"Oh God, you are my God; early will I seek you: my soul is thirsty for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there isn't any water!"
Ok, I think I'm going to be real honest and transparent about what God's been working in my heart lately...don't judge me. Maybe it will help you in some way. I'll back up a little before I start the good stuff:)
Through some different circumstances that are too long to include in this post, I have realized that I want NOTHING more than to be a woman that exemplifies the nature of God. My ultimate heart's desire is for people to see God in me...His tenderness, His patience, His peace, His POWER, His grace, and His love for others. Seriously, this is what I want. Now, herein lies the problem. I'm not living it. Now you might say, "Yes you are. You are such a kind person," to which I would respond, "When was the last time you saw my heart." I can be such a snob in my mind sometimes. I don't know what makes it happen. It's like one minute I'm talking to someone and the next minute I'm wondering why I'm thinking that their ideas (actions, beliefs, words, etc.) are not as good as mine. Where does that come from??? Then I spend a good few minutes trying to talk to myself in my head while the other person is talking. The mental conversation goes something like this, "Get control of yourself Lesli. You are such a snob. You are not perfect, nor are you right all of the time." Even when I do this, I sometimes will still find myself thinking the same snobbish thoughts later that day/week/etc.
You can see my problem. I seriously want to radiate Christ, but my mind and heart are just not there yet. I've been praying about this for a while and here's what I think the Holy Spirit has shown me. I need my soul and my flesh to long and thirst for God, just as the ground thirsts for rain in drought. I can't just want this and then long for a better house or more land so I have have farm animals (another post for another day). I can't want to radiate God and then long for more time to spend with my kids. I can't want the Holy Spirit to speak through me all day and then long for material things. I need to LONG for God, for His word, and for the Holy Spirit's power in my life. Then and only then will I be able to kick out this snob that decides to live in me at times and radiate Christ to the world. So, it seems like a pretty big job, but last I checked, we serve a pretty big God! I'll let you know how it goes!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cloth Diapers
I am officially addicted...to cloth diapers. It started out as a "maybe I should try this" "if my mom could do it so can I" thing, and it has become something that I love. So this post is dedicated to cloth diapering. I think it's going to be a numbered list...maybe a "top ten reasons I like cloth diapers"...yes, I like that, so here goes!
10. They are bulky but sooo cute!
9. There are 4 different styles (that I know of) - fitteds, all in ones, all in twos, and pocket diapers. I love variety and having a differt type of diaper for different times. It keeps it interesting.
8. There are TONS of different brands. I like finding the ones I like the best. Once again there is good variety.
7. I have been introduced to a whole new group of people - the cloth diapering moms.
6. Poop in a cloth diaper isn't as bad as I expected it to be.
OK, I need to stop here for a minute. As a mom, you really learn to accept that poop is a part of your life. In just 2 1/2 years of parenting, I've had more poop touch my hands (arm, clothes, bottom of my foot, etc) than I ever really thought I would. I never really even considered that I would have to manage poop on such a regular basis, and that was with disposable diapers (with the first child). So here's the deal with poop in a cloth diaper.
A. When it's just breast milk poop (the yellow stuff) you don't do anything. Just put it in the diaper pail and wash as normal.
B. When it's poop that is solid, dump it in the potty. Put the diaper in the pail. No big deal.
C. When it's really soft poop that has squished everywhere, it gets a little more tricky. You have to get it off. They make this really cool gaget now called a diaper sprayer. Basically it is a miniature removalable shower head for your toilet. You hold the diaper over the toilet and spray the poop into the potty. Diaper in the pail...pretty easy. I, however, do not have a diaper sprayer. Therefore, I lay the diaper in the toilet, poop side down. I let it soak for a few minutes, then I hold on to the end of the diaper and flush. This pulls some of the poop off (this step may need to be repeated). Once I'm satisfied with the poop removal, I swish the diaper around in the toilet and squeeze it out. Yes, I am familiar with my child's poop. This calls for serious hand washing. It makes me feel a little better that my grandma told me that this was the way she cleaned off diapers too. I am not the first to have my hand in poop in the toilet. By the way, I used to be squemish about just touching clean toilet bowl water...those days are long gone:)
5. I like to see the cloth diapers hanging on the clothes line.
4. I feel pretty "green!" I like knowing that I'm not filling landfills.
3. I have gotten used to changing diapers a little more frequently and it makes me feel good that my baby's not sitting in pee for as long. (When I'm using a disposable, I make it last for as long as possible!)
2. I love the softness!!!
1. I DON'T HAVE TO SPEND $20 OF GROCERY MONEY EVERY OTHER WEEK ON A BOX OF DIAPERS!!!!!!!
So that's it. There's my top ten! If you're interested, let me know. I'll be glad to teach you what I've learned!
10. They are bulky but sooo cute!
9. There are 4 different styles (that I know of) - fitteds, all in ones, all in twos, and pocket diapers. I love variety and having a differt type of diaper for different times. It keeps it interesting.
8. There are TONS of different brands. I like finding the ones I like the best. Once again there is good variety.
7. I have been introduced to a whole new group of people - the cloth diapering moms.
6. Poop in a cloth diaper isn't as bad as I expected it to be.
OK, I need to stop here for a minute. As a mom, you really learn to accept that poop is a part of your life. In just 2 1/2 years of parenting, I've had more poop touch my hands (arm, clothes, bottom of my foot, etc) than I ever really thought I would. I never really even considered that I would have to manage poop on such a regular basis, and that was with disposable diapers (with the first child). So here's the deal with poop in a cloth diaper.
A. When it's just breast milk poop (the yellow stuff) you don't do anything. Just put it in the diaper pail and wash as normal.
B. When it's poop that is solid, dump it in the potty. Put the diaper in the pail. No big deal.
C. When it's really soft poop that has squished everywhere, it gets a little more tricky. You have to get it off. They make this really cool gaget now called a diaper sprayer. Basically it is a miniature removalable shower head for your toilet. You hold the diaper over the toilet and spray the poop into the potty. Diaper in the pail...pretty easy. I, however, do not have a diaper sprayer. Therefore, I lay the diaper in the toilet, poop side down. I let it soak for a few minutes, then I hold on to the end of the diaper and flush. This pulls some of the poop off (this step may need to be repeated). Once I'm satisfied with the poop removal, I swish the diaper around in the toilet and squeeze it out. Yes, I am familiar with my child's poop. This calls for serious hand washing. It makes me feel a little better that my grandma told me that this was the way she cleaned off diapers too. I am not the first to have my hand in poop in the toilet. By the way, I used to be squemish about just touching clean toilet bowl water...those days are long gone:)
5. I like to see the cloth diapers hanging on the clothes line.
4. I feel pretty "green!" I like knowing that I'm not filling landfills.
3. I have gotten used to changing diapers a little more frequently and it makes me feel good that my baby's not sitting in pee for as long. (When I'm using a disposable, I make it last for as long as possible!)
2. I love the softness!!!
1. I DON'T HAVE TO SPEND $20 OF GROCERY MONEY EVERY OTHER WEEK ON A BOX OF DIAPERS!!!!!!!
So that's it. There's my top ten! If you're interested, let me know. I'll be glad to teach you what I've learned!
Monday, November 16, 2009
My Husband, My Hero
I really feel like I need to take a minute to give some props to my hubby. He says that he doesn't ever read this, but if by chance he does, he'll know how much I appreciate all that he does for our family (and Sheila, I'm sure you'll like reading about your sweet son:). We all know that I really like things clean and organized, but you might not know that my hubby does too. Before we got married, his apartments always looked like the typical bachelor pad...pretty messy. His bathroom was always the worst, but once it got bad enough, he would clean it until it shined. I mean hours of scrubbing everything in sight. Well, this has carried on into our marriage and our house. He has been known to scrub all of our ceilings; take the blinds outside, take all of the slats out, and scrub them with bleach; and wax our hardwood floors.
Well, last night proved to be another cleaning frenzy. We had come back in from out of town and that always makes things a little messy, but in addition our kitchen floor was messy. When we left to go out of town, we were in the midst of a tropical storm. This meant wet feet, wet dogs, and a wet cat had tracked dirt, grass, and hair across our floor. Then he fried fish for supper so there was grease on top of that. It was bad. Well, I went in the living room to do feed our baby girl and I heard furniture being moved. It sounded suspiciously like the beginnings of a good floor mopping...and it was! He took EVERYTHING out of the kitchen (except the big furniture) and cleaned it up. He finished it up and I assumed he was done, but then I heard water hitting our front door (keep in mind that it was dark outside). It turns out that he washed the front windows and door with the mop - while he had it out. Then I walked into the kitchen and he was cleaning the stove. Not normal cleaning, but burners off, stove top lifted, brillo pads out cleaning. When he finally stopped, he was tired, but we had a clean house.
So, here's to my husband - detailed cleaner, cloth diaper changer, great dad, best friend - my hero!
Well, last night proved to be another cleaning frenzy. We had come back in from out of town and that always makes things a little messy, but in addition our kitchen floor was messy. When we left to go out of town, we were in the midst of a tropical storm. This meant wet feet, wet dogs, and a wet cat had tracked dirt, grass, and hair across our floor. Then he fried fish for supper so there was grease on top of that. It was bad. Well, I went in the living room to do feed our baby girl and I heard furniture being moved. It sounded suspiciously like the beginnings of a good floor mopping...and it was! He took EVERYTHING out of the kitchen (except the big furniture) and cleaned it up. He finished it up and I assumed he was done, but then I heard water hitting our front door (keep in mind that it was dark outside). It turns out that he washed the front windows and door with the mop - while he had it out. Then I walked into the kitchen and he was cleaning the stove. Not normal cleaning, but burners off, stove top lifted, brillo pads out cleaning. When he finally stopped, he was tired, but we had a clean house.
So, here's to my husband - detailed cleaner, cloth diaper changer, great dad, best friend - my hero!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
'Tis the Season
When each season rolls around, it becomes my "favorite." Winter means bundling up, scarves, hot chocolate, and just maybe some snow. Spring comes alive with new life, beautiful colors, and the first hint of warmth. Summer is just fun - vacations, hot weather, long days, cookouts, and just general fun. So fall is here now and of course, it's my favorite.
I love the changing leaves. It always reminds me of the beauty and necessity of dying to yourself, going through a season on deadness, and then becoming new in Christ. The periods of "death" that we experience, whether a trial, hardship,or an extremely busy time, teach us things that will bring new life. The Bible says that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will not grow into a stalk of wheat. We watch the leaves fall to the ground leaving the tree seemingly dead only to have it burst forth in new life and new growth in a few short months. I love the way God plans things. I have to learn to let go of the old things and embrace the newness of life that He has planned for me - and we know that His plans are so much better than ours!
I also love the festive nature that begins in the fall. I was thinking last night about why this happens each year. Here's my theory...every other season has it's own excitement (mentioned in my list above), but fall, with it's short days, needs a little boost. So, here we begin our festivities and I LOVE IT!! I love finding reasons to be extra thankful, planning for all of the family get togethers, making fun Thanksgiving crafts, remembering the Pilgrims and all they did to establish our country...their tenacity for living. I love trying to keep my excitement for Christmas contained until the appropriate time and then going all out. I love the DECORATIONS - fall and Christmas!! It is a time for family, fogiviness, and above all thankfullness for all of our blessings in life. So let's slow down and enjoy the festive season that we are entering. After all, fall is my favorite season:)
I love the changing leaves. It always reminds me of the beauty and necessity of dying to yourself, going through a season on deadness, and then becoming new in Christ. The periods of "death" that we experience, whether a trial, hardship,or an extremely busy time, teach us things that will bring new life. The Bible says that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will not grow into a stalk of wheat. We watch the leaves fall to the ground leaving the tree seemingly dead only to have it burst forth in new life and new growth in a few short months. I love the way God plans things. I have to learn to let go of the old things and embrace the newness of life that He has planned for me - and we know that His plans are so much better than ours!
I also love the festive nature that begins in the fall. I was thinking last night about why this happens each year. Here's my theory...every other season has it's own excitement (mentioned in my list above), but fall, with it's short days, needs a little boost. So, here we begin our festivities and I LOVE IT!! I love finding reasons to be extra thankful, planning for all of the family get togethers, making fun Thanksgiving crafts, remembering the Pilgrims and all they did to establish our country...their tenacity for living. I love trying to keep my excitement for Christmas contained until the appropriate time and then going all out. I love the DECORATIONS - fall and Christmas!! It is a time for family, fogiviness, and above all thankfullness for all of our blessings in life. So let's slow down and enjoy the festive season that we are entering. After all, fall is my favorite season:)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
What is Life?
It's ironic really. I've been surrounded by death my whole life (my parents' are funeral directors), but I've been relatively untouched by death in my personal life. In the past two weeks two people have died who were a part of my life. It's been years since I've been to a funeral and yet I've found myself at two in two weeks. As I've driven to these funerals, I've pondered life and what it really means.
One life was long and full. It was filled with love, family, happiness, and then after 80 some years, it ended. Granny was such a blessing to others. I can remember having pies and cakes end up on our counter that she had just "dropped off for Cecil." She always had a smile for everyone and loved her husband so well. There was so much to learn from her life...a life well lived.
The other life was cut short (from our worldly perspective), completely unexpectedly, but she too lived well and was an example to others. She was the mother of one of my good friends and always such an example of quiet yet strong devotion to her family and God. She had the ability to bring peace and calm to every situation.
So as I've contemplated their deaths, I've really contemplated their lives. What we do with our lives is what is important. At Barbara's funeral God showed me a few things that I need to change in my life right now in order to leave a legacy for my kids and to be the best wife, mom, and friend that I can be.
1. I need to stop making excuses for not doing the things that God specifically tells me to do. This means that when the Holy Spirit speaks to me, I need to act.
2. Do nice things for people every day and give to people just to bless them. I can be so selfish sometimes especially with my time.
3. Realize that my own agenda and needs are second to my children's needs. I know, I know...all of us 21st century women are thinking that "I need my time, my pampering, my girl time for my sanity." While yes, I still think that's true, I need to realize that for the next 20 years, life is not about me. It's about the two lives that I am raising into a man and woman of God.
4. I need to be bold for the sake of the gospel. End of story...no explanation needed!
So, what is life...it's the fullness of all that we can make of it. My true desire is to be sold out to God and live according to His calling so that when I die (and we all will one day), I will have lived a life that has left a legacy.
Whew...this is a serious post:) Maybe the next one will be much lighter and funnier. I will end with this. I am addicted to coupons. I just got a box of 80 Hefty trash bags for $3.25...pretty impressive!!
One life was long and full. It was filled with love, family, happiness, and then after 80 some years, it ended. Granny was such a blessing to others. I can remember having pies and cakes end up on our counter that she had just "dropped off for Cecil." She always had a smile for everyone and loved her husband so well. There was so much to learn from her life...a life well lived.
The other life was cut short (from our worldly perspective), completely unexpectedly, but she too lived well and was an example to others. She was the mother of one of my good friends and always such an example of quiet yet strong devotion to her family and God. She had the ability to bring peace and calm to every situation.
So as I've contemplated their deaths, I've really contemplated their lives. What we do with our lives is what is important. At Barbara's funeral God showed me a few things that I need to change in my life right now in order to leave a legacy for my kids and to be the best wife, mom, and friend that I can be.
1. I need to stop making excuses for not doing the things that God specifically tells me to do. This means that when the Holy Spirit speaks to me, I need to act.
2. Do nice things for people every day and give to people just to bless them. I can be so selfish sometimes especially with my time.
3. Realize that my own agenda and needs are second to my children's needs. I know, I know...all of us 21st century women are thinking that "I need my time, my pampering, my girl time for my sanity." While yes, I still think that's true, I need to realize that for the next 20 years, life is not about me. It's about the two lives that I am raising into a man and woman of God.
4. I need to be bold for the sake of the gospel. End of story...no explanation needed!
So, what is life...it's the fullness of all that we can make of it. My true desire is to be sold out to God and live according to His calling so that when I die (and we all will one day), I will have lived a life that has left a legacy.
Whew...this is a serious post:) Maybe the next one will be much lighter and funnier. I will end with this. I am addicted to coupons. I just got a box of 80 Hefty trash bags for $3.25...pretty impressive!!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Back Online
I don't even know where to start. When it comes to the Grandy's and computers the old addage, "when it rains, it pours" applies to us. I'm not sure how we have so many problems, but we do. A couple of weeks ago, I royally messed up our desktop computer (yes, I take full responsibility). The short and skinny is that now when you turn on the computer all you see is a black screen. Our resident computer guru, Beruk, says that he thinks he can fix it...I'm just not sure how when all you can see is black. Then we decided to wipe out our laptop and start all over since it was messing up so bad. Of course what we thought was an easy fix was not easy at all. All this is to say that I have been computerless for several days now and it feels great to be back online. Last Saturday night I was at home by myself and didn't have a computer. What did we ever do without computers???? I was bored! I paid bills, organized, cleaned and then watched infomercials until 1:30 in the morning (I now really want the 80's rock ballad CD and Montel William's awesome new blender...if I get them both I would only spend $400 paid in "four easy monthly installments.")
During my internet hiatus, I have had three blog posts rolling around in my head. I'm not sure which one or two I want to write about tonight, but I think I'm going to start with the "lighter" one of the three (one of the other ones requires me to be extremely transparent with my shortcomings and the other one is pretty sad...I'll go for happy tonight).
So, I have recently started clipping coupons. I really want to cut down on our "necessity" grocery bill so that I can buy some of more fun things that I want. The first couple of times I went, I saved a little, but last Saturday morning I went for triple coupons at Harris Teeter and I kicked butt!!! I bought $70 worth of groceries for $35!! Now I realize that this doesn't even compare to the woman on the news who leaves with the grocery store paying her money, but for my first time with triple coupons, I was psyched!! It was almost a rush to see the total bill and then watch the cashier start scanning coupons. The total dropped and dropped until it cut my bill in half. That's exciting. Wal Mart is definitely still cheaper in general, but when you can combine triple coupons with a Vic special, you have a good combination. Here are a couple of my best deals...
12 oz Joy - 9 cents
10 oz Dawn - 24 cents (those two combined are almost the same size as the normal container I buy so 33 cents for dish detergent...not bad)
Cambell's Cream of Mushroom soup - 38 cents
Campbell's Soup (like for a meal) - 54 cents
Progresso beef and chicken broth - 48 cents (for the big box)
I had some other good buys, but those were definitely my best! I am so excited about using coupons. It really is kind of addicting. If you hear of any good deals, let me know:)
During my internet hiatus, I have had three blog posts rolling around in my head. I'm not sure which one or two I want to write about tonight, but I think I'm going to start with the "lighter" one of the three (one of the other ones requires me to be extremely transparent with my shortcomings and the other one is pretty sad...I'll go for happy tonight).
So, I have recently started clipping coupons. I really want to cut down on our "necessity" grocery bill so that I can buy some of more fun things that I want. The first couple of times I went, I saved a little, but last Saturday morning I went for triple coupons at Harris Teeter and I kicked butt!!! I bought $70 worth of groceries for $35!! Now I realize that this doesn't even compare to the woman on the news who leaves with the grocery store paying her money, but for my first time with triple coupons, I was psyched!! It was almost a rush to see the total bill and then watch the cashier start scanning coupons. The total dropped and dropped until it cut my bill in half. That's exciting. Wal Mart is definitely still cheaper in general, but when you can combine triple coupons with a Vic special, you have a good combination. Here are a couple of my best deals...
12 oz Joy - 9 cents
10 oz Dawn - 24 cents (those two combined are almost the same size as the normal container I buy so 33 cents for dish detergent...not bad)
Cambell's Cream of Mushroom soup - 38 cents
Campbell's Soup (like for a meal) - 54 cents
Progresso beef and chicken broth - 48 cents (for the big box)
I had some other good buys, but those were definitely my best! I am so excited about using coupons. It really is kind of addicting. If you hear of any good deals, let me know:)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Going Mobile
No, I'm not talking about a phone...it's Karis. She's a crawling kiddo now! I think it's so funny how we wait for them to take that next developmental step. We've known this was coming for a while. She's been rocking on her hands and knees for a while and scooting around when she wanted something, but it hasn't been real crawling yet. But as of today, she took off!! I'm watching her crawl around right now, laughing at how cute she is!
I have two thoughts about her crawling. On the one hand, I have cheered her on every time she has tried to crawl over the last month. Even Caleb would say, "You can do it Karis! You're almost crawling!" We all wanted her to take those first "crawling steps" so bad just so that she could be successful at what she was trying to do. On the other hand, I have been just fine with her not crawling. Once the crawling starts, we have a whole new ball game on our hands. For one it means that our floors need to be much cleaner and well...that means I've got to clean them a lot more often. It also means baby proofing, but that's not too big of a deal. More importantly, it means that we are going to have to start discipling her. I really dread this. She is so sweet, loves us so much, and just wants to smile all of the time. For seven months, we have tried to make her totally happy. There hasn't been any reason to tell her "no" or to even redirect her attention. But oh, the times are changing. Now the cat food, plants, Caleb's small toys, dust bunnies in the corner, books on the shelves, etc. are all in danger of these chubby little hands and slobbery little mouth! I know the time is coming where we are going to have to say "no" and mean it, we're going to have to pop her little hand, and our actions are going to make her cry. This thought makes me a little sad, but I know that what we are going to do as parents is going to make her a better child. We will be teaching her how to be a great toddler.
With all growing comes instruction and instruction isn't always fun. I think this is a good lesson for us as adults. Kids are constantly trying to grow, to learn, and to try new things. As a result of this they are under constant instruction which often brings about some sort of pain. Why is it then that we as adults get stagnant and decide that we don't need to grow anymore. Then when we do grow (usually in some sort of trial situation), we grumble and complain when someone (or God) tries to give us instruction. That pain that Karis is going to have (I know it's coming)and that pain that we have during our growing seasons is for a purpose. It is to refine us, to teach us, and to enable us to become all that God has planned for us. It will only make us better.
You know, I really can't wait for Karis to take her new found talent, turn to me, and crawl with all the energy she has into my arms. For the first time she has the ability to come to me instead of me just going to her. I can only imagine how it makes my heavenly Father feel when I take what He has taught me and use it to run into His arms. I hope it makes Him smile!
I have two thoughts about her crawling. On the one hand, I have cheered her on every time she has tried to crawl over the last month. Even Caleb would say, "You can do it Karis! You're almost crawling!" We all wanted her to take those first "crawling steps" so bad just so that she could be successful at what she was trying to do. On the other hand, I have been just fine with her not crawling. Once the crawling starts, we have a whole new ball game on our hands. For one it means that our floors need to be much cleaner and well...that means I've got to clean them a lot more often. It also means baby proofing, but that's not too big of a deal. More importantly, it means that we are going to have to start discipling her. I really dread this. She is so sweet, loves us so much, and just wants to smile all of the time. For seven months, we have tried to make her totally happy. There hasn't been any reason to tell her "no" or to even redirect her attention. But oh, the times are changing. Now the cat food, plants, Caleb's small toys, dust bunnies in the corner, books on the shelves, etc. are all in danger of these chubby little hands and slobbery little mouth! I know the time is coming where we are going to have to say "no" and mean it, we're going to have to pop her little hand, and our actions are going to make her cry. This thought makes me a little sad, but I know that what we are going to do as parents is going to make her a better child. We will be teaching her how to be a great toddler.
With all growing comes instruction and instruction isn't always fun. I think this is a good lesson for us as adults. Kids are constantly trying to grow, to learn, and to try new things. As a result of this they are under constant instruction which often brings about some sort of pain. Why is it then that we as adults get stagnant and decide that we don't need to grow anymore. Then when we do grow (usually in some sort of trial situation), we grumble and complain when someone (or God) tries to give us instruction. That pain that Karis is going to have (I know it's coming)and that pain that we have during our growing seasons is for a purpose. It is to refine us, to teach us, and to enable us to become all that God has planned for us. It will only make us better.
You know, I really can't wait for Karis to take her new found talent, turn to me, and crawl with all the energy she has into my arms. For the first time she has the ability to come to me instead of me just going to her. I can only imagine how it makes my heavenly Father feel when I take what He has taught me and use it to run into His arms. I hope it makes Him smile!
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