Smartness...

Just thought you should know what a fantastic writer I am...and how deeply I challenge your reading skills ...

Try not to be too impressed by my large vocabulary (of made up words) and complex (run-on) sentence structure. I can't help it...it is a gift. Beautiful writing giftedness...of a 13 to 14 year old.

Kudos to us and our smartness :)

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Another List...

Trying something new today. I'm joining in Thankful Thursday at Sting My Heart...in bullet-point form (of course!)


Today I am thankful:

• That last night at VBS we had somewhere between 40-50 kids...which considering all tiny town has endured recently is frankly, AMAZING!


• For a great week at VBS and still thankful it's coming to a close ;)


• That I do not have to work outside my home...because I could not do it without losing my mind...obviously, God knew that :)


• for Sponge Bob entertaining my kids long enough for me to enjoy a sweet reprise from the bickering! Oh the bickering...


• For the wonderful stuff you all come up with that totally encourages and makes me smile.
• And that ya'll actually come back to read my ramblings...and COMMENTS! I so love comments...I do, I do, I do.



• My coffee...Heavens sweet nectar...which I need to go to Starbucks and get some more of...brewed my last pot today.



• that although there are weeds all over my "flowers" and my house is a mess...I do not care. For now...
• Bullet points. Need I say more?
  
• For God's patience with me. That His love for me is not based on how I do...but just the fact that I am His.

Happy Thursday Friends!

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The Look...

Notice Jake's shirt before...

And a few hours later...

So goes life in the parsonage. My children are always dirty. I gave up trying to keep them clean a long, long time ago. In fact, I'm just so used to them being dirty, I hardly even notice it anymore.

Until the other day that is...I happened to take all of them to run some errands (very bad idea.) Our last stop was the grocery store. They were bugging each other and fighting over who got to ride in the "school bus cart"...I was trying to maintain my composure, and then I met her in the frozen food aisle.

She was cute, young and pregnant, probably with her first baby. She was strolling the aisles in peace and quiet (alone)...well, until she came upon us.

She gave me the look. I know this look...I too, once gave it to mothers with rowdy, dirty kids. It was the look of idealism. The look that says, "honestly, is it so hard to clean your kids up before you leave the house!?!"

I smiled and her...and I smiled all the way home...because someday, that cute little thing may have three little boys, that 5 minutes after a bath are somehow dirty again...because I know first hand, that's what happens to young ladies who give the look. *smiles*

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Realizations...

VBS went really, really well last night. In my 3&4 year old class we had 8 boys and 1 little girl...and they were so much fun! Thanks so much for your empathy and encouragement yesterday :)



Last night (after VBS) I had the opportunity to discover something about myself...stuff I've known (I think) but just never really thought about all that much. It has to deal with how I react/cope with life when busyness sets in.



I hate busyness. I do. I am constantly trying to keep life quieted. I like peace. I like routine. I like to have my family just hanging out together at home.



Our daily life is fairly full. I don't mention it much, but my husband also has a full-time job besides being full-time Pastor of our small church. (This is a whole other post in and of itself.) He is a "tent-making pastor" as they call it, and I can't explain it, because when I look at our life from the outside, I think "How on earth does that work? Impossible!" But, it does work...it works really, really well. It works, because it is what God has ordained for now and He supplies in all the areas we are lacking (and they are many, my friends.) Will it change? Hopefully...but if it doesn't, we're content with that too. God has created peacefulness in our home, even with the full schedule.



Anything extra on top of this full life of ours makes it start to feel busy to me. As I mentioned yesterday, with VBS this week, I find myself re-adjusting to the extra demands, and discovered two things about myself in the process.



1 - When life starts to feel like I can't keep up, I go quiet. Weird, I know. I am generally a friendly, outgoing person. I will talk your ear off...with hand gestures to boot. But when it starts to feel busy, I feel the need to quiet myself. To withdraw some...to hide-out for a little bit...just me and my Jesus. He "fills my cup" back up, just like the old hymn says, and then I can face life again.



2 - When the busyness seems like too much...I begin cleaning. I mean deep cleaning...organizing...and when my family doesn't cooperate with my cleaning agenda...not good, not good at all. It's a weird phenomena. Something very sad, tragic, life changing can happen, and you will most likely find me cleaning out closets and rearranging furniture. I've done this for as long back as I can remember...I've just never thought about WHY I do this...until last night.



Here's what God showed me: When life feels like it's out of my control (which it always is whether I feel it or not) I clean because I can fix it. I can work and see tangible results from my efforts. Control. I am a control freak, my friends. Last night, it's as if God was giving me a "heads up" on this issue. For my own good, He requires a change of heart on my part...the cleaning in and of itself, fine. The cleaning as a knee-jerk reaction for control...not fine. He wants my first reaction to be my knees in prayer, running to Him. Sounds easy...but for a control freak, it's not. Thankfully, I have Him to help me :)



Just some realizations. What about you? How do you deal with the busyness? Are you a freak too!?!? :)

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Realness...

Oh friends...a bloggy make-over is coming my way...FINALLY! I can't tell you the details, except that Shauna is working on it and I know I am gonna L-O-V-E it. I will try to stop talking/thinking about it now, but it. is. hard.


On a completely different subject: I do have a little secret that I need to share with you. I hope it won't cause you to look down on this little lowly Pastor's wife (*wink, wink*) but you deserve the truth....straight from the horse's mouth (we say things like that around here.)



It is VBS week, here at our church in tiny town.


The secret: VBS is not my first love. *Gasp* I know. I KNOW! JUST what you want your Pastor's wife to tell you...(now would be a good time to hit your knees and thank Him that I am not your PW...unless I actually am...then you should REALLY hit your knees ;)


VBS is exhausting. And I'm not even the one that organizes it. (God bless our sweet church friends that do...I can't thank them enough...but there is an excessive amount of pleading, on my part, that they never stop doing it. EVER.)


I am teaching the 3 & 4 year olds this year. By the way, I almost just heard you laugh. Since my arrival in tiny-town, I have been avoiding this age group like the plague. Mostly because this was the age group my own children were in...and frankly, I was already worn out from my own, why would I want to teach MORE?!? Last year I even volunteered for crafts, just to avoid them. I am not crafty my friends.


This is where the miracle comes in. This year, I wanted to teach them. Granted, my oldest two are now not in that class anymore...but still! I am actually really looking forward to it. God is seriously amazing! Because that did not happen all by itself!


Because of the flooding, we're not quite sure how many kids will be able to come, but the numbers do not matter...the hearts of the children do. I'm praying that each child that comes through our doors will leave knowing who God is, how much He loves them, and why that matters. Because it SO matters.

*UPDATE* Shauna finished my layout (super fast by the way) and I couldn't love it more!!! YAY! If you're in need of a new do, go check her out (little square on my side-bar.) With just a little info she totally figured out what I wanted...I think she may be a mind reader :) Thank-you Shauna!!!!

Happy Monday Friends!

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The Fun Never Ends...

This is the lazy-bloggers version of a slide show...where none of the pics are labeled and you are supposed to just make up the captions...it's good for your imagination...I think.

Here was our weekends order of events:

1. Parade: in nearby small town, it's a big deal...lots of tractors and firetrucks.
2. Pedal Pull: Little pedal tractors that are weighted down and kids see who can pull the farthest. Noah got 2nd in his age group and qualified for state (HA!) it's his 2nd time doing that and, no, we do not go to state to pedal a little tractor :)
3. Some family pictures and Ben's grandparents house
4. Supper and Smores with friends from church and of course Fireworks!
5. Saturday, got to see my beautiful friend Shell at her baby shower...isn't she adorable!?!

Side note: Please insert *eat more mini-doughnuts* in between each number.

Now I need to go find my elastic waist-band pants...

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Reunited and it Feels So Good...

Dear Mini-Doughnuts Kiosk,

It has been a long time since our last visit. You have do idea how I've missed you and longed for warm weather to bring you back to me. I wouldn't want to share the celebration of the birth of our nation with anyone else but you. (well, ok, there are others, but you're very very close to the top)

If by chance, over the next 24 hours, we end up spending too much time together, I may say things that I do not really mean. Things like "I can't eat any more or I will barf." Do not worry, it will pass. I will always have room for you...eventually.

All my love,

Sarah


*Jamie over at Purposeful Pursuit interviewed me and it's posted TODAY. I know, what you're all thinking ...WHY?!? I thought that too...because I am certainly not famous, and my blog is...what shall we say....tiny? Yep, tiny. Jamie is fantastic...that's why she interviewed me. Her sweetness overpowers my boringness...so go give this wonderful gal some huge blog love...(and I will pay you in mini doughnuts later :)

Happy 4th of July!

images from google images

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