One room down....

Yahoo!!! I am ecstatic that I finished cleaning out the office today. I still have a few things to do... pictures in those bins on the top of my cubicles to be organized and a few other things in the closet... but overall it looks ten million times better than it did!! I worked in it all day today and it was great. It is amazing how much you can get done if you can just be at home. Wesley and Mikayla were too cute when they saw it finished. They were surprised and, I think, motivated to get their rooms looking more like this. I took out almost 3 trash bags full of junk from this area....and a bit from other areas, too. What a great feeling it is for me to come in to this room now. This was the one that got on my nerves the most but I knew I never had the time to get it done so I just had to learn to get past it. I finally had the time!!!!! These bookshelves looked horrible when I started. I now have more room for my scrapbooks and other books. I should have taken before and after pictures but didn't think about it until I was already into the cleaning. Y'all would have been amazed.

As I was cleaning out today I stumbled across a book one of my students had given me this year. I have recently been having some moments of not being so sure I am even making a difference in my teaching. It gets frustrating when you give 150% every day and you don't always see the outcome you think should happen. I have been reminded by the Lord through various ways these last few days of cleaning that I am doing what I should be doing. Reading the cards this past weekend was a really big way of me seeing how I have affected so many children and parents in the last eleven years. Well, today when I looked at that book I just flipped it open to the first page and this is what it had at the top: "Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." OK....God made that very plain to me today. lol The last paragraph of the little devotional states this: "God's word says that we are to work at whatever we do with all our hearts, remembering that whatever we do is for the Lord. Whatever we do, we need to work hard at our professions." It goes on to say a bit more but this is the part that clearly stood out for me today. Through my cleaning out of this house it is like the Lord is saying to clean out my heart and my thoughts I have had and to get the cobwebs clear so that I can do what I am expected to do for Him. I am not in this to please other people, although I do want to be liked as a teacher. I am doing this for HIM because He is the One Who has given me the ability to be what I am. I have shed tears today over some stuff that most people would probably think silly. It truly is like I need to shed some of the burdens I have been carrying and cast them on the Lord. God is so good to show me what He is wanting for me in my life. I thank Him for the ways He has been teaching me.

I forgot to say yesterday that on Saturday we went to see Cars!!! That was the CUTEST movie and we loved it. There were tractors in it, too, so Wesley was on the edge of his seat when that part was on. The thing I really enjoyed about it was that it had a great story behind it. It was from what adults and children alike could learn something. I would love to go back to the theaters to see it again, but will have to wait till it comes out on DVD. This is definitely another one we'll be getting. :)

Well, I guess I need to get back into the den. We are watching the 'Canes play their fourth game in Edmonton. We would love to see them win the Stanley Cup at home. Off to go watch!