Homework Bliss!

So, I'm going to let you in on a little secret...in case you don't know me OR in case you do know me but have been living under a rock for years, let me just clue you in...

I have a sickness.

On most days, I like to think that it's a gift, but the simple fact is that it's probably more of a sickness than a gift. 

I heart decorating.

Wow, that hardly does it justice...

I HEART DECORATING! 

I love ALL things decorating!  I spend hours during summer break pouring through potterybarn, storage solutions, better homes and gardens or any other thing that remotely resembles a decorating magazine.  I dream of the day when my little universe will one day again collide with Disney World...I mean, IKEA; and I find walking down the aisles of TJ Maxx to be cathartic...I know, it's a problem...

However, when my decorating OCD collides with my Organizing OCD, you're all in for a real treat!

And so, today, in honor of 'Back To School', I present you with our tested and approved homework organization center!

Let me first take you in my time machine to visit my lovely kitchen 2 years ago when we moved in...

*Warning* The following image may be harmful to some viewers...

Gulp.

 Yup - there she is! Aint she prrrty!!  In all of her 1950's charm mixed with partial white cupboards, cherry wood wallpaper and a GINORMOUS cupboard shooting right out into the middle...oh, she was love at first sight!

 

But alas, the day came when we knew we needed to part ways with our lovely Blue Bertha so we slowly but surely made the changes that our crazy schedule and even crazier budget would allow...

 

And now we bring you to today...

Ignoring the obviously poor picture quality, our updated kitchen is a MUCH better fit for our family.  We shook it up a bit, moved a few cupboards and appliances around and were able to add in a nice long counter for me to cook on...but I had big plans for one area in particular...

 

Isn't that just lovely?? I'm ashamed to admit that I never even painted under that counter.  4 kids ya'll...4 kids, 1 husband, 1 full-time job and I didn't paint under the counter.  Judge me if you must...I can take it.                                                     

However, of all that I have yet to learn about raising a wild little brood, one thing I have figured out is that if you don't stay organized you'll be run over by the pack.  And so, last year I began assessing how we could best handle that horrible homework and school paperwork issue.  I thought of bins and strolled down the aisle of Target looking for them, but I kept running into the issue of counterspace to store them all.  I had already tried a hanging wall file system but once the kids got out of kindergarten, I seemed to have too much paperwork to neatly fit in those...

 

But then I came across this beauty (with the help of my amazing Mom-who also raised 4 kids!)

Yikes!  DUST!  Mental note...NEVER EVER take another picture of my house using the flash!  Another gentle reminder...this is a happy place - no judging.

And here you have the catalyst for our homework system that has revolutionized organization amongst my crazy little crew.  For the sale price of $22 at Target, I packed two of these puppies in my minivan and drove off.  I had a mission and I could feel the thrill!

Of course, a little assembly by the studly hubby and I watched as the shelves slid perfectly underneath my countertop...LIKE A GLOVE! (You can barely even see them in there)!  You can also NOT see the gorgeous unpainted wall behind!!

However, this would not do...we needed more organization and I needed aesthetically pleasing vibes.

I waited until Target had a sale on their large milk crates and then I scored 6 of them for $10 each. A little pricey for my taste, but SO worth the expense.  And then we were at this point...

SO CLOSE NOW!!  Can you feel it?  Of course; each child needed to know which cubby was theirs so I picked up a few adorable tags from- where else, (Target of course...small town you know...options are limited).

and then I made name labels from the templates over here at Better Homes and Gardens...

I simply taped the name labels to the back of the storebought tags and tied them onto the baskets.  With the extra two baskets, I used my templates again to create a 'junk' label and a 'school lunch' label to help with some overflow in those areas.

And, so was born our organizational bliss! 

Each day, I make sure the labels are switched to the side with the child's name on it.

When the kids come home, they simply empty the contents of their bag into their bin.  They then do their homework and once they are done they place it on top of their pile and flip their label so the name is no longer facing out. 

When I get home from work, all I have to do is look at each bin to see if any names are showing.

If I can see a name, I promptly scream and yell (just kidding) to find out why said child has not yet done their homework and left it for me to correct.  I can then go through the rest of their papers at my leisure (still wondering when that day will come)!

And there you have it!  Bliss in a basket!  And it makes my OCD heart VERY happy :)
 

 What 'Back To School' organizing have you been up to?  Let me know!

September 1st.

I can hardly believe how quickly time flies!  One year ago today, I was sweating profusely, showering with a bucket and using more bug spray than any person should probably ever use (that may account for the slight twitch in my neck). 



The exact spot where we had met "Prince" (Asher) 2 years earlier

We were on the adventure of our lives (and oh what an adventure it was!)  Through major obstacles and intense emotions, we spent countless days in African Governmental offices and prayed more than I've ever prayed for our little Asher to actually be able to board the plane to come home with us.


Brothers from Day 1

On September 1st, 2011 the plane finally touched down in Atlanta, Georgia and, for the first time, I allowed myself to cry.  With the screeching of the tires and the dinging of the seatbelt sign, a reality finally hit me.  My African Prince was finally home and we were finally a family of 6.  We were on US soil, Asher was seated safely next to me, and he was officially a US Citizen.  After two and a half years of seeing his life pass me by through long distance pictures, I was finally holding his hand as we made a memory together.

The very moment the plane landed on US soil

And so, the months have passed by at Mach 5 speed and life has settled into the new norm of 4 children, crazy sports schedules, 2 full-time working parents, a crazy ministry schedule and the occasional, "GO TO YOUR ROOM" moment "Gee whiz, you're a great kid" moment!

The first time we ALL met

And this weekend we celebrate!

We celebrate that for exactly one year we have journeyed together and made memories we used to long to make.

We celebrate that for one year we have learned to read together, write together, play soccer together and put-hotsauce-on-everything-we-eat together! (Yes, I believe I just made that a verb of some sort)

We celebrate a little boy who has shot up 3 inches and grown out of two pairs of sneakers (well, maybe we don't celebrate that as much)!

And We celebrate that we no longer have to look to the sky and wonder if our little boy is safe...

But, above all else, we celebrate that we serve a God who is still in the business of miracles. 

A God who led us on a missions trip that changed our world and broke our hearts. 

A God who kept our little guy safe during terrifying raids and famines that I can't even begin to comprehend...

A God who broke down political barriers that were keeping us from being with our son...

And A God who knew at the beginning of time that our family would not be complete without the four precious gifts He has given us.

Thank you Lord for September 1st and thank you for the gift of family!

Allowing God To Reinvent Me...

Sometimes I feel like I've lost it...

Like it's a part of my being that I said goodbye to so long ago.

The things that used to come so easily to me, now seem buried so deep inside my soul that I'm not sure where to look to even dust them off. 

The truth is...I think I'm just scared to begin.

I used to have a simple life that I took for granted.  I spent my mornings at story hour with my kiddos or leading women's ministry at my church.  I created peanut butter and jelly lunch masterpieces and tucked my little ones away to nap land while I retreated to the world I had grown to love.

The world where I could express my soul.

The world where my words seemed to make sense of life and

The world where I felt like me.

I'm amazed when I look at the last time I wrote on this blog...over a year and a half ago.

Life has changed so much since the days of PB&J and blog posts that seemed to make sense...

Our home has moved

Our ministry life has taken on mach 5 speed

Our family has grown

Our roles have changed.

The days of playdates and new recipes were replaced with budget meetings, conference calls, PTA leading and fitting in the ministry that I loved around everything else.  The more my life took on this new role, the more the old Cyndie screamed to make sense of it.

Where am I?  Where is the crazy, stupid writer and speaker who made light of life's disappointments and took pictures of God's amazing provisions?

Well, it's time for some changes to take place.

I may not be able to control our circumstances or the way in which God has chosen to provide for our family so that we can serve Him in ministry...

I may not be able to control the way it feels to miss one of my precious kiddo's school events because I have a meeting I can't reschedule...

And, I may not be able to sneak away mid-afternoon to sip a coffee and script a bit of my heart on a page...

BUT, I can do something.

I can shed the fears and embrace the fact that life is no longer what it was. 

In all honesty, life is better. 

It's harder, It's chaotic, It's much more messy, It's tear filled, It's not always exactly how I would have planned it;

BUT, it's the center of God's Will.

And so, I am shedding the fears.  I will no longer give into the fear that God has taken away my gift of writing.  I will no longer worry if I can't post thoughts every day.  I will no longer allow Satan to deprive me of who God has made me to be. 

I am Cyndie.  I am a Wife.  I am a Mommy.  I am a Business Woman.   I am a Christ Follower and I am a Writer.

Today, I am allowing God to reinvent me.  No fears...both feet jumping right in...

It may not be the way it used to be...

but maybe...

just maybe...

It will be even better!

How Can It Be?

How can it be that you are getting so big?

I think that thought daily when I see my children (who live with me) find new independence, or when I catch of a glimpse of them and realize how mature they are beginning to look...but this is different...

When I watch you grow; it is through pictures...

Pictures that are often taken months apart and arrive in my inbox, taken by some sweet person who was able to visit you and capture a smile from you. Pictures that I find myself studying with great detail; in hopes of seeing your heart through the film.

My sweet boy...you are looking so grown up...you are looking so handsome...and I am forever grateful that you are looking happy.

If I were with you right now, I would hug your sweet smile and tell you to stop growing...stop getting bigger...stop becoming a little man! And then we would laugh...knowing full well that we can't stop the years from passing...

I only wish I was passing the years by with you.

Memories...

Sitting here with tear stained eyes and wondering why there are days when God feels so far away.

After a year of serving in a ministry that we love; but in the hardest area of the world we have ever lived in; there are days when I wish I could blink and wake up back in my cozy North Carolina bed. Alas, when I blinked this time, all I saw was more falling snow and the pile of papers that I still have left to get done for work. Life is so different now than it was a year ago and there are times when I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread.

But then...

Then, I am blessed with memories of days gone by. Memories of a time in our life when the road didn't always seem clear but the "Guide" seemed to know exactly where He was going all along.

As I read through my old blogs (yes, from back in the day when I used to blog - sigh), I found this "memory". Thank you Lord for memories...tonight it is carrying me through.

Written December 3, 2009

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."
Anonymous

I have repeated this phrase in my mind countless times over the past few days.

Donn's official last day at church was on Sunday and he was scheduled to leave town to go ahead of us to NY on Tuesday morning. About 3 hours after he drove away, he called me and said that his transmission had gone on his old truck. We then spent the remainder of the day watching God provide...

First He provided for Donn's truck to be towed back to Charlotte.

Next he provided for a group of people to come beside us to pay for the new transmission in the truck.

Finally, he provided plane tickets so that Donn can still fly to NY to be at an interview which he had previously scheduled (which he would have missed because of the truck still being in the shop).

Many people have responded to the incidents of the past few months (like the house sale falling through and the truck breaking down) by asking us if God is saying that we should be staying in NC. Although we've asked ourselves those same questions; I can honestly say that our spirits tell us that these trials are from Satan. God is still at work even in the midst of what seems to the world as a disappointment.

In our hearts we know that God has called us to this new ministry. Every part of our being tells us that these trials are a direct result of the fact that Satan is trying his hardest to beat down our spirits and keep us from getting to NY.

On the flip side; God is shining brightly as He provides for us in countless ways such as car repairs and plane tickets.

And so I remeber the quote that I shared with you earlier:
"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God won't protect you."

Today we pray simple prayers. "Lord, let your will be done and let us remain in the center of it. Protect our family...protect our spirits, and guide us down this path."

Faith is not supposed to be easy. I sure wish it could be, but in my heart I know that easy faith is no faith at all.

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."

Amen.

My Prince...

This picture arrived in our "inbox" today. Our sweet boy so far away...God gave me a little piece of you today. At just the right moment...at just the right time, He sent me a picture that reminded me that He is in control of everything.

These last few weeks have been a rollercoaster. We've been told that if we can get our paperwork filed now, there is a slight chance that we may actually get you home. A "slight" chance doesn't sound all that promising, and yet, a "slight" chance is worlds ahead of where things have been for the past 2 years.

And so we work feverishly. We file paperwork, visit doctors, get passports...we do everything... And then we wait...

We wait to see, if by some miracle, God will bring you home to us.

I must admit that I've been upset with myself over the past few weeks. Sometimes, I have the faith that God is going to provide and that you will come home to us. Many other times I've let fear creep in and I've sat on my floor crying and wondering if I will get through all of this and then lose you again.

I'm not sure how I can go through that again.

Saying goodbye to you the first time was the hardest thing I have ever done. Watching your face as our car drove away, will forever be etched in my brain as one of the worst images I've ever seen.

I'm scared Prince. For almost 2 years, I have dreamed of one day holding you again. And yet; now that it's here, I'm so scared that my heart will be broken again if I can't be with you.

And yet, this is what faith is...it's not always knowing how things will end up, but trusting in the ONE who does know.

I'm praying for faith now. I'm praying I will trust God to provide and I'm praying that He will let me put my entire heart into this moment; even if it means having to let go again.

You are worth it Prince and your life will be a testimony to his abundant blessings my sweet boy.

Thanks for teaching Mommy to have more faith.

Love,
Mommy

Updates on our little Prince...

What a crazy few weeks it's been!! In the midst of chaos of work and chaos of Christmas, the most incredible blessing has come our way. I have updated our blog regarding our son, Prince, and I would invite you all to take a peek! God is good!!

http://www.ourprincewillcome.blogspot.com/

Merry Christmas!!

I think I may need to get to the mall more...

Christmas At Our House...

For the first time ever we will be having Christmas at our house!! So, before the house turns into a mad scene of pure chaos (with over 20 people spending the night) I thought I'd share a few pics of our peaceful Christmas! Welcome to "Christmas At Our House".

My Baby Turns Three!!

This little girl is the love of my life and makes every day brighter!! I love you little Elle! Happy Birthday!