A Storybook of Grace

 1.  It’s National Coffee Day and well that’s just a good thing.  Not like the day will be any different, but it’s still fun to say.  :). I’ve celebrated by drinking two cups so far, which also happens everyday. 2.  Today is our last day of homeschool.  We will be on fall break until the 14th.  We like to take all of June and December off and then a couple of weeks here and there throughout the year.   3.  I realized Sunday morning as we were sitting down to have Bible time and coffee before heading off to church that I was two days late on an assignment for my grad school.  I’m attempting to get a degree in nurse educator.  That was really stressful and especially because I hadn’t even started the readings yet.  I stayed home from church while Sean took the kids and praise the Lord I got all the readings done and the assignment within a few hours.  Not sure if I’ll get points taken from a late assignment.   4.  It feels like fall here.  The air is crisp and cool.  I LOVE fall and it’s

 I reluctantly prayed and asked God to show me where my heart needed to be cleaned out.  And He did.  Quickly.  I was convicted of loving what is safe.  What is lovely in my eyes.  What I approve of.  God also brought to mind Luke 6:32 -  “ For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. ” Admittedly, it is easy for me to love those who I find to be loveable.  Those who are similar to me.   This is especially true with Lucas, our two-year-old with Down Syndrome.  I have an incredibly hard time with him for a variety of reasons.  When he was born he was whisked away to the NICU and there he remained for 3 months, in both Knoxville and Nashville.  We almost lost him.  He was really sick and no one was quite sure why.  We knew he had a major heart defect and narrowing of his pulmonary artery, but there were other unknown underlying causes.  I think eventually it was decided that pulmonary hypertension was the culprit.  Then he had two he

A couple of posts ago, I wrote about my struggles with fear, which leads to anxiety and worry and stress and depression.  Today was a day where fear wanted to rear its ugly head and claim me mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.   The enemy is a master at putting thoughts out there and then he hopes you take the bait.  If that thought takes hold in your mind and you start believing it, he will keep feeding lies and it can get really ugly really fast.   Natalie, our three month old, has had a few diapers with a little blood, which we have already spoken to her pediatrician and my father-in-law about and both have said it’s nothing to be concerned about.  She also spit up some more than usual maybe and one feed she wasn’t too interested in, but she had eaten a couple of times through the night.  All these things led me to start to get nervous that something is wrong.  I took hold of the thoughts that the enemy was trying to place in my mind.  “Something is really wrong with Natalie, wh

 A few years back, I gave Sean a jar that had date ideas on them.  It’s been a lot of fun going through them.  We purpose to have a date day once a month.  It doesn’t always happen, but I sure do cherish the times that we get to go.  There were even quite a few home dates in the jar so those were good during the pandemic when everything was closed down!  We also do a Sunday evening date after the kids are down - usually a movie or a game, chocolate, and coffee!   So the date picked out of the jar this time was to have a mini road trip within an hour of home.  So Sean planned the date, BUT we didn’t have enough time to do it and get back in time to let the babysitter go home so we went to plan B.  Plan A was a scavenger hunt in Milwaukee.  Plan B was Racine.  But he had no idea what we would do there so we winged it.  God had such a good day planned for us!  We went to a jewelry store first to get his watch sized and a new back for my diamond earring, but the first place couldn’t help u

  I suffer from fear.   Overwhelming fear.   The fear that prohibits me from doing things.   It rears its ugly head everywhere.   I can fear going out in public.   I can fear being around friends.   I can fear that I’m going to lose one of my children or that they will get cancer or some other illness.   I can fear coronavirus.   I can fear the weather.   I can fear the economy. I can fear decisions that need to be made. Or school.   Or lack of control.   Or intimacy.   Or the future.   Or the past.   See, I told you.   And that’s just a partial list.   Fear leads to anxiety and depression and worry.   And panic.   And loss of control.   It feels like my ability to function starts to fail.   The more I struggle, the more the attacks come at me.   I lose faith, my eyes lose track of Jesus, I start having a hard time trusting in God.   It causes mental anguish and physical symptoms.   My ability to mother well suffers.   My desire to be a good wife falters.   I feel as if the world is as

  http://www.anniefdowns.com/2020/08/21/episode-237-banning-liebscher-the-three-mile-walk/ If you have about 50 minutes, this podcast was excellent, I thought any way.  Lots of nuggets of truth and wisdom.  Enjoy! And thanks to my friend who shared it with me! 

 Before I share, I want to comment on the comments because for some reason it’s not letting me.  Ugh, computer stuff!!  I just want to say thank you!  And to Sean I wanted to say OH WOW, look at that picture of you and baby Ryan!   So, I had an a-ha moment today.  Let me begin by saying that I love to have control, or at least I think I have control.  And I also love to be perfect, which of course I’m not.  This I realize daily, oh about 5 minutes after getting out of bed......I don’t have control AND I’m not perfect.  0 for 2.  As I do some days, I marvel at maybe not messing it all up too bad and that I’m actually doing my day well, and then it happens.  I start to realize that I’ve had one too many negative thoughts or I’ve had emotions such as impatience or anger or selfishness.   So today, I started thinking about how I didn’t used to get so frustrated with myself pre-salvation.  Then I clearly heard God speak to my heart.  He said, now you are saved and so you are trying to measu

I thought since you knew a little bit about me that I’d introduce the rest of my family.  First up!  My loving, God fearing husband.  He loves Chicago teams and the Tennessee Vols.  He shares in my love of coffee and travel (thankfully!).  And he is a former Marine and current mechanical engineer for the VA.   This is Hunter, our 2nd born.  He is 9.  He loves Auburn football (we are still wondering why) and he plays the piano beautifully.  He takes his time and likes to get things just right.  He’s smart and an adventurous food eater!  He ate a kangaroo burger in Connecticut! OH little Jessica!  She is 3 and 6th in line.  She is wild and crazy and a ball of energy and she makes herself known.  Unless of course she has disappeared somewhere, which is often.  At least a few times a day, I will be asking “Where’s Jessica?”  She is not scared of venturing off and she will hug strangers.  Yikes! New precious #8 Natalie.  I could write a book on all the blessings she has already brought to o

 First, a little bit about myself.  I am 40 (as of July!) and I have been married to my love for 15 years.  We have eight children together, ages 11 years to 3 months.  I am also a registered nurse, but I’m not working right now.  Instead, I’m in grad school pursuing my nurse educator degree.  I LOVE coffee and travel.  Anything pink.  Sports.  Go Dawgs, Bucs, Lightning, and Braves!!!  I’m a Southern gal if you couldn’t tell by my teams.  I love a good Hallmark movie.  Family time and outdoor time is peaceful (usually) and I can’t imagine going a day without spending time in the morning with God and a hot cup of coffee.  I don’t like to cook, but I love to eat! And music.  It helps me in all kinds of emotional conditions.  If only I had a pretty voice.  It doesn’t stop me from singing though.   So, next up....the purpose of this blog!  First I will tell you what I WON’T talk about.  Politics.  I have a passion for it and an opinion about it, but it’s not what I want discussed here.   H