ENCOURAGED IN HEART

Seeing my friend of 16 years get married to Mr. Right this weekend: A+++

Having a wonderful weekend away with my honey, while the offspring get spoiled by the King and Queen of Yes: A+++

Losing our camera one week before Stacey and Mick’s wedding: F

Having you pick my bridesmaid dress for the big day: A

Borrowing ear bling from Sarah to override my fashionista deficiency (and to save some moolah): A

Taking two pictures with my the camera on my phone: C to find that both pics are cloudy: D and my eyes were closed: F

Waking up Monday morning from A+++ weekend, stepping on Lucy realizing that I gained two pounds from the A+++ weekend: D. Realizing that it was worth it and that it wasn’t more…cause I ate like a queen: B+

This whole report card grading isn’t exactly what I do in my daily life, or is it? When I sat down to think and pray about it, I realized just how shewed my grading scale is. I’ll give you a couple of examples.

Taking the boys to a play date at the pool, good Mom report card: A

Going grocery shopping and buying fruits and veggies: A+ and Dove chocolates: D of which I shared one with the female shopping cart collector, and we compared our quotes and the chocolate melted in our mouths: B

After packing my groceries into my sexy minivan today, I scanned my receipt to applaud myself for spending $66.48 and “saving” (is it really saving if you’re spending money?) $28.81 . Today I told myself: B+ but have formerly graded myself an F when I’ve forgotten my coupons at home.

Then I come home to put away the bargain groceries and vacuumed my entire home: A but I didn’t get the non-carpeted floors: B or the stairs: C

I checked on my friend that works at Discovery Headquarters (thank God she’s not in the buliding!) scheduled a home repair and talked to a friend while making dinner. Triple tasking…that’s gotta get the A, right? Well I burned the dinner: C-, yelled at my kids for interrupting the phone conversation: D- and am still not showered…it’s 5pm people: F.

Then Scrabble with my kiddos: B+

I’m someone who struggles with a performance based acceptance of self. I am growing more and more grateful for this never-ending, difficult-to-capture, grace gift that God offers me every day. Not just on the days when I think I’m “making the grades”.

God loves you and me as we are, not by how many ministries we build, or how many coupons we clip, or how many people like us, or how many blog posts we publish, or how many times we’re class mother or how many good deeds we do.

God just loves me for being me. God just loves you for being you. He says so, “I have loved you with an everlasting love…” (Jeremiah 31:3) There’s no perfect performance to dazzle God with. He just plain ol’ loves you. It’s time again, that I put away my self-grading report card and accept God’s full love, grace, today.

Do you struggle with a performance based grading scale too? What areas to you seem to grade the most?

Today on EIH, I want to do something different, fun, exciting…I want you to be my guest!

I’d love to hear what’s in your heart and invite you to be a guest blogger here on EIH. The only requirements are that your 500 words or less writing is encouraging and has something to do with faith, family, fellowship, finance, fitness, food, friendship, funnies…or your Lucy. Any email received at steph@encouragedinheart.org by 1 Sep, will be considered for a guest post.

Can’t wait to hear from your heart!

Have you ever had one of those days…weeks…months, where you feel like it’s five steps forward and then eighteen million steps backwards?

Then, out of the blue, you get a, “YAY, a pull through!”?

That’s what I had occur just yesterday.  My “YAY, a pull through” occurred through my sister, Joann. (Yes, the one that knows how to rock a hair net and how to run in a triathlon!)

I was knee-deep in life, but chose to focus on the only thing I could “control” on the list, a redo…we painted the kitchen and boys bathroom into a more subtle, neutral color.  Potential buyers dig neutrals,  is the word on the street and from our realtor.  Well, the accessories in the newly neutralized rooms just didn’t jive.

I was in the middle of the curtain nonsense, that’s what it felt like to me, nonsense.  There are hungry people in the world, people who don’t even have a home, or their hut’s roof is torn, and here I am lamenting on which curtain I should hang and what carpet would look best for the “buyer”, whoever they happen to be…

Anyhoozers.

Our realtor’s photographer was coming this morning and I wanted the place to look better as most home buyers start from internet pics.  I know how blessed we are to have such a  beautiful home to be leaving only to enter an even more spacious home…I know how blessed I am.   And feeling pretty blessed to have some sides on our foundation too!

I won’t lie, I’m more than a tad weary of dust busting, making beds, wiping toothpaste goo from the sink, fingerprints off the windows and straightening pillows. Well, that and, we’ve been on the market four-months people.  My specific prayer is that we’ll only need to move once, not into temporary housing.  So God is hooking us up not only with a sweet new pad, but on the whole one move thing thus far.

The joy of having a home on the market. I love cleaning my home, I love cleaning my home, I love cleaning my home…

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Well, in the midst of pulling curtains around, as well as the hair from my head…Joann calls.  I’m horrible at asking for help, even when I really need it, and I know it’s a pride thing and that’s not cool, so I’m working on it…I’m really working on it.  So that’s that.

Well, I didn’t want to ask Jo for help because 1.  like I just wrote, I’m sinfully proud and working on that 2. she’s been  having a bed and breakfast this summer with the quantity of guests rotating in her home 3. her homes’s on the market as well  4. she jacked up her finger and was wearing a metal cast…which proved quiet helpful in adding a dramatic flair to our silent think tank sessions and 5. did I fail to mention that she works, is married and has two kids too?!?   Well, Jo was “kicked out” of her home for a showing, and she called, and I asked for her opinion, (which I said was on the carpet and curtains and that’s all)…six hours later, a trip to Home Depot,  a trip to the french boutique, Tar-get where in both parking lots Joann declares, “YAY…a pull thru!”

A what?

A “pull thru” in the Joann dictionary occurs when you go to park in a parking lot but the spot in front of you is open and you can, pull thru, so when you return to your car, you don’t need to back up.  She rejoiced so loud in the Home Depot lot, that the gal in the sexy minivan next to me, that was meditating, or reading or doing something silently, with her windows down, turned, smiled and said a “YAY!” right back at us with a “Booo” for her because she had nothing but curb and grass in front of her.  I suggested that she, “Show everyone in this parking lot what your sexy minivan’s made of girl!”

I don’t think she did.

But I did “pull thru” and Jo did a mild version of the sitting electric slide right there in my sports car, with her metallic sore finger and all.  About the sports car thing, well, that’s what I call the Finkster’s sedan, because, like I’ve told you many times before, I drive a sexy minivan.  A minivan, in all honesty, is the exact opposite of a sports car, but I really am digressing…

All this to say, Jo had the same delight in the Target parking lot, which when we returned to my sports car, with her “payment” a Snickers bar and a bottle of Febreeze (I won’t tell you which one she consumed) we headed back to my pad to sit and watch Jo work her magic on the Fink pad.  I’m not much into home decor at all, (check out the before pics below) but I’m grateful for friends that are and not afraid to straighten out my life and iron curtains with nine digits…all in the name of smelling desperation and acting out of love.

Jo’s not the only one smelling desperation.  My friend Leslie smelled it on me too.  After she returned from the Jersey Shore (The place, not the show, okay? Could you imagine Snooki decorating my place? No.  Brain stop.  I’m stressing out more now…, we had already planned for her to work her magic on my pad.  But the pics were being taken today and I had to move quick…

All this to say, take a look-see at the before and after pics:

KITCHEN:

BOYS BATHROOM:

PLAYROOM:

I’m grateful that when I was teetering out, God, in the right moment gave me a, “YAY…a pull thru!” and I’m not talking about the parking lot now, I’m talking my girlfriends.  I’m talking about a God-like, “I’ll pull ya thru!”  I needed a smiling nine digit sister with mad decorating and ironing skills to come to my aid because I’m getting a little weary.  Cleaning, patience and home decorating are just not strong talents of mine.  But I got a “YAY, friends to pull me thru” and I’m so, very, grateful.

Then, just moments ago, I received a call from Joann that she just received the very first offer on her home!  Another example of a, “YAY…a pull thru!”

Which room do you think she did the best job on?  And, what’s a “YAY…a pull thru!” that you’ve had lately?!?