Thursday, February 11, 2010

Snow In Louisiana

The weatherman has been trying to tell us it was coming, but could we dare hope? We tried not to get our hopes up, to downplay the possibility, just in case. But this morning, it started coming down! Big, fat flakes, cascading down, transforming the drab scenery into something fresh and exciting! Yeah! Snow in Louisiana does not come very often, just about ever 3 years or so. We're so excited!

The word is we can expect 2-4 inches this weekend. If it keeps up, we should have quite a thick carpet of fluff to play in tomorrow. Get ready for lots of snow pics! Here are a few from this morning:



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Elijahnator the Imaginator--can weave a tall tale faster than you can wink at a cowgirl! His most common conversation starter: "When I was my Daddy's age..."...and then some tale about building a ship or a bicycle or...who knows! :)



My expressive, emotional child. Woe to me when PMS kicks in! :)


You would not believe this girl's vocabulary! It's growing every day! She's quite the questioner: "Where's Wijah? Where's Dacie? Where's Daddy? Where's Beamie?" All. day. long. And then, "Wass dis?" at about anything that can be pointed at. Yep. She's going to keep us supplied with interesting conversation around here! :)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Tuesdays Unwrapped: Choosing To Letting Go




We had one of those busy weekends that was a blur of activity. It was a good weekend, with time spent with good friends and precious family. But we were gone all weekend. And NOTHING got done around the house. Yesterday was also busy, as I helped my pastor's wife feed the work crew who are building our new church. That adds up to about four days without doing a significant amount of laundry. Plus I'm out of laundry detergent. Translation--I'd better get to washing if we are going to have clean underwear for church tonight ;). And did I mention that the cupboards are bare? Now, most of you probably know that a trip to Wal-Mart with three small children is no simple thing. It takes careful planning around meal and nap time so everyone is full and have as little crank in their attitudes as possible.

So as I sat on the couch this morning, thinking about the pile of laundry, the dirty floor, the empty pantry, and the freezing temps we will all be subjected to when we go to the store, I almost went THERE. To that stressed-out Mommy place, on the edge of impatience. That place where the voices whisper, "You can't do this. It's too much and no one should be expected to do all you do." The place where I wish it would all just disappear. The place where SELF takes over.

At this point, you can CHOOSE. Oh, the power of CHOICE. You can choose to slip into that hole and wallow in self-pity. Or you can LET IT GO. So what if all the laundry is not done today? So what if it takes two hours to buy the groceries and your kids misbehave in public? I chose to focus my attention on this:







I chose peace and gentleness and self-control. I find that each day of this motherhood journey is filled with choices. Our children depend so much on our choices and reactions. Their peace of mind and security depends on our choices. Today I chose to let go of the stress, take a deep breath, and do what had to be done with a sweet spirit. I chose to deny big ole "SELF".

What choices have you made lately?