Some good music

Friends, it's that time of year!!!!  I'm sure you're hard up for some terrific Christmas music.  In honor of that, I'm reposting this post.

So, I'm a Christmas lover.  I listen to Christmas music year round.  Really.  You can gag if you want, but how can you when those Christmas songs are so full of beautiful Christian doctrine and the miracle of His advent to Earth?  My soul swells with joy even now as I type.  (I'm serious.)  Being that I love the traditional Christmas songs, it stands to reason that I can't stand double and triple doses of santa songs and all the icky Santa Baby, Baby Its Cold Outside and other such nonsense.  Where to find a good station that plays what I like?  (And I know you're thinking why are you blogging about this now?  Just stay with me here.)  I found this station.  http://www.fln.org/one/  BLISS.  An excellent variety of Christian Christmas music!  And, the reason I'm blogging now, is because this station and I pretty much have a daily relationship now.  I love to set the mood when Daddy gets home from work or when Mommy needs to refocus.  I click to this station and VOILA!  When I'm more in the mood for something worshipful and calm, I click "Gentle Praise."  It's this gorgeous array of mostly instrumental praise and worship music, including some of my modern favorites like, "In Christ Alone!"  And, then, when I get into that Red-And-Green mood again, I click to "A Family Life Christmas" or "Peaceful Christmas."  What a blessing it has been!  Sometimes, we mommies just need a little help bring peace to the house again.  Why not try it yourself?

Give Storynory a Try

Hey friends!

I'm sure you're busy with your Thanksgiving prep.  I wanted to share a little tip with you.  It's a good one for a cozy Black Friday evening, complete with hot cider and storynory.com!

Have you heard of Storynory.com?  A friend of mine shared this wonderful web site with me ages ago.  I don't even know how she found out about it, except that she is quite the knowledgeable lady.  Storynory is a web site with free audio books.  Um, FREE.  Natasha is their fantastic narrator and does a superb job.  She comes across as personable and never "canned." 

The girls and I are thoroughly enjoying The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  It's makes for a relaxing evening, lounging in the living room and listening to a classic story.  (It was a great motivator for the bigs during supper clean-up and the littles during helping to fold clothes!)

Hope you enjoy Storynory.com as much as we have!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Dominique

If you stopped by and had tea with me today, I'm sure we'd get to talking about things that have been inspiring us lately.

I've been inspired by a friend of mine who previously struggled with knowing her life's purpose.  In having children, raising them for Christ and homeschooling, her purpose has become crystal clear.  The beautiful thing about God's will for each of us personally, is that He supplies (abundantly) the grace needed to do His will.  It rarely is easy, but we are not alone AND we are thoroughly equipped to do it.  I derive so much comfort from the fact that whatever it is God wants me to do, He comes alongside me, helps me and equips me, as well.

I've been inspired by a mom blogger of a large family, to know my family's vision and to make purposeful decisions that align with that vision. I would love for this little blog to inspire someone to do the same.  I feel like the "keepers at home" concept of Titus 2 is dying off.  Can I just share with you the joy of being a keeper at home with the girlies?  There is loads of work, but I get to be here to take care of our home!  I get to make this place a haven.  The peaceful place I imagine, I can make it come into existence.  I have the privilege of being here to educate our daughters, to teach them life lessons, to live out our faith in front of them.  

I may be tired, but my heart is at peace.  

I can look back over the last 10 years of my stay-at-home career with very few regrets.  I was here.  With them.  Being Jesus to them.  Nobody could do a better job, because God gave this job to me.  

I'm not super mom.  

I'm Dominique, loving Jesus, taking care of the girlies and this home.  

I try to please God.  I go to bed exhausted and then I get up again to try to please God in another day.  It's a good life.

The best definition of a good life is being in the will of God.

Not more money.

Not a bigger data plan.

Not the perfect house.

Not over-achieving kids.

Not a crazy schedule.

It's being in the will of God.  

What will you sacrifice this week to be in the will of God?

Your Wishes/Your Command

Have you ever heard, "Your wish is my command?" 

Sappy, dating couples sometimes say it.  (And usually married couples gag in response.)

Back in our dating days, the Rugged Mountain Boyfriend Man said,

"If we always make each others' wishes, our commands,
we will always have a super relationship!"

It takes time to consider the preferences of your husband. 

I challenge you to think of something today, a preference - a wish - of your husband's, and make it happen.  Serving each other, makes for happy days, day after day.

Hike a Mountain; Learn about God's Character

The girls and I have been thoroughly enjoying the unseasonably warm days that have been smattered here and there across our early November weeks. 



It's been refreshing to get outside, to breathe the fresh air and to see God's handiwork.  It's one of the best ways for children to get to know God.  His handiwork has His character written all over it. 

 

In His creation, children (and adults!) learn that God is big, because they can see His vastness with their own two eyes. 

 

They learn that He cares, because it is obvious that He put it there for them to enjoy, because He knows each sparrow that falls. 

 

They learn that He is orderly, because it is obvious that this Earth was not an accident.  Each season, each creature, each plant has an orderly life cycle. 

 

They can see that He is powerful, by the miracles in the life cycle of a leaf or the splendor of a mountain view. 

 

They pause for a moment and know, deep in their own spirits, that He is truly present; something we can tell them, but they can only truly know by the Holy Spirit's revelation to their own spirit. 

 

They too lift up their eyes to the hills; from the hills comes their Help, to quote the Psalmist poet. 

 

So many lessons from a few hours in His world. 

 

Another lesson for children in hiking, is learning to press through difficulty. 

This hike was SO gorgeous and entirely worth the effort.  However, my sister, my friend and I decided that it wasn't really child friendly.  We each carried our youngest on our backs.  As there was excessive erosion on the trails, the trail was exceedingly rocky and somewhat steep.  Progress was slow and nerve-wracking at times. 



Still, we powered through and enjoyed ice cream afterward. 

 

Get out in God's world and let Him reveal Himself to you and your children.