10 Things I Can't Live Without (Or Don't want to!)

When I can, I'm joining From Mrs. to Mama in her 52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose.  I'm enjoying the chance to be candid about my motherhood journey and I hope to hear from you in the comments section at the end of my posts.  What are 10 things you can't live without?

Before I had babies, I was a teacher, and one summer, I took two different mission trips.  On the first trip, my husband and I went as chaperones for the youth mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico, where we did building projects at an orphanage.  The second trip was with World Gospel Outreach in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where we did medical mission brigades every day.  Through a translator, I got to share the Gospel one on one with Hondurans.  It was pretty incredible.

After that summer, I knew that I could live without pretty much everything.  Suddenly, air conditioning felt luxurious.  I even *gasp* cut the grass for my husband one day, just because I was so used to manual labor.

So most of these are things that I don't want to live without...but I maybe I could if I had to.  

1.  God's Word.  Sometimes I act like I can live without it, but the truth is, I can't.  It reshapes my day and my perspective.  I've gotta have it.  It's food for my soul.  Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.  Wait, I think someone else has already written that last part.

 This really is my Bible.  My daughter took notes in it for me.

2.  This man.  My best friend who loves me in spite of myself.  He puts up with my junk and loves me enough to make me want to be a better wife and mommy.  I know it doesn't get any better than him--a godly man who loves the Lord and his family and works so hard so that I can be home to raise & teach our children.  And he makes me laugh.

My husband, coloring with our son at a table that was his when he was a little boy.

3.  Nail polish on my toes.  Seriously, I don't know the last time my bare toenails saw the light of day.  I keep 'em polished, even when I'm pregnant and can barely reach my toes.

4.  Those precious people I call my church family.  These are the same ones who have prayed with us and for us in the toughest of times.  When the family we bought our house from called and said "hey, you can move in early!" we called families at church and they moved us in that day.  When my baby was in ICU after lifesaving lung surgery, they prayed, texted, called, and encouraged.  They took time to stop by the hospital, which was three hours away from our town.  And they brought groceries and meals over in the aftermath, which was probably worse than the ordeal itself.  Yes, they are my family here.

5.  My babies.  They make me laugh. Every. Single. Day.  Andrew with those goofy expressions and big brown eyes, Izzy with her hilarious Izzy-isms, and Alexandre, the happiest baby you'll ever meet.  I almost lost one of them, and I dealt with the "what ifs" back then: If I lost a baby, God would get me through it.  But I praise God that He hasn't called me to that at this point.

6.  Good books.  Classics are my favorite, but aside from classic lit, I love to read books that encourage me in my walk with God, my motherhood journey, or some other practical aspect of my life, like cleaning, cooking, organizing, or saving money.  If it can't help me, I don't have time for it.

7.  Google, baby.  What did homemakers do without the internet?  How would I know what to do if I put in a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon, how to test my baking powder to see if it's still good, or what dinner I can make with the following random ingredients?  And how in the world would I find out what that weird ingredient is that they used on Chopped?

8.  Great girl friends.  The kind that cry with you when your stepdad dies, because they know that the word "step" doesn't encompass all that he was to me.  The kind of friends that say yes, I'll keep your kids while you get your haircut, but please take the time to stop by Starbucks or do some shopping while you're out.  Enjoy yourself!  The kind that pray with you and for you.  The kind that bring you meals when you're vomiting for 9 months.  The kind that say yes, Gabby, you shouldn't have said that.  It was ugly. Let me pray with you about it. The kind of friends that know how to ask for more details because they know that you're not really fine even if you say you are.  The kind of friends who know where you struggle and help you grow in those areas.  You know who you are, girls.  ;)

9.  This lady.  She taught me all about motherhood and being a godly wife.  Seven kids.  Need I say more?

My mom leaving the hospital with my twin sister and I.  That's me on the left.

10.  Coffee.  Community Coffee, since I'm a Louisiana girl, and dark roast to be specific.  Lots of it, and it better be good & strong too.  I thought grad school and teaching had me living on coffee, but it had nothing on motherhood.

Your turn!  What are some things you can't live without, or don't want to?