Laurie's Everyday Notions

Tonight, as I drove home from the chiropractor, I was thankful for the adjustment. I noticed immediately that the tension that I had in my neck and shoulders, tension which I knew had been contributing to my five day migraine, was gone. As I breathed a sign of relief I reflected on the other noticeable differences that have occurred over this past year since I first started going to Dr. Nick Pratt's Maximized Living Clinic. A year ago I had many aches and pains which I just attributed to be "over forty". When I woke in the morning it was painful to get out of bed in the morning. Just sitting up hurt my back and then there was standing up to walk. I felt like a little old lady, back hunched, knees bent, feet hurting as I walked down the hallway to prepare for my day.  Those pains are gone....for the most part anyway as I still get those occasional backaches after a day in the garden or migraines due to spending too much time worrying. The worry I can give to God. Be  an...

Let All Things Praise the  Lord ~ Psalm 150 Praise the  Lord ! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!  Praise Him for His mighty acts;  Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;  Praise Him with the lute and harp!  Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!  Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the  Lord .  Praise the  Lord !

Sometimes rest  is found when one re-evaluates priorities. Last night my headache/migraine that seems to have been present more times than it was absent over the past few days, had disappeared. AH, I thought, finally I can think clear enough to write. My boys were gone - my son was at a weekend youth retreat and my husband was on a day-trip with his mother. The house was quiet and it was a perfect time for writing. Then I realized I'd rather hang out with my girl. I skipped writing my "Day 26" post and it was well worth it. My girl and I ate milk duds and popcorn while watching a movie and it was divine! So although I didn't write yesterday my heart was still full of praise. Tonight I made another choice. Instead of a fun night out with some girlfriends, I felt God nudging me to stay home with my family. The Boy is back home and even though he's been busy napping, showering and playing his guitar at least he knows his mama is here. We had dinner together and...

Whew, it's Friday. It's been a great week but I'm a bit worn out. Though my "to-do list" is long, I am so thankful for a bit of rest that I will get this weekend. Sleeping in past 6 am, drinking coffee for a bit in the morning while still in my pj's.......this is what I look forward to. I may even decide to skip a few to-list items and take an afternoon nap. :) Thank you, God, for always sustaining me and providing rest when it is needed.  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find  rest for your souls ."

In the back row: Stepson, Hubs and Stepdaughter Front: The Boy, Me and my daughter Tonight I was blessed with time. Instead of quickly eating dinner together and rushing off to bible study, we were given a night to stay home. As we sat around the table, sharing a meal, sharing in conversation and laughter, I was filled gratitude for my family. My family is my greatest blessing.  Thank you, God, for each moment that I have with my family. May I cherish every single moment. 

I appreciate snow but only the view from my window as I sit inside my warm home with my hand cupped around a mug of something warm. This morning however the snow surprised me. Wasn't it just a week or so ago when I was still sporting shorts and flip flops? So although I do not look forward to winter, the excitement of the daycare kids over the fresh layer of white stuff caused me to join in the excitement, grab my camera and head outside. It's amazing how the wonder of a child can spark a little wonder in this "old girl". As I snapped a few shots of the snow I went to check on my girls...usually by this time in the morning they have flown the coop and are rooting around the yard. This morning they were still roosted. My heart swelled with appreciation for the girls that would be providing eggs for our evening quiche. Back inside I went to search for my coffee......ah! Gratitude again overwhelmed me when I found my favorite cup (one my dear hubs spent weeks sear...

Last month I shared a story from Noel Brewer Yeatts' book "Awake" about Evah, a girl who was captured by the LRA, was forced to carry weapons and was repeatedly raped by her captors. The story broke my heart. The stories that Noel shares in her book are continuing to break my heart. And then at church at last week we honored with the presence of a man who has made his life mission to serve girls and women who have suffered from war crimes. Women who have suffered greatly. As Dr. Mukwege spoke tears ran down my face. Although my heart ached I lifted up praise to God for equipping people such as Dr. Mukwege. People who are courageously raising their voices against the injustices found around the world. Denis Mukwege Interview from Autumn Ridge Church on Vimeo . "Our call is call to serve. Our call is a call to care for, to comfort, to restore women who have been hurt in their bodies and hurt in their hearts because of the atrocities of war crimes." T...

I will praise the name of God with a song,   and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.  Psalm 69:30 On this cold day, I am thankful for a home that gives me shelter, a furnace which provides heat, a warm cup of coffee to wrap my chilly fingers around, and the foresight to cover my bed today with my "winter" comforter.  On this Monday, a day dreaded by many as the "back-to-work-day", I am thankful for a job that provides for my family, a job which I love and allows me to serve both my family and the children in my care, a job which allows me to work from home and makes it possible to home school my son.  Thank you, God, for this day.

This weekend didn't go quite as planned. You see, in Minnesota we have "MEA weekend" every October. This is a four day weekend for public school students and one that we've taken advantage of for several years (even if we are homeschoolers). I usually take the time off and take my boy on an extended field trip. In 2008, my son and I traveled to Hannibal, MO to explore the childhood home of Mark Twain. In 2009 my stepson was attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI so in lieu of a field trip, hubby, The Boy and I went for a visit. The following week my son went to Disney World with my parents (lucky kid). My dad and The Boy, Disney 2009 In 2010 we decided to stay a little closer to home. We took a Wisconsin road trip, stopping at neat places along the way and ending up in Eau Claire, WI. We stayed in a hotel that was sandwiched between an awesome water park and a super cool "fun center" (laser tag, arcade games, batting cages and...

Today I'm joining a community of writers. Lisa-Jo gives us our writing prompt, one word, and we write for five minutes with no worries of spelling or grammar. We just write. Today's word is laundry. Here we go! Laundry. Ugh. It's my nemesis. The one chore that I can never seem to battle. I find it in a pile on my bedroom floor. If ignored, something I occasionally do during a laundry strike, it becomes a mountain. Not a pretty mountain but a mountain that causes feelings of disdain. I peer into my son's room and see it scattered all over his floor. No matter how many times I organize his drawers and teach him of the neat system of shirts go in this drawer and jeans go in the other, his clean and dirty clothes get strewn from wall to wall. To get through his room means to wade through his piles of clothes. The laundry room? It seems as soon as it's empty of clothes to be washed and clothes to be dried and still more clothes to be folded, there's yet a...

My boy had knee surgery yesterday. At the ripe old age of fourteen. The days leading up to his surgery The Boy, as I fondly call him, was worried only about what this meant for his future. My strong, courageous boy who just a few weeks ago thought himself invincible was humbly recognizing that he was not. He had been experiencing some pain in his knee since track season this spring which returned in the fall when football practice began. A visit to the doctor taught us that he had a "loose knee" which would slide too far to the outside of his leg and could be remedied with exercises to strengthen his inner quad muscle. Despite this knowledge and his mama's constant pleadings, he chose not to do his exercises. On October 1, during a football game, The Boy made a pivot/sharp turn and immediately dropped to the ground in pain. After several days of not being able to straighten his leg and with no decrease in the swelling we visited an Orthopedic doctor. An MRI indicated ...

**I began this post yesterday as I wanted it posted on World Food Day. Unfortunately exhaustion consumed me and I was unable to finish it. I'm not going to let being a day late to join the voices that are being raised to end world hunger stop me from completing my task. ** . This morning  Yesterday I was up earlier than usual as my son had an early morning appointment for knee surgery. As we sat waiting for him to be taken for surgery my stomach grumbled and my thoughts turned to food....and coffee. In my rush to get out the door, at an hour earlier than I'm even thinking about hitting the snooze button, I was unable to have my wake-me-up coffee. By 8 am I was longing for coffee and I was starving. STARVING! Friends, I have never known true hunger. I may have been a bit hungry as I hadn't eaten since dinner. Dinner which was only a mere 13 hours ago. I'd live. I was not "starving to death", a phrase which slips so easily from our mouths although ...

I am often humbled when my eyes are opened to the things in my life in which I take for granted. Sometimes it's easy to fall into the habit of grumbling at the work. I'm sure there's a few tired mama's out there that can relate. Dishes, laundry, cooking. The jobs are endless. Breadwinner, nurse, secretary, financial planner, teacher, kitchen manager, gardener......really this list could go on. How hard would each of these jobs be without having access to clean water? With easy access to clean water, water not only to hydrate our bodies but also to use in cooking and cleaning our bodies, washing our dishes, washing our laundry, it is hard to even comprehend how life would be without it. Noel puts it into perspective when she writes, "Did you flush your toilet today? Just once? You have already used more water than the average African has for an entire day --- for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing, washing....everything. Just one flush." (AWAKE, pg.94). One...

In the last 8 days I've had two babies! Well, I didn't have two babies but two of my daycare families did. One of the benefits I have as being a daycare provider is that I don't have to do the really hard stuff. Like giving birth. Or sleepless nights. I can get my baby fix during the day and then send them home. It's a pretty sweet perk. Thank you, God, for the families that share their babies with me. I look forward to watching each of them grow. Watching coos turn into babbles and babbles into words. Watching them learn to roll over, crawl and take those first steps. I look forward to baby feet and baby cuddles. God, equip me to show these children....all the children in my daycare, love. My love and yours. Give me patience and wisdom. Let my eyes always be filled with the wonder of your creation. Thank you, God, for bringing two bouncing boys into this world and into my life.

Psalm 145 I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2  Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3  Great  is  the  Lord , and greatly to be praised; And His greatness  is  unsearchable. 4  One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. 5  I [ a ]  will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. 6  Men  shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. 7  They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness. 8  The  Lord   is  gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. 9  The  Lord   is  good to all, And His tender mercies  are  over all His works. 10  All Your works shall praise You, O  Lord , And Your saints...

are my blessings. Today my eyes were drawn to my many blessings......... I spent a few hours cleaning the house and as I washed windows and chased dust bunnies I thought of how blessed I am to have a home to clean. Cleaning was followed by grocery shopping to get food for the week. Again, blessed. Tonight I attended church with my husband, my daughter, my son and my son's friend. As I looked down the aisle at my family I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude. Church was followed by a "date" with my daughter (the boys went to youth group and hubs went home). Breanna and I browsed Hobby Lobby searching for knitting needles (no luck) and smelling every candle (we chose Baked Apple Pie). Before picking up the boys we stopped for pie. :) I love spending girl time with my daughter and am so thankful for her! Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.  Ephesians 3:20 Thank y...

I will praise  You,   O   Lord , with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2  I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High Psalm 9:1-2 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 Early in the morning  can't wait to meet You once again I sing a new song awake my soul awake the dawn Shout aloud to the Lord  with all my soul I sing praise our King  hallelujah I will rejoice in the Lord always in everything I will rejoice in the Lord always oh, i will sing (to You) Everyday is a new day  so I will dance and celebrate it oh, what a joy it is every teaching be the same I will sing of Your mercy  I will sing of Your mercy over me I will sing of Your goodness I will sing of Your goodness over me I will sing of Your mercy  I will sing of Your mercy over me I will sing of Your goodness forever, forever

So last night I may have been a little tired. and cranky. After spilling my frustrations and crying about having a room of my own I was awaken to all that I have to be thankful for. Today, as I reflected on last night's post, my eyes were open wider. I humbly admit that I have little to complain about. I have a home, a family and a job that supports both. I have friends and family. Even though money has been tight in the past few weeks, I cut the grocery budget back drastically and found that I had plenty of food in the freezer and in the pantry to feed my family. I have enough and if I'm really honest with myself, I have plenty.  There are many in this world that don't have enough. They don't have enough shelter to protect their families. They don't have enough food and water to survive starvation. My heart broke today as I thought of my cry for a room of my own when there are people in the world that cry for survival, cry for a bed to sleep in or cry to simply...