MERCY AND GRACE

Today this Mama is thankful for Jesus....that He died on that cross for me....taking away my past and all my mistakes and gave me an amazing future. Thankful that He takes the broken and turns it into beautiful! He is the One who gives us a clean slate every day with these words at the top:

MERCY and GRACE....for you always.

LOVE

No matter how crazy life gets, don't forget love. It is the central theme of life that everything hinges on...it's the strongest "drug" that can heal and it's the brightest light that will shine in the darkness. Surround yourself with those who are gonna love you for who you are today and for who you are becoming....it will be one of the best choices you've ever made...♥

Kind of Woman

“The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of christian, but the fact that I am a christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am, and all that He wants me to be.”
— Elisabeth Elliot

MONKEYSTORY #698

Ellie girl gets her hair trimmed today for the 2nd time in her 5 year lifetime.
She's not ready to part with her "Rapunzel" hair yet....however she hates brushing it
with a passion. Today when we left from her appt she exclaims: "Mommy, I'm so happy
I won't have to brush my hair for a very very long time now. That lady made my hair so
beautiful and brushed it out so good, I will probably never have to brush my hair again!!"
Nice try chick...nice try.

Gabe has been getting lots of pep talks lately about acting acting more "grown up" and
not acting like a baby....making good choices....not throwing fits, crying, etc.
Tonight, he informed me I need to start paying him. I asked him whatever for?!?!!?
He informed me he had been very tough tonight and had acted very grown up when the girls
had gotten scared about seeing shadows. He said we need to start paying him when he acts tough.
I laughed and said, "Really?!?!" He said, "Yes Mom, I'm pretty sure there are alot of parents that pay their kids if they act tough.....if you pay me money, I will be a great grownup boy."

Take it Captive

Today, let's not read into what others say. Let's take their words at face value and not allow our imaginations to make stuff up that's NOT been said. This can drive us nuts and feed insecurities & doubts.

" ...Take every thought captive to obey Christ.." ~2 Cor. 10:5

~Proverbs 31 Ministries

WORN...

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
... And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause all that’s dead inside will be reborn

 

 

 

http://youtu.be/UUEy8nZvpdM

PATH OF LIFE....

You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. ~Psalm 16:11

MONKEYSTORY #697

I was putting supper in the crockpot this morning and Gabe came walking up.
Gabe: "What are you doing Mommy?
Me: "Putting porkchops in the crockpot for supper."
Gabe: "Oh, so which animal does that come from?"
Me: "A pig....."
Gabe gasps and leans down and smells it. "Oh no!!! That is so gross Mommy!!
Are you really gonna feed us that?!!?!?"
Me: "Well Gabe, yes I am....all meat looks and smells nasty til I cook it for you. It will
be so yummy later tonight."
Gabe, walking away: "That's unbelievable.....I can't believe you would feed us that!"
Suppertime rolls around. Gabe comes into the kitchen.
"Mommy I'm hungry....what's for supper?"
Me: "Those porkchops...."
Gabe: "Really?? I still can't believe you are gonna feed us pig food!!!"

Kindness

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness. Kindness in your face. Kindness in your eyes. Kindness in your smile."

~Mother Teresa

Motherhood

MOTHERHOOD is raw and pure. It is fierce and gentle. It is up and down. It is magic and madness.
Single days last forever and years fly by. Be gentle with yourself dear mama...
Don't miss the scenery. Don't miss conversation with your travel companions.
Laugh at the bumps, and say "oooh and ahhhh!!!" on the hairpin turns.
Buckle your seatbelt...the ride is just gonna keep getting better :)
In the moments that someone dares try to criticize you remember this:
There is no one else quite like you....and there is no better Mama for your monkies than you.
God thought it best to give them to you....not them.
And on the days that you are covered in monkey poo and flying bananas.....
 don't ever forget who you are: A beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring, fierce warrior mama...
First Lady of the Homestead. Wear that name badge with honor. You've earned it.

~Aviva Jill Romm and Mama Monkey

MONKEYSTORY #696

In the van today with the girls and Ellie says from behind me:
"Look Mommy! Isn't this a beautiful smile?!?!?!"
I look back at her and say, "Yes, that is a very beautiful smile."
She replies: "Well, it's a kissy smile!!"
I get a puzzled look and ask: "What's a kissy smile?"
"Moooommmy!!!! You know what it is! It's the smile you
have after Daddy gets done kissing you!!!!! That smile!!!"
I get a little concerned....."Um, Ellie, why do you have a kissy smile then???
You are too little to be kissing boys!"
"Mooommmmy!!!! I didn't kiss any boys today.....I just wanted to show you
what your beautiful kissy smile looks like! Silly pants!!"
I sigh a huge sigh of relief......"Ok, thanks Ellie......you are a funny, funny girl....but no
kissing boys for you tomorrow either!!! Not for a very very long time."
She sighs....."ok Mommy......but I'm still gonna smile this kissy smile."

Bring Titus Home!!

Please help bring sweet Titus home!!

Beautiful necklace or really cool bags :)

go here and check it out!
http://godetchedyourname.blogspot.com/2013/02/for-my-29th-birthday_20.html

Infinite God

"An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others." 

--A .W. Tozer

My Next Thirty Years

"I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done
Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears
And I'll do it better in my next thirty years

... My next thirty years I'm gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I'm doing here
In my next thirty years..."

 

~Tim McGraw

The Number 1

1 "Sinners Like Me" Eric Church song playing
1 avacado mixed with a wee bit ranch dressing and Sunshine Acres yellow corn tortilla chips
1 loaf of Snowdrift Vanilla Porter Beer Bread baking in the oven
1 new pink John Deere travel coffee mug (thank you Mom!) waiting for early morning basketball
1 bedroom full of sleeping crazy but adorable monkies
1 kinda messy but so very happy home
1 handsome man being a strong rock and provider of strength
1 piece of scrump-dilly-i-cious grasshopper pie about to be devoured
1 blessed and thankful Mama Monkey on this Friday night
.....................let the weekend shenanigans begin!!! :)

THE ONE

THE ONE WHO HOLDS THE STARS...HOLDS YOUR HEART.

MONKEYSTORY #695

BabyMonkey was being disciplined this morning for bad behavior/bad choices.
After I got done lecturing her and giving her the tiniest little swat on her hiney,
she put her hands on her hips, rolled her eyes and matter of factly tells me:
"That did not even hurt Mommy!"
I proceeded to lecture her with a louder voice....she proceeded to burst into tears
and began yelling at the top of her lungs:
"I'M NEVER COMING BACK HERE AGAIN!!!"
{This is the very same little monkey that had just been playing with her dolls, singing...
"I have decided to follow Jesus." *sigh*}
I just look at the newly turned 3 year old and said, "Where? You're not coming back
to our house?"
She yells: "YES! I'M NEVER COMING BACK, I'M GOING TO MEEMEE'S HOUSE!!!!"
I calmly walk her to the front door and open it...calling her bluff....while the older 2 monkies stare at me with big eyes. "Ok honey, you can walk to MeeMee's now...when you are ready to apologize to Mommy and have a better attitude, you can come back."
Gabe whispers loud to Ellie, "She doesn't even have her shoes on!!!"
BabyMonkey's wails quiet down and she stands looking at the open door then back up
at me with tear-filled eyes. I try it again, "Go on honey.....it's a little chilly, but it's sunny...have a great walk to MeeMee's!"
Ellie whispers loudly this time, "Do you think we should give her a coat to wear?!?!?!"
BabyMonkey melts into a puddle and wraps her arms around my legs.
"I saw-wee Mommy, I just stay here silly pants."
"Aubrie Grace, did you just call your Mommy a silly pants??"
She looks up at me, "Yes, Mommy, you silly....Me not going to walk to MeeMee's!!!
I saw-wee....I not talk to you like that again."

Two Hands

"as you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others."

~ audrey hepburn

Carry On...

"Nobody ever said that life was gonna be fair
You're never gonna get nowhere by running scared
If you look down deep inside you'll find the faith to make you strong
Oh, oh carry on

I try to walk the sunny side of the street
Don't let no shadows tangle up my feet
There ain't no troubles that we can't rise above
With a handful of faith and a heartful of love
Carry on
Carry on What don't kill us makes us strong
Carry on..."

~Tim McGraw

FOREVER FEARFUL....NEVER SCARED

*sermon snippets from Pastor Steven Furtick

2 Types of Fear:
a-The wave of fear that hits you in the face.
b- The underlying current of fear that drags you along in life that
you didn't even realize that was there.

GOD IS IN THE CENTER OF IT ALL....
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with
punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18

"...Dread does not exist but full grown (complete and perfect) love turns fear out of doors and
expels every trace of terror."  (amplified version)

God is the bouncer that stands at the door of our destiny and doesn't allow fear to enter.

The fears that you feel are usually a result of a lie that someone told you about something.
Alot of the issues we face in life (bullying, over eating, gossiping, etc) often stem from our fears.

When you are scared of God, you are scared of what you have done in sin towards Him and what He's going to do to you.
The fear of God is to be terrified to ever be outside of His protection.

FAITH IN GOD IS THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST BIGGER THAN ANY FEAR I FACE.

The enemy uses fear to keep us from going to the next level....to keep us from doing amazing things in life.

Fear stands at the doorway of every destiny and blocks us, saying: "I dare you to try to come this way."

God's LOVE comes to the doorway and says, "Fear, you have no place here! I am the way....I will uphold my child with my hand. I will never leave you or forsake you. I will never let go at any moment. I will hold you in my arms every step of the way. I love you....I believe in you. When you walk thru the fires, they will not burn you, I will be with you. When you go thru the waters, they will not overtake you. I've got you.....I hold you in my arms....I will carry you."

To watch the complete sermon, go here....it's worth your time. Be blessed!
MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON PART 1, RIGHT BELOW THE BIG WHITE BOX.
http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/room101/running-from-your-life

Self-Grace

"In the flesh, you’re a mess.

In Christ, you amaze.

Get. That. In.

 

You don’t need higher self-esteem.

You need greater self-grace — that comes from the depths of His grace.

Amazing grace in your self-talk — makes everything amazing."

 

Ann Voskamp 

Sin

Every sin is an attempt to fly from emptiness.

~ Simone Weil

Which Wife Are You?

"Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life."
Proverbs 31:11-12

MONKEYSTORY #694

1-Night time with the Gabester has become quite the ordeal. Every night we have the same discussion:
The girls get to sleep together and so do Mommy and Daddy....which leaves Gabe sleeping by himself in his room. He believes it's very important that he gets to sleep with someone as well...since everybody else does of course. Tonight I explained to him that he is a very tough boy and I'm proud of him that he will always be my tough boy......and tough boys sleep by themselves. One of the monkies informed us very quickly and matter-of-factly:
"Well, Daddy is a tough boy and he sleeps with you Mommy!!!!! So why does he get to do that?!?! That's not fair! Daddy should sleep by himself now too if he's so tough!"

2- Gabe learned all about butterfly life in school tonight. His favorite new facts:
A- Caterpillars can shoot their frass...otherwise known as poop.....up to 3 feet away! If you are ever standing underneath a tree a hear something like rain but see no rain.....well it's probably a group of caterpillar just shooting the frass :) Be alert!
B- We also learned that if you are ever in a forest and smell chocolate, look around for a Wall Brown butterfly. The male sends out a chocolaty scent to attract a female. Gabe thinks this is the coolest thing ever!!! He informed me he knows exactly how he can get a girlfriend now. :)

DID U KNOW??

 The sun sits 93 million miles away. If it was any closer, we would burn up and any further away we'd freeze. The earth sits on it's axis at Exactly 23 Degrees. If this was not so, the area around the equator would burn up and the poles would be so cold that no life could exist in those areas. The moon sits 390,000 miles away - any closer and... the tides would cause the oceans to cover the earth preventing life. Any further away and the oceans would recede to where tons of marine life would be washed up dead on the shore. 50% of the sky over the earth is covered w/clouds at all times so that there is enough shade for all life forms to live. The Head Scientist at Princeton Univ. stated that there is a 1 in 10 Billion to the 124th power for conditions to exist perfectly for life to even work here on earth! Wanna know how big of a # that truly is?? Write the number 10 Billion and start adding zeros to the end of it and do not stop for the rest of your life and you still couldn't write that # !!!

The fool says in his heart "There is no God." - Psalm 14:1a.

 My friends, there is a GOD and His name is Jesus Christ!!

Depend on Him

If God brings you to it....HE WILL BRING YOU THRU IT!!!

Just keep on keeping on......

 

"Depend on the Lord; trust him,

and he will take care of you."

Psalm 37:5