Yahweh Rophe

This past week has been emotional for me. There was a situation that had been going on with a friend of ours that was finally (we thought) resolved last week Thursday in a 4 hour long meeting. It's not really the meeting or the fact that the issues are apparently not resolved that has me upset though. It is what I saw/see in people. Lack of forgiveness, unwarranted accusations, and detriment of character.

How easy it is to look at others and point fingers at them as to what they are doing wrong. How easy it is not to look deep into your own heart and take time to reflect on what lives there. I have been doing the painful part of reflecting...

Psalm 139:23-24 ~ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

God knows how much I desire to be a beautiful person, not just on the outside, but on the inside. Anyone who knows me a little knows that I like to look good, that I take the time to do my hair and makeup everyday. That I don't run around the house in sweats even if I am not going anywhere that day. How much time do I take everyday to make sure the inside of me is beautiful? That it radiates God's love to anyone who I am in contact with. Sadly.... it seems as if my hair is more important. That was a really hard thing to see about myself.. it's even harder to write. To know that there will be people reading this very ugly truth about me is scary.

The ugliness that I have been seeing in people regarding my friend's situation is the same ugliness that I see in me. Lack of forgiving, unwarranted accusations, detriment of character... Guilty as charged. Knowing that all those things stem from hurt, doesn't excuse me from those sins. God calls me to love, forgive, not speak against another person. Regardless of the pain that lives in my heart, that is what God calls me to do. It is not my job to make sure everyone walks the straight and narrow. It is my job to make sure I walk the straight and narrow.

Matthew 7:13-14 ~ Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it.

Getting to the point of understanding what God wants me to do, and then letting go of the hurt that is the root of my ugliness has been a slow process. How do I let go of the pain and trust God? How do I trust the ones who have hurt me?

Awhile ago my Pastor suggested that I study the names of God. To get to know Him in a deeper/richer way. I had bought a book a few years back "Praying the Names of God" by Ann Spangler, but had never read it. So I had started to study the names of God. Guess what I came a crossed....

Yahweh Rophe ~ The Lord Who Heals

The Hebrew word rophe means "heal, cure, restore, or make whole." The book goes on to say that as you pray, to ask Yahweh Rophe to search your heart and if he uncovers any sin, ask for forgiveness and then pray for healing. Do you ever get goose bumps when you read something that touches you so closely you feel like it was written just for you?

Yahweh Rophe is searching my heart, He is bringing to surface all my sins, I am praying for a whole heart again. One that is not anxious and scared, but beautiful. I want to be the kind of person people love to be around because God's goodness just oozes out of them. It might take me awhile, but I am determined that with God's help I will get to a place of beauty.

I am going to leave you with Monday's prayer from my book:

Yahweh Rophe, I bow before you today to acknowledge that you are not only my Creator but the Lord who heals me. Please heal me today, body and soul, and do the same for my loved ones. I pray that you will heal whatever is bitter in our lives, transforming us in the ways that glorify you.

Amen.

My Sweet Boy Turns 6!!

I remember 6 years ago today like it was yesterday. It was cold, there wasn't much snow on the ground. My Doctors appointment was @10am. Kevin, Micah and I were all sitting in the exam room when Dr. Bolan came in with my ultrasound report (that I had the night before). He told us the report said the baby was 9+ lbs he said he would be right back and left the room. Kevin and I knew what that meant. We had been told from the beginning of this pregnancy that I would more than likely get induced early because of the diabetes. Dr. Bolan didn't want to deliver another 10# baby and I wasn't to thrilled with the idea myself.

When he came back in the room he told us to head straight to the hospital, they would be waiting for us. I of course rattled off a list of reasons why we couldn't go straight there. One of them being that I didn't want Micah at the hospital for hours, I didn't have my hospital bag with me, I hadn't really eaten that morning, and the list went on. He told me to go get my bag and get to the hospital as quick as I could.

Kevin and I drove home, took our time getting our things ready, called his Mom and asked her to watch Micah for us until my sister got out of work. Called my friend Jodi who was going to be with us in the delivery room, ate a granola bar because now I was too nervous to eat anything else. Dropped Micah off picked Jodi up and then drove to the hospital. We really didn't rush to the hospital like we were told to do, we kind of took our time, because we still hadn't settled on a name for a boy (if it was a boy)!!

As we were pulling up to the hospital doors I said to Kevin, "if we don't have a name by the time I walk in those doors, the boys name will be Luke Franklin." I closed the car door and started to walk in the hospital doors (because I really wanted that name and he didn't). He rolled the window down and yelled out the window "If it's a boy his name will be Tyler Mark" and then rolled the window back up (darn, couldn't waddle fast enough through the magic doors).

The next few hours, as most mothers can attest too, were long and tiring. Being induced is much harder than going natural (like I did with Micah). With every contraction (and trust me there were MANY) we came closer to seeing this beautiful baby that liked to kick his Mommy's tummy all day and all night.

The hours ticked by and at 1:19am our perfect baby boy was born. He was 7# 13oz, 20" long. He was so tiny compared to Micah when he was born, but I was so happy to have another little boy. When Tyler was about 1 1/2 hrs old, Daddy took Aunt Jodi home and then he went home to bed for a few hours. So the next few hours I had all to myself with my little man. I still get kind of choked up about it just thinking on it. I remember checking him all over. Looking at his fingers and toes. Touching his soft head. It was the middle of the night so no one really was around to bug us. We cuddled (which he still loves to this day), I nursed him, and just loved on this special baby who was now in my arms. It was a time for just he and I, a time so special to me I think of it often. It was during this time that I discovered that I had passed on my birthmark. When I was a baby I had a red spot, on my forehead in between my eyes. This spot slowly disappeared and would only come out when I was sad or mad. Tyler had this same spot between his eyes and I thought it was beautiful, since it was something that could only have come from me...

6 years..... Really??!! This beautiful little boy has turned into a handsome little man. He is ALL boy. He has gotten his passionate personality from his Daddy, his big blue eyes from his Mommy, and his silliness from himself:-) He is the child that pushes the limits the most, but he is the child who's heart feels the most. He is my very special Ty-Ty and I our lives wouldn't be as colorful without him.

Happy Birthday Ty-Ty!!

No One Ever Told Me....

Things no one ever tells you before you become a Mom.

1. You no longer have any privacy.

2. The bathroom is now a meeting place whenever you try and use it.

3. You now work 24 hours a day 7 days a week and your paychecks are $0.00.

4. YOU NEVER GET A SICK DAY!!

As much as I love being a Mom there are times that I would just like to have a sick day. A day where I can stay in bed and sleep when I am not feeling well. A day when it is OK for me not to have the house picked up, cleaned, and dinner going before the Daddy gets home from work. A day that the teacher calls in sick and gives the whole school, a day off, without upsetting the principle. All you Mom's know what I am talking about especially all my Homeschooling Moms.

Today was one of those days that I just wish I could have gone back to bed. I don't feel horrible, but my body is achy, I feel hot and cold, and I am really tired (which has nothing to do with being out until 1am last night with my homeschooling Momma's). It's just one of those days that I don't feel much like cleaning (shocking I know), I didn't have much drive to do school today and dinner.... well.... can anyone say hotdogs?! Looking back at the day, I kind of feel like I crashed and burned as a Mom today. Which stinks, cause I hate feeling like that. Good news is that tomorrow is a new day and I hope to make it a better day (provided that I am feeling better).

On a side note I have to share a cute story about Micah.

Yesterday he went into our new walk-in pantry and looked all around. He comes back out and says "Mom, is that our Food Pantry?" I told him yes. Then he asks "Then where is our Stuff Pantry?" Only a Peters would ask where a 'Stuff Pantry' was. A place for everything and everything in it's placed :-)

Praying I feel better tomorrow!!

Bumper Fish

Jilli climbs into bed with me this morning and settles her little self in. About 5 min later she, half asleep, rolls over and says, "Mommy, what do bumper fish do?" Not even knowing what a bumper fish was I said "I don't know." She then asks "Is Daddy the smartest?" I quickly answer "Yes." She then replies "Thanks for telling me" and rolls back over and closes her eyes.

You just gotta love that girl!

Big Sable

I don't have anything creative to write about, but I am trying to ignore the computer work that I am supposed to be doing... so I am going to post a few pictures from Big Sable Lighthouse in Ludington. These pictures were taken in November when we were camping.

This first one is looking out one of the port holes as we were climbing the many steps to the top.

This one is still out of a port hole but almost to the top of our climb. Look closely and you can see our bikes.

This one was taken just before we were invited in to the lighthouse to take a personal tour. The lighthouse was closed for the season, but since there were volunteers closing it up, they asked if we would like to go in. After we climbed to the top and back down we also got a tour of the basement. It was really cool to get to go where most people never get to see. I think we have seen all but one section of the lighthouse. A few years ago, before it opened for the season, we got a tour of the living quarters upstairs. What a great place to spend some time. Maybe someday Kevin and I can go be lighthouse keepers for a week...

Enough stalling, guess I better get to work...

Blessings!!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

I had a request to blog about things that I do to clean and keep my house clean. I am going to attempt to honor that request with this blog and few more to follow in the coming weeks/months.

I can't remember a time that I didn't clean. I remember being VERY little with a dust cloth in my hand going around my house on Pine St. dusting all the baseboards. I remember my Mom instructing me on the basics of cleaning a bathroom. I remember my Mom coaching my sister and I how to properly change the sheets on the bed (making crisp hospital corners were very important).

I guess my Mom never knew that she was training me to be Kevin's wife. She never knew that my future husband would be someone that likes a clean house. Or even that my children prefer to have a nice orderly home. She also never knew that I would clean other peoples homes for extra money. Even though she didn't know it, she knew it was very important to teach her children some basic life skills. Now I get to pass some off to you:-)

Everyone has a little different way of cleaning. Like do you dust first and then vacuum or vacuum first and then dust? I say, dust first and then vacuum. You knock the dust onto the floor and then vacuum it up. Speaking of vacuuming, there are a number of things I do with my vacuum that may seem weird.

1. I vacuum my stove top every time I vacuum. Dust, crumbs, and in my house dog hair (gross I know) land there. If I vacuum it off then I can take a wet cloth and quickly wipe it clean.

2. I vacuum my bathrooms including toilet and shower before I clean them with a cloth. For the same reasons as the kitchen. In the bathroom, hair, dust, and dog hair all can collect in certain areas. If you vacuum them off, your bathroom stays cleaner and is easier to clean (you don't get as much hair on your cloth) when it comes time to spray everything down.

3. I vacuum out my kitchen drawers about once a month. It is a easy way to suck up crumbs that somehow find there way into the drawers. This is very quick, usually it takes about 5 min. My cabinet under the sink where my trash is located gets vacuumed every week. It can get dirty if I don't keep up on this.

4. Vacuum your ceiling fans instead of using dusters. This way you vacuum up all the dust and not just knock it on the floor.

5. If my dog would let me (my other ones did) I would vacuum him. It pulls out the hair and dog dander better than just brushing them alone (then there is less in my house).

6. I vacuum out my toaster oven before I wash it.

7. Anything else I might think of while I am cleaning.

I have a Kenmore canister vacuum and that makes all these tasks so much easier than an upright. I have a long hose that I can use to get up high (like the bathroom light fixture) or in tight places.

One thing you will not find in my house. Sponges. If you like to use them fine....just make sure you clean them good ALL THE TIME. I am not a germ-a-phobe, but that is one area that I just don't mess with. Sponges to me create more work than they are worth. I use washable washcloths or paper towel (I know, I know I am filling up the landfills). I would rather be safe than sorry in this area though!!

The kitchen sink is THE most dirtiest place in your house, even more dirty than your toilet, so I spray it down with a vinegar/water mixture that I keep in a spray bottle under the sink once a day. Vinegar will kill organisms just as good as bleach and it is MUCH safer to use than bleach. I should blog about the uses of just vinegar...I use it everywhere in my house.

OK, I have to get back to cleaning my house before my hubby gets home...

Blessings!!

Pain in the Elbow

Last night we picked up the kids from the "babysitters house" and Jilli was complaining that her arm hurt. We couldn't figure out what had happened or how she injured it. She was literally just sitting on the floor with her hand tucked between her legs when she just started to cry and say her arm hurt.

We took her home and of course had to baby her some. Poor thing was in PAIN! I gave her some REALLY good meds and she went off to sleep, stacked up on two pillows for the princess' comfort (Daddy's doing :-)

As I was talking on the phone telling my friend what happened she said she thought it was a dislocated elbow. She hopped online and started to read me all the symptoms and I was sure that is what Jilli had. I quietly went into her room and pulled back the covers. her little arm was gently laying across her stomach with her other hand protectively covering it. I gently lifted her arm, held her elbow, extended her arm (palm up) and SNAP, POP went her elbow. She cried out in her sleep. I gently put her arm back on her tummy and quietly walked out the door, a little freaked out at what I had just done.

My friend and I hoped and prayed that what I did was put her elbow back in place, not cause more damage. About 5am Jilli came up to my side of the bed and said "Mommy, my arm is all better!" then I replied "Praise the Lord!" I let her climb into bed and snuggle down in between her Momma and Daddy.

When she got up this morning she was completely fine. No issues and I have to give praise to God for that. I was seeing a trip to the ER in our future, and not knowing how we were going to pay for it, I was worried. But God provided for us without having to go to the ER.

Blessings!!

Artwork

Jillian is becoming quite the artist. This was her latest project.........her room

Blessings!!

Hats

Just uploaded some pictures and discovered these from Christmas as I was flipping through them. Since things have been kind of serious around here as of late I figured I could use a little 'pick-me-up' and thought it might put a smile on your face too.

Jilli got this hat from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Melissa. She loved it and once she found out that Uncle Timmy had a hat just like it, she loved it even more. Of course Aunt Melissa made Uncle Timmy go out to the car to get his hat to show Jilli. You can see by her face that she thought this was the greatest thing to have matching hats!

This next one is one of my favorites (not because it is a great picture, just a great moment in time). You just have to love a little girl who will make two grown men do whatever her little heart desires...

Blessings!!

Fredrick Meijer Gardens

I am wishing I could just spend a whole day blogging to try and catch up. I remember a time that I was looking for things to blog about and now, I have so much I have a hard time choosing what to write.

This past week Kevin's parents took us to Fredrick Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas trees. Since Kevin wasn't working he joined us for this years trip, which was fun.

The Kids love looking at all the trees (Mexico is probably the favorite because of the pinatas all over the tree). ~Picture compliments of Tyler :-)

They also love looking at the train and trolleys and following them around.

..Enjoy looking at the next few pictures that Tyler and I took at the Gardens.

Loving the fact that my face made it on a few of these pictures, that is rare, but something I am trying hard to work on... either I need to hand off the camera to Kevin or Tyler...the one above was taken by Tyler.

Blessings!!