real life is messy

 

things have been completely
out of whack here lately.

 

my to do list
which grew to a to do pile
is now multiple to do piles,
completely covering my desk.
i don’t even know where to begin.

 

i’ve bought new file folders,
but they are still sitting in their box,
in one of the piles atop my desk.

 

school papers are being swallowed up by my house
and i’ve been waking in the middle of the night
wondering what i’m already forgetting to remember
to do tomorrow.

 

and that’s only the messes not going on in my heart.

 

so i will counteract all of that
with a bigger list of my gifts
that i’m trying oh-so-hard to notice
and not allow to also get swallowed up by my house
or by the distractions in my heart.

He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem
Isaiah 2:3b

3461. how the dishes go faster while listening to my favorite songs
3462. clear chest x-rays
3463. no tears at L’s blood draw for the first. time. ever.
3464. the sweetest babysitter
3465. L sleeping until almost 6am. a true miracle
3466. the school year going really, really smoothly for all three
3467. feeling the baby kick
3468. cooler weather
3469. actually getting cold last night
3470. having the most incredible husband
3471. our church doing exciting things
3472. the beginning of CBS
3473. a certain little boy who loves baths more than anything
3474. enjoying the backyard two nights in a row
3475. enjoying the most wonderfully cooked artichokes

he picked out the book
(and all of the other books came with it)
that he wanted me to read.

but then we couldn’t sit on the couch
because it was covered with unfolded laundry.

so we enjoyed the book while sitting on the coffee table.

here’s to real life!

real life is messy
is a weekly project to reveal
that i donít have it all together.
because real life is messy.

i encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

 let’s change hearts and minds in blogland.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7

3326. women who pray

3327. chalk organized in a rainbow
3328. no early labor for my sister
3329. scattered yellow tiny flowers
3330. a new safe walkway!

the messy:
my heart

 

do you want to know what’s messier than my kitchen floors?
my insides.

 

i desire a cleaned up,
everything in order kind of house.
do you, too?

 

that’s just not the season of life that i am in right now.
sometimes my house gets both cleaned up and organized
but that’s usually only when the children are all sleeping.
and what’s the point of that?

 

 

but i also want a cleaned up and organized life.
and i desire to have that in my heart also.

 

the beautiful:
Jesus

 

only He can make us new.
only He can transform us.
that power is only held by Jesus.

 

my house is a real mess.
my life is a real mess.
my heart is a real mess.
but you know what?
it can never be too messy for Jesus.
never.
because nothing is too messy for Him.

 

real life is messy
is a weekly project to reveal
that i don’t have it all together.
because real life is messy.

 

i will post a
blog post every week
and encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

 

and a special thanks to all the ladies
who joined in on instagram.

keep ’em coming.
let’s change hearts and minds in blogland.

and my dear friend, Katherine Wolf
is having surgery next Monday
to hopefully remove an aneurysm
will you join me and pray for her?

 

I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your
heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26

 

3001. feeling refreshed and inspired
3002. being able to wear a scarf in this “cold” weather
3003. a few extra minutes
3004. it’s turquoise and it spins
3005. “bass!” yelled by L at music class

our littlest love humbles us to no end.
especially involving sleep.
sometimes it’s great
but lots of the time
it’s not.

 

his new kick has been to start his day at 4:47am.
and we’re going on two months of these shenanigans.

 

to say momma is tired is an understatement.
i’m not sure i’ve ever been this tired.
in my entire life.

 

so in an attempt to get L to sleep later,
we are taking away his naps.
so far, he’s made some progress…
unfortunately he’s only slept 6 extra minutes.
but we are hopeful that this change
might be the thing that helps him.
and us.
mostly us.
because he’s not the cranky one at 4:47am.
the cranky one would be me.

 

we enforce a rest time in our house
(it’s mostly for me).
so because he wouldn’t let me leave his side,
here he is.
and here i am.
together.
(not resting.)

 

messy:
not enough sleep

blessing:
Jesus is bigger than all of this no-sleep nonsense.
and that no matter my circumstances,
He can work and
He can shine through.

 

i will post a
blog post every week
and encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

and a special thanks to all the ladies
who joined in on instagram.

keep ’em coming.
let’s change hearts and minds in blogland.

 

That is why, for Christ’s sake,
I delight in weaknesses,
in insults,
in hardships,
in persecutions,
in difficulties.
For when I am weak,
then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10

2976. hitting my stride at 10am
2977. natural bokeh from the leaves
2978. an amazing, amazing PT
2979. the bigs not having to be quiet
2980. just enough time to run errands

messy:
i forgot that one little thing at home
and had to run back to get it.

 

 

blessing:
having a rare moment
in the car alone
sipping my
(also forgotten)
but still mostly hot coffee.

 

real life is messy
is a weekly project to reveal
that i don’t have it all together.
because real life is messy.

 

i will post a
blog post every week
and encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

 

and a special thanks to all the ladies
who joined in the
#reallifeismessy on instagram.
keep ’em coming.
let’s change hearts and minds in blogland.

 

And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

 

2931. cool mornings and warm afternoons
2932. avocados
2933. more and more and more sleep
2934. not getting panicked
2935. twinkly lights in our front yard

it’s simply amazing
how clean my house stays
when the children are at school.

and how when they’re home,
it turns messy, really, really quickly.

 

L was kind enough
to set up a game of 52 card pickup for me.
he’s thoughtful like that.

 

real life is messy
is a weekly project to reveal
that i don’t have it all together.

 

i will post a
blog post every week
and encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

and… i have decided to open up
my instagram feed to the public.
feel free to follow all of our daily shenanigans
on instagram @capturingmotherhood.

 

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader
who was looking for fine pearls.
He found one that was very valuable.
So he went away and sold everything he had.
And he bought that pearl.
Matthew 13:45-46

 

2896. the most beautiful of beach days
2897. teeny tiny seashells everywhere
2898. a great backseat driver
2899. B having time with just L
2900. finding some delicious old photos

i found some art that L made.
on. the. wall.

 

 

and since i told him it was
a naughty thing to do
while smiling
(because i love witnessing
age-appropriate behavior),
i just found that he did it again
but with pencil this time.

 

real life is messy
is a weekly project to reveal
that i don’t have it all together.

 

i will post a
blog post every week
and encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

 

I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water it continually.
I guard it day and night
so that no one may harm it.
Isaiah 27:3

 

2876. slowing
2877. stopping
2878. reading
2879. resting
2880. two limes that K found
on her walk home from school

so things are a changin’ around here.
picture me {im}perfectly
will now be known as
real life is messy.

check out my new
real life is messy header
at the top of the blog.
i’ve compiled some of my
favorite photos there to reveal how my
real life is messy.

 

 

this is what the dirty laundry pile looked like
on monday morning in our house.

 

real life is messy
is a weekly project to reveal
that i don’t have it all together.

 

i will post a
blog post every week
and encourage you to
reveal your messy real life to others
by using this hashtag on instagram:
#reallifeismessy

I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4

2861. a big bowl of soup for lunch
2862. seizure free
2863. new starts
2864. L playing the cello and the glockenspiel
2865. being able to fit a quick errand in