country chic: The MOM post,part 2

country chic: The MOM post,part 2:     I felt like there was so much left unsaid in my last post & what I did say was hurried at best. But first I've got to say something that...

The MOM post,part 2

    I felt like there was so much left unsaid in my last post & what I did say was hurried at best. But first I've got to say something that's been really bugging me!
    A week & a half  ago we announced that we are excited that another little person will be joining our family this year! For the most part there were congrats all around but there was also quite a bit of ribbing & crude jokes made about having a large family,of course it was"all in fun"...whatever...why is it that when the first 2 or 3 children are born into a family,it's not that unusual to people but when there's 4, 5 & so on people don't know how to respond? Is it just because having a large family is not the "normal' thing to do?
    Doesn't God tell us in Genesis 1:22 to be Fruitful & multiply?....And God BLESSED them,saying"be fruitful and multiply"...Genesis 1:22a.....& also in Psalm 127:3-5  Behold,children are a heritage of the Lord,the fruit of the womb is a REWARD. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,so are the children of one's youth. HAPPY is the man who has his quiver full of them....Too often children are seen as liabilities rather than assets. But the Bible calls children"a heritage from the Lord",a reward. We can learn valuable lessons from their inquisitive minds & trusting spirits. Those who view children as a distraction or nuisance should instead see them as an opportunity to shape the future. God values our children highly!....ever since I was a young girl it was one of my dreams to have a large family, 5 kiddos,(just like my mamma)...:). That dream is becoming a reality & we could not be more excited! December seems like a long way off yet but I'm sure the busy Summer we have planned will help the time go alittle faster.
    I strongly believe that God intended women who have children to be keepers at home,to use that short time that we have with them before they become adults to mold,shape & teach them. When Aalyvia was a baby,only 6months old I felt like I needed to get a job & work to help make ends meet. I worked for about a year & it was the worst year of my adult life to date! If there would be any time that I wish I could get back or do over again,it would be that year. Looking back now I see that there were things we could have done without or done differently,but that time is gone & I'll never get it back.
   So I leave you with this,Embrace that short time you have with your children while they are little,you will never get a redo! there will be enough time when your children are grown to go to college,get a job,pursue any number of things...nobody who has a family has ever been on their deathbed & said I wish I would've spent more time at my job or furthered my education....they say,I wish I would've spent more time with my family,I wish I would've taken more time to teach my children this or that, etc.

My quiver is filling up nicely & I love it:)!

(as a friend of mine said recently)....Pursue your children passionately!

country chic: The MOM post,for lack of a better title....

country chic: The MOM post,for lack of a better title....:     This is NOT my normal,family,home decor,sewing post....This is one of those random posts that I will probably ramble & not make a whole ...

The MOM post,for lack of a better title....

    This is NOT my normal,family,home decor,sewing post....This is one of those random posts that I will probably ramble & not make a whole lot of sense,but it's a subject that has been on my mind ALOT lately & I felt like I was supposed to put my thoughts into words. I'm actually having a physical reaction to posting this & it will very likely get some negative feedback but that's ok.

     I've been hearing a lot of young moms talking lately how they feel like they have lost a little bit of themselves after becoming a mamma or feel like their lives have no purpose beyond taking care of their families. They want to go to college. Further their careers. Do something USEFUL with their lives. They are bored with the mundane day to day tasks of keeping a home & mothering their children.

     My thoughts on this......

If we are one of those lucky enough to be called mamma then God has given us a PURPOSE. 

    Since the beginning of this year I have really come to realize how BLESSED I am to be able to be a mamma & that not even one day should be taken for granted. When I woke up one morning & went about my routine of the day & out of the blue my oldest comes walking into the kitchen with his head arched completely backwards with guttural sounds coming from his throat,saliva-like fluid coming from his mouth, unable to speak or let me know what was wrong with him....THAT was a life-changing moment for me! Trying to call 9-1-1 with hands that were shaking so bad that I kept dropping the phone, I finally managed to give the information they needed & they were on their way...while waiting,all I could do was hold my son for what I was sure to be the last few moments of his life,sobbing as I held him,telling him over & over how much I loved him...this my friends was a turning point for me as a mom. Had I taught him the important things? Did he know how much he was loved? Did I spend enough time with him?.... The paramedics came & by then he was ok again.

    I need to repeat this...If you are a mamma,YOU HAVE A PURPOSE! God has given you a precious life to nurture & form & mold into His image. That IS your job. That IS what you are called to do.

    I honestly believe now that God allowed this to happen, to open my eyes. To show me how important each day is. To enjoy the little things & not take them for granted. To hug my children a little tighter,tell them I love them more often.Read that same book I've read 5 times already today because its their favorite...the little things...that add up to a whole LOT of  EVERYTHING!

Ruth

country chic: My Country Kitchen

country chic: My Country Kitchen: I wish I would have some before photos to post so you could see the dramatic changes in my kitchen from 8 years ago. Since I don't have phot...

My Country Kitchen

I wish I would have some before photos to post so you could see the dramatic changes in my kitchen from 8 years ago. Since I don't have photos I will give you a quick mental picture.

Imagine walls painted as bright as a yellow summer sunflower. And if that wasn't bright enough I topped it off with a sunflower wallpaper chair-rail high with a sunflower border & the ugliest shade of orange-y oak cupboards & island you could imagine.That lasted a few years then the wallpaper was taken down & a fresh coat of a  slightly,more toned down, yellow was put on the walls.

this lasted a few more years,then the yellow had to go!

My kitchen today...

I love my chalkboard wall! it's great for keeping a grocery list or doodling for the kiddos.

The cupboards got primed then painted an antique white color, I then distressed it with sandpaper sheets. The last step was rubbing an antique glaze over them to age them.

My kitchen herbs...the Rosemary plant is about 2yrs. old & thriving. the Parsley & Basil I started from seeds this spring. I love having fresh herbs to cook with. And the little jar is filled with weeds flowers that Aalyvia picked from the field.

The pot rack is something I've been bugging asking Andy to hang for me for several years now but he wasn't convinced that he wanted an old ladder hanging from the kitchen ceiling. He now likes it as much as I do. I knew he would:)

Then there's the dining area...

This hutch started as an unfinished ugly natural pine. Then it was white-washed white. currently it's painted black & distressed.

This is hanging on the wall next to the dining table. It was an old mirror that came with a chest of drawers. I painted it black,distressed it & painted the mirror part of it with chalkboard paint.

This Farmhouse table was a looonng waited for-couldn't find quite the right one-table. Then one day I go to my mother-in-laws home to see this table sitting on her sun-porch. It was love at 1st sight:)! after several months of  trying to persuade her that she didn't want it & she should sell it to me,she found one she liked better & sold it to me! yay!...happy dance!

Someday there will be a nice big deck on the other side of those sliding glass doors that will be perfect for summer entertainment but for now....my kitchen will have that job.

Ruth