Declared Boy Mom!

I had a day off this week and how did I spend it?  Well, of course, with my boys!

My girls let me play with my grandsons.

Then this came from my daughter-in-law, it says it well.

(she found this online - boymomdesigns.com)

Here are the pictures of my Boy Moms!

Now I wished they would have had something like this through my son bearing days...then with a little pink bow for my one girl!

Cousins having a talk....yes, two days apart!  The one in the hat is two days older.

Joshua in Grand Mommy's glasses!  My happy boy!

My grandson Joshua still melts his Grand Mommy's heart when he calls out "Grand Mommy"....so being a Grand Mommy of Boys is just right for me!

Recipe for Disaster

Returning from our two days in the #1 Fastest Growing city in the United States, as well as the #1 Most Romantic city in the United (what titles for what-was my quaint home town), I had to hit the floor running.

I grabbed my overly-scheduled calendar for the week.  You know those weeks, the ones that in your mind you say, "this week is going to beat me."  I knew that I couldn't drop any balls or they would all fall.  So I gathered my old cooking pot and added the ingredients.

"Overload-Schedule" Stew

(4) Cleaning Jobs - my Leah Business (Simply Clean Service)

(2) Days of Painting a Client's Home - my Rachel Business (Simply Your Decor)

(1) Afternoon to Purchase Material for Client's Window Treatments (Simply Your Decor)

 Home Room Mom assignment - Largest yearly Fund Raiser for Benjamin's school

Baskets to the School

Bake a Cake for the Cake Walk

Regular Duties as Wife and Mom

add the spice of Sin into the mix - add heat!!

Serve with a large spoonful of GRACE!!

Tuesday morning I was up and running.  By Wednesday night, the baskets were all assembled and ready for delivery.  Thursday ended my third day of cleaning and my afternoon to pick up client's material. However, the heat was starting to be felt on Wednesday night.  I just walked right into the trap of sin, as the heat escalated with my physical tiredness.

By 1:00 pm on Thursday afternoon, I felt I might make it across the finish line on Sunday.

I drove my car 30 miles away from my final job to pick up the material.

My gas tank read  E!

As I ran into the store for the material, my schedule began to unravel and my own sin was revealed.

The 23 yards of material were being measured when the man's face wretched.  I looked up, "What... is something wrong with the material?"  He points to the flaw........the flaw kept going.......and going........and going........and my stomach started to ache.  I had already collected the money for the material.

The client was set on this material.

What was I going to do?  Did any of their other stores have more?  NO!

Could it be ordered?  NO!

It was discontinued and 8 yards short of what I needed.

They told me they would sell it at a discounted price, however, I couldn't work around the flaw.

I left, trying to figure out what to do.  I entered my dried-up-gas-tank car and drove to the nearest gas station.

I reached down to pull out my wallet.  WHERE WAS MY WALLET?

I panicked as I realized my purse wasn't holding my wallet.  The clock was ticking.  Benjamin was needing picked up...all the way.........back.....30 miles from where I was.  I didn't have a dime or card to my name.

I reached down to call my husband, who could be anywhere in the Metroplex.

Here came my first spoonful of grace.  I reached him.  He stopped what he was doing to come to my rescue.

He filled up my gas tank as I ran into another store to see if anyone else had the material.

Hubby tracked back to pick up Benjamin, while I continued my search.

I made it home...tired and "material"ly defeated.

Now for the wallet!  My husband found it and without any comments of condemnation, he handed it to me.

It's hiding place was a result of my own sin...another large spoonful of grace!

My recipe for disaster was covered in grace.  All the tasks that needed to be accomplished were accomplished by Sunday evening.  Monday started with a return to the material store.

I found an alternative for my first client, while getting a good deal for a second client on the flawed material.

This week is slower...more time to clean my own house and sew for a client.

Next time I see a pot waiting for my recipe for disaster, I think I will start with a huge spoonful of gratefulness.

I am  learning in a practical way... where I am weak, Christ is strong and gracious!

(this is for a precious friend who texted me with "what is God doing in your life?")

Here I Come - Most Romantic City!

Now this card just says it all!  This ride describes our 33 plus years of marriage.  You know...the roller coaster ride of life.  I would still want to ride the roller coaster with my man.

May I say, I am not a roller coaster riding girl, so to even get on a roller coaster must mean 

I Love Him!

Our roller coaster ride continues.

I found out I was one of many experiencing SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder because of lack of sun.

It is real...who knew?  It wasn't fun and I now know not to move North.

Everyone around here was getting a little cranky.  There were enough affected by it that it made the news.

Joshua sent me my first ever Grand Mommy card.  Thanks to his mom!

Even though we don't look like the young couple in this picture, we are still a couple.

God in His mercy also gave my husband his first commission check since his employment six months ago.

Guess where we are going?

http://www.janettessage.blogspot.com/2014/02/what-was-he-trying-to-say.html

If you didn't see the post on this, go back so you can giggle and shake your head.

We are headed to the Most Romantic City in the United States...and I didn't have to go to that link to find my man!!  We will get to see my husband's 98 year-old-mother and walk in the sunshine

in our birth city.  I can hardly wait!

 Happy Valentine's to you all.  As Benjamin and I had our devotional this morning we talked about the greatest Love Gift of all...Jesus Christ.

He rides the roller coaster with us and sees the hills and the valleys before us,

Yet He never abandons us on the ride.

He sees us to the end.  May we hear Him say, "well done good and faithful servant!"

LET The SUNSHINE IN!!!

google image

This long Texas, cold, icy and cloudy winter has taught me something about myself.

I NEED THE SUN!!

I have never experienced what some say is a "seasonal blues" until this year.

Oh my!

Right about the time I was wondering if Eeyore was coming to live through me from now on

THE SUN BEGAN to SHINE!!!

Life can bring trials and scripture is very strong about reminding us they will come.  Those trials on a sunny day are hard enough, but take away my sun and somehow I just don't shine.

I started to go to bed earlier and earlier each night.  My mind started to send me spiraling down with my thoughts.  I knew the Lord had say at the first of the year that I was to stay in His WORD.

I have been staying in His WORD!

As the Word has washed over me.  Some of the Words were correction, while others were encouragement.

Then He brought out the SUN!!!

This Texas girl is just dancing for joy!

Russia has even been warmer than TEXAS!

Today I went to my Rachel job.  I had been very intimated, but today each of my vendors were wonderful.  I am making connections with people my age or older.  Guess what?  

I think I am going to survive my Rachel job.

Just wait until I show the pictures of the transformation of this home.

I am learning new tricks and being stretched, but so far, my client is pleased.

 I am not dreading my cleaning job tomorrow either.

It will be a warm and sunny day.

Nor am I anxious about my home room assignments for Benjamin's class.

BECAUSE who can complain when we will have SUN all WEEKEND?

Next week we might even be in the eighties.

Now who would have guessed that God would take the weather to teach me a lesson?

Only the Son can reveal Himself through the Sun.

You Are I Am!

This week has been long.  In the midst of the laughter has been tears of pain.  The struggles we face on this earth at times can cause us to forget who He is!  This week I know some people walking through some very hard struggles.  I even experienced times of hopelessness.

I haven't posted any songs in 2014 and music is such a part of my life.  I can tell when I am starting to go into a valley, because I usually stop listening to music.  Today this piece is posted to remind those who are walking through the valley that He is the I AM!

"You Are I Am"

I've been the one to shake with fear
And wonder if You're even here
I've been the one to doubt Your love
I've told myself You're not enough

I've been the one to try and say
I'll overcome by my own shame
I've been the one to fall apart
And start to question who You are

You're the one who conquers giants
You're the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You're the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan's hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

I've been the one held down in chains
Beneath the weight of all my shame
I've been the one to believe
That where I am You cannot reach

You're the one who conquers giants
You're the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You're the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan's hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

The veil is torn
And now I live with the Spirit inside
The same one, the very same one
Who brought the Son back to life

Hallelujah, He lives in me
Hallelujah, He lives in me
Hallelujah, He lives in me
Hallelujah, He lives in me

You're the one who conquers giants
You're the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You're the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan's hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

What Was He Trying to Say?

He got so excited when he saw the title of the article.  Before he READ the article his fingers had already forwarded it to my email address.

I received the email just hours after my post on laughing.  As I read the article I thought, "What was he trying to tell me?  Does he know what this says?"  Since I know the love my life and I know that he is not a reader, I knew he hadn't read the article.  He had just seen that our birth city was rated #1 on the list of Romantic cities in the United States.

Well, here is the article.  What would you think your husband of 33 years was trying to say to you?

It's nearly Valentine's Day (as if you needed a reminder), so leave it to the always interesting MissTravel.com, a site that pairs women interested in traveling with rich men who can pay for it, to sift through the 7,340 trips planned on their site for the week of February 14th to find the most romantic cities around America.

Take a virtual tour of the places MissTravel calls the country's most romantic below.

1. Austin, Texas - (Huffingtonpost.com)

Did you catch it?  Was he pairing me off?  If you know our story you know he isn't a rich man in material means.

I called him and we both had a good laugh!  I hope it gave you a giggle.
If you need more laughs just go back and read yesterday's comments...they will provide more laughter.

Just Need to Laugh

There is something so healing to laughter.  Even when dealing with the heavy issues of life, laughter can just be a balm to your soul.  As women shared their stories of the journey of unemployment the other night in my home, we laughed.   We laughed to cover the tears, and yet, it was the most healing process of all...laughter.

As we celebrated the life of our friend, whom the Lord called home, there was laughter.  Through the tears we laughed.  The joy of the Lord was present.

A friend pinned this saying on Pintrest the other day. It has stayed with me and has made me giggle.  We all  have a need for laughter
.
Maybe a Lucy show will start the giggles and it will evolve into a hug belly laugh.  Maybe a story someone tells on themselves.

I walked out of the grocery store the other day to a car lot full of cars.  I had just finished working at a house and my brain was in overload with all I needed to accomplish in the remaining hours of my day.  As I stared out into the parking lot I realized I had NO CLUE where my car was parked.  Now I must say...this is not like me at all. I have never been one to not know where I parked.  My brain had totally shut down on me...overload factor.

Here I was walking up and down the parking lot rolls, pushing my cart,  wondering where my car was parked.  I wanted to just sit down on the curb and call my husband to come help me find the car. This in no way was funny...then it became funny!  The sun was shining and here I was getting my exercising going back and forth through the cars...trying to find one white car in the middle of a million white vehicles.  I had the choice..either sit down and cry about my loss of memory, or enjoy the extra calories I was burning.   As I released the frustration and told the Lord, "thank you, but would you please help me find my car?"  I looked up and there it was. It hadn't moved...but my heart had moved....I had chosen to laugh.

May you laugh this week.  May you feel the Joy of the Lord, no matter your circumstances.  May this saying stay with you through your days. "Hey, you got down the stairs faster." May your laughter be restored if it needs to be.  I am believing for "restoration" in the laughing department.