Unexpected Blessings

Big Daddy Strouse has been playing the drums for a few months now. He is doing a great job with it. He has not played the drums since he was in high school that is like 20 something years. I am very proud of how well he is doing. Like he has never stopped playing.

This past weekend I was blessed to be asked to sing with the praise band at church. It was totally unexpected.  What a blessing. I love to sing, I love to go and do karaoke. But have not done karaoke in about year. Life has been to crazy to go. I have plugged myself in at church through the audio visual area. Running the computer that shows the words to the songs and the notes from the pastor during the sermon. When last week they where short singers in the praise band. Big Daddy Strouse volunteered me. I am happy he did. I can not tell you how much I enjoyed it. Even with the nerves of singing in front of people I know. (Karaoke no one knows you. If you screw up who cares.) God took over those nerves and I was not singing to a congregation but to HIM. I can not say enough what a blessing it is to sing out to HIM.

I wish I could figure out how to put the recording of the service on my blog. Maybe one week I will be able to figure it out.

I wanted to share how God has blessed me in the past week.

Now if I could figure out what world history high school course we will use next year. I know the blessings will keep flowing in all areas of my life.

Lil Momma Strouse

Ladies Retreat 2014.

Recapping the Ladies Retreat! I have not been away to something like that in about 3 years. (My anxiety has kept me from being able to go to any of the big ladies retreats.)

This ladies retreat was just the ladies from our church. There where 19 in all.  We had a great facility to use at the Life Enrichment Center in Fruitland Park, FL.

Our theme was "Delight" 

"Your word is a lamp to my feet a light to my path. Psalm 119:105" 

Personalized welcome on the door to our room. 

View from our room the night we arrived. 

The room was beautifully decorated.

The tables had paper on them. Of course I had to doodle, doodle and doodle some more. I concentrate better when I am doodling.

I am amazed at all the lessons that can be found in Psalm 119 alone. It is the longest chapter in the bible  and each verse is packed full of love and wisdom. 

Some lessons we learned are 

Psalms 119:40, 31 --- Longing for God's Word.

Psalms 119: 11, 52 --- Memorize God's Word.

Psalms 119: 73,125 --- Learn God's Word.

Psalms 119:42, 89, 114  Trust God's Word.

Psalms 119:128,140,161 --- Respect God's Word.

Psalms 119: 97,159 --- Love God's Word.

Psalms 4, 33, 106 --- Obey, Keep God's Word.

So much more in Psalm 119, we did not even scratch the surface of all the wonderful lessons.

Our craft was this beautiful bookmark. 

Did I mention they have swings all over the place. I love big porch swings and of course I had to swing on the one that was hanging from the tree!

View from this beautiful swing.

One of the activities included writing something that was a "thorn" to us on a big rock. We then took our rocks and walked "Prayer Labyrinth" and prayed focusing on our "thorn" and used the cards below. 

Half way through we sat our own rock down and picked up another's rock and prayed for their "burden" focusing on the info on the cards below. 

Another activity that we did was a prayer circle. This was very humbling activity. In our small groups we each took a turn sitting in the center of the circle and each of the ladies in the group prayed words of affirmation over the one in the circle. Then the one in the circle stated something specific that needed prayer in their life and that was prayed on by the group. It was very humbling. Did I already say that? I can't get over how humbling it is to have others share the positive things they see in you and them thanking God for it and you. Again very humbling. 

We finished out the night with a warm fire pit and we went out on the dock and threw our own personal "thorns" in the lake. It was very liberating to do. 

Lil Momma Strouse

I want to Skip Christmas

As I sit here writing this blog, all I can think about is how much I want to skip Christmas.  I know that sounds awful.

Don't get me wrong I, love the Lord Jesus and want to celebrate his birthday, but it has been hard this year.

Everyone around me is wishing others Merry Christmas, baking goodies for their families, purchasing gifts and all I can think about is how this is the worst Christmas ever with the saddest heart.

I have really enjoyed our pastors series A Birth Like No Other.

Worship 12-15-13 Born of a Virgin 

Worship 12-22-13 Wise Men and Foolish King

But sitting in church each week of December has been harder and harder. I can hear my Daddies wonderful singing voice next to me. I have not made it through a service with out tears yet.  I know how sad I am and can only image how my mom feels. It breaks my heart to know she is in pain too.

This week our pastor made the comment multiple times that he hoped this Christmas would be our best Christmas. That simple statement just hit me in the heart hard. 

I have tried to do fun things with my kids over this holiday. Like putting up the Christmas tree,  peppermint play dough and walking the neighborhood to see Christmas lights, Even playing some painting games and word search games on the computer. 

I even went out and attempted to shop with Big Daddy. I just walked around more like a scared lump, in the crowds of people. But our kids are taken care of.  

I just miss my Daddy so much and each day I think of him in some way. My husband took me to the jewelry shop to pick out a charm for my pandora bracelet that would be a daddy charm.  I chose a bear.  When I was little my daddy used to take me to get sugar bear cookies. (chocolate bear shaped cookies with sugar on them) He would call me his Sugar Bear. Over the years the sugar dropped off and I was just plain Bear to him. I will always be my daddies Bear!

Praying for others who go through Christmas missing a loved one. That you find peace and are able to breath.  You know what I mean by breath. 

Merry Christmas, I love you Daddy!

Lil Momma Strouse

Crazy Last Couple Weekends!!

What has Biggun been up to? Well the past few weekends have been busy. He has had birthday weekends with a friend, state fair with a friend, then to round off the 3rd weekend he had winter retreat with the youth group of the church we have been going to.

I don't have any pictures from the birthday weekend, but he had a lot of fun helping his friend Lil D, celebrate being 13 years old.

The Florida State Fair was in his words "Awesome."  He went with his friend Camo Boy and his family.  They enter items into the fair every year and usually end up winning things. This year Camo Boy came in second place for his cookies. That is impressive! While they where there they went out and road some rides with Camo Boy and his big sister, Vet Tec Sis. She is like the big sister Biggun never had. She picks on Biggun like any big sister would do.  It is great for him to have someone like her in his life. He gets to experience the older sister time without having an older sister. Here is a perfect example of it.

Oh wait, here is the example of him getting treated like a little brother. 

Love that picture. It is so funny.

The third weekend was Winter Retreat with the Pipeline Youth Group.

He was on the "Green Team"

There where 4 teams, pink, green, blue and red. Their theme was...

 Philippians  1:20 (NLT) For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 

They ended up with a different slogan by the end of the retreat. The slogan at the end of the retreat was the above bible verse and the words 

"I am NOT ashamed"

They create banners and this was his groups banner.

Each group had to come up with a cheer. I have not seen the cheer but I have received pictures of it, Biggun danced with a bucket on his head and at the end took it off and yelled "I am NOT ashamed"

While they where there the whole Pipeline Youth Group did the Harlem Shack.

Biggun had so much fun and learned so much. I love his youth group. 

While Biggun was away working on his dance moves and all, the rest of us just hung out.  I have been reviewing elementary homeschool curriculum for the littles and high school curriculum for Biggun.  Trying to decide what we are going to do next year. 

Well that has been our crazy last couple weekends.

Lil Momma Strouse

Worship Notes

I saw this posted on pjsallday.com and I just had to share them w/ you.

made this really neat Worship Notes pdf.  It has everything you might need for your school age child to follow along in the any service.  I can see this being set out for kids to pick up on their way in to church like the bulletin parents pick up.

She is so nice to offer this pdf for FREE!!! 

How cool is that!

I feel like I am the only one....

who does not feel it very productive to deal w/ my young children during church.

Let me explain that statement.  I have a 2 year old BOY and a 4 year old girl.  NEITHER of which are good at sitting still.  I am all for teaching my children to sit in church when they are OLD enough and MATURE enough to understand what it entails. (Sitting still) But come on 2 and 4yrs.

I know there are people out there who have children of all ages that will sit in church but MINE are not one of those children.  I tried this a few months ago and I was told oh let them go, they will not disturb anyone they will be fine.  Well they ended up going in two different directions and both under the pews.  When I would go to get either of them they would be loud.  People would look at us like we were crazy.  Moose would not be quiet he likes to scream.  So not fun! If I have just Honey w/ me she would sit still better.  But when you put Moose in there w/ Honey she takes her cue off of him.

Here is why I feel alone.  No matter what I do I always get asked even from my own husband.  Why don't you just go to (night) church w/ them anyway.  If they are loud no big deal.

Side Note : Our pastor can preach through any noise or movement.  I am amazed sometimes that he can keep from loosing his train of thought when to many people end up moving around in the service.   But then he has a 5 year old so he is used to the noise/movement.  

Now my husband will only ask that after he has been to church and seen a few others w/ their children in church sitting like little angels.  (the youngest of the other children is 4years old not counting the new born, my Moose is the youngest)

If my children had been there you hear my sweet husband say NEVER again!  Not while they are young.

What is the point of my going to a church service if I am totally unable to listen to the service. I know you are going to say "This might not be the time I am to listen to the service but to teach them to sit in service"  And I totally agree w/ you BUT as I said in the beginning.  When they are OLD enough and MATURE enough, that is when it is worth doing that.

If I am dealing w/ my children in the pew w/ me or if I am trying to chase them out from under the pew w/o making a big scene. So that others do not get distracted from the service.

What is the point in my going? Really what is the point?