My Friday

Last Friday was great!  This Friday... not so exciting.  I decided to tackle my linen closet.  I am embarrassed to show this to you but, it's reality.  So, here it is: 

Top of closet - Before

Bottom of closet - Before

I look at these pictures and think, "How on earth do I let things get like this?!"  I don't know the answer.  I just know it's awful.  I'd like to think I'm not alone and everyone's closet looks like this... please don't tell me otherwise.  Let me live in ignorant bliss.  

I emptied everything out of the closet and threw it on my bed.  I weeded through the piles of junk.  I threw away so many expired over-the-counter medications and sunblocks.  That was easy since I don't use that stuff anymore.  I made a pile of sheets and towels to donate. There are four of us living in this house, not forty.  It's hard to get rid of things.  I often live with the "just in case I need this" mentality.  It helps to ask yourself, "When was the last time I used this?" as you're going through your stuff.  Most of the stuff I forgot I had.  Others I hadn't used in years.  All I had to do was look at the before photos and it was enough to motivate me to donate things.  

After much sorting, here is the end result: 

Closet - After

I have SO much space left!  I put the First-Aid container in the middle of the closet so my kids could reach it.  Now, if I could only get them to put things back, I'd be a happy mom!  

I'm thinking about painting my closet.  It's SO drab.  Although, with the long list of other household projects hanging over my head, this will most likely never happen.  I have many more things to organize, but I'm happy to have at least one thing crossed off.

What kind of household projects do you have going on?  

Thanks for stopping by,

  

  

Dreams

I had a dream about my brother last night. Actually, it was this morning because it woke me up at 6 a.m. I know I must have been crying in my sleep because I woke up with puffy eyes and a stuffy nose. I hate dreams like that... the ones that stay with you and disorient you for the rest of the day. 

My brother, Brian, is in heaven now. In December of 2007 he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma. He died in July of 2007 at the age of 26. It's amazing how much you regret, how much you wish you could turn back the clock and take in every moment, every word, every minute spent together. 

I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with Brian. He was my baby brother, the one I carried around on my hip until he got too heavy for me to pick up. And I was his big sister, the one he called when he needed advice. I'll miss him until the day I die. But I know I'll see him in heaven one day. Until that day, I will live his example of God's love and mercy. His desire was for people to know Christ. His funeral was packed, standing room only, and several people received God into their hearts that day. I knew then that he accomplished what he always wanted.  He left this earth with a full life and a full heart.   

Prayer

I woke up at 3 a.m. with a feeling like I just had to pray. Pray for my family. Pray for my friends. Pray for my church. So I did. I prayed until I fell asleep again at 4 a.m. Then, I woke up at 6 a.m. with the nudging feeling that I needed to pray some more. So I did. I prayed for my family. I prayed for my friends. I prayed for my church. I don't know exactly what I needed to pray for, so I covered all of the bases. I prayed for safety. I prayed for growth. I prayed for protection. I prayed for joy, strength, peace, change. 

I've heard people say, "Is it really important that we pray? It's not like we can change God's mind and He already knows what's going to happen." My response to that is, yes! God does know what's going to happen. He knows the choices we will make. He knows the outcome of our choices. He knows everything about us. But prayer is not about changing God's mind or getting what we want. It's about focusing our hearts on Him. When we take time to pray, we are standing in the gap for our friends, our family, our church. We are seeking God. We are making our requests known to Him. We may pray for 5 minutes, we may pray for hours. The outcome may be the same as it was always intended to be, but WE are changed. Spending time in prayer changes our focus. It becomes outward instead of inward. You cannot spend hours in prayer and not be changed. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Garbage in, garbage out"? It means, whatever you spend your time watching, listening to, or engaging in, will come out. If it's dirty, nasty stuff, that's what will come out of you. Your thoughts will be dark and hopeless. If it's good and pure, goodness will flow out. Your thoughts will be hopeful and peaceful. So, as we spend time in prayer and reading the Word, that goodness will flow out of us. God's love will flow out of us. Our trust will grow as we rely fully on the Lord. 

Does this make sense? Prayer is powerful and effective. We shouldn't try to live without it. One of the best things about it is that there's no special formula. You don't have to say certain words or be at a certain level of maturity (phew). It's simple and takes on many forms. 

I could talk about prayer for hours. Instead of boring you to death, I want to pass along some resources. Sometimes it's hard to know what to pray for. One of the things that has helped me tremendously is Stormie Omartian's books on the praying series:

Power of a Praying Woman

Power of a Praying Wife

Power of a Praying Parent

I specifically use these three on a daily basis. They really help guide my prayers and cover topics I would never think to pray about. Even if you don't like scripted prayers, like my husband, the prayers are so powerful, you find yourself agreeing and praying along boldly with each one. They also have all three books rolled into one.  She has SO many books on prayer.  These are just a few.  

Here are three more resources that I just started digging in to:

The Prayer that Changes Everything 
Partners in Prayer
Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer

I'd like to hear some of your thoughts on prayer.  Do you have a resource that you use?  Do you have a specific place or time of day to pray?

Thanks for stopping by,

Oh, Happy Day!

Here are some of the reasons I am HaPpY today: 

• it's Friday

• i spent the morning in bed reading books with my girls

• emma asked me to do a side ponytail in her hair. She's 8. It's 2011 :: I had memories of when I was 8 in the 80's. *sigh* sweet side ponytail memories

• i went to Target

• in honor of the side ponytail, I made my kids listen to 80's music on the way to Target

• i bought really cute magnets :: i love magnets

• i had a Venti Iced Chai

• i opened my windows for the first time in 5 months

• i have a sink full of dishes and i don't care

• i'm making sloppy joes for dinner :: first time in years

• my taxes are almost done

• i'm wearing my new necklace

• i'm planning a Tangled party that we're having when it comes out on video  ::  love that movie  ::  i say i'm having it for my girls, but really it's for me

• i started a new book :: i love it

• i've been singing this song all day

• jesus loves me

Did you have a great Friday?  Why or why not?  


Have a great weekend! 

Oils

Hi, All. It's Thursday, as if you didn't know, but the great thing about this Thursday is that it's 65 degrees here in Ohio! That is great news for us. We've had months of snow and ice. It was time for a good thaw. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it was 65 degrees until I stepped outside at 2:45 this afternoon. But, I have a few more hours until the sun goes down and the temperature becomes chilly once again. 

I'm sure you didn't stop by to read about the weather in Ohio. I'm rushing off to a meeting for the Children's Ministry Program at our church. But, I wanted to share my new adventure with you - doTERRA Essential Oils. They have changed my life! Click here to read a little about them. It took a lot of restraint not to write 10 pages about these amazing oils. Even if you're not into essential oils, read it anyway. There are a few interesting things about what the government allows us to put on our bodies. 

Thanks for stopping by,