Sunday, February 22

SNOWY DAY

THE MAGICAL EXCITEMENT OF A SNOW DAY
(My 3 school-aged sweeties watching the tiny flurries of snow fall and praying, quite fervently, that it will cover the ground)

Oh how I remember "snow days" or "ice days" as a kid!   I was glued to the TV set just WAITING to see the name of my school scroll across the bottom of the screen.
It was SUCH A RUSH when the dream had finally been realized and I saw the name of my school with the word CLOSED after it!!!  I think very surly that snow days are much more exhilarating than a planned vacation day off from school

Isaac wasn't as excited because first of all, he doesn't even know what snow is, and secondly, everyday for him is a day off from school.  So, we just played blocks on the kitchen floor while the rest of the house warped with excitement over the weather!  Well....okay, I was of course LOVING the idea of having Jeremy and all of the kids home for an entire day with nowhere to go.
Thank you, Jesus for snow.....not only does it cleanse the world of it's colorful noise, as it jackets the ground with a pure white veil, but it also brings families together and makes everyone feel snuggly!
(I took a selfie while Isaac was trying to grab my phone out of my hands...he thinks that he got it....you can tell because if you look closely, you can see his little baby smile sneaking out from underneath his paci)

Hey....guess what, Wanting nothing more than to please my little ones and just because He can......while all of them were tucked snuggly in their beds, Jesus worked on His dazzling masterpiece....all through the night

They will surly be delighted tomorrow morning, when they see that our street and all of the roads have been beautifully painted in sparkling white.  I love how He does these things to please us.....just because He can!!

Snow is so beautiful!

Wednesday, February 18

LENT 2015

ASH WEDNESDAY
I took this picture of myself for my friend, Eileen, coming home from Mass on Ash Wednesday.

We sent each other Ash Wednesday selfies....gotta love my Catholic girlfriends!!

I was not looking at the camera because I was driving and looking at my phone would be unsafe : )
So, I call this picture "Gazing into the 40 days to come".....instead of "making a right out of the church parking lot while watching for cars"

I want to purify myself over these next 40 days.  Each year, our Wonderful Lord Jesus gives me YET ANOTHER opportunity to focus on myself and my relationship with Him in a special way.
I am trying to spend my time making changes within my heart, instead of trying to control what is around me. 

Dear Father,
I want to be totally focused on You, Jesus and empty my heart of anything that is not of You.
I desire to be only and TOTALLY Yours and to only please You.  

I desire Your True Peace and I will settle for nothing less. The world sells a generic peace, sold to me by a vender who doesn't truly possess peace himself.

In Fact, the Peace gifted to me by You, Jesus,  is "freedom".  It is the freedom to live with the knowledge that my soul is safe.

(A fenced-in yard does not force a young child into enslavement...it allows him to play freely without fear of the dangers lurking beyond.)

 Your Holy Church is my safe and sure path to You.  My mind is so little and ridiculous.  Your "Rock" is my refuge.

I am just  a silly child, stumbling around and seeking happiness, love, and peace.  In other words, I am seeking You and You alone.  For You are my heart's desire.

Please, God, work in me.....as You always do,  as You never stop calling me, but more so, help me to see You and hear Your Gentle and Loving Invitation to follow You.

Luke 18:41
Jesus Said...."What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord, that I may receive my sight."
 Help me to open myself to more light!  Help me to fuller understanding.

Before I knew Your Name
You knew my every breath
Before I found my way
You knew my every step
Before I knew everything that I need
You gave it all to me


No greater love than this
That You should lay down Your Life
For someone such as me
I'd spend a lifetime wondering why
The beauty of Heaven is here in my heart
And I know there can be....No Greater Love
Than this

(No Greater Love By Rachel Lampa)

Friday, February 6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON

MADISON IS 15
(Madison and her friend Claire shopping at the mall...spending hours trying on clothes.....being a girl is the best!!)

Oh my goodness...I have a daughter that is 15 years old!!  I cannot believe that this can be true!  She was just in kindergarten 5 minutes ago!  Now, 5 minutes later, she is 1/2 way through her freshman year of high school!  Wow, this is a new journey for the both of us.  I always tell her...."Madison, you have never been 15 years old before and I have never been the mom of a 15 year old!"  "We are trudging through these unchartered waters together!"
And, it has been quite a prayerful journey indeed.  One that constantly reminds me how prayerful these years need to be in a child's life.  I keep telling Madison that Daddy and I are always praying through all of our decisions for her and hopefully we are hearing our Lord's True Will.

He has, however, been pretty easy on me, as her freshman year has gone amazingly well (thinking about the whole first year of high school thing got me a bit panicky.....well, okay truthfully I was petrified!!)
Madison is such a strong and Christ-filled girl!  Every Christian mother worries about her children becoming lost in this world.  Madison has stayed so strong in her faith!  I praise Jesus for that gift of faith each and every day as I continue to pray that Madison keeps close to Christ throughout her entire life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER UNDERSTAND
(I always tell Madison, that she made me into a mommy)