Well hey there!

"Blog." It's been on my to-do list for weeks now, but I've been too busy kissing my son's cheeks.

This picture was taken on my birthday last month. It was a wonderful, beautiful Saturday. Andrew got me donuts in the morning. I was nearly sick from the sugar rush, but it was very much worth it. To counter the unhealthiness, we went to Whole Foods to get fancy cheese, and a nice bottle of wine. If they sell it at Whole Foods, it's healthy, right?

My interest in cheese has peaked since my trip to France. 

My interest in bread is not new; it has always been with me. 

Andrew cooked an amazing dinner for me that night, and it was a good day. 

I should have soaked that good day up because the ones to follow were not good. Like the heart-breaking LSU loss to Bama. Or more monumentally, the Romney defeat. I'd say that's a good word for our hearts: defeated. 

That's only one part of this big world puzzle, though.

I have found such sweetness in being a wife, in home making, and in motherhood. I've taken to this honorable challenge. What's so encouraging is the resources that I've been blessed with recently. Our church offers a Thursday morning bible study called moms.com. How fitting for my new role. Our study: Sacred Parenting. Again, how fitting. To say it's a blessing is an understatement. We studied Sacred Parenting, and when the book was complete, we were given the opportunity to sit in on round table discussions on topics that interest us such as marriage, toddler discipline, prayer, sleep, family devotions etc. 

I chose the first three, and I am still filled up with the wisdom that was shared. This week, we had a Proverbs 31 "mom fair" of sorts. The stations consisted of Blessing Your Husband, Coupon and Meal Planning, Hospitality, Missions, Toddler Rearing, Organizing and more. I live for this stuff. I am really a mom now.

I hope to share some of the resources as I sort through my papers. 

So with the sweet blessing of our church members and the heaviness of our hearts with the state of our country, I started thinking. I feel like I need to do something. 

Do you ever feel like you pray as a last-ditch, final effort? I do. That's what I did in terms of praying for my country. I'll admit, I started praying for this election in October. The election, as we know, is in November. I didn't pray for her people; I simply prayed for Mitt Romney. 

I want to do things differently. I don't want to start praying for my country again in 3 years and 11 months. I want to be held accountable for praying for our country, not as a last-ditch effort, but a powerful, intentional conversation with the Lord. 

I'm not one of those people that wants to move out of the country. Where would I go? We live in the best country in the world. I am so proud to be an American, but I'm disheartened is all. 

My son will be 4 years old when the next election rolls around. It's time I educate myself on the truths of our country and teach my son it's principles. I look forward to the challenge. 

I suppose this last week of events has caused a momentary somber feeling. To put it in perspective, I couldn't be happier with my role as mother. I could be happier with John Henry, and his sweet disposition (and sleep habits!). My husband has been so helpful, and as I mentioned, our church, a huge blessing. 

We must have joyful hearts for the blessings in the midst of this crazy world. I think the world is so corrupt now in 2012, but come to think of it, it always has been. That's why we needed a Savior. "Take heart; I have overcome the world" is as true today as it was then.