The Laundry Room, Day 3

I thought I'd post an update on how my laundry room is coming along. I'm having so much fun with this challenge! If you don't know what I'm talking about, just scroll down to the next post and take a look at my before pictures.

On Monday I started by just picking up any obvious trash that I could find. Not just trash, but broken toys and full coloring books and whatever else looked worn out and no longer able to be used. That filled up one bag.

Then yesterday I dug in and began to go through some of the containers on my shelves. I threw out any expired food in my pantry overstock and re-arranged the food in an orderly manner. In my household supply overstock I threw away any expired medicines and old lotions. I also went through all my cleaning supplies and took inventory of what I have and what I need.

Today I picked up any stray toys and returned them to their proper homes. I packed up a few files that we have to keep for another 5 years but won't need to get into unless we get audited and moved them to the garage. I sorted the dress-up box and tossed any torn, unusable items in it.

When my DH got home, I discussed the idea of separating the parts of the desk (which is a whole other mess) and just keeping the hutch up so that the kids would still have a place for their computer and playstation, but it would take up less space. He agreed.

Tomorrow I have a good friend that I trust coming over to help me take inventory of what I should keep, give away, sell, move, or just plain throw out. She's also going to help me come up with the best way to use the space with the furniture and storage containers that I already own. Yay!

Progress! I'm feeling better already. Well, that is, until I have to confront what's lurking under my stairs...but I'll save that for another post.

The Clutter Trap! Organizing Matters

It's Monday, and it's the first day of February! I love it when the first day of the month falls on a Monday. It seems to motivate me to keep moving and get things done. :)

This month I have joined ORG Junkie's 28 Day Organizing Challenge. I am finally fed up with the way that my laundry room looks! It functions as a laundry room/ toy room/ furnace room/ tool room/ craft supply room/ pantry/ playstation & computer room! You think I'm kidding? Just take a look at my before pictures! :) It is a clutter trap, but I'm up for the challenge! If you are fed up with a room, or even a small space in your house, and you're up for the challenge, check out ORG Junkie and join in the fun! Did I mention there are prizes involved?

Ready, Set, ORGANIZE!

My Worship Experience

Thursday night was worship night at our church. I had a really hard time getting all the kids ready to go (because my husband is the Worship Pastor I was on my own) and I didn't have a very good attitude by the time we got to the church. But I just knew I needed to be there. In my heart of hearts, I knew God had something for me.

The first set was good. The songs were all ones that I love and the room had a good vibe going. Our Pastor came up and prayed, and took an offering. My DH took a few minutes to read a devotion and then we had two minutes of complete silence. During this time, we were supposed to listen to God. Not pray and ask Him for things or even spill out our hearts to Him, just simply listen. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I felt the Holy Spirit minister to my heart. He simply said over and over "My daughter, I love you. I will not leave you. I want all of your heart."

The band started up again and by this time people were sitting or kneeling to pray all over the sanctuary. When they began to sing the song "You Won't Relent" I felt a stirring in my heart to stand up and stretch my hands out into the air and receive His love for me. I hesitated, because I didn't want to disturb those around me and become a distraction.

Don't we do that sometimes, not only when we are worshiping, but even just in our day to day walk with God? We have a hard time simply practicing a childlike faith because we don't want to be "noticed." We'd rather blend into the crowd. I tell you, this child of God is done blending into the crowd! I want to be noticed for Jesus!

Priscilla Shirer talks about a young lady in her book "He Speaks to Me" that did just that. She had a child like faith that stood out in the crowd. Her name is Ryan, and she is Autistic. Here's what Priscilla had to say about her:

"She hasn't learned that her style of worship should please and impress people. Her worship hasn't been tainted with religious pomp and circumstance. She doesn't pay attention to the people around her or worry about what they might think of her. Out of her childlike relationship with her Savior, Ryan just gives Him everything she has."

We could all stand to be a little more like Ryan.

I did end up standing up and giving Him everything I had in me. I sang loud and I raised my arms as high as I could get them. I sang "Come be the fire inside of me, come be the flame upon my heart. Come be the fire inside of me, until You and I are one." And I cried. And I cry still.

Come Lord, Come.

I'm so glad He doesn't relent. Aren't you?

I Love a Good Happy Ending!

Last night my DH had some work on the computer to do, so after the kids were settled in to bed for the night, I settled in to watch a nice "girl movie." You know, one of those movies that makes you laugh, cry, and feel great at the end when the guy and the girl live happily ever after?

The thing about a good movie, (and this one was good and pretty clean, which is hard to come by these days!) is that it hooks you from the beginning by helping you to identify with the characters. Then, it unfolds the story, bit by bit, as you root for those characters to succeed. Of course, before success, there is usually some sort of failure, or mishap, that makes us feel sorry for the characters.

Last night I saw it coming from a mile away. Oh, the heroine in the story had many unfortunate moments, because she was living a life of lies, from one small fib to the next, but eventually, it all caught up with her and she was completely humiliated. Talk about hitting bottom.

It was so bad, that I just couldn't watch. You know how some people hide their eyes when there's a scary moment in a movie? Well, I had to "hide my eyes" from her humiliation. I wanted to fast forward through her difficulty and get to the happy ending. Silly, I know.

What does this "girl movie" have to do with what matters to me? Well, last night it dawned on me how much I treat my life like I'm watching a movie. Things are going along great and I laugh, and feel good. Then, when it comes to the part where things go sideways, where my own mistakes catch up with me, or someone hurts my feelings, or I just don't get to where I want to be fast enough, I want to fast forward to the happy ending.

Instead of trusting God in the good, and the bad, I just want to skip the bad all together. At the very least I want to close my eyes and say "just tell me when it's over!" What I really should do in those times, is fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

How did the movie end? The girl set things right and owned up to her mistakes. She mended relationships that were broken by apologizing to the ones she loved that she had hurt. And yes, she got the guy. But she had to walk through her failures to arrive at true success.

In this lifetime, we will have difficulties. Most of the time difficult situations are lessons in life that we have to learn due to our own shortcomings. Sometimes though, we are involuntarily dragged into hard times by those around us. Either way, God is faithful, and He will stay by our side to the end.

We have the ultimate love story in Jesus. He paid the price for us on the cross. There is nothing on this earth that He won't walk through with us if we let Him. He is our happily ever after in this life, and the life to come.

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:6-7, NLT

**Update**

A few girls (Ok, everyone who has read this) have asked what the name of the above mentioned movie is. I didn't mention it on purpose, because I didn't want to take away from the lesson God was teaching me. But now that you've read this far, the name of the movie is "Confessions of a Shopaholic." It's rated PG for some mild language and "thematic elements", whatever those are! I only raised my eybrow at one scene, which suggested (nothing was revealed) a couple was doing something they should not do outside of marriage. I laughed my head off and it had some really deep, great lessons in it about both finances and honesty in relationships. I definitely recommend it if you need a good laugh/cry!

Hair Matters...A Donation of Love

Today I am finally getting around to posting about my daughter's first major hair cut. She is five, and we have trimmed her hair, but never cut off any substantial amount. Well, a couple of weeks ago, we decided it was time. Her hair was just about the full length of her back, which caused struggles both in washing it, and brushing it. Most days she would wake up from nap a tangled mess. We tried braiding it while she slept, but she's a mover in her sleep, and that turned braids into knots.

Here are a couple of before pictures:










The first thing we had to decide was what length we wanted her hair to be. When my older daughter was this age, we did a really special thing together. I took her in to a salon, and we gave her hair (which was equivalent in length to this) to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

I discussed this idea first with my husband, and then told LR about the program to let her decide. When she heard that her sister had given her hair to some little girl who needed it, she, of course, wanted to do it too! So we set a date, and off we went.

Once we got to the salon, the hardest part was convincing LR that the sweet stylist was NOT going to spray water in her eyes! Boy was she nervous about leaning her head back into that sink.

When that was over, the woman parted her hair and divided it into two ponytails. Then came the fun part...


SNIP, SNIP! LR was so delighted...she giggled the entire way through. After talking with the stylist about how long she had been at this particular location, we determined that she was the very same woman that cut my oldest's hair three years ago. Imagine that!

She gave LR a cute bob, just long enough to still pull back in a short ponytail. LR kept leaning a bit to the left, so it was difficult to tell if it was even, but I think it's perfect.

When all was said and done LR said "Mommy, can I always give my hair to a little girl that needs it when it gets long?" I was so proud of my little girl. Her sister is currently growing out her hair to give away for the third time. Perhaps we have started a tradition, and next time, the two of them might donate their hair together.

Humble Matters

As I was reading in my bible this morning four words stuck out to me. "I cannot do it." They stuck out to me because of what followed. "But God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

To really understand the boldness of this situation, I need to back up a bit and give you a little more information. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, raised to a high position because the Pharaoh recognized God was with him, then thrown in prison because Pharaoh's wife accused him wrongly, and that's where he is now. The Pharaoh needs a dream interpreted so he sends for Joseph.

Picking up in Genesis 41:15 - Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

Way to go Joseph! Right answer! "I can't, but God can." Even when his life was on the line and he knew that this could mean freedom, or back to the dungeon for him, he was clear that it was God, not him, that had the power to interpret the dream. Joseph was only the vessel that God was using to do so.

Joseph goes on to interpret Pharaoh's dream and because he did, Pharaoh restored him to an even higher position than he was in before he was sent to prison.

Genesis 41:39-40 - Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

Did you see that? Pharaoh's response was "Since God has made all this known to you..." Because Joseph humbled himself and gave credit to God right from the start, Pharaoh had to also give God credit for the interpretation of the dream!

How many times have I been in a situation where I should have given God the glory, but took the credit for my own? Too many.

What a great lesson Joseph teaches us here. "I cannot do it...but God will."

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

Company Girl Coffee "A Clean Sweep"

This week, over at Home Sanctuary, Rachel Anne walked us through creating a "Real World" Housekeeping Schedule. It was good to review and revise my schedule to fit my current needs. Having a reliable system that I can manage to keep up with keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.

This morning as I pulled out of my driveway to take the kids to school, there were two trucks moving slowly along the curbs, sweeping as they went. This really baffled me. Why two trucks? Is one truck not good enough to do the job? Can they not get a "clean sweep" with just one pass?

From there I got to thinking about my children. (Bear with me, this is how my mind works!) I try to teach them to do a job right the first time so that they don't have to go back and do it again. You know, the old saying "A job worth doing, is worth doing well." Sweeping is one of those chores that my kids gripe about when it's their turn. They know that if they don't get all the crumbs from the dining room floor the first time, I'll make them go back and do it again.

What I am trying to get at, is sometimes it takes two or more passes to get it really clean. Now I am speaking literally about cleaning, but this analogy could also be applied to the state of our hearts. Ultimately, when we accept Christ into our lives, we are cleansed by His blood.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NKJV)

Once we have received Christ into our heart, we must continue grow to be more like Him. This takes effort on our part, but not without help from God.

Jesus said in John 14:25-26 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

So then, the Holy Spirit helps us "clean house" so to speak. We must to allow the Holy Spirit to sweep our hearts and point out any unclean places. We need to pray with the Psalmist David "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:22-23)

This is not an easy process and oftentimes we must come back for a "second pass." Jesus alone was without sin while he was here on this earth. Only when He returns and takes us up into heaven will we truly have a "clean sweep."

Until then, this is my prayer: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you (and me) through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, parentheses mine)