Favorite Quote Friday

Once again from Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore, a study out of the book of James.

"You can live a lot longer with pain 

than with purposelessness."

I am a huge nerd when it comes to Greek and Hebrew. I think these languages are amazing and I can't get enough of them when it comes to the revelation they can add to the study of Scripture. Love it! Greek and Hebrew were pretty much the driving force behind my time spent at Bethel Seminary. Before I had a better understanding of the direction God was leading me, I signed up for the M.Div. program almost entirely b/c I wanted to study Greek and Hebrew. A little ridiculous, I know, but what can I say? 

Nerd.

I guess Tim is the cute one after all.

If you've been around the block more than a few times, you know that anguish and joy can co-exist. They can even trade places; over the course of time, or in a moment. 

Scripture is full of examples of this transformation of anguish into joy, of God making beauty from ashes. We don't call God redeemer for nothing. He redeems our anguish and transforms in to joy.

The thing that has been pressed into my heart like a hot iron these last few years is the miracle of God transforming pain into passion, nightmare into blessing. He can birth JOY from anguish! Blows my mind.

So let Him take your pain, whatever it may be, and turn it into a purpose. You will be blessed. I promise. 

Manic Make-over Monday!

It's been a while since we did a makeover on the Seed. I did figure out the trick to blogging on Mondays though.

Doing it on Sunday :)  Maybe you're thinking that Sunday should be a day of rest. I agree and I raise my glass and toast to "someday!"

Mondays tend to be our "reset" day around here and finding time to blog is completely useless. Typically the boys and I clean up the house, do some laundry, and figure out our meals for the week.

When I say the boys and I, I mean I.

So, this Sunday's Monday's makeover is my living room.

I do actually have a before shot, such as it is.

A little too boring and devoid of color for me. We like a lot of color when it comes to home decor. I don't like to wear a lot of color, but I do love a color-filled home. Hey, you only live once, right? So, when it came to deciding a color for our living room, adventure orange it was! We were able to get it all done in one day, mostly over naptime. I think we painted sometime last summer, but I don't actually remember. In fact, I may have already blogged about this....don't remember that either, ha!

Amazing what a fresh coat of paint and some curtains will do! I love how warm and cozy the room always feels. I read somewhere that orange is a happy and contented paint color. Probably not true, but I still like it!

Although quite a few items in the room have been repurposed and/or redone to coordinate, I'm not that organized to detail that for you here. I do love thrifting and decorating on the cheap. Nothing makes me happier than turning a bit of "trash" into a new treasure! Spray paint is an amazing invention and I am developing quite the stash.

Happy Monday!

Happy Anniversary, Babe.

Eight years ago today, I embarked.

I embarked on a journey of one to two. I was one, we were two, the two became one. 

It was a very, very chilly day in MN. But it was glorious. Every detail went off without a hitch, everyone looked beautiful and we had a ball. Two kids getting  married. Well, I was a kid, Tim was already into his thirties.

Two became one.

Our life together began. 

We were solid. 

Our life was unsettled.

We were focused, seeking.

Our life was chaotic, confusing.

We were hungry and passionate.

Our life was full of momentum.

Two became five!

We settled down a bit, yet still the stability seemed elusive.

A wild ride to be sure, this life together has been. Many ups and many downs. Many children! I swear to you, they seem to be multiplying...They are working together to overtake us! 

We are overwhelmed by God's goodness these 8 years together. We have walked side by side through heartache and loss, through twins and raising boys, selling a duplex, rejoicing in provision straight from the hand of God. Joy and sorrow. Life together.

I'm not usually so "mushy," I don't think it suits me, but today I feel it. I feel the surge of God is weaving an elaborate tapestry with our lives and I long to see the finished piece. Truly only He can weave our lives into something so majestic, something so beyond our ability to celebrate HIM. That's why we're here, to rejoice in Him. Some years are easier than others, aren't they? 

Pausing to look back and remember. The humble beginnings when we thought we knew so much. (haha)

Yet somehow, this life we're leading together feels like another's. Not our dreams, but His.

Joy and sorrow. Life together.

Eight years.

So happy I picked a good one. So happy God brought him into my life. Great husband, great father, great friend. Truly a great friend.

Happy anniversary, Babe. xoxo

2012 A Year in Review

2012

What a year.

It started off like any other year, with our anniversary!

7 years!

Tim and I celebrated 7 years of marital bliss in 2012. Since that fateful day in 2005, each and every moment of each and every day has been absolute perfection from start to finish.

If you believe that, I have a duplex I'd like to sell you....

In all seriousness, there have certainly been ups and downs. Marriage is work, but its also a lot of fun, especially with twins! Our marriage has never been one of our "mountains to climb," so to speak. Some seasons are harder than others, but I am so thankful for a completely drama-less relationship with my best friend. Any man who can love me with all my quirks is a keeper! Oh, and for that anniversary date (thanks for babysitting, Nana!) he took me dancing. Like I said, a keeper.

2012 brought us the twins 1st birthday, a milestone and reminder that somehow, we miraculously made it through the first year. Truly. Miraculous.

nomnomnom

The twins were a final birthday gift to my Dad, as they share a birthday, so that morning, Jackson and I sent balloons up to Papa in Heaven with little notes. And just like that, a sweet new (chilly) tradition was born.

The summer brought lots of fun in the backyard and at the park. It was still a little hard to wrangle all 3 somewhere public, but little by little, we are getting better at being a family of 5 with multiples  :)

Our favorite thing to do this summer was take long family bike rides. Or walks. Or runs. Pretty much just anything outside.

the cuteness is too much

Thanks to Nana once again, Tim and I were even able to get away for a weekend alone! We had to listen to a pitch for a time share, but we're pretty good at saying no when it comes to wasting our resources. 

Sadly, 2012 also brought with it the loss of a dear friend. My sweet friend Preethi went to be with Jesus in June leaving behind her husband and 3 precious boys. Still haven't been able to put words to blog.

We were able to do a few painting projects and even perfected our system so that we could get an entire room done during naptime. One room at a time, I tell myself, one room at a time and eventually, our home will be filled with color! At the rate we are going, by the time I get the whole house done, we'll need to start over again!

We were also blessed to be able to get a project done that expanded our kitchen a bit. Tiny expansion, huge difference. When you have a tiny kitchen, every inch matters! I still don't have very good pictures, so stay tuned.

In the Fall, I started watching a sweet little chub-monster a few days a week, giving my boys a glimpse of what it might be like should they have a sister at some point (very far) in the future. Having 4 under 4 is a handful, but we seem to be managing alright! And now, I only have 4 under 5, so it's way easier. haha

I am thankful for 2012, for its heartaches and challenges, joys and milestones. Challenges give us an opportunity to "count it all joy," and when we do, we experience true joy. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Well, it's January 1st, and the new year is here, with all it's hopes and dreams and resolutions.

We actually DID something last night to celebrate the new year! It's been a while. In truth, I can't even remember the last time we did something on New Years.

Four years ago, we had a newborn, fresh from the hospital. Three years ago.....probably nothing. Nothing I can remember. Two years ago, we had just moved into our new house that morning, so I'm sure we were just unpacking. Last year, we just hung out, watched a movie and were in bed by 10.

Apparently I have no memory of New Year's before having children.

Nope, nothing.

We are exciting people.

Last night we didn't have a sitter and didn't feel particularly inclined to tote all 3 littles with us somewhere, but we did find some friends willing to come to us. They even packed up 2 babies in the freezing cold to put them to bed at our house. Good friends.

We gave the kiddos a snack of leftover birthday cake and ice cream and put all 5 of them to bed.

Then we sat around chatting, drinking wine, eating some snacks. Fancy snacks like Giada's homemade cheesy popcorn and Reese's peanut butter cups.

Our friend was kind enough to oblige us and bring his guitar and so we spent some time singing Christmas carols and worhip songs and we prayed for the coming year. It blessed my soul like you cannot imagine. I can't think of a better way to prepare for 2013. It was cozy and comfortable and confirming.

Then...we stayed up until midnight playing Killer Bunnies!!!! This is epic. So was the game. I even won. Never happens. I repeat, we stayed up until midnight. I don't think we've done that by choice since having Jackson!

We bid our dear friends adeui and fell into an exhausted heap. I am still in that heap. But it was well worth it. Will likely pay the price tomorrow, but well worth it.

Happy New Year, may you be blessed!