I know...I know...

...when one starts a series, one must finish it.  I've been a horrible blogger, I know.  I don't think you realize just how much this little series has done a number on me!  I started it to encourage my friends to encourage their husbands and what happened next?  Hard stuff thrown at me.  I realize how silly it may sound now that I type this out.  But, I want to be real.  I've been struggling and part of it is my dang B12!  All of you should hit your knees now and pray your B12 never leaves your body.  And, when one is not feeling well, it's hard to be encouraging to anyone.  That sounds SO bad!  To add to it, remember I already had Part 1 written?  I did.  Then, decided it needed an Intro.  Then, deleted Part 1 because I wanted to change what it said. (See?  Doing a number on me.)  I changed Part 1 so that it is now about Surrendering.  Then, I was sitting in church yesterday and heard something SO profound that I knew I had changed it to the right thing and I knew it was all for the best that I hadn't published it.  So, all that to say, Part 1 coming soon!  So excited about it.

What have we been up to besides wanting to sleep all the time because I have no B12!  Well, I've been getting B12 shots once a week.  I've been trying to hold down the fort while JT worked on a project at his parent's house.  You'll be so impressed!  Just look what he did....

He also put in a door, but for some reason I can't get those pics to upload to Blogger.  :(  He did such a wonderful job on their little big garage project. 

JT has also been busy making frames and I know I say it every time, but these are my new faves!  I love the gray color (she picked this color out, therefore it's considered custom) and I love the way the trim almost touches the edges of the frame...

In the midst of it all, I some how managed to take the kids swimming...

And it's HOOOOOOT down here in the south.

And, remember when I told y'all about my new project, In A Nap's Time {designs}?  Well, wouldn't you know that as soon as I started that little venture and designing my little heart out every day during nap time, Taz dropped his afternoon nap and I no longer have a "nap time" to "work".  Ironic?  Yes.  Funny?  No.  Thankfully, I have a very supportive husband who has been willing to let me go to Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A (or any other WiFi venue) to get some work done.  It's been nice.  Oh, and I think I'm going to just stick with cdm designs for the name for a couple of reasons.  1. the obvious...the whole nap time issue.  2. I wanted it to be uniform with my photography business which is cdm photography.  3. John Taylor made fun of the name.  Ha!

I got this crazy idea....except that most of you won't think it's crazy as much as you will think it makes much more sense than what I had before.  It all boils down to the fact that I have TOO MANY BLOGS to keep up with.  Seriously....I have this blog, the KWW blog, my photography blog, my family blog and now I have cdm designs blog.  Way.Too.Many.  It's just gives me a panic attack.  I'm working on a way to get them all in one place --- HERE at Constant in Chaos.  It's going to be so much better and I will be sure to let you know when all the changes take place!  So excited about this.  No new look for the blog though.  Will still look the same, thank goodness.  Just some new stuff added!

So, been working on that lately.  And, if that wasn't enough....I've been finishing up my 2011 Christmas Card and Birth Announcement line of cards I'm going to offer!  I'm even more excited about introducing you to those.  Lots of great things coming!

Before I go, I have some even bigger news to share with you!  John Taylor has been presented with a job opprotunity!  I can't share many details because....well... we don't know many yet.  But, hopefully soon we'll know if it's going to be good and can share with you!  Please be praying for John Taylor as he thinks about this being a good direction for him to take in his career and for our family.  I know this has to be so hard for him to go through.  Thank y'all so much!  We really appreciate it!

I'm worn out and think I need another B12 shot after that post!  Thanks for being so patient with me.  I promise it will be worth it.  ;)

Thank You, Inventors

This week, I'd like to thank the inventors of....

Coppertone Water Babies suntan lotion

Have you ever noticed how tan babies get and how even their tans are?  I can never find a sunscreen I like and decided to use my children's.  I will never use anything else again.  It gives the best coverage, best protection and I've never gotten a better, more even tan!

Yes, it's come to this --- I'm blogging about baby toilet seats!  I bought one of these thinking I'd start introducing potty training to Liz.  She was thrilled about our new purchase and wanted to hold it the whole time in the cart.  Then, carried it around with her when we got home.  I said, "Here, let me show you what we do with that", and put it on the toilet.  Then, sat her on it.  Within 20 seconds, she had peed and starting clapping for herself!  "Yaaaaay!"

Apparently I've needed about 23.5 hours of sleep per day and I just can't seem to wake up!  Went to doctor.  Turns out, my B12 is very low.  He said the B vitamin is the first to go when you're under stress.  Hmmmm, makes sense!  I got a B12 shot and will get many more over the next couple of months.

My blog readers.  Y'all are so sweet and special to me.  Thanks for all the comments and emails.  Keep em coming!  I've met the greatest "friends" through blogging.  I love y'all!

Which brings me to....the Internet.  Why is it capitalized?  I guess it should be.  Think about it....none of us could live without it now!  And, it has allowed me to make some extra money for our family over the past week!

Starbucks, non fat Mochas with light whip cream!

I've needed a few with all the 'work' I've been doing and the low B12!  ;)

What are you thankful for this week?



Husband Series - Introduction

Once I finished the first post in our Encouraging Husbands series, I realized something.  I needed to back up a bit.  I can't talk about praying for your husband or asking God to bless his Spirit if someone has expressed needing help understanding what living a Spirit led life means.  Thus, the Introduction was born. 

"What if my husband is a 'Christian', but has no relationship with God?"

Bingo.


If we are to deepen our relationship with our husband, and encourage him, then we must deepen our relationship with God. 


"But what if I feel I'm on the right track with God and he's not?"

Well, let me tell you something I've learned about people's flaws.  Or, what I seem to think is their flaws.  Almost always when I judge John Taylor or see something in him that I wish would change, it's God getting my attention about something I need to change in myself.  I like to think of it as God's sense of humor.  ;)


I want you to finish reading this series with a desire to display a relationship with Christ in front of your husband that is so appealing to him, that HE wants what YOU have.  I promise, I've tired everything else and this encourages John Taylor the best, by far.


The first thing we must do in order to encourage our husbands to be like Christ is to be like Christ ourselves.  In order to do that, we must become Spiritually Mature.

"For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to Him should become like His son..."
Romans 8:29

"How do I become Spiritually Mature?"
Let's work on that together.  Here is what I have learned I can do to become Spiritually Mature:

"Take the time and the trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit."
1 Timothy 4:7

Like all things good, this will take time and the more like Christ we become, the more God can use us to encourage our husbands!  I could do a whole post on proper steps I've learned through a class to become spiritually fit, but I don't feel I'm equipped to do that yet because I don't always keep myself as spiritually fit as I should.  Ahem.  Why I'm doing this series...I need it more than you!  So, moving along....


The main point of this introduction is to explain what I feel needs to take place in ALL you and me before we can become better, more encouraging wives.  That is leading a Spirit Led Life.  Spirit Led meaning we are filled with the Spirit....the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was first revealed in the Bible in Acts.  Chapter 2 if you want to read it.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring you remembrance all that I said to you."
John 14:26

Leading a Spirit Led Life will help us in all kinds of ways.  It will convict us, guide us, comfort us, empower us in our relationships with our husbands because we are growing in our relationship with God. 


We are relational human beings.  God created us to be in relationships.  I feel like for so long I made my relationship with God complicated.  It didn't have to be that way.  News flash!  It's not about religion!  It's about a RELATIONSHIP with God.  If that is in order, everything else will seem to fall into place more.  We wouldn't dream of living with our husbands and never talking to them, right?  So, we can't expect to have a relationship with God without talking, asking, sharing with Him.  And, we can't have a sound, profound, encouraging, God-centered marriage without a relationship with God.


So, before we move on to Part 1 in the series, let's do the following steps together!  Let's receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.  In order to do this, we must tear down that wall.  Be willing to talk to Him and shares our fears and frustrations about our husbands that are keeping us from encouraging them.  We must also be willing to take on the conviction He sends our way and work on ourselves first.  We must also decide to ask God to show us though His word, dreams or visions what being a Godly wife is all about.  It may come by seeing someone you know display a loving, Godly attitude toward her husband.  We must also be willing to take it all and use it to encourage our husbands and better ourselves and our marriage!


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A prayer to end today's Introduction:
{I'm going to write this prayer for myself to say this week, but you can change it up with your own names, etc.}
Dear Heavenly Father,
Send Your Spirit to live in us and fill us with Your Love, Joy, Peace, Faith, Patience, Gentleness, Kindness, Self-Control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Impress all the Spirits --- The Spirit of the Lord, the Fear of the Lord, Counsel, Might, Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding --- upon me and my husband (Isaiah 11:2).  Open our eyes so we may see in ourselves what is hindering us from having the best relationships possible.  Open our ears to hear Your voice.  Give us a helper that may be with us forever (John 14:16).  Give us a strong desire to walk with You, talk with You and spend time in Your Word so that we may become spiritually fit (1 Tim 4:7) and grow in our relationship with You.  Convict us, comfort us, empower us.  Pour Your Spirit on all of us so that we may be guided by the Spirit of Truth.  When we do these things and You speak to us, we are thankful.  When we grow in our relationships with You and others, we are thankful.
In His name, Amen.

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Since we're starting this series, I thought it would be good for me to make Galatians 5:22 my memory verse for the week:


Galatians 5:22-23
^"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." [NIV]


^"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." [KJV]


^"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." [ESV]


{I wish I had a fancy comment system so we could discuss this, but if you want to, just email me and I'll work in into another post!  Thanks!}

Weekend At Parent's

I had every intention of starting Series 1 on Monday.  But, I caught strep from my kids (not fun), I got invited to a friend's baby shower in Mississippi, and JT got invited to tour a business with my mom in Mississippi.  So, I called the doctor, got some meds, got better, packed up and left!  I'm so glad I started feeling better.  I was so excited when I got the text from my friend, Missy, there was going to be a little girl's night out in honor of our friend Sarah and her baby Abigail (to be born on June 30th) that my stomach was turning and it was like Christmas Eve!

I can't believe I only took ONE picture the whole time I was out with the girls.  We were just too busy catching up and laughing.

These were the "Princess" cupcakes that every guest enjoyed!  Sarah's daughter has named the new baby "Princess", so it was very fitting.  :)  I met some new friends there and I can't wait to stalk their FB pages and email them.  He he.....  I totally said that because they are probably reading my blog for the first time tonight.

Time with family was short, great and.....HUMID!  I know Alabama is only one state away, but land sakes it was hot and humid.  I swear the humidity is 90% worse there than it is here.  That is why JT's hair is a little frazzled.

But, not as frazzled as my nephew's....

Isn't that so sweet....he's pointing to an airplane....but there's not one...but he so badly wants there to be one. ;)

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but here are a couple more.

Blowing bubbles with the kids....

Me and sis.....she just got a mini van.  She said she's totally a soccer mom now.

So, I decided that the Series Posts don't have to be on Mondays, right?  They can be on any day.  So, that's coming soon.  Working on it.  I want it to be gooooood and I want you to get a lot out of it.  And, I'm being too hard on myself.  It's my first "series".  Ha!  Can you tell?

Ok, gotta go to bed, but before I go I have two random things I want to share:

1) Have you ever experienced the new lighting in the grocery's freezer section?  Behind every glass door, it's dark.....UNTIL it's sensors sense you walking in front of it and the light inside comes on! It makes you feel so special.  I swear, I'm going to get a video of it next time I'm there.  Trying to come up with a way that I won't look like a crazy person.

2) We saw a fire truck this morning and this totally excited Taz.  My dad was driving and he pulled in a parking lot so he could get a good look.  Taz then informed us he wanted to see a crane.  So, of course my dad took him to a business where he knew there was one.  (rotten, I know) Then, he informed us that he wanted to see a hatchback....then a convertible....then a boat.  He's been paying attention when I'm reading his automobile book!

Blog Tour + 1st Series

I thought it would be a good time to do a little blog tour!

All of these tabs are on the blog, but wanted to give you a run down anyway.  :)

Find 'Our Story'  &  the story behind my blog's name HERE

Find lots of blogs I think are cool on my 'Inspiration' page HERE

Read scripture I've memorized this year HERE

Constant in Chaos has a Facebook Fan Page!  Please "like" me by clicking HERE

I love tweets!  Follow me HERE

If you want to write me an email, find my contact info HERE

There is also a list of popular posts, a search bar and a list of topics on the sidebar. 

You can subscribe to my feed by clicking HERE

And, if you want to "follow" my blog, you can find instructions on how to do so HERE

You can see a list of blogs I've been featured on and a list of bloggers I've featured by clicking HERE

Hope this helps and welcome!  Stick around for a while!

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Thanks for your input on yesterday's post.  I'm so glad that most of you wanted to start with the series on encouraging your husbands!  I'm sort-of in the midst of growing in that area, so I was wanting to do that series, too.  I appreciate y'all so much and look forward to getting to know you better during this series.  It makes me feel so good when I get an email about how you could relate to my post and/or you're struggling and something I wrote helped or spoke to you.  I hope this series is a constant source of encouragement for you!  I look forward to growing in this area and sharing it all with you.

Hope you all have a blessed weekend!  Strep is rearing it's ugly head here still....I'm hoping we're all better by Sunday.