A Good Description...

This is just so good...I can completely relate. From XBOX WIFE. This is Mrs Brownstone's description:

Between being a housekeeper, a cook, a chauffeur, a washer woman, a tailor, a nanny, a teacher, a tutor, a secretary, a gopher, a banker, a nurse, a wife, a lover, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, an aunt, a friend, a provider, a volunteer, a church helper, a prayer warrior, a cheerleader, a psychologist, an organizer, and a social activities director...I don't have time for a paying job!

Blog Pass Alongs...

I figure since my blogs have not been as meaty as I would like lately (all photos and fun), I would pass along some other blog reads that I've been enjoying recently. There are many blog friends that I have that consistently put out thoughtful posts. I just don't have it in me to be that deep all the time, but I do find myself reading and thinking..."man...I should pass this along".

So here are my bloggy "pass-alongs" for today. Be blessed, inspired, and encouraged!

Rachel over at Home Sanctuary never ceases to amaze me in how focused she is with her blog. The title and the theme is consistently addressed in her posts. I can count on going over to her spot and knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that I will be encouraged on my journey to making my home a sanctuary for my husband, my kids, and for myself. Recently, she has blessed my socks off by writing about Loving My Regular Guy and encouraging me to see my husband for who is his and to love him completely and unconditionally just the way he is. She has also made me think a little more about how I take care of myself and to think twice about getting lazy when I'm tempted to let things go. And how many times, as a wife and mother have I said this, "But what about me?". Rachel eloquently addresses the feeling I think everyone has asked at some point and time.

Lindsey at Enjoy the Journey is a favorite read of mine too. She is on the journey...literally, and her blog runs the gammut of subject matter paralleling the places she goes, the people she sees, and the things that she does. I love her randomness 'cuz you never know what you are going to read about. She makes me feel validated in sharing just whatever I happen to feel like sharing on any given day. Lindsey, unlike me however, has mastered the art of tackling an issue that she feels worthy of discussion and sticking with that topic until she's covered it in full. One of those issues has been food...what we eat, the way we eat, and how we should be eating. If you ever wondered, why we should make healthy choices and what kind of choices are the better ones, read the following posts from Lindsey to get a bird's eye few into what she has learned on her journey to better health. Much of what she posts, I concur with. In fact, I have been shocked at how similar her journey is to my own. So glad she has posted in detail...it means I don't have too!

Part I - Why I'm doing this
Part II - The COST of being CHEAP
Part 3a: Practical tips for saving money on GOOD food
Part 3b: Practical tips for saving money on GOOD food
Part 4: Let's talk about the milk, okay?
Part 5: Another reason to go local for your food
Part 6: Let's talk about HFCS

Lindsey has even added more parts than I am caught up on reading. You can click HERE and look at all of her posts in this category. I don't think she's finished yet....

OK...and here's my last "pass-along" for the day. I have Kendra of Preschooler's and Peace on my daily blog reads too. I've referenced her before. If you are a wife and mother in need a little bit of perspective about the responsibilities that come with your job description, first read THIS and then read THIS.

I hope one of these posts blesses you today. Enjoy your Sabbath! Be sure and rest and then make sure someone you love knows it....

Another Read Worth Mentioning

I posted a couple of days ago about some great reads that I thought were worthy of mention. Here's one more I forgot about.

For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men, by Shaunti Feldhahn, is truly an eye opening book that helps women understand men. It's not a book with a blatant Christian message; it's more like a facts and figures book that shows a woman how many men think and feel - pure information.

Ms. Feldhahn collected much of this data while doing research for a novel she was writing. She wanted to make the male character of her book believable and interviewed hundreds of men to make sure that he was. During her research, she discovered that there were many parallels among men and the way they thought and felt. She further investigated and decided that this was information that most women just didn't "get" and could benefit from understanding better.

I read this book in one day. It was riveting and eye opening. It helped me not only with understanding my husband better but also helped me in understanding my boys. It prompted many good conversations with my husband that allowed me to get a good look at what he thought and why he thought.

I highly recommend!

Six Years...

This weekend, my husband and I celebrated six years of marriage. I am very thankful to be married to a man who is so selfless and who is patient with me as I learn to be.

Here is our engagement photo...

His birthday gift from the end of last year was corrective eye surgery but we couldn't schedule it until this weekend so...our anniversary has been carefully planned to be in our room mostly, relaxing, sleeping, and talking while he rests his eyes. Kiddos are home but being cared for in shifts by Granny, Sister, & Antie. It is so very nice to be able to "kick it" at the house with one another. It's been like vacation at home. Our anniversary was actually Saturday but we've been lazing around for three days. Can someone say W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.

It's so rare that we just do nothing. I'm grateful for this time, for my marriage, and for my very own personal "gentle giant".

Getting the Plank Out...

God has really been dealing with me about being self-righteous. There...I said it. Yup...I am self-righteous. It's almost a relief to admit it.

I regularly look down upon other members of my household for all the stuff I do versus all the stuff they don't. I trump up in my head all of the good that comes from the work of my hands and how it is so sad that the brunt of the work falls on me.

Blame is the name of the game. It actually comes second nature. If my plans do not go off without a hitch, it's someone else's fault. If I find myself looking for a dish in the kitchen that has seemingly disappeared, someone else must of have broken it and not replaced it. If I have worked hard cleaning and the next day things are helter/skelter again, then other people around this house must have messed things up. If anything is out of place, figure out who the culprit is and NAIL 'EM.

A few days ago, I was searching high and low for my 24 hour fitness card. I remembered clearly the last time I had it and knew...just knew...I had put it in it's place. I was intent on finding it b/c after three visits to the gym w/o it, I'd be forced to buy another one.

I figured that someone else must have moved it, or that it had been mistakenly swept out of place by someone in their carelessness. I just KNEW that I put it in it's place.

Around this same time, my husband was looking for his phone charger. He searched high and low. No charger. He asked me multiple times if I had seen it. No, I hadn't. In my head I was wondering, why couldn't he keep up with his stuff and put it in it's place?

Digging in my purse, looking for my membership card, guess what I found....you guess it...his charger. Not 10 seconds later, guess what else I found...my membership card, tucked behind some papers on my desk...completely NOT in it's place.

it was almost like the Lord was saying to me...."see when you become aware of your own error, and admit your wrong doing, then I am free bless you".

The Lord has been dealing with me HARD on this issue of self-righteousness. He is asking me to be willing to be humble. He is also asking me to be willing to view others the way HE sees them and to treat others the way I want to be treated.

So my prayer this week is "Lord, help me see others with your eyes and reach out to them with your hands".

I do not want to be a older, bitter woman b/c I spent years and years counting up the failures of others around me and storing up nothing but criticism, sarcasm, and unforgiveness. I can't give up on people...especially the ones I love...Jesus didn't give up on me. My job as a mom and a wife does require a lot of sacrifice and selflessness. This is a fact. But so did Jesus' job of being my Savior.

OK...this was a bit of a ramble but I just had to get this out.