One corner at a time!

Months ago I wrote about my "issue" with clutter. Not being real with myself - having thought well I dont work now so my house will magically become organized and gorgeous - some of you need to stop laughing now : ) We'll things in "REAL" time dont work that way - AT ALL!! So this is where I tell you it's coming along. Slowly and I mean slowly - I am reclaiming the corners of my home. For some reason I feel the need to have stuff in every corner of this house - really come look - well not really cause I'm not done and you know how it gets when you really clean one area then another area turns into the disaster for you to turn to?? That's kinda our house at the moment - LOL just kidding - kinda - just dont go into the office!
So here's my pic of the newest corner I have overcome. For some of you, this looks like a normal event - a clean, uncluttered corner of a bedroom. OH but NO!! This is huge in the life of Mandy and poor Shane. I'm making it sound bad I think - our house is not dirty there's just "stuff" everywhere. I dont like to get rid of anything. In fact Shane and I have had to work on him asking me if I want to "keep this or that." Little hint - my answer will always be yes! If I think that someone might need that for some art thing or school thing or just what if project I will keep it - for YEARS!!!!!!! YEARS!! So slowly I have been going through closets - 6 bags of clothes later - ummm yeah just my clothes - 4 bags of toys - 3 bags of baby items - 2 boxes of dishes - 1 huge box of books and a partridge in a pear tree. It's a win win. I'm getting back "order" in my life and hopefully before it's too late to teach it to my kids and helping out others who don't have things they might need as all items are in good shape and taken to local outreach programs. It's a process but I'm getting there : ) Thank goodness my hubby is loving and understanding and hasnt thrown my stuff out long before now! Happy sorting friends!!

Simple Prayer

New book I've been reading by Gloria Gaither has some awesome real life simple prayers that really speak to my heart. I thought for right now I'd share this one.
The gift I bring You today
The gift I bring You today, Lord is not an easy one to give.
Oh, not because I dont want You to have it. I do.
But because it is in pieces and scattered all over my life.
If it were in one neat chunk, it would be easy.
But at this point, I'm quite sure I cant even find them all - and some pieces are such strange shapes I'm not sure I'd even recognize then to give You.
So I'm giving You the pieces I see and recognize, the ones I can identify.
And I'm giving You my pledge: if You'll help me find the rest of the pieces - no matter how long it takes or how deeply embedded they are in the fabric of my days - I will give You those, too.
Is that something You'll accept?
It's sort of a gift on the installment plan, I guess.
And like an installment, You own it and have it coming.
Please search my heart and know that it is my true desire to give You all of it.
My gift to You, Jesus, is control.
Save me from the influence of a world, a time and a culture that brianwash me daily in every way to believe that being in control, taking control, and never losing control is the only way to live.
I know that instead it it the quickest way to die.
It is the Eden story all over again.
Today, Lord, take control of my life.
I give You all the control I can find.
Help me find it all and give it with joy.
Amen.

Fall in Texas

This weekend we went to Huntsvilie for the day. Shane's parents got themselves a travel trailer and went for the weekend so we went up for the day. It was nice to get out of the city for a change. It was Shane's birthday so I made a cake and we took up some beans and cornbread to share - Chris ( Shane's brother)and family were there so that was fun! They were brave it was cold and windy all weekend and they slept in a tent - wow! When we got there the fire was nice and hot and it was just relaxing! The site they were camping at was beautiful! Tons of large trees, right by the water. Grace enjoyed the cousins being there and Alex just wanted to touch everything. I really had a peaceful time - sitting around the fire, roasting marshmellows with the kids, telling stories and just loving my family. That's something I can see us doing a lot more often. Happy Fall!

"Not today I didn't"

When you were little did you ever get lie bumps? Do you know what that is?? Might just be a crazy story my family made up to keep us honest - nice I know. Well today I continued the tradition with my daughter - so proud yes yes. Grace comes into the kitchen and pulls down her lip and shows me a sore - think she bit it while eating a few days ago but she does not remember this event hence the story. SO I look at it and seize the moment to explain that when we are not truthful sometimes we get bumps in our mouths. To this Grace asks - "What's it called?" I tell her it's just a "Lie Bump" and it should go away soon - don't touch it - pull on it etc. So then she wants to know how it got there - I smile a small smile remembering when this was done to me - hey I turned out fine right??! And I say "well you get it when you lie or dont tell the truth. Did you lie about anything?"
To which my daughter replys ....."Well not today I didnt!"
Ah the honesty of a 5 year old!!

October's end

Thoughts I'd post some pics of the pumpkin patch and halloween with the kids. Cant believe October has come and gone already - wow how time flys. Happy November friends!

Airshow

I know it s been over a month since I've blogged - so I have some catching up to do I guess.  Last blog was birthdays (Grace and Alex) related.  Seems like forever a go to be honest.  I'll post pics soon I promise.  

Last weekend we went to the Air show and met up with Steph and PK there.  I had never been and really didn't know what to expect.  We went to church, ate lunch and then made our way (Steph was there already).  We like I said I didn't know what to expect hence the next part of this story.  As we turn off Fairmont onto beltway 8 I see this HUGE - I mean HUGE cloud of black smoke right above where I knew the air show to be.  I freaked out!  "OH NO!!  There must have been a wreck with the planes in the air."  SO I panic and call Steph to make sure they are okay and not hurt ya da ya da ya da - yeah it was a reenactment  - I felt pretty "special".  Shane did his best not to laugh at me - seeing as he knew that's what it was all along.  Oh so pretty!       Okay so we get there and park in the north 40 (really) and head in to the air show - Grace and Alex in the wagon Shane pulling - we're good to go.  Walk all the way to the gates - Shane has to go back and put his pocket knife in the truck - cant bring it in to the show.  Oh side note - all the nice cool air we had been having... was not there on this day - it was HOT not warm but HOT.  K so Shane's back and we start the treck to find Steph and PK.  We're watching the planes fly over and drop bombs ha ha I know, watching planes skywrite and loving being out and about as a family and then this....  you know how I said Grace and Alex were in the wagon.  As were their belongs - Alex's toys, water bottles, Grace's shoes... oh wait just one shoe.  Well you see as we walked (them being pulled) into the show, Grace got hot and thought it was ok to take her shoes off since she wasn't walking again with the ya da ya das. Yep it was gone.  Again Shane walked back  - to see if he could find the lost shoe.  This time however not all the way back to the car was we had walked close to 15 mins already just to get into the air show gates.  As he was looking, we found out what had happened to it.  Now keep in mind this is kinda a big deal for Grace  - not only are these some of her fave shoes - Sketchers but this also meant no walking around the air show with Patrick.  The air show is set up ON the runway - so the ground was too hot.  So back to how it happened... ALEX.  Steph and I stood there and watched Alex pick up items he didn't deem "fit" to be in HIS wagon and proceeded to just throw them out.  First water, next toys then the other shoe.   By this time we were rolling with laughter - prob not the best thing to do  - encourage the toddler but it was so funny.  He'd pick it up look at it and then throw it over board.  Shane finally comes back empty handed no shoe IE no walking for Grace.  She did get out to go up to a few booths and the moonwalk but mainly stayed in the wagon.  Funny stuff!  Other than that and the heat, the air show was wonderful!  I loved it. So amazing what they  can do with those small planes.  We were a little worried about the noise especially for Alex since he wouldn't understand where the noise was coming from, so we got earplugs but all 3 of the kids were fine.  After walking around a bit we found shade by the side of a parked Army truck and sat to see the Thunderbirds perform.  It was so amazing!  They'd fly by and do a trick and PK and Grace would take turns saying - "Wow I didnt see that coming!"  Another would fly by and do another trick - "Wow I didnt see that coming!" I think you get the idea - it was the mantra for the day as it were.  Final fly by - time to go.  We give hugs to Steph and PK - so glad we meet them up there!  We head back to the car, stop at a few more shops, sit in a few planes and then stop at lost and found - for the shoe.  The people at lost and found looked at us like we were special.  No luck - they did offer to mail it to us lol.  I told them that would not be necessary but thanks for the offer.  So as we leave - Alex is passed out in the wagon by now such a long day - I see something in the grass to the side of the runway..... it was her shoe!  Some one had place it on the side of the runway with a sock in it - not her sock but none the less... it was found : ) " Wow, I didnt see that coming!"

Squeeze my heart moment

As so many of us have been touched by IKE, one of Gracie's friends at school lost everything - everything! They now live with his grandparents while they try to get their life back together. The school is trying the best they can to help all the families who are "without." So they came up with a coin drive idea - the class who raises the most gets an ice cream party. And yes for those of you who know Grace well, know she's lactose intolerant so too much ice cream REALLY hurts her tummy. So Im thinking we'll give some coins and "do our part" but an ice cream party is not going to get her going.
Well Grace comes home today first thing - after meeting Daddy at work for lunch  - and goes straight to her room. Due to the window unit being in the living room (still no power) and the back of the house staying pretty warm she hasn't been spending much time back there so I thought it odd. She comes out with her hands full of quarters. I ask "what are you doing with those?" She tells me she wants to go through her piggy banks and get all these "big ones" out for the kids who lost their house and power and stuff. It's about nap time so I get Alex down and then join her in her room where she has dumped all 3 of her piggy banks out and is sorting money like a mad woman. I sit down with her and explain the value of each coin - want her to know how much she's giving - she's been saving for 5 years now (okay well 4 years and a day) lol She says she understands and wants to give the "big ones" because they can help more.

We sit together and put all the quarters in a bowl and keep all the others together in a different bucket. As we sort, she asks what the money will be used for - I explain that a lot of people lost things in their homes like beds, toys, clothes etc and some even lost their house so the money will help get them new things. That's when I really stepped in it a little, I told her how proud I was that she wanted to help and that Daddy and I would match whatever she decided to give - thinking $5 or maybe even $10.
Now this is the same girl who 2 weeks ago wanted to buy her baby brother a birthday gift with HER money ( $4 ) and I told her I'd match her amount so she could have more options of what to by so now $8. She thought a moment and said well then I'll just use $2 of my money then. lol - crack me up!!
Well I haven't told Shane yet but we are in the hole for $34.25. Who knew she had that much in quarters - and wants to give them ALL cause "she really wants to help the kids who don't have their things anymore."

So here's the challenge for Grace -
Lets see how many quarters you are willing to give ( or nickle, dimes, dollars or pennies) or if you want to match her amount as well.  Let see if we can show Grace what love and compassion looks like in the form of change. 

My disclaimer:
Please let me add that I know we all have so many friends, family and co workers who have lost so much due to IKE.   My heart goes out for them in their lose and I pray they get back to "normal" life as soon as possible. This just touched my heart and I felt like it's an awesome lesson for Grace to continue to learn though her loved ones. Please do not feel obligated to participate or even reply with regrets. We are all helping where we can - just thought this would be a good place to help if you didn't know where to help.