Our first guest blogger is my sister-in-law, Leanne, who has been blessed with a great talent for writing. She can take even the smallest pieces of life and find an amazing application from God for our own lives! She gladly passed on a few devotionals for me to share with you. Look for more to come in the future! Here is her first (of many, hopefully!!) Thanks for sharing your gift, Leanne!!
“Missing Pieces”
“Mom,can you help me find my missing Lego piece” “Mom, I lost my Iron Man guy's helmet?” “Mom, have you seen my make-up bag?” “Honey, I only have one white sock in my drawer, can you find me the other one?” “Hey mom, how come I can't find my school book?”
Did I just scream out loud or was it in my head?
Does this sound familiar to anyone else? I feel as though I am constantly looking for something for someone! What they all don't realize is, I have to do the exact same thing they would have to do...look! You simply lift up the couch cushions, move the pile of books and look under it. Search the car or the pile of laundry in the laundry basket. Just standing in the same spot and spinning in circles will not help you find what you are looking for! Why does it seem like only I know this?
Well since I am called “Mom” I have found that my days are filled with meeting every one else's needs and desires. Is it always fun? No! Is it worth it? Yes!
When Jesus was here on the earth He often dealt with the same kinds of things. Everyone needed a healing touch, everyone needed prayer, everyone needed food or money. Everyone had a question or a complaint! Much like motherhood. Though Jesus had the power to just speak a word and all would fall into place (if only I had that power!) He usually gave us the example of hard work. He actually showed us how to live and meet the needs of others. He took the time to touch and heal and explain and train. It took much of his time and He took breaks to go and pray and seek the Father. He rested. He worked hard and never complained, but He knew the job that needed to be done and He did it with His whole heart: his heart of love and compassion.
“Oh Jesus, help me see the needs and meet them the best that I can. Help me call out to you for help and rest when I am tired. Help me to seek your will and not mine and see the little things with eternal eyes. Bring to remembrance your desire to find and restore the missing pieces in each and every heart and life.” amen.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Cheating at Motherhood
Over the few years of motherhood that I have known, I have gathered loads of advice from so many wise people. I take the advice, I apply to my life and then when a friend asks for advice I realize that I am passing on someone else's good advice - I am cheating! Plagiarizing, even! Using someone else's advice and passing it on as my own - shame on me! They taught me better than that in jr. high, high school, and college. And yet what have I done in real life? I've been cheating at motherhood.
No matter how this wisdom is acquired, from friends and family or through your own experiences, when you are able to apply it to your own life and situations, it is invaluable! Here are just a few nuggets that I have written down in my memoir (a brown spiralbrown notebook with the penciled-in title: "Kathy's Book of Gathered Wisdom.")
Children are an inheritance, not an inconvenience.
Give 9 lbs of praise for every 1 lb of correction.
Don't expect your children to be any more spiritual than you are.
Strong-willed children are the future Peters and Pauls.
Speak God's word to them even before they can understand God's word.
Whatever discipline you choose, be consistent with it.
God has a plan for your children. Seek Him and start training them for these things.
Children are born foolish, with lack of judgment and self-control. Don't expect them not to be that way, just train them.
Children go through stages. Stay consistent and "this, too, shall pass!" (Can't tell you how this helped in potty training and bedtime issues!)
Apply the Pat Principle with your kids: "When in doubt, pat." God made lots of patting places - heads, cheeks, knees, hands, shoulders, backs.
Delight in your children!
One of my favorites: Stong in self-will now can be strong in God's will with training. (If you've ever met my daughter, you'd know why this applies!)
The best and most important advice always comes from God's word:
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy." Psalm 103:8 - Good principles to apply to parenthood.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6 - How DO you handle the entire roll of toilet paper flushed down the toilet? Or the entire box of Cheerios spilled on the kitchen floor? (Obviously my children are still young!)
"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 - Yell often?
Remember, your battle is not with your son or daughter. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 - Your battle is with the enemy. Don't be intimidated by a rebellious spirit. Jesus is Lord above that, too.
The Bible is FULL of what we need. We just have to put the time in to find it!
This blog is a big THANK YOU to all who have given me their advice and allowed me to glean from their wisdom. Again - I can't take credit for any of these words! I cheated! (Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you cheat off of me!)
Kathy
No matter how this wisdom is acquired, from friends and family or through your own experiences, when you are able to apply it to your own life and situations, it is invaluable! Here are just a few nuggets that I have written down in my memoir (a brown spiralbrown notebook with the penciled-in title: "Kathy's Book of Gathered Wisdom.")
Children are an inheritance, not an inconvenience.
Give 9 lbs of praise for every 1 lb of correction.
Don't expect your children to be any more spiritual than you are.
Strong-willed children are the future Peters and Pauls.
Speak God's word to them even before they can understand God's word.
Whatever discipline you choose, be consistent with it.
God has a plan for your children. Seek Him and start training them for these things.
Children are born foolish, with lack of judgment and self-control. Don't expect them not to be that way, just train them.
Children go through stages. Stay consistent and "this, too, shall pass!" (Can't tell you how this helped in potty training and bedtime issues!)
Apply the Pat Principle with your kids: "When in doubt, pat." God made lots of patting places - heads, cheeks, knees, hands, shoulders, backs.
Delight in your children!
One of my favorites: Stong in self-will now can be strong in God's will with training. (If you've ever met my daughter, you'd know why this applies!)
The best and most important advice always comes from God's word:
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy." Psalm 103:8 - Good principles to apply to parenthood.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6 - How DO you handle the entire roll of toilet paper flushed down the toilet? Or the entire box of Cheerios spilled on the kitchen floor? (Obviously my children are still young!)
"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 - Yell often?
Remember, your battle is not with your son or daughter. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 - Your battle is with the enemy. Don't be intimidated by a rebellious spirit. Jesus is Lord above that, too.
The Bible is FULL of what we need. We just have to put the time in to find it!
This blog is a big THANK YOU to all who have given me their advice and allowed me to glean from their wisdom. Again - I can't take credit for any of these words! I cheated! (Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you cheat off of me!)
Kathy
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Posting Pictures
Bear with me...just posting pics of some new items. I'm thinking the more I do this, the better I will be!
Hmmm...managaed to make them all straight - amazing!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
In a Pickle!
You ever feel like your in the middle of a mess and don't know where to go next? Sometimes with this new business, I feel that way! I wouldn't say that the business is a mess, but sometimes my brain gets ahead of itself and comes up with so many ideas that I just don't know what to do or where to go next. And then I just sit and do nothing! No good. My mom taught me the best motivation - just do it! Sounds like a Nike ad, but it is so true. When you sit on the couch feeling overwhelmed by what you need to do, if you just get up and do one small thing, then it's accomplished! Then you do another small thing, and that's one more thing done. I have found that even when I am exhausted, if I just get started, I get so much accomplished!
So, looking at the laundry sitting on the couch that caught up to me makes me think that maybe I'd better just go do it! It's just a few loads to fold, right? Oh, and then the load that's in the dryer...and the big load that's in the washer. Hmmm, guess I'd better go get started!
So, looking at the laundry sitting on the couch that caught up to me makes me think that maybe I'd better just go do it! It's just a few loads to fold, right? Oh, and then the load that's in the dryer...and the big load that's in the washer. Hmmm, guess I'd better go get started!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Resting
Do you ever feel like you're sitting in the calm before the storm? That's my Sunday! Sundays are my day to take a break, rest from the busyness of the week and just not work! Not even laundry. And the best part is that I don't have to feel bad about it. Sundays are a gift from God: a time to reflect on the past week and look forward to the whirlwind of the coming week, but not worry about either one.
So today I enjoyed a morning at church (which I got to on time only by the grace of God!) and then took the kids to Grandma's house. After great fellowship, we came home to eat some lunch and play. I enjoyed my book and my coffee throughout the day. Overall, I rested - what a good feeling. And the day isn't over yet!
Sunday has turned out to be my favorite day.
p.s. There's lots of exciting things happening on Fruitful Hands Boutique, but since it's Sunday, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out more about it!
So today I enjoyed a morning at church (which I got to on time only by the grace of God!) and then took the kids to Grandma's house. After great fellowship, we came home to eat some lunch and play. I enjoyed my book and my coffee throughout the day. Overall, I rested - what a good feeling. And the day isn't over yet!
Sunday has turned out to be my favorite day.
p.s. There's lots of exciting things happening on Fruitful Hands Boutique, but since it's Sunday, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out more about it!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Not so morbid...
I used to think it was kind of morbid or perhaps depressing when people wrote down the songs they wanted to have sung at their funeral. Old hymns or worship songs that other people would be singing once they had passed on. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a song in my Bible that I want sang at my funeral. We were singing "It is Well," and one part of the verse really hit home with my life currently, and then I realized that it could very well be my life's theme song. That's when I got it: when a song means that much and speaks to every part of your life for the rest of your life, that's when you write it in your Bible. Because someday, when I pass on to heaven, I want people to sing this song at my funeral and "get" it. Maybe it will speak to someone there like it speaks to me today.
"Whatever my lot,
thou hast taught me to say:
it is well,
it is well with my soul."
Monday, April 26, 2010
Multi-tasking
I've realized that one thing women do exceptionally well is multi-task. I can't tell you how many things are going on in my head at once, sometimes! Men can focus on one thing, get it done, and move on. Not me. I will walk out of a room to another with one purpose and accomplish 3 other things on my way there!
On a larger scale, my multi-tasking abilities are being STRETCHED! Currently, we are finishing up some home remodeling (people in and out of the home regularly), I am working on our Relay for Life projects (coming up mid-May), running my little business, and contemplating the set-up of our office for homeschooling next year. Oh, and being a wife and mom at the same time. I don't write all this to toot my own horn. Just because I'm doing it doesn't necessarily mean I'm doing it well! But I am trying to do it all to the best of my ability.
As I sat finishing my lunch today, I realized that somewhere in all this, sometimes I just need a place to sit and write and share all that is going on. Writing has always been a good way to just let it all out! I remembered my blog that I had started who-knows-when and thought I would share it here.
Today is a day of laundry. Not terribly exciting, I know. But on the other side of things, this morning when I checked my email, I had a picture of a gorgeous baby blanket that my friend wants me to sell for her. I also had an email from a couple of ladies who might be interested in selling other items that I have felt were missing from the boutique. That was very exciting for me! It's as though God knew where the "holes" were in the boutique and is looking to fill them for me.
I looked at the calendar this morning and realized that Mother's Day is closer than I thought: less than 2 weeks away. Yikes! So I guess I'd better promote, promote, promote! There are some great custom creation that can be made, but the orders need to be made soon. (Towels, aprons, notecards, purses, flower accessories...) If you look on the facebook page, you can see some other ideas. If you are a facebook(er) then you simply type in "fruitful hands boutique" and you will see the fanpage for the boutique come up.
Now to continue on to laundry...
On a larger scale, my multi-tasking abilities are being STRETCHED! Currently, we are finishing up some home remodeling (people in and out of the home regularly), I am working on our Relay for Life projects (coming up mid-May), running my little business, and contemplating the set-up of our office for homeschooling next year. Oh, and being a wife and mom at the same time. I don't write all this to toot my own horn. Just because I'm doing it doesn't necessarily mean I'm doing it well! But I am trying to do it all to the best of my ability.
As I sat finishing my lunch today, I realized that somewhere in all this, sometimes I just need a place to sit and write and share all that is going on. Writing has always been a good way to just let it all out! I remembered my blog that I had started who-knows-when and thought I would share it here.
Today is a day of laundry. Not terribly exciting, I know. But on the other side of things, this morning when I checked my email, I had a picture of a gorgeous baby blanket that my friend wants me to sell for her. I also had an email from a couple of ladies who might be interested in selling other items that I have felt were missing from the boutique. That was very exciting for me! It's as though God knew where the "holes" were in the boutique and is looking to fill them for me.
I looked at the calendar this morning and realized that Mother's Day is closer than I thought: less than 2 weeks away. Yikes! So I guess I'd better promote, promote, promote! There are some great custom creation that can be made, but the orders need to be made soon. (Towels, aprons, notecards, purses, flower accessories...) If you look on the facebook page, you can see some other ideas. If you are a facebook(er) then you simply type in "fruitful hands boutique" and you will see the fanpage for the boutique come up.
Now to continue on to laundry...
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