It never hurts to be reminded...

As I went to use my calculator, and the one Katie and Mackenzie sometimes use for school, I found this message :

It reads: "Don't cheat! God is LOOKing at U! God is watching you! Don't cheat at your math!"


Only Mackenzie would do this.

I love how the "O"s have eyes.

When I asked her if the message was meant for her or for Katie, she didn't really have an answer. In either case, I guess it is good advice.

In case you are wondering, I haven't erased it. It never hurts to be reminded. :)

Psalm 127

My reading this morning was Psalm 127 "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

As you all know, there are a gazillion things clamoring for our attention and efforts in every day. I need to let the Lord set my priorities for my time and energies. If he is telling me something is important (like spending time in his word, ) I need to do it, and make it a priority in my day. And if he isn't telling me that something is important, I need to reconsider how much priority I am giving it.

Psalm 121

Tonight I am reading Psalm 121. It has always been one of my favorites, but tonight I am really thinking about the first two verses-"Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord..." Closing on the funeral home today has left me just completely in awe of how gracious God has been to our family. My prayer is that I will never forget what He has done, that I will never be tempted to take credit for any success we have, that I will never look back at anything good in my life and think, "look what I did." It is all Him. God deserves all the praise and all the glory.

Psalm 20:7

The kids are in bed and the house is finally quiet. My thoughts are going a million miles an hour thinking about closing on the Oakland funeral home tomorrow morning. I think most of you are aware at least to some extent of how precarious our business situation has been for about the last year. Until this opportunity came along, we were facing a very real possibility of forclosure, losing everything, and probably having to move away from the area so Dan could find work.

As scary as it is to think about having two businesses to manage, I am sure this is from the Lord. It is humbling to consider how he has answered our prayers in such a mighty way.

I was reading in Psalms again, and Psalm 20 really spoke to me tonight. Verse 7 says "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." We put our confidence in so many things--jobs, business plans, bank accounts--but the only thing we can really count on is God.

Multitude Monday ~ 5/17/2010

62. Nine pounds lost!

63. Toddlers in fuzzy footed pajamas

64. The chorus of birds outside my window at sunrise

65. This little bluebird, who visited our roof this week to the delight of us all.

66. Sleeping in on rainy mornings

67. a ray of sunshine through the rainclouds

69. Finding love notes that Mackenzie leaves around the house for me.

70. Snuggling on the couch with the kids and reading books

71. The smell and feel of potting soil as I am planting flowers

72. A daughter who shares her faith and invites a friend to church

Multitude Monday ~ 5/10/2010

51. the sound of Katie practicing Bach's cello Suite no. 1 ~ so pretty!

52. spring rains

53. fresh berries for dessert, arranged beautifully by Mackenzie

54. Coming home to a spotlessly clean kitchen on Saturday after a day of running a million errands. Thank you, Mackenzie!

55. My newest kitchen helper, Constance, who helps me unload the silverware out of the dishwasher every morning.

56. a day when everything on my "to-do" list got done

57. laughter

58. not waking up to an alarm clock

59. These beautiful flowers Dan gave me for Mother's Day

60. Precious hand-made cards from my precious children


61. the privilege of being a mom to the five most wonderful children I could ever ask for.

Multitude Monday ~ 5/03/2010

36. These trees that were blooming in my neighborhood this week. Someone told me they are jasmine, but I don't really know what they are. What I do know is that they are beautiful, and their fragrance is divine.


37. the way Eleanor's hand fits in mine

38. a husband who keeps my truck full of gas because he knows I hate to pump gas

39. Maple seeds. I know they make a mess, but they just looks so whimsical and cheerful as they twirl to the ground.

40. ice cream before bed (even if it is low-carb)

41. weather warm enough for sandals

42. This gleaming white moon against a twilight sky. The picture does not do justice to how beautiful the moon looked the other night as it rose. It took my breath away.



43. little sprouts of green peeking up in the farmer's fields

44. bleeding hearts

45. the smell of freshly mowed grass

46. libraries

47. Facebook. It's a total waste of time, but I love it.


48. four leaf clovers

49. memories of Aunt Catherine, who made us baskets of fudge and cookies every May Day

50. the best mother-in-law ever (Happy Birthday, Carolyn!)