happy 1st birthday



i can't believe it has been a year since i started this blog.

it has been an exciting year.

i never knew i would meet such amazing, talented, god-loving people.

it has been such a blessing to share a piece of me with you, my readers and followers.

thank you joining me on this journey.

i look forward to an amazing year that God has in store.

i know God is working something great in my future

and he has great plans for the both of us.

if there is anything i have learned this past year it is summed up by this

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight

proverbs 3:5-6

wishing you an unfathomably awesome 2012!

what are you trusting God for this year?

christmas in pictures

we had a great christmas with family

the boys enjoyed opening their presents

we enjoyed watching them.

i hope that when they grow up they will remember these special times.

i enjoyed my family, peace, and  joy.

never forgetting that peace comes from God

and the greatest gift that he could ever give us,

the birth of his son Jesus.

wishing you the best from our family to yours!

today i am wanting

 1. a clean and organized house

2. a trip to Paris

3. a master bedroom make-over

4. a sign like this

and since i am at it, a house like hers



(if you haven't met edie, go visit her blog, her house is amazing, her story is awesome!)


not necessarily in that order.

i guess that is not bad, at least for today.

sometimes when i get caught up in what i want or what i don't have

i have to stop and then realize that i do have a lot and i begin to have a grateful heart

though i may not have a lot by other's standards

i am grateful for what i do have:

a great husband and family

financial stability in these times of uncertainty for many

the opportunity to work part time and pursue other interests

a home to clean, organize, and decorate

God is good!

now to get back to my number one item, a clean house!

Have a great weekend!

images via pinterest

it's official



so it is official!

hubby just got promoted and will be Principal this upcoming school year

this year {school year that is}is one of new beginnings for the both of us.

as i had shared in my previous post, this year i am job-sharing

that means part-time for me

which also translates to my salary being reduced to half.

before we decided that part time would be good for our family,

we really did not consider the cost

we took a leap of faith.

we new that the benefits would far out way

it had been something that i had been praying for

God gave me an opportunity

he heard my {and my friends, and sister's}prayers

he knows my heart

he gave me a gift

he took me out of a very bad situation

i was afraid but i knew deep inside that God would not forsake me

all i kept hearing as i considered my leap of faith was

"trust in me with all your heart,

 lean not on your own understanding,

be still and know that i am God"

i am glad i listened, trusted and followed

he has rewarded us

again i am in awe of greatness

photo from flicker

new beginnings

school started last week for the boys and i

here they are on their first day of school

this first grader is missing his front teeth, top and bottom!

can't believe how fast my boys are growing, he is now in third grade.

 

this year i decided to take a part time teaching assignment

{my choice, not because of budget cuts}

some would call me crazy to reduce my income by half

in these times of financial hardship and unemployment for many

this was my choice {of course with hubby's support and agreement}

today was my first official off day.

i am happy to take on my new role as a stay at home mom even if it is only part-time

this morning i gave my boys breakfast, got ready and dropped them off at school

i walked them to their class and for the first time ever

was able to stay and read to one{without feeling guilt that i should be working}

my boys are in school

some would ask why now?

the truth is your children will need you no matter what age they are

i get to pick them up at a decent hour

cook dinner without rushing

enjoy my weekend

i get to be a better mom

a more relaxed mom

a loving wife

there is not an amount of money that could make up for that

god is amazing and i am ever so grateful for this opportunity

i am in awe of his love and his faithfulness

And we know that in all things

God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose

Romans 8:28

God is calling me to take time and be mom
i am willfully obeying

 p.s .i just received great news for my family that i will share later

hope you are having a blessed week

feeling blessed

today i woke up happy!
sunday is church day, family day.

 this past week was a difficult one as my nanita passed away on tuesday night.

as you recall from this post, she had broken her hip and femur and never quite recovered from it.

it is amazing what the will to live can do.

it can cure and heal and prolong peoples lives.

nanita was 85, her heart and lungs were strong but she was tired.

i guess if i were bed ridden, couldn't move and do the things i loved to do

i might lose my will to live too.

watching a person you love wither and die is the most difficult thing one has to go through

last year i lost my nephew christopher to leukemia

this year my nanita

death is difficult, it sucks.

though i have experienced loss, i feel blessed to have had nanita as my grandmother
i am blessed to have an amazing husband and family

today i pray for all those who are watching over their loved ones who are sick

i pray they find comfort in God

i pray for miracles to be done and that their loved ones would be spared and healed.

as for me, i am off to bake some brownies and enjoy my family.

hope you had a great weekend!

butterflies

i have always had an affinity for butterflies.

when i taught second grade, it was my favorite unit to teach.

i also think there is something amazing about the butterfly

  it starts life as an egg, then a caterpillar

and as a caterpillar it must feed itself to grow,

get ready to morph

into a beautiful unique creature.


image from here

i feel like a caterpillar right now

feeding my soul, learning about myself, taking a leap of faith.

getting ready to morph into something uniquely created by God.

I must be honest with you
 i am a little scared but i know through God that i am not alone on this journey.

God is with me and he does not abandon us.

He calls us to live the life that he has purposed for us.

"For I know the plans

I have for you"

declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you

and not to harm you,

plans to give you

hope and a future"

jeremiah 29:11

 

doesn't this pillow look comfy?


aren't these butterflies beautiful? i found them here

Hope you have a great weekend!

shopping...it's a complicated thing

hello..hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

i believe that this Easter was the most meaningful one for me in a very long time.

lots has happened since last Easter 2010.

to put it in perspective..my nephew christopher who had down's syndrome also developed leukemia and past away last year, march 30th. he died right before Easter.

 {i was going to dedicate a blog post solely to him and perhaps in the near future i will...but right now i can't} 

this year my church embarked on a program to regenerate.

 it is kinda like lent where you give something up during the 40 days before Easter. I grew up catholic so this resonated with me. Everyday we had a bible passage from psalms to read, then we would pray and reflect.

I decided to give up shopping..i tried that on for a bit and realized that i needed to set limits and boundaries for myself...because it was so hard..i feel ridiculous admitting it because it makes me feel very materialistic..how hard can it be to stop shopping right? for me it was {i am ashamed to admit}

so i decided that i was not going to buy anything personal like items of clothing or jewelry or shoes or purses all of which i love....i'd love to say that i was able to accomplish it but i succumbed one day while i was out to lunch with a friend and she needed to go to Target...i as a good friend accompanied her...and as we were walking in the store I realized

 "how does a girl who is trying not to shop end up at Target..looking at the clothes!"

easier said than done...and so i walked out with a dress..a cute summer dress...

and i discovered that for me it meant shopping trips to Target were going to be exclusively for essentials!

a few times i strolled through the clothes aisles and made myself walk away, the next couple of visits i didn't even stop. I had decided that it was more important for me to follow through with my promise than to buy an article of clothing.

 i learned a lot about myself and now that my forty days have passed

i thought i would have this need to go shopping and buy myself something.  Yesterday I took a trip to TJ Maxx, one of my favorite stores, and bought a few things that we needed like a mirror for the boys restroom {so they can actually see themselves while they brush their teeth}, a new pizza cutter {my very old one broke}, a new pair of oven mitts, and a small cross for display in my kitchen.

 I would say the cross was the one thing i bought for myself that i did not need.

 I had a blouse in my cart that i eventually put back...i couldn't do it, not yet at least.

the gardener's cottage has been one of the reason's why i decided to take on this challenge.

 she has a segment on stopping shopping which really got me to thinking of my own ways.

am i filling a need with shopping?

does that dress or pair of shoes make me feel better?

as for now, i will look at my closet and start to clean it out, simplify.

 i am even thinking about taking this challenge:

1. No shopping for non-essentials for one season

2. No new clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelery

3. Nothing new for the house (knickknacks, kitchen tools, accessories, etc.)

4. No new beauty items

5. Purchasing gifts for others will be allowed

before i start i will need to clean out my closet and inventory what i already have.

i feel that God is speaking to me and asking me to look at what matters...

nanita

this past week flew by. last weekend my two sisters and I drove down to Tijuana, Mexico to visit our nanita in the hospital. she fell and what we thought was a broken hip thankfully turned out to be a broken femur,{still not good but better}. she was in good spirits. we hung out, talked and i asked her about her childhood. she told us stories about where she grew-up. we talked about food. my nanita was a great cook {she really can't cook anymore but she loves to help}. my sisters and i share her love of cooking. as a child i would enjoy watching and helping her cook. she would start early in the morning chopping and prepping for that evenings dinner. i loved how she was just so calm chopping and cooking and took her time. as a working mom who is always rushing to get dinner on the table at a decent time i wish i had the time to just focus on cooking and my home.

so being in a hospital in Mexico got me to thinking how lucky we really are. i was overcome by an immense feeling of gratefulness, that God has blessed us, thankful that my mom and dad out of a difficult circumstance moved to the US and that we were given an opportunity to have a better future.

 though we did not grow up with much, we were very fortunate.

some are never given that opportunity, some have to endure much, much more hardship and pain.

sometimes i wonder why should i be so lucky

and then realize that it is by the GRACE of God that i have what i have.

not because i am more deserving or that i have worked harder than others

it is by his love and GRACE,

how amazing that we are so loved,

how amazing ....

Restoration, Life & Purpose

January is the month when many make resolutions to change or improve. I feel God has been doing this in my life slowly. I am his work in progress.

Hebrews 12:1

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with preserverance the race marked out for us.

This was what I so needed to hear today. You see, I am teacher by career. A few years back, I even thought I wanted to take on a position as a school principal. Now I realize that this is not the path I wish to take. My heart is at home with my family....this year I am going to follow my dream and make it possible.