Warrior Princess

This is who I am … Warrior Princess, Beloved and Beautiful! This is my name from the Lord, among other names. This is what God is calling me to be for my family, for my friends, for life. Warrior Princess. This amazing photo of a Warrior Princess … Bride of Christ, inspires me. What is written about the photo inspires me too. May it inspire you as well.

This bride is watchful, sober, and focused. She wields her sword with skill. Like a true warrior, she does not run from the battle, but is alert and ready for whatever comes. She stands beside her rock, symbolizing the Lord who is her strength...

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle” (Psalm 144:1)

More Gifts ....

Oldest daughter just noticed we forgot #44 ... so, ...

44. Editors ... especially the 8 year old version! :)

More Gifts ....

151. Second Dad’s, like mine, who take on that role selflessly and quite seriously.

152. Sisters … me and mine.

153. Brothers-in-arms … warriors in God’s army.

154. Fruits of the Spirit.
155. Mountains.
156. Learning something new.
157. Licking batter off a spoon or beaters or both!
158. Friends whose positive perspective changes yours.
159. Reminders of God’s infinite goodness.
160. Phone calls to check on you.
161. Sisters and brothers in Christ who notice your absence.
162. Golf.
163. A place to live with electricity and water.
164. Provision.
165. Help on the way for hurricane victims.
166. A husband with a heart for service.
167. Insurance.
168. Chiropractors.
169. Counting gifts and blessings.
170. Daughters “slumber parties” with each other to combat the dark together. Such warriors!
171. 1828 Webster’s Dictionary with Bible verses referenced in the definitions.
172. The Lord opening my eyes to see my laziness in this huge and blessed life I lead … MOTIVATION!

173. I am HIS tenant…. Leviticus 25:23b “because the land is mine (the Lord’s) and you are but aliens and my tenants.”
174. Honor.
175. Honoring God … Psalm 45:11 “The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.”
176. Blind Bartemaeus. (Mark 10: 46-52)
177. Faith.
178. Redirection.
179. Answered prayers.
180. Miracles … BECAUSE THEY STILL HAPPEN TODAY!
181. Art class.
182. A directive for parenting … Mark 10:16 “And he (Jesus) took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”
183. Football season! Yep, that's my man playing last year :)

184. Cool, crisp mornings.
185. Warm, fuzzy blankets.
186. Cute comfort clothing.
187. Jesus in nature.
188. Nature walks.

189. Being with my family.
190. Peaceful, quiet days.
191. http://www.biblegateway.com/
192. Einstein Brother’s Cinnamon Raisin Bagels with Shmear!
193. When God points out what is important, so we can disregard the rest!
194. Pals.
195. “Simple Things” sung by Amy Grant
196. Old hymns sung acapalla.
197. Old hymns sung in new ways.
198. Freshly mown and manicured lawns.
199. Finishing a LLLOOONNNGGG day of homeschool and everyone is still smiling AND singing.

200. Children growing happily into participating in things you do because you are a part of a family … why does a chore have to be a bore?!

201. Prayer lists … and the privilege of praying for others.
202. Text messaged bible verses that I get daily from a friend who wants to immerse high school girls in His word for the day (they get the verse, too) … awesome!

203. When God reminds me who I am!
204. Blessing a sweet friend from God (who I’ve never met, but love like a sister) through another new friend (who I’ve never met) with a fun suprise to celebrate her new baby boy.
205. Casting Crowns.
206. Spiritual sisters … sisters of your heart.
207. Laundry to do because it means we are blessed with clothes to wear.
208. A washer and dryer that works!
209. Clothes that daughters have grown out of because it means they are getting more healthy and strong everyday.
210. My sweet daughters getting into the spirit of gratitude … “Mom, did you put ___ on the list?”

"Jammies and Heel's"

Tonight at church was our first Mother-Daughter event, "Jammie's and Heel's", and it was chock fully of girliness and fun! The evening included pizza, pillow-making, pillowcase decorating, lip gloss making, make-up, finger and toe nail painting, watching “Enchanted” on the big screen, bracelets, a high-heel race (with the added difficulty of running backwards for the bigger girls) and, the grand finally, an ice cream sundae bar. You can’t beat that! Thank you Susan, our groovy Children’s Minister. Here are some of the highlights …

Best of friends getting ready to get "phoofi-fied"

Snuggly pillows ...

Pillowcases ... to ensure "sweet dreams"

Making Mommy look "beautiful, Darling, simply beautiful!"

Oh, what lovely fingernails you have!

See, many colors to go with many outfits :)

"Ladies, get your pumps ready!"

"And the winner is ...."

"Mmmm, mmmm, good!"

What would we do without good friends?

A Slice of Inspiration

"When suffering shatters the carefully kept vase that is our lives,

God stoops to pick up the pieces. But He doesn't put them back together as a restoration project patterned after our former selves. Instead, He sifts through the rubble and selects some of the shards as raw material for another project - a mosaic that tells the story of redemption."
Ken Gire

Jesus Loves Me ... Everywhere!

This morning was too beautiful to sit inside and do school work, so the girls and I snagged the camera and went for a nature walk. The goal: find Jesus in nature ... crosses. Reminders of His love and great sacrifice for us. Here is what we found ...

And, at the end of the walk, God threw in a heart to tell us how much He loves us! I love our Heavenly Daddy!

Battle Gear

Over the summer, the girls studied about Joshua on Sunday mornings. They learned a really cool song written by Nino, our Worship Minister, complete with groovy hand movements. The chorus goes like this … “So Joshua fought, with honor and sword, and with the trumpet blare, but his mightiest weapons were God’s word, an obedient heart, and prayer!” Now that’s some powerful truth about our mightiest weapons. And, if that weren’t enough, the children (and parents) were encouraged to memorize ALL, yes I said ALL, of Ephesians 6:10-18. I am proud to say that oldest daughter was able to do it, yep, the whole thing, with amazing accuracy. She was given the honor of reciting it before the entire congregation on Sunday morning, August 31st. Here she is with our Children’s Minister, Ms. Susan …

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying.” Amen!