A house in order Part 1

This is a literal and figurative sense.  We really have been able to get our house in a little more order this past week.  And the challenge continues this week.  Last Monday  I FINALLY got my carpets cleaned!  I have thought it would be a good goal to get my carpets cleaned every year to year and a half... now I'm quite sure it has been at least 3.  Gross... at least for our family.  I have let my kids eat in the living room and of course for all get togethers we have, we have people eating meals in rooms with carpet plus a dog, that sheds and toddlers that are potty training... need I say more, no!  So dog is out of living room area, only snacks that vacuum up and water are permitted in living room (exception of parties... although children will need to eat in kitchen then too) and potty training, well we will just hope transition out of pull ups goes well.
So anyway this was just the jump start I needed.  Everything out and as little as possible back in!  Our computer made a move to the basement and the kids now have a little space to call their own.  I did not put as many toys back in the room and they play much more intentionally and even are better at picking up.  This is huge for us.  We have 4 children 4 and under and playing well together or alone seems to always pose a challenge.  It makes me wonder how any more children will fit in but I think we need to realize that more children does not have to mean more stuff!
I have gotten rid of loads of stuff either to the garbage, garage sale bag or give away bag and it feels empowering.  It clears my mind and I can function better.  I can take better care of my spiritual life, family and my self!  I love it.  My husband loves it too.  We plan to start shifting some responsibilities around as well so this could be big.  I feel like we are on the verge of something big; just really refocusing ourselves and it's good.  God has began a good work in us.... and will be faithful to complete it.  I know this work began long ago but we feel like this is a new season for us.  There may be more babies to come but it seems like a least all the children won't be babies at the same time anymore!

Friends (cont)

Making time for friends and cultivating relationships has been heavy on my heart lately. My heart's cry was encouraged to know it was on to something when I read one of my favorite blogs the other day (http://www.kellehampton.com/) and at my weekly Bible study on Tuesday morning. Kelle wrote her Hallmark post on friends, which was such an insightful read for me as my heart had been stirring and mind had been rolling through thoughts and feelings of my friends. But at my Beth Moore Bible Study, the video message she presented touch my soul.  She spoke on how we need to be good traveling partners (http://www.lifeway.com/Product/stepping-up-a-journey-through-the-psalms-of-ascent-video-sessions-M00000129#).

One of the Bible verses I came across was... Exodus 33:11a "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend."  This made me start thinking.  Negatively at first in regards to people who don't bring their complaints directly to a person.  They just write a facebook status or blog post about it or talk to someone else about it.  How many times have I done this myself... shame on me.  Perhaps more conflicts would be easily resolved if we just talked directly and only to the person with whom we have the problem.... but I'm getting away from my point.

Friends talk face to face!  And while I love facebook and blogs as much as the next person; I love my true friend more.  They are part of me.  Last Wednesday felt like the perfect time to put my thoughts into practice.  I went to visit a friend.  She used to live close and even attend the same church however since they moved (almost 4 years ago), other than emails, facebook messages, occasional phone calls and Christmas cards, they only time we see her and her family is when they came or were passing through.  So I packed up all four kids (ages 1, 2 1/2, 2 1/2 and 4) and headed out for a road trip.  It was a great adventure.  It was exactly what my heart needed.  I  loved the visit more than you can imagine and I think it touched her too.  We made effort to go to them, to see their new home, to play in their yard.  What a blessing.

We plan to do this again tomorrow except with different friends.  I want to make the effort; to go (even if traveling an hour or two can be hard with so many small children), to spend time in their life.  I cannot wait. We have pizza, pumpkin carving and pumpkin patches and visits to the mall planned.  I love these women and their families... they are family to me!

So love your friends.  Make real time for them.  Love on them.  Talk FACE to FACE with them and your hearts will bond!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge- Let them be little.

Her "little" personality!, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

I'm entering again just because it's fun and it challenges me and my photo skills plus I get to look at other people's amazing photos.
So here's mine this week. Julia.... our littlest one!
Julia may be little but she has a BIG personality. Sometimes I don't know what to do with her but at other times she does nothing but awe me and make me laugh. Oh what a challenge she is but what an even bigger blessing!
This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

Friends vs Enemies

Tea & Sweets, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

Friends are the best! I feel so blessed with friends in my life. I feel like I have always had close friendships with a few people. I love groups of friends... and feel like I wouldn't know what to do without them. But what about the FRIENDs that feel like sisters and the friends that you feel like as the years pass are becoming like sisters. These are the best.
The above photo was taken because I had a friend call and ask if she could just come to visit and bring me cookies to bake. Can you? Sure.
To be continued...

I Heart Faces-Tickled Pink (Stop breast cancer!)

Stop breast cancer!, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

I really didn't plan to enter a photo each week but when I started last week with the "Hands" theme; it was an opportunity to enter one of my favorite photos. This week I'm entering because I have great ties to breast cancer and thought this photo fit.
Both of my parental grandparents died from breast cancer. What are the odds of that? They were quite young (i think my grandfather was in his fifties and my grandmother was maybe 60). I never knew them. They had died many years before I was born. My grandfather died the week before my parents got married... that is so hard for me to comprehend. This has made cancer close to my heart.
A mere 6 months into my nursing career, I started working on the cancer unit of a hospital, eventually giving chemotherapy to patients there and then continuing chemotherapy administration in a clinic setting. What a blessing this was in my life! I know it seems like it would be sad work but it was so rewarding. We became like family to our patients and we'd look forward to seeing them and were saddened by any bad news they received but rejoiced with them when good news came. I would never change those years for anything. I still sometimes wish I was still serving patients there but am happy to be at home taking care of my family now too. Breast cancer is truly close to my heart and I would love to be able to "Stop breast cancer"! This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge-http://www.iheartfaces.com/

Where I began.

Mom & Me, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

What is my heritage... my mom, my dad, my grandparents. So many people. Some love or loved God and others maybe don't or didn't but God gave them all to me and I love the piece of them that is in me.
My grandparents and parents are or were(meaning they are in heaven now) followers of Christ. How awesome is that. That doesn't mean there were not struggles. There were many... financial difficulties, divorce and remarriage, miscarriages, untimely deaths, unplanned pregnancies, etc. These struggles formed us but do not define us. I think we have let many of these thing define us instead of leading us to a new place of grace and healing. I know many of my childhood memories were formed and saturated with these struggles but I want to let them go and have them be steps to bring me closer to God.
My parents were Christians when they got married and are still married today after 45 years of marriage. Praise the Lord! My brother is 9 years older than me so the road to my mom's pregnancy was long and much anticipated. I know I was prayed for long before I was conceived... what a great heritage. I know I was an answer to prayer; why is that hard to admit. I have been told that at different times in my life but I don't think I've let in sink in. I'm not being proud; I want to be secure in God's plan for my life and to know that prayer were uttered for me before I was born is amazing! God has a plan for everyone of us and we are an answer to someone's prayer. We may not even know whose prayer we are answer too yet but one day we will even if it's not on this side of heaven.
I have always known in my head that I was loved but I didn't always and still don't always let it get to my heart.
So our heritage is rich even if our past isn't perfect and our future has so many riches yet to come if we as followers of Christ. Thank you mom and dad for being my most immediate heritage that I can be thankful for!

Treasuring our heritage...and leaving a legacy.

It's me!, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

I don't know what this is exactly about but I think it's about healing and overcoming, happiness and joy. I want to treasure where I've been good or bad and I want to be happy and joyful over where I am and where I'm going.
This is me. God's creation; a person created to glorify Him. It all begins and ends with him. Everything is about him. So how does that effect my life? I should consume all that I am. I want to be mindful of this and have it be the legacy I leave.
I want to journal about this in different aspects of my life. It hit me last night, this experience could be healing and helpful in my life.
I want to be a better woman of God, a better wife and a better mother, daughter, sister and friend. I am going to dwell here for a while and explore my mind, memories and dreams. I want to be mindful of everything I do, everything I say and everyone I influence. I think it will change me; I want it to change me.
I not a horrible person. But I think there are parts of me that can be horrible if not filtered through the grace God extends to me every moment. So lets begin...

Fall harvest

Fall harvest, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

We are in the last of our fall harvest but seemingly the part that takes the longest! These are the combines finishing up the beans but today we finally got the go ahead for sugar beets again. I have fond memories of beet harvest because it's the first harvest I was a part of when I met my husband.
I love fall and everything that it brings with it. Pears, apples, pumpkins, leaves turning brilliant colors and memories of falling in love. I always thought fall would be a perfect time for a wedding but God knew it was the perfect time for me to fall in love.
So here we go... and hopefully continually until beet harvest is complete. Pray for strength to be a semi-single parent (although our families help me ALL the time). Hope everyone is having a great fall!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge-Hands

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge-Hands, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com