A busy week

This has been a busy week! The days have totally gotten away from me. And, alas not many blog updates. Too bad this thing can't read my mind.

So, no new verse yet again. I have honestly lagged on my review of the others. I really need to start disciplining my time. Or, get off the treadmill. If running is a priority, I think "quiet time" should take priority.

Anyway, I cannot believe it is Thursday! I took on a big project at the church and while it is exciting, it is a bit overwhelming. I am super-big on the dreaming part of things so, the developing and design is a bit of a stretch. But, things are rolling and I am feeling quite accomplished.

A big wedding is on the horizon. Jeremy's little sister is getting married in Arizona on Sunday. So, my to-do list is growing like mad. Why oh why do I always wait until the last minute? The first thing I thought of upon opening my eyes this morning was JEREMY'S SUIT. Argh! Thankfully my dry cleaner loves me. Yes, I do have a personal relationship with Annie the dry cleaner. One of the many things my kids tease me about.

Well, I am off to squeeze in a little housework and maybe crack open my "Daniel" bible study for a bit. I promise to post soon!

A quickie

In my last blog post I shared a little saying that I remember from my childhood. And, it reminded me of another silly wall hanging that was also in the kitchen of my house. It was a bell...yes, an actual bell that you could ring. (and, oh yeah that thing could be annoying)

Inscribed on this metal bell wall hangy thingy was the quote:

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.

It was funny then, and it makes me smile because I still think it is funny. Hmmm. Hang a bell in a kitchen that is the home of 4 children and 2 full-time, hard working parents? I think we were all too busy to ring the bell much but, whenever we had guests in the house you know, they rang the bell.

A Wednesday

First off, I am not going to memorize a new verse this week. I really feel like I need to meditate on the ones I have already chosen and be sure I really "know" them. I would love to hear any tips or updates from you as to your system of memorizing or how things are going. Feel free to leave a comment. ;)

Also, I am thoroughly convinced there are not enough hours in the day sometimes. I am having one of those "I am almost overwhelmed because I have so many things I want to do/could do/need to do" days.

Por exemplo, the things I NEED to do: clean out my closet (yuck), organize the armoir/bookcase/catch-all (yuck), purge 2-3 cabinets in the garage (yuck). Yuck, yuck, yuck. Yes, that is how I feel about those and why they are ALWAYS on my list.

The things I WANT to do: exercise (actually ran already today), yoga (DVD player no workie cuz I am no techie), read (see all of the above and below to know that I tend to get distracted)

Things I COULD do: sleep (hmmm), and blog (whoops...this is what I AM doing)

Anyway, now you might understand why I say almost overwhelmed because, I am really not overwhelmed at all. Just confused.

But, before I get all drama on you, I will tell you what the Lord has been showing me recently. "Dwell on what is good." So, I will count the run, the returned e-mails, dishes done, 1 load of laundry, 1 important phone call, removal of Christmas lights (yes, 4 months overdue and actually on Jeremy's list. Probably another blog in itself), 30 minutes of reading and this writing this blog as victories! I am fairly confident all the things on my needs list are going nowhere.

Once I post this, I am heading to my favorite chair in the quietness of my bedroom. There, I plan to read my bible, review my verses and grow in my parenting. I am currently reading "Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to parenting Teens" by Paul David Tripp. I am not too far into the book but, it came with high recommendations and so far I have really enjoyed it.

Well, I am off to settle my mind and do a little relaxing. Oh, and I will share a somewhat cheesy but wise saying that was embroidered on this little wall hang thingy that hung in my kitchen growing up. I think I remember it so well because my mom was a very "busy" and clean mom and us kids would always playfully tease her for her prominent display of this saying. But, despite all her cleaning and busyness she was still an amazing mom. (yet, another blog) Anywho, here it is:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'till tomorrow for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So, quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

p.s. I actually got goosebumps while I was writing that. Silly, I know. But, next to the saying was a picture of a woman rocking a baby and I suddenly remembered rocking my babies. And, (sniff) now I am off to read a book about parenting my TEENS!

An observation on family life

Although I desire to eloquently fashion the following thoughts into something intriguing and creative. It just ain't gonna happen. (yeah...I used ain't)

• Spring break brings high expectations. But, Life has commitments. Our recent Sunday was huge, and someone wisely scheduled a Newcomer dessert for Monday night. Since Jeremy and I sincerely wanted to be there we postponed our departure from San Marcos. The dessert turned out to be quite fun but, shortened the "break".
• At the last minute, we resorted to heading to Vegas with the family. I know what you are thinking. To quote Grace's teacher : 'nothing says Jesus like Vegas' ;) She is right. Not the best from a "worldly" or "believer" standpoint but, it actually works for us. A pool, a wax museum, arcades and window shopping. We make Vegas happen. (lol)
• Just when things are going so right...a mini-tragedy strikes. And, the victim is quite possibly the strongest member of our team.
• Grace gets the flu...or food poisoning? The verdict is still out. But, it was bad.
• Yesterday, in the height of her illness, the sun finally warmed the desert ( I heard it was chilly everywhere) and little Goose popped her head up and said she could go to the pool.
• It was like a miracle!...for an hour and a half.
• Oh yes, it returned...in full force.
• While the boys cut out to an arcade, she profusely apologized for ruining MY vacation.
• Right here is where I seriously tear up. She is a fighter. And, I reassured her that I was fine and wished it had been me. She shook her head and said "no".
• Although she got sick many times and twice in the car on the way home, she thanked me numerous times for taking care of her. (I am either doing something very right or very wrong in my parenting)
• I am going to err on the RIGHT side. Just because I desire to dwell on the positive in life. And, based on the 3-4 people who are praying that no one else get sick, that is the right thing to do. I also refuse to live in fear so...I amnot thinking about what may happen. :)
• Back to the trooper: Grace is currently on the couch, well over 24 hours later, dutifully sipping pedialyte, eating bananas and 2 bites of white rice thus far. She insists on playing by the rules. :) No sicky since we touched home base around 4 today.
• Which brings me to another reason for the quick spring break trip: Noah had a basketball game tonight at 9pm.
• Yes, much too late. And, bummer thing that the "team" had to split up. Jeremy went to the game and I am CURRENTLY (as I type) receiving text message updates as to what is happening across town.
• As I typed "team", I realized how closely we really all function. Aside from the quick trip to the arcade and a side trip to find a stuffed zebra (Grace's current animal love, and brother chose the zebra) the boys stood vigil by her bedside. Vigil sounds a bit ominous, honestly Jeremy was studying for Sunday and Noah was on his Itouch. Side note: Noah runs like a 'fraidy-cat at the first sign of vomit. It would be more funny if it weren't your daughter that was getting sick. Either way, we all hunkered down in the hotel room.

So, the boys are on their way home from the game. Noah's team lost but, apparently he played his best. I realize that is quite a random list of notes from this last week but, I really wanted to just chronicle the day to day happenings in the McGinty household. It is always amazing to me how blessing mixes with trial which mixes with blessing which churns out as life.

One last note: At one point Grace looked at me and asked, "Why?" This was during one of those 'wiggly, I can't be comfortable, I am so miserable, you are all just waiting on me and I want this to go away before I vomit again' moments. All I could muster was, "This too shall pass. It will go away." And, she said "I know."

A funny little thing about Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is a big day around this house. One of the 2 biggest holidays for our family. Church was awesome, as I noted in my last post. But, I thought I would share some "insider" info about the prep for a church "holiday".

Saturday was unofficially a shopping day for a "special" Easter outfit. At first guess you may think that would seem logical for the woman of this house to look good but, this trip was not for me. In fact, I bought NOTHING. I tried on something cute but, knew I had something at home. (small victory for me) This was a shopping day for Jer.

The day goes like this:

a) Jeremy seriously has no focus when he shops

b) Once, I had to honestly coerce him into trying on more than one pair of jeans in an attempt to update his hand-me-down denim collection

c) If you abandon him...he will run

d) But, he really does want something new; therefore I focus

I am a practical woman. I honestly trust the people who dress the mannequins. I figure, in this economy, they better want to sell what they are selling. So, I point to 2 displays, request the size I want and send Jer to the dressing room. And, I stand like a sentry at the entrance to the dressing room. Although there were prints and colors and fashions galore, suprisingly I did not waver.

Fairly painlessly later, we decided on an "outfit". Oh, how mortified he would be if he knew I was calling it an outfit. Needless to say, it was a mission accomplished.

Now, I am sure you would expect a post of how incredibly handsome my husband looked on Sunday morning. (yes, I know it is not about the show but, looking good is still not a sin) Sadly, I did not take a pic! I vow to re-dress him soon.

But, I did indulge in one thing for myself for this special Sunday...a mani-pedi. This time, I was the one coerced into the pink by my daughter Grace. Her exact quote: "Rock the pink mom, it is Easter." (I have since purchased the pink)

A verse and a report

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

The treasure we have is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace and freedom that comes through knowing him. Treasures were hidden in jars of clay which had no real value and did not attract attention to themselves or what was hidden inside. Here, the jars of clay represent the frailty of a human and the all surpassing power of God within us.

Por exemplo, (I honestly love the way for example sounds in Spanish) this past Sunday was pretty huge for our church. As you might guess there are two major holidays in the Christian church: Easter and Christmas. And, this was an amazing Easter for us at theMovement.

Over 1500 people walked through the doors of the church. And, although that number is amazing and great, the people behind the scenes that prepared the way are truly the most incredible report of the weekend.

It is always so encouraging to see people with different backgrounds, different gifts and abilities come together for a common purpose. I cannot begin to count the number people who sacrificed their time to make Sunday such a huge success.

And, as I stood out in the "courtyard", sipped a coffee in theCanvas coffeeshop, walked the kids' hallway of classrooms or sat in the sanctuary I saw many faces that reflected the treasure that was held in "jars of clay". Not always perfect, but with God's all-surpassing power, able to things greater than ourselves.

A memory verse

I initially saw the concept of memory verse blogging while visiting a blog that a friend of mine writes. http://www.thesimplewife.typepad.com/ However, it didn't really connect with me for quite some time. The final straw/conviction was seeing my children walking around the house quoting scripture for school.

Today, I am "borrowing" my friend Joanne's (the simple wife) memory verse.

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Short and simple and the one I need this week.

My fear creeps in at random times. And, this is a taste of how it goes. A friend telling me about her 24 hour flu. I am suddenly paralyzed with the fear that 'I am next'. Farrah Fawcett in the hospital. 'Could that happen to me?' Natasha Richardson falling on the slopes and dying. 'I did two unintentional frontflips on my last snowboard trip.' A child missing. 'Could that happen to my kids?' A rebellious child. 'Am I ruining mine?'

I am fairly confident I am not alone in my fears. Thankfully, in those moments of anxiety and confusion, I can whisper a prayer and ask for the peace of God. Make no mistake, it is not magic. Quite often, 10 seconds later I feel stressed out again. And then...I realize the only thing I know, the only thing I trust...is my saving faith in Jesus.

Since nothing else is certain in life, thankfully HE is.

Oh, and the saying goes, two other things are certain in life: death and taxes. But, based on the news, apparently taxes are negotiable. But...I digress.

An addendum

Addendum: a thing to be added

I would like to add to the application of my last post. As you may remember, I am being challenged in my relationship with my daughter. She is very much like me and likes to have things planned out and solutions to those plans.

When there are not simple and IMMEDIATE solutions to those plans, the result is often frustration.

A story from this past week:
Grace had a project due this last Friday. She, like me, does not like when deadlines loom in the future. It tends to consume her and seep into other facets of her life.

Myself, when I am prepping for people coming over, or planning an event or simply looking at the dust all over my house, my frustration leaks into my everyday life.

So, for the past two weeks, I have been listening to the repetative: 'Mom, I have to work on my project.' 'Mom, can you help me with this?' 'Mom, this looks horrible.' 'Mom, this looks great.' 'Mom, let's paint this, print that, sew this, do that.' etc. Mom, mom, mom.

And, since I have things to do and stuff going on, quite often her edginess would greet my edginess and things would not go well. I would look her in the eye and think, 'oh my.' Or, I would wag my finger and threaten that 'you cannot talk to me or demand that from me little missy.'

Fully convicted, I took my last memory verse to heart. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap what we harvest."

As the project deadline loomed, Grace had a meltdown of a night. In a moment of cowardice, I sent Jeremy in to put out the fire. Unfortunately, he fanned the flame. It was 9:45pm and peaceful sleep was the primary objective at this point.

In a moment that could have only come from God, I went to Grace's room, bent down close and voiced this promise. "Tomorrow morning, I will get up 45 minutes before you and do all of the things I need to do. I will run, shower, eat breakfast and pack your lunch. Then, when you get up, I will focus on everything YOU need to do. We will button up your project and get the final things in order."

I would pay money to have been able to capture the look on her face in that moment. Crocodile tears still in her eyes, a smile crept across her face. 'Ok' she said. That was it. That was all she needed.

The next morning, we walked a fine line. It wasn't all roses and giggles but, it was a victory. We all got out the door in relative calm with smiles on our faces. And thankfully, I did not give up doing good because I am looking to the harvest.