Lesson's From My Children: {Being Intentional}

For me, one of the best things about being a mom is seeing the individual gifts that God has given each of my children. They are all so very different and Jason and I enjoy the challenge of helping them grow these gifts. 

As I was going through some of my many photos I found these of my middle boy, Ky. He is 6 and is gifted in so many ways. 

One of my favorite gifts that my boy has been abundantly blessed with is how intentional he is with everything in life.

He loves deeply.

He protects fully. 

He is deliberate.

Patient.

Steadfast. 

He goes out of his way to help his baby sister. 

Just after she was born he saw her for the first time in the hospital and he said, "Mom, I'm her 'tector." (meaning protector)

At the age of four he made that promise and he lives it out everyday.

He is also extremely patient with both his little brother and his little sister.

Sure, he does reach his limit from time to time but overall he does really well. 

He also values your time and openly shows his appreciation for it. 

No matter what the activity - whether it is helping me cook, doing "man stuff" with his dad, ory even curling up and watching a movie - he deeply values the time you are spending with him. 

He often says, "I just want to spend time with you."

Ky is a great son and such a blessing to our family. 

I am constantly amazed by the lessons that I learn on a daily basis from my children. And Ky's continual lesson to me is to always be intentional. 

Be intentional with your time. 

With your relationships. 

With your passions. 

And with your promises. 

I love that. 

And I love you Ky James for always being my reminder. 

Happy Friday!: Pinterest Round-up Celebration

If you haven't heard of "Pinterest" you need to Google it ASAP. Go ahead. I will wait.....

If I could describe Pinterest to someone I would say that when I think of dying and going to Heaven, I think of Heaven as the living Pinterest. No grassy fields for as far as the eye can see - no, not for me. I think of myself being surrounded with craft ideas, supplies, and tutorials galore! Want to try a new recipe - it's there AND you always have all of the ingredients! No pesky trips to the store for ONE item.

I absolutely love Pinterest. Whoever invented it should win some kind of award. I am serious. It makes a crafter's life so much easier! Think of it this way - you have a giant cork board and every time you find an idea you pin the idea up on that cork board. Pinterest is like the cork board and you can "pin" all of those cool ideas on there never to be lost or destroyed by the hands of a toddler.

Every time I jump on Pinterest it is like a mini-celebration for me and I always walk away inspired. Today I decided to share just a few ideas that I found...and this was just the first 10 minutes. :-) Happy Pinning!

These are some super cute embellished dish towels - one for every day of the week. I love them and the colors too! 

Source: knittybitties.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I generally do not by Koolaide for my own kids. It has something to do with that pesky all-natural (or as close to it as I can get a.k.a. "afford") eating thing but I still thought this was a cute idea. 

Source: acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com via Kori on Pinterest

Just so you don't think it is all fun and games - there are also cute sayings like this that will provide inspiration, motivation, or at the very least make you think a bit. 

Source: southernpiphi.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

As I know first hand, life is filled with ups and downs. What I also know is that most of the time it is my attitude that makes the difference. When I get to the end of my days here I hope that I  can proudly say that I "wore" this t-shirt more days than not. 

Source: fab.com via Mary on Pinterest

Don't these look delicious! 

Source: family.go.com via Andrea on Pinterest

My Heart Check Moment

Today I was just kind of feeling blah. It wasn't that it was a bad day, but I just felt unfocused and uninspired. My heart was definitely not in it. I wasn't going to even blog tonight because who wants a unfocused and uninspiring blog? No one. I wasn't excited to write and you wouldn't be excited to read. But something just kept tugging at my heart. Tug. Tug. Tug. You know that type when you just cannot let it go and you know you either do it now or you are going to do it at 2 a.m. Your choice. Some choice.

So, I started to think about what to write about in my unfocused and uninspired mood. Maybe I should finish one of the couple hundred blogs I have started and not finished. (No, I am not exaggerating. There are a bunch.) No. That didn't sound exciting.

I thought of going on Pinterest and finding something interesting to share with you there. Pinterest always inspires me. But no. That wasn't appropriate for tonight either. Finally, a thought. For this I was grateful.

{What was I doing a year ago today?} 

Well by golly, let's look back through the ol' blog. I knew this things was good for something. So, I tracked it down and boy... did I have a heart check moment or what! Of all the days. Of all the things I could be feeling today compared to what I was feeling one year ago today.

Well, here it is: {Day 22: Chemo 2} You can read it for yourself and I really encourage you to do so if you have time and the interest. It is complete with my very own {life scripture} which I don't blog about very often because my {life scripture} was given to me at a very painful time in my life.

So, as a rundown - one year ago today I am blogging from my chemo chair. I was going through my 2nd chemo treatment. Talk about being cut to the core with your very own words and even feeling disappointment in myself that I didn't cherish today more like I should have. You see, it isn't about me being inspired. It isn't about what I am going through. Just as I wrote about a year ago - it is about me seeing the opportunities to help and inspire others. And I came so very close to missing that today.

Yes, I know I am human. I am swiftly reminded of that each and every day that I fall so short of where I should be. But that is no longer an excuse I can use as a crutch. I have been sharply shown what the alternative could be. Yes, I am a believer and yes, I know that I will meet Jesus when my days are up here in this world. But not now. Not yet. Not with my children so young. No, I still have too much to do.

Thank you God for using the very words you gave ME one year ago today to get me focused and inspired once again. I will do my best not to let you down.

Oh, and to add insult to injury (LOL) - I actually blogged a part 2 on this day one year ago as well. Here it is: {Day 22: Chemo 2 Part 2.... My Inspiration} As the title indicates, it is on {inspiration} just in case you need a little of that today.

Blessings and Love,
Andrea

Day 45: Dinner and a Hair Cut.....{Part 2}

So, as I shared in the "Part 1", Friday was hair cut day. My long time friend, Pam, had offered as soon as she heard I was diagnosed to cut my hair for me, and continue to cut my hair as needed, through the chemo process. I tell you what, the hour I was in her chair was just so relaxing to me. We talked about all kinds of things.

I do have a prayer request for Pam and her husband. They started the process of an international adoption over 3 years ago and they are still waiting for their baby girl to come home. Please, please, please lift this family up in prayer. I know we have to trust God's timing in all of this but I know first hand the power of prayer. I know He can bring this baby girl home to her mommy and daddy who are here waiting.

The second prayer request I have for this family is financial support. Me being me, of course I had to ask Pam if she and her husband would be willing to adopt another baby in the meantime. (Hey I have four kids ;-)  In no way was I saying to give up on their little girl - but they have had a homestudy done every year for the past 3 years, their paperwork done countless times, they are this perfectly wonderful couple just waiting to fill their home with children and I know there are children out there waiting for a mommy and daddy.....it seems like such a tragedy to me that they don't have a child yet. She told me that they would be willing to adopt another child in addition to their baby girl but they have invested everything into their first baby girl.

I am determined when I am well and done with my chemo to help them get the financial means they need to bring a baby home. If you are reading this and have a heart to help the orphan and the families who want to bring them home, please email me. Our church has recently started a Faith In Action ministry that is trying to do just that and we can use your help. I know we, as the Body of Christ, can do this! If you have fundraising ideas - let me know.

Anyway, when my friend, Pam and I parted ways she said that she had asked God for the words to encourage me through this time in my life - like she hadn't already done enough - but then she reminded me of something from when I was in high school that brought back a ton of memories that I had actually not thought about in years. I use to run all of the time. Well, I actually played volleyball, basketball, and ran in track. Running wasn't my favorite of these three sports - basketball was hands down - but I like to win and so that kept me going in track. Basically I loved the race but didn't like the training so much. Most of my running career I suffered from severe shin splints. They were so bad at several points that I could barely walk. But I would go down early for practice every day, stick both of my legs in and ice bucket until my legs were numb, let the trainer tape my legs up to just below my knees, and then I would complete my workout. I pretty much did that for all 4 years of my high school running career. It was extremely painful pretty much all of the time. No wonder childbirth wasn't ever that bad for me.

So, God laid it on Pam's heart to remind me of my perseverance through that time. As I thought back on what I did every day I honestly can't tell you why I did it. I just knew that was I had to do to get the job done and so I did it. Kind of like me going through chemo now. I don't know how I really get through it but I know it is my job now to do it so I can be well again and so I do it. I am just so amazed how God taught me all these lessons throughout my life to prepare me for things like battling cancer. I am grateful for the heart He has given me. I am grateful for my fighting spirit, the endurance that He blessed me with. People use to think it was crazy that I was a distance runner and now I know why He did it. So, I could run the distance now.

I am grateful for my friend Pam and for her seeking God for the "perfect" message for me. Through her faithfulness and obedience I was truly blessed - and I got a cute hair cut. :-)

Love you all and wish you a very blessed day!

~Andrea

Day 22: Chemo 2...Part 2 (My Inspiration)

So, as to be expected, my day continued to get worse. The next 72 hours will be the toughest. But knowing something is going is to be tough doesn't mean that you are giving into it. It is simply having the wisdom to say that you are indeed going through hard times and doing what you need to do in order to prepare and perceiver..

By living in denial, you are actually making things harder on yourself because you aren't putting on the armor of God to get yourself through this situation. Utimately you have to acknowledge that there is a problem so that you know how properly prepare. Everyone goes through hard times, it is what you do when your faced with them that makes the difference.I would rather live in Christ instead of living in denial.

These are the times that you press on. You walk it out even if it is one baby step at a time. You never give up. You perceiver and you keep fighting. You turn your tears of sadness and frustration to ones of joy. You rejoice in what you can't see and you cling to the hope that you know is there. Think of Jesus and what he went through for us; beaten, tortured, denied by those who were closest to him. Yet he doesn't deny me and he doesn't deny you. I call out his name and he is here with me, holding my hand, walking it out with me. I am not alone for he is by my side always.

At my weakest, I still have so much to be thankful for. I have life both here and in heaven. I have my husband and my children and there are no words to describe what a gift it is to see each of them every day, even if I can barely raise my head from the pillow. I have the rest of my family, my church family, and friends. With all that I have, the cancer means nothing, the treatment I can endure, and the sickness I can overcome. I am truly blessed.

MY INSPIRATION  

The Write Way to Worship...

Do you ever have one of those God moments and your just think to yourself, "Why did I not think of that before?" Well, I seem to have those all of the time but one of these moments happened to me very recently that I wanted to share with you.

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you probably have noticed that my postings have kicked it up a notch in frequency. I have always been a writer. I LOVE writing. Most of you probably didn't know about that because I have kept it pretty quiet throughout my life. My mom is probably reading this right now going...huh, I never knew that. Just kidding Mom!

Since I was in 2nd grade I remember vividly thinking that it would truly be my hearts dream to be a writer and even publish a book someday. Of course I never shared this with anyone and then you start hearing how hard it is to make it as a "writer." You hear how hard it is to get published and so on and so forth until, like a lot of aspiring writers, your dream fizzles out into a distant memory.

I would have people periodically encourage me throughout the years that I did need to pursue this venture after reading something I wrote but I didn't pay much attention. After all, if it was so hard to get published then I didn't stand a chance. So, I just wrote for my own pleasure or lack there of. I would mostly write when I was frustrated or hurting. That was really how I would cope with most anything throughout my life. Jason, my dear husband, could always tell when something was wrong because I would be frantically writing in one of my journals and I can just imagine what was going through his mind....."Here we go again...." (I thank God daily that He gave me such a patient and tolerant man!)

A little over six months ago I just felt it pressed upon my heart that I needed to write more. If I would have heard God audibly it probably would have sounded something close to this...."write, write, write." Something so basic, so simple, nothing flashy. Just one word, one command. I was obedient. I started writing about anything and everything that came to mind. I literally have hundreds of things written, stored up for whatever reason or no reason at all. For some reason though (of course we know the reason) I started writing lots of devotionals. I loved it! I had never written like that before and it felt amazing. This was exactly what God wanted me to do.

So, here we are. (Fast forward six months later....) I have this incredible desire to write but wait...I am a wife and a mom of four kids. I have other obligations. Certainly I don't have time for writing. I should be doing more important things like laundry......(sounds silly to some of you....laundry over being obedient to God.....others are agreeing with me :-) That is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. This is my form of worship. I know, I know...painfully simplistic and really quite embarrassing. I had heard about people that had other forms of worship other than the traditional music form that comes to mind but that really couldn't apply to me, right? Wrong.

Here is where you come in. Thank you so much for reading. Thank you for your encouraging thoughts, words and prayers. It is my hearts desire to glorify God in all that I do and all that I write. It is my prayer that through the words that God gives me that He can inspire, touch, and give hope. If you can join me in prayer for that I would be so grateful. I want to get my story out there. I want to share how God's love has changed my life so drastically and more importantly I want others to know and experience God's love for themselves. I am praying for platforms and opportunities to do just that. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for reading this participating in my worship to the Lord. There are no words....

Homemade Holiday...Stockings!!!

With the addition of Kearyn girl to our family I am in the market for a new stocking for her. I really haven't found any cute ones that I have wanted to buy. It seems like with the economic crunch stores aren't providing the cute options they once did. So....I have been thinking about making my own. I have several cute ideas floating around in the ol' noggin' but haven't settled on what I am going to do just yet.  I promise that I will share when I get it done. :-)

In the meantime, I wanted to share some cute resources that I have found just in case you are in the same predicament. I do hope that you share your ideas with me and, even better, pictures as I would LOVE to see them!

One of my favorite magazines is All You . I just love the variety of craft ideas, fashion, recipes....and it is all on a budget. Everything that I am into! What more could a girl want? Anyway, I received an email from them and went to their website and low and behold there are STOCKINGS!!!! Here are a few of their cute ideas:

(These are made from tea towels :-)

This one has a variety of different stocking ideas. Everything from ballet slippers to dog paws. :)
http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-gifts-cards-decorations/christmas-crafts-stockings/


This one has a tutorial on how to make stockings from recycled sweaters. I totally love this idea. :-) I didn't like the shape as much but I think that is an easy fix.

http://www.greenyourdecor.com/6836/how-to-make-ecofriendly-upcycled-sweater-stockings-tutorial/

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy looking at these cute ideas as much as I did!

Happy Crafting!

Happy Birthday Jason.....

Yesterday was Jason's birthday. I have to tell you that I had so much fun planning his special day. I love birthdays so much because it is just a great opportunity to show that person how much they mean to you and this was no exception.

We love Jason dearly as he is the most amazing husband and father that we could have ever asked for. God truly blesses us every day with his presence in our lives and our home. I was just telling Cale the other day as we were having one of our "heart to hearts" that if he grew up to be just like his dad he would be just fine in life. :-)

Jason does an incredible job of modeling to our boys what a Godly man, loving husband, and engaged father is suppose to look like. He is just amazing and there are no words to describe how much we love him.

With that being said I wanted to create a special birthday present for Jason. Something that would combine the things that he loved and most importantly something that couldn't be purchased in a store. So, I put this together in a frame for him that will soon find its home in his office. (If you happen to stop by there you can take a look.)

This is Jason's favorite scripture by the way. If you are one of his youth group kids you already know that! :-)