Do You Know My Jesus?

Well, do you?

I know, I know. What a way to start off a post.

Where has this uncharacteristic boldness appeared from?

Let's just say that I'm "pouring it out" and "taking the lid off".

What?!

Last night at church, our beloved pastor was on a roll. He was throwing out some hard questions and challenges to us, his congregation.

Why are we keeping the treasure of Christ to ourselves? Why are we preventing others from the living water He provides to His followers? That's where the pouring out and taking the lid off comes in.



Now, let me tell you that I do NOT have the gift of evangelism. This I am not proud of. I have always consoled myself with the knowledge that my primary mission field is my family and home. After all, that is the most important to me, right now.

But am I missing out on oppurtunities to share with others the love of our Savior?

Which brings me to you, my dear readers. This blog has been used to chronicle the crazy life of a slightly kooky mother of four who also happens to homeschool, our love story that points repeatedly to the grace of God, and just the general ramblings and musings of a woman who has to put brag on her family just a little more. Well, maybe a lot more!

You all know I adore my husband and my monkeys.

But I am not a mama first. I'm not even a wifey first. First and foremost, I am a Christian woman trying to live more like Him everyday. A sinner who is forgiven. Not perfect.

And so let me tell you, in case you don't know, how much He loves you and desires for you to know Him. I can't describe His love for you. That would be like trying to describe the universe. It just can't be done. It's something that you have to experience for yourself.

If you are ready, please stop by here and pray this prayer.

Take it from me, your world will never be the same!

What do you believe? Share with me! I'd really love to know.

Mexican Jumping Beans

I think that when God put our family together, there were a couple of guidelines that He followed:

1) Must be adorable. Check.

2) Must love to laugh. Check.

3) Must love every type of Mexican food. Authentic and not so authentic. Check.

4) Must love various types of music. Check.

5) Must love to dance and jump around like a Mexican jumping bean on a rainy Saturday morning to Earth, Wind and Fire. Double check.




Guess He did a pretty good job putting our family together, huh? Never have you seen so much craziness. And fun.

PS In case you didn't know, I finally got my own domain name. Yay! 'Cuz I'm big now. Anyhoo, new domain is: www.oneblessedlady.com. Google said it would transfer everyone over, but I'm just covering my bases. I'm still not sure about all this technology...


Linked up to Miss Sharon at Good, True and Beautiful again. She's pretty fun, too.

Whales Vs. Mermaids

Intrigued? Yes, I was too, when I read this in the subject line of my email.

I don't know if this has made the email rounds, so you may have seen it already. I hadn't, and I think that this is FABULOUS!

Being a whale sounds pretty good to me...

Recently, in a large city in France, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active romantic life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia , the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia . Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.


Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a romantic life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they? Just look at them ... well, you get the idea. Therefore, they don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

P..S.. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies, So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my bum in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!¨

*If you saw the original, you might have noticed that I've changed some of the uh, words that were used. {ahem} Just keeping it clean, folks.

Hide and Go Seek!

Here I am!

Have you noticed something different yet?

Go ahead and look around. I'll wait.









No, it's not the new jammies. Nope, had this haircut for the past couple of days.

It's okay if you didn't notice. It's a relatively small thing, except to me!

Haven't guessed yet? It's.........my own domain name!!!

I'm a big girl now!

Yup, gone is that pesky .blogspot. thing. It used to drive. me. crazy. Even though the server told me that every thing should transfer over well, me and my techno-lacking brain remain unconvinced. I think everything is alright, but you just never know!

So here it is: www.oneblessedlady.com

That's me! That's me!!

I think I'm going to stretch out and relax in my own little corner of the Internet. Come on by and put your feet up. I plan on being here for a while.

May I Have A Sick Day, Puh-lease?

The world is still spinning.

The grass is still growing.

Laundry still needs to be done and dinner planned and made.

And I'm pouting. Pouting with a capital P.

I'm not a gracious and lovely sick lady. Nope. Not. One. Bit.

Is anyone? I don't think anyone likes being sick, except maybe hypochondriacs. But now that I think about it, they're probably just surprised they're really ill, not enjoying it.

I remember when I was in elementary school I used to pretend I was sick so that I got to stay home from school. I should have earned an Academy Award for the performances I put on. I fooled the school nurse AND my mother. I was that good.

I don't get those sick days anymore. No, I am the mama. And as helpful and wonderful as my hubby is, that fact remains the same. I don't get sick days.

Yet something else no one told me about when I had children.

Okay, okay, there are some consolations to being sick. It is only a head cold, after all.

*This will all be over in a few days. It has to be or else my husband will go on strike.

*Besides one case of the sniffles, all of the children are healthy. And that one can blow her own runny nose, lessening the amount of times I have to remove my bum from couch.

*Even though we have a large house, all four of my kids want to squeeze on to the love seat with me. Five people in about three square feet. They must really love me.

*I'm watching more of the Olympics than I ever knew existed. Not that I get sole possession of the remote control. Oh, no. Jamie would have to be on her deathbed for that to happen.

*Coffee is actually tasting good. I might actually grow to enjoy this stuff someday. I wonder how many head colds that would take. I also wonder what it would be like if I could taste it.

*My voice sounds like Johnny Cash. Which, by the way, my husband thinks is quite attractive. Isn't that romantic?

*Cloth diapers make the best hankies when there are no tissues to be found. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

*I got a five minute nap today!! That's more than I've gotten in a loooonnngggg time!

Of course, there is the down side to it:

*I woke up to my hubby watching me this morning. He said it was because he loves watching me sleep. I think it was because I was snoring (due to the cold) and he couldn't believe such indelicate noises were coming from 5'2" woman.

*All of my lectures on chewing with mouths closed have flown out the window. There's just no way else for me to eat right now.

*Even though you can't taste the garlic bread that came with your dinner, doesn't mean you don't have garlic breath. Just ask my husband.

*I have to bend at the waist and practically hug my knees when I sneeze so that I don't throw my back out. I was quite the show at the grocery store.

*But definitely the worst is not kissing my family. Oh, and my Sean Connery picture that I keep under my pillow.

All that to say, I'm really glad that this is just a cold and not Dutch Elm disease. Which I've heard only occurs in trees.

One can never be too sure.

Motherhood Is Calling

My lovely, younger sister is pregnant with her first child. Amidst the "yays" and "I'm so nauseated", I have to admit that I'm quietly chuckling to myself at all of the things she thinks she knows about motherhood. After all, she's laughed at me all these years as I've learned what happens after that baby is handed to you for the first time.

Now, I could talk until I'm blue in the face, but it wouldn't change anything. She will just have to learn them all on her own.

Like I did.

Most of the things I've learned can't be taught in classes or read in parenting books. Nope, it's on the job training.

Here's a few things I've learned in the brief eight and a half years I've been a mama:

1. Never knew that I could grow to hate paper towel commercials. The reason? Children in an immaculate home make a huge mess by dumping a whole gallon of milk on the floor and the mother just shakes her head and smiles before reaching for the paper towels. That wouldn't exactly be my reaction. Any one else?

2. Didn't realize I could ever be so concerned about some one's poop.

3. I didn't know how much time/money/freedom I had before I was a mama. Yes, I was better dressed and rested, but I wasn't nearly as selfless and able to laugh at myself as I am now.

4. Never dreamed I would be saying: "Do not paint your toes with your yogurt, please." or "Take Mama's shoe out of the potty" or "You MAY NOT sit on the baby and toot on him!"

5. Hadn't counted on using a girdle, push-up bra and control-top panty hose as battle gear in the daily battle of going out into the world.


6. Am surprised that I'm able to nurse the baby, answer the phone, stop a fight and check facebook all at the same time.

7. I always thought that I would get to choose when I would have a baby. HA!!
Exhibit A:


8. Never, ever would've thought that one of MY children would (a) break wind in church during the sermon and think it's funny or (b) at two years old, escape from the nursery and walk nonchalantly down the middle aisle calmly looking for mama and daddy while the nursery worker is in tears, running through the church looking for her.

9. Never understood that it would be this________. (fill in the blank)
*exciting, hard, scary, rewarding, funny, exhausting, expensive, repetitive*

10. Didn't know that anticipating the time when I get to go to sleep would sometimes rival the anticipation of my honeymoon.

Funny what motherhood does to you...



PS Know what else is funny? It only took me two hours to write this post. Due to, yes you guessed it, motherhood.

What have you learned (or are learning) from these little precious creatures who hang on our pant legs crying for their lunch?

Linking up to Sharon at Good, True and Beautiful for Just For The Joy Of It, because being four little people's mama brings me joy.

Letters To Our Girls

Tonight was a meeting of The Ladies-In-Training Literature Club.

Don't know it?

Well, many of the seven to nine year old girls in my life not only know about it, but they are the aforesaid ladies.

{sigh}

I wish I was one of them.

One particular part of my DNA that I have passed down to my children is the love of the written word. (Their daddy passed on the love of football, music and lame jokes. Ah, I love genetics.) So, it was with great enthusiasm and excitement that I signed Gi-Gi up for this homeschool club.

One night a month, the girls get all dressed up in their Sunday best, meet at one of the houses, bring a hostess gift, discuss the book, make a craft or learn a homemaking skill, and, of course, eat a meal complete with dessert.

Can it get any better?

Being the mama of a quickly growing girl, sometimes I realize how grown-up she's getting. It's always bittersweet. I miss my little girl, but I'm enjoying watching her blossom. And when she gets around other girls her age, there is plenty of screaming and giggling, so there is still a little girl in there somewhere.

Tonight, each of the girls had a surprise waiting for them: a letter. A letter written by a parent to their precious daughter.

Even though I didn't host this month, just seeing the joy and excitement on these girls' faces when I arrived at the end was priceless. I had three of these wiggling bundles of uncontainable happiness in the car with me on the way home with me and I was touched when each girl wanted to read their letter to me. There was no sense of wanting to keep them private. They just wanted to share with me.

What struck me is that, most of the time, the things that were written in those letters (at least the one to my daughter, and I can assume the others) are things we say to our girls often. There is just something about it being written down so that you can read them over and over. They will be kept and treasured for years to come.

This got me to thinking, I know that it's way more convenient to email or leave a message on facebook. Heavens, if worse comes to worse, you can always call and leave a message. It's nice to get a quick answer to a pressing question.

But is it enough? I mean, I remember the fascination with getting something in the mail. I still love it. Just knowing someone took the time to write my name on an envelope and stick a stamp on it.

People used to save letters and tie them up with ribbon so that they wouldn't ever lose them. Those letters were counted as some of their most priceless treasures. I guess you could save emails, but where would you put the ribbon?

I think I'd better go buy more stamps.

What is your favorite way to communicate with others?

Happy Balentime's Day!

At least that's how it's said around here!

I found this cute little post over at Kelly's Joyful Adorations and just had to join in the fun. And since it's Balentime's Day, I thought this was the perfect oppurtunity.

'Cuz you all just know how much I love my hubby!

1. When was your "engagement" anniversary: August 23, 2003

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary: December 27, 2003 (yes, two days after Christmas. I thought our mothers were going to kill us!)

3. How long have you known your spouse: almost seven years

4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged: two months

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time: I was a beer-toting waitress.

6. What is your spouses name: Paco

7. Do you have any children yet: 4, Gi-Gi (8), Bubba (4), Ya-Ya (3), JuJu (11 months)

8. How many do you want: At least one more (don't faint on me!)

9. Do you have any house pets: not yet. We have to wait to get a bigger yard. (Four kids and one hubby are more than enough for me)

10. Do you own a house or rent: Own, but trying to sell. So if anyone's in the market...

11. Do you live in the country or town/city: town/city

12. What is one of your favorite activities together: ANYTHING! But especially, going to the theater, cooking, being outside, socializing

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: Lake Tahoe (or San Francisco or Paris...)

14. How many siblings (including in-laws): 9

15. What church do you attend: Grace Chapel

16. Is this the church you were married in: yes (and where we got engaged, and where our eldest was baptized, and where two of them were dedicated)

17. What is your favorite restaurant to eat at together: Carrabba's, Oregano's or Joe's Farm Grill

18. Do you work or stay at home: I get to stay home and homeschool our kiddos

19. Where did you honeymoon: South Lake Tahoe {sigh, heavenly)

20. Leave a piece of marriage advice: Think of the other person first always. Our motto is "Help yourself to me" meaning what may I do for you or share with you. Oh, and a couple more: Laugh every day, pray always and kiss a lot!



Happy Balemtime's Day! Go kiss your loved ones!!

In Love and War

Who likes being married?

Ooooo, pick me, pick me!

Who understands this great mystery we call marriage 100% of the time?

{crickets chirping}

Well, my friends, you are in luck!

I've been reading the most amazing book (yes, another book) called In Love and War, by John and Stasi Eldredge.

Have you read any of their books? They've written Wild At Heart (for men) and Captivating (for women), amongst others.

They really have a passion for marriages, starting with their own. They share their personal story of how they were on the brink of divorce and God restored their marriage and gave them a passion for helping others with theirs.

Now honestly, I've always felt that Paco and I are so compatible that even if marriage books are good, how can we make our marriage even better?

Boy, was I wrong!! (not about being compatible. Just wanted to clear that up. Whew!)

It talks about how we're living in a Love Story unlike anything we as humans could ever come up with (or even make a movie about). We are like the boy and girl in a fairy tale, off to slay the dragon and experience high adventure and just enjoying being together.

It also talks about how our first priority HAS to be our relationship with God, because without it, marriage WON'T work. At least it, the way it's supposed to.

It's written with humor and candor and more of those personal stories that I love so much. It's written with love for each other and for the readers, as well as passion for marriages.

I highly recommend this book for ANY married couple, good marriage or not-so-good.

I am so thankful that John and Stasi were obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit and wrote this book. My marriage has already benefited from it!!

Let me know if you pick this one up to read it! I'd love to know what you think. It will be well worth your time and energy.

Multnomah lets you pick it up here.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

A Day of a (Big) Victory

Today, I'm going to show you something only my mother, my husband and best friends know. Another big step for me...

There are those days when you have small victories. You know the ones that I'm talking about. When you take only one scoop of ice cream rather than two, when you have only one serving of homemade mexican food when secretly you know that you could stuff three more enchiladas in there somewhere, or when you realize you've worn out your tennis shoes from working out so much.

And then, there are the days of BIG victories!! Oh, yes, that deserves two exclamation marks. The days when the scale moves down just a little more, the belt needs to be tighter, or (trumpets blasting) you see this:




get switched to this:



Can I get an AMEN?!

Now, I know that some of you have never had this issue/victory. You're like my sister who fusses when her poor little size sixes are feeling a little snug.

May I say, you poor, poor dear. Bless you, bless you.

{ahem}

As for me, this has always been an issue. Top that off with having a baby two weeks before turning thirty and my poor body just felt like it was hit by a semi. Unlike my sister (and brother), I got the chubby end of the gene pool. I'm really trying to find some consolation in that. I can't find just one.

Let me share one of my inspirations with you. One of my dearest blogging friends, Amy at Choosing Freedom, has been sharing her personal weight-loss story and inspiring women left and right. It hasn't been just about losing the weight, but realizing that what she was dealing with was a food addiction. And like any addiction, it can consume your relationship with God. So in the process of all of this, she's been learning how to depend on God rather than food for her needs and sharing what she's found with the rest of us. I love it!

Thanks for letting me be joyful with y'all! Not trying to brag, just being excited and full of joy! Hopefully, I'll be showing you single digits on those tags before long.

PS Thanks to Paco for thinking I'm gorgeous, even when I'm chubby. That's true love, my friends.

Linkin' up with Miss Sharon over at Good, True and Beautiful, just because we want to spread some joy!

Ever Get the Feelin'...

Ever since I was a young teenager, I have been convinced that I was born at the wrong time in history.

I know that I was born at the time that God chose and into the family He chose and at the place He chose. I get that. I really do. It's just that sometimes, I don't think I fit.

If I had had the oppurtunity to pick, what would it have been?

Hmmmmm, Jane Austen's England in the early 19th century?



Well, only if I got to marry Mr. Darcy and live at Pemberley, although



Edward Ferrars is another great option. (hey, just keeping my options open.)

Well, I'm just not sure about having to remember everybody's titles and how much they made every year. No thanks. I'd rather use my brain for other things. Nice to read about with a hot cup of tea, though.

How about pioneer America?

Now, THAT has possibilities.



I love the thought of knowing how to make all of that food from scratch or knowing how to hand sew a dress, or knitting shawls, or ... But traveling in a covered wagon? Hauling my own water? Using an outhouse? Having to deal with Harriet Olson?

Not sure I'm that gracious. Although, a facebook quiz did tell me that I'm most like the Caroline Ingalls character in Little House on the Prairie.

And you know those quizzes don't ever get it wrong.

No, I know when I should have been born.

1924.

Yes, that's right. You see that was the year my grandma was born. She's one of the "Greatest Generation" ladies.

I realize that they did have to deal with the Great Depression, World War II and zoot suits, but think of it:

1940's

the music - Glenn Miller makes me swoon

the hairstyles - I could totally do a pompadour

the fabulous dresses - although I could ditch the shoulder pads

the red lipstick and high heels - (sigh) so feminine



Although being blessed with olive-toned skin, I could've totally gotten out of this:



Thank goodness for that! I wouldn't have wanted anyone that close to my cellulite.

I think if I could have chosen I would have belonged to this family:



I love the family, the house, the huge table with all of the food, even the names, one in particular. I love that name so much I gave it to one of my children. (Yes, I'd like you to meet my son, John-Boy. Sooooo, not true! Actually, one of my kiddos does bear the name of one of them. Which one is it?)

But since I didn't get to pick, you'll have to excuse me. I think I'll go dance the jitterbug to "In the Mood".

Has anyone seen my red lipstick?

What about you? If you could have chosen, when when (or where) would you have picked to live?

He Might Be Big, But...

Just because he can do this:



And he's self-potty-training (well, kinda):


And likes to munch on homemade carrot cake:



And has now proven he can do this:



Doesn't mean that he's not still a mama's boy:



And that brings me much, much joy.





Sharon's having a party over at Good, True and Beautiful! Go take a looksee!



PS If you started reading our love story and haven't read the last chapter, please feel free to have a good read on me. However, I must let you know that it was a hard chapter to write and it may lead you to feel differently about me. (Just being honest here) But, it has a triumphant and victorious ending and I hope you can celebrate it with us!

Our Love Story ~ Living Happily Ever After

There's no getting around it.

I've been avoiding writing this last bit of our story.

Don't get me wrong. I love our story.

After all it's our love story. But like every good story, there are twists and turns. Laughter and tears.



The main reason I've been stalling is because I needed to be sure about my motivation. I don't ever want to hurt my marriage or put it on the auction block, just for a post.

(deep breath)

Well, here goes...

After we got married, I was in heaven. My new life was saturated with God's grace and mercy. I had this amazing man, we had a house, he was proving himself as a natural daddy.



But there was an issue. An issue I had no idea was part of my perfect world. And that issue and I were about to meet head to head.

Out of respect for my husband, I won't go into details.

Let's just say that that day in January five years ago (just days after our first anniversary) was one of the most devastating of my life. I fell to the floor and sobbed.

I was five months pregnant. Not that that makes too much of a difference in the story to you, dear friends. But it did to me.

I ran the gamut of old insecurities. Shame, fear of abandonment, ugliness all came full force. I could hardly breathe.

I found out that day, and for weeks afterwards, how much sorrow and devastation a woman's heart could hold. Let me tell you my friends, it can hold alot.


Here's where our story is so different from so many others. We're still married. We still like each other. We are still madly, deeply in love. More so, in fact, than ever before.

I think what it all comes down to is choices. Our choices that day and the days following determined our future. Our story.


(forgive the bad scan job)

I have to say that it could have ended. Badly. But our choices, our choices... We chose to love each other through it. I could have thrown this in his face for years and harbored unforgiveness. But I didn't and I don't. He could have not taken responsibility for his decisions. But he does and did.

This is why:

"...in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad..."



It wasn't easy. Oh, no. We had counseling. We read books. We shared our story with a few friends so that they could pray for us and keep us accountable. But because of God's grace and mercy, yet again, I was able to kiss my husband out of desire and not obligation. We were able to be truly together as only a husband and wife can be (hint, hint).

Fast forward five years:




Why am I sharing this deeply personal and vulnerable chapter of our marriage to you?

It's certainly not to experience this deep pain again. Although it has been quite cathartic.

It's not to remind my husband of the pain we have suffered together.

Let me tell you. It's because I want to show you that:

1) We are not the victims of other people's choices. We may not be able to control other people's actions, but we can certainly control our reactions.

2) With God all things are possible! Even restoring a marriage.

3) We ALL need victory and freedom in some area of our lives.

4) Our story is too precious to throw in the trash! So is every other married couple's!

So let me introduce you to my Paco. A more wonderful man you'll never meet. An adoring and loving husband and father, he's the love of my life. He's experienced trial and temptation and watched our marriage grow to become beautiful out of the ashes of our sinful natures.




Here we are five years later celebrating our anniversary.

We're living happily ever after. And our story isn't over yet!

By the grace of God.

See what happens when you go to work at Carrabba's one night?



*If you are in need of any marriage resources, please, please, please email me! I'd be more than happy to share what I've learned with you.