I've read these posts about appreciating the mess in your house because you have kids, because, it won't last long, because you have life in your house, etc. Yes, those things are SO true. My stomach hurts, my heart aches, and sometimes I cry thinking about my sweet babies growing up and leaving the nest. But, it is so wrong that I want my house clean as well? I think not. Look, I'm not going to kill myself keeping a perfectly clean house. I'm not going to obsess, when once upon a time I did, and honestly that would be OK as long as it isn't interfering with your relationships. All I'm saying is that there is a balance to be found, that is different for each of us. If that is an obsessively clean house because that allows you have a clear head and enjoy your children more, PERFECT! If that is a semi messy house because you are comfortable with that and that's what you can manage, PERFECT! If that is a very messy house because you honestly don't care and you like making the messes with your kids because that's super fun for you, PERFECT! Find what works for you and stop stressing over fitting into whatever new blog post ideas or theories that pops up that day. I have my own idea about how my house should look and it's just that, MY own idea. I keep up as best I can, some days I'm on point and other days it looks like an entire army of children came into my house and opened every closet, cabinet, and pantry door and unloaded everything in it all onto my floors. I'm learning to be okay with my story, my life, the way God is teaching me to be. So should you. Your story, life, journey is SO very different than mine. Be proud of where you have come from, where you are going, and MOST of all, where you are NOW.
Friday, March 24, 2017
Friday, August 14, 2015
Unwrap The Grave Clothes | Getting Unstuck
I've been stuck for the last couple of months and a friend of mine posted something to her Face book page a few days ago that I read and thought, hmmmm, that's a good on. I'll tuck that away for future use, but it doesn't really apply to me now. The quote was, "If you are spiritually stagnant, go back to the last thing God told you to do that you didn't do.....and do it." written by Pastor Steve Dulin. However, as I was laying in bed last night at around 3:30am, reevaluating my life, I recalled this quote. Why has my blog been on pause, why have I been in this stuck mode and I remember a blog that I wanted to write, but I didn't consider it be something God had wanted me to share right then. I just thought, I'll get around to it one day. Last night, God revealed that I had been, well, disobedient.
So, here it is.
One evening I was bathing my almost 3 year old little girl, Bugsy. I whisked her out of the tub, put a towel around her, and took her out into the den to dress her in her jammie wammies, yes, jammie wammies, there is even a dance! But, she wouldn't take off the towel. She was, "Too cooooold!" I pleaded and insisted that if she would just put her jammie wammies on and wrap a fuzzy blanket around her that she would be warmer. After a few minutes of going back and forth, she finally gave in to my plan.
In that moment, the Lord spoke to me. He said, "So many of my people refuse to take off the towel for something far better." That got me to thinking about a sermon that I heard by Pastor Frank Bailey about not taking off the grave clothes when we've given our life to Jesus Christ. The premise is that we accept Jesus into our lives,, but keep all those things that keep us bound, grave clothes, tied tightly around us. God wants us to stop fighting, take off the towel, the grave clothes, and trust and let go. There is so much freedom to be found in Jesus, but we have to take off those things that seem comfortable to us and become uncomfortable for a moment to get where we truly want to be.
"Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make the roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43: 18-19
So, here it is.
One evening I was bathing my almost 3 year old little girl, Bugsy. I whisked her out of the tub, put a towel around her, and took her out into the den to dress her in her jammie wammies, yes, jammie wammies, there is even a dance! But, she wouldn't take off the towel. She was, "Too cooooold!" I pleaded and insisted that if she would just put her jammie wammies on and wrap a fuzzy blanket around her that she would be warmer. After a few minutes of going back and forth, she finally gave in to my plan.
In that moment, the Lord spoke to me. He said, "So many of my people refuse to take off the towel for something far better." That got me to thinking about a sermon that I heard by Pastor Frank Bailey about not taking off the grave clothes when we've given our life to Jesus Christ. The premise is that we accept Jesus into our lives,, but keep all those things that keep us bound, grave clothes, tied tightly around us. God wants us to stop fighting, take off the towel, the grave clothes, and trust and let go. There is so much freedom to be found in Jesus, but we have to take off those things that seem comfortable to us and become uncomfortable for a moment to get where we truly want to be.
"Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make the roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43: 18-19
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Cookie Cutter Mom, I Am Not
I won't lie to you, when I first became a Mommy and up until recently, I struggled to find my footing in doing things in my own way. I wasn't and still am not afraid to ask for help, because I knew then and now that I don't know it all. I found myself trying to imitate those who looked like the perfect cookie cutter mom. I would ask them a ton of questions and then would try to implement what they did into our lives. I would get frustrated when I couldn't finish out a project or when something didn't work for us.
It took me a long time to realize that just like we like to customize our homes to our specific needs, the same applies to rearing children. This rings especially true to me since we are now homeowners. I will spot something new and wonder why the previous owners set it up that way. It's strange to me, but it served a purpose for them, and now I'm looking for all the ways I can customize it for us. I digress, yes, there is a general guideline to follow, but there is no one size fits all in this thing we call parenting. I've started to slowly find my way and then I watched a sermon online by my friend Melodi Hawley called "Skills Like Katniss" and she said something that just illuminated a new truth for me. She talked about how we are to "Gather" our children and duplicate us! Boom! The hammer dropped, I didn't realize until that moment that I had been trying to be Mommy Jones instead of Mommy Cara because for some reason I thought I wasn't enough for them.
Now, duplicating ourselves can be a very scary thing, right? (I mean, let's be honest, we are all a work in progress.) But, not if we aim to duplicate all of the good things in us, the talents and gifts that are ours. Sure, I can teach my children things I am not familiar with, but why not start with what we already know. So, here I am, this summer, thinking about all of the fun things I want to do with Oregano and Bugsy and what I want them to learn. Fresh with the teaching from Pastor Melodi in my head, I'm going to pour into my girls what I know. I'm going to stop trying to teach them things other moms are teaching their kids for the sake of trying to be a cookie cutter mom and I'm going to be me. So, Oregano will learn to sew and bake this summer. Bugsy, will make messes and eat the goodies. I will be able to teach them many things, but this is my start. This is my start into pouring myself into them, all the of the good, talents, giftings, as much as God as I possibly can fit into their little hearts. My goal is that my girls do not come back to me as adults and ask why I didn't find the time to give them something that I freely had to give. Break the mold with me and be who you are without comparison.
It took me a long time to realize that just like we like to customize our homes to our specific needs, the same applies to rearing children. This rings especially true to me since we are now homeowners. I will spot something new and wonder why the previous owners set it up that way. It's strange to me, but it served a purpose for them, and now I'm looking for all the ways I can customize it for us. I digress, yes, there is a general guideline to follow, but there is no one size fits all in this thing we call parenting. I've started to slowly find my way and then I watched a sermon online by my friend Melodi Hawley called "Skills Like Katniss" and she said something that just illuminated a new truth for me. She talked about how we are to "Gather" our children and duplicate us! Boom! The hammer dropped, I didn't realize until that moment that I had been trying to be Mommy Jones instead of Mommy Cara because for some reason I thought I wasn't enough for them.
Now, duplicating ourselves can be a very scary thing, right? (I mean, let's be honest, we are all a work in progress.) But, not if we aim to duplicate all of the good things in us, the talents and gifts that are ours. Sure, I can teach my children things I am not familiar with, but why not start with what we already know. So, here I am, this summer, thinking about all of the fun things I want to do with Oregano and Bugsy and what I want them to learn. Fresh with the teaching from Pastor Melodi in my head, I'm going to pour into my girls what I know. I'm going to stop trying to teach them things other moms are teaching their kids for the sake of trying to be a cookie cutter mom and I'm going to be me. So, Oregano will learn to sew and bake this summer. Bugsy, will make messes and eat the goodies. I will be able to teach them many things, but this is my start. This is my start into pouring myself into them, all the of the good, talents, giftings, as much as God as I possibly can fit into their little hearts. My goal is that my girls do not come back to me as adults and ask why I didn't find the time to give them something that I freely had to give. Break the mold with me and be who you are without comparison.
Galations 6:4 “Let everyone be sure to do his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work done well and won’t need to compare himself with someone else”
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| Sewing Lesson #2 |
Here's a link to the sermon I mentioned, Mommy's you will not regret watching this. Promise. Warning, you may want more children if you do watch this. :) Skills Like Katniss
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Beautifully Undone: Struggling To Find My Footing
Lately my cry to God has been that whatever I have to give, be it little, that it is His to do what He wills. I had dreams back in Bible college, dreams bigger than I knew how to handle. The world was open and I was free to do whatever I wanted. When I think back to that time in my life, the passion and zeal for God, knowing that I would give all that I had up in a moment for Him, I don't recognize that girl. Not that I don't have passion, zeal, and wouldn't give it all up for Him. I'm just different because I've grown in so many ways. Since moving I've been having a hard time finding my footing. As of now we've found a church home. This is the first time in a long time I'm in an area, not knowing anyone in the church, not being a part of ministry and I feel lost. Really lost. Driving to church Sunday I was wondering if this really was the place for me, for us. Honestly, the response that I heard in my heart was that God wanted me to be a nobody right now. That my time would come to fulfill what He has called me to do, that He wants me to sit, be still, and find total dependence on Him instead of people. Here I am, back where I was 15 years ago, in Bible college, crying out to God, asking that He would fill every part of me until there was no need for anything or anyone else. It's strange and difficult. Even I as type that out I want to erase it. I don't want anyone to know that God spoke that to me, because I'm in new territory. I don't want to be held accountable for giving that information out. I want to keep that as my secret so that if I get to uncomfortable I can do what I want. The Spirit is willing, the flesh, weak.
Tonight, Mr. Hagge took the girls on an errand and I felt the Lord tugging me to sit in His presence. With worship music on, He directed me to look through old pictures from Bible college and from the time I spent in Virginia.
Looking through the missions trips and times spent in ministry, He reminded me of where I have been. I began to long for those moments where I knew I was directly in God's will, ministering to those around me. With tears in my eyes, He soothed my heart, and said, "You have gone where I have asked you to go. You are where I want you." This is not my end, it's a new beginning with a slow start.
I don't know. Maybe you are struggling and don't feel like you are fulfilling God's will in your life. Maybe you feel like you aren't doing enough because you look around and see others double timing it. Maybe you feel like you have nothing to give. Because of tonight, I'm here to tell you, sit down, seek the Lord, let Him speak to your heart and direct your path. He wants to do so, if you will let Him.
Tonight I have been reminded of who I am and have been beautifully undone with hope in my heart. I am in His will and my hands and feet are His.
Tonight, Mr. Hagge took the girls on an errand and I felt the Lord tugging me to sit in His presence. With worship music on, He directed me to look through old pictures from Bible college and from the time I spent in Virginia.
Looking through the missions trips and times spent in ministry, He reminded me of where I have been. I began to long for those moments where I knew I was directly in God's will, ministering to those around me. With tears in my eyes, He soothed my heart, and said, "You have gone where I have asked you to go. You are where I want you." This is not my end, it's a new beginning with a slow start.
I don't know. Maybe you are struggling and don't feel like you are fulfilling God's will in your life. Maybe you feel like you aren't doing enough because you look around and see others double timing it. Maybe you feel like you have nothing to give. Because of tonight, I'm here to tell you, sit down, seek the Lord, let Him speak to your heart and direct your path. He wants to do so, if you will let Him.
Tonight I have been reminded of who I am and have been beautifully undone with hope in my heart. I am in His will and my hands and feet are His.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Local Park Stories
Hey! I don't know if this will be a series of blogs from me, but lately, at the park, I've met some REALLY lovely people and wanted to share my park experience yesterday. I was headed to check out a new park and traffic was very bad. Honestly, I felt like the Lord was redirecting me to the same park we had visited last week, so, that's where we headed.
First up is Ms. Debra. Mother of two daughters. One very ill, one highly educated. Her sick child, Ashley, has had numerous surgeries from a debilitating sickness with no cure. She's headed for another surgery as we speak. I made sure to tell Ms. Debra I would pray for them, would you join me? Just one little prayer? She's from New Orleans, but raised her children in Baton Rouge. She was a care taker for disabled adults and now cares for her grandson during the day. What I loved most about Ms. Debra was that it was obvious that she truly has a heart to aid and assist others. What broke me down was when she told me she is now caring for her great niece from Texas to give her a chance at life, to excel at school, to have a childhood. This precious child was looking after her 18 year old autistic brother, was made fun of in school because she couldn't care for her own personal hygiene because she was looking after another. Right then and there, Ms. Debra began to cry and my heart cried with hers. I praised her and encouraged her for being such an incredible human being. We hugged, she headed home. It was my honor to have met Ms. Debra and I hope to run into her again.
Next up is a lady I will call, Sunshine, because I failed to get her name. She was there looking after a mentally disabled adult. I was thrilled that she was there because it gave me a great opportunity to teach my girls about others who are different. I encouraged Oregano to go and talk to Rebecca and she expressed that she was a little afraid, but she went and talked to her anyway. I walked a few feet away with Bugsy and to my delight I saw Reagan walk up to Sunshine and began to ask questions. They talked for a long time, so long in fact that Reagan snuggled up to her. LOL! Then Oregano and Bugsy played with Rebecca. Then off we went, back to home, sweet, home.
My heart was full yesterday afternoon. Not because of me, but because I had the opportunity to peer into others lives, to learn from them, hear their heart, their stories. Ultimately, the Lord is giving me the opportunity to let others know they are prayed for and to be encouraging. This is not me giving myself a pat on the back, but rather, me saying yes to God, yes to a mission. It's not always comfortable, but the rewards, immediate and long term, are fantastic.
What are your stories from meeting strangers? I would love to hear about them.
PS. I'm so sorry if my stories seem choppy. I'm trying not to get too lengthy. Stay with me. :)
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Church Shopping
I hope this will be the LAST time we ever have to church shop. For us, moving to a new area isn't just about finding a new home, but also a new home church. For me, it's a MAJOR decision. Church, for me, is about forming a new family, lifelong friends, serving, ministry, leadership, covering, life. It's life. My heart is to serve and devote my life to being a follower of Jesus Christ. That means that I will serve along others to grow the church. That means seeing the good, bad, and ugly side of our human nature. Can you imagine being able to pick out your own blood family members? Quite a daunting task. FOR. EV. ER. Okay, I'm being dramatic, but you get the point. This is serious business. We have been here for two months. We have visited two churches so far and I will visit one by myself this weekend. This journey, so far, has caused me to really check my motives and my willingness to sacrifice what I want to be where God wants me to be. Am I willing to drive an extra long time, to jump into a mega church (Which feels like jumping into an ocean by myself.), to commit to a church that no one recommended to us? It's also caused me to question how I become involved in a church. Do I commit to something that is easy, familiar, fill in an easy hole or do I commit to anything God will call me too no matter the discomfort?
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Spit Shine
I think of a TON of blog posts to type up. Most are too short and if I have more than one idea in the same thought, I seem to be unable to connect the two. So, I've decided to keep it short. Here goes it.
Normally, I clean my wedding and engagement ring every Sunday morning before church. No particular reason, other than it's easy for me to remember to clean it if it's on a schedule. Today, I didn't because I was rushing around, which doesn't happen often. On my way out the door, I decided I would give it a spit shine. Well, I looked at the ring afterwards and it wasn't as shiny as it usually is after dipping it completely in cleaner and scrubbing it down. That's when it hit me. That's how we want all of our life to work. Little work and great results. My ring will not sparkle and shine unless I soak it and scrub all of the cracks and underneath the setting. Our lives will not shine unless we allow God to get all up in our in lives and remove all the dirt and grime that just loves to settle in all the small places of our being. It's not easy giving it all over to Him, it's not easy to truly trust, to truly allow God to REPLACE all the yuck with who is wants us to be, a mirror image of Him. My prayer is that I wouldn't just pretty up the surface of who I am, but that I would also clean out the places that I cannot see that prevent God from shining all throughout my life.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Saying Goodbye: The Process
"One and a half hours away isn't so far away." "I'll be close enough to visit often." "You can come by whenever you want." "When I'm in town, we can catch up." The reality is, I probably won't see a lot of the "new" people I have grown to love in the last six years and those who have been a part of my life for a long time. I know there will be those that will come to visit and those who I will see when I come to town, but, we are grown folk now, we know the deal. For that reason, I feel very stretched, in an emotional way. I see myself stretching as far and as hard as I can to Baton Rouge with one hand and I see myself holding on for dear life, for as long as I can, to New Orleans in the other.
I'm not scared or worried about starting in a new area again. This isn't my first rodeo. There are familiar faces in the BR area, I'm thankful to God for orchestrating my life so that it worked out that way. A new church is in our future and thanks to West Point Church in Gretna, LA, I'm more mature, seasoned, whole, and am ready to get to work at our future church home. (Shout out to Mrs. Becky Smith, I can't even begin! You are SO good to your girls and I'm proud to be called one.)
I'm excited that Reagan will be able to be on a softball team (or whatever she falls into) and begin to make lifelong friendships. I'm excited that Riley will start to find her own little buddies to grow up with. I'm excited that Mr. Hagge has a job that he absolutely loves. I'm excited that I have security, security of a great provider in my husband (and many other things), security in my sweet baby girls, security in God because even if we move again, He is guiding us and has our backs.
Finally, this about sums up where I am at right now...
I'm not scared or worried about starting in a new area again. This isn't my first rodeo. There are familiar faces in the BR area, I'm thankful to God for orchestrating my life so that it worked out that way. A new church is in our future and thanks to West Point Church in Gretna, LA, I'm more mature, seasoned, whole, and am ready to get to work at our future church home. (Shout out to Mrs. Becky Smith, I can't even begin! You are SO good to your girls and I'm proud to be called one.)
I'm excited that Reagan will be able to be on a softball team (or whatever she falls into) and begin to make lifelong friendships. I'm excited that Riley will start to find her own little buddies to grow up with. I'm excited that Mr. Hagge has a job that he absolutely loves. I'm excited that I have security, security of a great provider in my husband (and many other things), security in my sweet baby girls, security in God because even if we move again, He is guiding us and has our backs.
Finally, this about sums up where I am at right now...
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV
Worrying is a choice. I'm resting in His grace, which is enough for me. He is enough for me.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Moving: Cat's Outta The Bag
It's officially official. Mr. Hagge, the little ladies, and I are moving to Baton Rouge, LA at the end of January. We've been living in New Orleans for the last, almost, 6 years. Through a layoff, new job in a different city, and a deployment, we've been living in separate cities for almost 2 years. It has been long and tough, but I have found God's grace to be thoroughly sufficient. I've known since we've wed that our journey would be so very different than any other person I knew. I've been okay with that and it has been so very different. Now, it may look a little bit similar, although, I kinda hope not. ;)
Our newest chapter in our journey will be home ownership. For the first time, in our very nearly, 11 years of marriage, we are finally purchasing our first home. After poor financial decisions (I'm okay with admitting mistakes, just gotta learn from them.) and a financial reboot, we're able to move forward with purchasing our own home with a peace of mind and not being house poor. (Dave Ramsey was a help in getting us there.) I truly cannot wait to share with y'all some of the projects I've been working on in preparation of moving. I'm also excited to see what church God would have us settle down in and the new friendships that are going to begin.
Here's to a New Year and a very big new chapter in our lives.
Our newest chapter in our journey will be home ownership. For the first time, in our very nearly, 11 years of marriage, we are finally purchasing our first home. After poor financial decisions (I'm okay with admitting mistakes, just gotta learn from them.) and a financial reboot, we're able to move forward with purchasing our own home with a peace of mind and not being house poor. (Dave Ramsey was a help in getting us there.) I truly cannot wait to share with y'all some of the projects I've been working on in preparation of moving. I'm also excited to see what church God would have us settle down in and the new friendships that are going to begin.
Here's to a New Year and a very big new chapter in our lives.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Super Hero Capes!
So, after much debate and finagling, Oregano choose to be a superhero for harvest carnival at our church. Now, I'm not going to lie, she REEEEEAAALLLY wanted to be, wait for it, wait for it, Elsa! Not shocking. While, I had no problem at all with her dressing like Elsa, I wanted to change it up a bit. It really all started with a little girl coming to church on her birthday wearing a cape her mom made for her. Yep, our church is cool like that, all superheroes are welcome. Oregano immediately said she wanted a cape as well. I thought that I'd make if for her birthday as well, but not enough time. Then, I thought, Christmas, definitely a Christmas present. But, how could I completely skip over Halloween? It was perfect! It didn't take much convincing, but she did insist that Bugsy be a superhero as well, NO PROBLEM! Here is what we ended up with, with the help of my friend sharing the links to the free tutorials. I'm all about FREE!
These are the links:
I added a little embellishment to the bottom of each cape to make it a bit more girly.
There is one thing you will quickly learn about me, I'll not hide imperfections. These aren't perfect, but they are exactly what my little girls wanted. I've made some boots to match, masks are up next. SO EXCITED!
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Your Husband Is NOT Your child!
Ohhhhhhhhh, this post! This post! This post! I'm an old fashioned kind of lady. You may not agree with this post, but this is my story and this is my song and it's not pretty, but I'm a work in progress.
Your husband is not your child, your extra baggage, a burden, an animal. He is not to be made fun of, mocked, judged, criticized or ridiculed behind his back or in front of his face. He choose you. He picked you out of all of the other women in the world. He picked you for a reason, you lit up his world, you supported his dreams, you respected him. Do you still?
I've been married for almost 11 years. Up until about 10 years into the marriage I thought that I was hot stuff. I was the Christian wife men dream to have. Mr. Hagge has no complaints or concerns. How dare he ask me to change, criticize me, judge me! Sure, I'd admit to fault. Sure, I had some changing to do, but other than that, GET OFF MY BACK MAN!
Well, low and behold, my dear husband was away on a deployment and don't you know that that's the time God picks to give me my report card on my wifely duties. I mean, here I am, worshiping in church, minding my own business, praying for my husband, and WHAM! God broke me. I'm in shock, sobbing. He revealed to me my contributions to problems we had long ago and some we had at the moment. It wasn't pretty, I was shattered, in the best way. Thinking back, I knew that I wasn't humble enough to have had that revelation before that moment. I would have shirked it off, "Nope, not me!'. Then, I owned up to all of it, all that God had revealed and apologized. It was the most real moment for me in our entire marriage and one of the toughest. That moment has brought about major change in me over time and I've never been more thankful to God for breaking me. Then, months later, I realized how my behaviors translated into utter disrespect through reading Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, I learned that he needs respect like I need love, unconditional. The Bible actually commands us to unconditionally respect our husbands as they are to unconditionally love us. Ephesians 5:33 "Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, AND the wife must see to it that she respects her husband." Yes, that Bible verse will slap you all the way to Timbuktu and notice that it's not really a suggestion. It took me a couple of weeks for that to absorb and eventually lead to another round of apologies.
Here are 4 things that I immediately changed.
1. You are to hold your husbands in high esteem, speak highly of him everywhere you go. I'm sure you could think of at least one nice thing to say and then keep your mouth shut! I'll take it even one step further. If you are around a gaggle of women who are slamming their husbands, WALK AWAY! I've had to do that. I was grieved at the way these women were talking about their husbands. Don't do it ladies! Don't get caught up feeling like you have to say something to fit in, you can walk away. If you feel like you need to speak lowly of your spouse, maybe it's time for counseling. Side note: Thank you dear friend for encouraging me in this area. You know who you are. I'm sure I slammed my husband a time or two, but my go to phrases were, "Yes! Mr. Hagge does that too!" or "All men are like that." I said those things just to have something to say, it's not necessary.
2. Your husband is your priority. How would you feel if he put everyone else above you, we women can get SO busy that we put everyone else before our spouses. It's unintentional mostly, which means we need to get intentional about changing it.
3. Ask for his input and value what he says! So many times as a mommy we have so many decisions to make and we just make them. We don't consider our husbands because, well, we are so busy. Stop for a second, ask for his input. Pull him into your world and let him know his opinion matters to you.
4. Just be with him. You don't have to sit and chatter like a madwoman expressing every emotion you posses every time you are with him. Just sit. I read in Love and Respect that men like to share experiences, shoulder to shoulder, whereas a woman tells her experiences through words. So, just be there, watch him work for a few minutes, read a book next to him, but be silent. He'll appreciate that.
You two are team, you are not in command, he is not your child to boss around. He is a man (shocking) not a woman, he thinks differently, processes differently, makes choices differently, doesn't want to talk about his feelings all day. He is not your robot. Let him be who he is, let him fold those socks his way, correct the children his way, be himself around your friends, spend his money the way he wants, etc..without criticism. You are a team. He loves you. Stop questioning it, move on, and embrace the man God created him to be.
Your husband is not your child, your extra baggage, a burden, an animal. He is not to be made fun of, mocked, judged, criticized or ridiculed behind his back or in front of his face. He choose you. He picked you out of all of the other women in the world. He picked you for a reason, you lit up his world, you supported his dreams, you respected him. Do you still?
I've been married for almost 11 years. Up until about 10 years into the marriage I thought that I was hot stuff. I was the Christian wife men dream to have. Mr. Hagge has no complaints or concerns. How dare he ask me to change, criticize me, judge me! Sure, I'd admit to fault. Sure, I had some changing to do, but other than that, GET OFF MY BACK MAN!
Well, low and behold, my dear husband was away on a deployment and don't you know that that's the time God picks to give me my report card on my wifely duties. I mean, here I am, worshiping in church, minding my own business, praying for my husband, and WHAM! God broke me. I'm in shock, sobbing. He revealed to me my contributions to problems we had long ago and some we had at the moment. It wasn't pretty, I was shattered, in the best way. Thinking back, I knew that I wasn't humble enough to have had that revelation before that moment. I would have shirked it off, "Nope, not me!'. Then, I owned up to all of it, all that God had revealed and apologized. It was the most real moment for me in our entire marriage and one of the toughest. That moment has brought about major change in me over time and I've never been more thankful to God for breaking me. Then, months later, I realized how my behaviors translated into utter disrespect through reading Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, I learned that he needs respect like I need love, unconditional. The Bible actually commands us to unconditionally respect our husbands as they are to unconditionally love us. Ephesians 5:33 "Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, AND the wife must see to it that she respects her husband." Yes, that Bible verse will slap you all the way to Timbuktu and notice that it's not really a suggestion. It took me a couple of weeks for that to absorb and eventually lead to another round of apologies.
Here are 4 things that I immediately changed.
1. You are to hold your husbands in high esteem, speak highly of him everywhere you go. I'm sure you could think of at least one nice thing to say and then keep your mouth shut! I'll take it even one step further. If you are around a gaggle of women who are slamming their husbands, WALK AWAY! I've had to do that. I was grieved at the way these women were talking about their husbands. Don't do it ladies! Don't get caught up feeling like you have to say something to fit in, you can walk away. If you feel like you need to speak lowly of your spouse, maybe it's time for counseling. Side note: Thank you dear friend for encouraging me in this area. You know who you are. I'm sure I slammed my husband a time or two, but my go to phrases were, "Yes! Mr. Hagge does that too!" or "All men are like that." I said those things just to have something to say, it's not necessary.
2. Your husband is your priority. How would you feel if he put everyone else above you, we women can get SO busy that we put everyone else before our spouses. It's unintentional mostly, which means we need to get intentional about changing it.
3. Ask for his input and value what he says! So many times as a mommy we have so many decisions to make and we just make them. We don't consider our husbands because, well, we are so busy. Stop for a second, ask for his input. Pull him into your world and let him know his opinion matters to you.
4. Just be with him. You don't have to sit and chatter like a madwoman expressing every emotion you posses every time you are with him. Just sit. I read in Love and Respect that men like to share experiences, shoulder to shoulder, whereas a woman tells her experiences through words. So, just be there, watch him work for a few minutes, read a book next to him, but be silent. He'll appreciate that.
You two are team, you are not in command, he is not your child to boss around. He is a man (shocking) not a woman, he thinks differently, processes differently, makes choices differently, doesn't want to talk about his feelings all day. He is not your robot. Let him be who he is, let him fold those socks his way, correct the children his way, be himself around your friends, spend his money the way he wants, etc..without criticism. You are a team. He loves you. Stop questioning it, move on, and embrace the man God created him to be.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Ebola, and Wars, and Disasters, Oh, My!
HEY FOLKS! It's been a little while. I have lots of ideas up my sleeve, but just can't find the time lately! Anywho, with all that is going on in the world the Lord laid it upon my heart to highlight this passage in Psalms to perpetuate peace instead of chaos. I hope this speaks to your heart and helps you find peace.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
At Home Perspective During Deployment: 3 Months
Nearly three months have passed since Mr. Hagge has deployed. Five months since we have been together as a family, there was a brief visit with just him and I in November. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and Day, our 10 year anniversary, sickness, first time happenings, last time events....all passed. Here we are in February, about to sail through Valentines Day. I would be lying if I said it were all easy, is all easy. I don't have it all figured out, but here a few tips and tricks I've learned so far.
The littles....
1. When Oregano says she misses daddy, I encourage her to write him a letter and I send it in the next package.
2. I talk to the girls about why daddy is working so far away and what our future looks like. For instance, a family vacation, a daddy date night for the oldest, looking for a home for us all to live together again. Oregano gets excited about what's coming up and is able to get her mind off of missing daddy.
3. If I see Oregano acting up, I ask her what's wrong. I've learned that sometimes she acts out in anger when she misses Mr. Hagge. Letting her express that to me and then giving her a hug and validation goes a long way.
The wife....
1. The phrase, "A site for sore eyes" hits home for me in a big way. Looking at a picture of Mr. Hagge helps my heart a lot, but not in a creepy stalking kind of way. Ha!
2. I have a goal to send a package a month. I collect little things throughout the month and it really helps me feel more connected to him and feeling like I am helping him.
3. Linking back to #2 for the girls. Planning for what we are going to accomplish when he gets back certainly helps the time pass and I am able to focus on the good to come and not about him not being here right now.
4. A big one, when I am struggling the hardest, I open my mouth. I tell someone. Even if all I can say is, "Today is super rough." It's not easy to say it out loud. I've said it very few times since he has left, but when I do, I don't feel alone anymore and it is extremely helpful.
5. Each day I try to make decisions on behalf of myself and Mr. Hagge that he will be proud of when he comes back home. You can't imagine the decisions you have to make alone when your spouse is away and isn't easily accessible. Striving to make the best decision for him to be proud of me is motivating and helps me to look at each challenge in a positive way.
I know these may seem simple and obvious, but it really is the little things that help through trying situations. It also helps that I have a super supportive husband, who, hit a home run for our 10 year anniversary by sending a lovely bouquet of flowers
and a custom necklace.
You rock baby!! Love you BIG!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Obedience: The Joke Is On Me
I've been having some struggles with Oregano being disobedient lately and I ran across this wonderful little tidbit from one of the Duggar's books, I believe it was The Duggars: 20 And Counting. I've read two of their books, both really, really inspiring and helpful. (Remember, the picture up there?) I thought, YES! I am going to teach Oregano a lesson on obedience today based on this wonderful breakdown of what it really means to be obedient.
1. Instant, without hesitation.
2. Cheerful, without attitude
3. Thorough, complete the job.
4. Unconditional, no objections.
Oh, what a joyful day it was. I was sinnnnnging, I was soooo joyful! I've hit the jackpot of all obedience lessons to teach. What a wonderful day it was! And you know what? The lesson was wonderful, Oregano was able to really grasp what this obedience thing is really all about. It has truly helped me with Oregano a lot. What I didn't expect was how it would challenge me. Yep. Me.
It wasn't but a few days after I taught this lesson to Oregano, that the Lord confronted ME with it. Our wonderful church, West Point Church, asked us to give out invitations to our Christmas Eve service. I had planned on giving it to family and friends. I'm not so good at handing out things and talking to complete strangers. Well, wouldn't you know it I had one in my back pocket on my way into an orthodontist appointment, yes, I have braces. As I was getting out of my truck the Lord spoke to me and asked me to hand one to a lady who was parked next to me. I hesitated for a quick second and the Lord said, "Obey me, instantly." Whoa! Wow! "Yes Lord!", and I did. It was a real big check for me. If I want my child to obey me, to ultimately obey God I have got to follow through with complete obedience myself. I have got to obey: instantly, cheerfully, thoroughly, and unconditionally. I learned big time that day. Something that I find myself learning over and over again. Being a parent is more about me becoming who I want my children to be more than anything else: I cannot expect them to be something I am not. I should be the first to do the changing, rearranging, and, in this case, obeying.
So, what lesson have you taught your child that has backfired on you? I'd love to hear your stories!
Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way they should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it." I think, in this case, I am the child and God is training me!
In Him,
CH
Saturday, January 11, 2014
5 Extreme Ways and 18 Easy Ways to Save Some Moolah
I LOVE to save a penny. I LOVE it when I find an amazing deal on something I need. I think everybody finds good deals here and there, BUT are you willing to take a few extra steps to save a penny? Well, I am and here are a few ways that I do just that.
FIVE out of the norm ways I save.
1. You know those grocery bags you throw away when you get home? Those little bags that you don't want to fuss with? I keep those and use those as garbage bags. Yes, I take a few more trips to the garbage can, but I don't mind burning a few extra calories throughout the day. I only use a big garbage bag when I have house guests. The thought of buying garbage bags to literally throw in the garbage BUGS me beyond belief.
2. We all grab fast food from time to time. We eat and then throw away the napkins and leftover sauces, mainly because we don't want to deal with them. Now, I save all my napkins and sauces. Last year I collected enough ketchup packets to almost fill a ketchup bottle. If you go out to eat a lot, save your napkins, you may not have to buy as many rolls at the store.
3. One of my favorite things to do, when it's warm, is to line dry my clothes. I actually enjoy stepping outside, performing a mindless task, and getting a breath of fresh air. It does my mind good and helps out the pocket book as well. I don't always have the time, nor does the weather co-operate for me to dry all of my clothes this way, but when everything lines up, I'm outside putting clothes on one.
4. I take anything that is given to me. Especially food. Even if it's weird, like someone else's leftovers. Yep, I will eat them. If it's something I don't know how to cook I will look up the product and figure out how to cook it. I never say no, for two reasons, if I do they will stop asking me if I want things and two I can almost always use what they are wanting to get rid of. If I don't, I will keep it for a few months and if it's time to let go I will ask if they want it back or if I can pass it on to someone else in need.
5. I ALWAYS pick up change when I see it on the ground. I don't care if it's just a penny and I don't care where it is, okay, maybe not in a public restroom.
There are more abnormal ways I save, but I'll spare y'all all of them for now. Muahahahahahaha!
Here are 18 practical ways to save money. One thing you will see me list a lot of, are homemade products. I found that my grocery budget was being EATEN up by cleaning products and learned quickly that I could make my own very cheaply.
1. If you don't want to spend hours clipping coupons, just take a peek at what's in there each week. You'll end up saving a little money on things you really do need.
2. Keep a list of places you need to go for a few days and hit them all at once to save a buck or two on gas.
3. Make your own laundry detergent. You may say, this is not practical, but after you see the BIG impact it has on your wallet it will quickly become practical. I'm talking hundreds of dollars saved a YEAR!
4. Make your own fabric softener.
5. Make your own dish-washing detergent.
Side note: Yes, you will have to gather some ingredients you do not have, but write out a list of what you need and collect them as you see them. Or if you want to start saving immediately, get to work! After you make a batch or two it becomes second nature. Your clothes last longer. And you will NOT want to spend all that money again buying ready made.
6. Make as many cleaning products as you can. This will save you a ton of money, I promise. You may spend a little bit on good essential oils, but they last a LONG time and it's worth getting the good stuff.
7. Turn off electronics when they are not in use.
8. Force yourself to cook. You can find some pretty quick meals to make when you are tired or in a hurry.
9. Eat the leftovers.
10. Basically, stop going out to eat as much as possible.
11. Thrift stores can have really good quality clothes. Take a day, drive around and see which one has what you're looking for and regularly visit that one throughout the year. TIP: Buy off season. Pants in the summer, shorts in the winter...they mark them down!
12. Ebates,, no joke. This is not a scam nor am I being paid to advertise this. Anytime I order online, I go through them first and earn cash back. January 26th will mark 2 years and I have earned $199.31 real cash back. It's worth the extra 30 seconds to use them. I enjoy getting my cash back throughout the year and use it on odds and ends that that didn't fit into the budget.
13. ALWAYS use coupons when ordering online or in store IF you absolutely cannot buy used. If you don't have one, wait until one becomes available or see if you can print one.
14. Learn how to mend your clothing. Seriously, learn how to put a button back on, how to stitch up a hole, how to fix a zipper. It doesn't take much skill and it will save you a bundle.
15. ALWAYS, ALWAYS see if you can fix what is broken before replacing and ALWAYS see if you can fix the problem yourself before paying someone else to do it. You'll be surprised at how many things can be repaired and repaired by you!
16. Buy reusable sponges to wash your dishes. Yes, you have to wash them, but I gotta tell ya, I love not having to buy disposables at the store.
17. Stop using paper napkins for everything. Get yourself some rags or make some from old clothing. I have some microfiber towels, well, quite a few, that I bought 3 years ago (My MIL gave me some of hers as well.) and they are still in very good condition. I may use 1 roll of paper towels every 4-5 months, if that.
18. Shop closeouts and stock up, but only if it's items that you will use and need. I truly enjoy stocking up on closeouts and not having to pay full price for a particular item for a long time.
What do you do to save money? Share your tips and ideas in the comment section. Thanks!
I didn't implement all of these things at once. That would've been overwhelming to me, but over time I have been able to discover easy ways to save money so that our future can be more secure and so we can give more. So, don't feel like your climbing a mountain, take one step at a time. Need encouragement? I'm a great cheerleader.
Join me in truly being good stewards over our money and really ask God how he would have you save and where He would have you spend your money this year. Don't look back with regret.
In Him,
CH
FIVE out of the norm ways I save.
1. You know those grocery bags you throw away when you get home? Those little bags that you don't want to fuss with? I keep those and use those as garbage bags. Yes, I take a few more trips to the garbage can, but I don't mind burning a few extra calories throughout the day. I only use a big garbage bag when I have house guests. The thought of buying garbage bags to literally throw in the garbage BUGS me beyond belief.
2. We all grab fast food from time to time. We eat and then throw away the napkins and leftover sauces, mainly because we don't want to deal with them. Now, I save all my napkins and sauces. Last year I collected enough ketchup packets to almost fill a ketchup bottle. If you go out to eat a lot, save your napkins, you may not have to buy as many rolls at the store.
3. One of my favorite things to do, when it's warm, is to line dry my clothes. I actually enjoy stepping outside, performing a mindless task, and getting a breath of fresh air. It does my mind good and helps out the pocket book as well. I don't always have the time, nor does the weather co-operate for me to dry all of my clothes this way, but when everything lines up, I'm outside putting clothes on one.
4. I take anything that is given to me. Especially food. Even if it's weird, like someone else's leftovers. Yep, I will eat them. If it's something I don't know how to cook I will look up the product and figure out how to cook it. I never say no, for two reasons, if I do they will stop asking me if I want things and two I can almost always use what they are wanting to get rid of. If I don't, I will keep it for a few months and if it's time to let go I will ask if they want it back or if I can pass it on to someone else in need.
5. I ALWAYS pick up change when I see it on the ground. I don't care if it's just a penny and I don't care where it is, okay, maybe not in a public restroom.
There are more abnormal ways I save, but I'll spare y'all all of them for now. Muahahahahahaha!
Here are 18 practical ways to save money. One thing you will see me list a lot of, are homemade products. I found that my grocery budget was being EATEN up by cleaning products and learned quickly that I could make my own very cheaply.
1. If you don't want to spend hours clipping coupons, just take a peek at what's in there each week. You'll end up saving a little money on things you really do need.
2. Keep a list of places you need to go for a few days and hit them all at once to save a buck or two on gas.
3. Make your own laundry detergent. You may say, this is not practical, but after you see the BIG impact it has on your wallet it will quickly become practical. I'm talking hundreds of dollars saved a YEAR!
4. Make your own fabric softener.
5. Make your own dish-washing detergent.
Side note: Yes, you will have to gather some ingredients you do not have, but write out a list of what you need and collect them as you see them. Or if you want to start saving immediately, get to work! After you make a batch or two it becomes second nature. Your clothes last longer. And you will NOT want to spend all that money again buying ready made.
6. Make as many cleaning products as you can. This will save you a ton of money, I promise. You may spend a little bit on good essential oils, but they last a LONG time and it's worth getting the good stuff.
7. Turn off electronics when they are not in use.
8. Force yourself to cook. You can find some pretty quick meals to make when you are tired or in a hurry.
9. Eat the leftovers.
10. Basically, stop going out to eat as much as possible.
11. Thrift stores can have really good quality clothes. Take a day, drive around and see which one has what you're looking for and regularly visit that one throughout the year. TIP: Buy off season. Pants in the summer, shorts in the winter...they mark them down!
12. Ebates,, no joke. This is not a scam nor am I being paid to advertise this. Anytime I order online, I go through them first and earn cash back. January 26th will mark 2 years and I have earned $199.31 real cash back. It's worth the extra 30 seconds to use them. I enjoy getting my cash back throughout the year and use it on odds and ends that that didn't fit into the budget.
13. ALWAYS use coupons when ordering online or in store IF you absolutely cannot buy used. If you don't have one, wait until one becomes available or see if you can print one.
14. Learn how to mend your clothing. Seriously, learn how to put a button back on, how to stitch up a hole, how to fix a zipper. It doesn't take much skill and it will save you a bundle.
15. ALWAYS, ALWAYS see if you can fix what is broken before replacing and ALWAYS see if you can fix the problem yourself before paying someone else to do it. You'll be surprised at how many things can be repaired and repaired by you!
16. Buy reusable sponges to wash your dishes. Yes, you have to wash them, but I gotta tell ya, I love not having to buy disposables at the store.
17. Stop using paper napkins for everything. Get yourself some rags or make some from old clothing. I have some microfiber towels, well, quite a few, that I bought 3 years ago (My MIL gave me some of hers as well.) and they are still in very good condition. I may use 1 roll of paper towels every 4-5 months, if that.
18. Shop closeouts and stock up, but only if it's items that you will use and need. I truly enjoy stocking up on closeouts and not having to pay full price for a particular item for a long time.
What do you do to save money? Share your tips and ideas in the comment section. Thanks!
I didn't implement all of these things at once. That would've been overwhelming to me, but over time I have been able to discover easy ways to save money so that our future can be more secure and so we can give more. So, don't feel like your climbing a mountain, take one step at a time. Need encouragement? I'm a great cheerleader.
Join me in truly being good stewards over our money and really ask God how he would have you save and where He would have you spend your money this year. Don't look back with regret.
In Him,
CH
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Remembering Lessons Learned: Subtract Before You Add
"Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil."
Proverbs 15:16
I know this scripture points mainly to materialistic things, but I'm going to stretch it a little bit today. Okay?
I am a wife, a stay at home mommy, a homeschooler, a seamstress, a cook, etc, etc. You get the picture right? Truth: I've been overwhelmed, a little snippy with my girls, forgetting more than usual, unable to focus on important conversations, not listening well and couldn't figure out why. So, here I am, 4 months after starting homeschooling, finally having a light bulb moment. That light bulb moment came from reading a blog (Which, I can't seem to find at the moment to reference.), remembering something I read in a book, and rereading this scripture this morning. Here's the break down and my conclusion.
The book: About eight months ago I read the book Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst, I've posted about it before. She wrote about having to subtract something from your life before you add to it to prevent overload and becoming overwhelmed. Well, wouldn't ya know it, I did it again! I added homeschooling and didn't subtract ANYTHING! Homeschooling has been amazing and it has been the absolute right choice for our family in our current season of life. I knew it would be time consuming before I went into it, but WHY, WHY didn't I remember Lysa's words!
The blog: Hopefully I can find it again to reference it for you. Electronics = distractions and eat up waaaaaaay to much of our time. It is not necessary to check Facebook 257 times a day. It is not necessary to read every online news article It is not necessary to text for 3 hours a day. It is not necessary to watch 5 hours of t.v. I wasn't this bad, but you get my point. Things with screens need to lessen their role in my life.
The scripture: Simple, it's better to have little, because when we have much there is much turmoil. To expound, the more we add to our lives, the busier and more stressed we become. The less we have to organize, plan, create, do, the more peace we have in our lives. Which also equals to better quality time with our family and much more time focused on God. I know we have certain obligation to fulfill and there will be busy times in our lives, but it shouldn't be constant.
So, the conclusion. Less sewing. It was a hard choice, but my brain demands more space for homeschooling and I don't mind giving it more. Less electronics. This is difficult because most of my communication with Mr. Hagge is via Facebook, but I've got to slack off and trust God will have me check it at the right times. But, more music! I've noticed, since turning the t.v. off more, that music brings great peace to my house. I know there will be more changes to come, but I foresee a peaceful year for me and my girls and if I happen to have a ton of extra time on my hands, then I will sew a garment or two, but not full time.
That's it, that's my story and my song of taking away, simplifying and being present with those around me. I hope these words have inspired you to take away before you add more and prayerfully considering what you add before you do.
In Him,
CH
Proverbs 15:16
I know this scripture points mainly to materialistic things, but I'm going to stretch it a little bit today. Okay?
I am a wife, a stay at home mommy, a homeschooler, a seamstress, a cook, etc, etc. You get the picture right? Truth: I've been overwhelmed, a little snippy with my girls, forgetting more than usual, unable to focus on important conversations, not listening well and couldn't figure out why. So, here I am, 4 months after starting homeschooling, finally having a light bulb moment. That light bulb moment came from reading a blog (Which, I can't seem to find at the moment to reference.), remembering something I read in a book, and rereading this scripture this morning. Here's the break down and my conclusion.
The book: About eight months ago I read the book Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst, I've posted about it before. She wrote about having to subtract something from your life before you add to it to prevent overload and becoming overwhelmed. Well, wouldn't ya know it, I did it again! I added homeschooling and didn't subtract ANYTHING! Homeschooling has been amazing and it has been the absolute right choice for our family in our current season of life. I knew it would be time consuming before I went into it, but WHY, WHY didn't I remember Lysa's words!
The blog: Hopefully I can find it again to reference it for you. Electronics = distractions and eat up waaaaaaay to much of our time. It is not necessary to check Facebook 257 times a day. It is not necessary to read every online news article It is not necessary to text for 3 hours a day. It is not necessary to watch 5 hours of t.v. I wasn't this bad, but you get my point. Things with screens need to lessen their role in my life.
The scripture: Simple, it's better to have little, because when we have much there is much turmoil. To expound, the more we add to our lives, the busier and more stressed we become. The less we have to organize, plan, create, do, the more peace we have in our lives. Which also equals to better quality time with our family and much more time focused on God. I know we have certain obligation to fulfill and there will be busy times in our lives, but it shouldn't be constant.
So, the conclusion. Less sewing. It was a hard choice, but my brain demands more space for homeschooling and I don't mind giving it more. Less electronics. This is difficult because most of my communication with Mr. Hagge is via Facebook, but I've got to slack off and trust God will have me check it at the right times. But, more music! I've noticed, since turning the t.v. off more, that music brings great peace to my house. I know there will be more changes to come, but I foresee a peaceful year for me and my girls and if I happen to have a ton of extra time on my hands, then I will sew a garment or two, but not full time.
That's it, that's my story and my song of taking away, simplifying and being present with those around me. I hope these words have inspired you to take away before you add more and prayerfully considering what you add before you do.
In Him,
CH
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Modge Podge: God, Gift Box Craft, Update On Life
Update:
Hey y'all! Things are rolling on around here. Kept busy with a camping trip, a visit to family out of town, and now back home getting ready for Christmas and a Christmas party at which I am going to be a vendor. Yep, that's right, something you didn't know about me, I sew! I love it. My passion and side business. I'll share more on that later.
Oregano and Bugsy are doing fantastic! They miss their Daddy oh so much, but are continuing to adjust well. Random side note, if you EVER have a loved one going away definitely invest into those record-able books. I scooped a couple up last year on Christmas clearance and Oregano's face LIT up when she heard her Daddy's voice reading the book to her. Worth every penny, even if I had paid full price.
Gift Box Craft (Craft idea, as promised.):
Okay, I'm a waste not want not kinda gal. We all get these little boxes from time to time and they are SO cute and I hate throwing them away, but they have a logo on them and what am I going to do with them? So, they get thrown away....until now, I dug into the crafty section of my brain and found this idea!
Those boxes previously held a coffee cup and Birchbox items (http://birch.ly/1bixOhc ). Nice sturdy boxes. I had in my stash, modge podge and glitter. I covered the top a little at a time with the glue then dusted it with glitter before the glue dried. After it set I sprayed the tops with a clear coat of spray paint to lessen the shedding glitter. It does help, but beware they still shed. I'm sure that there is a way to stop all shedding, but I don't know what that is at the moment. Anywho, voila! There you have it, with a little work you now have free gift boxes. You could also cover the tops with fabric, paper, paint, use your imagination!
God:
The thing that is most on my heart right now is this: God has given each one of us an appetite, an insatiable desire for HIM and HIM alone. We can choose to fill His spot with other things such as money, food, lust, materialistic things and also placing unrealistic demands on people in our life expecting them to fill voids they cannot and were not meant to fill. That is a spot, a place only for God. I believe that is a reason why Jesus said in Matthew 6:35 "He who comes to me will never hunger and he who believes in me will never thirst." Let God fill all of those hungers and thirsts in your life. He made you that way and is SO very ready to be a bigger part of your life.
Merry CHRISTmas y'all!
Hey y'all! Things are rolling on around here. Kept busy with a camping trip, a visit to family out of town, and now back home getting ready for Christmas and a Christmas party at which I am going to be a vendor. Yep, that's right, something you didn't know about me, I sew! I love it. My passion and side business. I'll share more on that later.
Oregano and Bugsy are doing fantastic! They miss their Daddy oh so much, but are continuing to adjust well. Random side note, if you EVER have a loved one going away definitely invest into those record-able books. I scooped a couple up last year on Christmas clearance and Oregano's face LIT up when she heard her Daddy's voice reading the book to her. Worth every penny, even if I had paid full price.
Gift Box Craft (Craft idea, as promised.):
Okay, I'm a waste not want not kinda gal. We all get these little boxes from time to time and they are SO cute and I hate throwing them away, but they have a logo on them and what am I going to do with them? So, they get thrown away....until now, I dug into the crafty section of my brain and found this idea!
God:
The thing that is most on my heart right now is this: God has given each one of us an appetite, an insatiable desire for HIM and HIM alone. We can choose to fill His spot with other things such as money, food, lust, materialistic things and also placing unrealistic demands on people in our life expecting them to fill voids they cannot and were not meant to fill. That is a spot, a place only for God. I believe that is a reason why Jesus said in Matthew 6:35 "He who comes to me will never hunger and he who believes in me will never thirst." Let God fill all of those hungers and thirsts in your life. He made you that way and is SO very ready to be a bigger part of your life.
Merry CHRISTmas y'all!
Friday, November 22, 2013
It's The Beginning: Deployment
Deployment update:
I've been busy, no lie. This season in my life will just be this way, I'm okay with it, I accept it, I'll not fight it. Sometimes intentionally busy, to keep the time moving forward.
We are no longer in the pre-deployment stage. The mister has now been dispatched, all visits have been made, all plans have been put in place. I'm now a "single" mom and the mister is now without his family. It's a big pill to swallow. However, God is bigger than this situation.
The girls are responding well to Mr. Hagge being gone. It was tough in the very beginning, but they've settled down. There is still the "I miss Daddy" everyday, but it's with less tears.
God:
Is amazing, sustaining, faithful, constant, challenging.....
Speaking of challenging, I've been thinking a lot about where I want to be in 5 years. No lie, 10 years ago, I wanted to be a little further than where I am in my knowledge of God and the Bible, okay, okay, a lot further. You know what, the blame lies with no one, but myself. If all those hours spent watching TV alone went to studying the word, wow, I just don't even know. So, I find myself talking to God, hearing Him ask me to devote myself more to Him. Devotion, now ain't (my southern side speaking) that a strong word... love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for God, His activity, His cause. Now that's something to ponder. What am I really devoted too? TV? Business? Sleep? Food? I can't say that I have been entirely devoted to God. When this world takes away our Bibles, our churches, our music...will it be planted in your mind and heart because of your devotion to Him? Will it be planted in my heart and mind? Whew! I need to get to work. It's a wake up call. I'm awake.
That's what's on my heart today. I hope I've been worthy of your time.
Thanks for stopping by!
I've been busy, no lie. This season in my life will just be this way, I'm okay with it, I accept it, I'll not fight it. Sometimes intentionally busy, to keep the time moving forward.
We are no longer in the pre-deployment stage. The mister has now been dispatched, all visits have been made, all plans have been put in place. I'm now a "single" mom and the mister is now without his family. It's a big pill to swallow. However, God is bigger than this situation.
The girls are responding well to Mr. Hagge being gone. It was tough in the very beginning, but they've settled down. There is still the "I miss Daddy" everyday, but it's with less tears.
God:
Is amazing, sustaining, faithful, constant, challenging.....
Speaking of challenging, I've been thinking a lot about where I want to be in 5 years. No lie, 10 years ago, I wanted to be a little further than where I am in my knowledge of God and the Bible, okay, okay, a lot further. You know what, the blame lies with no one, but myself. If all those hours spent watching TV alone went to studying the word, wow, I just don't even know. So, I find myself talking to God, hearing Him ask me to devote myself more to Him. Devotion, now ain't (my southern side speaking) that a strong word... love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for God, His activity, His cause. Now that's something to ponder. What am I really devoted too? TV? Business? Sleep? Food? I can't say that I have been entirely devoted to God. When this world takes away our Bibles, our churches, our music...will it be planted in your mind and heart because of your devotion to Him? Will it be planted in my heart and mind? Whew! I need to get to work. It's a wake up call. I'm awake.
That's what's on my heart today. I hope I've been worthy of your time.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Deployment: 3 Weeks Down, Many More To Go
I'm heading into week 4. The 3 H girls are doing really good. Adjusting to having Mr. H gone has not been the most easy thing. It's been a true challenge to really rely and trust that when God said we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding that He wasn't joking. When I have a tough day I repeat that scripture to myself until I rest in that peace. I don't have to be upset everyday, I don't have to be mopey, or pout all the time. Yes, I feel like I'm missing a limb. Yes, I wish that everything in the house didn't decide to break all at once while I'm playing husband and daddy too, but I must say I rather enjoyed being able to tackle installing a ceiling fan on my own. Lemons into lemonade! (Which reminds me of a sermon/book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, great read!) My Bugsy decided to dump water all over the kitchen floor, so, I decided it was a good time to mop. Haha! Do I break down here and there? Sure! But, I'm not staying down. I'm going to get up. I'm determined to look back on this time and be proud of how we pulled through this and all we were able to accomplish. I will control my emotions, they will not control me.
My point is this, you can be in tough situations and pull through them with dignity, overcoming, winning.
On another note, I do get to see Mr. H one last time within the next month before we go through the very long stretch of separation. I am anxious to see him, but also not looking forward to the next separation. Stretching my ability to rely on God will be a complete understatement in the months to come, but I will give it my very best, I promise.
Coming up!!!!! I have 2 posts in the works. One of them is a little crafty post. Nothing fancy, but practical money saving idea. Keep checking in!
Until next time
My point is this, you can be in tough situations and pull through them with dignity, overcoming, winning.
On another note, I do get to see Mr. H one last time within the next month before we go through the very long stretch of separation. I am anxious to see him, but also not looking forward to the next separation. Stretching my ability to rely on God will be a complete understatement in the months to come, but I will give it my very best, I promise.
Coming up!!!!! I have 2 posts in the works. One of them is a little crafty post. Nothing fancy, but practical money saving idea. Keep checking in!
Until next time
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Follow The Leader
Yesterday, Oregano and I were outside at a friends house feeding the ducks. They were very friendly ducks and would nearly come right up to you, but you had to call them over, with a really bad quacking impersonation. Well, to my surprise, they would ONLY come to Oregano's "quacking". I tried repeatedly to get them to come over, but resigned to using Oregano to get them over to me instead.
This brought a thought to my mind. We are not meant to follow whoever comes to our door step and not everyone is meant to follow us when we are leaders. It's not personal. God knows what each and everyone of us need and we are to be sensitive to his leading.
John said in John 3: 27 "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven." No one should follow anyone either unless it has been ordained by God. Your leader, your mentor may be a very unlikely source. Leaders and mentors are meant to stretch us, guide us, challenge us. Don't shy away from that. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 (I LOVE this scripture) God USES people to sharpen us and in this day and age we NEED to be sharpened.
My mentor right now is someone I didn't even know 6 months ago and let me tell you she is literally a God send. We were searching for a home church and I fought tooth and nail NOT to go to this church. It was too far, I didn't know anyone, I had never heard of it, it was too far, it was too small, it was too far. Get the point! God knew what I needed and sent this precious woman of God my way. Be willing to step outside of your box to reach for what God has for you. It going to be goooooood stuff, I promise.
On the same note, I have had very unlikely people come into my life that God has asked me to guide in one way or another. Some I had to even stop, scratch my head and say, "Are you sure God?". Yep, he's sure. Don't just toss people aside because it doesn't seem like a perfect fit or you can't relate or it's too much trouble. God's grace is sufficient and He will give you what you need to guide this person. A little side note, sometimes it's a long process and sometimes God is just asking for you to provide a little pick me up for that person.
Be willing, be open. Don't follow whatever person is quacking at you and don't expect every person to follow you just because you are quacking.
CH
This brought a thought to my mind. We are not meant to follow whoever comes to our door step and not everyone is meant to follow us when we are leaders. It's not personal. God knows what each and everyone of us need and we are to be sensitive to his leading.
John said in John 3: 27 "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven." No one should follow anyone either unless it has been ordained by God. Your leader, your mentor may be a very unlikely source. Leaders and mentors are meant to stretch us, guide us, challenge us. Don't shy away from that. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 (I LOVE this scripture) God USES people to sharpen us and in this day and age we NEED to be sharpened.
My mentor right now is someone I didn't even know 6 months ago and let me tell you she is literally a God send. We were searching for a home church and I fought tooth and nail NOT to go to this church. It was too far, I didn't know anyone, I had never heard of it, it was too far, it was too small, it was too far. Get the point! God knew what I needed and sent this precious woman of God my way. Be willing to step outside of your box to reach for what God has for you. It going to be goooooood stuff, I promise.
On the same note, I have had very unlikely people come into my life that God has asked me to guide in one way or another. Some I had to even stop, scratch my head and say, "Are you sure God?". Yep, he's sure. Don't just toss people aside because it doesn't seem like a perfect fit or you can't relate or it's too much trouble. God's grace is sufficient and He will give you what you need to guide this person. A little side note, sometimes it's a long process and sometimes God is just asking for you to provide a little pick me up for that person.
Be willing, be open. Don't follow whatever person is quacking at you and don't expect every person to follow you just because you are quacking.
CH
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