You are a Princess when your Father is King of Kings!! :)

"May today there be peace within you. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and in others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us." -Author unknown

Thursday, October 3, 2013

DAY 3


Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

 This picture is PERFECT to discuss! (...I did NOT say the picture itself is perfect- LOL- keep reading!)

But before I get to the beautiful-flawed story behind this piece of art I'll share a quick practical way to infuse faith into your home.  
  • Find meaninful (unbeautiful) faith based projects to do together and then discuss them.  Just google faith based projects if you need a starting point.  Also, check in with your kids Sunday School teacher to see if they have any suggestions based on the curriculum at church- I LOVE tying in things in more than one place.  One thing I have learned is that consistency is key for children of all ages  * and yes, I'm aware unbeautiful is probably not a word :)
Us parents know that our children are always watching.  They watch what we do, how we do it, what we say, how we say it and they also sense where our heart is.  Even if you don't have children- your friend's children are watching you too!  I was reminded of this recently at church when I sat next to one of my friend's little's in 'big kid service.'  Bless her sweet little heart- she would underline what I underlined.  And highlighted what I highlighted.  What a GREAT reminder!  I would lean over and whisper to her why I underlined it or explain a bit of the context around what we were learning.  We would giggle afterwards as if no one else was watching- like the talk was just for us!  It was a sweet moment.
This painted tile means so much to me as momma b/c it is literally imbedded into my bones!  I love this verse b/c God promises us that if we do our part- he will do His.  The verse does NOT say that the child will never vear off to the side and take a worldly route...it just promises that when end meets end- they will always be with the Lord.   Whew, peace.  We all need peace.  

Story behind the story:
This past summer, Kaylee, Kole & I headed to paintin' plates in downtown Plymouth on a rainy day.   The original idea was to assist Kaylee in making a gift for my gramma's 80th birthday.  We were having so much fun (truly!) I also decided to make one myself for our home.  Alright, so as you can see- I AM NO ARTIST!!  I never got good grades in art class, luckily I never had aspirations to be an artist so my parent's didn't give me the try harder talk, they just kept encouraging give your best and find your own strengths :)  This picture is flawed in so many ways BUT that is why it is PERFECT  to discuss! I'm literally laughing as I type remembering how HARD it was to get Kole's little foot print on this tile.  I mean ya'll we had paint everywhere!  This was after we had a blowout diaper that I changed right there in the main painting room- woops- it was to late to move to a bathroom when I discovered the madness.  So needless to say, we were out of wipes to wipe off our messy hands.  Kole man was getting hungry, I didn't have any more snacks with me and I knew our time left was limited.  I also remember letting Kaylee help with the cross stamp.  I cringed as she is borderline perfectionist and I knew the clock was a tickin before the next bomb went off but I'm really working on trying to NOT rush her.  So naturally, the beautiful cross got smudged and we tried to make it look pretty with a black outline.  Which then bled into the white paint and soon we had an even bigger mess.  But I loved it anyway.  It is currently sitting  on our beautiful and full of life 100 year old barn shelves for all to see b/c we're proud of it anyway.  It is the meaning behind it which gives it so much character.  Even in our flawed lives, we are beautiful anyway.  Amen?

 So my point today is simple....just trying new things at home can look messy, out of your wheel house or unordinary (is that a word?!)...but try them anyway.  Your children, or spouse, will remember the effort more than the finished product.  I do have a ton of practical stuff to share but was reminded again today to just keep it real.  None of us are perfect, not even one.  In today's world with social media at our fingertips exposing much of what goes on behind closed but FILTERED doors- we often think we just don't have it all together.  The truth is...we DON'T!  Some do a lot of things well, others do a few things great.  Which is better?  I don't have the answer. 

So take this journey with us and try new things in your home.  Try to find work arounds (again, am I making up MORE words?  Perhaps I'll compile a master list some day) when things don't go as planned.  Whether it is in literal terms with arts and crafts- or trying the whole praying before a meal on a consistent basis thing out.  Give yourself room for failure and PLEASE...don't be afraid of transparency.  When we try to hold a mask over our real selves.... it doesn't do anything but make the world tougher to live in for others.  Listen, I'm not saying we should keep comparing ourselves to others (b/c we should not) but I'm also sayin'

KEEP IT REAL!





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