Thankful Thursday...

It is amazing how different the world looks with a little change in attitude. Monday night, the attitude was ... umm ... less than desirable. OK, it was poopy. I was throwing my own little pity party and completely grumpy about the world. It was not fun.

I am, and have been, trying to choose to be thankful and grateful, regardless of the circumstances or my emotions. What is easier for you to see - where God visibly is in a situation, or where you perceive that He isn't? It is a choice that needs to be made daily, sometimes moment by moment. It's harder than it sounds. But it is an exercise that is good for me, that I need to pursue.

These Thankful Thursday posts have been easier some weeks than others. But, every week, I know I am a better person, and closer to my God because of it. If you choose to look, you can ALWAYS find reasons to be grateful and thankful.

So, this week, I am thankful:

• for my sweet niece Vanessa. She is visiting right now from Georgia. This is the first time we've seen her in over 2 years, and my, how she's changed! She is so sweet, gentle, and loving with my girls. She is polite and respectful (well, as much as can be expected of an 8 1/2 year old). She is absolutely beautiful (not that I'm biased) and just plain wonderful.
• for my friend Jo. She has watched Madi & VRae for almost a year for me while I work. It has been such a blessing to know that my babies are in the arms of someone who loves them dearly, who will pray for them and over them.
• for home espresso machines. Every morning my loving & doting hubby fixes me a mocha. Do you even comprehend how awesome it is that I can have mocha at home? I don't have to wait for the drive into town to get coffee, and I save money. Win win!
• for the rain outside. Rain is so good - it washes away the impurities, refreshes and quenches. And while enduring the rainstorm can seem difficult, even terrifying, there is always a rainbow at the other side. And now I won't have to water my lawn tonight!
• that business is getting busy for Jerome. God gave us a vision for his business, and we are holding fast to that. It is so exciting to see the visible answers to prayer start to appear.
• for Amish Friendship Bread. We made a couple of loaves the other night, and, oh, it is so good! So not healthy, but so good!
• for central heat and air conditioners. How awesome is it that, through modern technology, we don't have to be subject to the outdoor temperatures in our homes!
• that I live in Colorado!
• that I get to hang out with awesome people tonight, go camping this weekend, play with a bunch of great kids at church on Sunday, and play softball Sunday afternoon.
• for dear friends who understand me.
• for salsa. I like salsa. A lot.

And while some of these things may seem trivial, they are important to me. And, because they are important to me, I know they are important to God. That He places things and people in our lives simply because He wants to bless us. Man, what a great God I serve!

Happy Father's Day

I love my dad. We're too much alike for me not to like him. No, he's not perfect. But, he has always tried to be there for me. He loves my kids. He supports Jerome and I in the decisions we make. He is honest and hard-working. He is generous. He's really funny and ornery. And he's my hunting partner.

And, really, who could not love my husband? He has been such an amazing husband, father, and friend.

And yet, I know that today is hard for many people. People who have lost their dads, people whose relationship with their dad was not great, people who have no idea who their dad was. When you face that situation, it is hard to see God as your Father. Or perhaps you see Him as Father, but the image is not very loving.

My prayer for each of you is that you would be able to celebrate your father today, no matter what he was/is like in your life. Because your Heavenly Father loves you more than you could ever possibly imagine.

I love you Dad. You were and still are a wonderful example to me.

I love you Hon. You show our girls every day the love that Daddy has for them. You are an example to them of how a man should love them. Thank you for being the man that you are.

When Mom Pretends to be a Photographer

Tuesday night I finally got to go to one of Jerome's softball games. He plays on a men's team, and all of their games have been really late so far this year. Late games = tired kids = frustrated babysitters = unhappy momma, so it's better to pre-empt the grumpiness if we can help it. Well, Madison, Violet, and I got to the fields before Jerome & Katrina, so I let the girls play on the playground.

They were both being so silly that I had to take some photos of them. My regular camera is broken (so sad), so I am learning to make do with the camera phone. I figured out how to increase the resolution, and then discovered the "black & white" option. I know, I know. I've had this phone for two years, and I'm just now figuring out how to do this. Sad, but true. I don't think these ended up too bad, even from the phone.

This one isn't ornery at all, is she?

Above is the only picture I got of Madison. She was moving too fast for me to take pictures.

Miss Monkey Buns. This is her new nickname because of her new crawling technique.

Peek-A-Boo!

She likes the camera. She likes my phone. It's interesting trying to take photos of her before she grabs them. I have seen the same expression on her sisters. It makes me a little nervous.

Watch out world! It's Violet!

Violet also figured out that she can climb the stairs, crawl through the tunnels, and slide down the slide on her belly, then get off and crawl over to the stairs again. By herself. Because apparently Mom is not allowed to help. Gotta love the independent streak!

Too Cute!

This little lady sure has a lot to say! Sommer just emailed me this video, and I had to share!

Thankful Thursday...Nothing is too hard for Him!

I received the following in my email devotional the other morning:



Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"


"Have you ever found yourself in an overwhelming or daunting situation that seemed impossible to understand or face? Is it difficult to comprehend the plan or the purpose behind what you are going through? Do you find yourself asking, "Why Lord?" Do you sometimes plead with God, "I don't know what to do or how to do it. I need You to make it through this!"

Life is sometimes like a test because we honestly believe we have it all together only to discover that some life circumstances are not on our radar and are certainly not part of the study guide. I have come to realize that these "tests" lead us to a deeper understanding of our need for God. Luke 12:12 promises, "For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." I know that I am driven to seek God when I lose sight of what to do and I feel lost. He is our provider of ideas and the author of purpose in our lives - hence the word Inspiratio or inspiration."


I think of how many times I have convinced myself that I have it all together. That I can do it myself. And then, life happens. I find myself in a hole, I can't see a way out. But then comes Daddy.


I am so grateful that I have a Father who comes alongside me.

I am so grateful I have a Savior who redeemed and rescued me.

I am SO GRATEFUL that nothing is too difficult for Him.

In the midst of the storm, it can be so hard to see Him. But nothing, no circumstance, no situation, no life event is too difficult for Him.

When I feel like I cannot see Him, I will choose to continue to seek Him. Because if you seek, He will be found.

How I Miss My Boy!

Our nephew Pax moved to Fort Collins last month with his dad Adam and mom Kristin. He has been such a sweet, joyous part of our lives. And, while I am so excited to see where God is going to take them on their adventure, it doesn't make letting them go any easier. We got so spoiled, being able to see him all the time.

I have found a bunch of my favorite pictures of my little man. Some were taken by me, some were taken by others.

Here he is, last November, enjoying a bath after eating some of Violet's 1st birthday cake.

And "helping" Grandma and Pepe play mini golf at my surprise birthday party last month.

And romping with his cousin



And causing more trouble with Madison. They were little partners in crime.

He kind of likes chocolate, just a little...

... and snuggles with his amazing, beautiful, stunning, wonderful momma.

We finally got him to enjoy the sprinklers in our back yard.

And yes, he really is my little Superman!

He and Violet pursued intellectual ventures together in the church's nursery.

"Mom won't notice if I take just a little bite, will she?"

Ask him to shake his booty, and you will get one of the funniest toddler dances EVER!

He discovered the joy of pool - it became kind of hard to keep him away from the pool table.

And he is always ready with a sweet smile.

I miss my boy terribly. They are coming back soon for a wedding, and Uncle Yay-Yay and I are beginning a countdown. We are looking for a weekend later this summer to go see them too. Know that I love you dearly, my little man. You are a treasure. The gifts God has given you will not go to waste, because I have no doubt that you will be about His business. I pray that you are adjusting well, that you are having fun, that you are obeying Momma and Daddy (most of the time). I can't wait to see you again. I love you.

Wanna Play Dress Up?

Katrina has loved to play dress up for years. Mostly, it's been some combination of my shoes and her princess/Hannah Montana/old Halloween costumes. But, recently, we discovered an entire new, unexplored realm of dress up clothes. Aunt Celine's closet!




Celine is... um... rather... petite. So, other than shoe size, the clothes aren't all that huge on Katrina. And, since Celine loves to take photos, and Katrina loves to pose for photos when they're not being taken by Mom, we've found a winning combination!




Here's some of her latest fashion creations:

We call this the camo collection.

Not sure what the hat is all about here.

I LOVE THIS PHOTO! Celine did her hair fancy, and dressed her in the "80's Forever" shirt. Rock it, my daughter. Rock it!

Personally, I think the shoes just make this outfit.

Isn't she the All-American girl?

Here is Celine, wearing a beautiful green shirt.

And now Katrina, wearing the same shirt. See, I told you they were close in size!

This one kind of freaks me out. She looks way too grown up here.

And, can I just mention that I find the head tilt amusing? Especially since many of my childhood photos had that exact same head tilt?

It's also kind of scary that we've moved beyond the princess phase of dress up and into the grown-up phase. I'm not ready for her to be that big.

It is Normal...another installment

There are so many things that happen in our home that could ONLY happen in our home. Things like:

• The other morning, the big girls were eating breakfast at the table while I was brushing their hair. Madison, as usual, started to cry and hold her breath. Katrina told me, "Mom, she's going to pass out." Madison then stopped holding her breath, turned to her sister, and yelled, " I not gunna pass out!"


• Katrina and Jerome were driving home from the softball game the other night with the windows down in the car. Katrina saw a crow flying by the window and yelled, "Hey Crow, you need to put your seat belt on!"


• Does anyone else's two year old routinely take off their pajamas, put them in the drawer, and sleep naked?
  
  
• Does anyone else have to make sure every child in the house has pooped before bathtime? Because we do. We've had too many incidents. We made that mistake last night, in fact. Again. You'd think we'd learn by now.
  
  
• The plates have to match the cups when we eat, thanks to Katrina. And, yes, she still has to have the stripey fork.
  


• Violet HAS to have two chocolate chip waffles for breakfast. Her first words each morning are "want waffles".

We have issues if Violet does not have waffles.

• When Katrina goes with me to the grocery store, she has to stop at the little fridge by the check out stands and say goodbye to the worms they sell as bait.
  

What fun things happen at your house, that could only happen at your house? I'd love to hear!

God is Bigger Than The...IRS (sung to the tune of "God is Bigger than the Boogeyman")

*DISCLAIMER* Apologies to the book club girls, who already heard this story, but I had to post this here too!


In the past two years, Jerome & I have walked through some rough stuff. Most of the time, my faith that God will provide has been nil. I have always believed that God would come through for others, but not me.

Part of the reason I write this blog is to serve as a memorial for me. I don't ever want to forget the times that God has met me.

About a month ago, I began reading Beth Moore's book Believe God for a women's book club. The timing of this book was nothing but Divine. I know that God knew I needed this book for such a time as this.

One section of the book really stuck out to me. Beth was talking about Matthew 17:20, which says:

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. "

Beth wrote that sometimes God does not move the mountain in the physical way we expect. He instead wants to meet us at the top, and that is how the mountain is moved. This small little tidbit has rocked my world. I have asked God to move mountains, and sometimes He has. When He hasn't, I have doubted my faith and His love for me. What He wants, instead, is for me to climb the mountain with Him to experience Him at the top.

Last week, I received a check for $363 from the IRS. Last time I checked, the IRS was not in the business of randomly handing out money. But, who am I to doubt the Federal Government (*sigh* a post for another day)? So I deposited the check, thanked God for providing an unexpected provision exactly when we needed one, and half-expected men in suits to come & take me away.

Then, Friday night, we got home & checked the mail. There were three letters from the IRS. Dang. Knew it was too good to be true. Wondered if they were threatening death & dismemberment for getting behind on our monthly payments from our 2007 taxes. Yes, we were still trying to pay off our 2007 taxes.

I opened the first letter. It said, amidst the legal mumbo-jumbo that they had adjusted something and were giving us a $1800ish refund. Excuse me? Really?

The next two letters told Jerome and I (yes, we each got our own letter. I felt very special.) that they had applied about $1500 of our refund to pay our 2007 taxes, and they were sending us a refund check of $363.

The mystery check I received last week. So, we had $363 we weren't expecting, and one less HUGE bill! Only My God!

The funniest part about this story is that we had just finished having a discussion on the way home regarding finances. An actual discussion, not a fight. But still not fun. And God knew those letters were waiting for us in the mailbox. I wonder if He was giggling.

I told a friend this weekend that, while I would not have chosen to walk this battle in the first place, I am so glad I have. There have been numerous times over this journey that God could have removed the mountain miraculously. But He hasn't. There have been times I have wondered why He hasn't. Instead, we have walked together up the mountain, and each time I stumble, He lifts me back to my feet, dusts me off, and prods me along the path. I am so excited for the day I will stand with my God at the top of this mountain, and I am praising Him for showing me the path up it. I know now that God knew what I needed. He knew I needed a good walk with Him more than I needed a mountain removed.

Only At Grandma's

The extended Bleger family is, well, interesting. There are many instances where we have to say, "Only our family".

Because, seriously, how many people do you know that buy a pool table at an auction? Not too many? Sure, but that's not all. How many people do you know that then take that pool table and store it in their hangar?

Yes, I said hangar. My in-laws owned a hangar. No, they did not have a plane. They rented it to a company for a while, but then used it as storage for all their random stuff.

They don't have stuff like normal people. They have 6 foot paintings and antique armoires and marble statues. And a pool table.

When they sold the hangar, they then had to find a place to store all the stuff. My mom-in-law threatened to have a huge yard sale. Papa would hear nothing of it. He somehow found a spot for EVERY piece that was in that hangar, including the pool table.

This is one time where owning your own forklift is handy.

Because my in-laws live above their bakery.

And it's kind of difficult to carry a pool table up the stairs.

So, now there's a pool table in the middle of my in-law's living room. And it is the favorite of the grandkids.

Obviously, we do not allow them to use the cues. Giving them very hard billiard balls is terrifying enough for me.

But they thoroughly enjoy "playing" pool and Grandma & Pepe's. I am sure that this is the only pool hall in existence where sitting on the table is encouraged.

Although sometimes it is sad when you have to share the game with your sisters.

Thankful Thursday... More Random Thoughts from My Head

I know, I know. You were just thinking, "As if her thoughts weren't random enough?" But sometimes, my brain does work on themes. And, sometimes it doesn't. Today is not one of those days.

I have stared at this post since yesterday, trying to find a rhyme or reason for it. A theme for today's thankfulness. But I can't. I am having the biggest case of writer's block I think on the face of the earth. My brain has turned to mush.

It's not that I have nothing for which to be thankful or grateful. I have plenty. I am surrounded daily by reminders of God's incredible love for me - people, places, things that He puts in my path simply because He loves me. I have a roof over my head, a husband who loves me, awesome kids, food for the table, a car to drive, a job, a family, friends, extended church "family". And so much more.

I have a Creator who loved me enough to send His son to die for me. I have a Savior who loves me enough to call me friend. I have a Spirit to walk me through my day. I have a Daddy who never tires of my conversations with Him, however repetitive they may seem to me.

Maybe that's why I'm stuck. When you really stop to examine all that you have to be grateful for, it can be overwhelming. When I truly examine all I have been given in this life, the only response is to drop to my knees in humble gratitude. I don't deserve all I have been blessed with. And yet God continues to pour our His grace and mercy on a daily basis.

He gives me wonderful gifts, like a mother-in-law I can call friend.

A daughter whose curiosity is only matched by her personality.

A husband constantly searching for God's best plan for our family.

Time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

A daughter who is so little and so grown up all at the same time.

That my baby no longer has to look like this...

... but is now healthy and able to play like little ones should.





My life is filled with times, places, and people for which to be grateful. Satan tries to make it far too easy to focus on the negative - to focus on our faults, others' faults, our insecurities, our worries, our fears. That is not how God intended us to live. He intended for us to be free from the prisons we create in our minds. To be able to live fully in Him, fully in the moments that set our hearts free. Choose to live in that freedom today.

Hats, Hats, & More Hats

So I didn't realize just how many photos Celine has taken of our girls. I have been given a plethora of blog material from my dear sis-in-law! By the way, if you see her, please compliment her photos. Photography is an activity she has begun to enjoy, and the first real activity that she has stuck with. It is amazing to watch her find her own unique creativity. She is such a treasured daughter of the King - He has given her a budding talent in which to have confidence.


OK - back to the plethora. Celine likes hats. Lots of hats. And naturally, when little girls play dress up, what do they like? Hats. So I have a few (OK, a lot) of photos of my girlies in Celine's hats. But I'm only posting a few (OK all of them) for you all to enjoy. There's just something fun about watching little ones play grown-up. And, since this is my blog, I can post as many pictures of the cutest little girls in the world, gosh darn it!


Now I'll get off my mommy soapbox and just let you laugh at the pics.

OK, so I didn't post ALL of the pictures. There were just too many. And if you're still reading this, you're probably either Jerome or a grandparent.