Then something snapped inside of me last September and I felt the strength, for the first time in a really long time, to make some real changes and take better care of myself. I’ve shared here how I cut carbs and changed my eating lifestyle. I haven’t eaten sugar or junk since Oct 1, 2021. There’s no secret or magic pill….I just did it and by the grace of God I have stuck with it.

But I didn’t start exercising again. Maybe I wasn’t ready, maybe I was just lazy (most likely), but I knew that would have to be the next adjustment I made. Then I got busy remodeling the Garland house and that took all of my focus. But now that is done and I am ready to take the next step.

To be clear, when I say I am ready I don’t mean my life schedule is clear and this is an easy time to do it. Just the opposite! I am traveling a lot and starting back to homeschool next week and we have a lot happening here. What I mean is that I am emotionally ready, so I am going for it.

I had heard of a challenge called 75Hard. I felt led to read more about it, so I did. Then I thought I should talk with James about it, so I did. Then I wondered what my chiro (who I am seeing regularly for hip pain) would think so I asked him. Long story short….I have gotten support and decided to do it. And even better is my husband is doing it with me. And we are starting today….August 22,2022.

We spent the weekend getting ready. For me the eating part will be the easiest. I just needed to tighten up what I was already doing, so that isn’t a concern for me. The water, a little bit of a challenge but I can do that. I already like to read non-fiction. Not every day but I really enjoy it so that’s just a small challenge. But I have basically become dormant, so two 45 minute workouts every day feels OVERWHELMING.

I decided to get a recumbent bike since I have so many hip issues and my chiro thought that was the best idea. We cleared out a space in the house and made a little temporary workout room. After the 75 days I will need to figure out a more permanent solution, but for now this will do fine. As for outside, I will try to walk. If my hip won’t let me I will do weights and stretches. I am determined to make this work.

I’ve read several bloggers who have said they completed it and it was transformational. Yes, physically, but also mentally and emotionally, which is what I am hoping for. I need a shift at my core. I’m really excited to see how God is going to use this in my life.

Of course I will be all over Instagram every day sharing the good, bad and the ugly so be sure you’re following me there if you want all the details.

And for more info on the 75hard challenge, here’s the info from its creator. And let me warn you that there is a lot of negative out there about this challenge. I read it, I got it. These are not things I am concerned about. But I also know that if I need to I can stop. I am the only person who is making me do this. It’s a deeply personal goal.

If you decide to do it too, please let me know! Maybe we will start a Facebook support group or something. This is going to be interesting!

Before you shout at me through the computer about how we need to make concessions and we can’t get everything we want and we aren’t going to agree with everything at any church let me say that I agree with you! We aren’t looking for perfection. But we can’t even find a place where people will talk to us. That’s a bit of a deal breaker. And we do have some areas that we need to agree, but I know that we have some ideas that are not typical in the American church culture (like we don’t separate as a family i.e. youth group) and we are not necessarily expecting to find those things.

Recently I was driving around in Garland, TX, exploring the area (I know it seems like I just changed the subject, but hang with me here). I discovered a community garden and just loved the idea of that. It was so peaceful and there are always quite a few people there. So now I intentionally drive that way whenever I can because I think it’s so lovely. Not being a gardener, I have never stopped, but I consider it every time I go by and see people out there working and visiting.

Then one morning as I was driving by there was a small group of people sitting in chairs they must have brought themselves, listening to someone talking. I imagined this was some kind of gardening expert teaching them something about plants or insects or soil. And it hit me like a ton of bricks…THIS is what church is supposed to look like.

Let me make a few analogies for you:

1. Unity of purpose. These people all have one purpose, to grow a garden. They tend the community garden and grow vegetables, fruit and flowers. That’s what church should be, all of us gathering with a single purpose….to glorify God and establish His kingdom on earth. Not to sit and listen to fun music, a peppy sermon then leave immediately without speaking to anyone.
2. To learn from one another. Some of us have wisdom and experience that other people need. If Bob is great at insect control and Betty has insects then she needs Bob’s wisdom. If we are encouraging each other to grow our own, smaller gardens at home then we can become better as a group and individually. We need each other’s wisdom and knowledge.
3. To do hard work together. A huge community garden can’t be kept healthy and thriving by one or two people. It’s a group effort. Sure there are people who are in charge of specific areas, maybe their gifting is in dealing with weeds or harvesting tomatoes at the perfect time. But that doesn’t mean they should do it alone. They give instruction and many gather to work alongside them. In my personal church experience, it’s a few people doing all of the work while the rest of the people just go on Sunday morning to be served.
4. To know one another. It’s not embarrassing to tell your gardener friend, “I am struggling with weeds.” They can help you! And it shouldn’t be embarrassing to tell your church friend, “I am struggling with anger.” But we don’t. We are under this pressure to look perfect and all together, sitting next to another perfect person that we don’t even turn and say hello to. Why? Why is church not the safest place to share your struggles just like the community garden is where you would share your issues with growing plants?
5. To feed the community. We are meant to feed not only ourselves and our families but also those in need around us. And of course, I mean this not only with actual food but with the Bread of Life.
6. To glorify God. Even a fool knows he isn’t the one who grows the plant. We do the small things we are led to do, but God is the creator. 1 Corinthians 3:7 “So, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

I do realize this analogy has some holes in it, but the heart of it is what I’m talking about. True fellowship, unity of purpose and a place to share your struggles and lift up others. I don’t care about the committees or the drums or the coffee shops. I want to just sit and get to know others and let them get to know me. Let’s hear wisdom from the wise, let’s bear one another’s burdens.

I am guessing that some reading this will say, “Our church is like that!” Maybe. What I will ask you is this….is it like that for everyone? Or just a few? Some churches we have visited make promises like that but then we go and for months not a soul even says hello to us and it’s obvious that most of the people show up on Sunday to get fed a sermon then leave before the closing song is finished.

And yes, we do go and say hello to people, try to meet new people and are willing to do that work ourselves (even though we are the visitors). And it STILL feels impossible. People just aren’t interested.

Of course there’s so much more to what a church should be. What do they believe? How do they spend their money? Do they live what they preach? Is there accountability? Are they living by the Word?

I don’t know the solution. Home church? A fresh vision for what church should be? When that happens so often it grows too quickly (perhaps because people are starving for it) and it veers off path. I know when I share a little about our struggle to find a church on social media I get hundreds of responses saying, “us too!” It’s a real problem.

I know we haven’t found it anywhere near us. But I am never going to give up. I do wonder if the current political climate will create change in the church and separate the wheat from the chaff. Which brings me full circle back to the little community garden and its appeal. If you’re in the same situation we are in at least we can know we are not alone.

We have now had several guests and we’re up and running. Halleluyer!

One thing we really wanted was a place that was centrally located to all of our kids. Garland was a great spot because two of the kids (not kids I guess since they’re grown and flown) live there and the rest of them are a 5-ish hour drive or less. (I say “-ish” because you know how it is traveling with toddlers!) We wanted to be able to use the place for family gatherings, and that is exactly what we did last weekend. (me dancing again)

When we knew we were nearly finished with the house I texted our family group and asked everyone to toss out possible dates they could get together. With this many people it’s near impossible to accommodate everyone, but we got very close. All but one of the kids made it and we had a fabulous time together!

These days it’s so much more than James and I + the 9 kids. There are in-laws and grandkids and it keeps on growing. This past weekend we had 20 people in that cute little house and were bursting at the seams. But we made it work and it was super special.

On Friday night there were less of us so we had a quieter evening. We had tacos (which is east for me to eat low carb!) and played a new game called “Cards Christians Like”. It was so funny, we all kept cracking up at the cards and people’s answers. These card makers really seem to get the church life. You can only purchase it through their site, so here’s a link if you want to order one for yourself.

On Saturday we all were there and it was a bit more crowded. But I laid out a basic charcuterie for lunch (I forgot to take any pictures but it was just lunch meat, cheese, fruits, veggies, nuts, pickles, various regular and gluten-free crackers and breads, etc.) I don’t have serving dishes there, so I put each thing on its own paper plate and laid them out in a pretty arrangement and it actually looked nice! This is the third year I have done a charcuterie for this get-together because we have so many dietary restrictions this makes it easier for everyone.

Saturday we played another new game called Tapple. It was super easy to play with everyone while we just sat around the room. Of course, we are all pretty hard core game players so some rounds went on and on and on. These people never cease to amaze me with their cleverness! Some rounds I was happy to go out early so I could just sit back and soak in the people around me going after a win.

Saturday evening we ordered pizza from a nearby Blaze. Again, they can accommodate all of the dietary needs so it was easy and I felt done cooking (if you have followed me at all you know I really don’t enjoy cooking). Between the pizza and all of the leftover lunch foods we had plenty for the rest of our day.

In the evening, before the sun went down we all piled outside to take a family picture. I do miss that one kid who isn’t in it, but who knows if we will ever be able to capture the whole crew. Since we’re all spread out and there are so many schedules to work around it would be hard. So I’m happy with what God gives me. I am planning to frame this and hang it in our little private apartment there as a reminder of our first family gathering of, hopefully, many in this house.

By Sunday afternoon everyone had gone home and it was back to the reality that we all live far apart. I aspent the afternoon alone, cleaning the house and prepping for the next guests. I stayed an extra day to get a few things done and drove back home on Tuesday after a quick visit with my grandgirls there. I can finally rest a little, although working on the Garland house has given me some momentum so I will probably get going on some projects at home that I have been procrastinating on for the past….oh…..ten years or so. LOL!

I expect/hope we will all get together again this year for Christmas. This is our year for Christmas since we alternate with the married kids. After raising kids for 100 years and that whole time it felt like it would never end, somehow it did. Of course, we still have 3 boys at home, but even they are nearly grown and don’t need “Mommy” anymore. I know I’ve said it before, but it felt like it changed very quickly from all of us together all the time to everyone off and doing their own thing. I miss those “all of us together” days, but I don’t miss the grocery bills, late night dramas or being responsible for other people.

And there really is nothing like sitting in a room filled with the people you raised and watching them enjoy each other. It’s my favorite feeling (insert slow, thoughtful happy dance)

If you’re going to be in the Garland area and need a place to stay, be sure to check out our listing there. It’s cute and comfortable and we LOVE our guests!

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There are 5 houses that I set my sights on, those on each side, the one directly across from me and the 2 on each side of them. Some were easier to meet than others. One actually tried to meet me so they were the first and the easiest. We’ve exchanged phone numbers and visited several times. Three others I was able to meet when they were outside working in the yard and it was easy to go over and introduce myself. All very kind people.

But the last one, they were more of a challenge. Because the women there wear a hijab I knew they were likely from another country. And when I would see them and try to wave they didn’t give me any reaction. At first I thought that I would have to be content with us just each keeping to ourselves.

Then one day I opened my mailbox and there was an envelope addressed to one of those neighbors that had been accidentally delivered to me. I saw this as my opportunity to try again. So that afternoon I carried the letter to their house and knocked.

When the door opened there was a whole houseful of children standing there, wide eyed with surprise. They called out behind them and the same woman appeared that I had seen coming and going. I smiled and held out the letter and she didn’t instantly take it from me. Instead they cheerfully beckoned me inside. I accepted.

They were very hospitable, bringing me a small plate of nuts and olives and trying to give me something to drink. It was instantly obvious to all of us that this was going to be interesting….not a single person in that room besides me spoke one word of English. We sat there trying to communicate but our cultures are so different that even gestures weren’t working. I tried greeting each child and asking simple questions, but overall no one understood anything I was trying to say.

Just as I was about to leave a man walked in the front door. I didn’t recognize him as the man who lived there. He was surprised to see me and I was excited when I realized that he speaks English. Hallelujah!

He and I started speaking and he told me their story. He is the brother of the man who lives there (his wife and children were there when I visited….it was a full house!). Their families are from Afghanistan and they worked for the US military. He was an interpreter so he is the only one who speaks English. There are 4 brothers who were all brought here by our government with their families and dropped in the middle of Garland TX. They are struggling to find work or learn the culture and the language.

But this is the part he told me that really struck me and will always stay with me. He said to me, “We are so very happy that you received this mail and came to bring it to us. In our religion we don’t eat until we know that our neighbors have food. But you are the first neighbor who will speak to us at all.” Wow. This was so humbling! As a Christian why am I not doing this? Why am I not making sure that my neighbors are ok before I tuck myself comfortably into bed at night (of course I don’t actually have neighbors where I live out in the country, but still I have people).

Then the woman of the house started to say things for him to interpret so she could tell me all of the things she had been wanting to say. They have 8 children (they couldn’t believe I have 9 children!) and that they wanted to thank me for always tossing the balls back over the fence that their children lose. At one point he said, “She says you are the one who has been waving at her and it always made her so happy that you would do that!” I had no idea! They never responded, but I kept waving and now they wave back at me every time like I’m a long lost friend.

A few nights ago there was a knock my the door and it was two of the girls from that house. They handed me a huge plate of food. I didn’t recognize anything on the plate and tried to ask them what it was, but they didn’t understand me. So I just thanked them happily and took the plate. The next morning I was leaving for a few days so I decided to take the plate back with some other food when I returned.

I wanted to take them a watermelon. It’s so American and summery and maybe something they hadn’t had before. When I got back I went to 3 stores and couldn’t find any watermelons. So I settled on a big bag of fresh cherries.

I took the cherries over with their plate and once again I sat in their living room as the center of attention, but no way to communicate. Past “How are you!” “Good, how are you?” we were stumped. As for the cherries, they either didn’t know what they were or I just can’t read their unspoken responses so I have no idea if they understood what I was trying to do. I suspect that right after I left they dug into this curious bag the neighbor lady brought them.

And before you suggest a translator app, we have tried a few of them. It doesn’t really work for English to Pashto. When either of us tries to put something in the translator app, the other person has no idea what they are trying to say. I have learned a few words in Pashto. Hello, thank you and how are you. When I tried to say them they laughed and tried to help me say it correctly. My goal is to show them that I am interested in getting to know them, not to actually learn their language.

Not living in our Garland house full time means I may not have a lot of opportunities to build this relationship, but I’m happy with whatever God does with all of these neighbor friendships. I see myself as His tool to use however He wants. And thankfully all of them are kind and happy to meet us.

And who knows, maybe we are meant to help these people from half way around the world in some way and show them that there are Americans who care about them. And I am already affected by the care they have shown me. I think it will be good for all of us.

Summertime. And the livin’ is easy.

Unless of course it’s 109° outside and your A/C is crying out for help and the ice machine can’t make enough ice for you to actually bathe in.

I went to the store yesterday and as I stepped out of my car I wondered what kind of crazy state of mind I must have been in to decide this was the day to go pickup a few things I didn’t desperately need. That parking lot asphalt is like walking on the surface of the sun. And I can’t even tell you how hot it was in my car after I came back out of the store, but I’m pretty sure I could have baked a turkey in there.

My post last week was about beating the heat. But it wasn’t about the actual heat. Instead I cleverly used the analogy as a way of sharing tips for staying cool emotionally. But now I feel I must talk about the actual heat wave we’re having, because I’m in Garland this week and the high today will be 108°. One hundred and eight!

In case you didn’t see on my Facebook a couple of weeks ago, our new rental house in Garland has an enclosed garage that will be a private space for me to stay when I’m there. And the new AC wasn’t working in there. Yeah. That was very annoying. I thought it was hot then at 102° outside, when I could still be ok as long as I remained motionless with no lights on and had 3 fans blowing directly on me. But silly me….I should have known that was chilly compared to what it would be just two weeks later in mid-July.

Thankfully, after some mild threats to our contractor, the AC got fixed. Yeah, he wasn’t the greatest. But it works now and I’m able to stay cool, so I won’t complain. I also got myself the same nugget ice maker for the Garland apartment that I have back at home. And that, my friends, has been an absolute lifesaver! To be able to fill my stainless steel tumbler to the top with nugget ice, then pour in my electrolyte water and sip on it all afternoon helps this cold-loving mama make it through these sweltering days.

I’m also basically wearing the same 2 things every day. I usually like to switch up my wardrobe a lot, but right now it’s just about being as cool as possible and I have two lightweight tops that wick the heat away from me. So I wash one/wear one. I’m a big fan of modesty, but if I gets any hotter I can’t promise not to strip down to my bra and panties right there in the Target parking lot.

Speaking of bras, girl, I got myself a new one and it has changed.my.life. Every blazing hot summer I fight heat rashes in….ahem….feminine places. It’s rough. It hurts and once the sweat starts to pour the rashes start to appear. But this summer with my new bra from Soma I haven’t gotten a single rash. It’s comfy and cool and if I wasn’t already married I’d propose to it. If you haven’t tried their undies (both tops and bottoms) I’m recommending you get to a Soma as quick as you can.

And of course, I use a lot of my fave Young Living summer goodies. Electrolytes and cooling mist and insect repellant. Here’s a list of my summer must haves! Between these and my nugget ice and my working air-conditioner I might just make it through this scorching summer of 2022.

Well friend, I hope you’re able to stay cool. My weather app says this time next week it’ll only be a high of 104°. Wow. I might have to unbox my sweaters and jackets.

Hang in there! We can survive this together.

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How about you? You doing ok in your world? Are you melting too?

I have a few tricks for dealing with these kinds of challenging times that I thought I’d share. We all need some new ways to cope, ammiright?

1. Get cool. Ok yes, air-conditioning is the bomb, but also staying cool emotionally is important! Maybe I’m the only one who boils over too often? When I feel myself heating up, being cranky, overreacting to the guy who cut me off in traffic, I take a beat to cool off. I just stop. I tell myself, “This is actually nothing. Everyone is dealing with something and my issues are small.” Just throw some emotional ice on that heated up mood!
2. Make small changes. So maybe I can’t change the entire political climate. But I can change the way I react to those things. I don’t have to get nasty or so upset that I say rude things. I can listen to people, see beyond the words into a hurting heart and give grace. A long, deep breath and some calming inner dialog can really go a long way when I need to change the way I react.
3. Get away. I’ve been getting away a lot lately since I’ve been setting up our new vacation rental property. Oh sure, I’ve been working while I’m there. But it’s been a break from home and all of the work of keeping up with the house we’ve lived in for over 20 years. The new place, even though I’ve had tasks to complete, has felt like a break from my regular life and it’s been really nice. I can tell it’s calmed me in unexpected ways. If you can’t buy a new house to fix up, maybe try renting one for a week to relax in, or make a staycation list and DO IT.
4. Share a ride! To cut the cost of driving around by asking a friend to ride along. Go to a fun restaurant or play pickle ball or find a third friend to go visit! Ask a neighbor if you can pick up anything for them at the grocery store. This could be a new trend! What a special way to help one another.
5. Take good care of yourself! This is last but not least. WHY do I have to remind myself of this constantly?! I start off strong with a plan to do some self-care and then I slip. My kids need me and tasks have to be done and if I am not intentional I find myself collapsing into bed at night wondering how I let plan that go. It helps to have a list ready and MAKE 10 minutes during the day to do some of the things on that list. A few ideas might be drink lemon water, listen to some music, text a friend, go outside and walk around with your shoes off, organize a drawer, clean off a surface or corner or car trunk that’s been bugging you, turn on your diffuser, floss your teeth, there are so many things you can do in 10 minutes or less that will make your day better!
   

Let’s take this hot situation as an opportunity for growth and change. I for one am looking forward to some outdoor time today in the pool. But without a pool at our Garland house we have just been playing in the hose to keep cool. Make it work my friends…we can do this!

Be sure you’re following me on Instagram where I share all kinds of ways to survive the challenges of life.

Last week I went to Utah for my fifth Young Living convention. It’s a highlight of my year….hanging out with my peeps, learning about healthy lifestyles and growing my knowledge of the products Young Living sells. They have hundreds of natural products and I love checking out all of the new things and visiting with friends from all over the world.

The trip was supposed to be short, Wednesday morning to Saturday morning. I was traveling with two of my YL besties, flying together and rooming together and all the things….lots of sharing and caring and laughing. Everything went perfectly, kind of too easy, until the last morning when we got to the airport at 6:45am for our 8:30am flight home.

We were worn out. We had been up way too early every morning and out way too late every night. That day we had to rise at 5:30 to get to the airport on time. We had no makeup, junky clothes, no one cared. We couldn’t wait to get home by 2:00 and have the rest of the day to unpack and unwind. Or so we thought. When we arrived we got the first of what would turn out to be many notifications that our flight time had changed. It was ok at first, roll with it and all that. But as the day went on we started to wonder what was going to happen. 10:00 changed to 10:45 to 11:30 to 2:00 and on and on, ending in the last notice we got at 6:30pm that our flight had been canceled.

One of the things that really upset me was that we had chosen to miss the last day of convention to go home early. There was a whole day we could have attended instead of sitting there in the airport 15 minutes away. But we couldn’t leave because all of our checked luggage was there and we had no way to get it. I have learned to trust God and I do know that if I was supposed to be at the convention that day He would have gotten me there. So I move forward, nothing to do but give thanks.

The hard part came when we explored every single option from renting a car to flying home the next day, to taking a bus to hitching a ride and nothing, NOTHING was working. At one point I had a little breakdown right there in the rental car area, feeling completely drained and lost. It was 8:00 at night and we had nowhere to go. How does one get from Salt Lake City UT to Austin TX with no plane, car, bus or train? I stepped away from my friends to cry and try to empty my mind of the pressure I felt from the difficult day. And we used every oil we had and shared them around with all of the other passengers with us! It definitely helped with the stress, but essential oils can’t carry you 1,200 miles.

It did not escape my notice that this was the second time this summer I was stuck far from home with no way to get back. In June I went to Kansas to visit my daughter and on the way home, in Dallas, my car broke down. I was 6 hours from home with no car and three kids. That was hard. I had to find a place to repair my car and ask favors from friends to take turns driving us parts of the way home. Once I got home I was without my car for two weeks until I could go back and get it. Then a month later I got stuck in SLC, but that was too far to ask any friends to come and get me. YIKES!

I ended up asking for ideas on Facebook. I knew there were 40,000 people at the convention and maybe someone was driving back to Texas or had an idea that our exhausted brains hadn’t thought of. I got a lot of suggestions, but most of them wouldn’t work for us. Then I got a message from someone I don’t know well. That person (who asked to remain anonymous) offered to get us tickets on a flight home the next day. I wasn’t sure how they were going to do that since from what I was finding all flights were booked except a few late night flights that were way too expensive.

But guess what….they did get us tickets and we were amazed. This anonymous friend is a believer and we all agreed that God used them to help us get home. No doubt it was His hand on the entire episode. I don’t know why I ever doubt that He will take care of me.

He does that every day actually….covers our messes and takes care of times when we feel stuck. Several times over the past week I have had the blessing of listening to friends who feel stuck for one reason or another. Each of their situations is different, but none too difficult for God to handle. From marriage struggles to school decisions to travel disasters, He is right there with you.

It’s a matter of letting Him lead and not getting frustrated that it’s not going our way. In my case with the canceled flight, I would never have thought it would get resolved the way it did. I was spending a lot of energy (which I had to do of course….God taking care of it doesn’t mean we don’t have to work) looking at our problem from every possible angle and in the end it wasn’t any of my ideas that got us home.

That’s the coolest part! God gets ALL of the glory. He gave someone the ability to help us and connected us at the right time. He made 3 tickets on a previously empty flight open up and He got us on that plane. Honestly I am constantly humbled by His grace.

Today I am home and won’t be struggling with being stuck 1,200 miles away. But I will get stuck. I will have kid attitude issues or money decisions or the plumbing will get backed up (don’t get me started on this latest thing we’re dealing with over here) and I will feel like I have no way out of it. That’s when we need to stop and step back and take a minute to let God show us an idea we hadn’t thought of, a solution we never saw coming. He is creative and brilliant and omnipotent. Who better to ask for help?

Where have you felt stuck lately? Do you wonder if you will ever get our of a hard situation? Do you find yourself thinking of ways to escape? I know it feels impossible sometimes, but His promises are real. It will likely not happen the way you want, but He WILL take care of you.

Whatever you are dealing with today, whatever crazy mess you have that seems like there’s no way it will ever end…..there is hope. Real hope. And it will most likely happen in a way you never expected. <3

But alas I know it’s 2018 because my youngest child is 11 today.  Yes, I said my youngest!  When you’re in the thick of babies and all that comes with you think it will never happen.  You think that the life cycle of changing diapers and never being able to leave the house without extreme preparations is going to last forever.  Then one day the calendar tells you it’s the middle of 2018 and your youngest child is 11 and you could probably just go to the store right this minute if you wanted to without even saying goodbye to anyone.  And you wonder how you got here.  And you can’t decide if you’re happy about it or not.  It’s sad that the kids grow up, but the whole leaving the house when you want thing is pretty sweet.

I should have realized it was July when I nearly had a heat stroke last Friday while flea market shopping in Canton, TX.  My 11 year old and I decided to stop there “kind of” on our way home from Dallas.  He loves old junky stuff like his mom and we were so close and we really didn’t think about the 105° temps.  It was basically like walking around on the surface of the sun.  But totally worth the slight dizziness and nausea because we nabbed a cool old car part to hang over his bed.  He also had to wear my extra pair of sunglasses and tolerate all of the old ladies telling him how “cute” he looked.  There’s no price too high to pay for a great piece of junk.

At one point we were strolling through some shaded areas trying to cool off and I saw some old red lockers.  I have a thing for lockers so I suggested we buy them for his room.  “Why would we buy THAT?” he asked.  I looked longingly at the lockers and told him, “Because it would look so perfect in that one spot and would give us extra storage and things like this really add character to a room.”  He stared at me and replied dryly, “Well don’t you think the things you put in MY room should reflect MY character?”  Apparently he doesn’t have the same passion for lockers that I do.  Bummer.

One thing I sure was glad I had with me for our flea market outing was my peppermint oil.  I did actually start feeling ill from the heat and needed to cool off.  We got some ice and sat in the shade for a while, but I really wasn’t recovering well.  I remembered I had a bottle of peppermint so I opened it and kept holding it to my nose and smelling it.  I would have added it to my water if I wasn’t drinking from a styrofoam cup.  Never put oils in styrofoam or plastic.  If that’s your only option just smell them.  Or put a drop in your hand and breathe it in.  The peppermint really helped perk me up and we managed to do a little more surface of the sun shopping before heading home.

Since all of the other kids will be gone this week, Levi and I are planning to do some b-day celebrating and get his room put all back together.  I’ll try to share pics with y’all soon!  The whole house is in a state of “almost done” and if I could get just one room finished it would really help me feel like that project measuring stick will someday work again.

So that’s me.  What’s happening in your world this summer???

It was really cold and the rain just made it miserable.  I felt sorry for them, especially since I knew there was a warmer spot for them to go. So I stopped what I was doing and went around to the front of the house where we have a long, dry porch that’s loaded with cushions and comfy places to sit.  There’s even a window where warm air blows exhaust from the fan in my bedroom (it’s usually an A/C but I just needed the fan during the cold weather).  So I moved a few of the cushions over to the warm, dry spot and even grabbed a blanket from the house for them to snuggle in if they wanted.

Once I had my kitty winter heaven all set up I went back around the house where the cats were still pressed together looking miserable and sad.  I picked them up, one at a time, and carried them to the front and set them down in the cozy spot I made for them.  I would pet them a little and warm them up and then get the next cat, until they were all sitting there like kings and queens.

I went into the house and got back to what I was doing.  No sad, wet cats.  I was feeling pretty happy with the situation and glad they could be out of the cold rain.

Then about half an hour later I walked into the back yard and there they were….all three cats sitting in that teeny dry space on the deck pressed up against each other again!  It was a miserable sight and I wondered what happened.  So again I picked them up and took them to the front porch. I even took some cat food with me and sprinkled it there for them to eat.  I sat there with them and they just stared at me until I walked away.  Then, without another thought, they all got up and slowly made their way back to the awful, cold spot on the deck.

“Dumb cats!” I thought, “Why don’t they stay where it’s warm and dry?!”

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightening.  That is me.  I am the dumb cat who keeps going back to the place that’s not good for me just because I don’t understand it.  I stick to what I know and don’t trust Him.

God prepares wonderful, warm, cozy places for me that are so much better than what I have that I can’t even fathom it.  Then, if I don’t go willingly, He picks me up and carries me there.  And I STILL don’t see it.  I keep going back to what I am familiar with.  I trust myself which keeps me from experiencing His riches.

How many men in the Bible couldn’t see what amazing things were in store for them?  We read about Moses and Paul and Peter and we can’t believe how they lose their faith or don’t trust God.  Then we turn around and do the same thing!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Prov 3:5

Sometimes it’s a small change in my plans, like saying something to a stranger.  I feel the nudge pretty often, to say something that feels odd to a person in line behind me at the store or next to me on a plane or other times when I’m just standing near people.  I don’t want to.  It’s uncomfortable and I don’t like talking to strangers.  But when I do it there’s always (even when they think I am weird) an unexpected blessing.  I have heard the sweetest stories and met the most interesting people and the best is when they get that look in their eye like they really needed to hear what I had to say.

But sometimes, and this is harder, God wants to put me in a really uncomfortable place that I resist so hard I may as well be the Rock of Gibraltar.  Like forgiving someone who purposely hurt me and wont apologize….that’s hard.  But it’s like the cats…..if I will just let Him move me then I will discover something so much better in the new place of forgiveness!  Unforgiveness is definitely a cold, wet, miserable place to live.  And there is warmth and soft blankets once you’ve been willing to let go of it!

So many times I just don’t trust the next move and I revert back to my old ways.  From now on I am going make it a goal to think of that warm place on the porch and let myself be carried, even when I don’t understand.

Where is God trying to move you that you are resisting?  How can you let go and trust Him instead of trusting yourself? Do you believe that He is taking you to an even better place than you are now?! (I don’t mean richer or nicer, I mean whatever is best for YOU!)

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer 29:11

Who would have thought I would learn so much from three cats who sit around in the rain when there’s a warm spot just around the corner?  I guess you never know when God is going to pierce your heart with a message of hope and clear those clouds away and let you see something in yourself.

And the cats?  They’re still sitting there.  We tried putting them in our little guest house for the night and they wouldn’t go.  I hope they find a warmer place to huddle for the night.  But there’s only so much you can do when they refuse to change.

Lord, please don’t let me be like that.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deut 31:6

It was great timing too because all of my older kids were gone to the Christian Worldview Film Festival Thursday-Saturday, so it was only my younger two boys with me at home.  They don’t get as much done on their own as the older kids, but they do work hard (ish) and I was looking forward to being able to just tell them to do something without it having to be a discussion.

Here’s a little rabbit trail about having older kids at home.  They’re wonderful and amazing, but not as helpful as you think because they have their own schedules, which is great and what you want, but as far as house cleaning goes it’s hard to find a groove.  Plus I can’t say to an older kid, “We are going to move some furniture to make room for ____,” unless I want to have a whole discussion involving their opinions and ideas, which I generally don’t.

Anyway, I was looking forward to the weekend with my little guys (not so little really at 9 & 14).  On Friday I decided to just spend time together doing fun things and leave the work until Saturday.  So we did origami and played some games and went for a drive with the windows rolled down.  We sat outside and talked about their current obsessions.  We had a nice, relaxing day.  I did say a few times, “Y’all be ready, ‘cuz tomorrow is going to be a work day.”  They smiled, but I knew they weren’t ready for what was about to happen.

We got up early on Saturday ready to go.  My plan was to organize all of the wedding things that we had dumped in the guest house living room a month before.  We literally got home from the wedding and emptied all of the cars into the guest house and closed the door behind us.  The only thing I did do right away was wash all of the tablecloths.  Then we dumped them over there too.

The guest house used to operate as kind of a bed & breakfast.  We had a constant stream of company in our little one bedroom cottage.  But then our oldest son moved into the bedroom out there and I turned the living room into a workshop.  It was sewing, crafting, etc for our etsy shop (which we closed a couple of years ago).  Then last summer we found we had a leak under the bathroom floor when it caved in one day and so my son moved out of there and into the main house and we tore out the whole bathroom and kitchen (which also got ruined from the leak).  Those two rooms now are nothing but gaping holes.

Then it became wedding storage.

But I am ready to get in there and rebuild the bathroom and kitchen, so the wedding stuff had to get taken care of.  And that’s what we did on Saturday.  It’s all still out there (next project is to make a large space in the storage building for the wedding things), but it’s neatly in boxes and organized and labeled.  We left the front door open while we worked so we could enjoy the weather and we diffused peppermint to keep the energy up.  It was actually kind of fun, just the three of us.

We didn’t rush, we talked and relaxed.  We had snacks and worked together and I think the boys will remember it as a fun time.  I kept telling myself to stay chill and it would get done.

That got me itching to do a few other jobs that we have been slacking on.  So later that afternoon we straightened a drawer here and put away a pile there.  I re-0rganized my essential oils and set up a workspace for myself to make videos.  I’ve been planning a spot where I can do some tutorials about how I made the wedding things and some essential oil ideas.  And now I have it all set up and ready to go.

Getting these things done feels like a weight has been lifted.

Don’t you love getting something done that really only takes 20 minutes but you put it off and put if off?  I have a hundred of those jobs.  Getting 3-4 of the taken care of last weekend gives me hope that we might get the rest done too.  Someday.  Maybe.

Sunday was pretty quiet here.  The older kids were all worn out from late nights and long days at the festival so they slept most of the afternoon.  We had a family dinner and caught up on everyone’s plans for the week, then they all went back to bed.

Poor kids.  Just wait ’til you have babies.

I have let everyone know that we will be doing similar jobs next Saturday, so don’t make any plans.  If you want to get together with friends, feel free to invite them to our house and tell them to bring work gloves and a sack lunch.  Mama’s on a roll.

Hope over to Facebook and tell me what jobs you’re itching to get done!