It's Just Another Day in Paradise!

Winter's are pretty chilly here in Michigan.  It's pretty difficult to find a pool midwinter.  In fact, I believe it's supposed to snow three of the next four days.  So while the girls were at school,  Mommy decided to let the little man set up house in the kitchen.  What's better than a tubful of water and toys?  A soaking wet toddler with a half full tub of water and toys!  Oh but did he enjoy it, and its such a great learning experience.  Sure I could have filled up the bathtub, but this is so much more fun in his eyes.  What a great idea!

And for another first in the house, little man decided to find interest in the potty.  Not the baby potty, but the big potty.  He insisted on sitting there for 45 minutes, obsessively getting up and down, trying to figure out how to manuever himself on the giant throne.  No sooner he finally gets bored with it, and he decides for the first time to wear big boy pants, we have our first potty accident.  Success!!!  It's a start.  He now knows what an accident feels like, and hopefully it wasn't a good feeling.  Maybe this is the start to something greater, no more diaper changes.  Maybe he's turning into a big boy and that baby phase is slowly coming to an end.  Either way, I'm happy!  It's great to watch them grow and change, and to watch them as the learn about the world around them.  There is nothing like a child's perspective.  It's all innocent and pure, joyful and loving.  They don't care where you work or how much money you make, as long as you're with them.  Love and cherish these moments.  Even potty training, as much as a pain it can be.

God Grant Me the Serenity..

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

     Boy am I going to need to remember this!  Someone told me today to always keep this prayer in mind when I'm feeling lost.  We have endured so many trials in the past year, if only I had thought about this sooner.  I need to learn to feel peace within myself, as only one's true happiness comes from your heart.  Until you are happy with yourself, you can't be happy with the world around you.  Sure there are the happy moments in life, kids make you happy, someone gets married, etc, but are you really happy, really truly happy within. 
      As we all venture through our way of life, we should all ask ourselves if we are truly happy, and if not, what can I do about it?  Can I change it? Or do I have to accept it? I think we all look to the outside world for the asnwers, but the real answers will come from within.  Let the Lord guide you, and may you feel His Loving Peace.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Experimenting..

So today I decided I was going to play with some photos and put them on some ceramic tiles I had laying around.  I had attempted this once before, and it hadn't turned out so well.  

Here's today's attempt.  It actually has a linen finish but you can't see it.

This was the first attempt, with one of my best girls, Sherry.  Guess it was better than I thought. This was a gift for a friend of hers.  Really it was all her idea. <3 

All things considered..

We are doing alright! It's coming up on a year that my husband lost his job.  In the meantime, We've learned to manage our money better, become frugal, and make ends meet.  We've learned that life isn't about the money we make or the things we have.  We've learned to love much and laugh often.  Take nothing for granted, and spend more time together making memories.  Amongst all the chaos of three babies, school, work, and a husband, there's plenty of love and laughter to go around.  I've learned it is in my best interest to hand my worries over to Him, have faith in Him, and feel his peace in all the uncertainty.

So this Blog is dedicated to The Crazy Ride Called Life!  I hope you find it as enjoyable and I do creating it.