New Every Morning

September 5, 2010

Sunday Rest

Love must be sincere.

Hate what is evil;

cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:9-10

September 3, 2010

Don't you wish you could capture time in a bottle and save it for later? As summer comes to a close, I feel a little melancholy. Not because the weather is changing; but rather because it is an end of a season of life, of sorts. I look back at pictures from summers past and grin at their little tiny bodies in adorable bathing suits and sigh with a contented, yet almost mournful sigh. How did they grow so fast? It happened right before me and I stood by, blissfully unaware. Oh to stop the moments and treasure them forever! That's what cameras are for, right? :)

I look forward to the fall and all that it has to offer, but today I am going to relish in the last glimmers of summer.

~~~Happy Labor Day Weekend~~~

September 1, 2010

Wanna-Gonna

1. I wanna pull out the pumpkin spice candle, but I'm gonna wait another week or so.

2. I wanna go jean shopping, but I'm gonna stick with my shorts since it's 93 degrees.

3. I wanna complain about our new healthcare benefits, but I'm gonna just pray we don't have any reason to visit the hospital. Ever.

4. I wanna deny that I'm grumbly about my son's wacky baseball practice schedule. I'm gonna just be thankful that my husband is taking on the season's duties.

5. I wanna be able to type this post without interruption. I'm gonna choose to be happy that my children still need me.

6. I wanna read a book in a quiet corner. I'm gonna be thankful that my kids love for me to read aloud to them about King Arthur and other quality literature characters.

7. I wanna rant about the inconsideration of not RSVPing when I've opened up my home to others. I'm gonna put my big girl panties on and not take it personally.

8. I wanna pout because Trader Joe's did not have pimento cheese spread yesterday. I'm gonna see it as an opportunity to make another visit to T.J.s in the very near future.

9. I wanna have a pity party about feeling unappreciated. I'm gonna brag that my husband does a great job of making me feel appreciated in my role here at home.

10. I wanna take credit for coming up with a list of wanna/gonna. I'm gonna be honest and tell you that my dear friend Amber came up with the idea.

Whatchu wanna/gonna?

August 31, 2010

In My Garden

It's nearing the end of summer (insert applause and wild cheering), and while summer does have many wonderful things to offer, the heat and humidity seem to diminish my zest come the month of August. So even though I am ready for fall, I will be sad to see my garden put to rest. This morning I went out to pick a few tomatoes and found some surprises.

Morning glories. I know they are a weed, but I think they are one of the most beautiful flowers in God's creation.

Green tomatoes in abundance. See how they've outgrown their protective fence (bottom left of photo). My mother loves fried green tomatoes. Anyone else?

I may have screamed like a little girl when I discovered this scary monster hanging very close to where I had just plucked a tomato. Check out that orange barb! This little monster is the size of my finger and strong. So strong that I couldn't remove him from the plant with a stick! Anyone know what this is? Upon further inspection, I found 3 more of these barbarians. Shivers!!!

Lastly, I found two of these Great Golden Spiders hanging out in the tomatoes. I usually like them because they eat the yucky bugs, but my feelings changed a bit when I discovered the remains of several beautiful butterflies in his web.

I've decided that I prefer gardening when all the scaries are hibernating. I guess I should look into cabbage, pumpkins and Christmas tree farming. :)

August 30, 2010

Do you really want to be a Super Mom?

Super Mom	Abiding Mom
Does	Is (Psalm 46:10)
Tries to impress others	Pleases the Lord (Eph. 5:10,Proverbs 29:25)
Is controlled by an agenda(curriculum, schedule, etc)	Is controlled by the Holy Spirit: (Gal. 5:22-26) (Uses curriculum & schedules as tools for orderliness so she's more free to follow the spirit)
Her self worth is found in her accomplishments (clean house, perfect kids, the perfect bulletin boards, etc.)	Her self worth is found in an accurate view of who she is in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:10)
Her peace is found in the “perfect” environment	Her peace is found in Jesus in the midst of any storm (Is 26:3)
She is discouraged by failure	Failure reminds her that God's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
She expects perfection from herself and others	She practices grace with herself and others (Eph 4:32)
She teaches her kids to be good	She teaches her kids to be Godly (Proverbs 22:6)
She is frustrated with her lack of spiritual fruit	She abides in Christ and bears much fruit (John 15:5)
She does things with her children	She builds a relationship with her children (Deut 6:6-7)
Her perspective is based on what is seen	Her perspective is based on what is unseen (Col 3:2)
She chooses quantity of activities	She chooses the most excellent Way (I Cor 13)