Last night I kept Trent home because he is so miserable with a fever and cold symptoms. While I was snuggling him on the couch, Caylyn waltzed in with a lint roller and child's devotion book and said...

"Look mommy, a statue."

Verse Recitation by Caylyn

It is so neat to watch a toddler, any toddler, recite a memory verse. But oh the joy when it's your own child! I remember a time when I was about 10 years old and a missionary family came to visit our church. After the service the missionaries' 2 or 3 year old girl was reciting verses to the pastor in the foyer. At that moment, I knew that someday I wanted my children to know verses like that little girl.

Today I FINALLY caught Caylyn saying one of her verses on video. In case you don't catch all the words, she's reciting...

Ephesians 6:1

Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.

Token for Good

Profitable time in my Bible this morning means the rest of the day was supposed to be great, right? Not so... I had a headache, the kids were fighting more than usual, the house was a mess, winter is bleh, blah, blah, blah.

Well around lunch-time I was standing at the kitchen sink and I just happened to glance out the window as I do whenever I stand at the sink. Usually I peer through the trees to catch a glance of the ice shacks on the frozen lake, or see if anybody is driving out on the ice. Not this time... God let me see an eagle fly right towards our house and land in a nearby tree. I watched it for a moment. It squawked (or whatever eagles do) and a second eagle came flying to the tree and landed. Now this may not seem like a huge deal to you, but to this Texas gal it was! We don't exactly have a surplus population of eagles in the Lone Star state so I love seeing them! And think about the odds... what are the odds that of the 3 or so times I look out that window each day, I would see an eagle at just that instant. Chance? I think not.

This may seem like such a small thing, but it's really not. God is not a God of chances. He took the time to give me that little blessing because he knew I needed it. I just stopped for a moment in the business of the day and thanked the Lord for this token for good that He gave to me.

I'll never forget a sermon I heard in college on Psalm 86:17 about a token for good. It has stuck with me all these years and holds a special place in my heart.

Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

The word token has the idea of a signal, a flag or a beacon that appears miraculously or suddenly. In this Psalm, as with many of the Psalms, David is crying to God for help against his enemies. In the very last verse he asks God for this token for good so his enemies will see evidence that God is with him. I believe the Lord gave it to him!

Our God is a personal God and even though we don't have throngs of enemies like David, we do have an adversary in Satan. His powers are constantly fighting us and trying to bring us down, discouraging us from faithfulness. God knows our hearts and he knows we are human! So he will give us a little something to brighten our day... that little flag or signal that miraculously shows up and says "God loves you, be of good cheer". Guess what else? You can pray for that token! I believe God wants us to pray for a token so he can give it to us... because he loves us. Just two Psalms earlier He gives this promise...

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

I wonder how often I've missed a token because I'm caught up in my own little world. Sad to think about, but I'm sure it's happened. May we all see the Lord in the little things and thank him for showing us a token for good.

Home Notebook

Over the past few weeks, I've been decluttering and organizing our home... using the sheer motivation that a new year brings! I don't make resolutions, but I do step back and take a look at my life and our family. Searching for ways to improve. There's always room for improvement, right?

Right after Christmas I sorted out toys, clothes, etc. and sent them away. Don't you just LOVE getting rid of stuff?!

After this mass exodus of "stuff" I just pondered for awhile. I love all things neat and orderly and clean. Sometimes to a fault. God wants us to have a home pleasing to Him, a haven for our families, a place for children to make memories. However, He doesn't want us to spend every waking moment cleaning and organizing our homes! Two things have really helped my thinking in this area:

1) Flylady.net- this website is fantastic for every woman... stay-at-home mom, working mom, wife, or single lady. You start with baby steps, getting into a routing, decluttering a little at a time, setting timers, etc. I'll admit that I've started before then stopped, thinking it wasn't applicable to my lifestyle. I've smartened up a little since then. (Maybe.) Just do a little at a time, and don't worry about the rest. It will be there tomorrow.

2) My home notebook- Were you wondering if I was ever going to get to that? Having everything in one centralized location saves tons of time! Time that can be spent playing with little ones, reading a book or chatting with a friend.

I've had my home notebook for several months now, but it was in dire need of reconstruction. That has been my major project this week. If you are looking for ideas on the organization of a home notebook this is a great resource. I've used her basic breakdown and adapted it to our family. This book is my brain and I'm so happy to have it cutesy and ready to think! Here's a peak at mine...

Cover

First Section: Household

Daily Routine- My "Baby Steps" from FLYlady plus my childrens' routines

Menu Planning- Monthly Calendar ready to be filled in (tomorrow's project!)

Housework- FLYlady Zone Lists

Home Improvements- A place where I can jot down new ideas and projects

Second Section: Planner

Birthday and Anniversary Tickler

Gift Log- to keep track of gifts given to family and friends

Thank-You Note Log- to keep track of thank-you notes to write

Entertaining- Event planning and hostessing

Calendars

Third Section: Family (I love this section!)

Church Directory

Phone Numbers- Important numbers all in one place

Emergency Info- Contact info, doctor info, etc.

Financial Planning- to keep track of what comes in and goes out each month

Celebrations- to plan special family occasions and holidays

Ministry Ideas

Goals- Lists of goals for our family and children

Fourth Section: Personal

Bible Study- where I can track my Bible reading, memorization, and develop lessons/devotionals

Cakes and Crafts- Where I can jot down ideas, tips, and earnings

Blog Ideas- Where I can jot down, well, blog ideas!

Like anything else, this is a work in progress. While I'm thrilled to have it re-vamped, I know that I'll be adding to it. I hope this encourages you to make one for yourself! If you'd like any of my templates, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll be glad to share.

Happy organizing!

Playing Catch-Up

It's been quite awhile since I posted pictures of our family, so here are a few of my favorites from the past few weeks.

** They were all on my phone so the quality is sub-par on a few. :)