Simple Pleasures

This week has been soooooo stressful. I have to admit that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now.

We have finally almost sold our house. We close on Friday. Unfortunately, after we do that, we will technically be homeless. Our rent house has fallen through (hopefully temporarily), so it looks like the in-laws' guest rooms for us!

So after this kind of stress, I think it's important to find "Simple Pleasures"... Hence this link up with Classic & Glam Blog!

Right now, my simple pleasure is my prayer journal. It's just a simple 5x7 hard backed journal with lined pages, but it calms me. When I'm overwhelmed or frustrated, or when I see a special need, I turn to God. He is always there. And my journal helps me focus on what I need or what I'm thankful for. And, it let's me go back and see the many, many, many prayers that God has answered.

So there you have it. My Simple Pleasure for the week. Leave me a message about your simple pleasure, then go link up!!



Love you all,

Rulissa

Perfection

Throughout the years, I've always searched for perfection. In everything.

The perfect grades. The perfect job. The perfect husband. The perfect shoes. The perfect house. The perfect hair. The perfect meal. The perfect kids. Being the perfect wife, mother, friend. You get it...

Let me tell you something. Perfection is tiring.... And unattainable.

I burn dinner. I yell at my kids. I don't give my husband the respect he deserves. I forget to return calls (sorry, AJ- I love you, girl!) The perfect house gets messy. The perfect shoes pinch my toes. And I live in Oklahoma (Tornado Alley) so perfect hair is a pipe dream!

The thing is, I have beaten myself up too many times for not attaining perfection. Guilt is a horrible thing - especially unwarranted, self-inflicted guilt. Why do I do it? My amazing hubby thinks I'm perfect in every way ( have I mentioned he's a keeper?). My kids think I'm perfect, even when I yell. (In fact, Princess even told me "You're the bestest Mom even though you're mean to me.)

I have learned am learning to let go of my expectations for myself and focus on God's expectations for me. When I fail (as I do often), the devil comes in and tells me I'll never be good enough. But, God thinks I'm good enough. He promises He will be with me wherever He sends me- whether that's the kitchen or the Congo. I need to TRUST that promise! Rely on His strength.

I guess what I'm saying is that I should stop looking for perfection- I've already found it... I am made perfect in Him. Because Jesus died for me, I am covered with HIS perfection.

When my hair doesn't live up to my expectations, I tell myself...
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." Psalm 139:14.

When my house isn't the biggest or newest, I tell myself... "...for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11.

When I find myself yelling at my kids AGAIN and thinking I will never change, I remind myself... His mercies "...are new every morning:great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23.

I know I'm not perfect, but I do the best I can. And I know that God's not finished with me yet... "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Philippians 1:6.

So if you're like me, and beat yourself up when things aren't perfect, just remember that you aren't alone. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again- and it's OK to ask for help... "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally..." James 1:5.

Let me know if you are struggling, too. I would be happy to share your burdens and pray for you.

Love you all,

Rulissa

Thankful Thursday

A blogger I follow is experiencing some new & unexpected health problems. She has a constant ringing in her ears caused by some nerve damage that will most likely be permanent. This got me thinking of things that I take for granted on a daily basis. So, I'm linking up with There's Just One Mommy today to share with you some things I'm thankful for... (not a complete list and in no particular order!)

1. I'm thankful for the faith we have that allows me to stay home with our monkeys.

2. I'm thankful for my new pillow that supports my neck and head just right!

3. I'm thankful for my bible so I can delve deeper into God's will for my life.

4. I'm thankful for the ice cold coke my amazing hubby bought me on his way home from work last night.

5. I'm thankful for my friend who took the time to help me sort out monkey boy's school issues. Thanks, Anna!! You're a peach!

Now, there are tons more things (spiritual & temporal) that I am thankful for, so I think I will continue this series for awhile!!!

Feel free to leave me a note- what are you thankful for?

Love you all,

Rulissa

The Waiting Game

Waiting is hard! Especially in today's fast paced, gotta have it now world!!

Patience has never been my strong suit. (Just ask my family!) But, these days, it seems like my patience is being tested more and more...

We are trying to sell our house. Have I mentioned that? In fact, we've been trying for awhile. We thought it would go fast...it didn't.

We prayed - a lot - and felt God leading us in a certain direction. And that's where the patience thing comes in. When you are positive that you are in God's will, but you still can't see anything changing. I guess that's faith...

David was chosen to be King of Israel, but didn't take the throne for another 15 years! Talk about patience!!!

The thing is... God's timing is perfect, but His timing is not my timing!! He sees the BIG picture and I only see my little corner.

So, in the end, my only choice is to continue being patient (even if it's not easy for me!) and continue having faith that God has a perfect plan for us -I just can't see it yet!

Love you all!

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Encourage

And the word of the week is...

This weekend Tween Monkey played basketball, just like he does almost every Saturday this time of year.  And his team won by a really big margin (44-2).  But this post isn't about his team.  It's about the team they played.  I think this other team has won maybe one game all season. They are coached by a teenager - maybe college-aged.  You would think that these kids would be disgusted or disheartened by now, but they always come to play and always play their best.  And this weekend I figured out why.

I was asked to keep score, so I was down on the court with the coaches.  And I noticed something about this other coach.  He NEVER said anything negative.  I mean nothing,  Not even things that sound like compliments, but are really not like, "Nice block, but you should have..."  Everything he said was an encouragement to his team, even when they were down by 40 with no time left - he was still encouraging them.  I truly believe this is the key to his team's attitude week in and week out.  And that got me thinking...

What about my words???  Do they build up or tear down???

When I speak to my kids, am I letting them know how much I love them or am I telling them I think they are idiots?  Now, let's be clear...I would never call my kids idiots, but sometimes my tone says it loud and clear. Do I treat them with respect?  Do I encourage them in their dreams?  I would like to say that I do, but I know that sometimes, my words tear down instead of build up.  I'm going to work on that this week...will you join me in thinking before you speak?  Let's all be a little more encouraging today.

Love you all,

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Love

And the word of the week is...

No surprise there, right?  I mean, this is the week of Valentine's and heart shaped everything!  But what does love really mean to you?

There's a pretty popular book that discusses the different ways people give and receive love.  It's quite interesting and I've learned some things about myself and those around me.  I've learned that Words are the way I give love.  I enjoy sitting and talking - sometimes about nothing, with those I love.  I super enjoy it when they talk to me.  And send me a card - I'll probably keep it for a long time.  But my hubby - he's not that talkative sometimes and buying cards are really not his thing (although he has gotten really good at it - you should read the card I got today!).  He's an Actions kind of guy.  I've learned that when he takes my car to the store and comes back with it sparkly clean, he is really telling me "I love you" and when he does laundry, he's really saying "You are special."  But it was something I had to learn.

How do you show love?  If you receive love in a different way than you show it, do you recognize it for what it is or do you wish it was something different?

God loves all of us and He made us all different.  That is one thing that i find so amazing about our Creator.  He KNOWS I need the words, so He gave me the greatest love letter ever written, the Bible.  He KNOWS the hubby is an actions guy, so he told him how to spread His love by caring for those in need.  Little, behind the scenes things that rarely get noticed - those are the things my hubby does to show he cares for those around him.

Do you need quality time?  God is waiting to spend it with you.  Do you rejoice in receiving gifts?  Look around you  - God has left you presents everywhere you turn... the beautiful butterflies, the gorgeous rainbows, even the sparkling, snow covered pastures...they are a gift, from Him to you!

Mark 12:30-31 ~ "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."


Happy Valentine's Day - Love you all!!!

Rulissa

A Slave for Chocolate

There is a song on Christian radio by Matthew West called "My Own Little World".  This is how it starts...

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I've never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket shoes on my feet
In my own little world
Population me

and this is how it ends...

What if there's a bigger picture
what if I'm missing out
What if there's a greater purpose
I could be living right now
outside my own little world
Start to break my heart for what breaks Yours
give me open hands and open doors
put Your light in my eyes and let me see
that my own little world is not about me

Did you notice the line..."start to break my heart for what breaks Yours..."?  Remember that line...

I LOOOOOOOVE chocolate.  (Especially milk chocolate, even though I know the dark is better for me!)

You can ask anyone - I can eat my weight in chocolate...but then I'd weigh twice as much so I don't actually do that.  And Valentine's day is right around the corner so all the stores' shelves are full of chocolate.

I recently read a blog post here that broke my heart and then did some research on my own.  Every website I visited left me more and more broken.

Did you know that most of the world's chocolate is grown along the Ivory Coast in Africa?  Did you know that many of those cocoa plantations use slave labor?  And, worse than that... what can be worse, you ask?  

Child slave labor.    

The CNN Freedom Project just completed a series called "Chocolate's Child Slaves."  It was eye-opening and heart breaking.  Did you know that the world's biggest chocolate producers have known about this issue for over a decade?  They signed Harkin Engel protocol that promised to end the practice...but they haven't done anything to actually end it.  This latest spotlight on the issue did prompt Hershey to pledge $10 million to improve West African cocoa farming and fight child labor, but what about everyone else?  And what can we do?  I do know that I will never look at a box of Milk Duds the same.

The above picture is of a "Divine" candy bar.  It is certified "Fair Trade."  This is one way I can make sure my family is taking a stand.  It is harder to find and is about 2x as expensive.  The above bar cost me $1.50 at an all natural food store.  But in my eyes, it is worth it.

The Freedom Project told a story of a 10 year old boy who had been working in the cocoa fields for 3 years.  He doesn't know where his parents are, he doesn't have a warm bed to sleep in, he doesn't have a change of clothes and he has never even tasted chocolate.  I see my 7-year-old's face on that little boy.  I can't go back to the way it was...I can't unlearn this information.

So, before you go shopping for Valentine's Day, think about that chocolate.  Will you unlearn what you know now, or will you make a change for good?

Love you all,

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Hope

And the word of the week is...

Psalm 71:5 ~ "For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou are my trust from my youth."

Hebrews 11:1 ~ "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jeremiah 29:11 ~ "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Hope is a very important thing to have.  Have you ever been around someone who doesn't have any hope?  They are hope-less?  It can really drag down your spirit.  

I feel like the last 6 months have really done a number on my hope.  (Still trying to sell the house, remember?)  I tell myself to have faith and then something comes along to knock it down.  Someone calls to find out when they can see the house, then never makes an appointment to see it.  Hopes get up, then dashed to the ground again.

I KNOW God has a plan, a great plan for our family. I just have to have hope.  That's when I turn to His word.  It gives me the hope that no one else can give.  Not my husband, not our new Realtor, only Him.  Because I know the Bible to be true, I can put my hope in what it says and in Him.

Romans 15:4 ~ "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

Isaiah 40:31 ~ "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Romans 5:3-5 ~ "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hears by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

If you are feeling hope-less, let me encourage you to turn to God.  He will give you the hope you desire.

Love you all,

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Grace

And the word of the week is...

Grace is a disposition of kindness and compassion.  It is the free and unmerited favor of another.  Unmerited...  That means you can't earn it.  It is a gift.

I watched the movie "The Grace Card" this week.  I cried.  People do such horrible things to one another.  And we have a choice.  We can let it eat at us and become bitter or we can forgive...

"I promise to pray for you everyday, ask your forgiveness, grant you the same, 

and be your friend always."             

  ~The Grace Card

James 4:6 ~ "...God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

Ephesians 4:7 ~ "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

Is there someone in your life that needs grace?  Is it you?

Love you all,

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Teach

And the Word of the Week is...

Titus 2:3-4 ~ "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,"

I have come to realize that we are always teaching...

• We are teaching our children how to handle frustration when we gripe about the "Sunday driver" in our way.  
• We are teaching our spouses about priorities when we pay more attention to the TV instead of what they are saying.  
• But when we take a meal to a sick friend, we are teaching them about love.  
• When we pray as a family, we are teaching them about faith. 

We are teaching the world about Christians every time we walk out the door - the question is...What are we teaching them?

We teach by example, whether we want to or not.  So be careful what you are teaching those around you.

John 13:15 ~ "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."

1 Timothy 4:12 ~ "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

1 Peter 2:21 ~ "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps;"

Happy teaching!  Love you all,

Rulissa

Word of the Week - Joy

And the Word of the Week is...

"Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance."          ~Acts 2:28

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."                  ~Galatians 5:22

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."          ~James 1:2-3

I pray that JOY finds you this week!

Love you all,

Rulissa

Conversations with My Daughter

Daughters are wonderful things.  They can be anything...Daddy's Little Girl, Momma's Helper, Spoiled Little Sister, Princess...

I am going to have recurring posts on daughters.  Well, at least my daughter!  Things I want her to know, things I want to teach her as she gets older.  I'm sure some of the things I think I know now will change as she grows, but some things are set in stone.  I am thinking them now and I want to remember to tell her later... so, I'm writing them down.  I hope you don't mind following me in this process!

You are a one-in-a-million girl.  You are special.  Don't let anyone treat you like you aren't.  You are "fearfully and wonderfully made."  (Psalm 139:14)  Hold yourself to a higher standard...you are, after all, a daughter of the King. (John 1:12).

I love you, Monkey Princess!  I can't wait to watch you grow to become the woman God has planned for you to be (Ephesians 2:10)


Love you all!

Rulissa

Resolutions...

Here it is, the end of 2011.  This is the time of year when everyone starts talking about making resolutions...things they want to do or do differently or do better in the new year.

Let me ask you something.  Do you make resolutions?  The most common resolutions are lose weight, exercise more, eat better, watch less TV, spend more time with family. And how long do you keep them?  Have you ever lasted more than a couple of months?  A few people make it all the way into February, but most don't even last 2 weeks.  

I think the reason we don't keep these resolutions is we try to do it on our own.  By our own power.  With our own strength.  Have you prayed about them?  Are you trusting God to get you through the tough times?

Before you make any resolutions this year, I'd like to ask you to pray for guidance.  Ask for God to reveal his purpose for your life.  Then go after that!  I guarantee if you surrender to His will for you, you will succeed!

Psalm 37:4 "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." 


And if the going gets tough remember this...

2 Corinthians 12:9  "...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..."


Only when you surrender everything in your life to God and His perfect plans, will you find happiness...not when you lose weight or eat better or start exercising or even when you spend more time with your family.  He has great plans for you...Are you ready?

Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Love you all and Happy New Year!

Rulissa

Welcome, Sammy...

Do you elf on the shelf?

This is our first year to have Sammy (that's what my adorable husband named him) and we are having soooo much fun with him!  He is the first thing the monkeys look for when they wake up.  They have found him in all sorts of fun, unusual or just regular places, waiting to see what the kids will be up to today.  

If you don't know about the elf on the shelf, he is Santa's little helper.  He keeps track of what the kids are up to and reports back to Santa every night.  The monkeys aren't allowed to play with him (he might lose his magic) but they can talk to him and have him pass on messages to Santa.  

Here are some of the places we've found him...

In the basket of pinecones...

on top of the TV...

Hanging from the top of the "little" tree...

On the shelf (where he's supposed to be!)...

Riding the reindeer...

Drinking Mom's last Coke (naughty elf!)...

hiding in the plants...

Watching "Elf"...

"Helping" color our Christmas placemats...

I don't have a picture of our favorite escapade...he was head down in Monkey Princesses stocking at Grammy's house!  We think we was putting something in there, but she thinks he was trying to take something so she "wrote" a note to Santa telling on him!  It was priceless!!!!

I'm sure we'll have a couple of interesting things happen before the big day and Sammy has to go back to the North Pole, so I'll keep you posted!

Just one more thing... I wanted to let you know that, Yes, my kids believe in Santa (until they are old enough to figure it out for themselves) and even then, they still believe, because around here, when you stop believing in Santa, you get socks.  We don't celebrate this holiday as the birth of Jesus.  We do not own a nativity set.  I know to many Christians this is the reason for the season, but we feel Christ is the reason for every season and it is much more important to remember His death than the arbitrary day the Pope picked to recognize His birth.  No, I don't look down on or criticize you if you choose to think of Jesus this time of year - I think it's great!  Romans 10:5 states "One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike.  Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."  We see this a a fun time to get together as a family, eat too much, and give.    

I hope you and yours have a special holiday and make wonderful memories for years to come.

Love you all,

Rulissa

Momma Doubts

Ethan, aka Monkey Boy

OK - So let me know if this is just me...

Everything is going along just fine.  Hubby is happy, house is clean, clothes are folded (and put away), dinner has been cooked, eaten and cleaned up...  then you look in the backpack.  Your child has told you that he doesn't have homework (and you believed him).  All is well.  You sigh that sigh of contentment that comes with a job well done.

Fast forward to the next afternoon...  You pick up said child at school and find out that your child hasn't been doing his homework.  Strike that - hasn't been doing any work.  At all.  WHAT?!  How long has this been happening??  Apparently for a while because his desk is crammed full of papers he should have been doing but wasn't.  Can I just say it wasn't one of my finer Mommy Moments.  I was ANGRY!!!!  I mean I raised him better than this!!  So...I took a breath and loaded up all the work to take home and go through. 

Hmmm...how is it that he has straight A's, but isn't doing all this work?  I'm confused. 

And on top of that, I watch him get upset with himself because he knows how disappointed I am.  And then the guilt came.  You know that Mommy guilt...The kind that makes you want to cry when you think about how your child is hurting.  That guilt. 

Then Satan speaks up.  He tells me I'm not a good enough mother.  He points out all the other mothers I know who don't yell or spank and their kids are perfect (now, I know they aren't perfect, but this is the devil talking after all!).  He points out all the times I lose my patience and tells me all the ways I am failing as a mother.  This is where, in the past, I would have curled up and cried.  But not now!  Now I know what to do!!  Want to know?  I pray!  Sounds easy, right?  It is!!!

Monkey Boy and I sat down and talked about responsibility, then we prayed that we would remember that everything we do should be done for the glory of God (Colossians 3:17).  I also prayed that Ethan would do better in school and I would have more understanding when instructing him.

Now - the doubts still come but I know how to make them go away.  I AM good enough!  After all... I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 3:17).  If you have Momma Doubts like me...might I suggest the following book, A Confident Heart, by Renee Swope.  It is fantastic!

 

Love you all!!
Rulissa