Wisdom Wednesday: According To Who

According to His Grace

As I collapsed in bed after a long day of  three kids, cleaning, managing bills, errands, etc etc etc   LIFE! I was drained physically but I couldn't stop myself from reviewing my day and realized I had not been the best Mommy nor did I even draw on the Lord for my daily strength. I felt that I utterly failed to really focus on the big picture and ended up making my "To Do" list the reason for working hard for the day. The funny thing is after completing my 'To Do" list I didn't have that satisfaction as I thought I would. That is where my personal dialog of negative inside chatter began.

"Will I ever get this right"

"It has been years and I still struggle with..."

"I am a horrible Christian"

"God, why can't I just do..."

"I can't stand my selfishness..."


The dialog went on and on until I had literally beat myself up! I couldn't be satisfied with just being physically exhausted I had to drain myself mentally and emotionally to justify my own failures. It was as if I needed to punish myself for my failures and shortfalls.  That I was not only setting my standard for the whole day with a check list to complete but then I sat myself down after the day and reviewed my failures to somehow make myself feel better.WHAT IN THE WORLD! Then the sweet words from the book of Ephesians chapter one came to my heart. This is not my story but HIS story...that I had done enough self loathing and condemnation over my day and had forgotten it was really His day. That I had literally been so absorbed in my day, my children, my household management, my definition of an effective day that I forgot that the Lord himself had given me this day!

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him…"                                                                            Ephesians 1:7-9

So I lay my head down tonight and remember according to HIS grace which HE lavished on me! Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy that He so generously lavishes on me during the times when I need it most but am too busy or prideful to notice. Therefore, I go to rest my mind and body knowing that His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) and I shall arise refreshed and renewed remembering that my day is not for me but it's for Him. I choose to rejoice with the Psalmist when he says: "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

Blessings & Good Night,

KtMaude

Driving Out Our Fear

6:24 am is when I was awakened from my sleep due to a bad dream. It was a "Mommy" dream that painted all the horrible things that could happen to my children, marriage, and future. It was a dream that was driven by fear and sadness. I rolled over immediately and asked my husband to pray for all of these things that happened in the dream and he listened closely to every word that I said. Thankfully, he prayed as I had requested and after closing the prayer he gently began speaking these words of scripture to me.

"6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."       1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NIV)

I was comforted by his words and thankful for him to speak over me the Word of God. There was one thing that was said that really resounded within my heart as a mother and wife. Thankfulness is the force which drives out fear. It is my contentment in our good God that will sustain me through all my deepest fears and failures.

How will you walk in thankfulness today? I will remind myself that in 2 Timothy 1:7 the Amplified Bible  "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." In this truth I will remind myself to walk in His strength and not my own.

Blessings,

KtMaude

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
   throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
   or you brought forth the whole world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.


3 You turn people back to dust,
   saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight
   are like a day that has just gone by,
   or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
   they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,
   but by evening it is dry and withered.


7 We are consumed by your anger
   and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
   we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years,
   or eighty, if our strength endures;
   yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
   for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days,
   that we may gain a heart of wisdom.


13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
   Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
   that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
   your splendor to their children.


17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
   establish the work of our hands for us—
   yes, establish the work of our hands.

A Beautiful Teacher

Christine Anne

My beautiful sister is a treasure beyond this world. This woman is a wife, mother, sister, friend, daughter, and teacher. Since she was a little girl she always dreamed of becoming a teacher and through her hard work and sheer determination she is one of the best educators I know. As a child I still remember her loving and educational (bossy) ways which I believe were a foreshadow of her greatness in the classroom. As a sister and oldest of four, she has had a tremendous influence within my life and I can only imagine the lasting impact she has had on her students and community. As an educator, Christine Anne has always found unique ways to grow and nurture her own gifts so that she may better educate and inspire her pupils.

             The Amazing Christine Anne

• B.S. in Elementary Education
• Major Science with a Minor in Language Arts and Middle Level Education
• Certified to teach 5th - 9th Science and Language Arts
• Certified to teach K-8th grade all subjects self contained settings
• M.S. in Special Education - Learning Disabilities
• Special Education Teacher Consultant
• Master of giving and loving with her whole heart

Take time today to love and encourage a teacher that has impacted your life or the life of a loved one. This is a perfect opportunity to do good for those who give and sacrifice so much for our children's education. Taking advantage of an opportunity to do good is just as simple as communicating your affections the moment you think of them. This can be done by a simple card, Facebook message, text message or a phone call...never underestimate the power of a kind "Thank You".

 

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child" Carl Jung

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week

KtMaude

Cobwebs, Giggles, and Shadowlight Theater

An afternoon of reading with my daughter is the highlight of my day. It's a special time for us to snuggle, unwind and travel to new towns or far off lands. We love to meet new friends and I enjoy introducing her to some of my old, favorite ones all within the pages of a book. My Omi and I finished E.B. White's Charlotte's Web (again) and it was so much fun to read together now that she is old enough to engage with the story. We did not want the adventure to end! As a parent, I want to encourage her excitement for reading….so I felt compelled to create something educational for her while keeping it eco-friendly and  crafty. What could we do?  I immediately thought of our family trip to Colonial Williamsburg, located in Virginia, and how much she loved watching the Victorian Shadowlight Theatre performance. Perfect! We could continue our adventure with Charlotte and Wilbur by learning more about the history of Shadowlight Theatre and creating our very own shadowlight show about Charlotte’s Web!

Shadowlight Theater DIY: Before you get started make sure you have the following supplies.

• pencils
• Old cereal boxes cut apart and flattened
• Scissors 
• X-Acto knife 
• Tape and glue
• Bag of lollipop sticks
• Stencils or pictures of animals
• Clip lamp for light source
• White sheet 

Tips on how to decide the characters to make: Try to focus on a few of the characters/ animals that make your children/audience laugh or the ones that invoke the most questions. If this is a project for home and not storytelling then let your child(ren) choose how the characters should stand or what expressions they should have. Once you have your characters decided then practice sketching out the animals freehand or using stencils. If you are not gifted in drawing you can trace a picture or use a stencil to get the perfect puppet.  Then if the child is old enough to use scissors begin to cut out the puppet character being mindful that you need nice clean edges for a good shadow. Below I given you a glimpse at our own puppets that we created. 

Mr. Zuckerman's Barn & Charlotte's Web

The Gander

The Goose

Wilbur

Wilbur with a sad/scared expression

Charlotte

Templeton

Fern Arable

 Once  you have all the puppets designed and cut to your liking have the children set up the "stage" using chairs or anything sturdy to hang the white sheet. Then place the clip lamp/light source behind the white sheet so that it can create the shadows needed for the Shadowlight Theatre. The children will be excited and after some practice they will be ready to perform their first interpretation of the book for family and friends. Remember to let the children have this opportunity for fun, imaginative play as well as learning how to retell a story that they learned. Giving this gift of imaginative play as well as a chance to practice reading comprehension is a beautiful gift that will spark a greater love for learning.


Don't forget to bring out the camera and document this fun adventure!

KtMaude

Tending to my Heart's Garden

A new year...a new town...a new baby...a new beginning

I have sat down many of times over the past year to blog about my crafting, adventures, and my day dreams. Each and every time I became distracted or just couldn't find the words. I have often come back to read some of my old posts but I end up kicking myself for not blogging faithfully.



Photo By Ron Saari http://www.ronsaari.com/

Then I realized...its okay that I don't share my every thought and creative idea... as long as I am pouring into my family and teaching my sweet children the beauty of art, creativity and love. This is what is important...that I daily love my husband and express my appreciation towards him in as many ways as possible. What's most important? That I hug my children and take time for myself and the things that I love, which is the hardest thing for most young mothers, like myself. I'm challenged to look back and grab on to the things that grow my soul and my joy; namely, the things that make me...me.

The spring season is awakening the sleeping buds that are ready to bloom. As I have this creative stir growing within my heart, I ask myself what is it that I need to do in order to get started again? What must I do to tend to this fragile garden that is in need of such care? What must I do to allow these buds to grow and flowers to bloom in my life? Not just for my sake and sanity but for my family. This garden inside my heart must grow and bloom so I may be a better mother, wife, sister, mentor and believer.

Ideas... I look to God's magnificent creation and I see what the plants need... sunshine...water...fresh air. So, this is where I begin...fresh air. To take a walk everyday and think of the beauty surrounding me and allow it to fan my creative desires and blow away my failures. I am learning that as a mother and a wife there is always things that can be done better, words to regret and dirt to be swept. Yet in still, God extends His grace so that I may bask in the beauty of his gifts and all that He has given me.

Since moving to this historic town, Princeton, New Jersey, where some of the greatest young minds in the world are taught and shaped at Princeton University...I pray that I have the boldness to be shaped and taught...that I may learn who I am in the midst of this busy season of life. For spring is the busiest season of all...new life and growth...yet despite it's business, it does not cease from faithfully producing the breathtaking masterpieces that we all enjoy- year after year and season after season.

May this spring be the beginning of our masterpiece...so put down the broom...take a break from the computer...do the laundry another time... go for a walk and get some fresh air.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

Today as the sun is shining in my bedroom window... I can hear the radio playing one of my favorite Christmas songs... "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...just like the ones I used to know..." I love the long smooth voice of Bing Crosby... it makes me miss my childhood winters in Michigan. Growing up my mother had such an amazing ability to transform my childhood home into a Christmas fairyland. Another fellow blogger, Rebecca at {The Ardent Sparrow}: A {White} Christmas..., has a taste for beautiful things much like my mother. Rebecca has been posting the most beautiful collection of Christmas decor. She has such a great eye for color that it provokes such warm emotion as well as conveying a new look with good ole' vintage feel. Enjoy...

As for me... my little family and I will be spending another Christmas with just the three of us. My daughter Omi is praying the sun doesn't melt the remaining snow and my husband hopes that Miami will beat the Lakers. I am just grateful for time to slow down and enjoy each others company.

Merry Christmas

KtMaude

I'm back....

October was a long month for my family. We have been looking forward to November and fixing our thoughts upon the amazing blessings that the Lord has seen fit to give us. Through all of the ups and downs that October brought… I am even more impressed and grateful for God’s faithfulness and His unchanging ways. The theme that is evident to me in this season of life can be found in the words of David from Psalm 92:1-4...

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy."

I have so much to be thankful for and David helped to remind me that I need to be more thankful for my Lord and Savior, husband, sisters, friends and daughter. So this Thanksgiving I plan to give my time, attention, and love to others...and stop thinking so much of myself.

This thanksgiving my fun project will be helping a dear friend redeem her guest bathroom. I have been playing with different colors and textures that she is interested in and finally came to this result. I will be giving her bathroom a beautiful cool gray that will be complimented by this artistic shower curtain. All of her hardware will be switched to a brushed stainless steel. To compliment the cool gray, I will add a beautiful natural pallet of greens, browns and grays to give it a modern finish with a rustic feel.

Tomorrow we will be treasure hunting at some of the local architectural salvage storage spaces as well as consignment shops. I pray we can find some of the beautiful drawers and art to fill her space. As I have stated before in my previous posts... I love my treasure hunting! I tend to catch myself smiling and daydreaming of what fun things I am going to discover (I feel like Christopher Columbus)! A thrilling hunt for something discarded...broken...somewhat ugly and adding "pazazz" to it...the best part of it all is spending time with such an amazing friend.