Home Proud.

This morning I began to change Emily's diaper and realized there weren't enough wipes in the container for the nice little present she left me.  So I quickly wrapped her back up and ran to her room for more wipes.  Upon returning I found Molly chasing Emily with a wet wipe whilst Emily crawled across the floor with a half undone diaper leaving me---oh lets call them "drops of Love"---all over the carpet.  I carried Emily to the bathroom and rinsed her head to toe because of the "Love" that had squished all over her knees and legs.  Sigh...what a way to begin a week.

Anyone who watches the Nate Berkus Show will know that he talks about being "House Proud" all the time.  Maybe it's because I have always wanted a beautiful home that I can show off, maybe because so many of my friends have beautifully decorated, nicely furnished, gorgeous homes or maybe because I tend towards a petty nature, but lately I have been longing for a nicer home.  Not a different home...I like my house.   Just in nicer shape.  We are in the process of redoing some major projects and my imagination can carry me away sometimes.  I have a picture in my head of how I want my house to look and I want it NOW!  I want nice carpet, nice furniture, decorations that match and most of all, a room where I can put toys.  I do not have any of those things.  Nor will I have them anytime soon...well I will have the family room but my "soon" and Jared's "soon" are two different things.  I was starting to get cranky.

Last week when I was making plans for my home I kept getting this feeling that maybe I was forgetting something.  I had the feeling when I was shopping, when I was cleaning and when I was sitting at my computer.  Finally I was so annoyed at this niggling feeling that I got up and wandered around the house trying to jog my memory.  I firmly believe that "feeling" I was having was God telling me to get up and look around.  I started to notice things.  Things like, "Good grief! We have way too much food!"  "I need to go through the clothes and get rid of some because we have WAY too many!"  "The bathroom looks so much nicer than it did 2 years ago!"  And then it began to make sense.  I had been wanting something beautiful and bragworthy (yes, I did just make up a word, grammar police!) and the whole time I was sitting in the middle of God's blessings.  So I sat down with a piece of paper and listed them.  In the middle of the living room floor just looking around I covered the page, front and back, with gifts from God.  My children and husband were at the top of the list of course but as I looked at the pictures on my walls(those that know me well know that "art" is diddly squat to me compared to photos of those I love) and listed 2 dozen people whom I love and love me.  I have a house that was a huge blessing even though we didn't know it when we bought it.  Sometimes I need to be smacked upside the head and thankfully I have a God who knows that about me.

 Perhaps some people wouldn't want to live in my house with its two bedrooms and only one toilet(which I admit is not fun when pottytraining!) but I know that Jesus is here with us.  When we are singing and dancing or having a pj's day or generally making fools of ourselves in our little home, God is smiling at us.  Because doesn't call us to be happy once we have a nice house.  He calls us to be happy with the gifts He has given us.  By not rejoicing in the home I have been given and celebrating His gifts I was practically rejecting them.  My ungratefulness was saying, "Not good enough God!  I want better presents!"  I definitely deserved a smack in the head for that one!  There are a great many people in my life whose faith has been an inspiration to me and none of them have had nice homes, money, or even nice cars, but I never noticed...because they were HAPPY!  And they praised God for what they had.  Everyday.  Lesson for Kaitlyn maybe???

I may not have a house that can be featured in a magazine, (or even in a blog for fear you will see the stains covering my carpet!) but I do have a home.  A home given to me by a good God.  A home where I can teach my babies how to Love and respect and be thankful.  A home where they will grow and make messes and memories.  And I am Home Proud!  So when I whipped around to yell at Molly(after cleaning up the baby) for getting poo all over my floor and she grinned a big proud grin declaring, "Mom I help!  I change Emmy!", I sat down on the floor and pulled her into my arms and told her that she was a big helper and she did a great job....then I told her she needed to help Mommy clean the carpet.  Which she did...while singing...because my child loves to clean...shes weird.  I spent 30 minutes cleaning yuckiness out of the ONLY carpet in the whole house!!!!(How does this always happen on the carpet!!!)  But it was okay.  Because this is not a dream house but a house in which to dream.  Not a lovely house but a home well loved.  Not a show home but a home in which to show our love.  Someday I will have a mansion in heaven but until then, I will try to use my little home as a place to lead my children to their own mansions in heaven.

 Maybe someday I will have a beautiful house with pretty furniture but at this point in my life, I am happy I have a home where spills and stains are just spills and stains and nothing more.