It's OK

I absolutely love the two blogs mentioned above. They have a regular weekly blog post and I have decided to play along.  I encourage you to read theirs as well.  I have absolutely nothing in common with these women, but enjoy living vicariously through them.  Much like reality tv.....lol

It's OK....

That it is my 42nd  29th birthday today....yeah me!

That I have a weird fascination with my urban dictionary desk calendar and now the app. So does Katie. We love looking words up.  It keeps me young and hip to raise these gals :)  Warning, some of the words are not appropriate for any one's eyes.  Please do not judge, I just skip over those.

That every year I try to give something up for Lent and fail (I forgive myself since I am not Catholic and don't really have to practice this).  Every year it is my favorite beverage, Coca Cola.  I am addicted.  I have only cheated 4 times since Ash Wednesday and every time it has tasted AMAZING.......fountain coke is my very favorite version, so each time I at least make it worth it.  Thank you Jesus for grace and forgiveness :)  Today is a free day since it is my birthday (I always add that in from the beginning). 

That I am sad(but only for myself) that my coworker is staying home with her children after today.  She and her family will be greatly blessed for this decision. 

That I take my birthday off of work every year for an "All About Me Day".  I love feeling absolutely no pressure to do anything but what I want to.  Sometimes it's shopping, one year it was a pedicure, some days it is reading a good book and taking a nap.  Today it may be lunch with Hubby or  shopping, I just haven't decided yet :) 

 

We should always strive to reach our full potential, but remember we all need "just ok" moments !!!

 

 

Say my name

 

The link up from a blog I like called Brunch With Amber was regarding how you named your blog.

I liked this link up and thought I would let you know how I got my name.  No surprise, I have Great Girls and I am a Mom.....lol

If I ever take my blog to a bigger level, I think I want to pursue the Christian Mom avenue.  I also hope that it will read as a diary to my girls about my thoughts and insights into myself.  

I tried to be super creative when thinking of a name.  But in the end, Mom of Great Girls was the winner.  Not creative, but just stating the facts jack.....smile!

 

Blessed Sunday

 

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. ~ Proverbs 16:31

 

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

 

 

Sunday again?? Wow how time flies.  I am so excited that this week does not seem to be as jam packed as every week for the last few months has felt like.  Breathing room.....yeah!!! 

 

I have a birthday this week!  The big 4-2!! I remember thinking someday I would not enjoy my birthday or telling my age.....not yet!! I love my birthday and I could care less about being 42.   I don't enjoy gray hair or the newly acquired wrinkles, but I feel I have earned each of them. 

 

I look like my mom......

 

I have always looked like my mom, but  now a days, I look like how I remember my mom.  I pass a mirror, and think "Holy Cow it's Phyllis!!"  That is ok with me.  Better than ok really.  But it makes me miss her even more.  She loved my birthday too....  She was an amazing cook and cake maker.  I would love to have her make me something like spaghetti casserole or fried chicken for  my birthday.  I would love to have her bake and decorate my cake this year. It is funny to me how grief never really goes away, it just becomes a part of who you are.  There is a bittersweet feel to a lot of things.  I don't feel sad necessarily, just missing something. 

 

I think this is how God  wants us to feel.  We are not to feel like this world is it.  I have hope that I will spend eternity with my loved ones.  Now that I am older, I understand the concept of eternity better.  I only had 30 earthly years with my mom.  I will have an unfathomable amount of time with her someday.   

 

I have so many blessings to ponder from the last 42 years.....My Mom was one of my most precious of these blessings.  I will always strive to leave the same type of memory for my girls. 

 

Have a blessed Sunday and a wonderful week!

 

 

Me and My Momma about 3 months before God took her home :)

 

 

 



Photo Drop

Two silly girls

 



100th day of school with my "old lady"

 

 

Lucy and her cousins Ellie and Constance

 



This girl likes her strawberries

 



Valentines for all my sweeties

 



 

A favorite oldie of Madi Moo

 

 

Zoey- Just because I adore your mug!!!!

Blessed Sunday

 

 

Psalm 24:1 NIV  The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Isaiah 24:4 NIV  The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. 

Worldliness.....what does that mean?  If I am worldly does that mean I am materialistic, self serving, and discontent?  Or does it mean I care for the world and all of the people in it?  I think it means both. 

 

I struggle with  being friends this world and the things in it.  My heart and mind can be discontent when I don't have the latest and greatest "thing" the world has to offer.  I want the new boots, the new phone, the fancy house, the new decor on Pintrest, and the high end coffee from Starbucks.  I get into a pity party when I feel "deprived" of something.  Right now my family's closets and dressers are bursting with clothes and our pantry is bursting with food.  We are beyond blessed, we are wealthy.  But not by America's standards.  We are middle class in this country. Practically poor to some people.  But we are not poor or middle class in the least........first world problems.......

 

Third world problems.......food in our belly, food for our children, clothes, blankets, clean water, medicine, a safe place to sleep, a safe place to play......wow. 

 

God has opened my eyes to this more and more.  I have always known it, but I have recently began to own it in my heart.  My beautiful niece Katie has always known it and has always owned it.  She leaves this week as a very mature eighteen year old woman to pursue God's call on her life to make a difference in Haiti as a first grade teacher and missionary.  My heart bursts with pride for her heart and her obedience.  I have grown so much as Christian just for knowing her.  I remember the 4 year old in my backseat telling her 3year old cousin (my Katie) about Satan (my Katie was a little terrified  by the details).  She has always known and always owned her faith.  I am a blessed Aunt and person to be part of her life.  I love you Katie Krabel xoxoxo

 

 

 

 

 

What I'm Up to....

 I love this picture....Katie took it of her and Madi's feet at the pumpkin patch.  I love raising country girls.  They put a smile on my face....at least once a day.....lol

 

So this is what's going on with me:

 Listening to:  Doug talk on the phone.....Really, they say women are the talkers?

 

Loving: That I have the day off and will be home when my girls get off at lunchtime.

Thinking:  I absolutely enjoy my Keurig coffee maker.  I love having different flavors of coffee on a whim.  This was the best  Krabel purchase to date. Well, except for the IPHONE and Kindle Fire, and every other  convenience we have.  Some days the toaster, microwave, and even my curling iron, are my favorites.  We truly are blessed!!

Wanting:  To keep my old Driver's License picture.  I have to renew and I really like my old picture.  I was able to keep it last time, but I figure 8 years is the max.....I look the same, right??

Needing:   To add all my family's and my activities into my Cozi calendar app on my phone, but when I start I get overwhelmed. This family REALLY needs to slow down.  We are forgetting things left and right.  The stress is mounting.  I know an app is not the answer, but it may bring some type of relief to our situation....ugghh....trying not to complain :( 

What I am Reading:  Just finished Desperate:Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson.  Truly one of the best books I've read.  It is written by a mom in the throws of raising her family and her mentor who has moved into her next season of mothering.  It makes me  feel normal as well as hopeful. 

Blessed Sunday

 

 

Numbers 24:21 Then he saw the Kenites and uttered his oracle: "Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock" 

 

The reason I changed my Blessed Sunday picture to the above rock is because I feel this is gift straight from Heaven above.  Doug found this rock up at the family farm about a year after we bought our first house.   We then moved it to our current house when we moved in.  It is a beautiful reminder that God has his hand in everything.  The wise man built his house upon the rock, as the story goes. 

 

We must  remember to build our families up with good morals, beliefs, and strong foundations.  Raising children is not only a gift but a responsibility.  Parenting is the absolute hardest thing I have ever done.  It is rewarding as well as exhausting.  Some times my decisions are good and sometimes I find they are not.  I feel God has given me my children for a reason.  I was chosen for them and they were  chosen for me.  I am blessed to be the mother of these great girls and am excited to see the women they become.

 

I love this pic from Pintrest

 

How true it is.......

 

Have a blessed week everyone!

 

Past, Present, Future

 

 

Past, Present, and Future

 

Highlight of the Last Week:

 

Doug falling throught the basement stairs

 

Best Thing from Today:

 

My Shamrock Shake at Lunch

 

Looking Forward To:

 

Lucy's birthday party

 

 

What I'm Reading:

"The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian

 

 

Doug falling through the basement was crazy!! I have been telling him for years that they needed replaced, but who has time to replace  a stair case?  Well, obviously it should have been a priority.  We have our washer and dryer in the basement which means the laundry which was already the size of a mountain, is now the size of Mt.  Everest. But my hubby escaped with only some bad bruising, some deep flesh wounds, but no stitches or broken bones.  Whew, we are thankful it wasn't a kiddo who went through because it was one of the top steps that broke. 

 

Shamrock shakes from McDonalds are one of my favorite Spring treats.  I am not sure I would be as excited if they were all year long.  Some times the novelty of once a year is what makes things seem better.  I have always felt this way about Peeps as well. I was disappointed when they are started making them for other holidays,and have in fact refused to even try them.  Peeps are for Easter, case closed.  I also love Cadbury eggs....yummo! 

 

My baby will be 7 years old!! NO!!!  Stop the clock and make her a newborn :(  The other day she told me she wishes she could be a baby again.  Me too!  She was such a tiny little thing with the biggest eyes.  Oh, she was sweet.  She still is.  I love her sassy little attitude.... most of the time.  Lucy has no problem telling it like it is.  She is funny and honest and so determined. She is the bow that ties our family together.  

 

 

 

 

 



Blessed Sunday

The missionary and martyr Jim Elliott wrote, “The devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds…Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.”

 C.S. Lewis wrote, “We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private.”


You know God is telling you something when the same things keep coming up.  It seems like everything I read lately keeps telling me to slow down, slow down, slow down....ugghh.  How do you slow down when you have four children (all at a different school stage in their life),a busy hubby, a full time job, a big extended family, and a list of things that all seem good and important?  I am not complaining, at this point I am asking and God is talking back. 

I need to take more cues from my daughter Madi.  Madi is a great example and always has been of , of protecting your time.  Madi does not like to be away from home for too long, too busy with extra activities at school, or too busy at home.  She listens to her body and her mind and does not put too much on her plate.  Even as a learning to talk toddler, if I said we were going to go somewhere she would ask when we would be home.  As a four year old, she decided 5 days of preschool was too much so we switched to two.  This year as a ten year old, she decided to quit chorus.  When I asked why, she said it was too time consuming.  I reminded her it was 30 minutes a week.  She reminded me that 30 minutes of a lot of different things add up.......that was an eye opener. 

30 minutes of a lot of things add up.  My down fall in one statement.  "Sure, I can do that, it will only take about 30 minutes a week".  Now I am stuck in the middle of the Struggle of the Juggle with all of my 30 minute committments.  Tired and over stretched.  I was talking with my nurse practioner about it and she felt maybe I needed to see a counselor.  I completely agreed and then told her I didn't have time for it.  She said she understood (she is also a busy mom, wife, mother, and career lady).  On my way home, I wondered if I have time not to.

Satan does not care if we are Christians, he cares if we are productive Christians doing work for the Kingdom.  Am I productive right now?  I don't feel like it. When i  heard the phrase recently, The Struggle of the Juggle, I  could relate and  I am sure that many others can too.    I am trying to listen to God more.  For me that means turning off the background noise, such as radio, tv, and even people.  I tell the girls when they are constantly talking to quit "yammering"...all in good fun, but I sometimes need life to quit yammering at me.  I have to be more conscious of determining what is great, not just what is good.  I need to say no more, seek quiet time, and get off of the fast bound train and choose the bicycle.  Both get you there, but the second one is more healthy and offers scenery you can enjoy.

 
Have a Blessed Sunday and a wonderful week......

I Phone Baby

Yeah!!!! I got one, I got one!!!  I finally got an iphone, thanks hubby!!  I love it!!!! Can you tell the excitement?  I,  the technology handicapped, am in love.  I have come a long way. My job has changed a lot since July and with our new collaboration with the University' s television station, I have moved out of my comfort zone and am learning about Kindles, Ipads, smartphones, apps, etc.  I am having a ball, but must look like a teenager playing on my phone all the time.

The girls and I are having fun with the picture and camera apps. Facetime?? Now I have to do my hair and makeup to talk on the phone?? Oh well, it's all cool...... I think my nieces who are not living close enough for this Auntie should have facetime so I can talk to their beautiful faces :)  Check us out:



 So Cassie's best comment was "Who cares if we have service, we have iphones".  Comments like this make me absolutely positive she is mine. I get that.....who cares if you call someone.....the apps and the camera are the best.  So be prepared....goofy pictures will abound.