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before i get into today’s
picture me {im}perfectly post,
i have to announce
my husband’s new book!
if you know my husband,
you know that he’s funny.
very, very funny.
his writing is no different.
DON’T MESS WITH TRAVIS
is a hysterical novel
“…the political humor and witty dialogue in
Don’t Mess with Travis should elicit chuckles
from readers on both ends of the political spectrum.
With shades of … the novels Advise and Consent,
Primary Colors, and State of Rebellion,
Smiley’s incisive and derisive view of the political process
makes this razor-sharp debut novel
a timely and entertaining read.”
—Booklist
i think we are all looking
to have a more complete life.
there are
so
so
so
many things
that i want in life.
so many things that i want to accomplish,
so many things that i want to see
so many things that i want to experience.
and i want my children to be able to
accomplish,
see and
experience
things as well.
but the question that
i need to ask myself right now is:
will that make life more complete?
and the answer is simply, no.
none of those things will make life more complete.
for you or for me.
because only He can make life more complete.
only a constantly growing,
intimate relationship with Him
will make this life more complete.
this beautiful blog post, i so loved.
![[cohabitation+2011+-+all+six+-+2-5.jpg]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-coi-0V7gjIM/Tvq3xtC4oqI/AAAAAAAAEIA/vN3E4zyKSxk/s220/cohabitation%2B2011%2B-%2Ball%2Bsix%2B-%2B2-5.jpg)
especially how Danice writes:
“The status of the rest of the world stands still
while a mother prays for the will of the God of Heaven
to be made real in the life of her son.
A son who was fashioned
exactly the way he was intended to be,
for the glory of the One
who loves him most.”
she also writes:
“I’m free to love my children
for who they are,
not who I want them to be.”
and this touched my heart
in regards to all of my children.
not just L.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Psalm 19:3
2081. being lent something for L
2082. going to home depot
2083. leaving home depot
2084. being off duty
2085. others’ heart string tugging blog posts
before i get into today’s
picture me {im}perfectly post,
i have to announce
that my husband’s book
comes out in less than a week!
if you know my husband,
you know that he’s funny.
very, very funny.
his writing is no different.
DON’T MESS WITH TRAVIS
is a hysterical novel
that “brilliantly lampoons all that’s wrong
with present-day politics while waving the flag
behind everything that’s right.”
DON’T MESS WITH TRAVIS
comes out next tuesday, may 8th
(and if you pre-order it on Amazon
and select two-day shipping,
you’ll receive it on may 8th.)
back to this week’s
picture me {im}perfectly.
at church this past sunday,
our pastor said:
“we are to be imperfect but genuine.”
his words have clung to my heart since.
and i think that’s what this
picture me {im}perfectly
is all about.
so here are my
imperfect but genuine
thoughts.
right now.
at this moment.
i am having a really hard time
balancing it all.
everything.
from the laundry to the dishes
to the scheduling and the schedule changes.
to the school events and all of the other events.
i am so distracted
by all that needs to be done.
the many many needs
that need to be met.
all of them.
my mind is flooded with a constant blur.
but as my Jesus Calling
read yesterday morning,
i need to live in the present moment.
because there,
He awaits me.
if you know anything about me,
you know that it is very hard for me
to live in the present moment.
my mind is always half of a step ahead,
trying to anticipate and prepare for what’s next.
what’s just around the corner.
i simply
absolutely
positively
cannot
do this life
without Him.
it’s not possible.
and i know that He designed it that way.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
Lord, you have assigned me
my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
Psalm 16:5
2071. lights in a tunnel
2072. two hours until D gets home
2073. just enough time
2074. waiting in my car
2075. truth spoken
do you sometimes fight this life?
i do.
do you sometimes let thoughts seep in
about what you would do
that would change your circumstances?
i do.
but i know that is not from the Lord.
and that there isn’t anything good
that comes from those thoughts.
i sometimes find myself thinking
that if this wasn’t this way
or that wasn’t that way
then i would be able to do this or that
much more easily
or without struggle.
but God is in the struggles.
He needs us to struggle in this life
so that we can come to Him
and grasp for His hand
through this imperfect life.
throughout this imperfect life.
where she recognizes our limitations
but see’s God’s lack of limitations.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
These things happened to them as examples
and were written down as warnings for us,
on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
1 Corinthians 10:11
2051. pizza for dinner!
2052. L not being woken up
2053. the smell of summer seeping in
2054. rest for the weary
2055. reading an incredible old book
sometimes, the only thing harder
than having a special needs child
is having typical children.
sometimes.
the kids and i went on
an impromptu hike the other day.
how does one get herself
on an impromptu hike, you ask?
i’m not really sure.
L had a doctor’s appointment
near the woods
and i thought that maybe
if i took the bigs on a fun adventure
before the appointment,
that they would hate it less.
and just so you know,
we don’t use hate in our house.
other than God hating sin.
so hopefully that explains how much
they really,
really
do not like going
to doctor appointments.
so we went on this hike
and then i began to think.
i thought about a lot of things, actually.
mostly, i was quite concerned
that K was going to fall off
the side of the mountain
we were climbing.
she didn’t.
but i did come to the conclusion
that sometimes
(just sometimes)
having typical children
is harder than having a special needs child.
L is much, much more joyful than D and K.
put together.
and the only thing i can guess
is that it must be directly from the Lord.
there’s no other explanation for it.
when my big kids get tired,
they complain that they can’t walk.
and B and i don’t have any mercy
for those type of words.
because they can, in fact, walk.
and K gets upset over the wildest things.
as of late, she was crying
because on the picture she was drawing,
the boy had yellow pants
but he also had yellow legs
and she was upset that
the legs weren’t showing up on the paper.
but she did not at all
like my idea of changing the color
of one of those things.
those are the situations
when L is a much, much easier child.
(and p.s., K was collecting these sticks
to throw to her future dog, “fluffy”.)
check out Jen’s blog
where she doesn’t take any credit,
but gives it all to God.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
Psalm 5:3
2031. simply glorious days
2032. being outside with headphones on
2033. a chance to get my to do list figured out
2034. B surprising me and coming home early
2035. peace that only can come from Him
i thought i’d feel
really refreshed
after being out of town for spring break.
but in fact, it’s been
a really hard transition
back to real life.
all the demands.
and to do lists.
and responsibilities.
and the scheduling.
oh, the scheduling.
it certainly leaves me longing for summer
and helps me think about
how we
must, must
be so intentional with our time this summer.
we must.
i have such a strong desire to
protect, protect, protect
our time together
as a family.
and so that is what i must do.
Lindsey’s words have spoken so deeply into my heart.
![[Brackett-40.jpg]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WUmha4asaIQ/TwXo_VKfTxI/AAAAAAAAFWs/k1fbp9cvlOo/s220/Brackett-40.jpg)
i imagine her words will do the same to your heart.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16
2011. L on the slide
2012. B who is such a good disciplinarian
2013. K’s giggles
2014. catchlights
2015. feeling gratitude seeping in
we’ve hit a new level
of communication issues with our little L.
he’s frustrated and i’m frustrated.
we’re all frustrated.
there have been a lot of tantrums and crying lately.
L is trying so hard to explain his frustrations
and we’re using this amazing ipad app
but as his speech therapist has noted,
his emotions are getting more and more complicated
and it’s becoming harder and harder
for us to know what’s going on
in that little head of his.
so… that’s where we are.
right now.
and a hearty thanks to Julia
who so transparently posted
what is on her
heart and mind right now.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
We must pay more careful attention, therefore,
to what we have heard,
so that we do not drift away.
Hebrews 2:1
1896. eating those cookies
1987. cleaning up legos with D
1988. a very, very fun birthday party
1989. the sun coming out right after a prayer
1990. everyone loving bouncing in a jumper
yeah, sure it looked like a lot of fun and games, right?
well, it was fun and filled with games
but that’s only because of
the extra hands that were there.
yes, Auntie B came along
and i honestly don’t know
what i would have done without her.
well, yes i do know.
i would have crumbled into a ball on the sand
and cried.
but no tears were shed
(by anyone)
merely because of her presence.
remember how i’ve told you she’s
just like Mary Poppins?
well, that’s because she is.
while i was taking an up-close shot of the adults,
this is what was really going on.
see, aren’t they so helpful?
the Os were quite understanding
when i said that i could come and take some photos of them
but that i’d be bringing
my THREE children as well.
here was our main camp
where most of our junk was stowed.
and when i edited the photos,
i had to creatively crop
(and i mean this in the most loving way)
my children out of some of the shots.
my children and their billion sand toys
that accompanied us to the beach.
and the only way to have happy kids
and take photos in a short amount of time
is that while mom and dad
were smiling away in some photos,
Auntie B was kindly feeding
little B while keeping L company
and making sure D wasn’t running off
down the boardwalk.
and you must read
this blog post
by Kelly
(and in fact, you should read all of her blog posts)
now, this woman is inspirational.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect.
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
Psalm 4:7
1971. the color yellow
1972. D inspiring others
1973. getting ready for lots and lots of fun
1974. summer planning
1975. poppy red
just because i can fit more things
into my days
doesn’t mean i should.
because in most most cases,
i shouldn’t.
there are a lot of things
i could easily
add to my list of responsibilities
but it takes time to do things
and my family needs me right now.
they need so much of me.
and i need so much of them.
they help me to slow down
and to see what is really important in life:
all of those
tiny nearly insignificant things
that are really actually
the most significant things.
but it takes me not agreeing
to lots and lots of other things.
just because i could probably make them work.
and that is a struggle for me.
such a struggle.
because i do like doing things
but sometimes,
(and i am only now just learning this)
i can’t do everything.
not everything
will or can
be done.
and i have to be okay with that.
because all of this.
all of this life.
each one of these moments we are living
and breathing in,
they are enough.
doing more doesn’t always equal fulfillment.
and these children,
they are enough.
because our God,
He is enough.
oh, how He is enough.
and that brings me to
this summer.
oh, how i’m already dreaming of this summer.
this summer will be quite different for us than past summers
(more on that later).
(source here)
and this is inspiring me.
i love this.
i am so inspired.
i want to just soak up the moments of this summr.
this summer that already seems to be fleeting.
and so i must be intentional.
i must choose wisely.
and realize and put into action
that He is enough.
Jennifer’s words
so resonated with me.
i often start things and then
have a difficult time following through with them.
i am so glad for her reminders.
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal
that we don’t have it all together.
i will post a
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,
let’s
encourage,
inspire and
remind
other women
that none of us have it all together.
add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged.
Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Psalm 54:4
1951. coming up of a list of good things
1952. the truth spoken into my life
1953. CBS
1954. little lego cows
1955. photographs
