She Stole My Necklace

One thing I hate in parenting is having to discipline my children. I. Hate. It. I would rather be having fun with my children. BUT I am their mother and God is calling me to be a godly mother that will think and pray heavenward about all my parenting choices. Discipline is a good thing when done in prayer and in love.  The Holy Spirit is always willing to help me parent my children.  I've learned that in every situation I have to discipline, there is a beautiful opportunity to show God's love and point my children toward his grace.  

This morning was my four year olds Thanksgiving presentation at her school. Of course we all had to get ready a little more than usual. so there was a very Chirst like sense of chaos and urgency in our home. I like to be sacrasctic, can't you tell? I was frantically looking for my necklace I had left on my vanity and I could not find it. I called Maddy into my room and asked her if she had seen it and she said she hadn't. We have had such a history with her breaking my jewelry, her and I, that I did not believe her for a moment.  I told her to please tell me the truth and she did. She took the necklace and now can't find it anywhere. I serious to goodness was so dissapointed. I was mad and I wanted to just yell at her. This will be about the fifth thing she's either broken or misplced. I have had problems with my anger and all I kept thinking was, "In your anger, do not sin". I cooled down and told her I needed a moment to think and pray. That I was upset at her choice. We got in the car and she wanted to talk to me and I told her I couldn't. 

As we drove to school I could feel her shame. I could feel the way she felt. So ashamed and sad at the bad choice she had made. To have failed once again. As I had some quiet to pray and think I felt the Holy Spirit remind me of how many times my father in Heaven has forgiven me. And how many more times he'll have to. How he's never said to me. "I am too mad to talk to you right now."  I knew my little girl would probably have a terrible day and a horrible time on the stage trying to sing if I didn't talk to her and remind her of my love for her and God's love for her. This is what I said to her before we got out of the car to drop her off. 

"Honey I know that you feel badly for taking mommy's necklace. I am very disapointed in the choice that you made. And there will be a consequece for your choice when we get home. However, I want to talk to you about Jesus and his grace right now. I am like you. Just a little older... (I know, I know but she doesn't have to know how old I am just yet) I too make bad choices and if I come with a sincere heart toward Jesus and ask for his forgiveness, he will graciously give it to me. And his love for me will never end. And neither will his love for you EVER end and neither will mine. I need you to know that there are consequinces for all th choices that you make. You are loved and you will be forgiven. I can only hope that next time when you are tempted to take another necklace you will pick the better choice. You are a great kid and I love you and this doesn't take away from the other good choices you have made. I want you to go to shcool and to go on stage knowing you are loved." 

She was so happy and no longer had that shame on her beatifulul little face. Once we got home she paid the consequence I had for her.  She came to me and said. "Mommy after my 'consquequence' can I come say I'm sorry to you?" with little tears in her eyes. I said, "Of course you can." It gives me joy to think that at four she already has such a beaitful heart. 

I asked God to help me not to make her feel afraid to tell me the truth, I asked God to help me point her to Him, and I asked him to help me figure out a discipline that was lasting and not just momentarly effective. I also asked God to help me convey to this precious four year old that she is WAY more important than a necklace to me and that making good choices is better  because it makes our hearts full of peace and joy. I asked God to help me love her even when I didn't feel loving toward her because I was mad. I do feel like he answered my prayer. 

I pray for you and your parenting too. If you're having a hard time my heart goes out to you.I KNOW it's not easy. But all is possible with God almighty! So cling on to his hand for he is one mightly and powerful God! 

-Stay blessed and stay saucy

Libier 

And They Said I Couldn't Garden

I have a black thumb.  There, I said it. I think I bring my family disgrace by such wretched and awful gardening skills. I was tempted to take a picture of the recent flower that died on me for you guys to fully understand the way that I am capable of killing plants. But I spared your eyeballs. You. Are. Welcome. 

We have a flower box that I begged my husband for below our window that faces the street. I envisioned red beautiful flowers thriving in all their glory. I asked for the budget to purchase those flowers and my husband said I better buy them some place that can return them in case they died. He knows me all too well. I told him to give me a year and if I killed them I would just buy fake ones and never bother with buying any living organism ever again.  He came in one day from the yard and tells me "honey your plant out back... [I looked at him as he caught my attention] .."IT'S thriving!" If you couldn't tell by the capitalized AND italicized word, he was smiling with sarcasm. Just as that plant had died a terrible death, so did my red geraniums in my planter box.  Mind you, I asked for plants that you couldn't kill. Oh these are resilient they said, you won't kill these, they said...  They hadn't even made it half the year and they all looked dead and so sad. SO I returned them and got fake ones. I did however manage to not fully kill two little bundles. So I thought I would plant them in my "once thriving with plants that I also killed round spot" for the longest time nothing was happening. All I saw were green leaves. That's a good sing though. Anything not brown in plants is good right? So I left them. Doug kept threatening me to rip them out, to replace them with a tree but I kept asking him to give them a chance. 

A few weeks ago as I pulled in my driveway a bright red color caught my eye! MY FLOWERS BLOOMED! My four year old got so excited with me she tells her dad, "Daddy mommy's garden is so beautiful". Ahhhhh bless the hearts of little children. So we named the flower FAITH. I am happy to report that because God has sent in some rain (because I have forgotten to water the thing) FAITH the geranium, has multiple buds of flowers and she is beautiful. Not only has she endured all sorts of adversity (ANY plant that can withstand my black thumb is a resilient survivor. ) But she in comparison to my FAKE plants now residing on my window box- looks stunning. Those fake plants do not hold a candle to her TRUE colors and spirit. Even though she doesn't look perfect, even though some of her leaves have holes in them, EVEN though some of her flowers are a little dried out, her beauty so radiates from the inside and has truth and life ringing through her that all of the other "perfect" looking flowers are left in the background and all I want to look at every time I pull in, is her. I know she didn't do it on her own. God has helped her and strengthened her. If he has done that for her what more can he do for us? 

Now something else that blessed my heart so much here is that the other day I went up to look at FAITH the geranium and to my surprise the plant that I for sure thought was dead next to her is now full of little buds that will flower in a few days. FAITH inspired her friend to bloom for herself! What an image. I hope to God that you are following my crazy mind here. When we abide in God and we allow him to help us have fruit, we inspire those around us to trust him to do the same for them. I hope that if you're feeling today that you are that flower on it's last days hanging by a thread, you've been beat up, you've endured your own version of my black thumb. I pray and hope that you hang on. That you ask God for his help and that you abide in his word and watch to see if he doesn't grow some amazing flowers in your heart.  He is willing and he is able! Bloom on lover muffins! 

Here's a picture of my FAITH and the fakies. Look for yourself, which flower would you rather be? 

Stay blessed and stay saucy! 

-Libier

The Bright Orange Cones

There is a HUGE project  by my house for restructuring a massive street that has freeways connecting on a highly trafficked street in my home town. It has been annoying and awesome watching these Cal transit peeps work on it for the last year or so. At first, it didn't seem like they were getting much done. Then came all the demolition and reworking the streets, Lots of noise with all the digging up through concrete and such. Lanes had to be blocked off, sometimes some lanes were not even open. It has definitely been an adventure leaving and coming home for some time now. I never know which lanes will be open. I can't just be on auto pilot, you know. Which by the way one time I totally drove all the way to my HIGH SCHOOL after a couple of years of graduating, so yeah,you can very much be on auto pilot. It seems like they have to be more in the completion stages of the thing and I have grown used to the way things are now, until today!

They are working on this little loopty-woo (yep that's a word) that takes you from the big scary street to the small residential street and it loops around. Well I was on auto pilot, praying, mind you and all of the sudden all I see are these bright orange cones starting to line up a very different lane than I'm used to. I got a little nervy and grasped at the wheel a little tighter and asked God to help me not panic. I made it through just fine but was a little startled (not much compared to the way I would've been like before. I used to have terrible driving anxiety. This time my palms didn't even sweat!). It was funny that I was just praying that God would lead me in my life. I was asking him to not  let me "drive far off from Him" at that moment. And with that image I had an epiphany that HE WILL AND IS guiding me. He has been since before I knew Him and even more so now that I am asking for his help.

Just as the construction project in my neighborhood, it's taking a little time for God to do the work that he needs to do. But if you could see my heart you could see a huge construction site. Some parts still look without shape, a little ugly if you will. Some have more structure. Some things God has had to demo and tear down. However, now my detours don't seem scary. Every 'WILD' turn I allow my heavenly father to take me on I can feel him holding my hand ever so tightly. When I need redirecting he will put some bright orange cones to lead me into the right direction. I pray that you will believe God for his word is true. Psalm 119:105 He said that he will be "a lamp to my feet And a light to my path". I want to believe him. I hope you do too!

Stay blessed and stay saucy!

Is The Perfect Man Out There?!

Yes ladies... and gents, the perfect man is out there, but he is taken! I am married to him and thank goodness for that! haha JUST KIDDING (honey NO offence)!

I watched the movie The Vow last night, coupled with watching The Bachelor this season (I know! Don't judge me, I already do)! And the romance of it all got me thinking about the skewed perception of our culture about marriage, love and what a relationship "should" be like, or for that matter, what a man should be like.

I am married to the most perfect man for ME so that I can grow as a person. He, in no way, shape or form is "THE PERFECT MAN". "THE PRINCE CHARMING". "THE ONE AND ONLY WHO CAN FULFILL ALL MY NEEDS AND FANTASIES". Okay you get the point. I will say though, I am very, very much in love with my husband and I find him irresistible (most times) and I am so happy that I get to share all of my adventures with him. However, he is the man that God put in my 'ever-after' so that I would become a better person. NOT so that I would be happily ever after. My husband is the person who is going to rub me in all the wrong ways and bring out all the nasty little annoying habits of mine. He is also going to bring out the most beautiful things about me as well. Doug is the person that helps God shape me into the person I need to be!

Love isn't some fairy tale, or some romantic movie. Love is a choice that we have to make every day to keep that fire alive and to allow our partner in crime to help us be better NOT just happy. It is not realistic to be happy all the time.  It is so much responsibility for "the other half" to have to make us happy ALL of the time. Or fulfill us in ways that are really outside their realm. As much as I am saying my hubby isn't perfect, neither am I. I will repeat that statement, NEITHER am I! I bring out the best in my husband and I can certainly bring out the worst in him as well. A choice of love has to be made daily, in order to help each other out in life, because times will get rough. The vaavaavoom will exit the stage so to speak. The butterflies will go home and you are left with a choice to continue on with a relationship that is going to feel like it has fizzled out-but that is only the beginning of a much more fulfilling and intimate relationship with your mate!

No man is the perfect man. No woman is the perfect woman. If you have this notion, you're going to be left disappointed time and time again, jumping from relationship to relationship trying to find your prince charming... OR woman charming (this is the best I could come up with at this time! I know! lame...)

Find someone you share the most non-negotiable core values with and give it a go. Find the beauty in not placing so much responsibility onto a human being. Find the beauty in the vow of marriage. Find the beauty in the faults of your loved one. Cut them some slack. AND turn inward and see where YOU can become better. Strive to change yourself into a better person so that they will never regret choosing you  for their adventures in life.

Stay blessed and stay saucy!

-Libier