Archive for the Category »Hubby «

26
Mar
Submit to Your Husband
Julie

Honoring our husbands is so very important. It’s the difference between having a wonderful marriage and a bad marriage.

Our marriage can be transformed when we allow our husband the leadership that God ordained them to have.  This is something that I struggled with for years because I grew up in a household where my Mother didn’t believe in being “run” by a man – even her husband.  I also grew up during the feminist movement and that was really ingrained in my thinking so when I got married, all this wrong thinking created trouble and discontentment for both my husband and I.

The Bible tells us, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” Ephesians 5:22-24
Our husband is the head of our family – just as Christ is the head of the church.  We need to respect our husband’s position as leader of our family.

The Bible also tells husbands, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” – Ephesians 5:25-33

Husbands are to cleanse their wife with the Word of God and to love her as Christ loves the church.  However, it all starts with us, ladies.  God tells us FIRST in the Scriptures to submit to our husband.  When we as wives do this, it’s amazing the transformation that happens in our marriage.  Where there was once discord and discontentment, there will be joy and contentment.  The Lord knows what is best for us and He leads us in the way we should go.  All we have to do is follow!

God bless you – Julie

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26
Mar
Submit to Your Husband
Julie

Honoring our husbands is so very important. It’s the difference between having a wonderful marriage and a bad marriage.

Our marriage can be transformed when we allow our husband the leadership that God ordained them to have.  This is something that I struggled with for years because I grew up in a household where my Mother didn’t believe in being “run” by a man – even her husband.  I also grew up during the feminist movement and that was really ingrained in my thinking so when I got married, all this wrong thinking created trouble and discontentment for both my husband and I.

The Bible tells us, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” Ephesians 5:22-24
Our husband is the head of our family – just as Christ is the head of the church.  We need to respect our husband’s position as leader of our family.

The Bible also tells husbands, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” – Ephesians 5:25-33

Husbands are to cleanse their wife with the Word of God and to love her as Christ loves the church.  However, it all starts with us, ladies.  God tells us FIRST in the Scriptures to submit to our husband.  When we as wives do this, it’s amazing the transformation that happens in our marriage.  Where there was once discord and discontentment, there will be joy and contentment.  The Lord knows what is best for us and He leads us in the way we should go.  All we have to do is follow!

God bless you – Julie

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03
Mar
The One I Love
Julie
 
I know that it’s not easy to live with someone that is hurting and can’t do the things they normally do.  I’m living it first hand and I’m the one who can’t do the things I would normally do in the course of a day.  However, to see my husband, you would never know that it’s hard.  He never treats me like a burden.  He never makes me feel bad because our house isn’t being kept up like it should.  He never utters a sigh of discontent when he has to do the grocery shopping or make a meal.  He never tells me I’m acting like a baby when I cry tears of pain.   My husband has not once during this whole ordeal made me feel like I’m a burden in any way.  I am blessed.  
My husband has never been a gourmet cook, but what he can cook, he cooks well.  He is super at spaghetti with meatballs and salad; he puts a hoagie sandwich together like no one else I know; he has learned to put the breakfast sandwiches together and freeze them for breakfasts and more. He does it all with a smile on his face and always wants to make sure that we all enjoy what he cooks.  He has even learned how to make me coffee and heats the cream up in the cup ahead of time so my coffee is pipping hot! This is huge because my husband doesn’t drink coffee and isn’t particularly excited about it in any way, but he does this for me. I am blessed
 
He is always thinking of me and doing things for me.  Yesterday he came home with a new heater for our bedroom with a remote control after the heater went out in our room.  He wanted me to have the remote control because he knows that with the steroid shots they give me for my back, I have hot flashes.  This way I can turn it off with the touch of a button. I can also turn it up or down with the touch of a button – all from my recliner! That is so thoughtful, but that is my man.  He is one of the most loving, thoughtful men I’ve ever met.  I am blessed.
Today he had a class and after it was over, he called me to see if I needed anything.  He went out of his way to go to the store to get us a few things and even thought about what he wanted to make us to eat tomorrow and bought the things to make it.  He does all these things with a smile and a loving heart.  I am blessed. 
When I was young, I would pray that God would send me someone that would love me.  I didn’t grow up in a home where I felt loved and this was my one prayer that I said over and over again as I was growing up. 
My husband is the one I love.  He is the hands and feet of Jesus to me and to our sons.  He loves me unconditionally and never points out my faults (of which there are many).  God answered the prayer of a young girl in the way that He does so often – way above and beyond what we can ever imagine.  I am blessed and I am loved.
God bless you – Julie
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03
Mar
The One I Love
Julie
 
I know that it’s not easy to live with someone that is hurting and can’t do the things they normally do.  I’m living it first hand and I’m the one who can’t do the things I would normally do in the course of a day.  However, to see my husband, you would never know that it’s hard.  He never treats me like a burden.  He never makes me feel bad because our house isn’t being kept up like it should.  He never utters a sigh of discontent when he has to do the grocery shopping or make a meal.  He never tells me I’m acting like a baby when I cry tears of pain.   My husband has not once during this whole ordeal made me feel like I’m a burden in any way.  I am blessed.  
My husband has never been a gourmet cook, but what he can cook, he cooks well.  He is super at spaghetti with meatballs and salad; he puts a hoagie sandwich together like no one else I know; he has learned to put the breakfast sandwiches together and freeze them for breakfasts and more. He does it all with a smile on his face and always wants to make sure that we all enjoy what he cooks.  He has even learned how to make me coffee and heats the cream up in the cup ahead of time so my coffee is pipping hot! This is huge because my husband doesn’t drink coffee and isn’t particularly excited about it in any way, but he does this for me. I am blessed
 
He is always thinking of me and doing things for me.  Yesterday he came home with a new heater for our bedroom with a remote control after the heater went out in our room.  He wanted me to have the remote control because he knows that with the steroid shots they give me for my back, I have hot flashes.  This way I can turn it off with the touch of a button. I can also turn it up or down with the touch of a button – all from my recliner! That is so thoughtful, but that is my man.  He is one of the most loving, thoughtful men I’ve ever met.  I am blessed.
Today he had a class and after it was over, he called me to see if I needed anything.  He went out of his way to go to the store to get us a few things and even thought about what he wanted to make us to eat tomorrow and bought the things to make it.  He does all these things with a smile and a loving heart.  I am blessed. 
When I was young, I would pray that God would send me someone that would love me.  I didn’t grow up in a home where I felt loved and this was my one prayer that I said over and over again as I was growing up. 
My husband is the one I love.  He is the hands and feet of Jesus to me and to our sons.  He loves me unconditionally and never points out my faults (of which there are many).  God answered the prayer of a young girl in the way that He does so often – way above and beyond what we can ever imagine.  I am blessed and I am loved.
God bless you – Julie
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01
Mar
Counting Our Blessings
Julie

It’s been an incredibly hard week for me – pain wise. I woke up last week in so much pain, I was in tears. I haven’t had the pain that bad for a while and it hit me like a Mack truck. It’s been difficult since and I’ve been back on the strong pain meds again. This is always hard on me, too, as it keeps me very tired and not thinking clearly. I ended up sleeping in a different recliner last night. My pain has eased up a little, but I didn’t sleep very well, so I’m also very tired.  My hubby thinks that I need to get a new recliner.  He’s probably right.  Every recliner in this house was bought used, either through a yard sale or a thrift store and they were in good shape, but well used.  The cushions aren’t really firm and a lot of the stuffing is not like it should be.  Plus, let’s face it, the chairs conform to our own bodies so by the time we got them, they were already conformed. LOL Since I have to sleep in a recliner, I’m thinking my husband is very wise and I should just do it.  I’m dreading the process of going to look, though, as I know the pain will intensify after time away from home and being able to rest. I’ve been looking at the La-Z-Boys online and have one picked out, so if I can find that one and it works, it will be an easy shopping trip.  I just have to hope our local store has the one I’ve been looking at so I can determine if it really will work for me.  Now for the Tuesday Counting Our Blessings…

21.  I’m thankful for my husband who always looks at what is best for me and sacrifices so much to care for me and do things for me. He really is my soul-mate and a blessing from God!

22.  My youngest son is finally getting better.  He still has a cough, but even that is much better.  He is definitely on the mend and over the worst of this horrible influenza he had.

23.  For my praying family and friends who care enough about me to pray for my healing.  Sometimes knowing that others are praying for me is the only thing that keeps me hanging on and gives me hope.

24.  I’m thankful for the large order of tea I have coming from TeasyTeas. I have been out of the Sweet Almond for a couple of weeks and it’s been pure torture. My hubby insisted that I order my teas as he knows how much I love them. Again, I’m thankful for my hubby!

25.  For the birdseed that my oldest son brought home so I could fill my feeders.  It brings me such joy to sit in my recliner and look out the window at the birds. I am an avid bird watcher and those sweet, tiny, feathered friends give me a sense of calm and joy as I watch them eating their treats. 

26.  I’m so thankful for the emails I received this morning from friends at church telling me that they are praying for me and that they care.

27.  I’m thankful for the church-wide email that went out via my friend asking the church body to pray for me.  Such power in prayer!! I have hope that I will be healed and knowing my church family is praying for me….well, what could be better than that?

Yes, in the midst of my pain and my tears, I am counting my blessings. The Lord has given me so much, has blessed me with a family that loves me and friends that care.  I am blessed!!

God bless you – Julie

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Category: Counting Our Blessings, Hubby, Pain, Pray  4 Comments
16
Feb
Mementoes
Julie
 This morning I went through some boxes my husband had brought in from our storage that had gotten damp.  Unfortunately, these boxes held wonderful momentoes of my children’s babyhood, youth, and other things that I wish had never even been in the storage shed.  I’m not sure what I was thinking putting them out there, other than I thought it was air tight and safe.  I found some wonderful things that I was able to save and it took me down memory lane.  My boys baptism candles and records.  Pictures of my baby at about 2 years old pointing to a pasture full of horses.  My high school diploma!! I also found an album of photos that I put together of me during my first pregnancy and then pictures of my son and I after his birth.  Honestly, I don’t even remember ever putting that together.  I also wonder how I possibly found time to do that as I was working full time at our business at the time and worked up until I went into labor! Trust me when I tell you how wonderful that treasure is!
Unfortunately, I also found pictures that had stuck together in a huge stack.  At first I thought I would have to pitch them, but then decided to look up on the internet about how to get them apart. Several sites recommended freezing them and then taking them apart. If that doesn’t work, there are other things that were recommended.  The freezer sounds easy and I’m praying that it works.  
There was quite a bit I did have to just throw out.  I had stationery and envelopes that got wet and ruined.  The envelopes sealed themselves or sealed to other things.  I was kicking myself the whole time I was going through those things.  The things I did keep, I wiped down carefully with a cloth dunked in water & clorox and wrung out well.  I didn’t want the mold to continue to keep eating into things and I also wanted to kill the mold.  This worked out really well and I feel confident that the things I kept are mold free.  I’m so thankful that most of my children’s things were saved.  Amazingly, I also found a packet of things I had made as a child in grade school!  Thank goodness, those were in perfect condition and were saved, too.
After this, I had to rest and worked on my writing while sitting in my recliner.  Have I said how much I “heart” my recliner?! :)
I’ve been putting some things together for my friend to use at a tea she is hosting at church this weekend.  She needed “foo-foo” things and knew I was the gal to call.  I put a few more things in the box for her when I felt up to it later on today.  
My boys are still sick.  My oldest son was well enough that he went to his college class but he came home just wiped out.  My youngest son is still very sick and now it seems my husband has it, too.  I always worry about him when he gets these things because he is diabetic and it’s hard on him.  I’m praying that he will not get this illness too bad and gets over it quickly.  He was supposed to have eye surgery tomorrow morning, but we had to cancel and will have to reschedule when he’s completely well.
I have knee shots in the morning.  I’ll be glad to get them over with.  One amazing thing is that now I don’t have to have a series of three shots – they now just do one.  There’s something new they do and the one shot does the same as the three used to do.  That’s so nice.  One shot and I’m done for six months, unless I have to have a cortisone shot in between.  When I have the shots, the day is a day of rest for me as I am not supposed to walk but very little for 24 hours after the shots.  Tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get more writing done.  
Don’t forget about my giveaway! The CSN stores are so wonderful and there are so many things to choose from.  I have always loved the things I’ve gotten from them.  Go to the top of the page and click on the link to the giveaway to enter!
God bless you – Julie

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15
Feb
My Valentine Day
Julie

My hubby and I had a very nice Valentines Day.  We didn’t really do a thing, but we were able to spend some quiet time together talking, sipping tea, and watching TV and that was wonderful.

My hubby gave me a Whitman’s candy tin that has Scripture on it, a Bible and flowers!  I love it!  It’s actually for Easter, but he knew I would love it and I do!! It’s just beautiful.  I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it yet, but will try and do that so you can see it.  He also gave me a beautiful card. 

The best thing about the day was the fact that my MIL was quiet this afternoon and it gave us a chance to just sit and relax.  She started off really early and really bad – demanding and ornery – but then suddenly quieted down and napped.  She also did this on Sunday, which is highly unusual.  We have not had one peaceful Sunday in this house since she moved in.  There’s something about Sunday that aggravates her…probably God, since she’s an athiest! lol  Anyway, it was just wonderful today.

Hubby and I were going to watch “Fireproof” together as he has never seen it, but my youngest son was asleep on the floor in front of the DVD shelf and I didn’t want to disturb him.  We will watch it another day. 

That brings me to my gift to my hubby.  I made him the chocolate cake with the cherry filling (by the way, it was delicious!!) and then I had found several months back two “Fireproof” devotionals at the Goodwill.  I decided they would make the perfect gift for us.  I have been holding on to them and decided they would be perfect for Valentines Day.  We will start reading the devotionals together and it will be nice for each of us to have our own copy to make little notes in.  I do that, do you?  I also gave him a card and he really liked that because of what it said.  All in all – just a very blessed day.

Unfortunately, my sons are still sick.  My youngest son is really sick and now has the stomach flu along with his cold flu.  I feel so bad for him.  He is pale and slept most of the day.  My hubby went early this morning and got him 7-Up and he was able to drink a little bit of that throughout the day.  I’m praying that he feels better tomorrow.  My oldest son is still sick, too, although he did say that he was feeling a tiny bit better.  I made them homemade chicken soup tonight, but only my older son was able to eat any.  No matter how old your children get, when they get sick, you worry and your heart aches for their suffering.  I’m praying that the Lord would touch them and heal their bodies. 

I did crochet while sitting with my hubby today and started a new doily.  It has a rose center and get’s more ornate from there! I’m already loving it!

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

God bless you – Julie

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Category: Crochet, Holidays, Hubby, Sons  2 Comments
20
Jan
Lots of Stuff
Julie

Even though I was really, really tired today, it ended up being a very productive day!  I never start my day early – I just can’t get to sleep anymore until at least 2 AM and then I wake up a lot during the night.  First I’m hot, then I’m cold, then I need a bathroom break, then my feet are ice-cubes….well, you get the picture.  This is all from the steroids and I know that, so I’m just going with the flow.  :)

I made homemade macaroni and cheese this morning.  I have perfected my cheese sauce that comes from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.  The key to any good cheese sauce is the cheese.  We prefer Medium Tillamook Cheddar.  I poured the sauce over the noodles and then popped it into the oven.  Here’s where things went wrong.  I left it in the oven too long and the sauce was absorbed into the macaroni.  Now it was delicious, but not creamy, so, more cheese sauce was added.  I’ll pour milk over the casserole tomorrow and pop it into the oven again and I’m sure it will be perfect.  It’s all hit and miss, folks.  I like to experiment with my cooking until I perfect it and while there are wonderful cookbooks out there, I like to tweak things and make them better. 

My hubby had eye shots again this morning.  My oldest son took him this time and while hubby was at the doctor, my son was at the gym working out.  It was a perfect for both of them.  My hubby said they didn’t deaden his eye enough and when they gave him the shot, it was really painful.  I guess they were running late and when that happens, things don’t always get done like they should.  Hubby was happy to hear that his eyes are much improved from the last shots! We are so thankful as it’s a worry that he could lose his eyesight as he is a diabetic. It’s amazing what they can do for us now!

Yesterday, my hubby heard from his urologist concerning his PSA test. For those new readers, my hubby had prostate cancer in 2006 and so they monitor his levels every year to make sure that they aren’t rising.  About 3 months ago, there was a rise in the levels.  It wasn’t huge, but still a concern.  They decided to wait and see what it would be in 3 more months so he was called with the results yesterday.  They are up again, but again, not a lot.  I think he is 500th of a percent?  Not sure.  Anyway, again, they will wait for 3 months and test again. If they have risen again, then we need to start looking at treatment.  Please keep him in your prayers….I would be so grateful!

Back to today:  After hubby got home, we sat down and paid bills.  That is never one of my favorite things to do, however, doing it together is much nicer and it was done before we knew it.

After this, I started filling out applications for scholarships/grants for my youngest son for college.  Let me tell you, that will sap the energy from you quicker than anything! I managed to finish one, but still have have others to complete.  I think now that I’ve filled out one application that the others will come easier.  It’s always hard to do one for the first time. 

I took pictures of my latest creations that will be going on my Etsy shop.  I will, hopefully, have them in the Etsy shop tomorrow.  Some of them are for Valentine’s Day, so I don’t want to wait too much longer to get them posted in my shop. 

I’m SO tired tonight.  This is the most I’ve done in a very long time.  My pain levels were better today and it gave me the energy to get these things done.  I’m so thankful! It’s a day by day process and I’m always, always thankful for those good days!

God bless you – Julie

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Category: Daily Living, Health, Hubby, Sons  5 Comments
27
Dec
Pourings from the Heart
Julie

How was your Christmas? Ours was amazingly beautiful, blessed, and wonderful! We didn’t have much under the tree, but that was okay! In fact, I really think it made us thankful for the couple of things we did receive and, more importantly, it made us really thankful for each other.  I know the day was more about the people around me than the stuff around me.  Very little money was spent because we don’t have but a little, but the joy came from focusing on what Christmas is all about and the fact that my little family was together. 

I made ham, cheesy potatoes, mixed veggies and pumpkin pie for our Christmas dinner, and I must say, it was really one of the best meals we’ve had for Christmas.  I told you about the 99 cent per pound ham I got at Safeway and the fact that it wasn’t spiral cut.  It didn’t matter in the least! In fact, I thought it was better.  I spiced it and created my own delicious glaze that everyone loved.  I used my electric knife to cut paper thin slices that could be used for sandwiches later.  Love my electric knife, people!  I got it one year when they were selling them for cheap at WalMart.  It was like $5.00 or something ridiculous.  The cheesy potatoes were just that – super cheesy.  I created a triple batch of the cheese sauce this year to pour over those lovely potato slices and it was just wonderful. The only downside was that during the baking, we started to smell smoke.  Some of that lovely cheese sauce had dripped over the edge of the pan and onto the oven floor below making a smokey mess.  I had put the pan on a cookie sheet, but it was a small one and it just ran right past the cookie sheet.  I had to pull everything out and clean up the mess so we didn’t die from smoke inhalation! I then put a piece of foil beneath the pan and it caught all future drips.  At the end of the day, I cleaned my stove and it was so hard – I had to flip the switch to clean.  LOL  Anyway, I made my pies Christmas morning, too, which I never do, but it all worked out and everything was delicious.

Yesterday afternoon, we all played games – Sorry, Racko and Canasta Caliente.  FUN! We love to play games at our house, but we don’t do it nearly as often as I would like.  We all lead such busy lives, it’s hard to sit down and make the time to play the board games together.  We are going to try and do it more often, though, as we really enjoyed it!  I didn’t cook yesterday but had leftover Christmas dinner fixings and then I did make a couple of dips for snacking.  My son (of the pizza fame) made white chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies and they were wonderful, too!

The only downer to yesterday was MIL creating problems AGAIN and upsetting everyone. Truly, she thrives on this and it’s a constant thing.  My hubby has made it clear that she will never change and to expect her to, is to drive ourselves crazy.  I know this, I accept it (I guess) and yet I still have this small place in my brain that thinks one day she will wake up and say, “Gee, I’ve been really obnoxious! I’m going to stop!”. Ummm, yeah, right.  Just not gonna happen.  Period. My problem is that I still allow her to upset me and ruin my days.  I’m still trying to figure out how to handle this and, at this point, am not sure how to, and that further drives me crazy! We have had to make so many changes in our house because of her, for example:  Every time we would cook, she would come out and turn off the stove or oven.  I didn’t know she would do this and one day I came home to what I thought would be dinner all nicely cooked in the oven, to a raw roast freezing cold and uncooked.  Oh, yes. I was furious! Of course, confronting her about it, only a made her do it all the more. If she thinks something is upsetting you, she amps it up and does it more and more. Anyway, I would put a pan on to boil for pasta or whatever, go and do other things, and she would turn off the pan. Or I would put something in the oven to cook or bake, come back a few minutes later and the oven was off.  It was/is so irritating! So, I got child gates and put them up at each end of my kitchen so she couldn’t go in there.  That made her mad, but it worked for awhile until the other day when she pushed on one of the gates until it popped and she got in there.  Same with the refrigerator.  She was constantly leaving the doors open and we had to call the repairman out to fix it twice! So, I put child locks on the fridge.  Great, until one day she got mad and pulled the handle on the door so hard it broke the lock! So now we’ve moved a piece of furniture in front of the one opening to the kitchen (I KNOW!!) and we’ve moved a chair in front of the fridge plus put a new lock on the fridge (I KNOW!!).  The remaining gate is so tight and positioned in such a way that we are praying she can’t knock it out.  Just so it doesn’t sound like we’re heartless, she has her OWN FRIDGE in her room which we stock with her favorite foods and she is still able to get to the glasses and water in the kitchen.  The area of the kitchen I have blocked off is where the stove, oven and pantry are.  The pantry is a whole other story that I shall save for another day when I feel like venting.

I am praying that the Lord will show me how to handle this situation to where I’m not losing my mind.  Confronting her does not work, talking to her does not work, ignoring her does not work, and catering to her does not work.  Frankly, she is an evil person and has a totally obsessive and narcissistic personality that allows her to only consider how things are affecting her and no one else.  What I don’t like is what it is doing to me as a person.  I feel uptight all the time, on edge, and totally stressed.  I try to do as many things at night that I can so I don’t have to deal with her because if I do have to deal with her, she always, ALWAYS, says something cruel that effects me the rest of the day and then I, in turn, affect my wonderful, loving family in a negative way because I’m either crying or ranting. Neither are good and certainly not what the Lord calls me to do as a wife and mother. My friend reminded me the other night that I need to stop it in my mind before I react to it. Absolutely. She’s right. The key to stopping it in my mind? Not there yet, but I know the Lord is growing me through this and He will provide that key and give me the grace I need to handle this….and the love. The love seems impossible right now, but that’s just it, isn’t it? We are called to love the unlovable and, believe me, dear readers, this woman is unlovable, but that’s the point; God couldn’t grow me through this and I couldn’t give him the glory if it wasn’t going to grow me and create in me a more Christ-like Spirit! Pray for me, dear friends, that the Lord would give me the wisdom to know how to handle this and to not allow it to touch my heart.  That’s what this really comes down to, of course, is that I’m allowing her to touch my heart and hurt my feelings.

Today I’m tired. I had 4 hours sleep last night (I’m still battling insomnia) and I really want to go back to sleep, but I can’t and I won’t.  I’m going to get going and do some things for my family that will bless them.  I’m also in the process of writing down my goals for 2011.  Can you believe it? 2011…how weird did it feel to just type that. Anyway, I’m going to make bread today for the freezer and I would like to go through a couple of boxes of mementos that need to be sorted, organized and put away.  After all that, I intend to sit and work on my cross stitch for awhile and enjoy my precious family and my beautiful home that the Lord has so graciously blessed me with.

God bless you – Julie

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Category: Children, Cooking, Family, Home, Hubby, MIL  7 Comments
20
Dec
More Of Him
Julie

This sweet, little tree is on the mountain that sits to the east of my home.  Every year since I’ve lived here, someone decorates this tree on the side of the road.  I’ve lived here 17 years and every year when we drive up the mountain road, there is that tree, lovingly decorated for Christmas.  I have no idea who does it, but we look forward to seeing it and we would be sorely disappointed if one year it was gone.  I haven’t been up the mountain this year, but I’m sure it’s been decorated once again.  There’s something very reassuring when things are always consistent, year after year.

This year has been a year of disruption and learning to deal with a new “normal”.  In March, my mother-in-law came to live with us and our home has not been the same for one moment since.  In early October, I fell and injured my back, herniated 2 of my discs, which gives me a grand total of 3 damaged discs. My youngest son is still dealing with his back issues, too.  My husband has had one eye operation after another in the hopes of stopping the leakage behind his eyes due to his diabetes. I lost my sweet, precious poodle, Tammy Lou, in late October after having her for 12 years. Yes, it’s been a year of tremendous change!

Other changes that have definitely brightened my life are my role as a Bible study leader and working an afternoon in my church office.  Seeing my sons working together in college and working toward their futures has been wonderful. Making so many wonderful, new friends and re-connecting with other friends has blessed me beyond measure.  Having the Lord open so many doors for us to grow in character and walk closer with Him is definitely the greatest blessing. He uses the bad things to grow us in the good things – they really go hand in hand.  It’s not always easy to remember that or be content in that, but it is still true.

I don’t want to make it sound like I wake up every morning and thank the Lord for my mother-in-law or my pain.  I don’t.  I have to talk with Him for awhile before I’m able to let it go and praise him for even those things.  I also confess that I’m still working on it – day by day.  I’m still having attitude issues regarding all these things but through Christ, who strengthens me, I will be able to lay it all down at the foot of his throne and THANK him for these things.

I’m praying for more of Him and less of me. . . daily!

God bless you – Julie

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Category: Faith, Family, Hubby, Sons  3 Comments
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