friendships - the good, the bad, and the blessings

First of all, I want to say that you should go read

THIS POST.

My amazing friend Ashley wrote it and it is powerful.

And I am in agreement with her that if we all stopped to listen and learn and really KNOW each other, lives could be changed, friendships formed, opinions thrown aside.

And that if we are supposed to be in relationship, then we will be,

and if we aren't then we will be okay with that too.

But at least we will have approached each other with love from the get-go.

And we could be blessed and bless others.

We all don't have to be bff's.

I acknowledge that we are all created differently and that

we will all be in relationship with different people and different groups.

Thank the Lord for the ones He has picked for us each to be surrounded by.

I am thankful for those in my life whom I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has me in relationship with...even through hard stuff.

Sometimes that's where He shows up the most in fellowship.

And it's taken me a long time to realize this,

but I am also thankful for the friendships that did not stick around, for whatever reason.

Some due to life differences, locational distance, differing beliefs, and even false judgements.

I am thankful for those because it has grown me...

into the woman and friend I truly want to be, and it has taught me the kind of friends I want to surround myself with.

I used to try and "make things work" with certain girls,

or try and rekindle a friendship that was there in the past but has changed.

It was very hard on me to get past these changed relationships, but I have now come to realize,

that some friendships were for some seasons.

And that's ok.

I am by no means the best at being a friend.

Actually, I'm pretty terrible sometimes.

My best friend Nat would tell you that I'm HORRIBLE at calling or returning calls.

I've had to ask her forgiveness more than once...

and she always gives it to me without a thought.

(love you girl, so thankful for you.)

But I do strive to be better,

to go into relationships, new or old, with a sense of love and acceptance,

and an open heart to follow where the Lord might lead me in that friendship.

And I hope we can all try to do the same, putting aside our own insecurities or judgements and finding a place of peace in our friendships,

whether that means becoming best friends, or parting ways.

And I have to say here that I am thankful for the strong and genuine women

I am friends with through this blog.

And though I cannot begin to name all of these ladies that bless my life...

I hope that you will go "meet" them too, and be blessed by their hearts like I am.

Some I am just now getting to know but already love, and some I consider dear friends.

{I started writing out a little bit about each of these ladies, but Id be writing several posts if I did that bc I love them so much!}

so just go over there ---> to my sidebar,

and click on the links to each of those blogs.

You may just make a new friend.

Love yall.

prayer in the sickness

It is so difficult to explain to a child that she will feel better soon.

that her tummy hurts will go away, (we were praying they would)

that Mommy is so sad for her and wishes she could take it from her.

It's heartbreaking.

Abigail got really sick last week.

I had found some weird looking stuff in her diaper and took her in to the dr.

One of the concerns the Dr had was that it could be dried blood from internal bleeding,

but since I did not have a diaper with me, we would have to wait until the next day to test it.

Let me tell you, "internal bleeding" is not something you want

to hear as a possibility for your child.

{*Thankfully it was NOT blood,

but some crazy reaction to an antibiotic she was on.*}

Abigail was not herself AT ALL. Lethargic, laying around, not talking, etc.

And telling me "my tummy's hurting", and "my bottom's hurting"

with the saddest little voice.

*I want to pause and say something here...

I know several mamas who have children with serious conditions and illnesses,

and I want to say I admire you.

And that as I write about a tummy virus and not anything serious,

I am sensitive to the fact that, for you,

its not just something that goes away with time or medicine.

My heart hurts with you as you watch your children suffer.

I also want to acknowledge my own mom right now.

She dealt with LOTS of sickness and doctor's visits, etc raising me.

(I had severe IBS growing up, plus lots of other crazy sicknesses)

I just had NO idea the toll it can take on you as a mother to deal with a sick child,

especially when you are told it could be something serious.

I distinctly remember her telling me she wished she could take it away for me...

and now, as a mommy myself, I understand what that means.

Thanks Mom, for all you did for me, and for all the prayers.

(you deserve a medal for some of the things we went though with my health!)

Needless to say, as we had to wait until the next day to go in for testing,

it was a LONG night full of battling fear and emotion.

I tried to not let my mind go to the worst case scenarios.

Parker and I did our best to just pray against the fear,

and pray healing over Abigail.

During the waiting and praying, something hit me.

Something that I want Abigail to learn from me, from us as a family...

That she will hear her Mommy and Daddy pray for her and believe G0d for her.

That she would learn to pray against fear in her own little life,

that she would learn what it means to pray for healing.

And that she has a God she can talk to and trust with her biggest fears and hurts.

and you know what?

That night as I prayed for Abigail in bed,

she prayed with me and said with the sweetest yet most serious voice,

"God, heal tummy."

She had seen us, and heard us pray for her.

She had seen us trust God on her behalf.

And now she's learning to trust Him too, to call upon Him when she needs Him...

One of the best lessons she can ever learn.

love yall...have a great day.

and thanks to those who prayed with us.

linking up here:

feeling sorry for myself

3 of the 4 of us have been bitten by the flu bug...ugh.

thankfully tiny Bethany is still in the clear.

I thought I would miss it too, but woke up this morning with high fever

and can hardly move my body hurts so bad.

I'm also struggling to give myself some grace for having yet another unproductive TV-watching day as we all recoup. Im telling myself its ok,

that Abigail (hopefully) wont remember these sick days

that I couldn't play with her much.

I know, I know, Im feeling sorry for myself.

Thanks for listening.

This made me feel better though...hoping it will make you smile today too!

(Abigail thought her baby sister needed some beads)

Have a great Sunday,

and I pray that sickness stays far away from you and yours!

love yall.

Tator Tot Casserole!

I've been trying to find some more "kid-friendly" easy meals to make

to expand Abigail's tastebuds a little bit, and came across this yummy casserole!

(found in The Doula's Cookbook for New Moms by Lisa Jost)

what you need:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion (we use onion powder instead)

1 can cream of chicken soup (or you could use cream of mushroom)

1 bag (16 oz) of frozen mixed veggies

1 bag (32 oz) frozen Tator Tot potatoes

salt and pepper

preheat oven to 350.

Brown your beef, with the onion or onion powder.

I also add salt and pepper while browning.

Place the cooked beef into a 9x13 dish.

Pour the frozen veggies on top of the beef.

Pour the soup (I used cream of chicken) on top of the veggies and beef.

Top with Tator Tots and pop it in the oven!

Bake uncovered for about 1 hour until warm and the tots are a little browned!

ENJOY!!!

Have a great weekend!

Linking up here:

Art Show

Last night was Abigail's Art show at her Mother's Day Out!

She's been coming home the last week or so covered in paint, so I've been waiting anxiously to see her masterpieces!!

She was SO excited to show Daddy "My Art!"

and also proud to show her baby sister too! (how sweet is that?)

one of her precious teachers, Mrs. Allison

needless to say...I'm a PROUD mama.