Isn't She Lovely?

Well, isn't she? There is a silent strength about her that I love. I also get a kick out of the afro, because I got me some big hair too! Groovy Lady is finally hanging in my office after several months in hiding behind an armoire. I have commitment issues when it comes to decorating. Groovy Lady is the name given to here by the artist, but my daughter keeps trying to name her Sally, Annie, or some other name that doesn't reflect the way she speaks to me. This was painted by P. Lewis, a good friend of my mine from college. From time to time she displays her work at art exhibits in the Atlanta area. To see more of her beautiful work, check out the P.Lewis collection here.

Oh So Special

   

If you have children, do you savor the special moments that you have with them, or are you telling them to go play so that you can finish the crazy number of items on your to do list? I have to admit that I am usually guilty of the later. Of course my list of things are important, but time moves so fast, and everyday my kids are saying, doing something different. I have to remind myself to enjoy them, love them, play with them, and for goodness sake, stop letting the t.v. spend more time with them than I do. Ladies, let's put those lists aside for 10 minutes and love on our kids. It just might be the highlight of the day.

Cultured Pearls

There are several older women at my church that I absolutely love. They are in their mid-forties to late fifties and they have qualities that I want when I get to that stage. Poise, class, spunk, vibrance, humor, warmth, humility, holiness. They are involved in ministry. They love their children. They HONOR THEIR HUSBANDS. Actually, I don’t want to be like that when I turn 45; I want that now! I don’t look at them in envy, nor do I condemn myself because I may not be all that they are. I just find that I feel encouraged being in their presence. I encourage you to find an older married women who has her stuff together and spend some time with her. You might find that she has a few pearls of wisdom to share.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.  Titus 2:3-5

So Full!

My heart is so full as I write this, I might cry. And if I do, it won't be because I'm sad; it will be that I'm a little spiritually overwhelmed by the week I've have studying God's Word. Last Wednesday I committed to getting up around 6 a.m. so that I could have my devotions before the kids woke up. This time has truly been a blessing, and everyday God has given me some sort insight, encouragement, or spiritual "spanking." I'll be sharing some of this in future posts, but I do want to leave you with this word to encourage you. I know it is challenging to be mom, wife, house keeper, career woman, Sunday school teacher, etc. If you are like me, sometimes you feel like you might absolutely lose your mind. You get tired of the little hands (and the big ones) tugging at you. You are tired of laundry, bills, and trying to figure out what to cook for dinner. Even in the midst of feeling tired, overworked, and overwhelmed, we have to remember that we cannot spin all the plates alone. God is waiting for us to sit down with Him so that He can feed us from His Word. He is the only One who has what we need to "keep on keepin' on."

"And He will be the stability of your times,

A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure. "

Isaiah 33:6

Kaos!

This week is my first time participating in Company Girl Coffee, a virtual meetup for bloggers to share a cup of coffee and a little fellowship.

I think I hit a wall this week. I'm realizing that my life is Kaotic. I know that it should be spelled chaotic, but my inner craziness is better portraited with the incorrect spelling. Let me clarify that my husband and kids aren't causing the Kaos. It is my lack of discipline and organization. So, I've been on a mission to establish order in my life. Here's the plan:

1. Wake up by 6a.m. for devotion- For the sake of transparency, I will say that my greatest weakness as a Christian is that I don't spent enought time with the One I'm supposed to be following. Some of you might think 6a.m. is nuts but my hubby is up and out by 6:30, so he's agreed to make sure that I am up when he leaves.
2. Develop and keep a daily schedule- laundry, cleaning, etc. The daily small things at Home Sanctuary  will be an instrumental part of this.
3. Start menu planning - I'm trying to get ready for Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie

I started this yesterday, and so far so good. My prayer is that I can develop the discipline to maintain these areas, for the sake of all who have to endure living with me !

Night on the Town

When you spend your days covered in spit up, dirty diapers, laundry, and kids, you look forward to the opportunity to get "spiffy" and have night out on the town. That is exactly what my husband and I did last night! We attended the Holiday Gala sponsored by the 100 Black Men of America, Greater Huntsville Chapter. The organization focuses on giving back to the community by mentoring African American males, as well as funding scholarships and other philanthropic (big word) programs.

We had a great time, and it was nice, at least for a few hours, to just feel like a sexy woman being admired by her husband.