Grateful


Right along with Thanksgiving, can we just skip it all together this year? I have just not been in the spirit at all. When my favorite music station started paying non Christ bearing Christmas carols 2 weeks before Christmas, I just wanted to crawl in a dark hole until the day after Christmas. I have so much to be thankful for, but there are a lot of things plaguing me as well. My days are spent much differently now. I am running a pretty tight ship, but I feel like I am going to fall over board some evenings after the boys go to bed... Father, if I trust You for my eternal salvation, why don't I trust You for my daily needs? Instill in me the peace that comes from casting all my cares to You. Help me wake up to saying this is a new day, I am rejoicing it, and going to bed being grateful for the day that I have had with You, and with my family Father.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


It has been over 2 months since Adam has picked up his guitar. Even when we said if you don't start practicing again, we will sell the guitar, and we will keep the profit. He jut shrugged his shoulders. His grades are great, he came home with straight A's on his report card, I wouldn't of thought he would get less, but he did. He hasn't been doing chores, which we had told him that if he didn't want to do chores, then he was not allowed to do the things that he was allowed to do when he was doing his chores. With responsibility comes flexibility in the fun stuff. He has regressed. I know why. We know why. It makes me sad. I know ways to change it... but it is the way I choose to change it I am not sure about.

God here I go again, I am placing this one, alongside my problems and flaws I have already placed in your large, loving, already heavy hands.

Matthew 11: 28-30 (28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


I need to repeat this verse in my head a lot lately. I also have been told that I need to be the window into God's world. It is just hard, when I feel like that window locked, there is duct tape on the windows so the panes won't shatter, and boarded up so my winds won't gush through. Thank you for telling me that though, thank you for giving me that push, and giving me the eyes to see that I need to be that window...you know who you are. I will keep my winds blowing like a hurricane, and I will break through.

Going Green take 2


This past week has been a hit! I have been soda free! The rest of the house... well that will be a big step when they decide to join me on that wonderful part of this journey.

We have been using cloth napkins at dinner time. I have not had to replace the paper towel roll at all his past week, and it is only half gone, so that makes me happy.

I can honestly say that I LOVE to hang dry my clothes! It keeps me on my toes with my laundry! I have to plan the laundry out. I have to make sure I keep up on it, because it is not like I can just throw a load in the wash and then just dry it really quick (well I can, but I am choosing not to use the dryer, he is retired again).

Lights have been out! Everyone has been doing their part to make sure that the lights are turned off when they leave the room, or if we are eating dinner, the tv is off. It is nice.

As for driving... well there has not been much of that going on for me since my van is almost on it's way to the morgue unless my dear husband can figure what is going on with my engine. His Subaru is once again in his garage and being worked on until late hours of the night. The Jeep... well... it is "working".

Everyone is very much so doing their part to recycle like it's nobody's business!

Cold water is being used for washing, I am even thinking of making my own dishwashing liquid... but that is a whole new post!

I have not found the mesh bags for our veggies... so I am still on the hunt... I have found a few web-sites, but they are so pricey. So the ones we have had to use from the grocery, we are using to throw diapers away in.

So, so far so good! I am proud of myself, and my family! Carbon footprint, eat our dust!

Going green take 1


So I have decided to take it upon myself to lighten the carbon footprint that my family is leaving. I have a list that I am starting, to improve our footprint... to make it slowly fade... I hope.

The biggest thing this weekend was cloth napkins. DH wasn't too sure about how I was going to keep up on it, but I am willing to give it 110%!

No soda. No soda for me at least, which means that I will not be omitting Co2 from all of the soda I would normally be drinking. http://www.breathingearth.net/

Hanging em up to dry! I have retired my dryer again, and boy is he happy! He will only be put to use when something needs fluffed, and that will be a rare occasion.

Turning off the lights when we leave the room, and making sure that the appliances are un-plugged if they are not being used, or they are on energy save.

I have put a bottle filled with water with some rocks in the bottom of the bottle, in the tank to my toilet to help conserve the water. It will help us save about 10 gallons a day in water just by me putting that bottle there.

Instead of driving over to get DH's coffee in the morning, I will be walking. The same with going over to Walgreens for anything that is needed, which is two blocks away.

My recycling has gone WAY up. I usually skimp, and if I get lazy and I don't want to wash out the can of soup or milk jug, I just toss it. Instead I am leaving it in the sink, and I do it when I do the dishes.

I have been using cold water in my wash instead of warm or hot water, and making sure that I always have a whole load of laundry to do instead of just 3/4 of a load.

No more plastic water bottles are going to be purchased for our household. We have quite a few reusable water containers, and those will be used, unless the older boys want to reuse their precious plastic water bottles.

No more, "Paper or Plastic?" I am sticking to using my bags. I paid for them, why not use them! If for what ever reason I have purchased so much at the store that day and I can not for everything into my 10 bags, well then I will use paper, since I can recycle them.


My next stop... I am looking for some mesh bags to put my fruits and veggies in to transfer from store to home, instead of using the plastic bags at the store... Any ideas on which website to start at?

You know...


It has been a while since I have posted. There has been a lot of tension here at the Wilkinson house. I can't say that it all even boils down to one thing.... because it doesn't. It is a massive mountain of things that I don't have the faith to move, but I am getting there piece by piece, problem by problem.

You know I haven't even written about Cub@. I haven't gone back and written anything in my journal. I don't know if it is fear of bringing up the emotions again, or if it is that I don't have those emotions anymore?

My husband and I? Where do I begin? We have been on rocks that are on top of that massive mountain.... those rocks have been slipping slowly for the last year or so, but these past few weeks it has been a landslide. On both ends there is no communication. We bottle it up like a stinky old lady perfume, and when we let it out it lingers behind for days. This last time, it was still lingering. But we are slowly picking up those rocks from that grandiose landslide, and forming a new mountain together. As individuals, and as one. That is one main thing that the both of us need to work on. We don't have any inkling on who we are anymore. When we first met, we were so different from now. Relient K has a song called "Who I am Hates Who I've Been", and it so explains me at this current moment. I don't like the fact that I have been trying to be this perfect house wife, and mother. Yuck. I don't even like that word anymore. Mother. It sounds too "grown up". Yes, yes I know. "Kathleen you are 27 you know." I do know. But I also know that "This is no place to try and live my life". Not where I am right now. Not the way I feel. I am not the same person I was back then, back before the twinkies breached the storm doors and invaded my body for those short 27 weeks and 6 days. After that they were so sick, and I was sick. Mentally and physically I was pulled in so many directions. Kyle and I had no idea what to do. I had my faith, but it was hard sometimes when things got rough. Then months down the line they were released from this, and safe from that. Slowly weight was lifted from our shoulders. Some of it. We now know, not all of it. The boys are now 21 1/2 months old. They still have things wrong. Some things are just developmental things, others are bigger problems. That is a whole different post for a whole different day.

Kyle and I, we are making big strides. Both of us have been diagnosed as clinically depressed. Bahh! Wouldn't you after propelling down this mountain together, snowballing and making the mess even bigger? Individually we have our own goblins that we are facing. He has had a lot go on in the past that he has been masking, and so have I. But the both of us have masked it in different ways. We both have become different people and we don't like the fact that we have become those people. Neither one of us has had a true identities in a long time.

Identity -
1. the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions: The identity of the fingerprints on the gun with those on file provided evidence that he was the killer.
2. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another: He doubted his own identity.
3. condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is: a case of mistaken identity.
4. the state or fact of being the same one as described.
5. the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time and sometimes disturbed in mental illnesses, as schizophrenia.
6. exact likeness in nature or qualities: an identity of interests.
7. an instance or point of sameness or likeness: to mistake resemblances for identities.

You know I didn't know that I don't have a true identity, until my husband and I talked about it at dinner a month or so ago. My husband is a wonderful man. I sometimes get intimidated when I get into conversations with him because of his big lofty words he uses. But that night, everything that he said to me, I heard. It all clicked. We clicked. It was amazing. By just talking we both found out (even though he has already know and been battling with it himself) that we share something very scary and annoying, but something that we can beat and come out on top together, and be an even better, wonderfully happy married couple afterward. Neither one of us have an identity anymore. I have not had one since I was 15 (when I first started dating my ex), and he said to be honest he is not sure when he lost his. So that is a big thing that we both are working on. Another, we never took the chance to become friends first. So now, we get the chance to be friends, learn more about one another, get all mushy and love each other more for our differences. I don't know about him, but I am excited! This past month I have been working up to write this post. I am not too sure on why it was so hard for me to write. But tonight I was ready to let it all out, get it all out, rip it out remove it (that one's for you Kevin). I am glad. My heart is getting happier by the day. What I am searching for is coming. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. - James 1:2-3

Cry Out to Jesus


What a song. It hits home in so many ways. Yesterday was Praise Team practice. Well every Thursday we normally have Bible Study. The twinkies had not had a nap, and only 3 of us were going to be at study so we went ahead and called it off. Also on Thursday's Adam has guitar lessons with Matt up at church while we have our Bible study. Adam still wanted to go to lessons, and I had to go to Meijers, and Katie said she didn't mind hanging here with the twinkies. So off we went. Matt didn't realize he had double booked himself with Praise Team practice and Adam's lessons. So since not everyone was there for practice yet, Matt went ahead and started with Adam. Well, Adam has not been practicing. Honestly Matt and I both think it is because he is afraid that if he learns to play to fast, that he will be up playing in front of church, and Adam is not one to be in the spot light like that. He likes to act like he likes to be in the spot light, but he has trouble with the actual performing in the spotlight when it becomes serious. But yesterday they were trying out a couple new songs for praise team.... One happens to be Cry Out to Jesus. I love the lyrics to this song:

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

Chorus

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith and love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

Chorus

When your lonely (when you're lonely)
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

Chorus

The beginning before the first chorus just gets me, I usually can't even sing it. It reminds me so much of my mom. Each time I hear this song. Last night, to hear this song over the system when Kevin played it, I was fighting back the tears. I had not heard that song in the church before. I had left for a while to go and visit my aunt and uncle so that everyone could practice. When I got back, everyone was finishing up. Matt was talking to me about how both of the songs that they were working on last night were 4 simple chords and him and Kevin both think that Adam could play them if he practices and gets up to speed. What a way to serve our Father! So, if and when it comes to that day that Adam is up in front of the church playing for the Lord our Father, and he plays this song. You better believe that I will be singing my heart out with tears of joy, and I know that my momma will too. I love you Adam, and I know you can do it if you keep at it!

Not without Love


Right now currently Jimmy Needham is on repeat on my Ipod. He has a way with words. Amazing way with words. He knows how to praise God for His goodness.

One of my favs, and it hits me everytime:

Not without Love: Benediction
I tried Lord
I tried Lord
I tried hard to be Your good little boy
Chin up, head high
All zeal and no joy
Thinking all my good deeds could please Jesus
Boy, was I wrong
Though I knew the right songs, all my cymbals and gongs played the melodies wrong
And it wasn’t long ‘til I saw my disease
A life spent wanting to please
On hands and knees
To make right, to appease
God help me please
This can’t be Christianity, it can’t be
The whole thing’s like insanity
Where’s the rest of eternal security?
Where’s the hope of a God big enough to cope with all my hang-ups and insecurities?
Certainly this isn’t breathing
My chest burning and heaving
It’s like my pulse is ceasing
Like my heart quits beating
Yet this I recall to mind and therefore I have hope:
You died, Lord
You died, Lord
Assuredly, like the coming of the dawn, the Father’s love song goes on
Drowning out my bitter songs
And breaking through walls and barriers
Christ swoops in, removes sin, picks up His bride and carries her
So I can sing in agreement with the King this thing:
There’s only one thing that pleases the Father
The God-man on the tree in the midst of the scoffers
Now I finally see that Christ is what Christ offers
And I’m finally free in the love of the Father