Meme

Friday Favorites

Posted on July 25, 2014July 26, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

hough I have taken the last month or so off from daily writing, I still do a lot of reading online. Today I am just sharing some things that have encouraged me that I’d like to pass on. I hope you can be encouraged as I have been.

One of my daughters introduced me to this song, Be Still by The Fray.

“Be Still”

Be still and know that I’m with you
Be still and know that I am here
Be still and know that I’m with you
Be still, be still, and know

When darkness comes upon you
And covers you with fear and shame
Be still and know that I’m with you
And I will say your name

If terror falls upon your bed
And sleep no longer comes
Remember all the words I said
Be still, be still, and know

And when you go through the valley
And the shadow comes down from the hill
If morning never comes to be
Be still, be still, be still

If you forget the way to go
And lose where you came from
If no one is standing beside you
Be still and know I am

Be still and know that I’m with you
Be still and know I am

This simple but needed truth from Chuck Swindoll to “Be Accountable” is well worth the 90 seconds to watch.

A week or so ago, an online friend introduced me to the song, Brave by Sara Barelles. I did not realize how popular this secular song is until now that I am hearing it all the time. It’s a song my kids already knew and has been our new theme lately, to be brave – past our fears and brave for God. I think God really wanted me to grasp it even more when I got this devotional today. God knew I needed to hear more on being brave. Might you too?

“It is brave to get up and carry on with your day even if you have a broken heart … It is brave to be married and committed. It’s brave to be sick and yet full of joy. It is brave to be quiet when you want to scream.

. . . I need the reminder, every day, that no part of me is a mistake and my normal life isn’t so normal….

These two stories – God made you on purpose and God made you to be brave – are what my life is about. Because I want you to believe it, but even more so because I need to be reminded and I need to believe it.

By Annie Downs,
Author of Let’s All Be Brave: Living Life with Everything You Have

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3 Words, Wordless Wednesday

{Rarely} Wordless Wednesday ~ Homeschool Spring Day

Posted on April 23, 2014April 24, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

Mary is not the only one who had a lamb or
took her lamb to school one day!

After our long winter, we need some change of view and some inspirations to stick to our homeschooling. So today it was outdoors, including the baby lamb being a part of it! The lamb is very social and likes being right by the kids. By all appearance here, it may not seem they did much schoolwork, but they did get it done, eventually! I am wondering what the neighbors thought as they drove by! SMILE!

♥ ♥ ♥

3 Words, Wordless Wednesday

{Not Really A} Wordless Wednesday – Spring Lamb

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

“Lilly” – Our Spring Lamb

This little lamb has been getting MUCH attention! It’s a good teaching example to our children as well, with her coming this Holy Week, in relating to the Passover Lamb which was the animal the Israelites used as a sacrifice. They had to kill a young male lamb without any blemish and put it’s blood on the tops and sides of their door frame. When God saw the lamb’s blood on the door frame, He would “pass over” that home and not take their firstborn son, which was the last plague against Pharaoh. (Read the full story here) We no longer have to follow this ritual of sacrificing a lamb, because Jesus Himself “is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) who went willingly to allow Himself be the sacrifice as His blood was spilled on a cross for us.

♥ ♥ ♥

Wordless Wednesday…Pinterest Inspired! (nolagirlatheart.wordpress.com)
Wordless Wednesday : Flowers Juxtaposed (iseebeautyallaround.com)
Wordless Wednesday : Long Tall Flower at Green Spring Gardens (iseebeautyallaround.com)
First Sign of Spring Wordless Wednesday (thejennyevolution.com)
#WordlessWednesday – Bursts of Spring! (mrsteelovelifelaughter.com)
Wordless Wednesday Pics – Disney Couture (candoitmom.com)
Wordless Wednesday – Regal Tsunami (create-with-joy.com)
Wordless Wednesday : Painted Magnolia Leaves (iseebeautyallaround.com)
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (socalsoccermom.com)
Wordless Wednesday: Spring Cometh (blogthefarm.wordpress.com)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday ~ Grandbaby & French Fries

Posted on April 9, 2014April 9, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

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Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday – Found Spring (temporarily)

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

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Wordless Wednesday – Regal Tsunami

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Looking for Spring!

Posted on March 19, 2014March 18, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

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Wordless Wednesday

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday ~ Home School Activities

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

Multi- Tasking

Babysitting (Baby in basket) and doing schoolwork

Art Class – Quick!
Make robots out of household items

♥ ♥ ♥

Wordless Wednesday

3 Words + Wordless Wednesday: 22 yr old twins re-enacting baby photo!

Posted on February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

♥ ♥ ♥

—3 words

At times it is hard to wrap my brain around
how quickly time has advanced;
these twin girls,
my first daughters of 7 girls,
now both married.
I watch one as a
loving mama;
the other a loving aunt.
Me . . .
I’m blessed proud mom
and grandma.
Thank you Father.

Wordless Wednesday

{Rarely} Wordless Wednesday: Visitation

Posted on February 19, 2014February 19, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

Fourteen days post bone marrow transplant.
Bree, visiting with her brother.

Please keep Bree, and her family close in prayer.

From Bree’s mama (2-17-14):

I am so thankful for some small improvements. Bree is in much less pain over all. She still has bone pain in her feet and her back. She had stomach pain and her eyes hurt from rubbing and wiping tears away. Her lips are raw from wiping mucus and vomit constantly. She says her throat and tongue are burning. But, the doctors have decreased her morphine and she doesn’t push her button anymore. So that is Good News! Please pray for her kidneys, liver and her spleen. I am not sure exactly what is happening with them. They are still doing tests. They are doing a 12 hour urine test and blood work. She has had two ultrasounds done on her kidneys, liver and spleen. The doctors said that the engraftment happened so fast that it may be the reason for some of these issues. Please pray for these issues to resolve and for Bree to return to be able to play and work on getting healthy. God bless. Xo Jenny.

‘We Bree-lieve’: Mother of Bree Town asking for prayers

Family, Grandbaby, Wordless Wednesday

{Not So} Wordless Wednesday: Sweater Keepsake

Posted on February 12, 2014February 12, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

Yesterday I put on my granddaughter a sweater that her mama and her mama’s twin sister wore. I actually had another one in pink, which, sadly, I cannot find. Probably one of our girls’ dollies is wearing it! But the sweaters were hand-made by a dear lady from my home church near Milwaukee. The sweaters were such a special gift and am thankful our grandbaby gets to wear it too.

♥ ♥ ♥

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday {REALLY!}

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Mama of a Dozen

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Family, Meme

Inspire Me Monday: A Weary People’s Prayer for the Second Advent

Posted on December 23, 2013December 23, 2013 by Mama of a Dozen

“In Violence and Travail”

from
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth:
Prayers of Walter Brueggemann

We give You thanks for the Babe born in violence.

We give You thanks for the miracle of Bethlehem,
born into the Jerusalem heritage.

We do not understand why the innocents must be slaughtered;
we know that Your kingdom comes in violence and travail.
Our time would be a good time for Your kingdom to come,
because we have had enough of violence and travail.

So we wait with eager longing,
and with enormous fear,
because Your promises
do not coincide with our favorite injustices.

We pray for the coming of Your kingdom on earth
as it is around Your heavenly throne.

We are people grown weary of waiting.

We dwell in the midst of cynical people,
and we have settled for what we can control.

We do know that You hold initiative for our lives,
that Your love planned our salvation
before we saw the light of day.

And so we wait for Your coming,
in Your vulnerable Baby
in whom all things are made new.

Amen.

Meme

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Potatoes & Good Times, WordPress Writing Prompts, Spider visit, A Broken Christmas? & More

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Mama of a Dozen

hrough the weeks I read various things that hit my heart, and think, I should share that here – or something funny, unusual or even heart-stirring happens, that is not a full post. Well, I found this, 7 Quick Takes that is perfect for this. So, I am going to try it out!

— 1 —

The potato graphic caught my eye below. I love how Eugene Petersen captures this verse in The Message version. I read the gal’s blog regarding this – she has special needs children, and she used this verse to apply to her life right now. I wonder how many different “special needs” we all have we can apply it to. She ends her blog post with:

So I will continue to ask God to step in and help me out when life feels overwhelming. I won’t give up because I know He is present, ready to extend His grace again and again. He is walking by my side.

And I dream of the day that He says to me, “Well done,” and I will seat down at the feast with Him, and with my children, whose bodies will be fully restored. These seemingly hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times.

Me too . . .

— 2 —

WordPress is doing it again with Introducing 365 Days of Writing Prompts with an eBook all set to go! What a great idea! And can think ahead – write ahead, etc!

— 3 —

You know how us moms do not even get a moments peace in the bathroom, without kids knocking on the door or tattling episode #42 right outside the door? I had a quite few moments today . . . . until I saw this: