faith

What It All Meant {Thoughts From Me}

May 22, 2017 by Dana

Soon I’m going to take the big step to move us over to WordPress and off this current format for blogging, so this past week, I’ve been going through old posts and making a few changes that will make this easier for me. I’ve also been correcting a few things I didn’t know I had been doing wrong with my coding. (Blogging is a daily learning experience.) It’s a lot but it will be well worth it in the end.

Going through old posts means taking a step back into the past. This hasn’t been easy. There are things I wish I could erase. There are things I have deleted just because I don’t want to be reminded they happened even with this blog. Nothing I’m ashamed of, just things it’s time to let go of. I know I can never change the past, and I never would because our past is what makes us who we are today.

I have deleted a few irrelevant posts. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I wrote those. They were just filling space.

I also took notice that my life was going in a certain direction back then but somewhere I got off that track. It’s a road I’d like to find again, and I will in time. See, life sometimes hurts so much that you lose yourself and you become someone who covers the pain with a fake smile or a positive word that deep down doesn’t mean a thing. Sometimes the abuse is so hard that you want to pretend it just doesn’t exist, so you do pretend and you paint a picture that all is right with the world, even when it isn’t.

I took notice that my ex was rarely mentioned in my previous posts. He was in my day to day life and frequently mentioned on my social media while we were together but not here. He didn’t want to be part of my life and he let me know it so often that I just left him out as much as I could. I wanted him but he never wanted me and honestly, I’m okay with that now.

I see now that we were not right for each other and God has blessed me more than I could ever have imagined with my husband, Don and our beautiful family. I see now that God had a bigger and better plan for me. The experience with my ex was something that was forced and something that was unwanted by one side but it was an experience I learned greatly from and one I can go forth and share my pain with others like me who need someone to understand. Having Don in my life gives me hope and strength and love where once their was none.

My blog used to be Christ centered, and though God is still here in my writing, I wish to find Him again, to share encouragement and love, to spread his Truth through my own testimony for God gave me a great one to share. I wish to help others, to inspire them, to show them that a better life is ahead, not to give up and to fight for what their heart desires, for it will come. With God all things are possible and our dreams will come true.

So here I am, finding my way again, working on bigger things that will come about in time.

Until then…

Dana

God Loves Mommy & Me {FrontGate Review}

April 24, 2017 by Dana

God Loves Mommy & Me is a beautifully written and designed book for young children. Bonnie Rickner Jensen has gone beyond to share the story of God’s Love for us and our children. Laura Watkins has created some of the most beautiful images that truly speak to your heart.

God Loves Mommy & Me is a soft cover board book designed to be easy to hold and read together. The pages are glossy and easy to clean but thick enough for your little one to be able to easily turn the pages. Each page features the beautiful artwork of Laura Watkins, sharing the Mommy and Baby Rabbits and how God loves them no matter what they do.

This book teaches forgiveness, prayer and love from morning to night. My children and I truly loved the imagery and story shared within this book. It was easy for us to relate to the loving moments and discuss how Baby and Mommy Rabbit felt.

You can purchase your own copy of God Loves Mommy & Me online for $7.54.

You can join in with the Harper Collins Children’s Books Giveaway for this book as well.

Welcome to April {Thoughts From Me}

April 5, 2017 by Dana

Welcome to April!

Our April began with the Devil shining her ugly face at us. Petty spite and anger from another at our wonderful life became the focus for a few days. The law has been contacted and shall be handling that as necessary. I refuse to be bullied, stalked, or slandered any more. Mama has always said I should have been a lawyer. Maybe one of these days I’ll listen.

The other month, I posted that I was having writer’s block. Well, the good Lord has seen fit to allow thing to happen that have given me lots to talk about! Talk I will with His guidance.

It was brought to my attention that some of you assume my blog is a “homeschooling” blog. It’s not. It’s a family-life blog that I write as a journal, to share with others who are like us and to spread the word for Epilepsy Awareness, Involuntary Breath Holding Spells Awareness and the other health issues we face. This includes my recent battles for my own health with undetermined female bleeding issues. Homeschooling is a just a part of the mix and always will be.

It was also brought to my attention that some of you don’t know how to pronounce my children’s names.

Winston is pretty simple. He was named for his Papa, my Dad. Win-ston. It’s an easy name.

Emmalee is NOT Emily. It is Emma Lee pronounced all together, though she was named for one of my dear friends Emily. I just really dislike the “ILY” spelling of that name so I changed it to something I liked much better. She’s also named for her Great-Grandmother Elma and the Lee for her bio-Dad’s family name. Her Great Great Grandmother’s name was Emma as well.

Laycie is pronounced the same as Lacy though her spelling is different. “Lay-cee”. I wanted her to be different so I gave her a unique spelling like her sister.

Jackson is just that: Jack-son. Simple like his big brother’s name.

Each of these names were chosen for unique reasons for my children after I prayed about them for a long time. Some of y’all know the story of how I chose Jack’s name when I was unsure about it. I had a photo shoot that day and when I arrived his name was written on a wall. It was then and there I knew it was to be his name. God provides signs everywhere. Just today Jackson was telling me he is Jackson and not any other name. God knows who we are meant to be.

Our life is just that. Our life. I share it for others who are like us that just need someone they can relate to. I know there were many days in my life when I felt like no one understood my life. I know there were others who were like me but I couldn’t find them. Blogs weren’t a thing then and growing up people definitely didn’t talk about Epilepsy. Things have changed now. People are generally more open-minded though there are still many who are not.

Now you can judge me on every single word I post here. You can bash me. You can nitpick all I have to say. But really what good is it going to do? I’m still going to write what I feel. I’m still going to say what I think. I’m still going to be me and keep being me. After all, opinions are like assholes, every one has one.

I, personally, try to keep my opinions on others and their lives to myself for the most part. I am not here to judge and condemn anyone. There is a bigger presence for that and we will all face the truth one day. I’m not the one you need to be worried about because I’m just a little insignificant person on this Earth trying to make it through life just like the rest of you.

So here’s the thing. You live your life and we will keep living ours. We are happy, in love, high on life and there isn’t a soul in this world taking that away from me this time. My children are the light of my life. They bring me indescribable joy. As does my husband.

No one’s spite or jealousy or negative remarks will change that. I know his heart and he has never lied to me. He has changed from the person of his past and he is becoming the person he’s always longed to be with my help and his determination. I’ve done my medical research and I will stand beside him and not give up because I know the truth of it all.

“Sometimes the love of your life come after the mistakes of your life.” (I know mine and Don’s both have.)

We all have mistakes in our past. Every single one of us. There is no one better than another. It’s how we choose to live after these mistakes that make a difference.

I have personally chosen to learn from the mistakes of my past and move forward but some people chose to dwell on these mistakes and allow them to destroy them inside instead of embracing what God has blessed them with. They become so wrapped up in the “wrongs” they fail to find the “rights”. They feel owed. But let me tell you. None of us are owed anything from one another. None of us are owed anything in this life.

We all start from nothing and we are hear to learn God’s Love, Mercy, Grace, Faith, Hope and all the things He wishes us to know. But even He doesn’t owe us anything because we were given the greatest gift we could ever receive: Life upon the Death of God’s Son.

God Forgives. God Loves. God gives Grace in our mistakes. God gives Mercy even to those who we feel do not deserve it and He expects us to do the same. Not an easy thing, I know but it can be done. I personally live my life trying to do just these things.

It’s easy to hold a grudge. It’s easy to let the hatred we develop when we feel wronged overtake us. It’s hard to follow God’s guidance and allow ourselves to let go, lay it as His feet and Forgive others.
Life is a learning process. We come in this world to learn, to develop, to follow the things He is teaching us. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we succeed. But no matter we continue to live.

Being consumed with the life of others does us no good because we are here to live our own lives. Being upset because someone has gotten the better of you and acting out does no good because that person is still going to get the best of you in the future and their words really should not matter. We are all just people. Just here living. Make the best of it and let go of the rest.

God bless all of you,

Dana Lambert – Hodge

Thanksgiving Challenges {Thoughts From Me}

November 27, 2016 by Dana

Our Thanksgiving weekend did not go as we had planned. There were many unexpected challenges that came about. There was work where we least expected it.

Wednesday, as I was cleaning our room to prepare for Winter and cold weather, I saw a place on our walls where the paint was peeling away so I gently tugged at it because I am planing to paint that room anyways. But what I did not expect to find behind that paint was a molded wall that had been covered with cheap paint before our landlords purchased our residence. The previous owner had covered over the mold so the new owners had no idea what they were really getting. Over time, the cheap paint loosened and the truth was exposed.

Mold. Seriously?! At Thanksgiving?! Just what we needed to find! Luckily, we do know how to remove and treat the areas that were affected. And so you can guess how the weekend was spent.

We’ve taken our room wall by wall. One spot had to be peeled away, trashed and repainted with Kilz 2 to protect and seal the remaining mold which was affected only on the surface area. But there was more to be discovered. The opposite side of our room, by our window, the wall was brittle and breaking due to the dampness and mold growing there. It, too, had been hidden by the previous paint job and then by the furniture we had inside our room. So these walls had to be completely ripped out and replaced. I’m thankful to say that this is done and now we just need to finish it all off with paint!

So you’d think that God would say “Ok these guys have had enough” but NOPE. He decided to challenge us even more. As I was cooking our Thanksgiving dinner (I had the sides while Don did the Turkey and Ham and my Mom did the Giblet Gravy, Mac N Cheese and the Stuffing or Dressing as you prefer to call it), I discovered our sink drain was not draining out. Oh boy! Another challenge! The water was backed up with no where to go.

Yep, you guessed it! Our septic was FULL!

Hurricane Matthew still has the water level high, so add to that 7 people using the water, bathroom, shower and that equals a full tank! The septic decided on Thanksgiving Day that it had enough and wasn’t taking anymore.

Yep! This mess was our holiday weekend.

I’m thankful to say that Don has fixed the bedroom and our wonderful landlords had the septic emptied completely late last night. We did manage to have a great meal despite the challenges and we all shared things we were thankful for. Me? I was just thankful to have the meal done and my family fed.

Sometimes challenges happen and you come through them together, stronger than you expect to. You learn from them, deal with them and move forward. These were some pretty serious tasks we faced but we didn’t let that stop us from enjoying our time as a family or discourage us from our holiday.

When life throws you lemons, you simply add some sugar, some ice and have sweet homemade lemonade!

Peace, Quiet and Tranquility {Thoughts From Me}

November 17, 2016 by Dana

Peace,

quiet,

tranquility.

These are three things you won’t find in our house. With four kids, there is never any quiet. There’s never peace. There’s never tranquility.

But what there is, is a lot of love, a lot of fun and a lot of NOISE.

One day my house will be empty and I will have peace and quiet again but it will be too quite because nothing makes me happier than this house full of noise. The smiles, the laughs, even the occasional screams and tears make life worth living. Living life is worth it all.

About blogging… {Thoughts From Me}

November 6, 2016 by Dana

Some days I have no idea what to blog about so then this becomes a sort of diary for me. An outlet to get out my frustrations. A way to let go and share myself with the world.

Most days I have no idea where these posts are going to go. I just let my fingers type and my mind release it’s thoughts onto digital paper. As with most of our life, I go with the flow of things.

The problem with this is that there is no real stability in my blog content. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but just not a great thing when you’re a blogger. There is no particular spot for my posts. There is no particular format for my posts. There is no particular topic or style or method for my posts. They just are.

As a blogger, as a writer, I would prefer to see myself writing more interesting posts to share with my readers. I would prefer to see myself more organized in blogging and talking about life, homeschooling, even Epilepsy. I would prefer to find my spot in this blogging world, claim it for myself and let it build into something beautiful. I know that comes with time and effort though.

I have many friends who make blogging look so easy and in some ways it is when you have the content provided, such as in providing reviews and information to the public. But when it comes down to the real life heart of blogging, it becomes harder to get past the chatter and into the meat of writing.

So this months goal is to just get back to writing. Put pen to paper and go, or in this case, fingers on keyboard to digital paper and type. Both end in fabulously unique results and that’s my end goal.

This month is Epilepsy Awareness Month. As you all know, it’s a subject close to my heart as three of my four beautiful babies, along with myself have lived with Epilepsy for most of our life. This month I will be sharing more about our life with Epilepsy, as I do often throughout the year. Please message me if you have any questions you would be interested in having me answer for you.

And as always stay tuned for the next post…

With all my love,

Dana