Irwin Adventures!!: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Isn't She Lovely???!!!

Meet my beautiful and beloved friend...

We've walked through life's very high's and very low's together for about 12 years now. Is that for real Wren, 12 years (that would be A-bug's new dubbing of her name this weekend. It seems quite fitting as her oldest son named me Turtle a few years back. Aren't the baby-deemed names always the sweetest?)??? God has brought our sappy college-crazy lives outta the pit, and allowed us to walk hand-in-hand (whether in the flesh or via some form of technology) through our mountaintops and valleys with Him and each other. One of those always-there-just-in-the-nick-of-time, always pick up where you left off, and knows me deeply and yet loves me deeper still, kinda gals.

She makes really beautiful babes that giggle and smile much too (2 out of the 4 were in tow with her down here this weekend.)

More pics on the weekend later.
Man it's good to get some precious sister-friend time in...even when adding 3 kids into the mix, cuz that's just life now. It's like pressing the refresh button on my computer when life gets all frozen up and when the refresh is complete, all seems clear and right in the world again. And a little sweeter too. If you don't have one of these gals in your life, go get one!!!!

Thanks for making the time and sacrifices to come love on us Irwin gals, Wren! We LURVE you and your babies much. Thanks for being this kind of friend, that God blesses and honors, to me...

"A friend loves at all times, And a brother (SISTER) is born for adversity." -Prov. 17:17

"Ointment and perfume delight the heart,

And the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel." -Prov. 27:9

"As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." -Prov. 27:17

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

God is LOVE...

Praise Him Praise Him, All You Little Children
God is LOVE
God is LOVE

and the verses go on...
We listen to this song every morning (mostly she and daddy b/c morning time, is their time--mama would hate to get outta bed and interrupt THEIR time ;)) on the cd that A-bug's great-grandma Susie (GG) got her for Christmas. GG will be happy to know (if she ever gets to read this, thanks to Uncle Evert!!) that the little bug has already been extracting spiritual truth from this song in particular, as the other morning proved to be true.
A-bug is still learning many signs to go along with her spoken language and the one she often uses is "love" to reply to us when we tell her we love her. Point being, she knows the true meaning of the sign when she speaks it to us daily (well, on her own timetable at least.)
So the other morning, when daddy had to leave for work earlier than usual and mama had to drag her tired buns outta bed for wake-up routine, my heart was blessed more than I ever could have imagined it would have been in my stumbling half-awoken stupor.

Every time the chorus "God is Love" comes on, A-bug loves to do her "love" sign along with the singing. Only this time she put a new spin on it. When the chorus stopped, and their was a brief transition before the next verse came on, she put her hands down from her last "love" sign, and you could see her little wheels spinning. She quickly re-did her sign for "love" and this time looked at me and said "GOD!" (more like "Dod" in Anna-speak) with her sign, like she was ecstatic with herself for figuring this out!! As is my daily occurrence with her lately, I just sat dumbfounded, staring at her, as my mama eyes and heart welled up fully. Did she really know the depths of the truth she just spoke to her mama and over herself?! That Love is of God and God is Love???!!! The love truths spoken all throughout the book of First John?! Probably not. But it proved to me that He really can reveal spiritual things to the minds and hearts of these wee ones if we'll foster an environment of truth being spoken over them--He even has the power to do it, if we don't. Truth rings loudly in their hearts folks, whether they know and understand it fully, or not. She is living, breathing proof!! No wonder Jesus said, let the little ones come to Him. He truly has perfected praise out of the mouths of babes. Let's take time to listen more closely to their little mouths and hearts!! He speaks volumes out of them, if we do--even if it's in sign form.

(My desperate effort of proof, begging her to repeat her sign.

Why don't they ever perform on command?!)

My heart's prayer is that as every little and big girl needs to be reminded of daily, sometimes even moment-by-moment, she will KNOW that she knows that she knows this much is true, for the rest of her days on earth...that Love is GOD and God IS LOVE. And nothing can separate her from Him or the depths of His love for her personal little heart.

Monday, February 22, 2010

A Word for the Mamas...

Found this quote on a fellow blog-onian's post today and imagine that...it spoke to this mama of a young'in.

"Oh, Mothers of young children, I bow before you in reverence. Your work is most holy. You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls. The powers folded up in the little ones that you hushed to sleep in your bosoms last night, are powers that shall exist forever. You are preparing them for their immortal destiny and influence. Be faithful. Take up your sacred burden reverently. Be sure that your life is sweet and clean."
-JR Miller

Praying we'd find our strength for fashioning, hushing, preparing, faithfulness, sweetness and cleanness towards our wee ones by His grace alone.

Lovin' Me Some JJ Heller...

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0u6OwWT93k)

http://www.jjheller.com/home.asp

http://thelovelylittlethings.blogspot.com/

Thanks, A.K. for knowing who I'm gonna love well. ;)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

What’s the Hubb o’ mine been up to lately?!

Finishing up the back fence and gate (major bonus…keeping the deer scat outta the lil Bug’s rompin’ grounds and keeping her safely fenced in too!)

He’s reassuring me that there won’t be such a LAAAARGE gap under the fence forever (my ~~critical~~, I mean detail-oriented eye tends to always notice the gaps.) Just until he gets another plank up there to close it off and keep those varmints out.

Success with a CAPITAL “S”!!

And lots of this when Mr. Sunshine peeks out for even 5 minutes…

Tis good for this man’s soul.

And the fruit of one hard-working, sowing man’s labor has been springing forth! Hope for the new season is in the air!

Prepping my soon to be raised fruits and veggies garden…

Cleaning out my soon-to-be-brewing water fountain on the back porch…

Creating places of R&R for us to draw together to sit long and talk much…

And I couldn’t resist shouting from the rooftops about one of the chores he has taken on around the house! And NO, he’s not for sale or even for rent!! And neither is his lil Bug helper. ;)

Just posting this, makes my heart more deeply grateful for all God’s given me in my man.

Here’s to a fresh new season blooming forth of us, my Ahuv.

Your Ahuva loves you much.

“My beloved spoke, and said to me: "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!” –Song of Songs 2:10-13

P.S…Go boast about your men, ladies, it does wonders for a sense of contentment and gratitude when you forget and sit those on the shelf and choose complaining and grumbling instead!! And I’m pretty sure it does them a heap of good too! A wise friend o’ mine (thanks D.W.) spoke these words to my hearing heart this week and I decided to act on them.