Praying With Simplicity...

It doesn't get much simpler than the Lords Prayer (Matthew 9:13). I'm still working on my Solo devotional and one of the exercises was to write my own version of the Lords prayer. You can read more of my work with this devotional here and here and here.


Here is my version of the Lords Prayer.


My Father in Heaven, I honor your presence in my life.
Show me who You are God.
I ask that You help me to do here on earth as You would have me do in Heaven.
Thank You for providing everything I need to survive.
Please forgive my sins as I have forgiven those who have sinned against me.
Keep me and mine safe from all temptation and evil.
You are the wondrous light in my life, God. I hope Your light shines through me to reach those who are mine (and Yours).


Amen.

It's always greener on the other side...not always...

A few weeks ago at a school party one of the Mom's asked me, "Did you go back to work?" I said, "Oh, yeah, I've been back to work for 3 years now but I only work in the office from 9am - 3pm and I also work from home." Her response was, "that is GREAT, I would LOVE to get out of the house and have hours like that and see other adults"!

Really?

Oh, I forgot to mention that she is a stay at home Mom to 4 kids and has always "seemed" like that is the life she adored. Maybe not.

Why do we want what other people have?

When I was working full-time after Kobe was born, all I could think about was staying at home with him. Well, I got to do that (for 4 years) until he started Kindergarten. For the most part, I really liked being a stay at home mom except for the strapped finances and the isolation. It wasn't the leisurely, carefree life that I had envisioned by any stretch! But it was a special time with Kobe that I am thankful that I got to experience. I did get out and meet other stay-at-home Moms (mostly through Kobe's parent co-op preschool) and that helped a lot with accepting where I was in my life at that time.

If I had known about blogging and if I had been able to see what other SAHM's across the country (and the world) were doing with their time at home it would have made all the difference for me.

However, guess what? About 2-3 years into the SAHM gig I started thinking about going back to work. Now, keep in mind that finances played a big role in this but there was something else too. I needed to have something that was all my own. A start and end to a project. A place to be everyday. You see, I just wasn't content to be home all of the time. What does this say about me and my role as a mother? I don't know. I LOVE my kids and I want to spend as much time with them as possible but I needed something else too.

I heard a quote once from the t.v. show, Judging Amy. Did you ever watch that? I loved that show! Anyway, there was an episode about Mom's working vs. staying at home and Maxine (Tyne Daly) says something like, " The best thing I ever did for my kids was go to work."

This quote is totally out of context, but the conversation was something like Maxine felt that she was a better mother when she was working. I kind of feel like that too. I feel stressed out a lot because I don't have time to the homemaking tasks that I do really enjoy, but overall I'm a better mother and I actually spend more quality time with the kids when I'm working outside the home. What I mean is that after working all day, I'm really ready to see them and hear what they've been doing all day and hang out with them. We have some really great evenings.

This is a REALLY controversial topic in some circles. I'm not trying to be controversial at all. This conversation I had at the school party just made me realize that we all do sometimes want what other people have and it's NOT always greener on the other side of the fence. I've been on both sides now and I can honestly say that there are pros and cons to both.

Right now, at this point in my life I'm better off working.

My Gardener Guy...

I'm so sad to report that my favorite gardening guru has been booted off HGTV. Paul James a.k.a. The Gardener Guy and his show Gardening By The Yard has been officially CANCELLED. I have faithfully watched almost every episode of his show for the past few years. I even DVR his show I like it so much. Okay, I admit it, I may have the tiniest little crush on him too. I can't resist a guy making dorky faces at the camera and cracking ridiculously unfunny jokes. Oh, that must be why I married Pat because he does the same thing.

HGTV says the reason they are canceling him is that only "old" people garden so there isn't enough interest in his show. Really? Is this true? I didn't know only "old" people garden. Maybe I am old. I feel like it some days.

However, today, I found his new website Gardenerguy.com and now I can check in with him at any time of the day or night. What a relief!! I didn't know what I was going to do when I needed an answer about how to get rid of slugs, or how to build a raised garden bed or even which plants need to be overwintered. Oh, and according to his website, he has already recorded shows that will air throughout 2009 so he'll still be around for awhile longer!!

A little peek...

I thought this quote was appropriate for all work going on in the garden right now. It's also a great way to look at a lot of things in our lives.

“We can complain that rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice that thorn bushes have roses."

Abraham Lincoln

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Below is a peek into my garden...this is my beautiful Clematis. I planted this 3 years ago from a bare root and this year it looks great.




Here are the first roses out of my garden this year. Kobe's teacher is enjoying them now!


Later this weekend I'll give you a little tour of my garden and you can see what's happening there right now - but I have to take some more shots first.

Have a great weekend and come back soon for more garden photos.

Goin' to the Chapel...and she's gonna get married...

My little sis, Chrissy, got married a couple of weeks ago. The wedding was outside at the beautiful Chateau on the Lake in Branson, MO. I don't have many pictures of the wedding yet including ANY of the Bride and Groom. They will show up here eventually, though. The night before the wedding, the families of the Bride and Groom met at Branson Landing and we had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. There is plenty of entertainment here and the food is pretty good too. My boys had a GREAT time dancing to Macarena and YMCA and wearing the silly hats. They wouldn't go dance with the waitresses though!

Kobe and his cousin Keaton being silly.

Pat (the hubby) getting ready to chow down!

Me and Kyler. Do you see the sash? The Maid of Honor made us all one.
Yeah, I'm old, mine says Matron of Honor.

Kobe and his new Uncle Ken hanging out. He loves Ken.

The Dam at Table Rock Lake

A nice view of the Ozark Mountains

This is where they got married...picture was taken from their room on the 9th floor.

The Cake!
The Candy Bar. First time I've ever seen a Candy Bar at a wedding. Cool idea. Kids loved it.
Congratulations Ken and Chrissy - We Love You!

It soothes my soul...

It had been a stressful two weeks. Lots of responsibilities at work. Lots of responsibilities at home. Some traveling. Some illness. The weather had been up and down.

I got home that evening and peeked outside. The scents were wonderful. A beautiful mix of Lilac, Honeysuckle and Warmed Earth. The few flowers that I had had the chance to plant were starting to turn their faces toward the sun and spread out their arms to welcome the warm weather that was starting to stick around. I padded outside in my bare feet and headed downstairs to see what was happening in the other areas of the yard. The first thing I saw were the toys everywhere. Hot wheels cars, tiny figurines, sand box toys. Nothing new about this.

I grabbed my clippers and basket and crossed my rock path and as soon as my bare feet touched the grass, my stress started to melt away. I was going see the Lilacs. They were in full bloom and as beautiful as they have been in the nine years since they were planted. I was amazed as I walked up to them how big they had grown. They were at least 2 inches taller than I was. I took in the scent and realized that spring is truly here.

As I walked to other parts of my garden I let my thoughts wander to everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Nothing extraordinary. But stressful nonetheless. As I'm pondering the weight of my responsibilities, I see a hummingbird feeding on one of the Weigelas and I marvel at it's beauty and the beauty of these shrubs. With each step I take, my stress melts away even further. The hostas are fully opened now. The Hydrangeas are starting to get buds and promise beautiful flowers later this summer. I walk a few more steps. The Daylillies are full and green and the garden will be filled with colorful flowers in the next few weeks.

Stress melting.

The Lirope and the Coral Bells have popped up. The Astilbe have a hint of pink at the tips of the buds.

I stop to pull a weed and glance around at everything that is starting to bloom and realize that I am most at peace in my garden. I feel as close to God there as anywhere else. It wouldn't matter where I lived - whether I owned the home or not - or if it was in the city or the country.

As long I can dig into the earth and plant something and watch it grow then my soul is smiling.

I'm in Forks in case you're looking for me...

I've been reading every chance I get. I'm completely hooked on the Twilight Book Series. Who would have imagined that I'm enjoying reading about vampires? Stephenie Meyer has pulled me right in to these stories and I can't put any of the books down until I finish them. I can't remember when I have been this enthralled with a book series. I highly recommend it. I'm starting on the 3rd book (there are 4). My family is ready for me to be done with these books too. Somebody was hollering about needing clean underwear yesterday...I just don't have time for laundry right now!

I promise to come back here when I leave Forks, Washington...