Journey With Jen

I was looking through a few of my old posts.  I usually write one the first day or two of the New Year about the upcoming year.  I try to pick a word for the New Year. Sometimes looking back, I get it right.  Other times, not so much. In 2009, our focus was forgiveness .  My father had been diagnosed with cancer and that year he was getting worse.  He passed away in November of that year.  Before he passed, we were able to talk everyday about the past and present.  We were able to have that time to work through things that were never talked about.  (big elephant in the room growing up which no one talks about kinda thing)  I treasure that time I was given with my Dad before he passed. "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.    Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  Ephesians 4:31-32 2...

I remember growing up there were girls that were mean and ugly.  There always are.  Yet, it is one thing when it happens to me.  And, a totally different thing when it happens to my baby girl.  I know, she is in 5th grade but it doesn't matter how old she gets ~ she will be my baby girl.  :)  The drama now?  I guess some girls where talking at recess about Christmas.  They where talking about their iPods and stuff.  Faith mentioned that she didn't have one.  Her "friend" looked at her and told her, "Just ask Santa.  I ALWAYS get EVERYTHING on my Christmas list."  Faith with her logical mind knows there isn't a Santa but just kept her mouth shut.  Then, I guess this "friend" was also telling people that Faith said she likes having rich friends so gets stuff.  What a friend right?  Faith actually kind of confronted her (so proud!) and told her she never said that.  Her friend retracted a bit and sa...

Today, when you take look around there are lights.  Lovely, elaborate lights that twinkle with the tune of Christmas songs.  There is of course shiny garland or that fancy tulle that is all the rage right now.  Shiny ornaments shine in the lights.  Beautiful wrapped presents longing to be opened. Long ago, the only light was a star guiding the way.  There was not any shiny, sparkling garland.  Not even room in a hotel.  Just a manger where the animals where kept.  Yet, even with the simplest of things:  Glory was found!  A babe was born.   And even wrapped in rags, His glory could not be contained.  Angels spread the news.  Wise men traveled long distances.   It is amazing to me how the world today can get it so wrong.  It changes from the celebration of Christ's birth to "Season Greetings."   It has changed from a day of remembrance and thankfulness, to a month of spending...

It really is hard to believe that December is here.  This week, our weather has been in the 70's.  Which, for northern Arkansas ~ it is very weird.  We've been working on our kitchen for months now and it is finally coming together.  (I'll post pictures soon)  I actually ran a dishwasher tonight for the first time since August!! It felt wonderful.  :)  I know, I know.  But, a family of 5 without a dishwasher and only a mud room sink to wash dishes in....VERY thankful for the dishwasher! I've recently got on Pinterest.  Yes, I know, I am late bloomer, right? I have found it is true what my friends have said.  It is very easy to get hooked on.  When ever you log on, there are always new recipes, crafts, or home ideas.  Pin this or like that.  So cool.  It's like every kind of magazine right there without any ads in the middle! ;D Of all the things I've found on there, pinned, and actually tried ~ the laundry soap is...

Wow!  This month is almost over!  It has been a very easy task of being thankful for just one thing each day.  Imagine how this could change our attitudes if we did this each month!  How could we be sad or angry, when we realize how much we have to be thankful for?  I look around and there are numerous people and things that I have not named.  A warm house to come home to.           A pot of soup waiting in the crock pot.                     Christmas lights shinning in the evening.                                Homemade blankets to cuddle on the couch with.                  ...

I Day 24:  I am thankful for little get aways that break up the work we've been doing on the house!  We got to escape to Branson on Friday and Saturday.  Yes, that's Black Friday.  Yes, I did a little shopping. :)  But, even for a little shopping, I still had to cruise the parking lots just for some one to leave and pull out so I could get a spot!  Shopping is NOT my favorite thing.  So many times I questioned myself on why we are here again! But, we got a room at the Grand Country Inn.  Which to those of you not around here ~ they have indoor water slides for the kids.  Kids loved it.  They played all Friday afternoon while my mom and I ran around the stores.  It was great to just get away for a couple days. Day 25:  Today I am thankful this beautiful weather we're having.  This fall I was unable to get out and enjoy it as usual.  We've been so busy with the kitchen that the fall leaves came and went witho...

Day 19:  My day just wouldn't be the same without Christian radio like KLRC.  I am thankful that there are stations and artists that put me in the right frame of mind.   They remind me as I am driving or at home that God's with me where ever I am.  Their message has to the power to speak to me even when my mind might be going 100 miles an hour on something else.  It blesses me to hear my daughter singing in the back of the car.  Or my son ask me to turn it up.  So thankful. Day 20:  I am thankful for my brother-in-law, Brent.  In February, it will be 16 years I've been married.  Through the years, Brent has become truly like a brother to me.  Being a family is not held together by blood relation.  Family are people held together by memories, times spent together, and love.  My Dad would always speak of Uncle Howard as his brother.  (Although Howard was his brother-in-law.)  I am lucky enough to have that...

I've been blessed with so much.  Of course, I had to mention the biggies like my kids, hubby, and home.  But there are those 'other' things that just make life a bit easier!  So, for this grouping, I am shifting gears! :) Day 12: What a blessing a dishwasher is!  Ok, now since we've moved in our new home in August, we have not had a working dishwasher.   How I miss the days of one kid-o would empty the dishwasher, then the other kid-o would fill the dishwasher.  And so the cycle went.  Now, there is a working dishwasher in a box just waiting for a working sink in our kitchen!  It will be so soon, I just know it! :) Day 13:  With a family of 5, having two cars is a big deal.  We have dealt with one car for a while and it was hard.  My husband and I were both tired.  He would get up to take me to work by 7:30.  Then, I would take him to work in the afternoon and pick him up at 11 p.m.  Get up...

Day 7: Today I am thankful for the democratic process.  Gods plan has put me in the United States during a time where women can vote.   It is something that I shouldn't take for granted.  Not that many years ago, women wore clothing that covered them from head to toe.  Not because they liked it, it was because they had no say.  Faces were hidden behind lace veils because their voices where never meant to be heard.  Once the right to vote came about in the 1920's, women's lives changed for the better.  I am blessed to live in a country where we elect our officials.  Whether or not everyone that I voted for becomes elected, I am still thankful for the process and God's hand in it. Day 8:  The things we take for granted, like a place to call home.  We moved into our home in August of this year.  This place has changed so much in 4 months!  We'd been renting and moving for the past couple years.  I...

Day 2:  I am thankful for FIELD TRIPS! :D  I love being able to take a day and spend individually with my kids.  On Friday, we drove to Little Rock and spent the day with Faith.  I have loved going to pumpkin patches, hiking, and to battlefields through the years with each of my kids.  That one-on-one time means a lot to me as well as them. Faith on a field trip Friday to our State Capital. Day 3:  What a busy day!  I am thankful that we got the tile down today.  One step closer to having a kitchen again.   I used the wet saw for the first time and I did ALL of the cuts in the entire kitchen.  Looks pretty good too! ;) Cannot wait until the cabinets! Day 4:  I am thankful for my kids.  It is true that time goes by too fast.  I look at my children and wonder how I can have a 15, 13, and 10 year old.  I'm not old enough, am I? ;D  I am thankful that I can still kiss them good-night ...

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”   Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”   ~   Matthew 16:15-1 Would you know God if He were before you?   Would you act different if He were standing before you?   I think honestly we all would.  So it is easy to forget that He is everywhere.  Not just in the church.  God is in the car with us.  Walking with us through our workday.  There is not a place that we could go that God would not walk with us.  In times of troubles, we rely on that message.  The knowledge that God will not leave us or forsake us.  The faith that will carry us through the storm. But would we recognize the hands of God in our own life?  God is there working through others constantly.  We have to stop for a moment and recognize it.  Stop for a moment and be THANKFUL.  Many times, God is working through others ...

"You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered  from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"  Matthew 7:16   "Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers."  Luke 6:44    "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right."  Proverbs 20:11   What does your actions and behaviors say about you?? It's funny how God works sometimes.  It's been one of those days where you really want to go back to bed and start over...only your scared it might end up worse.  One of those days where when by the end, you feel like you've been through a fight ~ and lost.  Yeah, we've all had those.  Where else to go when you feel beat up by the world?  A place of refugee for the lost and broken.  And what would the message be about tonight?  The fruits of the spirit.  Better yet ~  what they say ab...

Woo-hoo!!  Teacher-in-service equals a three day weekend for us! :)  And, I have made some progress around here.  Long way from done...but progress!   Some friends of ours gave us a few 5 gallons of paint.  I bought one gallon of the color we chose (in a darker shade) and mixed it with two gallons of the light tan.  Ta-Da!  Three gallons of terra cotta for the cost of one!  Good bye white walls!  Hello warm desert colors! :)  I will do some more tomorrow after church.  Maybe I can get our "L" shaped hallway done this weekend! My first thing from Pinterest! Homemade Laundry Soap! Simple and easy with only 3 ingredients!  Oh yeah, less than six dollars and I have two gallons of laundry soap.  And, have enough stuff to make another batch or two!  YEAH!!  Smells great too! My laundry room is painted a light turquoise  I found this wonderful saying to put on the wall.  I love it! ...

My goodness ~  it is that time again.... Politics I usually keep my mouth closed when it comes to politics.  Everyone thinks that their opinion is the right one.  Some people are so closed minded that there's no use even talking.  If you turn on some news cast, the truth is so altered that it becomes watered down.  Then, those listening accept it as the truth and their opinions grow.  Republicans ...  Democrats ....  first of all they are politicians.  Good.  Bad.  Ugly.  It's all there.  One label doesn't make one better than the other.  I don't judge a book by it's cover.  You have to read the book.  Way back when, those labels meant something.  Now, well, they are just a label to get elected under.  Do I believe in abortion?  No.  So, that means I am a republican, right?  Nope. Do I believe in the trickle down effect?  No.  The rich just got richer and th...

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into   his harvest.”  Matthew 9:37-38 There's a picture that comes to my head when I read Matthew 9.  Jesus went through many busy cities and villages.  He witnessed to many.  People were gathering and learning about God.  Jesus also healed many sick and broken people.  Blind men were allowed to see.  A mute was allowed to speak.  A girl was brought back to life.  So many people in need.  The ESV version describes it as people helpless like "sheep without a shepherd".  I love that description.  In so many ways, times haven't changed.  People are still scared and confused just like they were hundreds and thousands of years ago.  People are God's harvest.  And the harvest is plentiful!  But, we must do the work.  Our harvest i...

It's been a very busy few weeks. Busy can be good! :) Since we've received our keys, we have been right at work. We painted all four bedrooms: ceilings and walls! The kids picked out their colors before they left so we could get to work. We also tore out the carpet. Smells so fresh now. Looks it too! Joey's Soothing Green Tea Paint Faith's Pretty Turquoise It was great to have friends stop in to share in the excitement with us. Our open door policy has begun! :) I really feel that this is not just our home.  It is meant to be shared. God has given us this home to be a blessing to my family and others. Who knows how many friends and family will gather in these doors? I can't wait to begin! We've had friends and family come over to help us clean.  We've been given some gift cards so we can continue remodeling!  Some friends even brought over ceiling fans for our bedrooms. Isn't that amazing? Our friends are a testimony of h...

It's hard to believe that I just got my keys yesterday.  It seems SO unreal to actually walk in there and think that this is OURS!!  (well, ours and the bank..but I don't like to include them!)   I called Kent and walked around room to room (he was at work) just squealing.  Then, I got off the phone and felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff left.  Seriously, every room was full still.  Things were still in dressers.  Towels still in cabinets.  Clothes (seriously vintage 70's clothes!) were hanging in closets.  Packed!!  Not a few.  Packed! Then, I went back to my stack of papers from closing and saw a letter that she wrote to us.  She told how hard this move was for her.  It said how hard it's been living alone since her husband died and how people have tried to help her.  Then, she said how the Lord sent us to her.  How overwhelmed she was trying to deal with everything in her home.  And what a ble...

We are yet again find ourselves collecting boxes and packing up.  But, I've never been more happy to see that sight!  I don't even have to ask the kids to help pack.  As soon as we get boxes, they are ready to get them filled.  Monday we get to sign the papers and get the keys!  Of course, that is after I drop the kids off at camp on Sunday afternoon.  :) The kids and I have been going through paint samples since we put an offer on the first house the end of February.  Yes, this home has many hopes and dreams already.  Faith's color is called Crystal Aqua.  Doesn't that sound beach-y?  Luke's color is called Fisherman's Net.  It's a perfect outdoors-y color for him.  Joey's is called Soothing Green Tea.  He wanted bright red walls ~ I told him to pick another color! I've done red walls before and not doing it again! My room color is called Lilac Whisper.  Doesn't that sound light and air...

As I look through other blogs I read, the message seems to be just accepting yourself.  Which is one of the hardest things to do ~ especially as a woman!  Compare my life to others and it seems so ... dull, maybe? boring?  I'm just a curvy (another way to put that I need to lose a few! LOL) middle age  (...oh, my gosh did I really write that?? should I erase it?? no..no, just leave it) mother of three trying to be a loving mom, aunt, friend, daughter in a world filled with anger and hate.  I look at other mothers who seem to have it all going for them.  It's easy to start to feel hard on myself.  But there are certain things as I've gotten older that I have come to accept.  Yes, there will always be other women prettier than I am.  I will never be a Reese Witherspoon or Julia Roberts.  God only made one of them ~ just as He only made one of me.  Yes, there will always be other women who seem to have it all together.  I've l...

At this moment in my life, I have two teenage boys.  Both will be going to junior high next month.  Both are about to drive me crazy.  I try to remember a sweeter day.  When they were younger...pulling each other's hair...fighting over hot wheels...watching Bob the Builder together.  Those days when they would be mad at each other for a moment and laying beside each other watching Robin Hood the next.  I loved my summers with them.  Doing arts and crafts.  Cooking in the kitchen.  Even doing classwork during the summer.  Aren't they cute?  I couldn't find one of when they were really small on the computer, but they were even cuter.  :)  Then, they had to grow up.  Seriously.  Those that willing get up in the morning and go to a school that has teenagers ~ must be clinical.   I remember the junior high age as being kind of rough for a girl.  Now I know what the mother's go through.  I ...