” and you wouldn’t have to search for a bathroom, hoping to make it before she peed her pants! Ahhh… those were the days.

However, my daydreaming must end now, as I hear reality calling…

 

Andrea

Photo post

So, I was gonna write a nice long post today, but then I remembered that I had a bunch of cute pictures in my camera just waiting to be displayed. So, enjoy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t think of a cute saying for each picture, cause It would take me a long time. I’m just not witty like that. But, I hope you enjoyed the pics!

Have a great day!!

… Change Me, Lord

 I have had this prayer/verse in my mind a lot lately, so I thought I’d share it with you.

Romans 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (vs.17-20)As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do;no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

 

I am not who I want to be lord…

so please…

 Change me.

Still Undecided…

Yup, I’m changing the style of my blog again! I think I really like this one this time! I thought that of the last style too! Oh well! Just one of those days I guess. I like to keep things interesting, life is way too short to be boring!!

Have a great weekend!

*Andrea*

To Change a Life…

   I’m sure most of you who read my blog often know how I feel about Compassion international. So this week while the group is out in the Philippines, I have been following their blogs. I really enjoy reading them and learning about how people live out there. I love reading about how Compassion is working there and what they are doing to change lives. I love reading about the hope that sponsored children have. They are taught about Christ and the hope that he provides so graciously to us all. I love reading about how there is no self-pity out there. I just love reading about the experiences and the stories that they share. I’m so happy that we sponsor through Compassion and I’m encouraged to do more.

But then I read the sad stories. Not the ones about their living conditions (though they are sad), but the stories about the ‘sponsored’ children who have not received a letter from their sponsor, either in a long time or in some cases… Never.                                                                                        http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2011/06/the-power-of-a-letter.html      To sponsor a child isn’t just about sending $41.00 (can.) a month to help them out, It’s about showing them that you care and that they are loved. It’s about building a relationship with them and being another (in some cases the only) family for them. Sponsorship is so much more then I could ever imagine. I love building a relationship with ‘my boys’ and showing them how much they mean to me. I want them to do well in school so that they can overcome the poverty that has claimed their childhood. I want them to excel in life, so that they can be better husbands and fathers. One of the best ways for my to encourage them to be better, is to write. They need to hear from me that they are loved, that we care about their lives, they need to be encouraged, they need to know that their school marks are important to us. I want them to strive for above average marks, so that they have the options to become something more. I love those boys so much and I barely know them. But just knowing that Christ brought them into my life for a reason is enough for me.

So for those of you who have not written in a while, I DARE you to write to your child today. How about right now??  Then after you’ve written, let me know so I can share in your joy.

For those of you who have not yet sponsored. Check out the website: www.compassion.ca  or click on the compassion bloggers link on my blog and read the stories of what happens when you sponsor a child. Read about how their lives change. If you decide to sponsor a child, please share it with me, I would love to celebrate with you!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful day!!

Andrea