Joy in the Journey

 I'm having a hard time writing this one. I don't know if its because my brain feels like mush from lack of sleep or it's just a tough concept that I am still trying to grasp, but here goes... What do you think about yourself? My answers are a mix of positives and negatives. My latest crochet project is within my vision so I think about how I enjoy being creative. And I'm pretty good at the sewing and crocheting I do. That thought leads me to thinking about how messy my craft area is and how I'm terrible at keeping up with it. The window from my craft nook overlooks my garden and it reminds me that I also did not keep up with my garden as well as I would have liked this year...which reminds me that I am not very good at prioritizing things...then I remind myself that I should be thankful that I was even able to garden this year and I got more out of it than I have in the past couple years... I could think about myself all day, and honestly, I do. I need to be better

 We were really blessed yesterday.  It’s been kind of a rough hunting season here on the Oregon coast. Because of out-of-town trips and appointments and having three kids in soccer, my husband was only able to hunt for two days. I, on the other hand, put a lot of time and gas into trying to find a deer for myself and for my 13-year-old daughter. This was her second year of hunting and she was the only one of us who didn’t get a deer last year. It’s stressful enough juggling 6 kids with three in soccer and all the normal housework that needs to get done, but adding hours of hunting every day on top of that and a baby who is having trouble with his sleep schedule…I was just so exhausted by the end. And frustrated. And discouraged. I was pleading with God for a deer. I’d had a few opportunities but was not able to get the gun fired before the buck took off. It seemed like all I was doing was making mistakes and wasting time and gas. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. It was a real

 I don't usually have my phone out during church, but this week I just couldn't resist pulling it out and taking a few photos.  My baby has been doing the cutest thing lately. Every time he hears music that he likes, he raises both hands in the air. I can only assume he learned it from watching us worship during church. Of course, he will raise his hands to a Perry Grip song just as quickly as he will to a real worship song, but it still reminds me of that verse in Psalms: The second photo I took during church was of my husband and daughter praying for my mom. The Bible emphasizes over and over again the importance of prayer and even instructs us on how to pray for those who are sick. My husband's heart is to see people healed, and I love that he is involving our children in the process. And the super exciting part is that my mom was healed that day, her knee has not hurt since! As parents, it is easy to see the "bad" things we pass on to our kids.  Oh dear, he

First, I want to say thank you to those who have been praying for me! This past week has been a better one, and I know it’s because of all the prayers and I really appreciate it. I have had fewer low times, and I’m so thankful. I love this verse. I first came it across it when I was looking for scriptures to print to have while in labor with my 6th. It was a verse that comforted me during the week before childbirth, too, when I had to be separated from my other children and doctors were concerned about my baby. And I’ve used it many times since to remind myself that God is taking care of me. And lately, the next verse has been a comfort, too. God is always here to comfort us when we need it. He has the great power to calm our souls. His love is so deep for us. That is what we have to remember when we are going through hard times. When I was at a prayer meeting with some friends over a week ago, a member of the group, who didn’t know that I was struggling against depression, encouraged

Hey, Mamas. I'm about to get really real with you: I have been battling depression. That's why I have been so distant. everydayhealth.com I'm not intentionally being distant and I don't want to stop writing the blog...I just can't get the words out right now. Or at least haven't been able to. Maybe I will start to feel inspired again soon, I don't know. I really don't know much about anything, except what has always been true will always be true: God is good and He loves us so much. It's really strange to feel so numb and down, and yet have hope and faith that everything really is going to work out alright in the end. But I do believe it. I'm not even claiming to be depressed, I'm just openly admitting that I am fighting it. And fighting it as hard as I can. Depression is no stranger to mothers, I know. Probably you have dealt with it a time or two yourself, postpartum or otherwise. Personally, I have battled it off and on since the age of 9

 Hey Mamas. I’m sorry for the month full of silence. I’m not really sure why it happened. I just haven’t had the drive to write and am still trying to work it out.  I will say that I have been praying for you all. And praying for God to give me the right words to say to you. And praying that He would send you inspiration in other ways if not through me. I just have not felt very inspiring lately. When I find out why, I’ll try to let you know, if I think it will be helpful to you. I will share one thing that has been on my mind lately, though: taking the time. I don’t know about you but I feel like this summer is just flying bye. We’ve been super busy and doing a lot of fun things, but I really feel the need to slow down a bit and savor where we are right now. We got sick last week and, though it’s always sad to see little ones not feeling well, I will say it was kind of nice to just be stuck at home together.  Time moves so quickly. Kids grow so fast. We never know how long we have wit