Company Girl coffee 4.17.09

Welcome to Company Girl Coffee! Grab a cup and stick around for a bit. I have a pretty funny story to share with you today! There are just some moments in parenting that are too good to keep to yourself. We'll call this story "Coloring Outside the Lines."

It all starts with a little innocent coloring with markers on giant calendars. When I left to take my three older kids to school, my two younger ones were laying on the floor, decorating their new calendars that dad brought home for them. I had a little extra time and I was kid-free so I decided to be productive and run a few errands before returning home.

I got home and the first words out of my husband's mouth were "Hey, take a look at your dog." Hmm...that can't be good. He's never my dog unless he's in trouble. Kind of like when we use the phrase "your kid." I looked down at Max, and to my surprise, there was a nice green and blue patch on his back! Oh dear.

"LR's doing?" I asked. "Yep," he answered, "and her little brother partner in crime."

This is where I had to restrain myself from laughing. I never thought I'd have to create the house rule "Don't color on the dog." Poor Max. It's a good thing he's tolerant of our very small, very creative children. That's not the end of my story, though.

Their Uncle was cleaning them up in the bathroom (because they drew on themselves too) when I heard him ask "LR, where's the green marker?" She must have tried to hide the evidence. Well, after a few minutes of giving her the third degree for four year olds, she confessed. It was behind the couch. What we discovered when we found it though, made my jaw drop.

There was marker on the window, the window sill, the CURTAINS, and the back of the couch. Since I wasn't there when it happened, I left the hard part to my DH. I cleaned up the mess (thank goodness for washable markers) while he doled out the punishment. You know it's a doozie when they march into the bedroom and the door closes behind them.

Bless their little hearts. I think they learned their lesson. Sometimes it's tough being a parent. But if you let them get away with coloring on the dog, then what else will they think they can get away with? Let's just leave that to the imagination.

What are some of the funniest "lessons" (or maybe they weren't so funny at the time) that you've experienced as a parent? Or perhaps from your own childhood? Please share! I've got my cup of coffee, and I am all ears.

Enjoy your weekend,

Melissa

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 4.15.09

"Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." -Acts 3:19 (NIV)

This is my chosen verse for the second half of April. Beth Moore used it in one of her lessons in "Esther: It's tough being a woman." When I read it, I knew it would be my next verse. I am living in times of refreshing right now! I love how the Lord is showering me with encouragement in His Word and in prayer times with Him. God is so good!

May you be refreshed also as you seek Him!

-Melissa

10 Things Tuesday

Here's a quick, 10 Things Tuesday post! I've got to make dinner, but there's always time to give thanks!

1. Even though we woke up to 4 inches of snow this morning, the sun decided to come out and melt it all away. :)


2. It's Mariner's opening day at Safeco today! Ken Griffy Jr. is BACK! :)


3. My sister, mom, and niece are coming to visit on Friday! :)


4. I am finally caught up on laundry for a change! :)


5. I spent $88 on groceries today...I saved $86. Yep! That's almost 50% off one grocery trip! Coupons and promotions rock!


6. We had such a fun Easter. The kids looked so cute in their outfits and we hunted eggs, played games, and spent time with friends and family.


7. CD peed on the potty today! It won't be long before we're a diaper-free household! :)


8. My DH is picking up a surprise visitor at the airport tonight! The kids will be so excited!


9. Our second vehicle is working again. It didn't cost us as much as we thought because our friend figured out what was wrong, went to the junkyard to get the parts, and did all the labor for free. Thanks Tim!


10. Everyone seems to be feeling better and I finally got a full night's sleep last night. :)

Well, I'm off to make dinner! Have a wonderful week!

Esther Study

I've really been enjoying the Beth Moore study "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman." I need to dig in and get my homework done for this week but before I do, there's a part of last week's study that's been on my mind all week. I wanted to write out some of my thoughts as I try to get a grasp on what Beth was trying to say. Here's the portion of the study I'm talking about.

"Most critical to today's lesson, Esther had also detached from the common man's need. We tend to detach from sights and situations that make us feel badly about ourselves-especially when we feel powerless. If we think we can't do anything about a bad situation, we'd just as soon not have to see it.

Here's the trap, however: If we distance ourselves long enough from real needs, we replace them with those that aren't. Pretense becomes the new real and suddenly a delay in the delivery of our new couch becomes a terrible upset. We are wise to force ourselves to keep differentiating between simple inconveniences and authentic tribulations. The more detached and self-absorbed we become, the more we mistake annoyances for agonies."

This portion of the study has really made me stop and think every time I get upset about something. Whenever I start to feel out of control, I ask myself "What is this about? Is it worth getting all worked up? Is there a greater underlying issue here that I have been ignoring?" Life is full of inconveniences. The trick is not to let them get to you.

A while back I had a talk with a friend of mine about trials and tribulations and what the difference was between the two. Her definitions were very helpful for me. She also included her own definition of tests from the Lord...

Trials are things that come our way that we did NOT cause. God uses trials in our lives to build character.

Tests come from the Lord and are usually for a specific purpose. Such as when you learn something good from a sermon or God's Word and then you are tested on it in your life. Testing is for the purpose of growth and maturity.

Tribulations come from the enemy and they are for...well, it's just what the enemy does! God allows tribulations in our lives for the purpose of building faith and trust in Him.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all of this. I don't want to be someone who always "makes a mountain out of a molehill," to use a popular quote.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you. :)

Easter Blessings!

Last night before I went to bed and this morning this song was resonating through my head. Then we sang it in church this morning! Happy Easter! JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.

Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Company Girl Coffee 4.10

Welcome to my blog! Grab a cup of Company Girl Coffee and stay for a spell. I'm already on my second cup. I know it's only been two weeks since I met you for coffee, but it seems like ages. I could gab for hours about life, family, and all kinds of things! I'll try not to talk your ear off though. :) It is, after all, Good Friday and I know there are many preparations to be made for Easter Sunday.

Let me begin by asking you this: What are the first thoughts on your brain when you wake up in the morning? Do you immediately start to go over your to-do list for the day? Or perhaps you groan, because you are not a morning person. Do you hit the snooze button on the alarm, hoping for just a few minutes more shut-eye? Maybe you begin to recount the previous day's events, or think about your calendar and what's coming soon.

I have experienced all of these thoughts and more, but my favorite is when I wake up in the morning with a song, verse, or prayer on my heart. That's what happened this morning. Thus, the cheerful music to have coffee to today. :) I wish I could say that happened more often. It puts me in such a cheerful mood to start my day with thoughts of Jesus. When I begin my day focused on Him, I know that I can face just about anything that comes my way!

Now that I've given you something to ponder, let me catch you up a bit on life at our house these past couple of weeks.

Last week was Spring Break. We had a lot of sickies around here so we kept our plans to visit my in-laws, but laid low while we were there and just enjoyed the company. It was actually nice to be somewhere away from the snow for a few days. The highlight of that trip was that we took our 5 kiddos bowling for the first time! So much fun! (I won't tell you my embarrassing score!)

Before we left for our trip, I got to have real life coffee with another Company Girl here in Spokane! You probably read about it on her blog last week. Kerri is such a delight! I tried to post a picture, but I can't figure it out from my laptop. We actually went to the same church here in Spokane for I don't know how long, and never met. I loved visiting with her and hearing more about her life in person. :)

This week, it's been business as usual around here. The great thing is that Spring has finally decided to arrive. I have been so thankful for the nice weather. It really puts me in great spirits to look out the window and see the sunshine! It's motivated me to pick up the pace with my Spring cleaning.

Speaking of cleaning, I'm off to get some things done. As usual, I look forward to visiting with you throughout the weekend.

May your thoughts drift towards Him this weekend as we celebrate our Risen Lord!

Luke 24:6 "He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.'"

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 4.1.09

I am a little late in choosing my scripture memory verse again. To be honest, it was hard for me to pick a verse this time. I was praying and reading this morning trying to find something that really stuck out to me. There are so many good verses out there! I really want the 24 verses that I memorize this year to be ones that the Spirit directs me to. I was a little discouraged that I couldn't find one right away. You know that goose-bump feeling that you get when you open your bible and the Word just "pops" off the page to you?

Well, I started to scroll through some of the verses that other Siestas are memorizing and landed on a verse that is pretty familiar to me. I couldn't quote it to you without looking it up and reading it off the page, so I decided it's a good one to commit to memory.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Until today I never really thought about what "jars of clay" really means. The Amplified version says "However, we posses this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves."

Frail, human vessels of earth. That's a pretty good description of what we are. I looked up the word "frail" in Webster's dictionary. One definition said "easily broken, or fragile." I'd say that describes this earthen vessel to a tee. How many times have I felt broken and useless; worn out and ready to give up hope? Luckily, there is a "but" here...

Paul goes on to say "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Cor. 4:8) Thank goodness for the "buts" in this verse! No matter how broken I feel, THERE IS HOPE!

The good news is that the Divine Potter has chosen to use us as His vessels to shine His light into the world! Back up a bit to verse 4:1. "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."

God's Word is a treasure, isn't it? In my daughter's study bible it says that archaeologists have found treasures of silver in cheap clay pots. Clay pots were common back in Bible times and thousands were made. Apparently sometimes they were used to store valuable and precious things. Who would have suspected?

This is one earthen vessel that will continue to hide the treasure of God's Word in my heart as I meditate on it daily. :)

Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."