Monday, March 15, 2010

Let the Spring Cleaning Begin!

I love this time of year. The feeling of newness in the air is intoxicating and has spurred me on to thinking about Spring Cleaning! I love to clean, really I do! I love the feeling of satisfaction I get when I have scrubbed and polished and weeded through all the stuff that seems to accumulate over the long winter. The problem is finding the time to really clean! I am formulating a plan for my spring cleaning so that I can accomplish the big clean up, but in a reasonable way so that I am not up to my ears in dust bunnies and old projects and clothes that are two sizes too small! I am learning as I get older to tackle things with a little more grace mixed in with my gusto so I don't BURN OUT and not get anything done. Besides, spring cleaning my home I feel God's prompting to get my spiritual house in order as well. I have lost some of my "shininess" as I put it! I have been running so hard with so many balls up in the air with my dear husband deployed and gone for us for 15 months, that my quiet time, and my seeking of the Lord has been a brief happening each day. I am cleaning out my schedule this spring too and where others may be increasing their schedules as the warmer weather is ushered in, I am trying to weed out the things that are not necessary so that I can carve out time to spend on my most important relationship with my Jesus. So many things creep in to my daily planning and before I know it they have taken over the sweet garden time I have with Him. No more! Time to start pulling weeds and cutting back the overgrowth of a over-packed schedule. The great thing I know is that when I do that, every other area of my life falls into order. I love order! Order in my relationship with Christ, order in all my relationships, order in our homeschooling and order in the house! I love Spring time!

Monday, March 1, 2010

March is Here!


Well, where in the world did February go? In and out and without a single post from me! We are so thrilled to have dear husband home for good from deployment in Iraq in February. He came into Kinston and I actually was able to find the armory on my own with directions from Mapquest. The kids had posters and eager, happy faces to greet him as he climbed down the stairs of the bus that brought him home from Ft. Stewart, Georgia. Words cannot describe the moments that came next, seeing his face and feeling his hug and seeing the children and their reactions to having him home for good. It was a wonderful, cold Saturday afternoon!

The family is humming along now. Getting used to our "new" old normal of having Dad in the mix once again. It is warm and sunny today, although the weatherman says winter will make a run at us again tomorrow. Dear husband is looking forward to warmer weather. He just cannot get used to how cold it is here. He really enjoyed the 110 degrees of Iraq! I am looking forward to those gentle warming days of springtime as well.

We have dear husband to ourselves one more week, and then he will start back to his normal routine. Today we are going to try a movie at the theater. We haven't been to see a matinee as a family for at least 2 years. Should be fun! Dear husband is taking one of our 3 out for their special lunch with Dad first and then we will all meet up for the movie.

We are trying to be intentional about our time together and do some fun things as a family and couple before really getting back into the swing of things. There are so many lessons learned from our 15 months apart. These are the things that I want to hold on to the things God taught us as individuals and as a family. I want to work hard at not taking one another for granted and for living each day to the fullest. .

I am thankful that this March our family is once again complete! Welcome home darling!