Tag Archives: Love

The Making of a Princess

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This weekend I had the opportunity to treat my daughter like a princess. We celebrated her half birthday by having a few of her friends over for a Princess Tea Party.

My fabulously, wonderful best friend offered her home (since ours is in packing and moving chaos) and helped with a lot of the planning and the work.

Dakota requested princesses, pink, purple and more pink.

There were fun little fruit cups and pumpkin bread shaped into flowers and castles.

Let us not forget the cupcakes.

The girls were super excited that they were able to use real tea cups and plates.

Dakota picked the place setting with the pink plate….of course.

As my daughter and her friends enjoyed eating their sandwiches, sipping their tea and playing beautiful princesses, I recalled how my daughter had twirled around in her new princess dress and told me how beautiful she looked.

I got to thinking about how every time she put on a beautiful dress or something “pretty” she claimed herself beautiful. Yet, I have never heard her exclaim that when she is just in her everyday clothes. I realized that I need to do a better job of reminding her that she is always beautiful. She does not need to put on an elegant dress or a pretty hairband in order to be beautiful.

My daughter is always beautiful. 

She is made in His image.

Because she is God’s princess, she is and always will be beautiful.
Even when she acts silly.

It is my job to make sure that she remembers she.is.beautiful.

You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.
~Song of Songs 4:7~

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Today I am linking up over at The Better Mom Monday Link-up.

The first time I met the last boy I would ever kiss

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I am linking up again this week with Mama Kat.

Mama’s Losin’ It

2.) Describe where you were when you met a boy.

I met Jon through my college roommate’s boyfriend. The two boys had been great friends since early middle school.

I first laid eyes on Jon in line at the grocery store waiting for my roommate (who happened to be of legal drinking age) to finish her purchases. It was my 20th birthday and I was having a party. Her boyfriend had decided he would invite Jon to my party and I would finally get to meet him.

There I was, standing in line with my roommate when she turned and said hi to someone. I turned to see who she was talking to and I first saw her boyfriend and then I saw Jon, standing right next to him.

I felt like they try to portray in movies. You know when everything else around you becomes fuzzy and you cannot see or hear anything else? Everything else just melted away and all I saw was Jon.

He had the goofiest smile with the cutest dimple ever, big ears (I do not know why, but I love a man with big ears; think Will Smith) standing there in a white t-shirt and jeans with his hands in his pockets. My heart immediately fluttered and went pitter-patter. I had never believed in love at first sight before, but from that moment on, I would never doubt it again.

That boy became the last man I would ever kiss. I ended up marrying that boy and I never looked back.

We just celebrated our twelfth anniversary last week. There are times when that day seems like yesterday and there are times when it feels like it is eons away. Either way, his goofy smile with those awesome dimples are forever etched in my memory.

He is always there in spite of the messes I create

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This was what I woke up to this morning. Two loads of laundry that had been neatly folded the night before were now lying around the living room, completely unfolded. And yes, that is my oldest son’s leg you see in the picture; he was playing computer and was completely oblivious to what his brother was doing.

While I was making lunches for the older two kids, Nolan decided he was going to make a mess of the piles of laundry. I am not exactly sure why. Maybe he just does not like to have things neatly folded. Maybe he started out wanting a shirt on the bottom of the pile and decided it was fun throwing around clothes and making a mess. All I know, is that in the morning rush of trying to get kids fed, dressed, lunches packed and push them out the door for school, I now had a massive mess that I needed to clean up.

By the time the older kids got on the bus this morning, I had 2 loads of laundry to fold, a potty-on-the-floor mess to clean up, a toddler whose clothes needed changed and I had not even had my morning coffee yet. Needless to say, I was very frazzled and I was about to have a mommy meltdown.

I got the toddler cleaned up, put in a movie for him and decided to make my coffee so I could sit down and take a breather before tackling the rest of the agenda.

As I sat there, I started wondering if this is how God feels when I keep repeating the same sins over and over. Does He get frustrated like this? Does He have a final straw? Does He get to the point that He is about to have a Daddy meltdown?

No he does not.

He stays calm. He keeps cool. He forgives. He continues to love.

He knows that just like Nolan, I am but a child. I have much to learn. I have many more mistakes to make. Just as I do with Nolan, He continues to guide me and discipline me through those mistakes so that I can continue to grow and mature.

God continues to always be there, even when I make big messes. He knows that as I grow, there will be precious moments like these.

I am weak but He is strong

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As I am sure you have noticed, I was absent last week. It was a particularly busy week. It was a very long week. It was an exhausting week; physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausting.

We have had some setbacks in trying to find a place to rent.

Jayden had an extremely difficult week.

I am trying to get some health issues answered.

I am trying to pack, sell stuff, get rid of stuff and still provide for the daily needs in our home.

Life was looking quite difficult and very bleak last week.

And then I opened up my Jesus Calling Devotional by Sarah Young and this was the devotional for that day.

COME TO ME with empty hands and open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings. I know the depth and breadth of your neediness. Your life-path has been difficult, draining you of strength. Come to Me for nurture. Let Me fill you up with My Presence: I in you, and you in Me.
My Power flows most freely into weak ones aware of their need for Me. Faltering steps of dependence are not lack of faith; they are links to My Presence.

And then the children’s worship song, Jesus Loves me went through my head

Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Everyone to Him belongs
They are weak, but He is strong 

It took a children’s song to give me the reminder that while I am weak, my Father is strong.

While it was “just a children’s song” it takes us back to the simplicity of our faith. Sometimes, we need to get back to the basics, the simplicity, and remember that we are to have a child-like faith.

Why do I have to make it so complicated?

All God wants from me is my love and my trust.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Reading that devotional changed my whole outlook on the week. I had been trying to do it on my own. I needed to get on my knees and lay it at His feet. Because where I am very weak, He is always quite strong.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. 
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
~Isaiah 40: 29-31~

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Today I am linking up with Better Mom Monday’s!

Sing His Praises

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Earlier this week I had a really good time during my bible study. Really good.

Beth invites us to worship the Lord as David did in 2 Samuel 7. She invites us to sing out to the Lord; to worship Him through song. It didn’t matter what our voice sounds like and it really didn’t matter if the words were completely correct. What mattered was that we were to worship the Lord with our whole heart, to shout and sing to Him, to praise Him for all things.

The first song that came to mind was the children’s song Jesus Loves Me. You see, God continually has to remind me that He loves me No Matter What. Because I grew up in such a house of dysfunction, I often forget that I am loved unconditionally by my Heavenly Father. He loves me when I am good, He loves me when I am bad and He loves me when I am mediocre. He loves me always.

The second song that came out was Amazing Grace. That song is so true for me. I was a wretch who was saved by the grace and mercy of God. I once was blind, but now I see. Every day, I wake up blind until God gives me the ability to see the world through His eyes.

I sat there for a little while in silence after that. Just letting the Lord fill my heart. It is an amazing experience, one that cannot be described, when you feel the presence of the Lord right next to you; holding you and comforting you.

I had some chores I needed to get done, but I felt like I just wasn’t quite ready to get up. So I went to my iTunes and found the first song that I was prompted to listen to.

This was the song. It happens to be one of my very favorite Christian songs. Again, it is a reminder of God’s amazing love for me.