December. The month that disappeared.

Seriously… how exactly is it the 20th of December already? This month has been so jam packed that I’m not sure how I got from the 1st to today. My hubby caught a glimpse of my calendar this weekend and said, “Wow. That’s one packed month!”

He ain’t lyin’

It’s usually a full month, with lots of family birthdays (including one of our kids) and, of course, Christmas. And then this month we added a few other things… which seemed to be more than we originally thought they’d be.

*whew* It’s not even Christmas yet, and I’m exhausted!

Here’s a little rundown of all we’ve managed to somehow squeeze in this month… and the month isn’t over!

• Austin turned 3… and we celebrated his birthday Yo Gabba Gabba style
• My mom celebrated her birthday – in Iowa this year!
• I’ve had my Titus2Women Bible study each week (always awesome)
• AWANA every Sunday night (Zack loves Sparks, and I love the kiddos I get to work with!)
• I shared my testimony at ‘Homes of Light’ – a Christmas women’s event our church does each year.
• A friend asked me to do a skit with her at church… I said yes, and then sang a solo, as well. Squeezed in a couple of practices before we performed it this past Sunday. (I was so anxious but had so much fun!)
• Zack and Austin were in the Children’s Christmas program at church – Zack sang, Austin plugged his ears. We count that a success in this house.

It’s been so busy, but so full of great memories and sweet times as a family, as well. I’ve got posts written up in my head about several of the things listed above… hoping I’ll get a chance to write them up!

And just to show you I haven’t completely fallen off the blog bandwagon for the month of December, I have a recipe to share with you! It’s one we first tried last year, and loved doing with the boys. I had a lot of requests for it last year, but never got it on the blog.

So, I thought I’d get it up the week before Christmas, and maybe you can try it out with your kiddos

To start, you’ll want to melt your butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Then, add your marshmallows and melt them, stirring frequently.

You can also use a double-boiler, if you like. I don’t have one and just use a regular non-stick pot. The microwave is also an option.

Next, add your extracts and food coloring, and stir well.

Just a note… you don’t HAVE to add the extracts. I like them for this recipe, but I’m sure it’d probably taste fine without them, too.

Then, add your marshmallow mixture to your cornflakes – or you can add your cornflakes to the pot (just off the heat, of course!)

Mix well, making sure all your cornflakes are coated.

The next part was impossible to get pictures of, while attempting to manage two eager little boys at the same time (not to mention what the melted marshmallow on my hands would have done to my phone.)

But the basic idea is this…

Use your spoon to drop a little “mound” of your cornflake mixture on the wax paper. Then, with greased hands, shape your mound into a “wreath” (or if two little boys are underfoot, give the mounds a generally “roudish” shape, and call it good)

As your putting these on the wax paper, have the kids follow after you with the red hots, place a few on each wreath (this has to be done quickly so they’ll stick!)

And then you should end up with something like this… cute little cornflake wreaths!

Sure, you could make them perfect and uniform… but what fun is that? Getting the kids in on the process is more than half the fun!

But keep a close eye on those red hots and little hands… they can can a little over zealous…

Has this been one of the toughest years of my life? Yes.

Some might say it should have been one of the worst years of my life.

But it wasn’t.

God has used this past year to grow me, to stretch me, and ultimately to draw me closer to Himself.

So today, I’d like to Pour My Heart Out and share some of the many things I’m thankful for this year.

I’m Thankful For… 

 Jesus,

my Savior, my best friend, my Strong Tower

My husband,

a man who loves me unconditionally and serves selflessly

My boys,

true miracles and gifts from God

Our home,

a place where we can live, love & be ourselves

Food on our table,

So many go without, we are blessed with plenty

Our extended family,

an amazing group of people we love very much

My friends,

God has put new friends in my life this year (and reconnected me with old ones)

I’m so grateful for each one of them

Our church family,

we’re part of an amazing church filled with amazing people

God’s grace & mercy,

without it I wouldn’t have survived the trials of this year

God’s Word,

I’m so thankful God gave us His Word and speaks to us through it

Prayer,

God loves me so much He wants me to talk to Him. How amazing is that?!

and when others have prayed for me this year, I have felt it so strongly

Peace,

not just any peace, but the peace that God gives (that surpasses all understanding)

I could not survive without it

No matter what life or this world throw at me, I will choose to give thanks.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I think my problem is I don’t want to start writing a post if I can’t finish it… and usually, I don’t have a chunk of time like that. So, I think I need to break out of my little idiosyncrasies and write pieces of posts when I have time… Maybe that way I’ll build up some posts (it’s certainly better than the ZERO posts I’ve been writing…)

Now that I have that confession out of the way…

I have a simple post for you today (once again, due to time!) And speaking of being tight on time… today’s “Share the Love” is something that gets those extra little bits of time I do have…

Pinterest.

Sure, most of you probably already know about the awesomeness of Pinterest. I realize, I’m often behind the times on these sort of things. But just in case a few of you are out of the internet loop (like I was) I had to share because…

I. Am. Obsessed.

Seriously, Pinterest has turned me into a crafting maniac.

Now, I love crafting, sewing and all that kind of stuff. But I’m not always very good at thinking stuff up on my own. Give me a jumping off point (or a pattern) and I can usually pull it off. And I often become inspired that way.

So, when Pinterest entered my life a few weeks ago…. I was hooked.

As stated on the site… “Pinterest is an online pinboard. Organize and share things you like.”

Awesome.

It’s literally like an E-Bulletin Board… that everyone can see (and/or you can share with friends). I’ve found so many great craft ideas, free sewing patterns, tutorials… And I currently have four or five projects going because of this. (remember that time issue I have?)

Here’s a look at one of my boards… (click to see a larger view)

Isn’t that pretty? And that’s just one of the things I love: On top of everything else, it’s visually pleasing.

Each image is a link to more info, a tutorial, or something similar. Also, you can have multiple boards to gather different ideas. For example, I have a board going for each of the boys’ birthday parties, a board for gift ideas, a board for recipes, and one for home decor/DIY ideas. (and a few more… ;P)

And where do all these ideas come from? Well, you can create your own “pins” from things you find on the internet, or you can browse through things other people have pinned, in a variety of different categories (you could probably guess by now that “DIY & Crafts” is my fave category)

Pinterest is still in it’s internet infancy, so to speak. So, you need an invitation to start using it. But you can request an invite on your own (which I did) and it doesn’t take long to receive it. Or, a friend can invite you to join (I gladly send them… I think that might make me a “pusher” of some kind…)

I’m hoping to post some of the projects I’ve been working on (literally all inspired by things I found on Pinterest), but several of them are Christmas gifts, so I can’t post those just yet!

One I finished recently is this wall hanging for our home…

I took some pics of the process, so I hope to post a tutorial soon. It turned out really well, and goes great in our kitchen! (plus it was CHEAP and EASY to make!)

So, do yourself a favor… and go sign up for Pinterest today! (Just click one of the links in this post)

This is one where we truly can share the love! (Look me up when you get there!)

]]> http://www.friedkristy.com/2011/11/share-the-love-pinterest.html/feed 0 http://www.friedkristy.com/2011/11/share-the-love-pinterest.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/friedkristy/~3/B4Tmd8osdrc/titus-tuesdays-parenting.html http://www.friedkristy.com/2011/11/titus-tuesdays-parenting.html#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:22:57 +0000 kristy http://www.friedkristy.com/?p=529 First off, my sincere apologies for being absent from the blog for so long. Life has been… well, LIFE! It’s hectic, it’s crazy – and with the addition of homeschooling, our days can be very full. So when something needs to be dropped… my blog is usually the first casualty.

Honestly, there have been times when I could have been blogging, but I chose not to – in favor of relaxing or having quiet time, because that was what I needed more at the time. So when I had those little windows of “break time,” I chose to do something else.

And while I’m being honest… God has really been working me through some things, and while some days I felt I had plenty to write about, I didn’t feel ready to write about it.

So we’ve now arrived to November (November?! Really?!) and I’m finally making a reappearance.

On today’s agenda? Titus Tuesdays, of course!

The past couple of weeks in our Titus group have been awesome. We’ve been looking in depth at God’s calling to us as women to love our families – focusing specifically on parenting.

Wow.

A lot of humbling, as well as encouraging, information.

One thing I think that’s been an incredibly humbling fact to soak in is this:

“No one has more potential for godly influence on a child than that child’s God-fearing mother.”¹ 

Whew. No pressure there, right?

But when it comes down to it, I realized it’s true that no one spends more time with my kids than I do (especially with homeschooling) . So it stands to reason that I will have a significant impact on the people they will become.

Again… so humbling.

Titus 2:4 says, “…urge the younger women to love their husbands and children.” Of course, we all love our kids, right? But what I found interesting in Mrs. George’s book is the way in which this verse is telling us to love our children.

In this verse,  it is saying we are to love our children with phileo love, or friendship love. As Mrs. George puts it, “Such love is to flow out the heart of a woman who’s been saved by the love of Christ, who then extends Christ’s love to her family first.”²

We’re called to love our kids in a way that shows them the love of Christ. If we want our kids to know and love Him, we have to intimately know and love Him first.

Proverbs 1:8 says, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

We are called by God to diligently teach and train our children (see Deuteronoy 6:6-7, as well). I loved Mrs. George’s definition of a “godly mother” in her book. She says, “A godly mother is one who loves the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind and strength and then passionately, consistently and unrelentingly teaches her offspring to do the same.” ³

Wow… again.

A daunting task? Absolutely. But the beauty of it is this: God will equip us to do it. God promises us that in James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

God is faithful. Even with all our family has been through this year, that is something that has been reinforced to me over and over again.

No matter what… God is faithful.

He will give us the wisdom we need if we will just ask Him for it. No, He’s not going to give it to us all at once (Wouldn’t that be nice?) Instead, He most often gives it to us as we need it.

I know for me, it’s a matter of humbling myself enough and slowing down enough to ask. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes being purposeful.

And, I don’t know about you, but sometimes… those aren’t things I feel like doing.

When you’re tired, frustrated and at the end of your rope and then your kids do something that makes you say, “Really?! This is happening?!” Do you always feel like stopping and asking God for wisdom in that moment?

I’ll confess right now: I don’t.

That’s something I’m trying to let God train me to do.

When I do it, I notice such a huge difference in how the situation turns out and how our day goes. There is also a huge difference in my attitude, as well as my kids’ attitudes.

God is faithful if we will but ask. It’s me that’s often unfaithful and tries to do things on my own, or my own way.

So as I’m trying to train and teach my kids, I know I have to allow God to train and teach me.

Otherwise, I’m going to fail miserably.

I need Him to guide me, as I guide them. Because I want to do what Mrs. George ends chapter 11 with. I want to…

“Leave my [your] mark on the world by leaving behind a child who grows up to love and serve the Lord…who then also raises godly children to continue my [your] godly legacy for generations to come.”⁴

As a mom, that’s my goal. And it will be by the grace of God that I achieve it…for HIS glory.

1. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 154

2. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 158-159

3. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 161

4. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 167

Much of it is too long to share in the side bar over there – so, I thought I’d devote a post to a few of them.

*****

Often, when walking to the van when we’re out as a family, we “race” back to the van. One day, Zack and Daddy were ahead of Austin and I, so I scooped up Austin as we ran, so we could they to catch up.

Austin’s response to this? “Ok Mommy, you run. I’ll make the music.” (because apparently, you always need theme music while you run)

And yes, he did provide a soundtrack.

*****

While doing school one morning, Austin looked at Zack and said very confidently, “P is for Mommy and O is for Daddy.” Zack was puzzled and attempted to correct him, but Austin wasn’t having it. He stuck to his guns, and was adamant that he was right.

We’re working on that…

*****

Sadly, a few weeks ago, Zack’s Beta Fish, Larry, passed away. (And I felt like a horrible Mommy when I saw his lifeless little form and had to tell Zack) So, of course we had to have a difficult talk about death. Zack didn’t understand why Larry couldn’t be with us forever. We discussed how everyone and everything dies sometime, and God chooses when it is our time to go. And then talked about how it was Larry’s time to go.

Then last week, I was on the computer (our iMac) when I saw the news that Steve Jobs had passed away. I told Josh the news and said, “That is so sad.” Zack walked over to me, placed his hand on my arm and gently said to me, “Mommy, it was just Steve’s time to go.”

Wow, where did that wise little man come from?

*****

We’re in the midst of potty training with Austin. We have good days and bad days and recently we’ve have some backtracking. So most of the time, I ask Austin repeatedly if he has to go potty, or make him try to go at certain times. The other day, our conversation didn’t go as I anticipated…

Me: “Austin, you need to try to go potty.”

Austin: “I not Austin. I just a spy.”

Me: “Ok spy, you need to try to go potty.”

Austin: “Spies don’t have to potty.”

Me: “Oh really? Well, what do they do when they have to go pee-pee or poopy?”

Austin: “Spies don’t have pee-pee. Or poopy.”

Me: “….”

Austin: “And ninjas don’t have to potty, too. They just fight”

Austin then demonstrated his ninja moves, and I still had no response.

*****

While out to lunch with my mom, Austin informed us he wanted to get a BIG dessert – like one he’d gotten with Daddy at this same restaurant in the past. (He emphasized by spreading his arms wide)

We told him we weren’t doing that today, but we could get some little cups of ice cream. Austin wasn’t too sure about this option, but went along with it.

When dessert arrived and he took his first bite, he exclaimed, “Mmm, I LOVE my teeny tiny ice cream!”

Well, at least he was grateful.

Yes, sometimes our kids can frustrate us, exhaust us and try our patience – but truth be told, how BORING would our lives be without them? (craziness and all)

**Please excuse the quality of some of the pics – ALL are from my phone**

Tuesdays are supposed to be Titus Tuesdays around here, but this week the boys and I were home sick.

So since I wasn’t able to meet for the discussion with the amazing ladies in my group this week, I thought I’d take the opportunity to start sharing on another topic I’ve been itching to write about:

Homeschooling.

With the first full month under our belt, I think I might be ready to share a little about our progress. Not that I didn’t want to before. I just was focusing on keeping things moving and didn’t take the time to blog about it.

In fact, I’d like to start sharing regularly about what we’re doing, what I’m learning, and how the boys are responding to the different things we’re trying.

Of course, we’ve technically been homeschooling for awhile now. We’ve done all Zack’s preschool work at home and he’s always done well. He was reading before we even started Kindergarten this year (*insert proud Mamma grin here*)

But all that aside, we started Kindergarten with Zack this fall and our first real school “schedule.” We decided early on a “box” curriculum probably wasn’t going to work well for us. Since Zack was already reading, he was beyond most of the Kindergarten curriculums we looked at. But we knew 1st or 2nd grade math would likely be a little too tough. So we knew we were going to have to do something more flexible and probably piece a curriculum together that would work for us.

But the thought of trying to piece something together was a little intimidating…UNTIL I went to the NICHE conference this summer. Wow. It was worth every penny and every hour spent. I left feeling encouraged and excited about getting started. Most importantly, I had a much better idea of what style of teaching would work best for our family and what books and tools we’d need to do it.

So, for this year we decided to use the following:

Main “Curriculum”:*

• Five in a Row (Unit Study approach based on children’s literature)

Additional “Curriculum”:*

• Saxon K Math
• AWANA Sparks book & verses (Bible)
• Natural Method (copy work) for Writing

Our first month using this approach has been wonderful! I’ve enjoyed doing it with the boys and they’ve enjoyed doing it with me. We’re already seeing great results from it, and I can honestly tell you I’m so incredibly glad we decided to homeschool.

Today, I’d like to just share with you a little about our main piece: Five in a Row. Here’s a little description of Five in a Row (from its website):

Five in a Row provides students with a unit-study approach to early education based on outstanding children’s literature. Together, the four volumes of Five in 
a Row provide 70 unit plans covering Social Studies, Language, Art, Applied Math, and Science in a way that causes children to fall in love with learning.

Right now, we’re using Volume One and have gone through four amazing books (one each week) and are on our fifth book now. The books suggested by FIAR have been wonderful reads and the boys and I have both really enjoyed them. There are books that were written decades ago, and others that are more contemporary. Each book has had so much to pull from for lessons.

((Just a little note… We are NOT buying all the books suggested in FIAR. We are checking out the books from our library, thus spending NOTHING! There are only a couple of the books in Volume One that our library does not have, and I have made suggestions that they purchase them.))

As an example, I’ll tell you a little about the book we’re reading this week, and what our focuses have been (and will be).

This week’s book is How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. We start out each day by reading the book, and then move on to our other lessons.

I wanted to do this book during the fall, because I thought a great field trip would be going to a local apple orchard (and we’ll be doing just that tomorrow!) But the best thing about this book is the opportunity to learn about different countries around the world.

In the book, the main character travels to different countries to gather ingredients for her apple pie: Italy, France, Sri Lanka, England, Jamaica and Vermont in the USA.

Obviously, since the boys are so young (yes, Austin does school with us, too!) things have to be fairly simple, BUT there are SO many things you could do with this book!

What I’ve chosen to do is focus on one of the countries each day this week.

We’re learning:

• where they are on the map
• what language is spoken
• how to say “hi” and “bye” in that language
• what their country’s flag looks like
• and other little tidbits about the country (i.e. What their money is called, famous buildings, etc)

Let me tell you, *I* have learned a lot already! (did you know that there are two constitutionally recognized languages in Sri Lanka?)

Of course, the geography and Social Studies examples I just gave you are only some of the lesson ideas. We’re also learning about how food stays fresh (and what happens when it spoils), and learning about writing a story using humor, among other things.

And between the library and the internet, we haven’t had to spend much of anything to do this program and it’s been so fun to do – and the boys are learning a lot. They’re already retaining most (if not all) of what we’ve been learning each week. (not bad for ages 5 and 2)

Personally, I would highly recommend the Five in a Row program. There is even a preschool curriculum called “Before Five in a Row” if you wanted to try it out with younger ones.

Up next on Getting Schooled, I’ll share with you more about the natural writing method, and why it’s working so well for us (and how it helps Zack learn OTHER things at the same time he’s practicing his writing!)

*I have curriculum in quotes simply because that doesn’t quite seem like the best term to use, but is probably the simplest.

Ah, Tuesday, you never disappoint.

The “best of times” portion of my day (so far) has been due in large part to my Titus2Women Bible study group this morning.

Wow – what an amazing group of godly, humble women who are wholeheartedly seeking the Lord! Just thinking about them is enough to make me grin. Love those women!

This week, we’re discussing marriage, and what God’s Word says about being a wife. A pretty loaded topic, right?

The book we’re using in our study – ‘A Woman’s High Calling‘ by Elizabeth George – has great insight and help lead us into great discussions this morning.

Mrs. George lists four roles we have as a wife. And, while they sound simple, they aren’t always so simple to carry out. But I know they are exactly where God wants me to be, as a wife.

Wondering what those roles are? Well, here you go…

A wife is to…

• Help her husband.
• Follow her husband.
• Love her husband.

What exactly does it mean to “help” your husband? Genesis 2:18 says, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” As Mrs. George puts it, “…woman was created after man, from man, for the man, and for a purpose.”¹ We were created to complete our husband. We are our husband’s companion. We are meant to help him with “his responsibilities, his tasks, his roles, his work and his callings from God.”² I think it can sometimes be hard for us, as women, to put aside our “stuff” to help our husband. Goodness, it’s hard for us as HUMANS to put anyone above ourselves. It’s also tough for us to “help” in a way that isn’t, well… nagging.

Let’s clarify here, ladies: Nagging it not helping.

Giving input on a task or situation? Good.

Telling your husband he’s “doing it wrong”? Not good.

So how do we HELP without HINDERING? I think the second point helps us figure that out…

We are supposed to follow our husbands. It stands to reason, that we can’t help them the way God intends for us to if we’re not following them. This is where that dirty word… The “S” word … comes into play.

Submission.

Ok, now if found yourself making a not-so-nice face at that word, take a deep breath… and hear me out.

God makes it pretty crystal clear in His Word that the man is to loving lead, and the woman is to submit to his leadership and follow. That is something that is tough to swallow for some people… especially if you’re looking at relationships through the eyes of the world. But if we look at it from God’s perspective, we see that SUBMISSION is not something to fear, or dread or hate. Instead, it is another way in which God has created man and woman to complement each other.

Take a look at Ephesians 5:22-24, 28b-29

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 

Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

…Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 

After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church”

We have to remember that there is an order, a “chain of command,” when it comes to submission. At the top of the chain? God Himself.

God → Christ → Husband → Wife → Children

Our children should submit to our leadership and our husbands, we submit to the leadership of our husbands & God, and our husband submits to God’s leadership.

I know (from personal experience) that is not always easy for us, as women, to give up control of situations. I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a control freak, myself! So giving up control? Submitting to someone else? Not exactly a simple task for me.

But here’s what I’ve learned: If I’m following my husband, and my husband is following God – what do I have to be worried about? Also, if I desire to follow God, how can I truly do that if I’m not submitting to my husband’s leadership as GOD has asked me to do?

A humbling thought for yours truly.

Now, if your husband is not a believer, you may be wondering where that leaves you. But here is God’s answer:

“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

1 Peter 3:1-2

I have come to realize that in submitting to my husband’s leadership, I not only obey God, but through that obedience my relationship with my husband and with God is strengthened. And I have found that my husband’s relationship with God is strengthened, as well.

That brings us to the next point. We are supposed to “respect our husbands.“

First of all, if we’re not submitting to the leadership of our husband, how can be show respect to him? Honestly, I think submission is the first step.

Mrs. George points out that to respect a husband “means actively demonstrating and showing high regard for him in ways that all can see.”³ We should show everyone how much we admire our husbands. Brag about him! Tell everyone the things you love about your husband (instead of griping about him not picking up his dirty socks) Also, make a point of bragging about him in front of him. Sure, he might get a little embarrassed (like my awesome hubs), but what a great way to show him how much you admire him!

Lastly, we are supposed to “love our husbands.”

Personally, I think the first three points are ways we can show love to our husband. And that’s another great point Mrs. George makes in her book – we should show our love. As she says, “our love is seen in the manner in which we take care of him. In the way we speak to him. In the way we speak about him. In the things we do for him.”⁴ We should be demonstrating the love we have for our husbands!

Those demonstrations of love don’t have to be big, dramatic things (though those never hurt) Little, everyday things can show love in a big way.

Make a lunch for him to take to work

Make his favorite dish for dinner

Put his clean laundry away

Text him just to say “I love you and I’m thinking about you”

Join him in one of his hobbies

Thank him when he helps you out with something around the house

The list goes on and on… I’m sure we all could come up with a few ideas! The problem is, we usually get too caught up in the busyness of life to take the time to do it. But if we don’t take the time to do it now, what will our marriage be like later?

Well, this post became a bit lengthy! I could keep going, but I may have already lost most of you somewhere around paragraph 15… If you’re still reading, congrats on reaching the end!

Seriously, though, our marriage is something that needs to be nurtured and cared for. Our marriage comes before our kids, our friends, and any other family.

The only one that should come before our husband is our God.

When we get our priorities in line with God’s priorities, it is amazing how much happier we are.

It’s not something we can achieve overnight. It takes time, but oh it is so worth it!

As Mrs. George points out, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also is a principle spoken by Jesus in Matthew 6:21… the principle also works when it comes to time – where you put the treasure of your time, there will be your heart also.”⁵

So today I challenge you (and me):

Where will you put the treasure of your time?

In your marriage or in something else?

If you’d like to read my previous Titus Tuesday posts go here and here.

———

2. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 127

3.”A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 128

4. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 129

5. “A Woman’s High Calling” by Elizabeth George, pg. 130

Today’s the day.

The day you were due to arrive.

To be delivered into our arms.

Instead, you were delivered to heaven.

Months ago.

I’ve ached to hold you.

Today, I ache a little more.

I’ve longed to see your face.

Today, I long a little more.

I know a day there is better than a lifetime here.

But I can’t help but be selfish.

I want you here.

With us.

But more than that I want you happy.

And well.

So beyond my hurt, I feel peace.

Knowing you’re in His arms.

But I do wonder.

I wonder what you look like.

I wonder if you have brown hair or blonde.

I wonder if you have your daddy’s blue eyes.

Or mommy’s hazel ones.

I wonder if you’re cautious like your biggest brother.

Or a daredevil like your other brother.

I wonder if you’re a girl.

Or a boy.

I wonder what it would be like to hold you.

To keep you.

I will always wonder.

I will always miss you.

I will always love you.

And someday

I will meet you.

]]> http://www.friedkristy.com/2011/09/delivered-to-heaven.html/feed 3 http://www.friedkristy.com/2011/09/delivered-to-heaven.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/friedkristy/~3/E0lER69WsEM/mili-disappointments.html http://www.friedkristy.com/2011/09/mili-disappointments.html#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:42:56 +0000 kristy http://www.friedkristy.com/?p=456 Today’s post is a little combo-post here on Fried Kristy. I’m linking up with Shell’s ‘Pour Your Heart Out‘ and sharing a ‘Move It AND Lose It’ update because honestly… I need to pour my heart out about it this week!

If you’re wondering just what this ‘Move It AND Lose It’ thing is, I intro’ed it here… and had a couple of updates here and here.

So, why do I need to pour my heart out about my weight loss journey? Oh, I have plenty of reasons, of course, but today it’s mostly because I had a disappointing weigh-in this week.

Overall, I’ve been doing well with staying under my allotted calories (with the exception of two days during the past couple of weeks). I’ve continued with my running plan (with my awesome sis-in-law) and have been attempting to make wise choices, even on those days when I just don’t feel like it!

Last week, I had a good weigh-in, losing 1.6 pounds. It was a huge encouragement, and helped me keep moving forward, but today?

Ugh.

This morning I weighed-in and found I gained .4 pounds.

Double ugh.

Now, normally nearly half a pound doesn’t seem like much. But when you’re trying to hard to watch you calories, work out and reach a goal weight?

.4 pounds feel like a smack in the face.

Ok, maybe that’s overly dramatic… but at the very least it’s discouraging.

Now, do I have circumstances that may be effecting my weight this week?

Um, yes.

At the risk of TMI… it’s PMS week here. (have I already said ‘ugh’?)

So yes, I realize that could be effecting my weigh-in. Yes, I realize I’m going to have an off week now and then. Yes, I realize it isn’t the end of the world.

But for a little while this morning… it sort of felt like it.

Then I started thinking about how I’ve been feeling lately.

I have more energy.

My clothes fit better.

I feel thinner.

I’ve been able to increase my distance & pace on my runs.

With all that in mind, I’m trying not to focus too much on that number on my scale this morning.

Instead, I’m trying to keep perspective and allow that to help me keep moving forward. (instead heading out for donuts to ease my pain)

So today, I’ll still be trying to make those wise decisions and watch my calories like a hawk. And also remember this…

Join me this week and every Wednesday, linking up with Shell’s ‘Pour Your Heart Out‘!

In the meantime, it is time for another Titus Tuesdays post!

(for a little more about ‘Titus Tuesdays‘ – be sure to click the link)

This week, we are studying about Encouragement.

Sounds simple enough, right? But what I love about the book we’re reading (‘A Woman’s High Calling‘ by Elizabeth George) is that there is so much depth brought to each subject, and I am given an all new perspective on a topic I thought I knew quite a bit about.

One of the first quotes to jump out at me, regarding this topic was this:

That definition certainly goes a little farther than giving someone a quick “pep talk,” doesn’t it?

I actually found this to be a little convicting. While it is nice to try to cheer someone up by giving them a gift, or a little pep talk, or something similar – it can be a little simple. It doesn’t always require a lot of effort on my part. What does require a lot of effort is investing in someone continually and helping them grow and learn. Not only does that require time  from me, but it also requires me to be vulnerable and take a risk by opening myself up to another person.

Frankly, that can be a little scary. (especially when you tend to be a ‘people pleaser’ like yours truly)

But, as Mrs. George points out… “that’s a high calling…with a great purpose!”

So, how do we do it?

Obviously, it’s not just enough to say it. If we’re not living what we’re trying to teach, we’re not going to make the impact that we hope to. As Mrs. George points out, “You cannot impart what you do not possess.”

Wow (again).

Anyone else feeling that little twinge of conviction? I know I am!

We can’t teach and encourage other women to be who God wants them to be unless we are first being all God wants us to be! To help give us some guidance, Mrs. George lists the 10 essentials for godly living that are found in Titus 2:3-5.

We are to be…

• Dignified
• Not malicious gossips
• Temperate and self-controlled
• Teachers of good things
• Lovers of our husbands
• Lovers of our children
• Discreet
• Chaste
• Lovers of our homes
• Good

So… anybody get to check off all 10 of those are “already mastered”? Yeah… not me.

Of course, it’s not about being perfect.

We will never be that.

But it is about constantly seeking God and continually trying to grow more in your relationship with Him. It is about striving to be the woman God has intended you to be… and then helping others do the same.

Bottom line: Every facet of our lives should be influenced by our faith… by our God.

So today I challenge you to evaluate where you are on the path to being the woman God has called you to be.

For me, I know I need to better guard my daily quiet time with God (too often I put other things on my “list” above it)  and I certainly need to work on being more self-controlled (finding that patience when my kiddos are pushing me over the edge).

How about you?

What are you working on as you strive to be the woman (or man) God has called you to be?