finding a happy place for my kids' "treasures"

Please tell me that I'm not the only mom with J.U.N.K. collectors as kids!!  I stand amazed at what I find stashed away in their room.

I mean seriously, Ellee, do you really think it's necessary to keep a "fun colored piece of fuzz" that you found on the playground?!?  Or better, and probably my all-time favorite, a used toothbrush that her "fwiend" at school gave her.

Addie is more likely to keep more "sophisticated" junk - papers that she folded into something "really cool" or 1 of the 55,564,309 duct tape wallets she made for her dolls.

So what's a mom to do?  Or maybe I should say, "what's an overly anal (can I use that word??  Lee hates it..) mom to do?!" I definitely believe in "everything has a place and everything in its place!"

I've always said...if it's important to my kids, I want to treat it as such.  Whether it's a dilemma with friends, a story that I've heard 7 times already, or a piece of paper, I want my kids to know that I care about the (seemingly little and unimportant) things in their life.

I understand that there must be a balance though - I don't want to feed unnecessary drama and I don't want to see my kids on "Hoarders" one day either!  I needed a happy place for all the junk treasures!

So this is where the "Treasure Box" was born!!

Here are the rules for the kids:

• You may keep anything in your box that you want as long as it's not alive or food.  (You can't assume anything around here!)
• The top has to shut - no treasures seeping out of the side!
• When it gets too full for anymore goodies - you have to clean it out to make more room. (This allows them to be in control of what they keep and what they toss.)

And the rule for Mommy:

• I must stay out of their box!! ...as long as they're adhering to the rules above!

So that's it - a happy balance for their junk treasures!

Here's a glimpse at what we're using for now...

*Just a good ole Rubbermaid container that can go under the bed.  It's pathetic how giddy these things make me!*

After we move and get them settled into their room, I'll move beyond the plastic to something a little fancier that matches their room.  I'd love one that will double as a stool.  This is closer to what I'm visualizing...

with a top though...the box MUST have a top

PS...I have to know - do boys do this too?  We're not there yet with this little cutie..

praying for my husband

Not long after Lee and I got married, I was given a list of specific ways wives can pray for their husbands.  My commitment to praying through this list has been somewhat sporadic over the years, but the Lord has brought me back to this lately as He has shown me the importance of praying for my husband - especially in his new role.  I wanted to share some of the things on the list as a way to encourage other wives to be faithful in praying for their man...

1.  Show me how to demonstrate a reverent spirit to my husband and honor him as the head of our home.  1 Peter 3:2

2.  Show me how to demonstrate a grateful spirit toward my husband for how he has benefitted my life.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

3.  Remind me daily of loving ways that I can serve my husband to help him be successful in all his roles.  Mark 10:44

4.  Pour out Your grace on me, and enable me to have a meek and quiet spirit that can only come from You.  1 Peter 3:1-6

5.  May my husband be a man, according to Your will, that loves You with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, and may he love his neighbor as himself.  Mark 12:29-30

6.  I pray that I will love him with an abiding, faithful love as long as we live and that he would dwell with me according to knowledge, understanding how God created me as a woman.  Ephesians 5:25-31; 1 Peter 3:7

7.  Lord, make my husband a mighty man of valor, one prudent in speech, a man of whom others would say,"...the Lord is with him." 1 Samuel 16:18

8.  Let him be like Daniel, a man who would not defile himself with what the world offered, and that he would hate evil and not desire that which is forbidden.  Daniel 1:8; Colossians 3:15

9.  Grant my husband favor and compassion in the sight of those in authority over him.  Daniel 1:9

10.  Father, please keep Your hedge of protection around him today, keeping him from the strange woman and give him the grace to make and keep a covenant with his eyes and I pray that I would meet his needs spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  Job 1:10, 31:1; Proverbs 7; 1 Corinthians 7:1-6

11.  Give him wisdom in managing finances, and remind him to be faithful in giving to the Lord and others.  1 Timothy 5:8, 6:10; 2 Corinthians 9:7

12.  Help him to open his mouth "to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." Ephesians 6:19

13.  May I be an encouragement to him daily, and bless him with Your peace.  Hebrews 3:13; Philippians 4:7

14.  Father, may he not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.  May he delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night.  May he be like a tree that is planted by the stream, one in which the leaves will not wither and may he prosper in whatever he does.  Psalm 1:1-3

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playing catch-up with a picture post

In an attempt to play "catch up," prepare for a large dose of pictures with captions!  Somehow, yet again, I sit down to blog and realize it's been weeks since my last post of ramblings.  I'm fully aware that there are only two people (the Grandmas!!) that really wait for an update, but this blog is also a spot for me to keep our memories and my thoughts organized so I hate to let too much time go by.  

So here goes the last month or so in fast forward...

I managed to let our annual "Brown Family Gatlinburg Vacation" slip by without a single picture!  Here are just a few glimpses of the adventure...

Ellee did indeed start ballet and she loves it! 

The kids and I snuck down to Georgia to surprise Mom for her 60th birthday! 

The weekend we were there also happened to be the Peanut Festival in their quaint little town.  Since they live on Main Street, we had front row seats for the parade...

We've done a little more hiking...

But what's consumed most of our time is our {potential!} new home!! Praise God, we finally have a contract on a house. We won't actually move until December, but there's plenty to do before then. Our new abode has "great bones," plenty of space and is in a great location. The catch - it's in desperate need of cosmetic love and attention! I just can't bring myself to show you "before" pictures without the accompanying "after" pictures so you'll have to wait on that. But here is a view of our back yard from the deck - one of the things I love about this house!

I have always been fascinated with spectacular "before & after" pictures that leave you wondering how the transformation took place.  I pray I can offer a few of those in the months to come!