The Morse Family

Beyond Me

Beyond Me

Friday, January 13, 2012

spit up

yes, i am very aware of the spit up coming out of my ryan j's mouth in the picture above...that is why i posted it to my blog :)

a fun grocery list format..you just fill in the boxes..and this is the order that i walk through walmart on my grocery trip.


Non-Grocery Items/pharmacy/household






















Produce




Cans and Boxes
























Frozen foods




Crackers/Cookies/Coffees/Gum/Choc Syrup/Beer


Dairy






















Special events/meals/foods:


Eggs/Butter


Meats










Other grocery stores:

Thursday, January 12, 2012

testifying that a little order can go a long way

ok, so monday..let's just say that I wouldn't have gotten mom of the year...

Jackson still does room time (even though he doesn't sleep) and on monday room time ended poorly..I was mad at jackson for being bored and coming out every 30 seconds to ask me a question..i was mad at jack for not coming home the second he said he would be home...but most of all, i was mad at myself for getting NOTHING done during a 3 and a half hour room time. well, besides reading blogs and reading status updates..waste.of.time.

so, since Monday was a low point of my week, Jack asked a question that prompted me (the Holy Spirit) to make some changes. His question really didn't relate to the action plan..but it got me thinking..

his question: "do you think Jackson needs to go to some sort of structured program?"

my thoughts: no..surely jackson doesn't need to go to school..he will be in school his whole life..this is my time with him..but he is acting bored at home..for goodness sakes..i am a school teacher..surely i can figure out how to take the boredom out of his day and make him more stimulated...i think i need to shorten his room time..wait, i can't do that..i don't have enough time as it is..well you would have enough time if you didn't get on facebook at the beginning of the room time..well let's make a schedule for what I will do during room time and stick to it..

now notice how the Spirit used a question from my wise hubby to get me to a place of repentance..ie..turning from my sin (laziness)...

revised plan:
first i have been taking ryan j upstairs and putting him down, then i spend about 30 minutes with Jackson doing a craft (painting is what he has chosen the past few days)..then i read him a story and send him upstairs..I decided room time should be no more than 2 hours..so tues-thurs i have timed it...also decided to start my quiet time with a devotional time for 30 minutes then a workout with jillian time for 30 min..the other hour is flexible and most importantly, it is second.

this.has.been.revolutionary.

the time with jackson has been so rich for us..the time away from jackson has been so rich for me with the Lord and with my body and with our home...

the truth of the bible stands.
1cor 14:40 Everything must be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Eccl 8:5-6 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

alive

i am alive over here..living life..

i have noticed a trend of having stuff to say..going to my blog reader...reading blogs for an hour...getting tired...no longer having anything to say.

needless to say, this doesn't help my blog posting aspirations.

i desire to blog more, work out every day, eat more fruits and veggies, and read more of my bible..oh and drink more water.

but until then, upstairs..i have a 3 year old banging on the walls...and an 8 month old whimpering to get breakfast, a dad on his way to see me from Florida, a mother-in-law on her way to deliver a new desk to my house..

and, most importantly, a Heavenly Father who is at work in the midst of all of this and loves me fiercely, unconditionally, and forever.

Monday, November 14, 2011

a kitchen sink and truth

on a little piece of paper, these words are written above the sink. many days, when i wash dishes, i read this truth.

q:what do you believe when you say, "i believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth"?

a:that the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. i trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. he is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.
(heidelberg catechism, question 26)

i will choose to believe this and tomorrow, i will choose to believe this again.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

joy

enjoyed lunch at a friend's house today..kids in the back yard playing in the wet sand box...while me and my friend gave thanks for the blessings of life and lamented about how we so often miss out on the reality of the abundance of grace that is ours in Christ...

i told her about something that happened to me today while i was in the car..jackson saw my face in the rear-view mirror and said, "mommy, why is your face like that?" me: like what? j: like this (makes a mad face) me: what do you want me to look like? like this? (i smiled)

smiling felt weird...out of place...that disturbed me.

reading for my women's bible study in acts something struck me..acts 7:  54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

when my son isn't obeying, when my bible study doesn't seem to be changing me, when i don't seem to be having any real impact in this world...when i can't remember back to a conversation that i didn't pick apart and feel guilt about..my prayer is that my verse 55 will be "But Heather, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

my prayer is that the Lord will give me joy..a smile in the rear-view mirror.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

idol

went to the uga game this past saturday..at first i just thought i picked the wrong outfit...and maybe I did.  it was a maternity jean skirt, a red striped shirt under a black maternity shirt..the skirt is a little long for my liking..the maternity shirt is...well, a maternity shirt..then I had on my most comfy tennis shoes because we were going to be walking miles and miles up and down hills to get from our free parking spot 40 miles from the stadium..hey, we saved 30 bucks.  anyways, i digress.

so all day i felt...like a tightly rolled sausage..but my clothes weren't tight..i was hot..and i just felt really unusually uncomfortable in my own skin...that is really the only way i know to explain the feeling. and it lasted ALL DAY LONG..couldn't stop thinking about the awkwardness..obsessing about the tennis shoes, obsessing about the skirt length, looking in every store window downtown so i could see my reflection in hopes that i would catch a glimpse of myself and suddenly be ok with the reflection looking back at me, i wasn't, wanting to grow wings and fly home really quick and change..what was i thinking when i picked this outfit..why did i choose tennis shoes..

are you getting the picture?

on my way to the bathroom during the game..thinking about how dorky i looked and how ugly i felt..it hit me. God hit me upside the head with his gentle whisper.  It sounded something like this:
"heather, you are beautiful, perfectly made to do the job I have for you today. your problem is not your shoes, but your heart. repent. turn away from thinking only of yourself and how you look..you are here on this earth to bring me glory. how can you do that if you are always downgrading the woman i have created...how can you think about others, if all of your brain time is taken up thinking about your image, this life is not about you, your tennis shoes, your too long skirt, your maternity skirt, your reflection in the shop window, your discomfort with your body...this life is about Me and My kingdom. spreading the Gospel so people can know Me, be loved by Me, spend an eternity with Me. "

I don't need a comment telling me how beautiful i am, how you don't understand why i would ever think badly about myself..the truth is, as my friend Jenna so eloquently put it, "even if you are skinny and beautiful..the only reason you aren't obsessing is because you are proud of yourself and your look.." another sin.

my prayer is that the Lord would change my heart from a heart that worships itself..
"if only i had a different outfit on i would feel better today..i wouldn't think about me as much.." <---that is a LIE!  a lie that keeps me from living the life that God desires for me.
...to a heart that worships its creator.