excuse me while i gush.

do you ever have a moment when you just want to shout something from the rooftops so that all the world could hear you?  you want to make sure that every single person and their mother hears what you have to say?  well, i am having one of those moments right now.  and while i would love for the whole world to know, i'm afraid of heights and my rooftop is pretty icy right now, so i will settle for my virtual rooftop right here.  (plus, people would probably think i was crazy if i was shouting things from my roof and yell inappropriate things back at me, better yet, in my neighborhood they would just turn off their hearing aids, and i would be yelling to deaf ears and just get really cold.)

so i shall take my place on my virtual rooftop here, coming out of my unintentional blogging hiatus, to tell you, rather shout to you,

"I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!"

people, i am so darn proud of this man!  today at church they had a surprise planned for him and for the last few days, it has been driving him crazy not knowing what was going on.  i also did not know, though probably for good reason because if i knew, he would inevitably find out.  we kind of have this thing, "if you don't want our spouse to know, don't tell us."  while secretly he was planning his acceptance speech for when they offered him full time employment in a huge celebration in front of the church, i suggested that perhaps he should not set his expectations too high, you know, just in case.  so we joked about all the things it could be, "here's a set of keys to your new children's ministry trailer..." (as we are a mobile church), "surprise, you're preaching today...", and from a dream he had about it "we have cooked up a feast for you to eat in front of the whole church, dig in...."  whatever it was they had planned, we were just excited to find out!  

then last night as i sat on the exam table at express care and heard, "contagious for the next 24 hours after beginning meds" i immediately sent a text to mike saying no church tomorrow with an obligatory super sad emoji face.  but we decided if i snuck in the back just for the presentation, i wouldn't be harming anyone.  no matter what it was, even if they just smacked him on the back and said, "good job", i was going to be there.  i may not always be the best wife in the whole world, but i do not miss an opportunity to gush over my husband.

and gush i did! as i stood in the back and they brought him to the stage, my heart swelled with pride.  that's my man, my baby's daddy! oh how i wanted to scream so loud so he could hear me, but the pain in my throat just wouldn't allow it.  i wanted him to know i was there, and i would always be his loudest, proudest and most adoring fan!  they honored him today with a certificate of ministry excellence and explained how proud they are to call him our church's children's ministry director, to express gratitude for the work he does each and every sunday to make our children's ministry a place they feel honored to send their children each week.  

as i stood there listening to the words spoken about my husband, i thought, you know, he truly is a great man.  i thought about a bumper sticker we saw yesterday that said, "my son is a fire rescue emt. he saves lives. what does your son do?"  mike's mom then asked him what her bumper sticker would say.  he said, "i write newspaper articles".  but i was thinking, no, your son saves too. (or at least plays a part because only Jesus saves)  before i could correct him, he realized the error in his statement and said he does in fact help save lives too. he is a children's ministry director.  his mom replied, "but that guy is an emt"  to which i responded, "there won't be fire rescue in hell."  now, i was kidding....mostly....i'm really not a fire and brimstone kind of girl.  but if we're talking eternity, i'd just love to know that the kids we work with each sunday will be dancing with Jesus someday, whenever that day comes, and to me, that's just way more important.  

but here's a man whose heart's desire right now is to be a full time children's ministry director.  if you are not familiar, people in ministry do not make a lot of money, nor are they compensated for the amount of time they pour into their job on a daily basis.  full time ministry is really full time.  it's messy and exhausting and just plain hard.  but it is also the most rewarding and encouraging gift one will ever know.  and my husband wants nothing more than to dive right in, and i love him for it.  

it's kind of a running joke around our church that whenever he talks in front of people, whether it be the congregation or just a small group of new people checking out the church, he cries when he explains his role at the church or talks about children's ministry.  it's his thing because he is so incredibly passionate about what he does.  i have never seen him more passionate about anything besides eli and i.  he loves Jesus and he loves kids and his passion is too instill a love for Jesus in those kids.  and when you see him with those kids, loving on them and interacting with them, you just know.  you just know that this is exactly what he was made to do.  

and on that day, when he gets "the call" the big one, you better believe there's gonna be a party up in here!  (he has mentioned running up and down the streets naked, screaming, but don't worry folks, i won't let him get too carried away.  probably wouldn't look too good for the cm director of a local church to be found naked on the streets!)  there will be lots of tears though. lots.  

so i'm thinking of creating a new bumper sticker.......

i'm kidding....mostly. no, totally kidding.  i'm not into bumper stickers.  and you're husband, if you have one, is probably super cool, and you should most definitely be proud of him.  you can have my spot on the roof if you'd like.  

Shouldn't every day be like Easter?

Year after year, I find myself getting more and more excited about celebrating Easter.

When I was younger it was because I got to get a new dress.

{Do you remember what it was like to wear your new Easter dress?}

And it was always exciting because we get together with family.

I always enjoy big family gatherings.

Don't get me wrong, I've always celebrated Easter for its true significance, however, I don't think I've appreciated it as much as I have in more recent years.

After reading the book Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross by Nancy Guthrie a couple of years ago, I've learned to truly appreciate what an amazing sacrifice Jesus offered and just how big his love for us is. 

Not only did he endure an excruciatingly painful death and separation from his Father, he became sin.

Filth, evil, hatred, all things unholy.

Jesus became all those things.

He endured the punishment for those things. 

He went to the pits of Hell for 3 days. 

And why?

Because he loves us that much. 

This year I found myself anticipating this glorious celebration unlike I have any other year. 

Good Friday felt like a somber day to me because I tried to keep the image of Jesus hanging on the cross at the forefront of my mind.

And every time I would read or hear the phrase "It's Friday....but Sunday's coming!" my heart would do a little leap in my chest!

Yes, Sunday, the third day, the most glorious day of all! 

The day we celebrate our Risen Lord!

All weekend the lines "Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia" kept running through my head. 

This year I served in Children's Ministry, and though I was a little bummed to not be able to worship with my church family in "big church" on this day, for me, it was more of a celebration in my heart.

It was a reminder that I want every day to be like Easter.

I want every day to be a celebration of the most wonderful gift I have ever been given.

Every day I want to strive to draw nearer to my Savior.

Every day I want to do my best to present myself as a pleasing sacrifice to Him, the One who sacrificed it all.

I pray that you too will be overcome with joy each day you think upon the cross and find yourself walking in His grace and mercy. 

***************************************************

Now, if you don't mind, a few pics from the day.....

 I was just a tad bit excited to celebrate Easter with this one:

I mean, come on. 

I know I'm biased, but you can't argue with me, can you??

((This is the project I was working on and hope to do a post on someday in the near future. 

I was really happy with how it turned out, and I think Eli was too. 

We didn't give him his Easter basket until after he calmed down from a fit of absolute hysterics that began upon waking up from his way too short nap. That's why he's sitting on my lap!

Lesson learned: DO NOT alter the nap schedule, even on Easter!))

Have a great week, friends!

insta{week}

So remember when I said I was feeling better & ready to tackle it all?

Yeah, I probably didn't say exactly that, but I really did think I was better. 

I was wrong.

This week I developed a sinus infection.

And talk about pain! It felt like my head was being crushed in a vice, and the only way to relieve the pain was to counter the pressure with more pressure.

Problem is, it's not really conducive to getting a whole lot done when you're walking around with your palms squeezing your face in. 

So I broke down & went to the doctor. 

I think I am on the mend now. 

{fingers crossed, prayers said}

Good news is Eli is definitely better & Mike is still healthy!

And now....

1. Goodbye, Christmas. Sad to be putting all this away, but ready to redecorate!

2. Eli's new crockpot recipe.

3. New earrings from hubby. You can find them here.

4. Downward dog baby style.

5. Single serving cookie in a cup. Will be posting a recipe this week!

6. Sweetness is my baby's foot always touching me while we eat.

7. Sweetness is also baby butt cracks.

8.  A "kind of" date with the hubs to a Children's Ministry workshop.

9.  Finally getting around to reading this & excited about what God will teach me through it.

Saturday night was one of those nights when we just had to get out of the house.

You know those times?

When kiddo wakes up early from a nap, eats dinner in 5 minutes & we still have 3 hours until bedtime. 

Those times.

So I took my little man on a date. He insisted we go to Sweet Frog. 

He can be very convincing.

So we get our yogurt, get up to the register to pay & omgoodness, my wallet is not in my purse!

I realized in that moment that I left my wallet sit on the counter at Hallmark where we had just been to buy some cards.

Ugh! 

Thankfully they had turned it into the mall office & all was safe. 

And we could go back to enjoy our yogurt date. 

Of the many, many things I love about this boy, one is that he loves music & dancing. 

We often have music on, just playing as the soundtrack to our everyday.

And many times, we just dance. 

And it's one of my favorite things. 

To end this post, I'll leave you with this thought.

Isn't it the truth?

The Answer is Real.

My heart has been heavy the last 2 days, but probably not why you think.

What happened on Friday was an absolute senseless tragedy. I can't begin to even imagine what the community is feeling right now, however, that isn't what is weighing me down.

What's weighing me down is that people take a tragedy like this & begin to point fingers & place blame, but the reality is there is already an answer to the problem.
It's not a matter of gun control or second amendment rights or good parenting or too many violent video games or troubled childhoods.
The answer to the problem was given to us over 2000 years ago.
The answer to the problem has a name.
His name is Jesus.

My heart grieves because people ignore the answer to the problem.
My heart grieves because people pretend like He doesn't exist.
Last night I read a terrible article that proves it.
Have you seen this?

 THIS is what makes me grieve.
THIS is what hurts my heart.
Dump the MYTH?

In a time that families are searching for answers and crying out for comfort, a billboard is raised telling us to "Dump the MYTH".

JESUS is NOT a myth!
JESUS is so very, very real!
I'm so very positive that as Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to die a horrific death on a cross for every single person in this world, He most certainly would attest that it was not a myth.
When Jesus became sin and paid the penalty by enduring hell for us, I'm sure that separation from his Father was very real.
It was so very real.
The scars on his hands and feet and in his side are so very real.
His love that He pours out so lavishly is so very real.
The way He transforms lives is so very real.

If we want to see change in this world, we need to embrace the One who is able to bring change.
Because the reality is, senseless tragedies will happen again.
It doesn't matter what law is passed or how many safety precautions you put into place.
 There is an Enemy in this world that will use whatever it takes to deceive and destroy.
He doesn't play favorites, and he doesn't play nice.
Until Jesus comes back, we will continue to experience pain and heartache in this world.
But He offers us hope.
 He offers us peace.
He offers us comfort.
He offers us friendship like no other.
He offers us to make us whole.
He offers to take our burdens.
He offers us Life.
He offers us freedom.

How can He be a myth?
Love like this is not a myth.
It is so very real.

What Mary said.

Now that the holidays are quickly approaching, you know you can't turn on the radio without hearing the most wonderful tunes of all. 

A little "Jingle Bell Rock", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "O Holy Night". 

Christmas music.  

I do love Christmas music, 

though I will share with you two songs that I CANNOT STAND:

Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time"

&

"Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses

{totally had to look that up because I really had no idea who it was}

 Worst.Christmas.Songs.EVER.

 Well, the other day I was in the car heading over to Lowe's to get paint & singing along to the tunes playing in the car when one song just hit me over the head.  

Did you ever have a moment like that when you hear something or even read something 1000 times & for some reason in that 1001 time, it just strikes you as something you've never heard of or thought about before?

Ok, well this was like that.

The song was "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill.

I've definitely heard this song countless times at Christmas, but for some reason, hearing it the other day really hit me & I was fighting the tears back.

{only because my dad was in the car with me & I just didn't feel like having to explain why heading to Lowe's was causing such an outpouring of emotion.}

I know I heard this song last year & Eli was 3 months old, but I think I was still too much in that "new baby" fog to really think about this song.
But on this day I started thinking about Mary & the implications of her pregnancy.

The thoughts that must have been running through her head. 

Humbled, honored, confused, scared, joyful, maybe even embarrassed. 

But she had to have known that this baby would be The One. 

This would be the Messiah they had been waiting for & she would've known what the Old Testament prophesied:

Jesus Christ would be hated without reason.

Jesus Christ would be rejected by the Jewish people.

Jesus Christ would be plotted against by Jewish people and the Gentiles together.

Jesus Christ would be betrayed by a friend.

Jesus Christ would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.

Jesus Christ would be forsaken by His flock.

Jesus Christ the shepherd would be struck.

Jesus Christ would be spat on.

Jesus Christ would be mocked.

Jesus Christ would be beaten.

Jesus Christ would be executed by Crucifixion, having His hands and feet pierced.

 {source}

 If you're a parent, if you're a mom, can you imagine?

Knowing you will be bringing a child into the world to face this.

As parents, it's our job to protect our kids, not lead them into the face of danger. 

But Mary, do you know what she said? 

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” 

{Luke 1:38}

and

“My soul glorifies the Lord 

     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant."

{Luke 1:47-48} 

I think my favorite part of this last statement is 

"for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant".   

She completely, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, trusted His Sovereignty.

She knew she was just a nobody in the grand scheme of things, but trusted Him to do whatever He wanted with her because she loved Him.  

It didn't matter that she would have to go explain to her fiance, that she had not so much as touched, that she was going to be having a baby & she already had a name picked out.

It didn't matter that people would most definitely be pointing & talking behind her back. 

Not to mention she was young! Just a teenager.  

 But then she also knew that:

Jesus Christ's death would atone for the sins of mankind.

Jesus Christ would ascend to the right hand of God.

Jesus Christ would exercise His Priestly Office in Heaven.

{source}

And she would play a part in the greatest part of history ever. 

Until then, she would welcome a tiny baby into the world.

She would hold him, feed him, play with him, kiss his boo-boos, 

encourage him, teach him, scold him, nurture him, protect him, pray with him.

She would be there for every first moment and watch him grow 

until her baby became the man that would change everything.

{you knew i would share this, right??}

 

the greatest love

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happy valentine's day!

we aren't huge valentine's people...it's always been pretty low key.

in fact, valentine's day 2008 (i think) was the biggest fight we ever had. (the 'i-love-you-in-every-language-written-in-highlighter-on-computer-paper' fight)

in keeping with my DIY kick (obsession) as of late, my gift this year was found on pinterest (and i'm sure i am not the only one!)

i'm making a fun dinner i found (stalking) someone's blog & to be perfectly honest, i probably will not change out of my sweatpants & clothes that eli has spit up all over....romantic, huh?

when i was considering valentine's day & making my preparations, this song lyric kept running through my mind:

"how deep the father's love for us"

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how often do i stop to consider just how deep that love really is?
sadly, not often enough!

on the day that we fuss over the right gift & the right card, do we stop to think about the greatest gift of love we've ever been given?

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on this day that some people fret over being alone, know that Jesus is the greatest love that you will ever know.

on this day known for chocolates and flowers, may you "taste and see that the LORD is good"

psalm 34:8

i'm so thankful that Jesus loved me enough to make the ultimate sacrifice and that i can celebrate his love everyday.

i pray today you will experience the love of the Father, the greatest love, in a new way!