Revised : Not an Angel but a Daughter of the King

This morning Lydia went to be with the Lord........a precious little girl full of love for God and others.  A dear daughter, sister and friend. Her life was full of COLOR and Beauty and she shared it with all of us.

I am thankful that we were able to see her and know her here on earth and that oneday I will see her in our Heavenly home.

Today we celebrate the life she lived and will continue to live with our Savior.


Love you Lydia !!!!

The Martinez Family

Who am I???

 With the name of blog I have I thought it was a good evaluation for my morning devotions..

Who am I ?

Super mom 1. Does or Abiding Woman 1. IS ( Psalm 46:10) 

Do I want to control it all or do I stop and realize that God is Sovereign and is in His hands?

As I think of the selling of the house, Andrew leaving in December and my unknown future I realize that I worry lots and get anxious of the unknown. I am a planner and like to know what is ahead and yet when the unexpected happens I am reminded that I am not in control. 

Prayer: Father forgive me for I am a doer and I don't want to be....I want to Abide in YOU and let go of the what ifs and the unknown future. You are in control and I give it to you this morning, selling of the house , Andrew returning to NJ and the many things I don't know. May the next couple of months be about resting on you and not on my understanding....AMEN

2. Super Mom Tries to Impress others or Abiding Woman 2. Pleases the Lord?

I long to please the Lord in all things and not others who will fail me. I want to be about living for God and not this world. Prayer: May my eyes stay fixed on you and not this world.

3. Super Mom controlled by agenda or Abiding woman 3. controlled by the Holy Spirit?

Agenda at times gets in the way of me doing Gods will because I am more concern of making sure things get done. This is an area I have been working on not because I planned it but because God in love has brought to me situations not planned and yet for me to get involved in. Prayer: Help me know when my agenda is yours and when to stop and allow you to be in control of my time and day.

4.Super Mom accomplishments or abiding women 4 Gods workmanship? So many times we get so caught up on what we do and not what the Lord wants us to do with us...for a long time I measured myself by my accomplishments...career, zip code , make of car , clothes and things but the Lord has stripped all of these from my life and taught me that it is in HIM and only HIM. I stay home with my children and live frugally and yet know that the blessings come from above and not me. I wait on him to show me the path.  Father: the road has been a painful one and at times one I have not wanted to walk and yet I see your hands all over it and thank you that today I long to live for you and not me!

5. Super mom perfect house or Abiding Women 5. Peace in God? I do like an orderly home and in the past that was my goal and without it I was a mess. But again with God bringing into my life 4 kids and many more in the way I have learned that perfect isn't all that important. Peace in God is definitely what I seek because storms and trials come in and out of my life and trust in God is the key to peace. 

6.Super mom discouraged by failure or Abiding Women 6.Gods strength is made perfect in weakness? I again have learned that I will always fail and that when I am weak God is strong...over time I have seen it and know this is TRUE!

7. Super mom PERFECT or Abiding Women 7.Grace over all? There was a time in my life that I longed to be perfect to fit in and be loved by the so called Christians...I wanted to prove that I was good and able but God exposed me and allowed me to see the prideful hearts.....I have stand alone for many years but  I have learned that GRACE is the Key to LOVE and that PERFECTION is of God! I have learned to extend grace and that it starts at home. 

8. Super mom teaches kids to be GOOD or Abiding Women 8. Teaches her children to be Godly? Again for many years I wanted Good kids and ones that many would love and yet with time I have learned that this does go away and that only God can make them into his image. I have learn to teach them to LOVE and Walk in God and not for others. That it is about GOD and not how they look in the eyes of man.

9. Supermom lack of spiritual fruit or Abiding women abide in Him...soak in the word , meditate and carry it with me so that my fruit can blossom and impact all those around me.

10. Super Mom does things with kids or Abiding women talks about the Lord and his things?

I am not good at doing things with my kids but I do tend to talk about God all the time and I pray that I would never stop and always teach them of HIS truths.

11. Super Mom perspective on things she sees or Abiding Women on things above? The Lord has allowed us to meet people that are going to see him in a young age and by allowing us to be under the teaching of man who focus on the things above our GOD.

12.Super mom busy or abiding women excellency? I love to focus on one thing at a time and do it well so my prayer is that it is do to my walk with God and not my pride.

This morning was a good time in the word as I was reminded of what the Lord wants of me and not what I should be doing!!! 

Father: Thank you for your love and grace. There are many areas that I need to work on and today I pray over them all. May my life be one that directs all to the cross and away from me! I long to be a light to those around me!

Bless my day and all I do,

Amen

My New workout journey

Years ago I discovered how to get fit in a healthy way. It consists of eating every 3 hours and about 6 meals a day. Lifting weights and short cardio sessions. 

It has been awhile since I have hit the weights and kept a clean diet. I have really noticed how my energy levels have dropped do to it. I like the feeling of strength and energy after working out. I love the healthy meals that fuel my body and allow me to run a house of 7. 

So my plan is to start up my workouts and start eating healthy foods. I will blog my weekly menu and weekly workouts. I will share how my body and energy changes due to keeping this on my schedule.

It is about dedication which at times might look like obsession. It is about Focus and not self centerness. It is about living a full life and taking care of the temple God has given me. I just saw a young mother die due to obesity and bad health. I would consider that selfish for not taking care of herself and leaving son behind.

My challenges will consist of 4 weeks of FULL FOCUS. I will eliminate sugar and process foods and add lots of whole foods to my diet. I will fill my body with lots of water and flush out all the toxic. 

My plan is to do many challenges to keep me on my toes and help me stay consistent.

Challenge 1 : 4 weeks of eating clean and working out ...NO CHEATS NO EXCUSES HARDCORE!

Start: October 17 Ends: November 12 Prize: Movie ticket / Starbucks and new shoes

Challenge 2: 4 weeks of eating clean and working out...No Cheats No Excuses

Start: November 14 Ends: Dec 9 Prize: New outfit for Christmas

Cook a clean eats Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy time with my best-friend. I will make time for me even  if I have a busy schedule......OBSESSED is my Key mission!

Challenge 3: 4 weeks of eating clean and working out ...No Cheats No excuses

Start: Dec 12 Ends Jan 7th Price: Massage for after the Holidays and end of 12 weeks!!

I will blog daily and keep up with my food journal.

I will drink lots of water and stay focus on my Obsession. ( ME)

I will have a house full of clean foods and planned meals.

I will exercise if I am bored and stressed.

Ready to get my health back!

Birthday Celebrations for Oct

First week of October and we have been busy celebrating some birthdays!

Andrew spends his first birthday in NC.....turns 14!

Edith baked a Red Velvet cake for Andrew

Andrew with the boys and our neighbor

Then today Angel had a birthday and we had another family fun night!

To think this was my first baby!

Proud parents of a 16th year old

Grandma's first baby!

Having game night with the family.

So thankful for the blessings the Lord gives us!

God gives me enough for today...

Today we have a showing.....yesterday we had a lady drive by our house and she drove around for 20 minutes. Then last night we recieved a notification for a house showing today at 1:30! 

This is just enough for us to hold on hope of us selling the house sooner than later. We are just praying and hoping the buyer is close by.

Praying and waiting.....Trusting and believing in the possibilities!

Father,

Thank you for giving us hope and light as we seek you. This showing gives us hope and guides our path to where you want us to go.

Amen

Jessie

Waiting is a test of Faith....that can be hard to endure

We are selling our house, went up on the market on September 1st 2011. Our first week we had 3 showings our 2nd week we had 4 more but it has slowed down......waiting. In the meantime we have found a house we are praying over for our family. As we wait we pray for wisdom and the Lords direction in all of this. For God to show us his will and help us have discernment. There are times I want to give up as I am afraid of the wait and I tell myself its contentment with what I have when in fact it is FEAR! Why do I Fear am I not Gods child??? What is Fear??  These are the thoughts that consumes me and bring me to the Lord and his Word for comfort. 

Yesterday he brought my attention to this verse at church: 

Psalms 56:3

When I am afraid,

I will put my TRUST in YOU.

Trust that is the key to all of this....Trust in the one who is in control of it all. Why focus in the what if's? Why focus on time and possibilities?? 

Philippians 4:6&7

Be anxious for nothing,but in everything by PRAYER and SUPPLICATION with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of GOD, which surpasses all comprehension,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So Trust with Prayer, Supplication and Thanksgiving is the key to PEACE.

Father,

I pray over our house that if it is your will to sell this one and give us the new house it would get done. I only want your will so give us peace and comfort over this.

Thank you for your word that pours over me as a shield and protects me from evil. Lord my heart is to be in your will and live in a way that brings you glory. I don't want the cares of this world to weight me down but instead for them to direct people towards you. May you use our life to show all around us of who you are and how you are faithful in all things. 

Thank you for the house we do have and the way you have care for us daily. Thank you for my family and the man you have given me to provide for us. Thank you for allowing me to stay home and educate my children. Thank you for the life you have given me through your son Jesus Christ.

In Jesus name I pray all this Amen

Jessie

Meditation and Evaluation is a precious gift

Today is my first Saturday off that I will make it a day of meditation and evaluation. It has been a long summer with so much coming at us that I have not had a chance to do so.

Some of the kids (teens) are sleeping in so the house is quiet as I hear 2 little ones whisper in the kitchen. My cup of coffee taste so rich and warm this morning. Is it because there is no rush and my soul is at peace of life. When you follow the Lords lead life is not easy and yet the peace just surrounds your life and soul making life seems so perfect. 

Today will be a day that I will take note of what the Lord wants for our family. I am going to stop and read and pray and ask my Father for direction for all things. I think as a mother many don't understand how passionate we can be in all we do. I laugh to think that if people would see my list of dreams it has very little to do with things but relationships. I long to be a mother of Grace and Love. I want to hold my children and show them the Lord of Christ. I want them to feel loved and love others. I want to enjoy quality time with them reading, playing and sharing life. I want to love my husband and support his dreams like no one else. I want to make sure I am being the helpmate God intended for me to be.

So how do I begin to do this and tackle my list??? In the word....First comes my Father and time with him worshiping and learning from him. Time to reflect on the things that I have to give to him and have to confess. I have learned that he holds it all in his hands...TIME....our past and future. He holds our loved ones and who they will become and yet he allows me to be part of this gift. He holds me and how he will use me to complete this story. 

Then comes the time in executing Gods plan by allowing his thoughts to become my thoughts. This is when I pray over my list and ideas. When I start and let the Lord finish his work. I become his tool!

So what is on my list today?

Cleaning and organizing :

Kitchen, oven,microwave and counters..DONE!

Bathrooms for the week so that house is clean and ready for us to live in. Done!

Floors cleaned and shined so that our socks won't have to do the job ;-)  DONE!

Windows cleaned and furniture dusted.....  DONE!

Laundry washed,folded and put away (working on it) might take long due to washer acting up..Hmm

School shelves and supplies in order ...Done

School books organized and put away...Done

Planning for next week and grading.. Done and exhausted!

Finishing my day as a family night and tomorrow I will tackle the rest of my list!

Church time of worshiping and then some much needed rest.....

 Reading some material that will inspire me as a mother...Sally Clarkson

Come up with my mission as a stay at home mom and educator..

Jessie