I'm Thankful for....

WOW!!  What a statement.

Just making that statement changes your mood.  Everyone has a "bad day" here and there.  Just finding something to be thankful for in the midst of it changes your entire mood.

So, I'm thankful for... my sons.  Trials and tribulations they may bring, but without  them my life would be worse than boring.  With them, I have more fun than most "business people" have in a lifetime of work parties.

I'm thankful for... the opportunity to stay home with my sons.  The opportunity to be the GREATEST female influence in their lives.  Hopefully that means I'll like my daughters-in-law as much as I love my mother-in-law. :p    I'm thankful that I get to put my 3 years of college training in education to use in my sons lives.  I'm thankful that my husband allows me to stay home.

I'm thankful for... the talents God gave me to make my home beautiful. 

Curtains sewn:

Blankets made:

Painting:

Baking with my boys:

Home-made Cute Costumes:

I'm thankful for... The wonderful husband God gave me. Without his understanding and love, I would never make it through the muddle I make of myself and my marriage every day. He is the best man I have ever known. The best of the best. The best combination of all the attributes of all the men that I've ever admired. And did I mention how patient he is with my faults?
I'm thankful for... A loving God who cares for me every day. Who picks me up when I fall (often), Who points me in the right direction when I stray, Who loves me when I make mistakes, Who wants the very best for me, Who cares about my hurts, Who wants the best for my boys and their lives, Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow and prepares me for it today.
I'm thankful for... the opportunity to change my attitude by looking at the good side, rather than the bad side.

Andrew Douglas Clark

So, now it's Andrew's debut.

Andrew is, and always will be, my scholastic. At the age of 18 months (when most children start to speak), he was speaking in complete sentences.  He also learned the letters of the alphabet by sight and sound by the age of 16 months.  And he loved books all his life. He learned how to read early, reading his very first word at 2 1/2 years of age.  He read at a 4th grade reading level in Kindergarten.  He is definitely my scholastic.


Then, yesterday at Wal-mart, he lost his very first tooth.  My little man is growing up.... hence the blog about him.

He is just recently becoming very interested in spiritual things.  So, we bought the comic book series, "Good and Evil" from No Greater Joy.  Wait, Doug said they were not called comic books, they're..... graphic novels.  At any rate, they're interesting, fun, and a way to get my boys to want to learn the basic truths of the Word of God.  Besides this, I know for a fact that they present the Gospel from beginning to end, and I want Andrew to be introduced to the truth in a way that he will want to know.


Also, on a much more fun and goofy note, Andrew has informed me that he has narrowed his choices down to three girls for him to marry.  First, Emma: cause she's smart, and that would make for smart babies.  Second, Amanda: cause she's fun to play with.  And third,  Nadia: cause she's pretty, and that would make pretty babies.  Really, he told me so himself.


So, for now, that's the blog on Andrew.  Something sweet, something funny, something serious.  Prayers would be appreciated about the serious part, Thanks.

Random

Two things have happened in the last day and a half that 

I don't want to forget.   

First, I found this statement in the "Daily in the Word devotional. It 

said, "Tough times don't last; tough people do."  It was just a good 

reminder.

Second, The boys were watching Tom and Jerry today and there was 

one cartoon about little circus elephant  that had escaped and ended 

up in Tom and Jerry's house.  Jerry had painted him like a mouse to 

scare Tom, then the momma elephant came along and they painted 

her like a mouse.  At the end of the cartoon, Andrew said, "That's 

funny.  Tom thought the momma elephant was a giant mouse!!" 

Aaron said, "That wasn't a ephalent.  That was a hephalump." 

Guess it shows what he's been watching!

Behind the Curtain

My oldest son asked me recently why we close the curtain in his room each night as he gets ready for bed, then opened them in the morning when he is dressed again.  I didn't even think about my response, "Because no one needs to see you while you're changing."

Recently, God has been working SO MUCH with my husband and I about our hearts.  What's really there?  Why do we do the things we do?  Sure there've been problems around us, but nothing can compare to the things you feel deep inside.  When God starts really working on your heart.  Some days, the hardest person to live with is myself.

As God re-arranges the priorities of my heart, I have a tendency to argue about the importance of one or the other of them remaining in place.  Sometimes I don't understand the importance of the curtain being closed, so to speak.  Why can't I know now what God has planned for me in the next year or so??

What I'm coming to realize, yet again, is that my Heavenly Father not only closes the curtains so I can change, but because - just on the other side of the window, He's making a brand new day for me to enjoy.  I am coming to the realization that when I can't see Him, I can still trust Him. 

Job 23:8-10 says it this way: "Behold I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."  It has been a comfort to know that He IS working on the right hand, and He is before, behind and beside me as I walk.  Just because I can't see Him doesn't mean He isn't there.

Also, the other day, I was reading through a friend's blog- the friend whose house rules I stole.  In one of her entries, she talked about I Corinthians 1:10, "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we also trust that he will yet deliver us:"  Then, it came up again the next day in my through-the-Bible reading.  It was as if the Lord was saying, "Yup, it's really there for you, too!!"

My God has a plan, My God is able, My God is there, My God will deliver!!!!  AMEN.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word,
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know "Thus saith the Lord!"

Jesus, Jesus, How I trust Him,
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus,
O, for grace to trust Him more!!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I don't know if I usually miss these things, but the boys have said the most adorable things lately, and I don't want to forget them, SO, here they are.

So, Andrew has a rough sounding cough this morning, and he tells me, "I think I have Cholesterol Arthritis. Is that what Daddy said he has?" LOL!!! (Inside of course!)

Then, we're doing school, and Nate-Nate is doing the letter "T". The picture on the top is one of those old toy telephones that I played with as a little girl. Nate-Nate asks, "What is THAT?????" Yup, nothing like making Mom feel ancient.


Then, studying children of the World, we were talking about Australia, and I asked what was something that could be made of wool. Nate says, "I know, I know, A fox, cause it's kinda like a wolf!!!!" LOL!!


Am I just immune to this most days??? Aaron was talking about swallowing his gum and said his esophogas (Learned from Magic Schoolbus) was in his shoulder. When I explained it was in his throat, he said, "No, that's where your throw-up is." Where do they come up with this???????????????? LOL


Then, tonight, Aaron was eating Skittles, and had a mouth full. He took them out, and said, "Look what's inside, BLOOD!" He was eating red ones.
 
Kids.  Gotta love them.

House Rules (Stolen)

I found these rules and couldn't help but re-posting them.  I hope she doesn't mind.  They made me laugh and feel normal again. Since she put it WAY more interestingly then I ever could, I'll leave them in her words.

House Rules
1. When Mom naps, we play the "we are petrified pieces of wood" game. 600 square feet leaves no room for noise when Mom is trying to take a nap.

2. One person talks at the dinner table at a time. We do not believe in speaking in tongues, nor interpreting them.

3. Saying "I don't like this" gets you an extra helping of whatever does not catch your fancy.

4. Telling the truth will get you out of many a pickle, and might get you elected to Congress.

5. What Dad says, Mom says, and vice versa. If we catch you tryin the ole' switch-er-oo, your name is mud man, mud.

6. We do not describe Mom using any animal characteristics.

7. We read "Mom's are Marvelous" every time we find it. Finding it is as follows: We find the book, gather and sit no matter where we are or WHAT we are doing, and read it completely through with no interruptions. So what if Mother's Day is months away.

8. Fun comes after chores. I tried the Mary Poppins adage, "In every element of fun there is a job that must be done.." and yeah that didn't work. So chores aren't fun. Do them then have fun.

9. We do not explain what kind of bugs the pitcher plant eats to help our existence at any time of the day.......nausea is instantaneous.

10. By 3 1/2 you are on your own in the restroom. Toilet paper is cheap. Find it and do whatever works for ya.

11. The questions, "Are we there yet?" "What are we having for dinner?" and "Why do I have to do this?" are tolerable the first 3 times...... after that we take 5 cents from your inheritance each repetition. AND when Mom is getting dressed and putting make-up on after noon, the question "Where are we going, Mom?" can make you disinherited all together.

12. When you hear "So-and-so-is-here!" assume emergency stations. Mom will be tripping on her robe as she flies to her room to dress, while you are left to shove as many things as you can under the couch.....dishes included.

13. You are allowed one or two good hearty laughs at an unexpected bodily function, whether yours or not. After that it is just poor manners.

14. You can hide wherever you like so long as you can unwedge yourself when you need to exit.

15. Every outfit without visible food on it is wearable for a two day stretch, then washed.

16. Laugh often, love much and munch much. Wonderful motto.

John Deere Too

OK, I've finished Andrew's curtains now.  (I'll post pics this evening if you read this before I do).

I'm staying UBER busy right now.  This weekend is FED, one of the business conferences we go to 4 times a year.  Before we get there, I need to get through 3 more days of school, get my house cleaned (not just cleared), pray for my babysitter to come through, and hopefully get the baking done that I have planned for before I leave.  I need to write out a list of "To Do's" for before I leave.  Ok, now that I've had my brainstorm online.......

These are Andrew's curtains. 

I did them a little differently from his brother's with a few more patches that are smaller than the others.  Don't know if you can see them very well.  I really like the way they turned out.  For Christmas, I'm going to make each one of them a  John Deere pillow.  Just need to go buy some backing material and stuffing.  Should be loads of fun!!!!