I was convicted the other night as I was walking down the beach with my little ones.  Carmen and I were picking up shells and putting them in her bucket.  I was picking up the whole, beautiful shells and Carmen kept picking up the broken pieces of shells.  I showed Carmen the kind I was picking up and said that those were the kind she needed to look for...not all the broken pieces.  As soon as those words came out of my mouth, the Lord gently spoke into my ear saying, "Marci, brokenness is beautiful to me!"  It's not until we are broken that God can mold and shape us to be who He wants us to be.  It's not until we are broken that we can be rid of our selfish pride that knows no need for a Savior.  My whole shells were pretty but they represent two things.  In the beginning they are a fasad that everything in my life is great and glorious and I need nothing more to fulfill.  In the end, after being broken, they are a picture of a life that has been broken and put back together by the love of the Father so that everything is great and glorious and I have been fulfilled by Jesus!
Psalm 51 :17 says, "The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit.  God, You will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin."
Now, as Carmen picks up the broken pieces, I will be reminded of my precious Savior that gently picked up my pieces when I had nothing left to offer.  To Him, it was a beautiful thing.  Not that I was hurting and broken, but because He knew His daughter had gotten to a point where she knew she needed Him.  He knew from then on, her life would never be the same!

After I gave my testimony to the women at my church, I realized that I told about the major God moments in my life, but thought a few fun facts about me would have been nice too.  So here goes:

1.  I am NOT a name brand kinda girl!  If I have name brand clothes on, they were probably yours that you took to Goodwill!  I love Goodwill!

2.  I do my laundry totally "wrong".  Of course my mom taught me to wash with like colors and when to use warm or cold water.  I do my loads according to importance of being folded.  I wash all the undies, socks and pjs together and wash them if I have to leave the house b/c it's ok for them to wrinkle.  Our nice clothes I do when I can get them out of the dryer immediately to avoid having to iron...one of my least favorite things to do!  I also wash everything in cold.  Heard the other day that I'm saving $.25/load by doing this!  :)

3.  I am a clean freak.  I love organizing!!!  Have to bring order to the chaos!  Derrick gets on to me all the time because I clean up after the kids all the time instead of making them do it.  I just know how I like it done and that I can get it done that way.  So the other day I taught them all how to do their individual jobs (the way I like it).  A few weeks in and they are still loving cleaning day...go figure!

4.  Another one of my least favorite things to do is COOKING!!!!  I so need help in this area!  I literally dread every day deciding what's for dinner and with 5 kids none of them like the same things.  Then if I try something new that takes me forever, it never tastes worth the time and effort I put into it.  I would so love a lifetime meal-plan...one that preferably shows up at my door at about 5 p.m. everyday!

5.  I handle all the money in our household.  I budget and pay all the bills.  I'm one of those that pays right away...don't like any late payments!  I knew once I had kids that I wanted to be a stay at home mom, so I have always prioritized what we need and don't need.  For instance, I do my own mani & pedicures; we don't have all the latest technical stuff; we have never had a car payment b/c we have never bought a brand new car; I shop at Walmart, Target and Goodwill;  I try to highight my own hair, but as you've seen lately it's not going so well.  These are just a few of my budget savers.  I have tried coupons, but I usually forget them or if I remember to take them, I forget I have them.  Gotta work on that!

6.  I love the beach!  Always have and I'm assuming I always will.  (Even though my tanning days are catching up with me through a few wrinkles.)

7.  I have written a book on my journey though infertility and will save up to self-publish it.  Just want to give to those going through the same, not to sell.

8.  Derrick and I began dating 20 years ago.  Wow!  And I still love him...even more!  :)

9.  I will be 40 next year.  Oh my gosh!  I can't believe those words just came out of my mouth!

10.  I'm trying to get back to the weight I was before i had all my babies...15 lbs to go!

11.  I love strawberry flavored twizzlers!

12.  My parents and my in-laws are four of my very best friends. 

13.  I enjoy aerobics, rollerblading and swimming.

14.  I have never mown the lawn...don't even know how.  (Pitiful I know!)

15.  I love rings.  Used to wear one on every finger in high school.

16.  I am a reality t.v. show and a facebook junky. However I do not play all the games on FB...just the connect part.

17.  I am shy even though I force myself to overcome.

18.  We get a couple of $5 hot & ready pizzas from Little Ceasars on Friday nights.

19.  I do not like to read.  Never have.  Shh!  Don't tell my kids!

20.  I am completely bored now!  :)

Well, just a few fun facts.  I'd love to know some about you too!

My mom used to sing this song all the time as I  was growing up.  Not necessarily because the living was easy, but because she loved the part that says, "Your daddy's rich and your mama's good looking..."  As I was singing this song in my head, I can't help but wonder if the living is ever easy????  We actually have had a good summer so far, minus the stomach bug that we all passed around.  I could have accepted it if I would have kept off the 5 lbs that I lost from it, but of course it came right back on once I put food in my mouth!  We got to go to Chattanooga, TN for a family reunion to see family that we haven't seen since Eli was about 3 months old (9 years ago).  Our summer's are also full of partying.  Our kids birthdays are in April, May, June, July and August.  We have enjoyed celebrating Eli, Carmen and Ciera.  Next comes Jesse's 4th b-day on the 12th and then Isaiah's in August.  Talk about being broke for the summer! 

I got an e-mail the other day and about hit the floor...my 20 year high school reunion is in August.  WHAT?!?!  Has it really been 20 years?  I know I'm telling my age now!  August is also mine and Derrick's 15 year wedding anniversary.  Wow!  What a summer!

Not only are we celebrating b-day's, anniversary's and reunions, our family is getting ready to embark on a new adventure...homeschooling.  I blogged about this a year ago when the Lord first laid this on my heart.  Throughout this last year God has continued to confirm my decision on this.  I have ordered curriculums and books, gotten supplies and organized our living room...now I'm ready to go!  Excited, nervous, scared and thrilled.  I might not have any hair left come next summer, but I know God always equips you with what you need to accomplish the call He has on your life.  I will now even more eagerly await those quiet times that I get every now and then, but I will have the joy of having my children grow up before my eyes!  I will cherish every moment because before I know it they will be celebrating their kid's b-days and their own anniversaries.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!