My Life in Phone Photos

Time for another "My Life in Phone Photos!"  I stole the idea a while back from Rachel Anne over at Home Sanctuary.  These are just a few pictures of what's been going on in our lives lately. :)

This is a billboard that I pass by every day on my way home from work.  It always reminds me how awesome our God is. (Even though that's not what it's advertising.)  It is also a prompt for me to say my memory verse for the second half of September out loud.  "For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the AWESOME God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe." -Deuteronomy 10:17 NASB

This is a picture of my girl LR.  She drew this self portrait for open house this week.  She loves wolves so that is a wolf on her shirt.  I sure do love that girl!  The first three weeks of school is a whirlwind of activity and we finished it off with open house for my gradeschoolers on Wednesday night.

This is my girl RL after her first meet.  She has joined Cross Country this year.  I'm so proud of her for setting goals and working hard to reach them.  She ran her first practice in the rain this week and was soaked to the bone but still smiling when I picked her up!  Now that's dedication.

Back-tracking to the first day of school.  :)  Every year I make the kids pose for me so I can get another "first day" picture.  Left to right... CD, 1st grade, LR, 3rd grade, BC, 5th grade, JS, 6th grade and RL, 7th grade.  They sure are growing up fast!

BC flying off the diving board during our "Tent City" weekend over Labor Day.  We always have one last bash with the family over labor day weekend.  We BBQ, swim, and play lots of games.  That's JS and BC splashing around below.

CD being his goofy self...lost a couple of teeth over the Summer.  The new ones are finally starting to grow in.  I loved his toothless smile all Summer long though!

So that's us...Coming out of Summer and moving into Fall.  Changing seasons, changing lives...I'm excited to see what God has in store around the bend.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Final picture...Summer changing to fall in my little valley. :)
   

SSMT Verse 17 - Help!

School started this week, and one of the things I always tell my children when they are in school is "if you don't understand something or have questions, don't be afraid to ask for help."

That's good sound advice, right?

It's important that my kids know that it is ok to ask an adult when they need help solving a problem, learning to do something correctly, clarifying instructions and rules, or even getting directions to their next class. (For my 6th grader, who just started Middle School this year.)  There is no shame in admitting you need a little help.  We've all been there.

Even me...

What's good advice for my kids is good advice for me, right?

Why then, is it so hard for me to ask for help when I need it?  Perhaps it is because I expect too much of myself as an adult, mom, wife, homemaker, employee, and daughter.  Um, that's a lot of hats to juggle.  Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I see myself as failing in some of those areas above mentioned.

Whatever the reason, I think after this week I have realized that it is ok, in fact, necessary, for me to recruit help managing the several different areas of my life.  For instance, the kids are old enough that they can help assemble their lunches for school.  And they can even do their own laundry, or at least help with their laundry in the afternoons.  They can also help themselves to a snack if they are hungry when they get home from school.

Those are all physical things that help me stay organized and take a little pressure off my daily schedule.  Let's talk a little about the spiritual side of things.

I live in a valley, so on most days when I am driving anywhere or even just sitting and looking out my dining room window, I look up to see the beautiful hills surrounding us.  They are breathtaking in any season.  In the Fall (the approaching season), they change colors.  Into Winter, they turn white with fresh snow.  Then in the Spring you can see the fields of rolling wheat and rows of grapevines or whatever crop is in season growing new.  Even in the Summer when things are dry the hills are a variety of color.  I love to watch the change and gaze out into the beauty of it all.

When I was determining what verse I wanted to memorize for Siesta Scripture Memory Team this first half of September, a particular psalm came to mind.  It is one that I have probably read again and again, but never taken time to memorize.  It is Psalm 121:1-2

"I lift my eyes up to the mountains -
Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth."

I have the ultimate helper on my side: the Lord.  What a comfort to know that any question, any problem, any sadness or hardship that I come to Him with, He is able to help!

Every time I look at the hills for the next two weeks I will repeat these verses to myself and remember that God is my helper.

When I start to feel overwhelmed, (and maybe a bit sorry for myself,) I will remember where my help comes from - first and foremost, God - and then know that it is ok to ask for help.

The psalmist closes Psalm 121 with "The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever."

He's looking out for me.  He knows September is one of my busiest, craziest months.  The chaos of it all can often get to me and cause high levels of anxiety.  But not if I remember who my helper is.  Not if I keep my eyes and my thoughts focused on Him.

Philippians 4:23
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God."

I'm so thankful that He is my helper.  How about you?

Phone Photos and Company Girl Coffee

Well, I figure if Rachel Anne over at Home Sanctuary can take time to post with the week she had, so can I!  I haven't had any major crisis or life changing events this week, just been busy getting kids ready to go back to school and winding down the Summer.  Here are a few pictures from my phone to re-cap our week.  (Please excuse the quality, my phone camera isn't that great.)

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

This is a small section of my grapevines.  They span the entire length of my deck.  Though they are beautiful to look at, I learned this year that the more leaves you have, the less fruit they will produce.  Next year I will prune them as the Summer progresses.  I think that there might be a life lesson in there somewhere.  I'll save that post for another day.

My two youngest kiddos (CD 6, and LR 8) playing on a neighborhood playground that we stopped at while out for a bike ride the other day.

This is my oldest (12) taking a break when we went out for a run this week.  She's joining the 7th Grade Cross-Country Team this year. Although I haven't run in years, I am determined to help her train, and maybe get back in shape myself!

JS, who is going into Middle School (6th grade) this year!  I can hardly believe it.  Where has the time gone?

And that's BC hanging from the monkey bars...he'll be in 5th grade this year, only 11 months younger than his brother.

Some of the scenery from one of our runs this week.  I really do live in a beautiful valley. Too bad my camera can't capture the awesome details of it all.  The sheep, the vineyard, and the surrounding hills...just BREATHTAKING! 

 

 

On Wednesday, I had the unfortunate bad luck of hitting a stray S hook/belt (you know, that is supposed to hold stuff down in the back of a truck) on the highway.  I made it home before my tire went flat though and my husband, who is my hero, put the spare on so I could make it into town the next day to get it checked out.  Turns out we needed a new tire.  Thankfully, we were saving up for two new rear tires anyway.  This just sped up the purchase.  God always seems to provide for us right when we need it. 

Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verse 16!

"But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever."
-Psalm 52:8 (NIV)

When I read this verse, I just knew I had to memorize it.  First of all, I love that it is written in the first person.  I am like an olive tree flourishing...I trust in God's unfailing love. 

I also love that word flourishing.  Doesn't it just drip off your mouth like a waterfall? The Hebrew word from Strong's Concordance for flourishing is raanan. (Pronounced rah-an-awn) It translates: luxuriant, fresh. 

I didn't know much about olive trees before I read this verse so I decided to look them up and learn something.

Did you know that olive trees are evergreen? They will live and produce fruit in spite of circumstances - hot, cold, wet, dry, rocky or sandy soil.  In the same way, as Christians we must learn to "flourish," no matter what our circumstances.  How is this possible?  The answer is in the second half of the verse.  Trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.  When the sun is shining and when the rain is pouring down.  When you are walking through a dry season and when your cup seems to overflow.  

You get the point.  God's unfailing love is the one constant in every season of our lives.  I am reminded of a song by Jesus Culture called "Your Love Never Fails."

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone here in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

I'm so glad that His love never fails.  Thanks for stopping by, and may you flourish in His love today and always.
-Melissa 

Siesta Scripture Memory Verses 13-14

It's been a while since I could get to the computer to post, but I figure if I'm going to take a few minutes to write about something, it will be how memorizing scripture has made such an impact on my life.  I've stretched myself a little this year and tried to memorize more than one verse at a time.  Siesta Scripture Memory Team with Beth Moore has helped a lot both because there is accountability to get my memorization done in a specific period of time, (the first and 15th of the month is when we pick our verses) and because Beth Moore often shares tips about memorization technique and the story behind why she chose a particular verse.  If I haven't had anything jump out at me in my reading then I sometimes just memorize her verse right along with her.  It's inspiring to know that there are so many women out there memorizing scripture and if I get discouraged, I come back to the SSMT post and scroll through some of the verses that everyone else has posted that they are memorizing.

This month I focused in on a psalm that stood out to me while I was walking through Priscilla Shirer's new Bible Study "Gideon, Your Weakness.  God's STRENGTH."  I have some AMAZING thoughts that I would love to share from this study, but for now I will stick to my memory verses.  The verse that was in the margin was Psalm 103:2, but when I picked up my Bible to read it, I knew that I just had to memorize verses 1-5.  I'll break it down the way that I memorized them.  In the first two weeks of July I memorized Psalm 103:1-2:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;

The first time I read this I thought "What?  How could I forget the many blessings and benefits of knowing the Lord?"  But it happens.  It is easy forget that the Lord is constantly on our side and looking out for our greater good.  Romans 8:3 says "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  So why would we forget the amazing things He's done?  Pride.  Priscilla calls it "spiritual amnesia."  Just like the nation of Israel wandering in the desert, we have to be reminded of the One who rescued us.

For the second half of the month I have been memorizing Psalm 103:3-5.  Lets take a look at the benefits the psalmist is talking about.  I've broken them down for the sake of memorization into two parts.  First, God takes away the bad.  Then, He replaces the bad with the good.  I focused on three key words to memorize the next three lines (ps. 103:3-4a).  God pardons, heals, and redeems:

"Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,

The next words I focused in on were crowns, satisfies, and renewed. (ps. 103:4b-5)

"Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

So that's my thinking process.  I wake up almost every morning declaring "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget NONE of His benefits!"  That's the impact that memorizing scripture has had on my life.  It's the perfect way to start my day...remembering all that He has done for me.

Thanks for stopping by,
Melissa

Siesta Scripture Memory Team Vs. 6

I can't believe I'm on my 6th memory verse already!  That means that we are almost 1/4 of the way through 2013!  Although I am glad that Winter is melting into Spring, it certainly seems like the first three months of the year have gone by in a heartbeat.

I know I didn't post my verse at the beginning of this month.   I haven't spent much time on the computer at all, really.  When my laptop broke down last month I was a little sad but it has been a real eye opener to me about how wise I need to be about where I spend my time.  I have been spending way less time on facebook or playing my favorite game of words with friends, and way more time focusing on my family and home.  It has been a really busy month so far anyway, schedule wise.  So I took Beth Moore's advise and chose two verses together to memorize and meditate on this month.

Psalm 92:1-2 say:

It is good to give thanks to the LORD
And to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night.

I can't tell you how many times I have looked at my note card and repeated these verses out loud already this month.  Over and over the words resound in my heart.  Give thanks.  Sing Praise.  Declare His lovingkindess and faithfulness. 

I remember singing a simple praise song in church as a teen that goes like this:

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad...

The Psalmist goes on in Psalm 92:4 to say "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."  Sometimes you just have to belt out a good praise song to the Lord and everything feels better!  These days my favorite song to crank up the volume and sing along with is "Strangely Dim" Francesca Battistelli.  The song is all about fixing our eyes on God so that everything else around us- all our doubts and worries- will fade away as we turn them over to Him.

Yes, He has made me glad.  By all that He is, and all that He has done.  By holding my hand on some days and carrying me through others.  He is so good.  And I will declare His lovingkindess in the morning and His faithfulness by night.

 

Company Girl Coffee

Good morning girls!  I don't have much time to post today because today is a big day for us!  We have been dabbling in an on-line business on the side for a while now, and decided to take the next step this weekend.  We sell close-out spellbinders and we have an e-mail/ad campaign going out to 20,000 people today plus it will be on the Paper Craft facebook page.  I am so excited and hopefully this will bring in a lot of business and add to our customer base.  We stumbled upon this popular product quite by accident and I can't believe it has grown this big.  It has helped us get through some tough financial binds, that's for sure.

If any of you own a spellbinder machine and love to craft/scrapbook, we have the best deals around!

Check us out at http://saveonhobbies-com.myshopify.com/ .

Thanks for stopping by for coffee today! Hope your weather is as nice as ours...I think Spring might finally be right around the corner even though it's only 40 degrees out there.  Have a great weekend!

Melissa

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 4

Goodness!  It's already time for another memory verse.  I knew a few days ago which one I was going to pick.  I was listening to a program while I was folding clothes, and a verse caught my attention.  I don't really have time to elaborate right now, but someone may need to hear this truth today as much as I needed it this week.  The words come directly from Jesus and I heard them loud and clear ringing through the depths of my heart as I folded my children's clean clothes on my bed that morning.


“You did not chose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”
-John 15:16 NASB

"I chose you, and appointed you..."

Whew!  I don't know if I'm the only one, but boy did I need reminding of that this week!  I think sometimes we believe that it's the other way around.  That we chose Him.  We invited Him into our heart and that was that.  But no, HE chose US.  He pursued a relationship with us and is still pursuing us on a daily basis.  That is worth memorizing and repeating and shouting out loud, if you ask me! 

But not only did He choose us, He appointed us to go and bear everlasting fruit.  If that means I need to fold the laundry one more time, then that is exactly what I will do!  And while I'm at it I will be praying and asking for Him to pursue the five little blessings He has entrusted to me with the love and passion that caught my attention so many years ago.

I hope you know how much He loves you and is pursuing you today.

Blessings,
Melissa   

Simple Spaces - The Linen Closet

Is it Friday already?  Time for some coffee!

I lost track of the days this week.  Partly because it is conference week for my kids so they haven't had school yesterday or today.  I went to four conferences back to back yesterday morning.  I really enjoy all of the kids' teachers this year.  They are fantastic.  I am happy to report that aside from a little handwriting neatness that we need to work on, they are all doing great!  We are approaching the 100th day of school and I can't wait to see what is in store for my kindergartner this week.  Should be lots of fun!

I have been without my computer this week and I am working from my husband's now...I can't believe how much I rely on my computer for my schedules and meal plans!  I have gotten so used to making a grocery list from my meal plan and then not looking at it until I wake up each morning.  This week it has been a challenge to remember what I had on my plan without being able to look at it.  I guess I will go back to either posting it here, or just keeping a hard copy printed somewhere.  My hubby took my laptop to the shop and apparently there is something wrong with the mother board, which means bad things.  They may not even be able to recover everything I have stored on it.  (Which also includes our finances, so that's not good.)

All computer problems and wacky schedules aside, I did get to my simple space this week so I wanted to share it here with you today. :)  I chose the linen closet this week because it has really been bothering me.  Since we moved in here over a year and a half ago, it has become the stashing ground for just about everything!  But no more!  It is now "simply organized," and I am loving it!

Before - A Cluttered Mess!

 

After - "Simply Organized!"

The bottom half -used for spare linens, pillows, and sleeping bags.

The top half - used for overstock items (lotions, toothpaste, medicines, etc.) I am still searching for more containers to store these items and simplify even more.  There's nothing like a good container to help organize things!

How do you feel about using containers/baskets around the house to organize? Do you like to use labels?  What is your favorite organizing tip?  I'd love to know!

Have a great weekend everyone!

SSMT Verse 2

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 5:1

This is the verse I am working on for the next two weeks.  Here's what it speaks to my heart:

1. It was for freedom that Christ set us free - well, duh.  In Galatians 2:21 Paul says "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing."  It is by grace we are saved, through faith in Christ. (Eph.2:8)  If we could have been saved and reconciled to God through the Law, then He wouldn't have sent His son to die on the cross for our sins.

2. Keep standing firm - you know how sometimes you feel so confident and then all of a sudden you feel as if you slipped on a banana peel?  Maybe it's just me.  In order to keep standing firm, I have to constantly be in the Word, praying, and spending time with God.  I also have to surround myself with other people that can encourage me in my walk with Him.  It's when I start to believe that I am strong enough on my own that I slip and fall. Which brings me to #3...

3. Do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery - Paul is not talking about slavery in a literal sense here under another person.  He's talking about being subject to the law, rather than relying on grace and righteousness in Christ.  I am a rules girl.  I always have been.  So give me a list and I'll follow it.  It's both a blessing and a curse in my life.  I want a magic recipe for a perfect life.  The problem is, there is no perfect life.  There is only grace and forgiveness.  I can't expect to be the perfect wife, mother, and homemaker just by following a set of rules and guidelines.  For me, that would be what Paul is referring to as a "yoke of slavery."

Christ said "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

The yoke of Christ in exchange for the yoke of slavery.  That sounds pretty good to me.  I no longer have to rely on my own strength, but I can rest in the freedom that Christ has given me.

So that's what God has been speaking to my heart through His Word this week.  How is He speaking to you?  I'd love to hear from you!

Blessings,
Melissa 

Our Magical Trip

How does one begin writing again when it has been so long?  Do I condense two months of fullness into one blog post?  Or perhaps, I re-start and introduce myself anew.  There have been so many times when I have wanted to sit down and record the amazing things that are happening around me. But life is moving so quickly right now that I have had to set my writing on the back burner.  Sometimes I wish I had a special camera that would turn our stories into writing for me.  You know, one that would sort of record life exactly as it was happening, on paper?  But I digress...

Now that Thanksgiving has gone by, (but thankfulness remains) I can put into motion preparations for Christmas.  My husband came home Tuesday and decided it was time to put up the tree.  It was a joy to watch him work with the kids to put it all together and decorate it.  (Yes, we have a fake tree.)  This weekend all I have to do is put out a few more decorations around the house and we'll be good to go!


Our Beautiful Tree

Speaking of decorations, I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't at least record a little blurb about our trip to Disneyland this month.  We spent 7 wonderful days in beautiful CA the second week of November.  LR got to spend her 8th birthday at California Adventure. :)  We spent two days there, one day at Universal Studios, and two days at Disneyland.  (With one down day to rest and recoup in the middle.)  They start putting up Christmas decorations at all the parks there Nov. 1, and it is BEAUTIFUL!  They also have the Christmas parade at Disneyland every evening. Plus, they turn the Princess Castle into an ice castle at night and then it snows down Main Street! The kids LOVED that!


It really was a magical trip.  The kids' Nana, an Aunt, and an Uncle all came along for the ride and it was pure fun.  We've been saving up for this trip for three years now so that we could pay cash for everything.  I have to say, it was worth the wait!  Our kids were all at the perfect ages.  They range from 6-11 and they all had a blast.  Even our youngest only had a couple of rides he couldn't go on and he was a trooper to go on all the "big kid" rides with us.  It was worth the trip just to see their reactions to their first time flying. 

I could go on and on, but AMAZING pretty much sums it all up in a nutshell.

Well, I should be going for now.  I've got lots of things on my to-do list.  I hope I'll be able to get back to blogging more again, but I make no promises.  Funny, when my kids were small I used to think I'd have MORE time when they were all in school.  It doesn't seem to have worked out that way, but it sure is fun! 

Have a blessed weekend!
-Melissa 

Summer Moments

It seems my blog has turned into a once a month thing.  While I don't mind that it has taken a seat on the back burner this Summer, I do miss sitting down and writing once or twice a week.  When I started my blog it was to share the Small Things that I do on a daily basis to create Sancuary in my home.  I still partipate with Rachel Anne and other Company Girls over at Home Sanctuary.  I am encouraged on a regular basis by Rachel's posts and the comments that I read there.  Like today... I stopped in for Company Girl Coffee, and I was happy to be greeted by a photo of Flash, the Donkey, just hanging out enjoying life.

Sometimes, as I have witnessed this Summer, life just seems to move along at a pace so steady that you don't have time to stop and do the things you love the most.  Although this won't be the longest blog post ever, I'm taking a tip from good old Flash and Simply Live in the Moment.  Or, if you'll allow it, maybe several moments.  I want to share a few of my favorite pictures from this Summer so far. 

Thanks for stopping in for coffee.  Have a great weekend!

Watching the gang play "Peanuts" at the Larson Family Reunion...crazy!  We "camped" at Camp Kawanis for 4 days and spent time getting to know extended family members making great memories.

The kids with my mom in front of her house in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island



Me with my 98yr old Grandma.  She still lives on her own...I just love her spirit!!!!

The kids climbing the stairs up to the top of the light house at Ft. Casey



On the beach at Deception Pass State Park. 
I was born and raised on Whidbey Island and have crossed that bridge too many times to count!

Climbing at West Beach

Playing in the water

JS's 10th birthday and MUD!

RL's 11th Birthday Breakfast

Swimming...LOTS of Swimming this Summer!!!

Just A Few Thoughts

Is it the end of June already?  My how time flies!  Too much has been going on to tell it all here.  How about a re-cap of the last week?  This past week I was...

Blessed... with a visit from my mom and sister.  We've lived here for a year now and this is the first time my mom has been able to come out and see our new home and the Dollar Plus store.  I was so excited to have both of them here and thankful that my sister would make the trip only a day after she finished up teaching for the year.  The visit ended all too quickly.

Encouraged... by a quote that I read in my "Praying God's Word Day by Day" devotional.  It read "Walking consistently does not mean walking perfectly.  It means we may stumble, but we will not fall."  When I lose my footing, the Lord is sure to come along and set my feet on solid ground again.

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm."  (Psalm 40:1-2)

Frustrated... that my dog keeps digging out of our yard and I now have to keep him on a chain when he is alone.  Remember that story, the Pokey Little Puppy?  That's what my dog reminds me of.  He just has to get out into the wide wide world and see what's out there!

Joyful...  because my kids had so much fun at VBS this week.  They came home singing all kinds of fun songs and telling stories about what they learned.  It was a great experience for them.  They made lots of new friends and learned many good lessons from the Word.

Weary... from a long month of events, travelling, and excitement. I anticipate a busy July, where the fun will continue.  Many parents pack the Summer full with sports, swimming lessons, camping, and other events, but not me.  We plan one major trip (in August) and the rest of the Summer seems to fill itself up without my help.  We have company coming next week for the 4th of July and there are 3 birthdays and a family reunion plus our anniversary in July.  I try to take advantage of every moment of down time!

Reflective... because we have been here for almost exactly a year now.  It has been a good year.  The kids love their school and have made a lot of good friends.  I am so thankful for this house and for the family that lives here.  Over all, we are very blessed.

I guess that brings me full circle to blessed!  I hope that you also feel blessed by the Lord in this journey of life. 

~Melissa

^"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." -Ephesians 1:3

Company Girl Coffee 5.4.12

Today's Small Thing is to come up with "Creature Comfort" for each of the five senses.  Since I was already going to share about our guest room here on my blog today, I decided to take the idea of having company over and run with it. 

Before

After

Sight: Our guest room has a new, fresh coat of paint!  We went with two colors, both in the warm grey family.  I am going to finish one of my Grandmother's old dressers to place in there and my husband is bringing home a painting to bring it all together.  Just in time to have company over this weekend!  Yay!

Smell: Chili in the crockpot for dinner tonight!  I will be making corn bread to go with it.  This meal always fills my kitchen with irresistible aromas!

Taste: Hmm...maybe I should have saved the chili for this one! :)  I'm always up for a good chocolate and I have some Frangos hidden away for a rainy day.  Yum!

Touch: Hugs and more hugs for our friends that are coming to visit!  I haven't seen them since January so they are missed and I am really looking forward to their stay.

Sound: There will be lots of laughter going on this weekend as our children play with their children and the adults visit and play board games. 

I love to play hostess and make our guests feel at home.  We've known them for years and they are like family to us. 

Have a blessed weekend everyone!  Thanks for joining me for coffee today!
~Melissa  

Full to the Measure

"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace."   
-John 1:16

I love this verse!

Paul uses this same word "fullness," in Ephesians 3:14-19, when talking about the love of Christ. In both cases, the greek root word is pleroma - definition - fullness, fulfillment, completion (Strongs concordance 4138)

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Emphasis mine.)

Filled to the measure. What does that mean to you? To me, that means never empty. Christ's love never runs out. Out of His fullness we have all received. And there is more where that came from. Grace upon grace. We have eternal access to this power, this love, that strengthens us and fills us up on a daily basis.

That, my friend, is a love worth celebrating!

May you be strengthened out of His glorious riches today,
~Melissa

April Flowers

FFA Wa-High Greenhouse

Last week I went on a field trip with my 1st grade daughter and we walked though this greenhouse.  The minute I stepped in, the sights and smells brought me clear back to my childhood.  When I was a kid, my parents owned a hardware store.  In the Spring, I would always go on trips with my mom to go pick up flats of flowers from very large greenhouses to sell at our store.  We even had a little greenhouse of our own in front of our store for the plants that needed the extra warmth.  I have such wonderful memories of going with my mom on those trips, and then helping her water the flowers when they needed it.  It makes me smile to think about it, and share it here.

Today's Small Thing  over at Home Sanctuary is to celebrate your history by finding an object in (or around) your home that brings a sweet memory to mind. 

The above picture is what came to mind when Rachel Anne talked about sweet memories.  It's been 25 years since we closed the doors to our store, but the memories will remain in my heart forever.  Now I have children of my own, and I love to take them with me to our Dollar Plus store.  They help out in any way they can and we are making memories of our own.  I hope that one day, they will look back and smile on these days with fond memories of us building something together.

Why not join us for Company Girl coffee today and share some sweet memories of your own? 
Blessings,
~Melissa

A Foundation that Lasts

What's a girl have to do to find the right foundation?  There are so many brands out there, and then within those brands, there are so many choices.  You have to be careful to buy the right color that blends with your skin tone.  Then there's foundations for dry skin, oily skin, old skin, spotty skin and more.  There's liquid foundation, tinted moisturizer, and perfect match.  With all of the choices out there, it's no wonder that I just don't wear it at all. 

But I'm not just talking about makeup here.  In fact, I'd like to address a different foundation all together.  A foundation that lasts beyond any other.

Jesus talked about foundation in Luke 6:46-49:

 "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

There are three things I'd like to point out here that lead to a solid foundation in Christ.

1.  First you have to come to Jesus.  Have you accepted Jesus into your heart as Savior?  If not, I would encourage you to do so.  Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Accepting Christ into our heart is the way we receive forgiveness for our sins.  Revelation 3:20 says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."  All you have to do is say a simple prayer and invite Him in. 

2.   Hear His words.  Reading God's Word on a regular basis helps us grow.  My kids are in Awanas and one of their Discovery lessons was about why God gave us the Bible.  There are many reasons (I won't go into them all here), but one of them is so that we can know how to live.  Psalm 86:11 says "Teach me Your way, O LORD, and I will walk in Your truth; Give me and undivided heart, That I may fear Your name."

3.  Act on His words.  James 1:22-24 says "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was."  We can't just read His Word, we have to apply it to our lives on a daily basis.  We have to allow it to change us, making us more like Christ.

Come, Hear, Act.  These are the three invitations of Jesus in this passage.  When we do these things, we will build a foundation that will last forever.  A foundation that will not be shaken.

Psalm 62:6-8

He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
                       
 

My March Project(s)

One of my favorite bloggers, Rachel Anne, over at Home Sanctuary, is encouraging her readers to "March to the Finish" in March.  At the beginning of this month she asked us to join her in picking one project that has been put off and take steps to getting it done.  My first choice was the garage mess that has been haunting me since we moved in last June.  We unpacked everything we needed, and the rest of the boxes got stacked in the garage to be gone through at a later date.  We also inherited 50 boxes or so of a game that my husband created with his best friend several years ago.  A lot of them sold, but now there is the question of what to do with the ones that didn't.

Anyway, I've made a little progress on emptying out some boxes, getting rid of trash, and general cleaning.  My next step will be to start opening up boxes and take a good chunk of what we don't use to a local charity.  I wish I could say that I pounded it all out in one weekend, but that would be impossible.  I will say that this project inspired me/my husband to work hard last weekend and get some other things off our list.

1.  He primed our bold blue guest room to ready it for a fresh coat of paint, hopefully this weekend.
2.  We planted some starters for tomatoes and peas.
3.  I raked up the massive leaves pile in our front yard, which filled a large waste can and four more bags.
4.  My husband sprayed around the outside of the house to rid of the annoying box elder bugs and defend against other pests.

In general, we got a lot accomplished around the house.  It was nice to work together as a team and get things marked off our list.

Other things I want to work on this Spring (not necessarily March):
1.  Re-paint the boys' dressers and install new hardware.
2.  Put a splash of color in my daughter's bedroom.
3.  Decorate the downstairs.  (There is currently nothing on the walls.)

I suppose I better stop adding things to my list before I get overwhelmed!  This house is bigger than our last, so I sometimes have a hard time just keeping up with the general housework, let alone getting extra projects done start to finish. 

What projects are currently on your list?  Is there something you need to start, or simply put the finishing touches on that you could mark off your list this month?  I'd love to know.

Have a great weekend!


~Melissa

More than Enough

I was reading in Numbers chapter 16 this morning, when I found yet another example of humility demonstrated in Moses' life. There were three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who were rising up against Moses and stirring up trouble among the tribes. They accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the rest of God's people and deeming themselves more important than anyone else. Here are a few things about Moses' response that I noticed:

1. First he tried to reason with them. (vs. 4-7)

2. Then he tried to remind them that their God-appointed role was enough. "Then Moses said to Korah, 'Hear now, you sons of Levi, is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also? Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; but as for Aaron, who is he that you grumble against him?'"

3. When they continued to speak out against Moses, he burned with a holy anger and asked the Lord not to accept their offering. (vs. 15)

4. When the Lord said he was going to destroy all the people of their tribe, Moses fell on his face and asked him to spare the congregation and only punish the men who were sinning against the Lord. (vs. 22)

5. Moses gave the Lord all the glory for the things He had done. (vs. 28-30)

No wonder Hebrews 3:5 says of Moses "Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;"

Priscilla Shirer says of Moses in her book The Resolution for Women "He was called by heaven- an appointment that ordered his priorities, pursuits, and passions. Not perfectly, but persistently."

Moses was far from perfect. He questioned God's intentions several times along the way. But he also knew that he must pursue the calling that God had placed on his life. He knew that he had a role to accept. A part to play in God's grander scheme of things. So he embraced it. Humbly, faithfully, and wholeheartedly.

That's how I want to view God's calling on my life. Passionately, diligently, and without reserve. So that I too, can be considered faithful. Because my God-given assignment in this life is more than enough.

Valley Fog

This morning as I was driving the kids to school, I couldn't help but think "Is this heavy fog ever going to lift?"  And then I remembered that I live in a valley.  Allow me to go Wikipedia Weather girl on you for a moment.  Valley fog is the result of a temperature inversion caused by heavier cold air settling into a valley, with warmer air passing over the mountains above.  With calm conditions, (no wind, like now) it can last for days. And it has.  We have been in fog all week.  First, it was freezing fog, and now, thankfully the temperature has risen a bit, but it's very low visibility.

Sometimes my walk with God bears a striking resemblance to the current weather.  There are days, or even weeks, when I feel like I'm stuck in a valley fog.  I have limited visibility, but I have to trust that God, like my headlights, will shine enough into the darkness to show me the correct path.  This is where it is ever so important that I am in His Word on a regular basis.  As Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."

Just like the weather, our current circumstances can change quickly and unexpectedly.  A valley fog can roll in out of nowhere, but that doesn't mean that we have to stop moving forward.  God is right there with us lighting our path, helping us navigate our way through the fog. 

So the next time you find yourself in a valley with the fog rolling in, don't forget to turn on your headlights!  In other words, crack open your Bible and let His light shine the way.

Blessings,
Melissa