And The Nose Just Keeps on Running . . .

(photo credit: www.photobucket.com)

This tissue box is a whole lot fancier than I have here at my house . . .

Mine are just the boxes you get in a three pack at Target. Or WalMart. Or the local grocery store.

I digress.

The fluids from my nose are still flowing quite freely and I really wish they would just dry up, already!!

Enough!

I'm tired of wiping and my nose is definitely tired of me wiping.

Colds are no fun, especially when they are caught from a certain little someone, who shall remain nameless at this time, but his initials are Ashton Stewart - cutest boy on the planet. He who is nameless is feeling better and is ready to play and be in a good mood, while his mama lays on the couch and groans and wipes her nose or coughs into her shirt for the bajillionth time.

I repeat, colds are no fun.

However, watching tv and movies is . . .unless you have a little someone who is up and can't watch it with you. Then it's not so fun.

Speaking of fun, my little someone is napping, so I should go enjoy some movie & nose wiping time until it's time for him to get up.

well, our first cold has hit . . . bummer

Ashton's first real/major cold has hit and boy, is it a doozy . . .

Chest congestion, nasal congestion, sleepless nights, restless naps, oy vey! and I'm not even Jewish - ha!

So - out comes the Baby Vicks, the eucalyptus essential oil for the: humidifier (soooo, glad we have one AND we named him Peter Penguin) and the bath; the steaming hot showers for helping to loosen the mucus (and oh! there is a lot of that happening!), AND last but not least, the vitamins! Elderberry, Garlic, Fish Oil, Alfalfa (not sure how that helps, but okay)

We also have cough syrup, Baby Tylenol & Ibuprofen on hand - just in case.

You would think that just by getting this stuff out, it would scare off the evil, evil germ that has invaded our home.

Ummm . . .

No.

Nada.

Not a chance.

So, we wait. And hope that it doesn't get any worse.

Grrr at you, Cold Season. I am definitely NOT "friending" you on Facebook, so don't even ask.

The Greatest Valentine

photo credit: www.photobucket.com

As I woke up this morning, I was filled with a sense of unmet expectations for this notorious day in February.

Expectations I unrealistically placed on myself.

Dinner was supposed to be fantastic, I was supposed to be dressed up with makeup on, ready to greet Tim as he walked in the door, the house should have been decorated for Valentines Day. . . .

Yeah, none of that is happening.

Here is what is really happening:

Ashton is teething and is grouchy about napping (although he's still sleeping, thankfully!, as I write this post), the house is a wreck from the weekend, the carpet is still not vacuumed, the dishes JUST got done and I still have to wipe off the counters . . . .

I am REALLY not feeling like getting all "dolled" up right now and so I am in a pair of casual pants and a top with hair and makeup not done . . . actually I'm feeling more like taking a nap.

This is what Valentines Day is for me right now, in this moment . . . and I start to get stressed . . .
But then I remember what Tim did for me this morning:

He kissed me with morning breath and bed hair and told me I looked beautiful.

He gave part of his gift for me and wished me Happy Valentines Day before he left for work.

He gave me our son, Ashton.

And he has blessed my life since we were married almost 8 years ago.

Perfect? Hardly, but God gave him to me as my husband so therefore, I am a blessed woman.

I also take pause and remember our baby.

We waited 7 years for this little man and this is his first Valentines Day.

Not that he'll remember it, but still. He is ours and he has blessed our lives richly in the past four months.

I still catch myself thinking about the day he was born and I get teared up. Like how I felt when they put my son on my chest for the first time or how it felt when I was the only voice he would listen to in the hospital when he was fussing and how he'd calm down or how it looked when Tim held his son for the first time . . . and yes, I could go on and on and on.

Is he crabby from teething? Yes. Is he being stubborn about napping? Yes. But I wouldn't have it any other way, really. When I stop and think about it.

Then I think about my Savior has done for me (which causes me to pause), who has indeed abundantly blessed me with more than I could ask or imagine.

And I can imagine quite a bit. But in the end, it's all just stuff, really. Even a pair of the most gorgeous shoes imaginable (and I'm drooling, this is really quite embarrassing) is just stuff.

It doesn't matter when I think about spiritual things, like how I am to glorify Jesus in all my tasks, whether it's grocery shopping or mopping the floor or cleaning up baby/dog barf.

Or how I am supposed to love and serve my husband whether or not he deserves it.

Or how I am supposed to do this: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

The reality is that Jesus gave us the greatest valentine possible: eternal life made possible only through himself and his work on the cross.

Wow.

Perfect dinners, all "dolled" up and valentine decorations pale in comparison.

I will leave you with what I read this morning in "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young

"Do not give in to fear or worry, those robbers of abundant living. Trust Me enough to face problems as they come, rather than trying to anticipate them. Fix your eyes on Me, the Author and Perfecter of your faith, and many difficulties on the road ahead will vanish before you reach them. Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am holding you by your right hand. Nothing can separate you from My Presence!" (Scripture used: Hebrews 12:2; Isaiah 41:13)

For I, the LORD your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, "Fear not,
I am the one who helps you."

~Isaiah 41:13

So much for the unmet/unrealistic expectations.

Hopefully dinner won't be burnt. But I have my Savior and Lord, my husband and my son to be grateful for this Valentines Day

And who knows? Perhaps this will start a tradition in our house of Valentines Day pizza *wink wink*

Was VERY Convicted by this . . .

I was catching up on some blogs I follow while Ashton is asleep (I know! I should be napping as well, but sometimes there are other things that need to be taken care of . . . )

I was reading this blog: http://www.number17cherrytreelane.com/ and the author, Rachel, did a post on this topic "who's it really for?"(see the February 8th post - just scroll down a bit)

I thought to myself, "well, this should be interesting, I will keep reading". And keep reading I did. And I came upon some really hard questions, like why do I get dressed and put makeup on, why am I a stay-at-home mom, why am I striving to have a "perfect" child (which is really a joke, if you think about it, due to, well, sin), and many more.

THEN, she hit me with this thought: "Nothing matters apart from the Lord."

What a concept, eh?

In all I do, every single day, whether it's doing laundry, tending to Ashton's needs, loving and serving my husband, etc...

ALL OF IT should be done for God's glory. That's it. Just Him and Him alone. Nothing else should matter (although "worldly thoughts" creep in from time to time and mess with my head).

I must confess that I don't think about this concept very often, in fact, maybe only once or twice every month or so. If that.

Wow. I call myself a Follower of Christ and yet often, He is that last thing I think of after myself, my husband and my child.

Not a great testimony, huh. If I were an unbeliever coming into my home, would I be able to say that Christ infuses everything I do? That it is an integral part of who I am, the way I conduct myself?

Probably not.

Sad.

Very sad.

BUT, there is hope in Christ and after reading the post (thanks, Rachel @ www.number17cherrytreelane.com for writing such an excellent post and really getting to the heart of the matter - God really used it to speak to my heart), I am resolute in going about purposefully doing what I do on a daily basis for the glory of God. Hard to do and yet it really shouldn't be, now should it?

I will end this post with a verse that was used at the end of Rachel's post over at her blog: www.number17cherrytreelane.com (please! go check it out! )

Not because I want to be a copy-cat, but because it was very convicting to my heart and it needs to be a reminder to all of us.

"Only let your manner of life be worthy, of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God." ~James 1:27-28

Whoops!

Bad me.

I thought yesterday was Monday, hence the title of my post.

Sheesh, you'd think I would be able to keep up . . . . .

I did, however, in a delirious state of mind from being tired, come up with some catchy titles for future blog posts . . . are you ready?

Here goes.

Meltdown Monday (already used that one)/Manageable Monday/(insert a more positive title here)

Tearful Tuesday/Terrible Tuesday/Terrific Tuesday

Weepy Wednesday

Threatening Thursday/Thankful Thursday

Fearful/Freaky/Fantastic Friday

Whoa! I am pretty proud of myself! Is it that obvious?

Can you say - too much time on my hands? (should be cleaning the toilet right now)

Didn't think I'd say this but . . .

I believe I am tired of the snow & the cold

Meltdown Monday

Today was NOT a good day.

First, some sad news came when Tim called and told me that his Aunt Sharon had died from complications due to cirrhosis of the liver.

My heart is sad for Grandma and Grandpa Murray and the remaining siblings (Tim's Mom, Patty, and her two brothers, Scott & Charles), plus Aunt Sharon's family, which include her husband Mark, sons Andy & Arnie, & daughter Alyson

Then I watched a video of this family's day they went to get their baby from Ethiopia on this blog: http://teamalexander.blogspot.com/ and then another video about their little boy, Abe, who has to work so hard at normal stuff because he had a series of strokes in utero that left him unable to speak, feed himself, etc....

THEN, I was inflexible about going to dinner with Tim's grandparents, cousins, etc...

Which made this a "Meltdown Monday"

Lots of tears today.

Didn't really have any tissues nearby so I used whatever I could (one of my t-shirts, a towel, one of Ashton's burp cloths) and needless to say, my nose is NOT happy due to not using Puffs Plus with Lotion (my nose is particular about such things)

I firmly believe that God is working in my heart and spirit and my sinful self, i.e. my "flesh" wants none of it . . .

so would you pray for me?

I would appreciate it greatly.

One thing that has helped is that I have been reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and every day I read, God uses those words to speak to me right where I am struggling that day.

Here is today's reading:

"I am above all things: your problems, your pain, and the swirling events in this ever-changing world. When you behold My Face, you rise above circumstances and rest with Me in heavenly realms. This is the way of Peace, living in the Light of My Presence. I guarantee that you will always have problems in this life, but they must not become your focus. When you feel yourself sinking in the sea of circumstances, say "Help me, Jesus!" and I will draw you back to Me. If you have to that thousands of times daily, don't be discouraged. I know your weakness, and I meet you in that very place" (Scripture: Ephesians 2:6; Matthew 14:28-32)