the pensive princess

i just finished my january menu

2009-01-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

if you're wondering how this came together, this is what i did:

i got a new cookbook for christmas- full of recipes for busy women; it has lots of slow-cooker recipes & 5-ingredient dishes; i went through it & marked all the recipes that sounded do-able; next i made every day of the week a category: mon- mexican; tues-tony roma's (kid's eat free on tues) or pizza; wed-casseroles; thurs- slowcooked; fri- meat'n'taters; sat-leftovers (or whatever sounded fun to make) ; sun- soup/sandwiches; last i went back through the cookbook and stuck the recipes in the calendar;

i'm not too strict about sticking to the menu. i mean if someone invites us over i'm not going to insist on staying home to eat leftovers. but it is nice to have a guide. you could customize with your own daily categories (like italian or asian flavors) or go online for recipe ideas.

something you may not have known about me: in high school i made monthly calendars of what i would wear each day. this wasn't too challenging- i just switched up my t-shirts and flannels :); nonetheless i wanted to remove the hassle in the morning of wondering what to wear so i planned out a whole month in advance.

two posts in one day!

2008-08-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

well, it's only fair that i do an interview with danielle. i can take advantage of her patience for only so long :)

i believe it is a job of a parent to be a student of their children. parents should study their children and be very knowledgeable about that "subject". we must know what makes our kids tick, what excites them, what upsets them. for instance, danielle is a peacemaker; she is sensitive to the feelings of others and tries to make people happy. she is great company- she easily transitions between her sisters. nonetheless, danielle will not be pushed around. she's not the oldest, but she still works hard to get her way. somehow she's a peacemaker and a fighter at the same time. she is great to have on your side- if you're the underdog, she'll have your back. but if you're "not in her club" life's can be rough. (julia is ever trying to do the right stuff to be in danielle's club). anna has even commented "why is it that sometimes we're best friends and other times we fight?

she's always runnin' around and flipping upside down. we, as her parents, are constantly on her to turn right-side-up. it is fun to have a kid like danielle. i don't know if i could handle more than one of her, though. my girls are all so different. anna is very careful about whatever she does and is quite creative and scholarly; danielle is compassionate and a people pleaser; julia is a talker (grandma rebecca tells her she has the 'gift of communication') and is always ready for a party; rachel is determined to get what she wants and she has ways to get others to help her- with babbling, gestures, pinching, etc. sarah and naomi are still too young to label their personalities :)

anyways, its fun to watch them all grow up together and interact with each other.

i'm lovin' facebook

2008-08-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

so, the other day, i got a friend request for facebook. well, i had no idea i even had a facebook account. i guess abe thought i should have one and he had created one for me. i already had accumulated a few friends- unbeknownst to me. so when i confirmed this friend, i discovered we had a few friends in common... and i had friends in common with their friends... etc, etc, etc. i began hunting for long lost friends: friends from school, past churches, the teen mania internship, christian house, cousins. i just kept finding people that i never thought i'd hear from again- and now i could see pictures of them and their families. it is great to strengthen connections again. i even located a friend from youth group when i was in middle school. she was able to come visit me at my home- it was so great to be able to touch base again. another thought i had was that, as a stay at home mom, i don't get to experience friendship with many people outside of my small circle. but, with facebook, relationships that i cultivated years before are bearing fruit and i feel the love without ever leaving my house :)

interview with another princess

2008-08-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

so we interviewed anna yesterday to learn more about her. and then i had to interview my other girls. you know how some kids are more, well, patient. and others tend to have a "my turn, now!" attitude. well, let's just say danielle graciously let julia be interviewed first. nonetheless, we had a few distractions during this interview. rachel wanted to be on the screen; danielle, who was sitting beside us, picked a scab off her leg and was insisting we look at her blood; anna kept whistling from the sidelines because it made the audio level thingy go up.

AND NOW.... HERE'S JULIA!

interview with a princess

2008-08-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

recently i went to a bridal shower. one of the games was a questionnaire about the bride- to see how well we all really knew her. clearly i did not know that much about her likes and dislikes. it was amusing to see that the bride's mother did not know everything about her daughter either. but then the ladies at our table were trying to answer the questions about our own daughters. i soon realized that there was a lot about my girls that i didn't know. so i decided to interview my daughters to find out more about them.

And now, HERE'S ANNA!

are you done having kids yet?

2008-07-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

in this video i discuss our decision to stop having kids and reveal a minor pet peeve of mine.

Motherhood in Action

2008-07-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

an update on life with the twins featuring the TWINS. :)

family vacation in seattle

2008-06-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

a little update from our vacation, enjoy!

family vacation from Deborah Lara on Vimeo.

i don't have it all together

2008-04-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

it's been awhile, hasn't it? do you have a couple of minutes? just thought i'd say 'hi'.

talk to you later!

in case you're wondering here's the words to the poem that julia recites near the end.

Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850–1894). A Child’s Garden of Verses and Underwoods. 1913.

34. The Swing

HOW do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I think it's the most wonderful thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

in early labor

2008-03-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

it's so exciting. babies will be coming soon!

late night with deb

2008-03-01T22:55:00.000-08:00

for all your cosmetic needs just give me a call :o)

my february post

2008-02-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

here's the deb and julia morning show! have a great day!

a hijacked blog

2008-02-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

happy birthday babe! i love you.

january update

2008-01-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

hi friends!

a little update

2007-11-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

here's a little load of love comin' your way :o)!

p.s. hello to maureen and brooke and jessika as well. if you regularly check my blog and would like me to know it, please leave a comment and i'll be sure to say 'hi' to you, too!

just a moment to muse...

2007-11-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

hello to all my family near and far... and to all my dear friends, too. no, i don't really have much to say today. i just wanted to say 'hi'. feel free to leave a comment just to let me know you stopped by :o)

just another day...

2007-10-26T22:19:00.001-07:00

hi friends! here's a little message from me and my girls. enjoy!

have a great day!

it's so good to see you!

2007-09-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

something to make you smile!

2007-07-12T20:02:00.001-07:00

it's been awhile

2007-04-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

bet you thought you'd never see me again

lots of love

2007-02-13T19:12:00.001-08:00

the sound of music...

2007-01-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

just a little time to chat...

julia's home!

2007-01-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

i hope you enjoy our post shower post.

julia in ICU with RSV

2007-01-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

a little clip of julia in ICU and the nurse putting an oxygen tent around her.

connecting with you

2007-01-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

it's time to write again i suppose.

homeschooling is going fine. we haven't had too many days that followed our schedule.
this is what i wanted our days to look like:

7:00 mommy (that's me) gets up and reads her bible and exercises
7:30 children awake and happily get dressed and make their beds; mommy goes though her beautification rituals
8:00 breakfast (with all the food groups) and cleanup;
8:30 morning chores (laundry, cleaning living areas, etc.)
9:00 class begins with devotions and prayer; we discuss the plan for the day
9:00 anna works in her workbook with mommy while danielle and julia color peacefully
9:45 danielle works with mommy in her workbooks while anna reads to julia
10:00 snack time (something delicious and nutritious) and recess time
10:30 julia works in her tracing workbook with mommy; anna and danielle work independently
11:00 group project with mommy (e.g. art, cooking, scrap-booking, p.e., music)
11:30 group reading
12:00 lunch and clean up
1:00 personal time (julia and mommy get a nap and the other girls play or read quietly in their rooms).

oh wait. there are four girls... well, rachel is supposed to be asleep all morning, i guess.

but it doesn't turn out like i plan. instead our day usually looks more like this:

7:00-9:00 i try to get up without waking anyone else, but am not usually successful; i don't exercise and my bible reading is constantly interrupted by groggy children whining for breakfast; kids make frozen waffles for breakfast for breakfast while i am in the shower; kids beg to have class in their pajamas while i feed rachel- who wants to be awake with everyone; we all get dressed but the house is still a mess;
sometimes we don't get to our classroom until 10:30: the kids all work in their workbooks; we don't get snack "because we just had breakfast at 10:00"; we all work until 11:40 when daddy comes home on his lunch break.

the days don't go as i plan, but i sure love spending a relaxing morning with my kids. we don't stick to our schedule, but we have fun and they are making progress. i'm there to help anna make her letters the correct way and to help danielle learn to read. and i love having julia and rachel in the middle of it all. i wish i had someone to make snacks and lunch for us, but oh well. pbj and top ramen are always well received. and then in the afternoon, when daddy gets home he works with the girls some more in 'afternoon school' reinforcing the things i went over in the morning.

in other news, i tried out for a part in 'the sound of music' that a local theater company will be presenting in march. i got the part of sister sophia- one of the nuns with a speaking part. i am pleased. we have practices on monday and thursday nights from now until the end of march. i always said i wanted to grow up and be a nun- a foursquare nun, that is :o)

well, i gotta go. being on the computer takes up so much time that i don't really have. but its always fun to connect with you...

princess update

2007-01-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

its a new year with lots of exciting things happening... i'll keep you posted.

i'm thankful for you!

2006-12-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

this is so much fun... and easy!

it's gonna be a great day!

holiday happenings

2006-12-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

hey elia! we can't wait to see you next week!

happy thursday!

early morning

2006-12-10T08:04:00.001-08:00

hello again! happy hoildays and holy days!

this sure is fun...

holiday musings

2006-12-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

take a look at this...

leave a comment...please. (just so i know somebody looks at this stuff).

lara life

2006-12-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

i've just discovered that the perfect time to take a baby's picture is when they are about to pass gas.. it almost looks like they are smiling.

anyway... i've wanted to post something for awhile, but didn't really feel that i had anything to say. (i mean, you could read about us having no heat or my wisdom teeth coming out on abe's blog.) however, i've decided that i can use my blog to relay funny things that my kids say.

the other day, anna came up to me and said, "we drink responsibly, right mom?"
"what does that mean," i asked.
"that we don't drink alcohol," she replied.
"yeah," i said. " who have you been discussing this with."
"no one," she said. "i just heard it on t.v."

i'm always amazed at the things she picks up and the interpretations that she makes.

i also had to laugh yesterday during church. my kids were getting kind of restless and anna looked up at me and asked, " mom, when are we going... to heaven?" it is nice to know that her heart is in the right place.

here is another picture of us trying to take a holiday picture outside in the cold... it didn't go over as well as we had hoped...

i'm back

2006-11-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

i am not pregnant anymore. my baby is sleeping right now- in another room. the labor and delivery went relatively smooth. i wanted it to go fast so after a couple of hours of waiting- after my membranes had been stripped and my water had been broken- i asked for pitosin at 11pm. after pushing for 15 minutes rachel joy was born at 3:16am on oct. 19,2006. i guess my iron levels were pretty low- 13 is low and i was at 6 whan rachel was born- so i've been really tired and weak lately. actually i've been tired for a long time- and i continue to be tired. being awake at all hours of the night dooesn't help much either. my point... i'm happy that my baby is out. it is so nice to be able to sleep on my stomach again... and not get heart-burn at bed time... and not have swollen hands and feet... and be able to hold my kids on my lap again. i just have no energy to do anything- much less blog.

anyways, i continue to enjoy reading other blogs. it helps me to feel connected to the outside world- which is a big thing for a mother of 4 who doesn't go anywhere much.

happy november... until later, deborah

etiqutte for speaking with a pregnant lady

2006-10-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

during my recent season as a pregnant lady, i have made some observations that i would like to pass along. there are some things that it is okay to talk about with a pregnant lady- and other things that just aren't necessary.

one thing that i'm sure i've been asked a thousand times in the past 9 months is "is it a boy or a girl?" now why is this important for everyone to know? and since my husband and i have decided to wait until the birth to find out the gender, we have had to come up with creative answers. here's an example

"what are you having?"
"a baby"
"are you having a boy or a girl?"
"yes"
"what is it"
"a boy or a girl"
"but which one?"
"i don't know, but i'm pretty sure it's not a puppy. i really don't want a puppy."

and then people want to know what my preference is. like it really matters- i plan on keeping whatever comes out- i don't have much choice. and it is automatically assumed that just because i have 3 girls i'm trying until i get a boy. and then everyone has to tell me how abused a boy would be in a house full of girls. sometimes i try to explain myself- that we will take whatever we get- every baby is a blessing; and we're not trying for anything in particular- we just want lots of kids (at least 5); and just because some siblings don't get along doesn't mean ours won't- isn't it possible to train kids to respect each other. i don't assume life will be easy with lots of kids, but i'm pretty sure God promises to be with me, strengthen me, sustain me, etc. i'm just not worried.

i wish people would just save these silly questions til after the baby is born. "is it a boy or a girl?" (see for yourself); "did you want a boy or a girl?" (it is my child- i want it no matter what- i'm not sending it back). i believe children are a blessing- not a curse. i'll take as many as God will give me- He has promised to take care of them as well as me (psalm 37:25).

i think if you are going to have a conversation with a lady about her pregnancy, you should focus more on the woman than on her unborn baby. so here are some things i feel it is fine to talk about with a pregnant women. (if you don't feel comfortable talking about these things with a total stranger, then maybe you should mind your own business).

-"what have you learned about yourself during this pregnancy?"
-"what is something you've gotten away with because you are pregnant?"
-"what is something you are proud of yourself for doing even though you are preganant?"
-"tell me something that you did before you were preganant that you look forward to doing again?"
-"what could i do to help make your life easier?"
-"what would be a good night for me to bring dinner over?"

any encouraging words are always appreciated, such as "you don't look that big"; "you're sure a trooper"; "you are amazing!"

i am totally annoyed when people ask how i'm doing. for crying out loud! i'm pregnant and i'm trying not to have a pity party- don't encourage me to whine. i want to be pushed to continually have a good attitude. i want to be someone that people want to be around- not just a complainer. (oh yeah, i guess i could just lie and say i'm fine... but... nah).

anyway, i'm really looking forward to this kid's 'birth'day. i mean, i want to know just as much as the next guy, what this kid is going to look like, if it's a boy or a girl, if it will have red hair. and though i realize that all these people are just showing that they care i just wish they would put a little more thought into what they are going to say before they say it. it sure doesn't help to hear repeatedly, "you're still pregnant?" i just want to stay home when i know that people are going to put that kind of pressure on me. i've started telling people that i think i'll just stay pregnant 'til christmas- i don't want the baby to come out yet.

okay, i'm done ranting and raving. i'm not mad or upset at anyone in particular, i just wanted to vent some frustrations that have been building for awhile. and the next time i see someone who is great with child, i hope i will remember to use my "etiquette for speaking with a preganant lady".

real life and real joy

2006-09-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

i recently attended a women's conference and returned with some ideas to share. the theme of the weekend was "real life, real joy." the featured speaker was mary southerland and she shared a lot about the storms in life and joy in the midst of them.

one quote that i really liked was "every experience in life is a tutor for contentment." i feel that a princess should be able to say with the apostle paul "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength"(phil 4:12,13). not every princess has a maid and a cook and a chauffeur...but we should still have joy.

joy was defined as "the deeply-rooted confidence that God is in control." and i believe that this is true. God is with us through every storm. another quotei liked was "don't talk to God about your storms- talk to your storms about your God." that just gets me excited when i remember how awesome my God is- there is nothing that surprises Him or is too difficult for Him to handle single-handedly.

the bottom line: walk with your head held high knowing that the King is always taking care of his daughters, his princesses. jeremiah 29:11 says "for I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." there should not even be a hint of worry or fear in our lives- God has everything under control.

this pregnant princess is grumpy

2006-09-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

i don't want to write anything. i don't feel like being nice. i'm not sure if this is okay to admit. i don't picture a princess as having grumpy days. i'm not upset at anyone in particular- i just feel grumpy. and i'm not sure how to pull myself out of this slump.

my castle is currently under renovation. i got this wonderful idea this past weekend to rearrange all of the bedrooms. that means my oldest daughter's room moved to the pink room that the others two girls were sharing; those girls moved into the master bedroom; my furniture and stuff was moved out to my office (which is much bigger than our other room, but has no closet); the couch and t.v. that were in my office were put in the room designated as the nursery- so it is now a cozy family/t.v. room; and finally the crib and rocking chair were placed in my oldest daughter anna's room (there will also be room in there for a small extra bed for guests-specifically grandma). thankfully my amazing husband abraham got the brilliant idea to enlist the help of the youth group that would be meeting at our house sunday night. so most of the moving was completed within an hour and a half. nonetheless, there is still a lot of stuff out that hasn't found a place to land- it is still looking for a home. and i just don't have the energy to take on this overwhelming project of organizing this mess. maybe i need a bigger garbage can.

i just feel like a horrible mother, too. i want so badly to clean up the house that i focus any energy i can find-which isn't much- on cleaning. i don't feel like i have any attention to give my kids. then they act up in order to get attention and i get upset with their antics and i send everyone outside. i hope we can survive the arrival of this new kid. i just want to cry- hormones can be so frustrating sometimes.

i'm not really fishing for sympathy. i just hoped i'd feel better if i let out some of my grumpy feelings.

on a lighter note, my good friend sarah gave birth to her fourth son this afternoon. i am so excited for her- she's not pregnant anymore. i feel that she has what it takes to raise these little men to be Godly princes: a relationship with God, an incredibly dedicated and committed husband, and a sense of humor. (keep up the good work, sarah).

okay, i'm done now. my mom is coming to visit me tomorrow for her birthday and i'd like to take her to get manicures. i sure hope i don't feel grumpy tomorrow. i can't help feeling lumpy, but i don't want to be grumpy.

an open book

2006-09-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

here is another aspect of princess-ness for your consideration. her life is an open book. every detail of her life will be examined by those that she leads. even though she may not know it, she lives her life in the spotlight. those around her will watch her looking for an example to follow.

with this in mind, we must live our lives in such a way that if someone were to copy us exactly, it would be okay. i think of the apostle paul's statement in 1 corinthians 11:1 to "follow my example as i follow the example of Christ." a christian woman should be able to echo this phrase. anybody- including her children- should be able to look at their life and say "if i live like that i will be happier because i'm walking in wholeness and purity."

when others look at us, they should see examples of loving relationships, the proper way to deal with stress and conflict, and a model for holy living. if these traits do not currently represent how you are living, here are some ideas for improvement. find good christian books that address these topics; join a small group at your church that will discuss an area that you are currently struggling in; ask a friend to hold you accountable in an area that you'd like to grow in. if you need assistance in getting pointed in the right direction, let me know. i've used many different resources to become a better wife, mother, minister, etc.

under construction

2006-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

princesses aren't perfect

anyone who's known me very long can attest to the fact that i'm not perfect (right abe?). but i try hard to do what i believe to be the "right" thing. all i can say is that i'm still under construction.

a princess shouldn't whine. but sometimes it's so hard not to. especially when potty-trained 4year olds continue to wet their beds; and i'm plagued with a headache that confines me to my bed- that isn't made today; and i'm hungry for something besides the frozen foods i've stocked my freezer with (corndogs and burritos are only appetizing for so long).

a princess doesn't leave the house without her makeup on. i'm thankful for my big sunglasses. this morning when i took anna to kindergarten i broke this rule. i ended up having to pack a sack lunch and sew on a button for anna during my personal prep time. so i took her with no makeup on. i did feel a little funny walking into the school wearing sunglasses, but my pride wouldn't let me take them off. (actually i'm just practicing for the day when the paparazzi follow me everywhere).

a princess reaches out to others. that's what i'm trying to do now- to let all of you other princesses out there know that perfection isn't expected. it's okay- i hope- to occaisionally let PBS babysit while you take a nap; it's okay to take time out to pamper yourself (i haven't figuered out how to do that for myself yet, today; maybe i'll make myself a chocolate milkshake). just know that you're not alone in your struggles today. no one is looking down on you. especially if you're very pregnant (sarah), or temporarily a single parent (maggie).

a princess is real- with herself and others.so, just in case you think i may be approaching a perfect life, refer back to this post and remember that we all have moments that we'd like to cover up. but instead, find a friend and just let it all out. and then move on. that's what i'm going to do now- move on. i'm going to make my bed and then lay down with anna and talk to her about her day.

moving right along...

2006-09-06T21:06:00.001-07:00

at this point, i'm not sure what to write about, but feel like i need something new. something that isn't as heavy as my last post.

i am currently- and have been for the past five years- an independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay cosmetics. during this period, i feel that i have learned many things that have helped me become more prepared to be a princess. a princess is constantly God focused, family focused and others focused (in that order). she seeks to build up and encourage others. she is enthusiastic. everyone loves to be around happy, enthusiastic people, so be one! a princess genuinely cares about people and shows it by being availabe to listen to them.

these are just some things that i am continuing to work on and feel are important for any princess. i am not in any way suggesting we should pretend to be someone we are not. but God loves people and wants to love them through us- His daughters. He wants to use our hands and feet and ears to communicate His love.

so, on that note, take time today to let God pour His love into you. then you will be fulfilled and have something to give to others as well.

princesses and pornography

2006-09-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

i was confronted with something today that i can't imagine my regular readers have ever had to deal with. i never even imagined myself writing on the topic.
i sat down to write a new entry today and decided to first go online and see if there might already be blogs on princess living. i innocently went to a site that revealed a little bit more about a certain princess than i wanted to see. what shocked me though was, even as a female, i had a hard time looking away. i thought this was just a guy issue. but here i was- a pastor's wife- struggling with uninvited sexual feelings with inapproriate pictures. well i did close the site, but continued to feel like i wanted to go back.
there have been other times, as well, where unexpected images have popped up on my screen. i have not had a problem telling my husband the nature of what i had seen and my related feelings. after all, it was not my fault. i did not pursue those experiences.
now, here i was today, fighting the urge to see more things. i know porn is wrong, but wasn't quite sure why it would be a problem for women... for me. i tried to justify it- research of our culture, etc. i decided that i did not have a problem now, but it could turn into one. i visited xxxchurch.com and found an article at trueu.org that dealt with women and porn. both helped alot. what i gleaned was that "to use porn is to wallow in sin" (which i don't want to do) and when you use porn you are objectifying another person - created in the image of God (which i certainly do not want to do). so i decided to walk away from the computer- and went to make my bed. i thanked the Lord for helping me through this test. it sure wasn't fun. and i thought, maybe just maybe, what i went through today will help someone else.
like i said, i never thought i'd be writing about this topic. i think of myself as very pure and unaffected by many of the world's influences. but i saw today that i'm just as vulnerable as anyone else.
Psalm 101:3 says "i will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar." i think that is the secret: stay away from the things that will cause you to want to hide from the light of the King.
Ephesians 5:11 says "have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
i don't intend to visit any more ungodly sites. 1John 1:7 says "if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His son purifies us from all sin." that is what i want- fellowship with others and purification from all sin.
so there you have it- a princess leads a godly life that others can follow. there cannot be anything that she is afraid of exposing.
if you have a 'dark' secret, find someone you trust to confess it to (God works), then repent and begin walking in the light- today.

english muffins and messy castles

2006-09-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

the nice thing about being a real princess is the fact that regardless of how you look or what you do you are still a princess (it's just harder for people to recognize you as one). i'm speaking specifically in reference to my morning.
i was just so tired that i stayed in bed as long as i could- 'til almost 9am. my 3 angelic 'princesses in training' did not share these same desires- they were up at 7:30. and wanting breakfast. i told them they could get out the english muffins we had just purchased yesterday. they didn't have a problem with that- they did however struggle with separating the muffins. when i finally got up there were muffin pieces throughout the house- most were in the kitchen garbage. i guess when the english muffins became too broken up to fit in the toaster they threw them away and started over.
anyway, this mess doesn't really seem too noticeable- the whole kitchen is a disaster. i haven't done dishes for days; there are sticky spots on the linoleum that have been waiting to be mopped for longer than i care to admit. anna was commenting that the dishes in the sink smell like our garbage can. you could eat off of my dining room carpet- it's covered with food. i just get so overwhelmed thinking about initiating a thorough cleaning. i'm sure everyone will flock to the targeted area and need to be held, or need to eat, or need a dispute resolved, etc. then my momentum will be halted- so i don't start.
the thing is, whenever i get moving, my pregnant belly tightens up and i feel out of breath and exhausted. and i haven't even done anything yet. but i need a break and i put everything back on hold.
my point is, no matter what your castle looks like, you are still a princess. even without makeup on, you are still a princess. even when your head hurts so bad that you want to cry, you are still a princecss. even when you are too tired to adequately communicate with your prince, you are still a princess.
the thing to remember is that your strength comes from the King of kings. take time to talk to Him throughout your day. ask Him for help- he will be with you. if you need wisdom- ask and you will receive. (james 1:5). remember, the important things in life are people- not things. the dishes aren't going anywhere- neither is the smell. spend time with the ones you love. especially take time to be with the One who loves you more than anyone- and He will take care of you.

YOU are a Princess!

2006-08-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

YOU are a Princess!
“How can this be”, you may wonder. “I’m not rich, I don’t have a little dog, and I really don’t enjoy wearing high heels.” Well, I have news for you. If you are a born-again believer, you are an adopted child of God. Since our heavenly Father is the eternally reigning King of kings, that makes you royalty. And women, that makes you a princess.

What does a Princess look like?

There are many opinions today about what a princess is all about. They “have a taste for life’s finer things: champagne with breakfast, custom lingerie, and kitten heels—even in the snow. At the office, [they’re] a corporate merger of style and substance, flawlessly handling the most difficult clients or performing life-saving surgery wearing snakeskin stilettos. [Their] romances play out like De Beers moments (well, in [their] mind anyway). And above all, they know instinctively that the real road to enlightenment begins with entitlement.” This quote comes from a book review called “Princess” by Francesca Castagnoli. It is one idea of what a princess looks like.

Another is the Walt Disney version: young, curvy, flawless heroines with angelic singing voices. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, the Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Mulan, Snow White... yep, they all fit the bill.

Or, what about a real-life princess, like Princess Diana. She was known as the “people’s princess. In public she was elegant and poised. She was beautiful and classy. In a TIME magazine article it is remembered “how she listened, how she placed strangers at ease, how she embraced, how she remembered, how she was kind." However, inside the palace, her life may not have been worth emulating. "Charles had resumed his old romance with Camilla Parker Bowles, the wife of his friend Andrew Parker Bowles. Diana increasingly resented the relationship. The obligations and rituals of royal life also took a toll. Diana later admitted severe psychological problems." (link)

The princess that I am talking about looks a little bit different than these commonly accepted models. She comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. Her status is not determined by the location of her home, but by the condition of her heart. Does she know Jesus, personally? Does she take time to listen to the King? She may not even own a tiara, but rather uses her smile to dazzle those around her. The princess I picture is loved deeply by her Father, the King. In turn, love flows out of her to everyone she meets. She is not afraid to touch the unlovely and kiss filthy children. She knows that her beauty- which is first inward and then outward- cannot be diminished by loving the least of these. She has a calm confidence that any hardship that may arise can be entrusted to her King- nothing is too difficult for Him.

These qualities do not evolve overnight, but are developed over years of continuous fellowship with the King. So, the only prerequisite for being a princess is to be a child of the King. But, in order to stand out as one, you must practice the principles I will share in following posts.

Do not lose heart. You may only feel like a commoner now. But, with encouragement, you wil soon be walking tall and carrying your head high as you come to realize that you truly are royalty

just for fun!

2006-08-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

i think i'd like to have my very own blog. let me restate that: i now have my very own blog! i've been having some thoughts lately on a particular subject and i feel this blog will serve as great place to get my feelings down in writing.
i've recently had my eyes opened to a startling fact that i should have believed for many years now. but, no. i knew the fact in my head, but it had never really penetrated my heart. the fact: i am royalty. i am a princess. now this goes beyond the make-believe, fairy tale, dress-up and pretend i'm a princess. i really am.
recently, our church hosted a "Holy Spirit weekend" where each participant was taught more about the Holy Spirit and encouraged to connect with Him at a deeper level. in the past,i have been leary about attending these kind of events. i always felt that something was supposed to happen to me- and nothing ever did. at this most recent event, as i was spending some tme in prayer, i was again feeling cheated out of something. a woman joined me and asked what was going on. i told her i didn't feel like i was recieving any gifts from the Holy Spirit. she just laughed and started to point out some obvious things that i was gifted with. for so long i had been hung up on what i didn't have that i could not see what i did have. i then realized that someone- satan- had been lying to me. the person my friend had described sounded an awful lot like a princess.
during my growing up years i had often heard the phrase "it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." in my mind, this meant some people are important- they are respected, honored, influential, special. then there are nice people- they happily do whatever anyone asks; they sacrifice their own happiness to make sure everyone is taken care of. so i felt i was being told "it would be nice to be respected and special, but since you're not, just be nice to everyone and we won't be mad at you. well it suddenly occurred to me: i could be both- i was both.
my perception of a princess is someone who is kind, gentle, and sweet as well as an influential leader. she is skilled in many areas- in the castle and among the commoners. she sings with the forest animals and all the street children adore her. she wears lovely gowns and the sun follows her wherever she walks. and if ever evil arises in the land, she couragously- and sometimes with the help of a handsome prince- saves the day. a princess is not a doormat- she is highly honored and respected. this is secretly what i wanted my life to look like. and now i see that it does.
this got me to thinking- any women that is a child of God is also royalty, a princess. what can be done to show women who they are and how they are to behave? then i thought, why not have a princess prep school where women- young and older alike- can come and learn about their identity in God and how to walk that out in everyday life. there could be classes on purity, beauty, kindness, freedom from past hurts, loving our children, submitting to authority, etc., etc.
anyway, i see myself in a different light now. i have been placed in my home to nurture and train my younger princesses and to honor and cherish my prince. i can see God continually pouring His love out on me and giving me strength to love others.
well, i have other insights on this topic, as i have stated before, and i will continue to share them in upcoming posts.