WE HAVE MOVED

I am in the process of creating a different blog! This format will give me the opportunity to share my thoughts, the going "on's" of my family and my new found adventure. Check it out. I will post very soon as to why we are now in VA. Maybe some of you didn't know we were in NC!

Go here: http://sixschiavones.wordpress.com

things i indulge in...

These days I am consumed 99% of the time with things that have to do with messes, very short attention spans, stopping one from seriously hurting them self, or breaking up what seems to be "the end of the world" circumstances. If you are a mother I know you can relate. BUT I have learned that I have to find simple things that make me feel better about myself and give me some kind of breather throughout my day. There are very few things that I have the luxury to indulge myself with but here are a few of them:
I am not one to buy lots of make up and hair products but I have found one that I LOVE! It makes my skin so healthy and not to mention it isn't expensive.

The company is Everday Minerals. I found it a couple of years ago on a blog that I like to read. I ordered some of their free samples and loved it! It is completely natural. Besides being a great product their website is very chic!!! They always have promos going on so you can try something for free and who doesn't love free things!

So... one of the other things I love to indulge in is coffee. I was not a coffee drinker until I married into the Schiavone family. I now find myself completely addicted and can not start my morning without the aroma it creates in my home and the simple taste (with added Creme Brulee thanks to my dear friends the Vernons). Our current favorite is Caribou Coffee. This brand is new to me since we moved south. I was given the "grind and brew" by Cuisinart last Christmas and love it. It truly has made a difference in the way the coffee is brewed! Not only is coffee fantastic... it makes conversation so much better!

If you ever wanted to make that perfect cup of coffee... Here are some suggestions from the makers of Caribou Cofee:
BREW YOUR BEST
These simple steps will ensure that your home-brewed coffee tastes as delicious as it does when we brew it for you.
1. Start with fresh, whole Caribou Coffee beans that appeal to your unique taste buds.
Find your coffee
2. Just before brewing, grind the beans to match your type of coffeemaker.
Grind Guide
3. Use oxygen-bleached or metal coffee filters.
4. Measure out two heaping tablespoons of ground coffee for every eight ounces of water.
5. Use a coffeemaker with a slow brew time (between four and seven minutes).
HELPFUL TIPS FOR GREAT-TASTING COFFEE
Store your coffee in an airtight, opaque container, on the counter or in the cupboard. Do not store your coffee in the refrigerator or freezer, as it will take on the flavors that are present.
Never reheat your coffee. Once coffee has cooled, the chemistry has changed. Bitter oils and flavors will dominate the taste. Reheating will further break down the few aromatics left.

GO AND MAKE THAT CUP OF COFFEE AND HAVE A GREAT CONVERSATION!!!

(the links to each of these websites are at the bottom of my blog)

What is YOURS?

dream
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: goal
Synonyms: ambition, aspiration, design, desire, flight of fancy, hope, notion, pipe dream, wish...

Today I sit here in absolute quiet... well not "absolute" quiet because I am sitting outside. So I am just ignoring the annoying dog that barks frequently. Sitting in the warmth of the sun and southern breeze... I will stop bragging about the amazing weather here in NC. I got the blessing of breaking out of the "everyday norm" today. I am one baby down (not mine, the little guy I take care of) so I am home with just my two guys. We went and ate lunch at the girls school and NOW instead of trying to get all my house work done during naps, I decided to sit and blog my thoughts.

I have had soooooooo much going on in my mind. It is crazy and at times feels like I might explode while the chaos of being a mommy to 4 and caretaker to 1 happens all around me. So I started to jot down my blog thoughts whenever one comes to mind. Because these thoughts tend to come when all of my extremities are being used for something. Actually sitting down with my laptop for extended periods of time is not a luxury I have.

So here is one thought...

Going back to the word "DREAM"... I love the words that were given as the synonyms: ambition, aspiration, design, desire, flight of fancy, hope, notion, pipe dream, wish... Those words have been such a distraction in my train of thought lately. It doesn't matter what I am doing but in the back of my mind is this thought... d r e a m... How many of us actually get to live out our dreams? I mean the kind of "dream" that you would be afraid to tell someone because of the fear of being laughed at or not even receiving a response. AND I don't mean the "dreams" that you have while sleeping! As I sit here looking into the bluest sky ever... I can't help but wonder why these "dreams" enter our thoughts and even invade our hearts anyways. Are they given to us by God or just a result of our choices in life and environment? Not sure... but here is mine...

I have two dreams... aspirations... desires... and hopes... The first is to take my whole family on a missions trip every year until they graduate from high school. Yes, I know that my children are young but as I try to grapple with what is happening in this world I realize that we are given a very "short time" on this earth. I want so much more for my kids than what "society" expects of them. I want them to see people through Jesus's eyes. I want them to see that there is a HUMUNGOUS world out there that needs to experience the love of a Savior that died on a cross for ALL people. I want them to experience different cultures... and learn what it truly means to be a servant. I know that there is a lot I can do now and even in my home and neighborhood but something amazing happens to you when you are taken out of your surroundings. I don't know if this dream will ever come true... I pray that it does...

Dream number two is one that maybe I will make come true when I am older, wiser, and free of children. You know when you have something you like to do and there isn't anything else that gives you more satisfaction (besides being a wife and mom of course)???? For me I love, love, love to be in the kitchen BAKING!!!! Lately it has been so therapeutic for me. It is funny because Anthony knows I am stressed when he comes home to find some "yummy deliciousness" sitting on the counter waiting to be consumed!!! Seriously though... my dream would be to open a bakery. One that kind of functions just like the one in the movie "Stranger than Fiction". If you have seen the movie you know what I am talking about. Ahhhh... I can smell it just sitting here dreaming of it... Cakes... pies... cookies and of course the staple to any meal BREAD. Everywhere I have lived I have wished there was a bakery that baked bread and bagels all day, not just in the morning. For this mom getting to a store in the morning is a nightmare. Not even sure what I would name it yet. I hope that someday when I do make this dream come true... if you are reading this I will make something special just for you.

What is your d r e a m???

Sufficient Grace????

2 Corinthians 12:8-10
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Yesterday as I was in the middle of feeling very sick... trying to make two crying babies happy... entertain a two year old and then help the girls with homework... oh and did I mention I was trying to prepare for dinner by myself since Tony wouldn't be home 'till 10 that night... I remembered this verse... it just spoke softly into my very very frustrated and screaming mind.

HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!!!

His power is made perfect in my weakness. My weaknesses have surfaced more than ever during this time of "another" transition. I can't even sit and write what this move has been like. Only because that post would be way too long! Tony and I stepped into the most uncomfortable unknowns when we moved to NC. Not because we wanted a huge pat on the back or any body's attention but we did it because of God's call on our life. We put every body's opinion's aside... put our "own plans" aside... even knew that we were putting our own children's wants and needs aside... Why, Why, Why?

I have been asking myself that question more than ever. I have questioned everything we prayed for a year ago and the faith that I held on to so tightly when we decided to come here. Then YESTERDAY came... the absolute chaos that has become a daily thing in this house... AND THEN...

Those soft words echoed in my heart and my mind... "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Those words have not just spoke life into my weary soul but have reminded me why I even exist. To glorify the God that created me... To truly live out my life through the strength I am given when I realize how "weak" I am. God's grace is more than enough to get me through the days that are absolutely IMPOSSIBLE, like yesterday. I know there are plenty of more days like that one to come but I will pray those words in every frustrating moment.

Monday Morning Craziness?

Are Monday mornings really that dreadful? I am always reading posts about everyone dreading Monday mornings and just hating the start of another week.

I have been learning some hard lessons in my life lately. The lesson of contentment has been a theme for my life! So instead of dreading Monday mornings in this house... I will find a way to be content in knowing that it is the beginning of another week that I get to raise four of the most amazing kids on this earth... to be married to an amazing man... and serve the most AMAZING God.

I have NOT been given this life to always look back, to always find something to complain about, to always regret little things, and to always want for something more. My life... my journey... has been given to me so that I can be what God has intended for me to be.

So for my Monday morning... it has been glorious despite starting it by changing TWO poopy diapers. The sun is shining in my windows so beautifully and 3 out of 4 of my kids are playing quietly. Despite one staying home from school with a little cold. Micah has chosen this small Bible that I have on the book shelf to have as his own. He babbles on and on about "Jesus" thinking he is reading the words. I pray that "the Word" becomes an integral part of his life every day!

Over a year later...

Was my last post really over a year ago... actually almost two years now? What has happened between then and now? I can tell you I have finally embraced this journey I am on. It is funny because as I read the previous posts I have written, I can't believe how different I am sitting here in this very place I now call my home. I was never consistent at posting to this blog. I just simply love to read my friends blogs and the blogs that inspire them. I just never really felt like I had anything "inspirational" to say. But I have realized that nothing I can say will inspire except for the amazing things God is doing in "Our journey". So I decided to finally do some "fixing and updates" on our blog. To use it (our blog) as a place of contemplation, healing, and figuring out what this journey means.

It is so overwhelming to read all the miraculous and marvelous things God does in all of our lives. I can go from blog to blog and just sit here and be amazed at His hand. I have come to the realization that reading and writing in this way can be so freeing. In a way it frees you from the bondage of your circumstances and gives you a whole new perspective. You realize that this world is so full of people just like you... on a journey.

Our journey's are all different. Some of us get to stay in one place our whole life...or some have the opportunity to experience life in different places. Some of us experience an incredible amount of disaster and heartache... some of us just get to go through life with so much joy and happiness... Regardless what we go through, we NEVER go through it alone. This past year has been one of the most difficult times in my faith. I felt like I have been shaken to my very core and have been put in a place I never would had expected! I know now why God only gives us small glimpses of where He is leading us.

I hope that my words in this blog bring satisfaction and honor to my Savior...

Expectations!

So...MY expectations for this year were this... Wanted to get really involved in our student ministry. Was ready for the next stages for our family and began putting the infant baby stuff behind us. With all of this in mind and May and June being crazy months, I didn't pay attention to one small detail! Yes, I am pregnant... I am now 13 weeks and am due the beginning of February. I am amazed that God thinks I can handle this but I am up for it. I am just in awe of having another little one when my baby is still a baby! AH! I am praying for strength and patience. For God to do something in me that will change the lives of my children!