{Me Thinks...}

What a crazy weekend, crazy weather, and crazy flooding
we drove up to the ranch thursday evening to see what things were looking like SO much water it was fun and M thought he was going to die if we drove through it we actually found something that scares him ;)

 I love this misty rainy picture of the cows says a lot...
the ranch is so pretty but overflowing with water like this usual trickle of a stream now looks like this

anyway....
the  kids  are stir crazy I think.. and me a little bit too..we got to town with all the kids on saturday did our civic duty and voted, did some shopping, and then came home got ready for a  bake off party which consisted of two hours of making these cute little cherry cheesecakes which just before we were to leave I thought I'll put them in the freezer until we go then they'll set up even better...... went to close the lid and they SLID off the plate into the freezer and landed in a disgusting, unsalvagable, mutilated pile in the corner of the freezer all my hard work and nothing to bring!!!!
I could've cried its kind of in line with how my week has been though but disappointing to say the least the party was fun though so it all turned out just fine! Plus you should have seen the masterpieces there and mine probably equaled the equivalent of a kindergartner trying to compete with chefs!!! So its all good!
Sunday well sunday is another story....

 Me Thinks

so here goes

 Yesterday night after a hard day {yes fathers day} after going to two grandma's houses, some of my wonderful kids and some cousins made some really dumb choices resulting in broken windows on the barn..... 5 of them, {happy fathers day grandpa..}ahhhh... and a few other things that made me a little frustrated with the disobedience. Sometimes when cousins get together they do things they wouldn't normally I remember the same thing growing up, but as a parent its sometimes embarrassing and more than frustrating to find out what they did... big or little. "I was feeling kind of like what am a doing wrong" when I got home ....then I found this blog and seriously felt like it was written just for me it hit me right where I needed it

  It's titled "Feeling Overwhelmed?"
from the blog ask jane:

so I hope she doesn't care that I'm sharing it...

----------------------------------

"One of the things that makes motherhood so overwhelming is that it never stops. It keeps coming at us day and night. We wake up to the same routines, sometimes having had only a few hours of sleep. Often, we heap on that-- financial worries, an argument with a husband, feelings of isolation or troubles with extended family. We may find ourselves feeling not just overwhelmed but disillusioned with the choice we’ve made and, worse, disappointed with ourselves because we aren’t better at it.
These feelings, when you give in to them, are actually the greatest threat to your success. I repeat, it’s those feelings that are the greatest threat—much more than your actual circumstances. They halt you in your tracks. You want and need to be propelled forward! Here are my suggestions.
Do something about it. Don’t you love the scene in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers where Millie turns the pig pen of a cabin into a real home and revolutionizes the table manners and brings civility to the chaos? In much the same way, you can step back from your overwhelming situation and ask, “What is it that’s getting me down?” Is it the clutter, the disobedience, the lack of support, my appearance, the dirty kitchen floor? List everything that’s bothering you and then change things.  

You are creating a little world here. 

You can improve relationships, plan a weekly night out, organize a play group, clear out clutter, rearrange the bedrooms, put flowers on the table.
Somewhere along the line, I made the discovery that what I didn’t do actually overwhelmed me more than what I did. Walking by that weed-filled flower bed twice a day was so much more overwhelming than just going out there and weeding it. It took 20 minutes. It felt good. I felt better. It usually led to sweeping the sidewalk and washing the front door. If your overwhelmed feeling revolves around loneliness, find a walking partner--just 20 minutes in the evening does wonders, start a book club or have an honest discussion with your husband that lays out concretely what you need and what might help. "I need to go out with you every week." "I'd like some time to myself for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoons." I've learned that most husbands aren't good at guessing but they're willing to support us when we're clear about our needs.
Here are a couple of practical habits I adopted at some point, that changed everything for me.
*Do something toward dinner in the morning. Just decide what you’re having and thaw the chicken or start the salad. There is nothing worse than 4:00, tired kids, husband coming home and no plans for dinner. You’ll feel better all day if dinner is in the works.
*Whenever possible, Don’t wake up to yesterday. When the kids are finally in bed, do a quick pick up of the house, make sure the kitchen table is empty, and start the dishwasher. I know….you’re too tired for that. But just do it anyway. You’ll get your second wind and it will feel good to do something that will not be undone while you’re doing it. You’ll be able to start the day fresh. Maybe your husband will help you and you can watch a movie afterwards (while you fall asleep.)
*If at all possible, get up a half an hour before the kids do. Have a good prayer, make your bed, get dressed, start breakfast. Just plan that you'll rest in the afternoon but there's no substitute for productive mornings.......

One final and perhaps the most important thought is this: Never lose the vision of what you’re really doing. It’s big. There are no shortcuts to the family you want. It’s going to take all you’ve got. But the whole process is a good one and the whole outcome is amazing. Keep before you, the vision of what you want your home to be today and what you want the final outcome to be. Then keep reaching for it. As the days go by, you'll have more and more satisfying moments.  

Home really can be a heaven on earth. 

Pray aways and be believing. -Jane

Love this thinking...
Have a great week...

ITS A THREE POST DAY CHECK OUT THE OTHER POSTS...
oh and check this out