And Now For My Last Post Here...

This is my 550th post on blogger!

As you may have read below, I decided to start two new blogs for 2008. Here are the links, so you'll have to add them to Google Reader and change the link to me on your blog (if you have one). It'll take me awhile to add all the links from this blog to the new one, but I will!

My personal family blog continues the adventure here: www.6starrs.blogspot.com

My photography blog is here: www.rosestarrphotos.blogspot.com

See you there!
~Rose
p.s. If you'd like to join me in starting a photo blog, please do! The plan (which could change if a better idea pops into my head) is to post every Tuesday two of my favorite photos from the past week. 52 posts for 2008. One in B&W and one in color. Let me know if you do and I'll add your link to that blog.

Yep, I'm Starting New Blogs

This morning I signed up for an AOL email. With that I signed up for a new Google account and am creating two new blogs. One will continue this blog...the family story. The other will be a photography blog like I mentioned below. I'll post the links tomorrow...gotta add a few finishing touches and pic my photos for the photo blog.

~Rose

Out of Photo Storage!

So I am just about out of photo storage for this blogger account. I would have to purchase storage via Picasa to get more storage. I am thinking about setting up a new account with a new email. Has anyone else come across this?

I am also thinking of setting up a photography blog (thanks to Melissa for the idea) where I post my favorite image or two once a week for all of 2008. Maybe one black and white and one color. Would anyone like to join me in this? I will add your photography blog as a link. Otherwise I am going to keep that blog real clean and simple.

Well, we got the Christmas stuff put away and the house seems bigger! Love that :) All the bedrooms and closets have been cleaned out and all the new toys have a place to be put away. Today Hope and I dive back into school. I am glad to get back into a normal routine. Thank you notes are almost all written and sent off. Later this week I'll dive into creating our family I Photo Album for 2007. Gotta use that 20% off coupon through apple.com!

Happy Monday!
~Rose

Spite and Malice

I was talking to my friend Sharee recently and we got on the subject of card games. She talked about how she grew up playing different games and then mentioned Spite and Malice which triggered an "Oh my gosh!" from me. I used to play that game with my Grandma Nina a lot. It was one of my favorites. I told Sharee I'd Google it to see if I could find the rules. I found them easily and taught Desi last night. We played 4 games! If you like card games, this is a really fun one for two people. Check out the rules here.

I am amazed at how fast the week has gone and how sore I am again from water aerobics. I'm still working on a few projects:

• Clean out Desi's clothes
  
• Thank You Notes
• APC accounting
• Blog about Schaffner visit (slide show)
  
• Salvation army load dropped off
• New glasses (got a coupon though!)
  

I did get quite a bit done though:

• Sledding :)
• Thank you notes painted by kids
  
• Christmas Away (including outdoor lights)
• Exercise 3 times this week (4 if you count sledding)
• Clean & organized girl's room and closet
• Clean & organized boy's room and closet and hide out
• Organized and re-arranged basement
• Blogging ;D
  
• Personal accounting
• Clean & Organized my closet

The basement has a large donate pile and our upstairs hallway is FILLED with stuff to donate. It's awful how much unneeded stuff we have just filling in spaces. I am glad to be able to purge and get rid of things we are not using or have grown out of. Speaking of grown out of, I found a box of 18-24 month boy clothes and wouldn't you know it...there were snow pants and a nice winter coat in Levi's size! No more Tigger costume to stay warm in the snow. I got rid of a TON of clothes that I won't wear anymore, but found a cute pair of jeans that were previously too small that I fit into now! Hooray!

Now for a game of Uno Spin before the kids are off to bed.

~Rose

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~Phyllis Diller

Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next. ~Franklin P. Jones

You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

The Christmas Photos Will Have To Wait

Hope and I just got invited to go to a musical downtown tonight! Our long time friends the Schaffner Family are in Colorado visiting their oldest daughter and husband. I guess they had two people who are not able to go tonight and they though of us!!!! Desi will stay home with the younger kidlets and Hope and I get to go. We are so excited. The musical is Irving Berlin's White Christmas (my all time favorite musical/Christmas movie) at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Time to get gussied up and be ready for our limo pick up...can you believe it?!
~Rose
p.s. It's still snowing and I found the cutest little bird foot prints in the snow on our porch. We hung a soda bottle bird feeder near by so we can watch the birds from the window.

Snowballs and Uno

This shot cracks me up...it's so hard to get all four kiddos in one shot, and i just love this moment that I happened to capture.
And Levi in the Tigger costume- too cute!
Hope made snowballs for everyone with our snowball maker. I know, a snowball maker...we got it on clearance at the end of the season and it's great!

Yep, they eat their snowballs. I explained how dirty the snow really is.
They don't care. Gross.

My Christmas card helper. Seven year olds are great!

My dinner helper. Counter tops are great!

Our new favorite past time. UNO. We LOVE this game...especially Owen. All five of us play and I am amazed to see Owen and Emma learning their numbers as a result. We play Sponge Bob Uno where there is a wild card that when played the person with the least amount of cards has to pick one from the deck and one from the players to the right and left of them. Very exciting. The kids are learning the joy of playing games and are learning that you can lose a game and still have fun. Good lessons for little people!

I just finished my Christmas shopping last night! What a great feeling. I have 7 packages to mail and still have a bunch of cards to mail as well, but we still have over a week. We made peppermint bark to give to our neighbors...hopefully this afternoon. The sun is out and Denver is defrosting, which is nice. I am hoping for a White Christmas though.

As far as exercising goes, I LOVE water aerobics! I was so sore for two days from Friday's workout. I am usually getting two 30 minute stationary bike workouts in every week as well, but would like to up that. I am finding that it is difficult to start out on the bike, but once I get over that "hump" I really can enjoy the workout and all that sweat! I am amazed at how getting moving is helping me to get up earlier. I love to sleep. Always have, always will. I had been wanting to get up earlier though to have some quiet morning time to read and pray. For awhile I was not exercising and just doing my morning time but it was so hard. Now it is so much easier. I did not expect that at all. Thanks for all the encouragement from you my friends!

Happy Sunday to you. May you find time to connect with your Creator and enjoy some peace, joy and love of family or friends. Find your Uno deck and grab some kids for some fun!

~Rose

Water Aerobics

Yep, that's right...water aerobics. I joined my friends Shannon and Brian this morning at an indoor pool for an hour of kick my behind aerobics. There were 7 of us in the class (4 older gals) and us three young'ns. Our instructor is a really unique guy, which makes the class even more fun. He wore his sweat pants in the pool. Weird. He's totally buff though...so he must be doing something right.

I am so sore...all over. That water resistance is amazing and I love how low impact it is. It's a whole lot easier to do these exercises in the water than on land, but still a great work out. I'll be taking this class Mondays and Fridays from 8:45-9:45am. I am so pumped about it! The cost is minimal ($3 a class for non members) and it will add variety to my work outs. I'm down three pounds this past week. Hip Hip Hooray!

~Rose

Music Is A Gift

I just emailed a friend. We have been discussing teaching math to our daughters and eating right (eating foods the way God created them) and getting our bodies moving. I shared with her this song that has been ministering to me lately. I am amazed at the gift that music is to us. It really helps me in many situations throughout the day...calms me down, lifts me up or gets me moving. The kids love music too...in many varieties. I thought I'd share this song with you. Moms with little ones at home, I'm sure this will bless you!
~Rose

If you want to mute the song from the slide show below just click on the sound icon in the bottom left corner of the slide show box!

Caedmon's Call
Sacred
Words and Music by Randall Goodgame and Andrew Osenga
(c) 2007 House of Mirrors Music (ASCAP) admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc. / 2007 Mighty Molecule Music. (ASCAP) admin by Music Services

this house is a good mess
it’s the proof of life
no way would I trade jobs
but it don’t pay overtime

I’ll get to the laundry
I don’t know when
I’m saying a prayer tonight
cause tomorrow it starts again

could it be that everything is sacred?
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

the children are sleeping
but they’re running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind

my cup runneth over
and I worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from you
I can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream
to feed the garden

wake up, little sleeper
the Lord, God Almighty
made your Mama keeper
so rise and shine
rise and shine cause

everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

p.s. You've got to hear it too...the whole album is great if you like their stuff.

I got in seven miles on the bike last night and I start water aerobics on Friday with a friend. We'll do it two days a week (M & F) and I'll do cardio and strength training 3 days a week.

Thanks!

My sweet friends...thanks for your encouraging words. I totally feel that I am not alone in this and thank you all for your little bits of advice and encouragement. I just sliced 5 bananas into a bowl, added honey, oats and flax seeds, gently mixed and put on a cookie sheet into the freezer. I love frozen banana slices! I know it's the little things like that...frozen banana bits instead of Whoppers. Salads instead of sandwiches. Watching my portions/calories. Most of all-getting my body MOVING! I am excited to be on this road. Thanks for joining me!

For those who asked, yes it's a stationary bike. I used resistance 2. I'll work up to higher resistance and longer times. I did leg, arm and stomach exercises as well. I'd like to exercise in the mornings, but realistically late afternoons will probably work better. Desi's gone today till Monday night, so I'll have to get creative for the workouts until he gets back.
~Rose

Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body. ~Cher

The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck! ~Author Unknown

If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise. ~Author Unknown

Five Miles

Five miles on the bike tonight!
The first few workouts are the hardest.
~Rose

Home Sweet Home!

We all slept so well last night! It's so good to be home. We had the best trip yet to Cali, but there really is no place like home. It even felt good driving around last night as we picked up dinner. Weird. It's just so different here than in Murrieta, CA where we stayed for the past 3 weeks and I had no idea how accustomed we had become to things here. I'm not saying it's better here...just diff. One thing I will miss though...the weather was perfectly balmy there. In the upper 70's with a breeze and morning cloud cover. It was 36 degrees when we landed (with snow on the ground). I do love Denver winters though...I just cannot wear flip flops year round here!

Today I have one goal: empty all the suitcases. We had 10 checked bags (including 3 car seats in one bag) and 5 carry ons. Yeah, that is a lot of bags to unpack. Two of them were old suitcases filled with hand me downs. I think Hope got like $300 worth of the cutest jeans, skirts, shirts, coats, ect... Thanks again Rosie if you are reading this! One good thing: most of the clothes are clean :) I'm currently about 3/4 through...all that's left is the clothes upstairs. Levi fell asleep on the couch, so I'm staying down here till he wakes up. Here is my to do list...

My immediate to do list:
Unpack
Mail sorting
Bills
APC accounting
Meal planning
Meal shopping
Get phone looked at-it won't charge with a new charger
Download trip photos (all 680 of them)
Put away Fall decor
Get out Xmas decor & tree
Look over Hope's home school for Monday

Next week to do list:
Christmas Cards (take family photo, order at Costco)
Write a gift list
Newsletter
Weather strip two doors
Exercise at least three times, hopefully 5 times

And now for a true confession: I am overweight. I knew it for awhile now, but have not wanted to admit it. Having to buy a dress for the wedding was not fun. I had to get a size 14 and it was not my first choice for attractiveness. All this to say. I need to exercise so bad. I need to eat better as well. My family will benefit from the choices I make to keep myself healthy. Poor Owen has food sensitivities as well and needs to eat very healthy for his digestive track to work properly, so this change will be good for him too.

I have decided to post my weight and ask you my friends to keep me accountable. I can say it's hard because I have 4 kids and home school, but that is just an excuse. So, here it goes...I weigh 185 pounds! I'm going to put a ticker on the bottom of my blog and keep it updated as to my progress. Thanks for reading!

~Rose

Holy Smokes! 500 posts!

Yeah, this is my 500th post! I was just going to drop a line to tell ya'll that we had a great weekend up in Dillon, CO with our house church group.

I kind of feel like those big anniversary posts should be special, but this is all I've got ;)

It was such a fun retreat...only one scheduled event...Sunday morning gathering. The rest of the time we ate, sang, prayed, hiked, walked, fellowshipped and just enjoyed each other's company. Levi slept with me (aka: no sleep for momma) and the rest of the kids shared a bedroom with the Kylander kids. It was one big slumber party. I'll post pics soon.

Today I did laundry, science experiments with a pumpkin and the kids, shopped for a few last minute things and just enjoyed being home most of the day. Tonight I had my LTG with S and A. They are such sweet girls and I find a place of peace, love and acceptance with them that is so refreshing in this world. I will truly miss them these next three weeks!

My goal for tomorrow is to check off everything that is on my list and to be packed by tomorrow night. We leave the house at 9:30am Wednesday for 3 weeks in CA!

Micah and Mark (who have moved in) will be taking care of the best cat in the world (Bedhead) and will be watching/taking care of our old girl of a house. We are thankful she won't sit empty for three weeks.
~Rose

"Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else."
James Thorpe

"I must take issue with the term 'a mere child,' for it has been my invariable experience that the company of a mere child is infinitely preferable to that of a mere adult."
Fran Lebowitz US writer and humorist (1950 - )

Dumb

So, I don't know how it happened, but upon erasing some pics from Picasa, they got deleted off my blog. It's like someone ripping photos out of a scrapbook page. Ouch.

I re-posted all the pics (and some new ones) into slide shows for this page. Eventually I'll go back and re post them to the older posts. This is when the perfectionist and impatience comes out in me. I want the blog fixed and I want it fixed correct and asap! Time to learn to let go and have some patience.
~Rose

Cheap Thrills and Not-So-Cheap Costumes

Here are a few more pics from last weekend. God really blessed me with providing friends to come over and fellowship. I don't really like being alone for long periods of time! The kids and I picked up wooden leaves at Hobby Lobby to paint Friday night. My brother came over and we enjoyed fellowship and rented Wild Hogs. With the low expectations we had for the movie, it was rather enjoyable! Here are my darlings painting. The wooden leaves were $1.50 each, so for less than $5 we had a easy fall craft that now adorns our wall. Painting is a FAVORITE thing to do in our house. I included a few close ups of the new costumes as well. Dress up is another favorite in our house so I know we'll get good use out of the costumes.

I was blessed to have Brian and Shannon come over Sat to watch the game with me and we had church after until after midnight. I was encouraged with the fellowship. I skipped Sunday morning...had these great plans for sleeping in...but alas, Owen, Emma and Levi were up VERY early...and I did not have a good attitude about it. My folks came over for lunch and much to my surprise and delight, Mark and Micah offered to make dinner Sunday night. A few more friends came over to watch our Rockies lose...(we were swept by those Red Socks) and my neighbor Nafisa and her daughter joined us for dinner as well. I was so blessed to have people around and enjoy fellowship with them. Now if I could just get time to connect with Desi and hear how his weekend went!
~Rose

Another Meme (pronounced to rhyme with theme)

My friend Toni has tagged me for this 4x9 meme. What is a meme you may ask? Here is a great link to find out more.

So, onto my 4x9 meme...

Four Jobs I've Had:
1. At 17 my dad made me get a job. I was content with allowance money and the occasional babysitting job. He picked up an application to Blockbuster Video in Costa Mesa, CA. I worked there for 3 months, joined cross country and oh, what a bummer...I had to quit because I was in a sport for school!
2. After Bible College I worked part time at Oscar's On The Pond which is now called Pat & Oscars in Temecula, CA as a waitress. I was happy to quit that job...hard work! I love their bread sticks and greek salads and whenever we visit Desi's family I have to eat there!
3. At the same time I had #2 job, I worked part time at Family Fitness or 24hour Fitness as it's now called. I was a babysitter. Yeah, I was glad to quit that job too.
4. I have worked at 2 book stores: Springs Of Life at Calvary Chapel Conference Center in Murrieta Hot Springs, CA and the bookstore at Calvary Chapel Murrieta in you guessed it, Murrieta, CA.

Four Movies I'd Watch Over and Over Again:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. White Christmas and other oldie but goodie musicals like the Sound Of Music and Singing in the Rain
3. The Count Of Monte Cristo
4. Christopher Guest Films such as Mighty Wind, Best in Show and Waiting For Guffman
To tell you the truth, I don't really like watching movies again once I've seen them. If I do, I usually read, crochet or blog at the same time.

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Los Angeles, CA (born in Englewood)
2. Huntington Beach, CA (most of my childhood...I love the beach...it's the only thing Denver does not have going for itself...oh, and Trader Joes)
3. Twin Peaks, CA (Bible College in the Mtns of So CA...my first taste of real winter...loved it)
4. Murrieta Hot Springs, CA (Where Desi and I had our first apartment in an area we called "ghetto hawk" because it was a low income area (still nice) and all the housing areas that were being built surrounding us had silly names like "red hawk and silver hawk, ect...")

Four TV Shows I Watch:
1. Survivor
2. The Office
3. Kid Nation
4. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
We do not have cable...rabbit ears provides limited channels, otherwise I would watch tv all day...cooking shows, decorating shows, real estate shows, nature shows, TLC, ect...

Four Places I've Been:
1. Bermuda (thanks to my parents)
2. Kauaii (thanks again to my parents)
3. Mt Rushmore (thanks to Tim Bergon)
4. Victoria, Canada (thanks to my parents and Desi-been there twice)
I'd like to take this moment to give a shout out to my parents for all the wonderful camping trips they took Jason and I on as kiddos. From Mexico (3 times), to Yosemite, to Yellowstone, to Sequoia and many others, THANK YOU! I have such fond memories from all those trips.

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. Yahoo Mail
2. Google Reader (to keep up on my wonderful blogging buddies)
3. My Father's World Message Board
4. My own blog to read the devotional and see if people have commented...some comments are emailed to me and others are not...weird.

Four Of My Favorite Foods:
1. Seafood
2. Good Pizza
3. Good Chinese
4. Panini Turkey Sandwiches with Avacado

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
1. Reading or sleeping in the sun on a quiet, clean beach.
2. Out to coffee and lunch with a good friend.
3. On a date with my man.
4. Reading or watching a movie with my man in front of a roaring fire.

Four Blogger's I've Tagged:
Well, if you are reading this, you are tagged, but to make it official, I'll tag a few...
1. Becky in Plavanland
2. Dori
3. Josh or Lori
4. One of the Phams

~Rose

A Drive By

I snapped this shot from the van window on our way home from my folks house last Saturday. It was such a picturesque autumn day. This is our state capital. The view from the dome is amazing (360 degrees). I got to go up this summer and got great shots, but alas...somehow they were deleted. Que sera sera.

I am reading 2 & 3 John and Jude for my LTG this week. The end of Jude is just beautiful.

Jude 24-25 "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

~Rose

p.s. pray for me...Desi will be out of town to Virginia from early tomorrow am to late Sunday night! He is going to a house church gathering conference thing. At least Levi is not an infant anymore...but I have a feeling it will be a long three days...moms...you know what I mean!

One Of My Favorite Things

So this silver pitcher was given to me by my mom's mom- Ninalee Wilkinson. It is one of my favorite things because it reminds me of her every day. She passed away from a stroke when Hope (now almost 7) was 11 months old. She was a HUGE spiritual influence in my life and had such a peaceful love of her Savior that you could almost see it. She was a prayer warrior, encourager and a very smart and practical woman. She was the grandma who re-used zip lock bags and hand made gifts for everyone at Christmas. She wasn't perfect, but showed amazing Proverbs 31 qualities. She totally had a meek and quiet spirit that was very precious in the eyes of God. I am thankful for the heritage I have in her. She taught me to play Mahjong, all sorts of card games, to sew, knit, crochet, bake, cook, and make gifts. She always had ice cream in the fridge and whenever I stayed over I had a big bowl after lunch AND dinner. Mint Chip was a staple and maybe it's because of her that Mint Chip is my favorite flavor.

Now it's your turn. If you have a blog then take a pic of one of your favorite things and explain why it's so special. Leave me a comment so I can check it out! If you don't have a blog (think about starting one...they are so easy) just post a comment and tell me what one of your favorite things is and why. Thanks for playing along!

~Rose

I've Been Awarded and Tagged!

Thanks to my new friend Miss Sniz for the Totally Fabulous Award! You are too kind ;)

She also tagged me for a meme. I need to share 7 true things about me and then tag 7 of my blogging friends. Well, I really don't know who to tag, so if you are reading this than you are it!

Here are my 7 true things in totally random order:

1. My least favorite house keeping chore is cleaning the shower. Second to that is mopping although I recently bought a steam mop and to tell the truth I do enjoy mopping with it!

2. I love my Crocs but only wear them in the winter with socks...I'm in flip flops all summer.

3. I really enjoy crocheting. Is that spelled right? Knitting takes two needles and I never know where a dropped loop goes. When I crochet it is one hook and I can drop it and pick it up easily.

4. I LOVE photography and want to pursue it at a deeper than hobby level.

5. I go through favorite candy phases. For instance, I will crave only Red Vines for months and then switch to Jr. Mints. Right now I'm in a Whopper phase. That is the only candy I want...I won't eat anything else.

6. I love to sleep in. I set my alarm to get up early, but secretly hope that once the kids are older we can all sleep in together!

7. I never had a dog growing up. I have never lived with a dog. I love our friend's two Peka-Poms or whatever they are.

~Rose

Meek and Quiet Spirit

For my lady readers:

About 4 weeks ago I joined a Life Transformation Group (LTG) with two other women from our church. An LTG is basically a group of 2-3 people of the same gender who meet weekly to pray for the lost, discuss an agreed upon passage, ask accountability questions and encourage each other in their walks with God. My group decided to read 1 Peter for the first few weeks. There was a passage (well, more than one) that stood out to me in particular.

1 Peter 3:1-6 “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”

The part about that “gentle and quiet spirit” that is precious (very precious) to God and the end that talks about doing good and not fearing anything that is frightening really stuck out to me. I’ve read this passage many times, but I really wanted to ponder this passage. I just “happened” upon a study guide that I have called “Homeschooling With A Meek And Quiet Spirit.” So I pulled it out and am about half way through. I am so enjoying it and the scriptures. Last week I looked up the definition of MEEK and QUIET. Interesting.

MEEK: humbly patient, gentle, courteous, kind, not likely to complain, argue or react strongly.

QUIET: making no noise, silent, restrained in speech and manner, being at rest, tranquil, peaceful, making no disturbance or trouble, moving very gently, free from disturbing thoughts and emotions, to make tranquil or peaceful, to calm mentally.

I listed how my life differs from the above definitions. I often lack humble patience, I am likely to complain, argue and react strongly. I am often not restrained in speech and I am often not free from disturbing thoughts. Bummer. I am far from where I’d like to be. The next verse I read gave me such wonderful hope:

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

I then listed the “works” that God has begun in me that I can see progress in. I am more of a thankful person, I have lower stress in parenting, I am more extroverted, I am more open sexually with my husband, I am more open to God’s leading and my following that lead. Now, I have not attained in these areas, but over the last 8-10 years have seen vast improvement…Praise His Name!

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

I then had to list my top five “Meek and Quiet Spirit Robbers” and find scriptures for each to help me think about truth in that situation. Boy was this interesting! I’ll share mine with you and I’d encourage you other gals out there to do the same. It’s a great exercise to get your focus back on what matters as you deal with the situations.

1. Screaming/crying/whining child:
Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” And Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
2. Bickering Children:
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
3. Finding big messes in and around the house:
Phil 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
4. Bad attitudes in the children when it comes to chores or school work:
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.”
5. Thinking about things Desi has not done:
Phil 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Just wanted to share with you! I’d love to hear back from you about what God is teaching you lately (if you so feel led). May God’s peace and joy fill you today.
~Rose

The Flower Fades

Bits from Isaiah chapter 40 (read it all when you get a chance)
~Rose

A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.

Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.