This is EXACTLY what I needed to read this morning.

I found this quote this morning on a blog that I read. The woman who writes the blog touches my heart with her honesty about her life and the struggles that sometimes go with simply... living. As she writes about turning to the Lord with every bump (and boulder!) in the road, I'm finding myself really yearning for a raw hunger for Him and a need to let Him carry me through - especially as I am childishly realizing that I can't do it alone. I wasn't designed to. The following words put it into perspective perfectly.

"As this year draws to a close, receive My Peace. This is still your deepest need, and I, your Prince of Peace, long to pour Myself into your neediness. My abundance and your emptiness are a perfect match. I designed you to have no sufficiency of your own. I created you as a jar of cay, set apart for sacred use. I want you to be filled with My very Being, permeated through and through with Peace. Thank Me for My peaceful Presence, regardless of your feelings. Whisper My Name in loving tenderness. My Peace, which lives continually in your spirit, will gradually work its way through your entire being."

Sarah Young

Word of advice?

Don't watch this movie when your husband is gone for 2 1/2 weeks, you're an emotional wreck and/or unbelievably worn out. Even if you've read the book and feel prepared. You aren't.

Carter Quote

While walking into Fred Meyer this afternoon, Carter grabs on to me and says, "Hold my hand so I know where to walk, Mom - I'm covering my eyes so I don't have to look at that darn GO DUCKS sign above the door!"

(Disclaimer: We *are* rooting for the Ducks next game - but that's the ONLY one. Ever.)

I try to sleep because when I'm awake, THIS stuff happens.

My week in bullet points:
(How do you do a bullet point!?)

My week in review:

- Christmas night we discover that the dog has fleas. No sleeping for me for days.

- Morning after Christmas, Jeff leaves for 2 1/2 weeks (hunting trip and then business trip all wrapped in one).

- All the while, the kids are on Christmas break and it's been pouring down rain. Every day. The pent up energy is going to be the death of me (if the stress of the fleas doesn't get to me first).

- Due to my flea paranoia, I vacuumed three times yesterday, did all the laundry, took all the bedding off the beds, bug bombed the whole house (after giving our 75 lb. dog a flea shampoo bath on our back deck in the freezing rain and giving him a dose of Fontline), and left the house for 5 hours with all three kids.

- I get home, vacuum (again), wash the floors, the counter tops and anything else I was concerned about (so, pretty much everything) and attempt to put the kids to bed on my bedroom floor in sleeping bags "as a treat" - they always ask to do this when Jeff's gone (which did not work well - at all).

- They finally fall asleep and I finally have a chance to relax after the long stressful day. I pour myself a bowl of frozen blueberries (with a tablespoon of vanilla coffee creamer mixed in - my favorite treat!), set it on an end table in the living room and proceed to put in a blue-ray movie to enjoy.

- Glass bowl (with the blueberries in it) makes a sound like a gun shot and EXPLODES all over my living room. Blueberries are everywhere. Shards of glass are everywhere. Tears? Everywhere.

- Kids wake up and come running to see what the commotion is all about.

- I do what I can only imagine any crazed, frustrated, stressed, emotional, and tired woman would do. I called my parents crying. Their advice? "Go to bed! There's no way tomorrow can be worse than today was!" So, I did.

PS. I just saw the "bullets" button to click on, so you have the real thing to look forward to next time. I'm sure you're beside yourself with excitement.

"I Might Have" Monday

I might have fed the kids cold pizza at 10:30am this morning and considered it both breakfast and lunch.

I might have walked past the picture frames hanging in our master bedroom and realized that we still don't have "real" pictures in them (they're still the pictures that come in the frames) - and I might have hung them up over a year ago.

I might have sat on the couch under my new electric blanket for three hours straight this afternoon with my daughter watching Anne of Green Gables. I might even do it again tomorrow later this week.

I might have discovered that our Labrador has fleas. I might have immediately wondered how my husband would react if he came home from his business trip to find a real nice goldfish instead of his dog...

I might have realized today that even though it's extra crazy around here (Jeff gone on a business trip, three energetic kids home all week for Christmas break, and trying to get rid of fleas!) that I am at peace in my heart.

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

Wordess Wednesday (it is Wednesday still, right?)

Okay, I will admit it - I should never have a post titled "Wordless" anything because let's face it, I am not wordless. Ever. But it's catchy and I like it, so it stays even though it will never make sense... mmmkay?

These were taken today when I took the kids to my Grandma's house to learn how to make these little Danish bite sized cookies called... I have no idea what they are actually called. Grandma calls them "pepper-neuter." Grandpa used to call them, "pepper-neur," and all of us grandkids have always just call them "pet manure." Anyway, they are yummy. And a tradition. And I wanted so badly to learn how to make them!

Here are some precious pictures from our afternoon. I don't know who's sweeter - my amazing Grandma (whom I love and respect and hope with all my heart I grow up to be like someday) or my awesome kids who listened carefully, cut with real (sharp!) knives (carefully and under supervision!), and were so respectful the whole afternoon.

 Doesn't that picture (above) just melt your heart? Well maybe not, since it's not your Grandma or your kids - but can you see how it would melt mine!? Yeah, it's melted.

And if you've gotten this far, you have totally earned the privilege of knowing that Jack has gone potty in the potty for 3 days with no - I repeat, NO - accidents! He just decided on Sunday night that he was ready. And just like that, he was! Big boy underwear and all! My ugly cry did make an appearance the first time he did #2 in a toilet, I'm not gonna lie. This is the best Christmas EVER!

Actual conversation:

Me: I can NOT find my hand mixer attachments! Where could they be!?

Jeff: I have no idea... did you look in the "junk drawer?"

Me: I have looked everywhere! I guess the cookies I already made will have to do, I don't think I can make the last kind without the mixer things.

Jeff: You do realize that people have been mixing stuff with spoons for a whole lot longer than they've been using mixers, don't you?

Me: That's genius! I never even thought of just mixing it with a spoon!