Scripture Picture: Jeremiah 29:11

What I Know For Sure... One

• Everyday brings a chance to start over.
• Life - it goes on.
• Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. I admit it.
• The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
• I am loved unconditionally by my Savior, my husband and my children.
• I never stop myself from doing something because I'm afraid of what people might think... Okay, yes I do - But I need to stop!

• I like salty and sweet. Like Dark chocolate caramel with sea salt. oh.my.word.
• I forgive easily, but I never forget.ever.
• I may cry, but it's not because I'm weak.
• Potato skins will clog the garbage disposal. every time.
• I prefer being at home to going out - unless it's with my family. 
• Take this moment. Enjoy it.

• I can't stand bullies.
• I am a loyal friend and believe in life-long relationships.
• I will not let others write my life script - ever again.
• Crayons (Crayola brand) make me happy.
• Coffee is essential to life.
• I am enough. Enough.
• Everyone deserves to be safe.

I was obviously inspired to do this page by a page I saw in O (Oprah) Magazine.  She has this section, I believe, in each monthly issue.  I have always kept a list of thoughts and quotes that I've agreed on or thought were a revelation that I wanted to remember.  I transferred them to these two pages and decided that I'd like to do this regularly.  I chose just some of the ones I've written in my journals and I'm saving the rest for another time.

Supplies: 

Gesso - covered both pages with gesso to give it some "tooth" and thickness.

Acrylic spray - I put some acrylic craft paint mixed with a bit of water in a spray bottle (travel size found at 99cent store), sprayed the background.

Magazine - torn out words, quotes and pictures

Rubber stamp - swirls for border

Black Staz On Ink - my favorite ink. Water proof and permanent

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Walnut stain color for edging

Black and White Faber Castel Gelato crayons - for shading - can be used dry or like water colors

Green fine tip Sharpie Marker - Journaling

hello monday|eighteen

hello monday! You wait for no one.  *sigh*

 hello monday mugshots.  This is my favorite mug these days and the other belongs to my guy.

He's always my Monday morning coffee date. My sister, Esther, bought this mug for him when she was visiting and he won't use any other mug.  

hello coffee with sugar-free french vanilla creamer. You are so needed today.

 hello piles of laundry to be folded. We had an issue with our dryer, but it's all fixed now, thanks to my amazing Marco and YouTube how-to videos. =)  Just a little backed up on folding, but that'll be caught up today!

hello faithful friend. Our dog Oso. He's a mix of Jack Russell and Chihuahua. We've had him since he was a puppy - about 6 years. This is his favorite place to hang out and that's at Marco's feet whether he's watching t.v. or working in his office.

hello senior pictures.  We drove down to Oceanside and La Jolla for a session with Digilife Photography.

I was able to capture a bunch of shots from the sidelines.  The little ones got to play while Hannah was busy posing.

 Ah. This girl. I love her so much.

 She's a little bit of me and a little bit of Marco and a whole lot of something special. 

I love that she's not afraid to be herself.

 hello to new decisions.

hello being honest about my feelings.

hello to the unknown...

This is my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  No matter what we are doing or where we are, we are first and foremost - FAMILY.

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

~~Winston Churchill

hello monday|seventeen

hello triple digit temperatures! Looks like the warm weather is here to stay. Got over 100* this weekend.  My husband promised the kids he'd "hose them off" and he kept true to his word. They had a blast.  We sure do miss having a pool.  It's been a couple years, but we still talk about how awesome it was while we had it.

hello first time dentist visit - this would be for my little guy. We are hoping he gets a good report.
hello birthday dinner - We are looking forward to a birthday dinner for my father-in-law this Friday. I have been blessed with wonderful in-laws and love getting together with them when we can.
hello senior pictures - We are headed to the beach this weekend for Hannah's Senior pictures. The family is looking forward to playing and enjoying the beach while she gets her picture taken. It means that announcements will be sent out shortly after!

hello family fitness - We've made a decision to really get moving this summer.  Hannah will be attending school nearby and it will start this summer. She will also be playing summer water polo for the college. The two youngers will be attending swim camp and Taryn will hopefully be playing some volleyball.  We plan on getting out more and MOVING and being ACTIVE.  I am excited about this and really hope we can stick to it!!

hello paleo eating- It's high time we start meeting up again! I was doing so well until sometime around November.  I let "life" and stress dictate what and how I ate and it's time I reclaim that control. It may be slow getting started, but once I'm in - I know I can do it.

hello RLS - why do you have to haunt me?  Hoping the improvement on my eating and exercise will help relieve some stress and in turn relieve some of the RLS.   

hello monday mugshots.   This is how I've got my washi tape and baker's twine sorted.  I got these lovely dishes from a friend in Pennsylvania.  I love them and use them for all sorts of things!  In my mug today is Lipton's Vanilla Caramel Truffle tea.  It's one of my favorites.

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”  ~~Jim Rohn

Scripture Picture: Psalm 32:7

hello monday|sixteen

hello rain. As I was shutting the sliding glass door last night, I thought, "Hmmm. It smells like rain is coming." and it made me smile. For the most part, I love rain.  I think it's because I am from Washington state and also because we don't get it too often here in the Inland Empire of Southern California!

When I woke up, I could see that it did indeed rain during the night and probably early morning.  Is there more to come?  I hope so!

hello swim banquet planning. I am helping out with the planning of the banquet and am a little nervous about making things look just right for the team. They had such an awesome year.  The girls got Second Place at the League Finals, while our boys finished in First Place.  They have the CIF championships and that is it for the school year!  I know they will do well!

hello signs of spring.  You are all around me, but I know I have to really look for you sometimes!  One of my disappointments in living in Southern California is that I miss the definite changing of the seasons. Little buds like this go unnoticed if you are rushing here and there, but learning to slow down and look for them has helped me to MINIMIZE in so many ways.
hello mother's day. I was just looking at my pictures and started a file titled MAY 2013 when I noticed May 2012 right next to it. I clicked on it and opened the folder.  WOW. So much has happened in just one year. It really made me stop and think about it all.
I will be trying to get a card or gift in the mail before Wednesday for my mother who lives in Washington.  Not an easy task for me - it gives me some stress, to be honest.  Getting it to the post office won't be the hard part.  Deciding what to give her... That's another story. *sigh*
hello personal decisions.  Time to push the RESET button and get some focus!  Many areas that I am working on and planning with purpose!

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Come away with me...

After two months of feeling like I was running myself ragged, I woke up yesterday and decided that I would take it slow. No matter what.  Those of you that know me best, know that this was not an easy decision for me.  There is always so much that I could be doing.

I know that it's not good to feel like I can't relax or shouldn't take some down time.  I sometimes joke that it's a "sickness"... but now I'm thinking that it really is.
I was brought up with the idea that if you were ever sitting around or sleeping in or whatever - you were lazy. In college, many of my roommates would insist on their nap time.  It was detrimental that they have this time of re-charging.  I didn't think it was a bad idea and even envied them a little because, to be honest, I didn't even feel like I knew how to take a nap.  I'd lay there with my mind all a buzz thinking about what I had accomplished or needed to accomplish.  Then the feelings of guilt would start to set in.  Feelings that I would appear lazy, irresponsible or weak for laying there IN BROAD DAY LIGHT. haha. Sounds ridiculous now.

What on earth?  I have carried this feeling into my adult life. Even after having a cesarean section with my first born and losing enough blood to need a transfusion, I felt I better get up after the anesthesia wore off to take a shower and make my self presentable in case someone should stop by for a visit.  

Writing it out makes me feel sad, because I am seeing even more how awful it is.  I would never allow a friend of mine to think that way, but here it is and I am living like this.  I remember reading a comment my sister made in a Bible study group that we were both in where she mentioned that she always has "leisure time".  I can't remember anything else she said, but that part about struck me dumb.  I can't even imagine having spare time like that...

Well, on top of it all, these last two months just seem to really catch up with me.  Physically I have been sick, emotionally I have not been well, and spiritually I have even been feeling a little depressed.  But no time to think about that! Busy, busy. So much going on with a Senior in high school and all the end of the year events.  Then there are three others that are in school and going in different ways, church, life, work... *sigh*

So yesterday morning, I woke up.  I went downstairs to make omelets for Marco and Naomi - her request since she has CST testing this week and needs the extra protein boost. As I am cooking, I am whispering a prayer.  My heart is heavy and I don't even know why.  I just stop what I'm doing and I say right out loud, "LORD, I need you."  I decide that I am going to have a special talk with Him after I drop the kids off for school.

I drove to a nearby park and brought my tea (we were out of coffee creamer) and my camera and I walk. I decide that I will take it slow.  I will not rush home to laundry. I will not think about all the things I could be or should be doing.  I walk. I stop. I listen. I sit.  I realize that there is so much beauty right there at the park on this early morning. It is practically in my backyard.  How did I not ever know this? Oh yeah. No time.

 I discover beautifully painted houses, a huge memorial rose garden with benches and walking paths...

I sit for a while and I just look.  I take in the sweet scent of the flowers bright.  I realize I am crying and that I feel Him saying, "Just rest. Just sit and do nothing."  So I did. It was an actual battle for me 'cause I kept thinking that I better get going.  But I sat.

I think I was praying, but I don't even know for what.  You know how sometimes you just need to cry and you don't even know why you're crying? Like you are so tired and you have just had enough and everything is just achy?  Yeah.  That. I finally let myself feel that.  I can't believe I am even telling you.  That's another issues I'm dealing with...being transparent here again.  I didn't feel like my own blog was a safe zone for me anymore, but I don't care.  I'm going to make it my safe zone. I need to do this.

I began to think about verses I'd learned in the past about resting in Him.   Verses like 1 Peter 5:7 that tell us to cast our burdens on Him because He cares for us. Matthew 11:28 tells us who are weary and burdened to go to Him for rest...

But then I remember a verse in John 6.  I was studying the chapter a while back and remember that there was a verse that stuck out and almost made me laugh.  I had to look it up to remember it, but it was Mark 6:31 where it says:
"Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat."
Do you know why I laughed? Have you ever been so busy that you forget to eat?  I have!  Sure, I make up for it later (not always in the best way), but that's how busy I get and that's how busy they were.  They didn't even have a chance to eat.

But then Jesus, who always cares about our needs and knows them even when we don't, told them to come away with Him to a quiet place to eat and rest.  I know that it's what I needed to do.  I knew then that it's what I need to do.

I will still have a full schedule - of that I am sure - like these baby ducks that travel in a row with purpose, but I can make time for what is the most important thing.  Don't get me wrong. I have my "devotions" every day.  I get my Bible study in every day.  But do I really get alone with Him? There are too many distractions... Maybe I should come more often to this place that reminds me to "be still".

Oh, what a long-winded, but necessary post.  More for me - but maybe even for you.  I am glad that I took the time to look around, to observe, to be quiet, to listen because He had many gifts for me that morning and I am going to go back to look for more.

Happy May Day my friends. I pray that this month, you will also make time to get away to be alone with Him.  I can't wait to see what else He has in store for me.  He gave me rest yesterday and I can carry that into the rest of my week.  For that - I am thankful!