Motivation Monday

On Saturday, I took the opportunity to read a chapter in one of my books on mothering. It really spoke to me so I thought I'd share it today for a motivation Monday.
The book is titled Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson. The chapter I read was on celebrating life. In this chapter, Sally shared two simple, biblical principles on how to live a joyful life.
First, choose to be thankful. She used Job as an example. He lost everything that was important to him and even after his wife tried to get him to blame God, he accepted that it was God's will and trusted in Him.
Her second principle on living a joyful life is learn to be content. Philippians 4:11 states, I have learned whatsoever state I'm in, therewith to be content. If I'm content, joy will naturally follow.
Bottom line, if we choose to be thankful and learn to be content, then we are opening our hearts to let joy come in.
I was motivated by this and I hope that you will be motivated as well. Let us choose to be thankful and content. I'm ready for a joy-filled life, are you?

CHOOSE JOY!

I love this. I might type this saying up and put it on my fridge so I don't forget it.

My Mother's Day

My Mother's Day weekend kicked off with a cookout at my in-laws Friday night. A bunch of us were there to help dad mulch their flower beds. We had a great time gathered around the fire. And the sunset was magnificent.
Saturday morning, Sonny and I rode along with Wendell as he delivered metal to Charlotte (pronounced Shar-lot). It was great riding along with my husband again and an added bonus to be able to take our son along.
Mother's Day morning dawned so beautifully with the sun shining bright. My husband fixed me a delicious breakfast in bed of fried potatoes, dippy eggs, and toast.
After an inspiring sermon on mothers at church, we went to my in-laws for lunch. The table was beautifully arranged on the deck and the ladies (and men) were arranging food for our meal. I made some homemade chocolates for the meal which were a huge hit, especially with the children.
Right when we were ready to sit down to eat the sun disappeared behind the clouds and the wind picked up. We quickly ate our meal of salad, hamloaf balls, mashed potatoes, and green beans before going inside to visit and enjoy dessert.
We visited all afternoon until company left. It was nice to spend the day with some dear friends.
For supper, we had yet another cookout by the fire. It had really cooled off so the fire felt so warm and inviting.
After supper, we had some outdoor games going and Sonny played on a trampoline for the first time. He really enjoyed it.
I'm so blessed to have a son. He has made my life so much better. Without him, my life would be dull and boring.

Friday night's magnificent sunset.

Riding with daddy. 

Our beautifully arranged table.

The moms. My sister-in-laws are beside me and my mother-in-law is in the middle behind us. 

Family photos by the pine trees. My husband picked the backdrop. I think the location will be perfect for Christmas photos! 

Mommy and Sonny time. This woman is counting her blessings.

Trampoline time with daddy.

Just a swinging, swinging! 

Chillin' by the fire!

I hope you all had a great and very happy mother's day. 

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

♡ My mother. My mom and I have always had a good relationship. We had our ups and downs but she's always had my back. Since becoming a mother myself, I appreciate everything she does even more. She made a lot of sacrifices over the years and she did so because she loves her children.
♡ My mother-in-law. She is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met. She's always there when her children need her and she always goes the extra mile. She's always there for encouragement. Just last night she sent me an encouraging message that I'll cherish forever: Martha I promised to be your prayer partner and I am praying that you will have peace and a good evening. I love your sweet family and I thank Him for you in our family.
♡ My sisters. My relationships with my two sisters have had ups and downs but I'm thankful for both sister. I love knowing that I can call my older sister for advice and she always has a listening ear. My younger sister has been a godsend this past year. Without her, I wouldn't have healed from a c-section as well as I did. She was a great nurse and babysitter for my son. I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life. Nicki, my honorary sister, I miss you and I'm so thankful that you've been in my life forever. And you gave me four adorable babies!! Okay, three adorable babies, Aron's a brat!!!
♡ My sister-in-laws. I have great relationships with five of my seven sister-in-laws. I've tried really hard to be friendly and to get along with the other two but I've finally decided that some people come upon their nasty behavior naturally. I'm thankful that the other five make up for their behavior.
♡ My Aunt Julie. She has been through so much this past year with her husband's cancer diagnosis and then watching him get sicker and sicker before he passed away. I love you, Aunt Julie, and I miss you so much. I'm so glad you have Bruno to keep you company. I hope you have a happy Mother's Day. XOXO.
♡ My grandma Miller. I really grew closer to her the past year and I cherish the memories we made together. I miss her so much. She cheered me up so much last week by sending me a hand-written card. I hope she knows how much it means to me.
♡ My husband. Without him in my life, I would still be living a dull life. Life has meaning now. I have a companion to share life's journey with. I have someone to enjoy my cooking. I love keeping your house and turning it into our home.
♡ My son. Without him, I wouldn't be a mother. God blessed my life when He sent him my way. I live for his smiles, his cuddles, his little giggles, and for his big hugs. He's my ray of sunshine.

My card from grandma. It was so sweet of her to send it to me. It has a home on my fridge where I look at it often.

A pic from my wedding day with my parents, grandma Miller, and my aunt and uncle. 

My parents and sister loving up on my son. They knew it would be hard to say goodbye to him.

To all my fellow moms, I wish you all a happy Mother's Day. Enjoy your time with your children and cherish the memories you make.

Mother's Day Supper

Over the weekend, my mother-in-law invited me to a mother's day supper. I was so excited because I'd never attended anything like it before and I was so thankful that they were including me in a church function.
So last night we gathered at Country Dinners, a cute "restaurant" on an Amish farm. We were served fresh-baked bread with a peanut butter spread that's to die for, salad, mashed potatoes, chicken, meatloaf, noodles, and green beans. For dessert we had a choice between peanut butter pie and angel food cake with strawberries. Of course, I chose the angel food cake!
After supper, we gathered in a circle and we had a discussion on purity. As mothers, how can we teach our children to be modest and pure. We had a interesting discussion and I left feeling very inspired.

Our table. The ladies did a marvelous job setting up.

My mother-in-law took this lovely bouquet home.

I see this salt and pepper shaker showing up on my wish list.

My plate of food. Delicious! 

With God all things are possible. 

My box of chocolates. I ate the two peanut butter eggs. Wendell got the rest.

I'm so thankful that my in-laws have all made me feel very welcome in the Nolt family. I'm thankful they included me in this year's mother's day supper. 

After years of not having great relationships with my Miller sister-in-laws, except one (long live the April 84 Club) it's nice to have relationships with all four of my Nolt sister-in-laws. And my mother-in-law is an angel. 

They are a blessing in my life and I pray that God keeps blessing them. Where would we be without mothers? 

Motivation Monday

I have decided to start doing weekly features on my blog to spice things up a bit. My first weekly feature will be Motivation Monday because sometimes we all need motivation.
Today's motivation is a reminder for those people (like me) who have let people affect their lives.
It's always so easy to read something and tell yourself "I can do that" but when it comes to actually living it you falter. That has been my life story and it's time for a change. I have let people affect my happiness for too long.
Now it's time to let God control my life and those who are in it. It is time to renew my strength and look to the Lord as my strength and song.

I've crossed many an ocean for people who really didn't care about me. I'm very thankful for the people in my life who've crossed oceans for me. Please know that I appreciate everything you do for me. It doesn't go unnoticed. 

Thank You, God, for watching over Your children. I find peace in knowing that You are Protector and that You have something better in store for me...heaven.

What is your motivation? 

May Goals

I am excited to see my calendar switch from April to May. The weather here in Michigan will be getting warmer and that means that we'll be able to get outside more. I've decided to come up with a list of goals that I hope to accomplish in may.
☆ Celebrate Mother's Day. My second mother's day as a mom is sure to be the best one yet. I'm not sure yet what my husband has planned but I know I'll enjoy my special day.
☆ Plant a garden. We have to wait a few more weeks to plant because nights are still cold here and we can still get frost. I'm anxious to get the soil ready to plant and pick out our seeds awhile.
☆ Take Sonny for strolls on the rail trail on a regular basis. It well also be good exercise for me. Time to get this mama into shape.
☆ Participate in church events and other events in the area. This is a great way for me to meet other women in the area. I will also have a social life!! There are two MOPS meetings scheduled for May and I hope to go to them.
☆ Start sewing. My sister-in-law is planning on "teaching" me to sew. It's been over 15 years since I've done any sewing. I'm looking forward to sewing dresses for myself.
☆ Go camping. This is the one event scheduled for May that we are the most excited about. The weekend before Memorial Day weekend we are going camping at Orchard Beach State Park. For two days we'll be relaxing by a campfire, walking on the beach, and hiking the trails.
☆ There's also birthdays to celebrate and a school picnic to attend.
I'm excited for May and all that it brings to my life. I have so much to be thankful for. God sure has blessed my life and for that, I owe Him all my praise.

Settling In

It's hard to believe that we've been living in Michigan for three weeks now. Time is flying by as we're loving our life.
We still have stuff in the garage and spare bedroom to put away. We have to decide where we're going to go with it.
I desperately need more cupboard space. There's a small room between the breezeway and the kitchen that'll be insulated soon so that I can use it for more space. We plan to put some cupboards and shelves in there as well as a chest freezer. I'll have a place to store my extra kitchen supplies and my canned goods. I'm so excited!
Wendell and I bought a woodstove on sale and we plan to install it this summer. I look forward to heating our home with wood heat. I loved having a woodstove during my childhood. I'll just have to keep an extra eye on Sonny so that he doesn't get too close to it.
I'm getting to know my way around the area. I take Sonny out occasionally on little outings. Once it's warmer, I'll take him for strolls at the rail trail and take him to the park. I'm looking forward to spending time with my son outside and soaking up the sun.
I have so much to look forward to and so much more to be thankful for.
God has blessed my life richly.

A lighthouse at the Clare welcome center. We went there over the weekend to get brochures. We have so much planned for this summer.