My precious Grace was born! 

A couple of weeks ago during our Tuesday night prayer meeting at church we had a small group there and we took communion, but before that we had to talk about something that was a trial in the past year that we are thankful for (Pastor said 1 year, but I would have to make it 2). I wasn't actually in there -- DH told me about it -- I was taking care of the kids. I thought about what I would have said had I been in there and this is what I would have said:

Almost 2 years ago we became pregnant and were so thrilled after many months of trying to conceive and praying and disappointment.  But then we lost the baby.  It was very hard for me, obviously.  The strangest things would trigger my emotions.  A very dear friend lost her baby about 2 weeks before we did and so we were able to go through that together and that was a blessing.  But still, it was very difficult, to say the least.

During that time we were in transition between a church that we had been in and the church that we were led to start a few months later, so we were visiting Free Chapel.  I have to say that at a time like that it was nice, for me personally, to be "anonymous" and able to grieve and worship among many people whom I didn't know and who didn't know me.  One Sunday we sang:

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

That was a big day for me ... I cried and cried all during that song.  And I wanted to sing it over and over.  It was the first time I was able to truly say to the Lord "Blessed be Your name regardless of what I am going through ... regardless of the fact that I just lost a precious gift of life..."  Since then I have truly been able to sing these words and mean them with all my heart. 

At that same time that we lost the baby the Lord was teaching me a lot about worship and about His love for me.  And I came across this poem:

Grace Evelyn was born on Thursday, December 15th, 2005 at 4:20 p.m. Here is the birth story ...

The birth was amazing and I would have done it in a heartbeat again if I could!  I seriously mean that!! 

We went in Wednesday night (Dec. 14) to begin the process.  They put in the Cervidil and then I tried to get some rest, but I didn't get much.  At 6 a.m. Thursday they woke me up to take out the Cervidil and let me shower and get ready for the big day ahead.  They started the pitocin at 7 a.m. and the contractions began right away.

I got my epidural at about 10 a.m. and that was great ... it was just the right amount of medicine because I felt no pain, but wasn't completely numb.  My midwife came in and out to check on me and visit with us and our family.  Later in the afternoon the real fun began ...

At 4:00 p.m. Diane, my midwife, checked me and I was only at 6 cm. Diane was not pleased with that ... she didn't like how slowly she thought that I was progressing.  We talked about how Little Buttercup's birth went the same way ... seemingly slow progression and then all of a sudden she was there.  I told her that I didn't like the look on her face and asked her if she was concerned.  She said no (after the birth she told us that the look on her face was because she was praying as we were talking!!).  She asked me to bear down with my next contraction to see what that did to my cervix.  She was pleased with that... 

So she sat down and chatted with a friend of ours that had just arrived (Diane delivered her as well).  Then I began to feel pain ... I said that I felt a contraction and felt like something was "between my legs".  There were 2 nurses trying to find the baby's heartbeat with the monitor and neither could find it.  They kept looking at each other wondering what to do, but little did they know that the baby was no longer where  they thought she was ...

Again, I felt the next contraction hard, so Diane checked me and ... she announced that we were ready to have the baby! It was 4:10 p.m. and I went from 6 cm and 90% effaced to complete and the baby already coming down in about 10 minutes.  They got everything ready and I pushed 3 times and Grace was here!  We laughed and cried and laughed some more during the pushing ... it was truly a glorious experience!

Then everyone asked her name (we had kept it a surprise) and we announced "Grace Evelyn" ... Grace because the Lord gave us that name ... He taught us so much about His grace over those past 9+ months ... and Evelyn after my mom (who will never get over that!).

Those of you with Husbands and sons who hunt will appreciate this ...

Little Buttercup looking for deer ...

Little Buttercup enjoying her evening with her daddy ...

Isn't she cute?  She was so excited about going hunting for the first time with her daddy.  And they shot a deer and she watched him gut it  ... she didn't flinch.  The funny thing is that she can be such a girly girl and she is quite the drama queen.  She is multifaceted and I love that about her (it's one of the ways that she is like her mama!)

Blessings!

Okay, okay ... I don't normally always post things that I read online, but this one .... the Lord really got me with this one .....

Humdudgeons or Contentment

The word humdudgeon is a new one to me and I like the sound of it. It means "a loud complaint about a trifle." Heard any of those lately around your house? One mother thought of an excellent antidote: all humdudgeons must be presented not orally but in writing, "of two hundred words or more." There was a sudden marked reduction in whining and complaining.

Parents, by example, teach their children to whine. No wonder it is so difficult to teach them not to! Listen to conversations in the elevator, at the hairdresser's, at the next table in the restaurant. Everybody's whining about everything--weather, health, the president, the IRS, the insurance mess, traffic, the kids.

Moms for Modesty Mission Statement

• As a Mom for Modesty I believe in common-sense modesty for girls and young women. 
• I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women. 
• I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughter(s) to dress in an immodest manner.
• I believe that true beauty comes from within and I strive to teach my daughter(s) this truth.
• I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young womens clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish.

Can I be honest, open and totally transparent today?  This is a long post, so please bear with me ..........

We started school today ... back to old habits that die hard ... for both of us.

My daughter has such a hard time listening and paying attention ... when we have school or devotional time as a family.  Why is that?  She can pay perfect attention to a movie or to her Breyer Horse catalog or a computer game or anything that she is interested in.  But school time?  Suddenly she has attention deficit disorder!

Honestly ... it makes me quite angry  and I find myself becoming downright mean when she gets this way.  It is so frustrating and I become impatient and irritable ... and then I say things that I don't mean or I say things in a way that I don't mean.  And I see her little face turn down toward the ground and her little eyes well up with tears.  I know that I am discouraging her, that I am exasperating her.  And yet it seems that I cannot stop.  Old habits die hard, or so they say ...

Doorposts has a little booklet entitled A Checklist for Parents that I really like.  It's very helpful for me have things spelled out and this little 10 page book spells things out for me:

These are just some of the questions under the 1st section - Love -

• Have I spoken words of love and blessing to my child?
• Did I show love with my actions?
• Did I treat my child the way I would want to be treated?
• Did I show loving compassion, comfort and support, remembering my child's young and foolish heart, or did I unduly correct her and expect more of her than she could perform?

Um .... the answers would be no.  There are more questions related to love, prayer, instruction, protection and provision, but I only wanted to use a few examples.

Anyway, this morning when I sent her to her room to adjust her attitude I began to cry.  I knew that I had messed up ... again.  "I can't do this!!" I cried out to the Lord.  He very sweetly said, "Yes, you can.  You need to relax.  You need to ease up on her.  Your expectations are too high."  And then I felt His presence so near that it felt as if someone lovingly wrapped their arms around me and gave me a huge hug.

Okay ... I can do this ... The Lord knows me and He tells me that I can do all things through Christ Who strenghtens me (Philippians 4:13). 

Why do I tell her all the time that I don't expect perfection, and yet I demand it of her anyway?  Why are my expectations so high?  Why am I so hard on her?  I don't really know, to be honest, I just know that I want to change and change for good, never to return to this place of ugliness.

So ... I'm breaking out For Instruction in Righteousness for myself.  The following is me writing as I am reading about being impatient & irritable and what the Lord has to speak to me about myself  ....

Love is not easliy provoked (1 Cor. 13:5);

Be patient with everyone (1 Thess. 5:14);

Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19);

for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:20) ... I "bolded" this one because the Lord reminded me as I read this verse that my reactions like this to my daughter do not bring about the righteousness of God, which I desire for her in her life!

A fool's anger is known at once (Proverbs 12:16); add that to -

A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back. (Proverbs 29:11);

Okay, Okay ... I'm getting the picture now.  It always helps when I sit down and pull out the Word and begin to apply it.  Wait!  That reminds me .......

....... of our Bible lesson this morning!  We talked about the fruit of the Spirit and character traits (good and bad).  We talked about letting our lights shine before men so that they will see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).  And we talked about James 1:22 - But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. We talked about how, just like the Israelites had to apply the blood to their doorposts, so we have to apply God's Word to our lives.  Knowing what it says is not enough.

 ...

Father God, what a good God you are!  You are so gentle and kind and You speak words of truth to my heart.  Thank you so much for loving me and guiding me and keeping me! 

Please help me to hear Your word and to apply it.  I'm afraid that more often than not I delude myself ... I have much knoweldge, but I am not applying it!   Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, Lord help me apply your truth to my heart and my life.  Father, help me to let my light shine before men, especially my children.  I want them to see Jesus in me and to praise You. 

Please help me to be who you have called me to be!  I need your power and I need your grace to make it today.

I hate love it when the Lord hits me over the head with a 2x4 speaks to me like He did yesterday. We were in the middle of disciplining our daughter and He so gently spoke to me about my own sin in this area ...

My daughter has had a real problem lately with being argumentative. I don't know if it's the female in her or the me in her (I'm pretty argumentative myself!!), but it has really begun to get on my last nerve!

My husband and I are trying to cultivate her heart into good soil, so we feel it's important to pray about how to handle each and every situation. In my humble opinion parenting cannot be effectively done with a formula, and surely it cannot be effectively done in the flesh ... it must be done by faith. So after praying about it, yesterday my husband and I decided it was time to sit down and have a serious talk about arguing and the consequences of that behavior.

I pulled out the trusty "For Instruction in Righteousness" (I love this resource ... it makes my job a little bit easier). I began to pore over the section on arguing/contention. I prayed and asked the Lord what I should hit on. He gave me some very interesting Scriptures, to say the least.

We called our daughter in to sit down and tell her that we needed to talk to her about the arguing. We then proceeded to talk about the following:

What is the definition of argue? (just a little background on the word here ... I didn't get into the etymology of the word with her!) ...

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary says:

Main Entry: ar·gue
Pronunciation: 'är-(")gyü
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): ar·gued; ar·gu·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French arguer to reprove, argue & Latin arguere to demonstrate, prove; Anglo-French arguer, from Latin argutare to prate, frequentative of arguere; akin to Hittite arkuwai- to plead, respond

intransitive verb
1 : to give reasons for or against something
2 : to contend or disagree in words

transitive verb
1 : to give evidence of
2 : to consider the pros and cons of
3 : to prove or try to prove by giving reasons
4 : to persuade by giving reasons

So then, in terms that she could understand (and for the purposes of our discussion) we told her that arguing is saying "I'm right and you're wrong and this is why". Okay, so she got that :) ... moving on ...

We proceeded to talk about some key verses that the Lord led us to hit on with her:

We talked about strife ... it's a conflict, a struggle, a fight.

Proverbs 29:22
An angry man stirs up strife,
And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. NASB

Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
But the slow to anger calms a dispute. NASB

Proverbs 3:30
Do not contend with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm. NASB

With that last verse we talked about how she needs to think, "Is this worth arguing/fighting over?".

The next verse she did not like to her because she really does not want to be a fool:

Proverbs 20:3
Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man,
But any fool will quarrel. NASB

Okay, so ... how did the Lord speak to me? Well ... moving on ...

We then talked about

Proverbs 21:19
Better to dwell in the wilderness,
Than with a contentious and angry woman. NKJV

and

Proverbs 21:9
It is better to live in a corner of a roof
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. NASB

oooooooooooooooooooo .... ouch! I see myself in these verses ... contentious, argumentative, even angry sometimes ... not in a way that the world would consider (I do appear to be rather submissive), but I know I am contentious in the way that God considers.

It was hard to talk about these verse with my daughter and my husband present. He never said anything, but I wondered what he thought as I talked. I thought, "I need to heed this myself! I don't want to be a wife that my husband doesn't want to be around ... that he would rather be outside on a corner ofthe roof than inside with me!"

Father God, help me to be kind and gentle, help me to be the wife you would have me to be!

But I just read a great article about parenting ... Adaptive Parenting :)

Read it and be blessed!!

~Heather

are the Lord's ways. 

As I held my baby tonight and fed her and rocked to sleep, my heart was filled with praise for My Precious Heavenly Father.  He has taught me what seems like a lifetime's worth of wisdom and understanding through my sweet 5 1/2 month old!

The Lord has taught me ...

about my priorites ... it all began with my morning sickness - What is Wrong With Me???

about My Mission of Motherhood and to stay focused on that, to not turn to the left or the right ... that I have a High Calling

about the need for good soil (hence the title of this blog), and that There Must Be Hoeing if the Sowing is to Result in Growing

about the further need for organization and correct priorities in my life in order to have Heather's House of Harmony (and not to have Heather's House of Hostility and Hullabaloo!) and to answer "No" to the question, "Did Your Laundry Double?"

that there is no such thing as a perfect mom!

that I need to cultivate my inner beauty ... more priority setting here!

Hmmmmm ... looks like a theme over the past year doesn't it - PRIORITIES!

As I rocked my sweet 5 1/2 month old I worshipped our wonderful God and praised His name because His ways are wonderful and I know that full well!

Be blessed tonight!

~Heather

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

I am really struggling right now with this.  My ENTIRE life since becoming a teenager has been all about my appearance!  I am seeing now how much in bondage I truly have been to beauty.  I remember buying tons of magazines when I was a teen … Elle, Vogue, etc. … I would go through the magazines and cut out the famous models and put them on my wall.  Why?  Because I aspired to their beauty.  I even tried to become a model, but my Dad (bless his soul) would have no part of that … too many TV movies in the ‘80’s about girls getting into the wrong things as a result of pursuing modeling.  I did do beauty pageants and I really had tons of fun with those.  But, alas, they were all about appearance.

As I am getting older I am realizing just how worldly I have become.  As a teenager and young adult I considered my worth (and, I’m ashamed to say, the worth of others) solely on outward appearance.  Since having babies my body has become more than it once was!  And lately, as I become more engrossed in taking care of my family and in being the best mama and wife I can be, I have “let me appearance go”.  Now, mind you, what that means is this:  I don’t get up every morning and wash my hair and straighten it and finish it “just so”.  I have been getting up every morning and taking a shower and every other day (sometimes longer) I wash it and let it dry completely on it’s own … without even combing it (it looks better that way actually).  The result is less-than-perfect hair … gasp!  I have always taken pride in my hair … ahhhhh … there is the problem!  Pride …

My dear husband, bless his sweet heart, has never ever once made me feel anything less than fully loved by him at any time.  It’s not his fault … it’s my own bondage to worldly beauty that is at fault here.  Yesterday I spent the entire day taking care of my baby, homeschooling my oldest daughter, buying groceries, making baby food and cooking dinner.  I wasn’t particularly concerned about how I looked, quite frankly.  I’m sure my makeup was fading and my clothes weren’t the most attractive, but we had a really good day and my husband arrived to a happy & fulfilled wife and a peaceful home … and this is what he desires most of all.

I am having to take many thoughts captive these days and hide God’s Word in my heart …

Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands

1 Peter 3:3-5

or as The Message puts it:

What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands.

Cultivate … what does that mean exactly?  Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary says that it means “to foster the growth of, to improve by labor, care and study, to further, to encourage”.  As I am learning more and more about gardening, I am learning more and more about what real and good cultivation is.  Unfortunately, it’s not really what the “world” says that it is.  Big farms and agri-business and even most agricultural schools will point you in the wrong direction if you go looking for answers from them.  They think that good cultivation seeks to create the perfect looking product.  But that “perfect” product is lacking in what it was designed by God to produce … nutrients!  So, let’s break it down even further … what are nutrients?  Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary says that nutrients are substances that nourish … that  promote growth, that nurture.  Hmmmm … interesting.  The world also tells us that as women being worthy hinges on how you look outwardly.  But focusing on looking perfect on the outside means something suffers, and apparently the Lord knows that inner beauty is what loses (see 1 Peter 3). 

If you’ve read any of my blog for any time now you would remember what the Lord has been doing in my heart over the past year with regards to my priorities, especially my parenting.  I was not the most nurturing mama, I did not promote the most growth within my daughter, I was not focusing on my inner beauty.  I am ashamed to say that I did pour an awful lot of time and thought into cultivating my outer beauty and what people thought of me.  But over the past year the Lord has done a tremendous work and completely changed my life, and that of my family, by teaching me how to be a truly good mama and a truly good wife.  I find it interesting that the Good Lord is now leading me to get rid of this ugliness in my heart … and this is just furthering my inner beauty. 

I hope this is all making sense.  This has just blessed me tonight .. the Lord uses my fascination with breaking things down to their root level to show me things I have never seen before!  I love Him! 

Blessings!

~Heather

p.s. please do not misunderstand what I am saying … I am simply talking about priorities here

yes, I did ... I cried at the very end of the story "Gideon's Gift" in the very last lesson of Reading Made Easy. 

My daughter just looked at me funny. 

Why did I cry?  Well, it's such a sweet story and I love how it's written and the ending.  But also because now my baby can read and she's getting so big!  God give me the grace I need as she grows!!

Blessings to all!

~Heather

 to my sweet oldest daughter!!!!    ... and Happy Cinco de Mayo too!

She is our little flower ... delicate, beautiful, blossoming, and in need of tender loving care and careful cultivation!

She is 6 today .... my how time flies!  She's getting so big, but yesterday as she stood next to her 10 1/2 year-old cousin I realized how much she is still a little girl . 

She chose a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta for her party theme.  She didn't want a big party, though.  Just family ... how sweet! 

So here is what we're doing (oh, and for more great info and activities on Cinco de Mayo check out Annie's Cinco de Mayo page) .......

Appetizer/snack: chips and salsa (how easy is that?) 

Dinner: tacos (again, how easy is that?)

Decorations: making tissue paper flowers, mexican sombreros and fiesta table decorations; we'll also make some papel picado banners to hang around the house.

Activities: DD insists on having a pinata and so my husband said, "Why not?!" ... this should be funny ... all the adults trying to smash a pinata!

I hope everyone has a great day!

Happy Cinco de mayo!

Blessings!

~Heather

I have been concerned for a while now about the amount of time we, as a family, spend watching TV and messing around on the computer.  Well, I recently picked up and finished (it has taken me a while to finish ... I do have a baby after all and that's my excuse!) Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson (***HIGHLY*** recommended by the way).  In the final chapters of the book Clarkson writes about protective discipline.  He walks about protecting against unhealthy appetites and unhealthy media.  In those chapters he wrote about a time when his wife, Sally Clarkson, sat down with their children and presented pictures similar to the following...

She then explained the difference between the two pictures in terms of life and how we spend our time.

So yesterday I decided to make the above picture and printed it out.  I then asked our daughter which one she liked better.  Of course, it's no surprise, she picked Renior's Irene Cahen d'Anvers over mom's stick figure.  I then proceeded to explain to her that the beautiful picture of the girl represents life spent playing outside, doing arts and crafts, reading books, listening to music and such.  The stick figure represents life spent on the computer and watching TV.  I explained that we want her life to richer, more beautiful, more colorful, more interesting ... like the painting of the girl.  She TOTALLY got it!    And I thought it was a great lesson for her.

So ... here's what we have done.  She had tickets that she earned ... up to 6 a day that were for 30 minutes of TV or computer time ... EEK!  I can't believe I was allowing her so much time!!  I changed the tickets to 15 minutes each and she can only earn 4 a day.  That is a total of one hour.  Much better! 

This week is National TV-Turnoff Week.  We haven't had the TV on all day!  It's been wonderful!  But why is it that I feel such a pull to turn it on and I have to stop myself?  I also decided that I am not allowed on the computer AT ALL during the day until after my daughter are in bed asleep for the night.  So today was my first day of not getting on the computer when I woke up.  AMAZING ... again ... the pull to come in here and sit down at the computer!  It's addictive!  I hate that!  My husband said that I either stick with this or the computer goes!  He loves me like that ... he knows what's best for me and our family. 

I posted the picture that I made above on my bulletin board next to my desk and computer.  It's a great reminder of how I want my life ... my family's life ... to be.

So signing off now ... see you later tomorrow night ...

~Heather

31 Ways to Pray for Your Children

by Bob Hostetler

For years, like any responsible Christian parent, I prayed daily for my two children, Aubrey and Aaron. I prayed for God's blessing and protection throughout their days. I prayed for them to be happy. I asked God to help them through difficult times and to help them make wise choices. My prayers were regular, heartfelt, and--for the most part--pedestrian and repetitive.

I wanted more than that, however. I wanted so much for my children, but when I knelt in prayer, I invariably found the same tired words rolling from my lips, like an adult whose table grace never progressed beyond "God is great, God is good, now we thank him for this food..."

Then one day, Nancy, our pastor's wife, shared a testimony during a morning worship service that changed this parent's prayer life. She told how her concern that her children develop strong Christian morals and the fruits of the Spirit had prompted her to develop a unique prayer list, that included reminders to pray for her children's salvation and growth in grace, as well as other concerns (such as that they would "be leaders, not followers").

That day I decided to follow Nancy's example, and develop a "parent's prayer program" of my own, a simple practice that has revolutionized the way I pray for my children. Each day of the month, in addition to my prayers for their safety and for the concerns of that day, I also pray for a specific character trait, virtue, or fruit of the Spirit to be planted and nurtured in my children, through my efforts (and my wife's), through the influence of others, and through Aubrey and Aaron's own actions and decisions. At the end of each month, I begin praying through the list again, combining traits when the month is shorter than thirty-one days.

Following is the list I have developed, complete with brief suggestions for prayer from Scripture. Feel free to duplicate it--or improve upon it--to help you pray specifically and purposefully for your children to experience and evidence:

1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 self-control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

After several weeks of praying through the above list for my children, I discovered an additional benefit to my prayer program; as I prayed with my children each night, the Lord brought to mind the subject I'd prayed for that morning, and I would repeat my request in Aubrey and Aaron's hearing. Before long, they began to echo my praying, and pour out their own hearts in prayer for the very virtues and qualities I desired to see in them. Thus, my simple prayer program not only changed how I prayed, but also how my children pray. . . and, by God's grace, how they live as well.

I plan on trying this ... I found the link to this on Tim Kimmel's website - Family Matters

This year we've decided to make resurrection baskets.  Our youngest daughter is only 4 months old, so we just got her things she needs and might like to play with (but we did find a lamb teether!).  But for our oldest daughter, who will be 6 in May, we made a resurrection basket.  This is what we did:

We filled it with the following items (these are the things I found at midnight last night in Wal-Mart ... it's the only time I can get away...) and each item has a tag tied to it that has a message and a Bible verse from her NIrV.

• A plush, bendable, shapable flower -

Grow in God’s grace

^{2 Peter 2:18}  Grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Get to know him better. Give him glory both now and forever. Amen.

• A butterfly stake for her flower garden -

God amazes me!  I love how His timing is so perfect.  Last week my daughter and I planted our first garden(s).  We have been planning them for a few weeks ... reading up on just what would be best to plant ... well, I have been - my daughter just wanted to plant what she thought was pretty .  We carefully selected the soil amendments and the seeds and planted them just so.  And every day we have been diligently watering and watching.

Well, this morning I noticed our first signs of life in the Romaine Lettuce and Broccoli squares!!  And I saw the first sprout in my daughter's flower garden as well (can't remember the flower type off the top of my head right now).

All our preparation and cultivating and watering and care has led the seeds to sprout and grow!  And although we are doing our part, only the Lord God can make them sprout and grow.

So, how does all this amaze me about God (other than the obvious)?  Well, just last week our daughter accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior ... she told Him she was sorry for her sin and asked Jesus into her heart.  So sweet!  And this just the day after we planted our gardens.  In this week that has passed since she asked Jesus into her heart I have seen TREMENDOUS growth!!!  I see her convicted by the Holy Spirit and responding to that conviction.  I see her devouring the Word of God on a daily basis.  I see her confessing her sin to me and to the Lord and going to Him in prayer.  The seed we have planted has sprouted and it is growing!!!  Praise God for His mercy and His grace!!

 ... she is our little flower!

Good night and Blessings to you!

~Heather

The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.

Jill Churchill, O Magazine, May 2003

My sweet mom sent this to me in a card this week and I put it up on the fridge.  She knows I have been struggling with feelings of inadequacy these days.  What a blessing she is and what a blessing this statement is to me right now ... I just wanted to share it in case someone might be struggling with the same ...

Blessings!!

This is what my SIL asked me a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about life with the new baby.  Honestly I have to say that running our home is easier now.  Doesn't that sound funny?  So my answer to my SIL was "no".  Homeschooling our DD and taking care of our baby and taking care of my DH and running the home seems easier now ... why is that?

The Lord has done such a good work in me over the past year helping me to "number my days" ... what a good God I serve!  Psalm 90:12 says "So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom" (NKJV) and I really had no idea of my need for Him to teach me how to number my days!  How sad is that?  I've read and heard that verse a thousand times, and yet I never saw my own need. 

So now here I am ... learning how to number my days aright.  Priorities ... I have learned that mine were so out of whack!  Merriam-Webster's Dictionary: 

priority

Main Entry pri·or·i·ty
Pronunciation: prI-'or-&-tE, -'är-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 a (1) : the quality or state of being prior (2) : precedence in date or position of publication -- used of taxa b (1) : superiority in rank, position, or privilege (2) : legal precedence in exercise of rights over the same subject matter
2 : a preferential rating; especially : one that allocates rights to goods and services usually in limited supply priority>
3 : something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives

I realized that my family and our home was not taking precendence, they were not superior in rank ... they were really taking a backseat to what I wanted ... freetime for me, my hobbies, the TV and the computer  ...

And my family was suffering for it ... you can read a bit about the trnasformation from Heather's House of Hullaballoo and Hostility to Heather's House of Harmony here ... basically once I got my priorities in line correctly life has been so much easier!!

What does all that have to do with the laundry?  Well, once I got my priorities in line, now I easily get the things done that need to get done (i.e. priorities!).  It's not that things like laundry and dishes take priority, it's that things like TV and computer are at the bottom of the list, so I am able to focus on taking care of US!

This is my brain ...

This is my brain on disorganization ...  ... is that a word?

This is my brain on organization ...

Any questions?

Okay ... I have learned A LOT about myself and the joys of organization over the past few weeks since having our baby in December.  Want to know what I have learned and implemented that has made Heather's House of Hostility and Hullabaloo transform into Heather's House of Harmony???  Of course you do!  Why would you read this far otherwise?! 

I will write this really quickly because I hear my dear little one ....

Okay .... here ya go:

1.  I am not allowed on the computer while my children are awake (translated - from about 7 a.m. to about 10 p.m. the computer is off limits!!!)

2. I do a load of laundry every day ... it's AMAZING how much this helps!!!  Even if it's a just afew things, I do all the laundry.  Yes, I just discovered this after years of being told this truth by my mom!

3. I make sure the dishes are done every night and the sink is cleaned out (FlyLady would be so proud!)

4. On Sunday afternoon I get EVERYTHING I need together for the week and put it into an expandable file folder.  All worksheets, coloring pages, any printouts I need, all extra stuff, even the stuff for our lapbooks.  I put all books and supplies on our school table ready for the week.

5. I relax, chill out, calm down and loosen up .... so what if we get interrupted during our lessons by the baby?  So what if every single lesson doesn't get done today - we'll do it tomorrow ... 

6.  I have learned how to say NO to just about everything that isn't family or school related.  I have had to impose the limit upon myself and it has helped tremendously

What is most important? RELATIONSHIPS!  With my husband and children....  Everything else can wait .... but for me, I am much less tense when the things above are in place.  Less tension = better relationships = Heather's House of Harmony

editing to add .....

Okay, the girls are asleep so here's the rest of the story ... these are some more practical things I do ...

I also

a) get myself ready before getting anyone else ready when we are going out (a great lesson I learned from my mom when I had my first baby!)

b) give myself at least an extra hour to get ready now that we we have another baby

c) on Saturday night I get everything ready for Sunday morning (yes, so simple and I've heard a thousand times to do this, but who knew?!) ... this is especially important being post-partum and still carrying some baby weight and wondering what in the world you are going to wear!

d) something great I have discovered - 30 MINUTE MEALS ... a la Rachael Ray!  YUMM-O! 

e) I use a Kozy Carrier a lot (Hotslings are gerat, but my DD just doesn't like it)

f)  I take a few minutes every day and declutter or clean a room ... it only takes a few minutes ... once again, FlyLady would be proud!

Okay ... so that's the new and improved me! 

I do read my friends' blogs everyday ... sorry I haven't been commenting ... it's all I can do right now just to read them.  Grace is doing well and we are adjusting again after her having a tummy bug ...