Mental Pausing Moments!!!

#Warning: this is meant for humor...I do not have a man-hating spirit and my husband has approved this post through nods and laughter.

I know my God has a sense of humor because He decided to place the "change of life" right at the same time when we are emptying our nest,  seeking new direction, re-inventing our marriage, dealing with young adult children and still raising young children.  At a time when we should have been given tickets to "fly the coop" ourselves for a year of exploration, while carrying our buckets of tears, He made sure we would deal with all of it in front of the whole world.  When we were pregnant, those hormonal moments of tears and moodiness were overlooked as raging hormones...they now creep back in with a not-so-nice pregnancy glow like they had before.

When these days come...and I know some women don't experience this (and please don't try to find my horns)...well, I can set down with "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To" songs or learn to laugh.  Then there are times when I could just enter into a show and dance one scene of independence..  a declaration to my family that I do have a name other than Mommy and Wife and I do have a life...YOU DON'T OWN ME!!!!.  When I feel this way (yes, giving way to my bent toward rebellion and independence) I can start grinning from ear to ear seeing this scene from First Wives Club and I would love to step into this song and dance along side them...even if just for a few moments.

I am not endorsing this movie or the message behind it (although my husband knows I love it)....I am just sharing a Mental Pause Moment!!!  Luckily, my mental pause is only a for little while...I take off my white suit and return to my family!!


"May we each stay the same... tired, happy, and a little brave!!!"- Bette Midler

Which one are you...Bette Midler, Dianne Keaton, or Goldie Hawn?  I would love to be a combination of all three!!! I am revealing my alter-ego.   Isn't being silly just one of  the best ways to blow the menopause moments away?   So stop and just enjoy a smile with me as I stretch my moment of independence...dancing, singing and laughing.

My 2011 Face-lift!

Out with the old and in with the new...it is time for a face-lift... for my blog!

The surgeon... me, a non-tech person, started the process.  Beating the keys, hours of research,

deleted items, pictures not fitting and totally guessing along the way, the final, unknown results of the

surgery were completed.  Do you like it?  Please overlook the flaws... it is my first design surgery.

Last year, my starting blog reflected what God would do in my life through, what Paul Tripp calls

"the archeological dig" period of our life.  My shovel would uncover my past, my regrets, my sin, my 

failures, my "what ifs"and leave me looking daily for direction and the faithfulness of my Savior.

The blog template showed a journal with aging pages coming from an open book, along with aging roses 

around the heading.  The book reflected the "dig" I had begun, as I opened years of my own 

memorabilia throughout the year.  The rose reflected the stage of life I found myself in...an 

 aging rose at the end of  a stem of thorns. Even though my "surgeon's hands" were still unskilled, the face-lift needed to render a more whimsical, nostalgic and humorous view of life.  

The year 2011 finds me putting the "archeological shovel" back into the closet...it will surface in time.

I am replacing it with a garden shovel for planting new seeds for a new harvest.

My verse for the year is Isaiah 43:18-19: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.

Be alert; be present.  I'm about to do something brand new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!" 

(The Message) - verses have been confirmed through multiple confirmations. 

Excerpt from "Lost in the Middle" by Paul David Tripp:

Standing in a Pile of Your Own Leaves

    You're now in the autumn of your life, and you're quite aware the leaves are off the trees.  You're standing in a pile of the leaves of your marriage, your parenting, your extended family, your friendships,  your work, and your ministry.  These leaves of the past have grown wrinkled and dry, and you know you can not put them back on the tree.  It's tempting to sit down in the pile and examine leaf after leaf and wish you were holding a new bud from a new sapling, but you aren't.  The harvest has come in and it is what it is.  Yet in all of this, there is hope because your Lord is the Lord of new seasons.  With the new season comes the freedom to plant new and better seeds.  With the new season comes the expectation of a new harvest of new fruit.

     Stand up and walk away from your pile of yesterday's leaves.  Take the seeds of a new way into your hands, press them into the soil of your life and thank God that you will live to see a better harvest.

Welcome to my new face-lift...I have a vision for where I am going, if you come along for the ride,

I have already shown you the destination....new seeds, new planting, and new harvest!

Welcome age 50...I look forward to meeting you!!

Closing Out the Year - Sackcloth Removal

The end of the year is always a very big deal to me.  I contemplate the past, start to look to the future and resolve in my heart what it all means.  I get quiet before God.  Because my birthday comes just two weeks after Christmas, I feel a double desire to organize my thoughts about the year past and the one to come.

The last couple of years have been emotionally draining as the Lord has walked me through paths I would not have chosen.  In this journey, I have met Him in a new way. As in the Old Testament, I can look back over this past year and see the markers.  Most of those markers were documented on my blog...who would have guessed God would use a blog to teach me for a full year?  Each lesson He walked me through was enforced through reading others' blogs...I am so grateful to you bloggers and your obedience to share.

 Step One - I began the year asking God to return me to His potter's wheel...so I posted Editing My Life.

 Step Two - As I started to submit to his hands, He walked me through past lessons that He had taught me and spoke "it is time to re-energize."  The trials had left me feeling lifeless and yet I had young ones around me  I needed to give life to...it was a heart issue.  So I stepped out and blogged a week of re-energizing, as I followed each one, I felt I could breathe again....and breathe deeply.

• Time to Re- Energize - Day One
• Time to Re-Energize - Day Two
• Time to Re- Energize - Day Three
• Time to Re-Energize - Day Four
• The Final Day

Not very original titles to my five days of posting....but the change in my heart was the opening to spring in my life...I could feel the buds of my heart starting to bloom again.

Step Three - God took me back down memory lane with my 15  Mommy Piggy Tale posts.  Here He reminded me of His faithfulness through the first 18 years of my life.  These posts brought every emotion to the surface, but mostly reminded me of the firm foundation I have built my life on. It also reminded me of who I was...somehow I felt I had lost ME.

Step Four - As I continued to submit to the Potter's wheel, I began to hear His voice again.  I know He had been speaking in the past years, but my ears had grown deaf.  So, through the sounds of nature, He opened my ears to hear His voice again. God Hears!

Step Five - God also decided to re-establish the foundation my marriage was built on.  I began to read and post all that I was reading.  Then, He gave me the precious gift of returning to the city where we began and walking down memory lane.  The two days finished on such a high note that I could only shout - Bravo, Bravo God, as He re-established our marriage, which had been tested through the shaking of the years of trials.

Step Six - He began to open my eyes...away from myself to see others.  He began giving me eyes to see again and my heart turned outward. When Headlines Hit Too Close to Home, was one post where He made me look outward.  In January 2011, I will begin mentoring a fifth grade girl at a high-risk school...I am so excited and have been praying for her.  The field in my neighborhood has been filled with opportunities to serve Him and love on people.  The pumpkin bread and caroling party opened doors for ministry.

The Final Step for this year, God started meeting financial needs through miracles.  The provisions provided for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other needs.  God touched my heart in the deepest way possible as He spoke to me, "I will take care of you!  How and when is my choice and through whom!"  I have never felt the love of the Father so deeply.  My heart's prayer is that I will share it with others.

So, as I close the door to 2010, I am not slamming it like I have in the past.  I am not wishing it never happened...I am rejoicing in the fruit the Lord has established in my life. Removing of the sackcloth hasn't been comfortable at times, but necessary in order for me to return to the living.  I am coming into an understanding of my journey through my reading of  Lost in the Middle, Midlife and the Grace of God by Paul David Tripp.  I am embracing the work God has been doing while on His Potter's wheel and excited about what He will do in this new year as I enter a new decade....yes, I will turn 50!!!

So long 2010... you have been good to me.  Welcome 2011!  Thank you all for your posts and maybe, just maybe, this year I will be able to learn to get to my points faster, making for shorter post.   

I CHOOSE US!

There are just some movies that say it for me and Family Man is one of those movies.  I have it in my DVD collection and I usually bring it out at Christmas.  If there is any chance that I have allowed doubts to enter my mind, this movie always sweeps them away.

Saturday, my husband had to work late into the evening and I sat... lonely in my big chair, while flipping through the channels. There was Family Man.

What if we could see what our life would have been like if we had chosen differently?  Jack was given that chance in this movie.  What wins at the end isn't the high paying job, the nice car or the yearly vacations, instead he is allowed to see the joy in a life where life happened.  He would have had two children and lived very modestly with a wife who adored him.  His glimpse into what could have been, allowed him to change his priorities.  He was given a second chance.

At one point in the movie, he wants to uproot the whole family for his dream job.  She finally gives in and says she would go with him anywhere!  She says, "I Choose Us."

There were many choices along our 30 years of marriage.  Many job options would have taken my husband out of town more days than in town, instead he chose to work near home.  He never missed any of our childrens' games, nor any other event in all six of their lives.  The exchange  was worth it.

As we look to our future, I can truly say, "I Choose Us!"  My husband is the real Family Man!

I guess hindsight sometimes brings us the same message that Jack learned in the movie, "Family Man,"... it isn't about things, but about relationships!!*

*caution... there are a few scenes that some eyes should be covered (we fast forward)...for me, it catches the heart of a couple in love...as she says, "they are envious of us!" Like any recommendation, use your own judgment!  This movie is in my top 10!

What are some of your favorite movies that remind you of the most precious things in life? What are some of your favorite holiday movies?

Use It Or Lose It

Around the age of 45...maybe a little before that, I kept hearing these words over and over again. I am sure the over and over again is because I was starting to forget things.

Use It or Lose It

I knew these words meant I needed to focus on different areas of my life that I wasn't using...most specifically, exercising.  Like so many things, I felt I could pick it up when I desired and my abilities would be waiting there for me.

Five years down the road, well, I walk and stretch some.  I have had my back rebel a couple of times since my sixth child and his 10 pound entrance into the world...meaning I need to exercise and stretch more.

So the storms blew in and I didn't want to lose my days of walking, so I thought I would turn the television on and exercise with Gilad. Hey, I had done this in my early 30's and could more than keep up with the pace, so confidently I ventured into the exercise routine.  Surely my long forgotten body, my dancer's body would respond with very graceful movements to the counts.

Well, to my horror, the saying came flooding back to my memory!!!  USE IT OR LOSE IT!!!  

I am so glad candid camera wasn't installed and my whole house was vacant of any eyes.  If I could lose pounds by laughing that would have been the calories I lost.  It was just toooooooooooo funny!!!  I couldn't keep up with the movements, my legs went to the right, while he was going to the left.  Their kicks would go double time, while I was still on the first kick and  the wrong foot.  As they did stomach crunches  up and down, over and over again...well I collapsed...forget my stomach muscles.........I DON''T HAVE ANY!!!

At the end I was sweating....laughing by myself and I started to tell my brain that it has fooled me.  What was my brain thinking when it thought I could still keep pace and with grace, like I had done so easily years ago?

What a lesson!  Use it or lose it!  That saying works for so many things in our life.  Our spiritual walk, our relationships, our manners, our education...the list goes on and on.  I am going to pause and make me a list...which is a miracle for a non-list person, and see what abilities I have that I am not using.  Even if I have to use glasses to do some of it again. Stretching will allow my body more flexibility and other non-used abilities will stretch my brain.

I am so glad you didn't see it....but I can say, it would have given you a very good laugh or for some of you a smile!
I couldn't resist adding a clip from Lucy!!!  I have heard that laughing does burn up calories!!!

Painting My Barn - The Older Version

Okay, Okay, I need to be fair.  I may not use the things mentioned on "Is She Real?" and yes, I loved the laugh, but I need to be fair.

So I will take shots at myself today.  This barn has been through 49 years of life and six full pregnancies.  My last baby, just four years ago, weighed in at 10 pounds and 4 ounces...leaving behind zero hope of returning to my "youthful" figure.  So, with menopause adding her "advantages" to my already extra curves I need to " Paint My Barn."

So Here It Goes...I am Painting My Barn....even though I have my "Knight in Shining Armor" I want to keep him!! I have to say, he has never complained.  I think he still sees me the way I was 30 years ago.

Underneath my Make-Up I need to diminish all my "character" lines...you think this product does what it claims?

I have covered my make-up frustration in my post, "What Make-up Do I Buy, Ethel?" and you are more than welcome to enlighten me in this area.  If I buy the right products I will have a whole new face.

If I could make a decision on make-up then I am left with getting rid of more facial hair then my husband.

"Do I Have to Wear These?" post showed my frustration with having to wear reading glasses...forget worrying about my eye color. 

I have to use this!  What is my natural color?  I have no idea!!!

Nursing Six Children has left me without the need to add cleavage or size....but they do need lifted!!!  And as for back fat....well if transfered to the front I would fall forward.  So forget the beautiful bra....mine are a piece of under armor!!!  I will spare you the visual on this!!!

Although I would do it again, well, six children also left me with a need to hold it all  in....not show off...can't imagine trying those _________ underwear...I need reduction.  I remember folding these for my grandmother!!!  Lift and hold in garments allow me to fit into some clothes and they put everything in their original place!!

I still love high heels and they do help visually to make you think I have been doing lunges to firm my buns, but  I pay the price when they come off with aching feet that need a good massage.

I have removed the space in my bookshelves that held pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and post-pregnancy books to be replaced by these.  So I am on a mission!!!

So if the mood comes upon my husband....well lets just say, like the young girl's  post, his visual could be disappointing and the disassembling could be a total riot!!!!  Song of Solomon it wouldn't be!!!
Maybe, just maybe, after I get through "painting my barn" I will give you a visual!!!
I hope I was fair to the younger generation.

Time for a New Shell - Hermit!

 Hermits need to move beyond the confines of their comfortable dwelling in order to continue their growth. So this hermit (me) peered out from my comfortable, secure, tightly-fitting shell of my family dwelling to expand my growth.  As I explored new adventures outside my comfort zone, I remembered why I had settled in so many years ago.


Hermit crabs outgrow their shells, needing them to search for another dwelling to expand.
Prayer of Jabez - says "enlarge my boundaries".


Searching out my new expanse, I signed up to volunteer at the schools once a week and also attend a women's Bible study.
Our schedule should allow for this new growth.  The volunteer time would occur while my four-year-old is at pre-school.  The Bible study would take up evening time, not interfering with our homeschool day.  My fourteen-year-old could handle himself during volunteer time and take on the duties of child care for one evening each week.


I grew excited with the possibilities of my expanded shell.  Larger surroundings can bring, not only growth, but refreshment to the soul.


Then, like the crab who ventures out, the predator came looking for the adventurous crab.


First, the predator came with the volunteer training.  The schedule collided with my son's baseball game and my husband's much needed work time.  This would leave the four-year-old and his brother abandoned at the ball field.  My husband stepped up to the plate, losing some work time, to cover me during this time.
Second, the predator met me with conflicting schedules on my Bible Study evening.  The only night of the week that my son and his girlfriend's family could eat with us landed on the same night.


I turned to the old shell...I was comfortable there.  My family could depend on me to be there.  No one changed their schedule for me because my schedule was theirs.  This is how it had been for the majority years of my 26 years of mothering.

The new shell meant "growth".  I am edging on age 50.  This is a new season of my life.  I need to learn how to expand in new territories.  My kids' schedules will not always dominate mine.  I need to expand beyond my comfortable "shell".


Which shell would  I return to as I stood naked between the two choices?


Slowly creeping, with watchful eyes for more predators, I scurried into the larger shell.  My family will make adjustments.  I will continue to serve them as I have in the past.  Hopefully, my growth will encourage growth in them also.

Is it time for you to find a new shell,  one that will expand your growth?  I know alot of you are expanding into some very large new shells...blessings!!!

Kids Are Like Kites

My fall semester is ending in a three-week test like my son.  I have ripped apart the footstool, painted the wood, sanded down the rocker and started painting.  My calligraphy is going slow....need to practice more. I read through the aromatherapy book...interesting, will need more time for that study.  I also read through the new authors I was exploring.  My favorite by far was reading through parts of "Forever, Erma" by Erma Bombeck.

There is just something to be said about reading the wisdom of seasoned women.  I found some interesting things in the younger writers' books, but they really left me with, well, you haven't lived long enough yet!  Erma made me smile, cry, nod my head and a desire to set with her over a cup of tea.  There is such  truth to scripture saying the "older women are to teach the younger women", and yes, I now find myself in the category of older women, but I still have so much to learn.

So I want to share one of her treasures....just in part.
Erma is talking to a woman who is mourning her daughter leaving home.  The daughter is 24!  She writes this piece encouraging mothers to know when their job is over.

"I see children as kites. You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground.  You run with them until you're both breathless...they crash...you add a longer tail...they hit the rooftop....you pluck them out of the spout.  You patch and comfort, adjust and teach.  You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they'll fly.
  Finally they are airborne, but they need more string so you keep letting it out.  With each twist of the ball of twine, there is a sadness that goes with the joy, because the kite because more distant, and somehow you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that bound you together and soar as it was meant to soar - free and alone.
   Only then do you know that you did your job".

Thank you Erma...I passed my three-week test.  Thanks for the advice on parenting, empty-nest, marriage, holidays, housekeeping, family, friends and aging. Thanks to so many seasoned women who share their wisdom daily through their blogs. May we all learn to pass the baton to the younger generation as we release our kites!

TO OUR EMOTIONS!

To Our Emotions!

I love this woman.  I began reading her books years ago - "Normal is Only the Setting on a Dryer" and countless ones after that, I was hooked. Recently I finished "Living Lively in the Valley - Dancing Bones".  Her gift, her humor, her truth can go to the depths of my spirit and soul.

In celebration of my middle age, while entering menopause, I wanted to share a laugh with you...with Patsy leading the party.

Poking fun at us woman....laughing a little at ourselves....and Thanking God He isn't Finished with Us Yet!

PMS -  Pretty Mean Sister
FINE - Freaked-out, Insecure, Neurotic, Everyday
SISS - Self, Inflicted, Stress Syndrome

I hope this made you laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!  Love to all my fellow sisters!  I would love to look as good as Patsy in this video at her age or any age....aren't those leather pants just great?  Have a wonderful day!

Sandcastles and Margins

After my husband's margin-less, 14 consecutive working days, I kept hearing my four-year-old's repeated request that he wanted to go build sandcastles.  Margin in our home had been replaced with constant need for household income, which is never a good combination for a marriage, let alone the children residing in the house.

Margin - is having breath left at the top of the staircase, money left at the end of the month, and sanity left at the end of adolescences - by Richard Swenson

Years ago, I read the book Margin - Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by  Richard Swenson.  He does a wonderful job explaining how we need to restore margin in our  lives.  I was reminded again about the importance of choosing our pace of life, instead of letting it choose you in Eldredge's book, Love and War.

So, hearing my son's words ring in my ears that he wanted to make sandcastles along with my husband's much needed day off from work, I suggested we head to the lake...to.make sandcastles.

As we allowed the wind to blow through our hair, the chilly water splash upon our bodies and quiet time to listen to nature's sounds, recovery to our souls was felt by all.  Our fourteen-year-old had time to conquer trees...climbing to the top brought a feeling of victory.  The four-year-old just relished the family time, while building his sandcastles.  My husband became light-hearted....I received passionate kisses.

As life starts to crowd out margin, we need to step back and see what we can change.  Can we say "No" to that extra activity?  Can we choose NOT to watch television and instead go out to throw the football with our son?  Can we stop and go for a walk with our husband, instead of filling every waking hour with running someone somewhere?  Can we wait a little longer before we make that purchase and instead put the money into savings?

As a mother who has walked through years with four teenagers at once, it is a constant battle to keep margin in our lives.  During different seasons of struggles, it may feel impossible to slow down our pace...even though it would allow us strength through the battle.  To be honest, we weren't very successful because it didn't come easy to most of the members in our family.  But this season of life, God has given us another chance to step back and make sure our priorities are in the right place... and enjoy life and each other more.  Learning margin will give us a better quality of life...and time for sandcastles.

Summer is here (or at least in Texas)....ENJOY and make sure you put margin in your life and not let your life set the pace for you!!!

Modern Day Conveniences or Distractions

This week I went back in time, leaving behind modern day convenience to revisit the days of "doing it by hand".

I am a total city girl.  I was raised in Austin, the capital city of Texas, and later-in-life moved to the huge Metroplex of Dallas/Fort Worth.  I enjoyed my visits to my grandparents' farms, but I have never had to grow my own food or sew my own clothes in order to survive.  Anything I have done has been because I chose to do it.
Isaiah 60:21
Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

So that is why I say that this week I went back in time to do things by hand.  I chose to make strawberry jam.  Yes, I have canned in the past, but put it away for modern conveniences years ago because of my busy family's schedule.  I was so delighted at the end of the process, not only with the product, but also the enjoyment I felt from accomplishing this task.  No, I probably didn't save any money, genetic brands are very cheap. But I know my product was healthier as I limited the sugar.

While I was on a roll in my Lucy apron, June Cleaver mode, I decided it was time for some homemade strawberry ice cream.  In Texas, we are already having 80 degree weather and I haven't made homemade ice cream in years.  So I pulled down my electric ice cream maker...still a little out of date since it requires ice and rock salt.  We assembled it in our backyard and plugged it in, to the dismay of our neighbors, who would hear the noise and yet not enjoy the final product....life on a postage size lot!

As I was watching the ice cream maker do it's job, I realized my children have never seen a hand-cranked ice cream maker, nor participated in my canning.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

1 Thessalonians 4:11
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,


I realized that, although I would never give up my modern conveniences, I'm afraid we have lost some things along the way...

,,,mainly PATIENCE and the products from the work of our HANDS!

As a child, anticipating the ice cream, I helped turn the crank...it became a whole family event.  When I canned with my mother and grandmother, we all gathered around the backyard in metal, bouncing, yard chairs, to snap beans and peel peaches. Later enjoyment of the food brought a sense of pride, as well as the  patience learned.  Relationships were enhanced during the task.

There were lessons that were learned in the "doing it by hand" times.  Everyone washed the dishes, everyone picked the garden, everyone turned the ice cream freezer.  We sat in the den and hand-sewed with ongoing conversations.  Abilities and stories were passed down to the next generation.

I went to bed the other night with a grin on my face and a contentment in my heart because I had used my hands in a different way that day.  I still clean my own house, cook our meals, homeschool my children....the list goes on and on.  I love my modern day conveniences but... I think I will look for ways to bring some of the old lessons back into my family. Maybe I will find a hand-cranked ice cream freezer to start out with....don't you know my high tech adult children are going to pitch a fit (that's a Texas word for not happy)!

Biological Clock!

While venturing into a neglected dresser drawer, I was swept back 28 years ago as I removed this from a bundle of papers tucked away from my memory.  I  have no idea which pregnancy I obtained this pregnancy wheel, but somehow I had saved it for future use or keepsake.

At the excited young age of twenty-one, I stepped into the OB/GYN's office for my first pre-natal visit.  I would return to this office for four more pregnancies and bring back three newborns. This Christian doctor and his associates would walk me through two miscarriages, two normal and one long, multiple hospital-stay pregnancies.  God would use them to keep a young wife of 21 from giving up on having a family.

I am sure the nurse turned this dial (as it would be turned eight more times in my life) to predict the due date of our firstborn.  I left the office with the excitement of most newly expectant mothers, while preparing to celebrate my second anniversary as Mrs. Wright.  This pregnancy would not result in a infant here on earth and the baby went home to be with the Lord on our anniversary weekend.  The wise doctor would comfort us at the hospital and then send us home to wait for recovery... before trying again.

For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb, I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works...Ps. 139:13-14

We would be pregnant again in three months and excitement filled the air, as we prepared for our new family by building a house.  The pregnancy went well, but the heartbeat wasn't detected as early as they can today. So, we cautiously walked forward in anticipation of a baby.  We walked through 12 weeks... then I  went into labor. The ambulance was called and if there ever was an angelic appearance here on earth, I saw it that night.  The paramedic walked through our newly-built home's front door, across the den with his equipment in hand, to my side at the couch.  As he approached, he remembered we were members of his church.  This man, in his forties, dropped to his knees and started to pray.  God so lovingly sent a Christian believer to scoop me up into my Lord's healing hands.  Our trip to the hospital again left us empty-handed.  Again, the doctor encouraged, while others suggested we adopt.

Three months later, with a grin on his face, my doctor used the pregnancy wheel to predict the due date of our first earthly birth. The paramedic that had prayed at my side would also be at our side for this child's dedication.  The rest is history.  We would have three more children under the care of this Christian doctor and four more pregnancies and three births under the care of Christian midwives.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward, Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.  Ps. 127:3-4

I have used this pregnancy wheel and my biological clock to the fullest...age 21 to age 44!! God's hand of miracles followed us through many ups and downs of having children. The biological clock has now begun to tick to her end.

I wake up at night, not from a newborn or teenagers, but from my body changing.  My regular season-of-life system now has a mind of it's own.  Body parts that never hurt can scream in pain over nothing.  Hormones...well, they can be bigger monsters than a crying pregnant woman, or post-natal mother.

The season is changing...one door is permanently closing, while another waits to be opened.  I hear this is one of the most productive seasons of a woman's life.  Mary Kay of Mary Kay Cosmetics started her company in this stage of life.  They say our mind becomes more alert...well, that would be good because some days I can't remember my pin numbers.  I hear the best is yet to come!

I look forward to this new season of life and all it has to offer... while I put the pregnancy wheel down and look back over God's faithfulness to a young girl of 21 who just wanted to have a family.  I am amazed at the journey God has taken us on....especially the journey of having our little one at age 44... what a precious gift.  I think I will put the wheel in my scrapbook with the words, "God is Faithful" inscribed below.

Happy Mother's Day!
Thanks for stopping by! - Janette

Time to Re-Design

As I had blogged early this year, I felt this was my year for...well, let's say, putting off the grave clothes and coming back to life!

I allowed some major life disappointments and tragedies to just kinda...take me out of the game.  I continued to go on with life, but it was a daily struggle.

As stated in my past post on "cultivating", I was needing to put my hands back on the plow and create again.

I am having so much fun!!!  As I step back into creating, I am returning to many of my past pleasures.  My sewing machine is being used again.  I am once again designing in my head and this time it was  new bedding.
The one I had needed to retire. She had served me well, even if I never brought out her complete beauty.  She had stood in my "dream wall" bedroom in our past house.  I had painted my walls after a trip to Fredricksburg, Texas.  Inspired by one of the city's great shops, I set out to recreate the wall treatment at home. Hours and weeks later, my dream became a reality and I still adored the walls years later, but my bedding never fulfilled my vision.

She now sets in a room without color or curtains, due to the fact the landlord has forbid touching anything.  So, this creative girl had to have an outlet for her cultivation.  A new coverlet started it all.  Extra pieces of fabric I already possessed and some time to create allowed me to dust off my sewing skills.

After repeated text messages back and forth to my friend "Ethel", (not her real name but my term of endearment), I started sewing.  One night I saw what I wanted for my side pillows, inspiration which came from different visits to talented blogs..."W" drawn on paint cloth material, flanged shams would customize the new bedding.

Three large, European Shams across the back, one large king sham in front of them with side shams and accent pillows finish up the head and the bed was DONE! Next comes the adventure of adding accents and accessories as finishing touches to my "bedroom vision"!

It is BRIGHT.  It is so CHEERFUL...I just smile as I enter the room.  It is NEW!  It is a LIFT to my SOUL.

How precious to feel the hand of God as He uncovers you from your mourning....the verse states, "He gives beauty for ashes", is what I feel today.  Not only do I have a new look in my room, I was able to create and bring life to my vision.  I was cultivating and the Lord allowed my soul to rejoice!

A Girl Can Dream!!!

Years ago, with fewer children but many in their teens, I cut this out of a magazine to file in a folder.  I just loved the slogan.


Today, with the temperatures climbing and spring fever hitting me in the face, I had to close my eyes and imagine myself riding off into the sunset.  Of course, I think I qualify for this dream since I do have six children...it IS practical, but PLEASE order mine in RED.


Enjoy your dreams!  Don't let life get you down...who knows, maybe it will happen one day... if only for a day!

Dress-up Challenge

Get Dress Challenge
This week there was a dress-up challenge sent through the blog world.  I had been mulling this thought through my brain for weeks. I had allowed this once-learned lesson to be derailed through some of my life's challenges, and used excuses to justify it.


I also knew I had pushed the limit in my frumpy/sloppy daily attire when I heard one of my children say, "Where are you going, Momma?" and there wasn't any intent to leave the house.

As always, one thing turns up another and to take on this challenge, I first had to purge the frumpy, too tight, in-your-dreams, handed-down-too-many times clothing from my closet and put it in order.

Okay....here it goes, and, yes, it is bad.  The saying goes that you can tell a woman's life by what her purse looks like....well, if the same is said about her closet...mine screams "disorder".

I would go in, couldn't get inspired, grab the first item and head out of the closet...wouldn't you?  Who wants to look through this junk.

The small clothes would yell out how much weight I had gained, the overly used items had been photographed too many times..."Mom are you in that same shirt again?"  The nicely intended hand-me-downs just yelled..."That isn't you, but you need to be grateful and use them."

Step One - acknowledge the issues in my heart and purge!!!

No turning back...it must all be done in order to sleep tonight!!!

Step  Two - I tried on all my tops....that back fat isn't leaving tomorrow, and the buttons just aren't going to button...in the pile they went.

Pants...shirts were depressing enough, so I looked at them, threw the too-small,wishful ones into the pile and will deal with the large sizes as I go to put them on...at least they are all about the same size, which isn't saying much, but hopefully I can wear them.

Step Three - To the closet!...spring/summer tops in the front and color-coordinated.  Light weight pants on the bottom in the front with winter pants and tops toward the back of the closet.  The overhead shelves, de-junked and organized...mostly keepsakes up there with a few sweaters.

Now I can see what I need...a lot... too sad. I removed more than I put back, but at least I am realistic now!

I did add one new item to my wardrobe...something I have never possessed or used...An Apron!!!  Who knows... maybe this is going to be a whole new season of fashion for me!

" Now, Ricki, what do you want for dinner?"

May you enjoy your task each day. May your husband and children delight in your countenance.  May you enjoy dressing up to serve your family, whether it's a dress, jeans, sweats or an apron... your inner beauty and tidiness should shine through!

Silver Boxes - The Gift of Encouragement

This cleaning out, re-inventing, returning-to-the-potter's-wheel season of life has meant a time of going through the old items collected in my home.


I have been digging through 26 years of parenting, home school writings from my four graduates, cards from 33 years of my relationship with my husband, along with books read through all these seasons of my life.

This process is going very slow as I stop to read, cry, laugh or hold  tight an item from the past.  When did my husband and I stop writing such precious words to each other, when did I lose contact with that friend, and, uh oh, did I cherish those seasons of growth of my four adult children?


Where do I put all of this?  I didn't save clothes, toys or even art projects, but I did save written pieces of paper, books and thousands of pictures (these are before digital cameras).


I lingered over all the memories... some brought back happy thoughts and others opened feelings of loss or hurt.

Suddenly, my eyes fell upon the book titled "Silver Boxes - The Gift of Encouragement" by Florence Littauer.  In a flash, my eyes were flooded with tears.  The friend who gave me this book 18 years ago has vanished from my address book.  Her life went one way and mine another...neither intending NOT to stay connected.  I opened the book to find her writing in the front cover.  This is the only book I have received from a friend through the years with writing inside the cover...my daughter-in-law has also blessed me in this area with some keepsake jewels.


The date, May 31st, 1991, has handwriting as beautiful as the friend herself.  She described me as a "silver box"...Wow!, and she writes  a blessing for my newly-born, only-daughter, that we will have very few "stolen boxes" and a life of full of "gift boxes".  Her name is below the words, "I love you".

She and I had walked through some very hard trials.  I prayed, while at home, the day her nine month pregnancy ended with the rupture of her placenta, and the perfectly form little boy went to be with the Lord.  I recall laying on the floor in a puddle of tears as I prayed for her while she released him.  More pregnancies would come for us both and more births.  I also set on her couch as her marriage came to an end.


We also shared laughter, birthday parties, singing and dancing before the Lord.  I was the one standing beside her when she first visited our church and God told me to welcome her as she might be my next best friend...she was!


So now I reflect on 20-plus years ago.  I hate it that life took us apart, but then again, that is life.  I think through the many friendships that have come and gone, yet each had a purpose in my life.


I pray I left more "gift boxes" behind and not many "stolen boxes".  I hold this precious book close, cherishing the past and looking forward to re-reading it over and over.  I am sure God has something new for me within it's covers.


My box of sellable books isn't growing, as I look at the seasons of my life expressed through my reading.  My worn Bible with notes, my highlights and dog-eared pages through books on marriage, parenting, pregnancy, home schooling and personal walk with the Lord.  I once again see the power of the written word...maybe that is why God left his Word behind for all of us to read, and his inscription to us can be found on his pages.

As I de-junk and de-clutter, may I remember to hold the things close that I need to cherish and let go of the things I need to release.  May my return to the potter's wheel allow me to hand more "treasured boxes" to those around me.  The book's introduction starts out with "Is it Edifying?"  Sounds like a great start.


Love you, Pam, and so many others who have blessed my life so much.  Maybe it is time to tell your "silver boxes" thanks for the encouragement.

DO I HAVE TO WEAR THOSE?

My husband is seven years my senior, therefore, he experiences life's changes before me, which allows me to give him a hard time. Hair greying, soreness after yard labor, being called old by his children and then the most unavoidable of all...needing reader glasses.

His diminishing sight began in his late 40's while trying to read a menu and having to ask the waitor or me what it said. Oh, did I harass! That seventeen-year-old girl he had fallen in love with came back to life as I gave him a hard time for not being able to see the menu, since my sight was still "perfect".


I used my eyes through hours of reading, cross-stitching, sewing, cooking and couldn't imagine having to stop and obtain eye-wear.



Well, to my disbelief, I started entering the age of needing extra assistance with my eyes. As my Dad said, "Do you need longer arms Janette?" I couldn't believe that what had always been there was slowing decreasing.

If I was going to have to give in, then it would be with style...so the readers came in red, dots, lime green and one pair to carry in my purse with it's own holder.


I am now used to my new occassional accessory, but finding them can be a problem.


The other day I went all over the house looking for my stylish pair. Where could they be? I searched upstairs and downstairs. Surely they couldn't have walked off... nowhere to be found. Then I took what seemed to be my tenth trip up the stairs for a final search.


As I turned the corner of my stair's landing, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I burst out in laughter, so loud my son came running to see what had happened.

There, so daintily postioned on my head....were my glasses! I couldn't believe it. I had finally given into the idea of wearing glasses, now is forgivefulness next?


I might give into buying those librarian beads that hold your glasses around your neck in order to have them within reach....well, probably not yet.


My gracious husband refuses to harrass me. Instead, he will slowly hand over his reader glasses to me when we are at a resturant...we are growing older together.

My youngest only knows his mother with glasses and proudly tries them on.  My 18-year-old daughter wears fake glasses as a fashion statement. 

God is so merciful to walk with us through the changes of life. To hold our hands, to hear our voices and even our cries that come from pure vanity.

 I look forward to a body that is perfect when I get to heaven, but more than that, I look forward to using my eyes to behold  the giver of sight...and without glasses!
 
Did you notice my font size?

Roses, Thorns and Beauty

Welcome to the new face lift of Janette's Sage.

I am still learning about this new form of communication.  I felt that the rose expressed visually the thoughts of my blog.  The background was chosen to continue this theme.

This rose is called "Aging With Beauty".  That is my heart's desire, to age with beauty before my Lord and my family.

A rose has thorns along the stem before you get to the beauty of the rose.  Examining Valentine roses,  the scent, the delicate rose, the sharp thorns reminded me of life.

We hear the saying, "I never promised you a rose garden".  Well that may be true, but each of us have thorns in our life or have experienced the hurt from thorns.  I wouldn't avoid buying roses just becasue of the thorns, nor would I want to go back and remove the thorns that created such beauty in my own life when I allowed the Lord to bring forth that beauty.

So, I continue to learn how to set up a blog.  I hope you enjoy the new look and continue to have patience as I move through this adventure of blogging and learning to age with beauty. Check out both of my new buttons for my blog and business, grab one or both, and leave comments along the way.

Enjoying the adventure, even with all the thorns.

It is All in Your Perspective!!!

It is all in your perspective.


Isn't that statement so true?  Just look at the picture to the side, we have all done this one before.  Is it a picture of a beautiful young girl or an old hag?


The older I become, the more I see this statement  as true.  Our own perspective can change everything.


We can remember our childhood with loving memories or choose to focus on the trials our family went through, as if other families didn't have their own trials.


Our financial attitude  can also be altered by our perspective for good or lead us down the road to poverty, either physical or mental poverty. 


Our family has suffered through some hard financial struggles, but compared to what?   Our definition of what is a "need" in comparison to a "want" can alter our perspective. Some will say they are poor because they don't want to touch their 401K,  savings, or that account for their next vacation.   Others will say they are in hardship and it means the water is being turned off, they are losing their possessions or worse .  


Our perspective becomes our truth.


It becomes a choice to see the young woman or the hag.  We can change our perspective, even when it isn't changed in the natural.  This change of perspective can give a marriage a new start, a teenager the belief he will make it, a mother a breath of fresh air and a family stress relief from a difficult situation.


Recently, as I came through a battle and started to breath again, I heard a friend say, "Doesn't the change in perspective really help?"  Yes, it does.  My situation may not have changed, but it has brought forth a change in  my perspective.


 Proverbs 23: 7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is."