A couple of weeks ago I listened to a webcast from our church. We had missed the first sermon of the new series and I wanted to catch up. The pastor talked about being curious as Christians and discussed a number of benefits of having this curious perspective as well as evidence of curious people in the Bible who learned more about God by being curious. (I know, I used the word "curious" 4 times in that sentence. Oh well.)
While I listened to his sermon, I had one of those Ah-ha moments. You know, one of those life perspective changing realizations. I probably knew it all along but had never had a resolution like I did during this sermon. Those kinds of moments really stick with me. And this particular realization gave me such relief, I'm pretty sure I heaved a big ol' sigh.
Here's the thing about being curious: it means that we don't understand everything. We don't get everything yet. As in: the Bible, life, other people, God, and knowing how all that mashes together cohesively without any wrinkles. It doesn't for me. I struggle with many issues concerning the world and God. Not with God so much (although He is definitely a super cool mystery on so many levels for me), but more so with this world and how it works and how God deals with it all. Seems like a lot of garbage to wade through!
But you know what?! I don't have to wade through it all!! I don't have to have all the answers. Which is a good thing because I definitely don't have them. If I did, well, that'd make me pretty much like God and I certainly don't want that job. I'm way beyond far from being qualified for that one!
Now, I don't think this gives me reason to be a blissfully, ignorant person (although sometimes that sounds wonderful!). But I can acknowledge that I don't have the answers which will hopefully prompt me to do some scriptural research, soul searching, and praying to find out which way God is directing me. He's pretty good about offering me peace when He gets me where He wants me to be on a subject.
Ok. I'm done on that subject.
It's after midnight and my brain said good-night about 2 hours ago.
I should have probably done the same...
KC
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
but i can
I've been home schooling my kids for 3 years now, going into my 4th year. So far this year has been awesome! But we're only a week in so.... I've got a good system going for us this year and I finally feel like we've got our groove down, but again: it's been a week. But even then, coming out of the summer we just had, I'm super excited to be where we are...so far...after just a week and a day. (I'm gonna put that day in there because we've earned it.)
This summer can really only be described as crazy. It wad beyond busy and stressful, but much of it was good stuff! Just crazy, busy stuff that gave us very little time to breathe. I will tell you that on 2 different occasions, I didn't really come out of my room until after lunch because those were the 2 days when it all got to me. I tend to go into survival mode by holing up in my bed and binge watching a Netflix show for approximately 5 hours. It doesn't happen very often and I don't allow myself to succumb to it for very long. But this summer, I did. Twice. (I'm claiming grace on those two days.)
Also this summer, I had 2 Sunday afternoons to plan out my school year. That's it. Two afternoons to plan an entire year of school. For 2 children. In 2 different grades. To say that I felt a little under prepared coming into #craginacademy2017and2018 would be an understatement. Some might say that I mismanaged my time. There might be some truth to that. But I would venture to say that those who actually witnessed this summer and know me would say that the fact that I came out breathing at all is impressive.
Without all the details, here's just a few things that happened this summer:
Kitchen remodel
Guests
Wedding (niece and new nephew)
Wedding Guests
Post Wedding Guests
Niece and Nephew had the joy of moving in with us for approximately 1.5 months
Mom in hospital
Mom out of hospital
More guests, (different guests)
Doctors appointments for Mom
Birthday party for me!!
Trip to Canada to visit Canadian Family that I ADORE!!!
And the day following our return from Canada: First day of school.
BOOM!! Summer gone.
All summer long I fretted about starting up the new school year. I was so under prepared. I felt horrible as a mom, totally neglecting the education of my children. That was my entire job: the growth of my kids! And I was failing before I even started.
Last week Wednesday was the first day of school. That day I pretty much gave up before I even started. On Thursday I nearly went into panic attack mode (people, I haven't been there in over 11 years. That'll tell you something about the stress I was feeling!) and Thursday ended up being the most phenomenal day of home schooling we've had to date. That means ever, in all the history of Cragin Academy. Best. Day. Ever. And on Friday, things fell apart again. But that was no surprise for me. It usually happens after one really good day. *sigh*
And this week was Crazy Week: the week I full-on home school AND teach all of my piano students AND hold on to my sanity by a thread. But this week I had so many proud moments. I watched my kids succeed and excel like I never have before. They took on responsibilities that I didn't ask them to. Their growth and maturity from last year to this one is huge. And I have claimed more ownership over their education than I ever have before. I'm telling you, the groove is on!
Now, I'd like to say that I'm just so awesome that I got this all put together in those 2 Sunday afternoons all by myself. But that's just ridiculous. I'm not that organized and I'm not great at schedules and routines. But it all got put together and after a week (and a day), I'm astounded.
I think what happened is that this summer took all control out of my hands. I stressed and stressed about the upcoming school year and just didn't have the time to put it all together. And God sat there in the sidelines, taking care of all of it for me. It's not like I had to let go of it (although I know that's a lesson I'm constantly going to be learning). It's more like I never had time to even grasp on to it and God said: "no worries! I've got you covered."
All summer long I said: "I can't, I can't, I can't."
I do that a lot in my life: tell myself I can't.
But God's always right next to me saying: "But I can."
It's about time I listened.
KC
This summer can really only be described as crazy. It wad beyond busy and stressful, but much of it was good stuff! Just crazy, busy stuff that gave us very little time to breathe. I will tell you that on 2 different occasions, I didn't really come out of my room until after lunch because those were the 2 days when it all got to me. I tend to go into survival mode by holing up in my bed and binge watching a Netflix show for approximately 5 hours. It doesn't happen very often and I don't allow myself to succumb to it for very long. But this summer, I did. Twice. (I'm claiming grace on those two days.)
Also this summer, I had 2 Sunday afternoons to plan out my school year. That's it. Two afternoons to plan an entire year of school. For 2 children. In 2 different grades. To say that I felt a little under prepared coming into #craginacademy2017and2018 would be an understatement. Some might say that I mismanaged my time. There might be some truth to that. But I would venture to say that those who actually witnessed this summer and know me would say that the fact that I came out breathing at all is impressive.
Without all the details, here's just a few things that happened this summer:
Kitchen remodel
Guests
Wedding (niece and new nephew)
Wedding Guests
Post Wedding Guests
Niece and Nephew had the joy of moving in with us for approximately 1.5 months
Mom in hospital
Mom out of hospital
More guests, (different guests)
Doctors appointments for Mom
Birthday party for me!!
Trip to Canada to visit Canadian Family that I ADORE!!!
And the day following our return from Canada: First day of school.
BOOM!! Summer gone.
All summer long I fretted about starting up the new school year. I was so under prepared. I felt horrible as a mom, totally neglecting the education of my children. That was my entire job: the growth of my kids! And I was failing before I even started.
Last week Wednesday was the first day of school. That day I pretty much gave up before I even started. On Thursday I nearly went into panic attack mode (people, I haven't been there in over 11 years. That'll tell you something about the stress I was feeling!) and Thursday ended up being the most phenomenal day of home schooling we've had to date. That means ever, in all the history of Cragin Academy. Best. Day. Ever. And on Friday, things fell apart again. But that was no surprise for me. It usually happens after one really good day. *sigh*
And this week was Crazy Week: the week I full-on home school AND teach all of my piano students AND hold on to my sanity by a thread. But this week I had so many proud moments. I watched my kids succeed and excel like I never have before. They took on responsibilities that I didn't ask them to. Their growth and maturity from last year to this one is huge. And I have claimed more ownership over their education than I ever have before. I'm telling you, the groove is on!
Now, I'd like to say that I'm just so awesome that I got this all put together in those 2 Sunday afternoons all by myself. But that's just ridiculous. I'm not that organized and I'm not great at schedules and routines. But it all got put together and after a week (and a day), I'm astounded.
I think what happened is that this summer took all control out of my hands. I stressed and stressed about the upcoming school year and just didn't have the time to put it all together. And God sat there in the sidelines, taking care of all of it for me. It's not like I had to let go of it (although I know that's a lesson I'm constantly going to be learning). It's more like I never had time to even grasp on to it and God said: "no worries! I've got you covered."
All summer long I said: "I can't, I can't, I can't."
I do that a lot in my life: tell myself I can't.
But God's always right next to me saying: "But I can."
It's about time I listened.
KC
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
show up
Tonight's post will be short, partly because it's 12:30 and what in the world am I thinking?! And also partly because I'm exhausted: physically, emotionally, and mentally. It has been a LONG. DAY.
Details will come later, but at this point, let me just say thing: I had my day somewhat planned out. I had good intentions to make progress in all the things that occupy my brain on a regular basis. But God decided that I would have different plans with a bigger priority. So, I went with God because... well... He's God.
But you know that whole Biblical thing of Him not giving you more that you can handle? I'll tell you what: I couldn't handle today. Physically, mentally, or emotionally. BUT!!! God knew that and sent me friends and texts of encouragement and people who talked me through today and family who showed up when I needed them to.
People showed up for me today.
So if I can share one piece of advice from today (and from various experiences in my life), I'm gonna tell you to show up.
Show up.
Do the tough thing.
Sacrifice for a friend.
Or do the easy thing.
Send a text.
Or an emoji.
Bring a meal.
Babysit a kiddo.
Do yard work.
Visit an older person.
Give someone a gift.
I don't know what friend needs to you to show up today, but it the opportunity presents itself, SHOW UP!! Because if you were in their shoes, you'd want them to show up too.
And I know this because today I was in those shoes and in the midst of chaos, my friend showed up. And then continued to show up.
God knew exactly what I needed and provided.
I'm pooped.
But just in case I didn't get my point across:
Show up!!
KC
Details will come later, but at this point, let me just say thing: I had my day somewhat planned out. I had good intentions to make progress in all the things that occupy my brain on a regular basis. But God decided that I would have different plans with a bigger priority. So, I went with God because... well... He's God.
But you know that whole Biblical thing of Him not giving you more that you can handle? I'll tell you what: I couldn't handle today. Physically, mentally, or emotionally. BUT!!! God knew that and sent me friends and texts of encouragement and people who talked me through today and family who showed up when I needed them to.
People showed up for me today.
So if I can share one piece of advice from today (and from various experiences in my life), I'm gonna tell you to show up.
Show up.
Do the tough thing.
Sacrifice for a friend.
Or do the easy thing.
Send a text.
Or an emoji.
Bring a meal.
Babysit a kiddo.
Do yard work.
Visit an older person.
Give someone a gift.
I don't know what friend needs to you to show up today, but it the opportunity presents itself, SHOW UP!! Because if you were in their shoes, you'd want them to show up too.
And I know this because today I was in those shoes and in the midst of chaos, my friend showed up. And then continued to show up.
God knew exactly what I needed and provided.
I'm pooped.
But just in case I didn't get my point across:
Show up!!
KC
Monday, July 24, 2017
hope
THIS is the face of an unhappy woman! Ok, I know you can't see my face, but if you could, it would look like this: 😤. Yeah, that's pretty accurate. A few months ago, one of my dear children drop my iPad on the ground and the screen shattered. I write all my blog posts from my iPad. I haven't fixed it yet because: money. It's just not a financial priority at this time. Plus I have an awesome computer to work from! But currently that awesome computer is waiting on an update that it says it is 100% done doing...and has been 100% done doing for the last 15 minutes. I am typing this on my itty-bitty phone. I don't have a big, honkin' phone screen. Just an itty-bitty one. Each letter that I type is less than a millimeter tall. Technology and I are not friends. Never have been, and I have resigned myself to the fact that we probably never will be.
That being said, if there is an abundance of misspellings in this post, autocorrect obviously didn't read my mind correctly and I'm not going to be able to see them either. So, let's just go with it!
But first, some Goldfish Crackers (because obviously I never completely grew up).
I'm approaching my 30-something birthday next month. I've spent a lot of time with my 20-something niece and nephew and a bit of time with my not 30-something mom. And one thing that seems to pop in my head with all of us is that it's never too late.
It's never to late to change something about yourself or to try something new. It's never too late to build relationships or go down a new career path. It's never too late to change your eating habits and to make a step in the right direction for your health (Augh! Blasted goldfish crackers!!) It's never too late to heed God's call on your life, to follow a passion He has burning in your heart.
It's never too late to live!
You think you're beyond hope for your future, whatever that might be?
Well, you're NOT!!
There is an amazing future out there, waiting to be had by you! You're never beyond hope, if you're walking with God's strength and purpose.
So get your butt out of bed and go do things!!
Because you're awesome.
I said so, that's why!
KC
Wouldn't you know it? My computer finally stopped thinking about being 100% done and is now ready for me to use it. Not beyond hope: I just had to wait for it. 🙄
That being said, if there is an abundance of misspellings in this post, autocorrect obviously didn't read my mind correctly and I'm not going to be able to see them either. So, let's just go with it!
But first, some Goldfish Crackers (because obviously I never completely grew up).
I'm approaching my 30-something birthday next month. I've spent a lot of time with my 20-something niece and nephew and a bit of time with my not 30-something mom. And one thing that seems to pop in my head with all of us is that it's never too late.
It's never to late to change something about yourself or to try something new. It's never too late to build relationships or go down a new career path. It's never too late to change your eating habits and to make a step in the right direction for your health (Augh! Blasted goldfish crackers!!) It's never too late to heed God's call on your life, to follow a passion He has burning in your heart.
It's never too late to live!
You think you're beyond hope for your future, whatever that might be?
Well, you're NOT!!
There is an amazing future out there, waiting to be had by you! You're never beyond hope, if you're walking with God's strength and purpose.
So get your butt out of bed and go do things!!
Because you're awesome.
I said so, that's why!
KC
Wouldn't you know it? My computer finally stopped thinking about being 100% done and is now ready for me to use it. Not beyond hope: I just had to wait for it. 🙄
Thursday, July 20, 2017
my secret
Ok.
So.
I'm going to share a little secret with you.
Well, if you know me well, you probably already know this about me.
It's kinda a big deal, to me anyway...
Truth is: I don't have this life thing figured out.
Parenting, marriage, friendships, God, even my own self! - how to do any of it well, I haven't a clue.
Every time I embrace some kind of accomplishment, I turn around to see 25 things that are staring me in the face saying, "Figure me out next!"
There are Legos all over my floor. I probably spent too much money at Target today. I forgot to purchase one of the items my hubs requested of me today. The guest and kids' bathroom has been cleaned at least 4x more often than the master bath. (There is TP dust EVERYWHERE!) I eat too much garbage. My kids eat too much garbage. (Taco Bell for lunch? And that was a bribe because I suck...) Not a one of us, except probably my husband, drinks enough water. The litter box has been waiting for a few days to be changed and the turtle needs clean water in his tank. I didn't floss my kid's teeth tonight because I was too tired. (Seriously, how much effort does it really take to floss his teeth?!) I walked into my daughter's room to say good-night and she immediately felt my sense of disappointment in her (mostly because her room looked like a red-headed tornado had whipped through there), but it turns out that my disappointment was mostly in myself because as I looked around at the variety of things that I had asked her to do already in that room, I realized that I just plain suck at momming. That is the precise moment when the heaviness of failure fell upon me.
I think it would benefit everyone in this family if I left, found a warm, cozy beach and hung out by myself for a while. Well, maybe it would benefit me the most, but I think everybody would appreciate my uptight, frustrated, stressed out absence for a bit!
I don't got this.
But here's my comfort in all of this. I might not have it together. I might be failing in 75% of my attempts at life, but for Pete's sake: I have my heart pointed in the right direction! I am trying! I am not giving up. I am constantly working to do things better as a wife, mom, friend, child of God, and self. And I think that's got to count for something!
Personally, I think God takes a look at the heart and effort and says, "It's okay, Kat. I've got you covered."
I don't have this.
But, as usual, God does.
KC
So.
I'm going to share a little secret with you.
Well, if you know me well, you probably already know this about me.
It's kinda a big deal, to me anyway...
Truth is: I don't have this life thing figured out.
Parenting, marriage, friendships, God, even my own self! - how to do any of it well, I haven't a clue.
Every time I embrace some kind of accomplishment, I turn around to see 25 things that are staring me in the face saying, "Figure me out next!"
There are Legos all over my floor. I probably spent too much money at Target today. I forgot to purchase one of the items my hubs requested of me today. The guest and kids' bathroom has been cleaned at least 4x more often than the master bath. (There is TP dust EVERYWHERE!) I eat too much garbage. My kids eat too much garbage. (Taco Bell for lunch? And that was a bribe because I suck...) Not a one of us, except probably my husband, drinks enough water. The litter box has been waiting for a few days to be changed and the turtle needs clean water in his tank. I didn't floss my kid's teeth tonight because I was too tired. (Seriously, how much effort does it really take to floss his teeth?!) I walked into my daughter's room to say good-night and she immediately felt my sense of disappointment in her (mostly because her room looked like a red-headed tornado had whipped through there), but it turns out that my disappointment was mostly in myself because as I looked around at the variety of things that I had asked her to do already in that room, I realized that I just plain suck at momming. That is the precise moment when the heaviness of failure fell upon me.
I think it would benefit everyone in this family if I left, found a warm, cozy beach and hung out by myself for a while. Well, maybe it would benefit me the most, but I think everybody would appreciate my uptight, frustrated, stressed out absence for a bit!
I don't got this.
But here's my comfort in all of this. I might not have it together. I might be failing in 75% of my attempts at life, but for Pete's sake: I have my heart pointed in the right direction! I am trying! I am not giving up. I am constantly working to do things better as a wife, mom, friend, child of God, and self. And I think that's got to count for something!
Personally, I think God takes a look at the heart and effort and says, "It's okay, Kat. I've got you covered."
I don't have this.
But, as usual, God does.
KC
changing the world
I find that I tend to repeat certain themes on my blog. It's not so much that I think y'all need to hear it, but more so that I need constant reminding on things. You'd think that I'd figure something out and it would stick, right? But no, I'm like a child: in need of constant training over and over and over again.
Today's reminder: Encourage.
In each of my kids' rooms there lives a notebook. Neither one is very fancy and they were both inexpensive. But what's inside is invaluable.
Every so often, right before I go to bed, I write a message to each kiddo, something that will encourage them when they wake up and read it the next day. Sometimes I also apologize for something I did earlier in the day (because I can do some pretty stupid stuff and say some real idiotic things as a mom) or I remind them of a behavior they are trying to change. But it's always something to build them up and encourage them for the next day. When I'm done, I leave it open on their bedroom floor where they will trip over it in the morning. It ensures they will read it. (Sometimes there's too much other junk and stuff to trip over on their floor so I will leave it right outside their bedroom door!)
My kids ask for me to write in their notebooks frequently. And I totally understand why. If I woke up each morning to an encouraging message awaiting me, I'd probably have an easier time getting out of bed! And then I would feel just awesome about myself and then I would do amazing things throughout the day and make the world a better place, I'm sure of it!
But like I mentioned before, sometimes as a mom I do stupid stuff like: not write words of encouragement in their notebooks on a regular basis. Soooo, I'm going to go do that now.
Do you have 30 seconds to send/write/say something encouraging to someone? You never know: your words could help someone change the world!
KC
Today's reminder: Encourage.
In each of my kids' rooms there lives a notebook. Neither one is very fancy and they were both inexpensive. But what's inside is invaluable.
Every so often, right before I go to bed, I write a message to each kiddo, something that will encourage them when they wake up and read it the next day. Sometimes I also apologize for something I did earlier in the day (because I can do some pretty stupid stuff and say some real idiotic things as a mom) or I remind them of a behavior they are trying to change. But it's always something to build them up and encourage them for the next day. When I'm done, I leave it open on their bedroom floor where they will trip over it in the morning. It ensures they will read it. (Sometimes there's too much other junk and stuff to trip over on their floor so I will leave it right outside their bedroom door!)
My kids ask for me to write in their notebooks frequently. And I totally understand why. If I woke up each morning to an encouraging message awaiting me, I'd probably have an easier time getting out of bed! And then I would feel just awesome about myself and then I would do amazing things throughout the day and make the world a better place, I'm sure of it!
But like I mentioned before, sometimes as a mom I do stupid stuff like: not write words of encouragement in their notebooks on a regular basis. Soooo, I'm going to go do that now.
Do you have 30 seconds to send/write/say something encouraging to someone? You never know: your words could help someone change the world!
KC
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
summer plans
Ummm, did anyone else see the beginning or middle of summer? Because I'm pretty sure I missed it. IT IS ALREADY JULY 18!! I can sit here and be flabbergasted at how quickly the time has flown, but I'm really, truly, not at all flabbergasted. *sigh* It was so crazy busy at the Cragin Homestead that I think we're all just starting to emerge from our own version of "survival mode." I, personally, am crawling out, hiding my eyes from the blinding light that pours through my kitchen windows because I haven't yet bought curtains for them...
Let me sum up June and the first half of July for you:
Kitchen Remodel
House guests
Wedding (semi-coordinator of said wedding)
House guests
Finish of Kitchen Remodel
July 4th Celebration
Anniversary
Linc's Birthday
House guests
And BOOM!: we start school in 1 month.
I had some awesome plans set out for myself so that I could accomplish amazing things this summer. I was going to take time to write every day. I was going to make sure my kids got some awesome fun (educational) stuff done every week! I have a small mountain of upcycling projects that I just can't wait to delve into. They beckon me every day! I had plans written out in my bullet journal (which is a new current obsession, thanks to an introduction from my niece!) and I was going to accomplish ALL the things! EVERY SINGLE THING!
And here I sit, just now blogging for the first time in 2 months. And I cleaned up a piece of furniture today, the first piece I've touched. And I had my son read to me today. AND DID I MENTION THAT IT IS ALREADY JULY 18?!
Today's take away in all this malarkey? (Did you know that it was spelled "malarkey" and not "malarky?" I didn't.)
Here's the truth: We make our plans, but God directs them.
When I look back at this past month and see how He worked in our lives as well as the lives of the people we interacted with through our kitchen remodel and the numerous house guests we had, He knew, better than we did, what He was doing.
When I look back at the experiences and growth that has happened to our family over the last month, I wouldn't change God's plans back to my own for a million bucks. I mean, I'd consider it because a million bucks is a WHOLE lot more than I make teaching piano lessons each year and it would remodel the ENTIRE house, not just the kitchen....but I'd really only consider it for a minute...or five.
God makes it pretty clear in His #truthbomb from Isaiah 55: 9 ~ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
That's right: God just put us ALL in our place!
So go ahead make your plans, but just know that His are bigger and better and higher!
KC
Let me sum up June and the first half of July for you:
Kitchen Remodel
House guests
Wedding (semi-coordinator of said wedding)
House guests
Finish of Kitchen Remodel
July 4th Celebration
Anniversary
Linc's Birthday
House guests
And BOOM!: we start school in 1 month.
I had some awesome plans set out for myself so that I could accomplish amazing things this summer. I was going to take time to write every day. I was going to make sure my kids got some awesome fun (educational) stuff done every week! I have a small mountain of upcycling projects that I just can't wait to delve into. They beckon me every day! I had plans written out in my bullet journal (which is a new current obsession, thanks to an introduction from my niece!) and I was going to accomplish ALL the things! EVERY SINGLE THING!
And here I sit, just now blogging for the first time in 2 months. And I cleaned up a piece of furniture today, the first piece I've touched. And I had my son read to me today. AND DID I MENTION THAT IT IS ALREADY JULY 18?!
Today's take away in all this malarkey? (Did you know that it was spelled "malarkey" and not "malarky?" I didn't.)
Here's the truth: We make our plans, but God directs them.
When I look back at this past month and see how He worked in our lives as well as the lives of the people we interacted with through our kitchen remodel and the numerous house guests we had, He knew, better than we did, what He was doing.
When I look back at the experiences and growth that has happened to our family over the last month, I wouldn't change God's plans back to my own for a million bucks. I mean, I'd consider it because a million bucks is a WHOLE lot more than I make teaching piano lessons each year and it would remodel the ENTIRE house, not just the kitchen....but I'd really only consider it for a minute...or five.
God makes it pretty clear in His #truthbomb from Isaiah 55: 9 ~ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
That's right: God just put us ALL in our place!
So go ahead make your plans, but just know that His are bigger and better and higher!
KC
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