Thursday, February 28, 2013

Thankful Thursday


Happy Thursday everyone! Join us today as we share things we are thankful for today.

I'm so thankful for God's forgiveness today. In our Good Morning Girls study of Luke, we studied some on forgiveness this morning. I have been forgiven so much and I am so grateful. I tend to forget sometimes how much God has forgiven me and don't extend it to others. It's so important to extend grace to others just as it's been extended to us. If not for His grace, I would be on my way to Hell. I would be in utter despair and hopelessness. Thank God He loves me enough to forgive me when I ask. How can I not forgive others when they are truly repentant? It's not right of me to hold things against others. I'm 30 and I have done some major stupid/mean things in those 30 years. I have to ask forgiveness of something almost daily. I am so glad He is just and faithful to grant it to me. He is a merciful God.

What are you thankful for today? Join us and link up with Iris @ Grace Alone to share your thoughts.

Monday, February 25, 2013

My Daybook





Outside my window... it is pouring down rain. It's been raining since around midnight. We had thunderstorms last night and more is coming later today.

I am thinking... about faith and how important it is.

I am thankful... for my husband. He does so much for our family. He goes to work when he is sick or just doesn't want too. He leads us and guides us spiritually. He loves me and my boys so much.

In the kitchen... I am about to cook up some breakfast. Eggs,sausage,and toast.

I am wearing... night gown and my robe.

I am creating... a necklace for a friend to give to a friend of hers who lost twins recently.

I am going... to work on my menu for the week.

I am wondering... how can people not take seriously the task of raising children? It boggles my mind.

I am reading... Sally Clarkson's book The Mission of Motherhood and started The Four Seasons of Marriage by Gary Chapman.

I am hoping... for no bad weather. We need a break!

I am looking forward to... Sunday. Hubby has off again and we get to go to home meeting that night!

I am learning... having faith is harder than I think.

Around the house... the boys are playing and being boys.

I am pondering... the difference in my children and their personalities.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things... making jewelry. I rarely get the time,but I love to do it. I love to give it away too!

A few plans for the rest of the week: grocery shopping, making a few give-a-way pieces for my Facebook page, and hopefully reading a good bit!

A peek into my day...

The necklace I have started. There will be angel wings and little feet charms.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Friday's Fave Five


I am getting my post up a little late today. I've been up grocery shopping,doing school with my boys,and some housework. We have friends coming over tonight,so forgive me if I don't get to comment on your posts today or at all. So let me reflect on my week.

  1. Home meeting... We have home meetings every 1st and 3rd Sunday at church during the evening. It is wonderful to gather with people from the church and talk about the Word and things on our hearts.
  2. Gorgeous weather... we had at least 2 days of gorgeous weather before the storms came rolling in. It was splendid!
  3. Off time... We are on our second off day with the hubby! He has 4 days off this week. So we get to enjoy downtime, friend time, some ministry time,and church together Sunday.
  4. Family... We visited with my parents yesterday. We live about 45 minutes from them and haven't been doing as much traveling there lately. It was a fun day. My oldest got his first pellet rifle from Papa (late birthday gift). I helped my Mama figure out her tablet she got as an early birthday present from my brother and his family. The kids played outside though it was cloudy and they shot their bb and pellet guns with my husband and my Daddy.
  5. Friends... We had supper with a couple from the church last night that we have known for years. It was an encouraging time for us. We were able to minister and be ministered too. We are very blessed.
  6. A bonus... We are going on a vacation in April that is so a God thing. We have a 2 level condo all to ourselves right on the beach. It's only our second time away for an extended time. God really blessed us!!
  7. Another bonus.. Sorry guys! I turned 30 this week (Wednesday) and it was fun! I received lots of birthday wishes from family and friends. My husband got me beautiful flowers and a card, that is what I always want. 
Life is hard,but let us not forget we are a blessed people. If the Lord is our God, we are blessed! Reflect back on your week and look for those glimpses of hope and share them with us today. Link up with Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story.



Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Thankful Thursday


Join us as we share our thankfulness this week. Iris @ Grace Alone is our host for the month. She always blesses me with her blog and writing. Link up with her and join us!

I am so thankful for the blessings and provision of God. If I told you all the things God has done for my family, you would probably not believe me. We started out very meager. We didn't have any sort of wedding showers or a home warming party. In 6 years we have struggled at times, really bad. God has never ceased to provide for us. It blows me away sometimes. He did this just yesterday. My husband came in from work around 4. He usually works the evening/night shift,but he had to be in court yesterday. He comes in and says well, we are going on vacation. I say, oookay where and when and HOW? In our 6 years we have only been on vacation once, that was this past September to a friend's lake house in Texas. We just have not had the money to do so. He went on to tell me our landlord (a generous lady who God has used numerous times to bless us) offered us one. The apartment owner (Hubbard properties) lets her use his condo throughout the year and she offered it to us this coming April. We pay nothing,just go. The best thing about it, is the condo is just an hour from us. We live on the coast of Alabama. I was blown away and really didn't know what to think or say at first. I was in shock. I love going to the beach, not so much for laying out, but just the feel in the air. That laid back feel and oh pictures, gorgeous sunrise/sunset pictures! God is just so good to us. When you follow God and do things His way, He will reward you. He will take care of you. That is one thing we know for sure. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Friday's Fave Five


It's time to look back over my week and see my blessings. Join us! Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story is our host. You will love it!



1. Fruit... We put some strawberries in our muffins yesterday and I found this heart after I cut it. Thought it was cute! We love fruits!



2.Gorgeous weather... after heavy rains and storms, we finally had gorgeous weather today. It was just beautiful. Here's a flower we found outside while playing.  


3. Breakfast foods... We love pancakes, so I made heart shaped pancakes this morning. We added whip cream and strawberries on top. Oh and maple syrup! Yummy!


4. Valentine Candy... I love candy,but oh Valentine candy is one of my favorites. My hubby left this with a card and roses on the table for me this morning. He's a sweetie.


5. Outside time... Playing outside with my big boys is always fun! We played football and baseball. They have so much energy and this is a good way to get rid of some of it!


I hope you all have a great weekend!!





Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Thankful Thursday- Love


What are you thankful for today? I have so much to be thankful for today and every day. It's love week, so I will share my thankfulness for love. Who doesn't want to be loved? Everyone does if they are honest. I love my husband or boys showing me they love me by their words or actions. The love of God is what I am most thankful for. Without the love of Almighty God, I would live eternity in hell. Thank You, Father for loving me.  I'm so thankful that He gave His only Son to die for me on the cross. His love for me drove Him to offer His Son up for my sins. If not for love I would have no hope. I can't express enough how thankful I am for love. My Savior's love. My God's love. My parent's love. My husband's love. My children's love. My friend's love. I want to love my God like He loved me without walls. I want to extend that love to my family and friends. First I must know the one who first loved me. Hope you all have a great day! Happy Love day!

Iris @ Grace Alone is our host this month. Be sure to read her post and link up with us!


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Love Week At Our Home



This is my first year to do anything Valentine related with the boys. Since they are old enough to understand, I decided to do somethings. Our theme is God Is Love. I wanted to do some cards,crafts,and food. I let the boys pick out family members to make cards for last week. They ended up making the Grandparents, an Aunt, and a family friend some cards. We had fun! I kept it simple with stickers and colored pencils. I found some small cards that had scripture on them from Rachel Wojnarowski's blog. They are adorable! I took some pictures and I'm gong to post them with a description of what we did.



These are the cards with scripture on them. There are 12 on a sheet. You just print them out. I glued ours to construction paper too.

Daniel making cards. They decorated them with stickers, then Daniel wrote on his. He made Ms. Rachel (family friend),Papa,Nana,Aunt Robyn,and Daddy a card.

Here's Aaron decorating one of his cards. He made Mama,Daddy,Johnathan,Mimi,Pawpaw,and Aunt Robyn a card.

So cute! They had fun. I just folded construction paper in half and tore it, then folded each half into a card.

These are 2 of Aaron's cards. I helped him write in them. I put the one scripture card inside each card.


You can see his work up close. ;-) 

I found a cute card design on Pinterest that I wanted to make for my husband. I love homemade things! The card design was here

The front of his card. :)


The inside. The cut out and design was so easy!


Another shot. I added some writing I printed off the computer, but forgot to take a shot of it. I glue it to each side of the heart. :)

Here are the boys goodie bags. I put some of the candy hearts,a few kisses,a note pad with pen,and an activity pad in there. Something small,but to show my love for them.


I saw this idea on pinterest and tried it. I put some kisses in the bags,tied them up, and stapled the tags on there. I typed up the tags on my computer and printed them out. Thought it was a cute idea. 

This is the original design. 

I made a Strawberry Ice Box pie for the week too. Saw this on Pinterest too.It's supper yummy and easy! I'll add the recipe at the end.

Add a little whip cream and ummmm.

We had strawberry and blueberry muffins this morning. I found this heart after cutting the strawberry. Thought it was neat! 

I didn't want the boys to necessarily think the day was about getting. I wanted them to give more. That's why we did the cards. They also colored a teddy bear with a heart that says I Love You and gave it to my husband. I made them a card a piece and put a scripture card in it too. We don't do every holiday and the ones we do are done differently than how most people do them. I thought this was a great month to focus on love and God's love.

Strawberry Ice Box Pie
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub of whip cream
1 pack of kool-aide (whichever flavor you like, I used strawberry this time)
1 graham cracker crust

Mix the ingredients in a bowl very well, then scoop into the pie crust. Cover with lid and put in the freezer over night. Add toppings if you please. The one online had whip cream and strawberries.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and love day! We are spending it at home. Then the next evening we will have a couple's banquet at our church, kid free! It will be nice!














Monday, February 11, 2013

My Daybook





Outside my window... it is rainy and stormy. Hoping bad weather stays away!

I am thinking... about the city of Hattiesburg,Mississippi. They were hit by a tornado last night and it is pretty bad. I used to go there all the time and we were just there during December.

I am thankful... my friends in Hattiesburg,MS are safe and no one was killed last night.

In the kitchen... dishes await me and a Strawberry Ice Box pie is waiting for us to eat later. :)

I am wearing... my night gown and robe. :) 

I am creating... our love week. We'll have our pie and some other things this week celebrating God's love for us and our love for Him.

I am going... to help decorate at our church for the couple's Valentine Banquet Friday.

I am wondering... where God will lead us in the future. We are searching for a home and praying God's will.

I am reading... still the Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

I am hoping... to get some review in for the boys this week. We're taking a break from school this week and will review. 

I am looking forward to... our Valentine Banquet. It will just be adults! Woo hoo!

I am learning.. to be more patient with my children.

Around the house... the big boys are playing football and the little one is eating breakfast.

I am pondering... God's faithful. He is so faithful to us even when we do not deserve it.

A favorite quote for today... 
 "If a person is not thankful for what he has, he's not likely to be thankful for what he's going to get." C.D.

One of my favorite things... cereal. Yuuum. I used to eat whenever I wanted too while I was living at home. Breakfast,noon,and night.

A few plans for the rest of the week: doing some crafts with the boys,grocery shopping,decorating the church,and spending a night with my man.

A peek into my day...


The Strawberry Ice Box pie. I usually make a lemon one,but for love week it's pink. :) 

Have a blessed day! Link up with Peggy Hostetler for A Simple Woman's Daybook.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Fighting Against the Grain


I love Sally Clarkson's writing. She has such a way with words. I am reading her second book and it's so good. Sometimes I just highlight down both sides of the page because it is all worth remembering! That's when you know a book is good!

When I was a new Mother I was oblivious to what lay ahead for me. Well, more like when I was pregnant with my first. When he arrived, I figured out that things were not as they seemed. Sleepless nights, quick or no showers, eating when you could just to survive, and fussy/clingy babies. I had never wanted children. Ever.

When I was in middle school and early high school I wanted to be a lawyer. I really didn't want to marry either. When God got a hold of me though, things changed, at least some things. I wanted to marry and be a wife and homemaker.

I dated and dreamed of finding my prince though the world said there wasn't anymore princes to be found. I knew mine was out there, I just had to find him. I turned my love story over to God and He did lead me to my prince, though not the way or not the man I thought. It was a beautiful love story God wrote for us. I love to reminisce about it or write about it. In December 2006 we were united in marriage in our apartment by a ordained minister (a dear friend of ours) and his wife was the witness. Our life together was starting. I had so many dreams and plans for our future. We both had so much we wanted to experience together.,though not elaborate, still just spending the rest of my days with him and only him.

Then it happened. In May 2007 I found out I was pregnant. Boy, did it burst my bubble. I have never been a child person. Kids weren't naturally taken by me and I did not like them. Most of the ones I was around were little brats to say the least. I thought there is no way I will have any of those. I thought how will we do all the things we want to do with a baby? I mean I knew things changed when you had a baby. My brother had 2 of them 16 months apart. I was around them a lot and they had to change their lifestyle some, it's only smart and wise. I was also terrified of having the baby. Oh my. The horror stories I heard about labor and delivery. I was sure I would just die. I thought bring on the meds baby! After being in shock and horror for a month I started easing into the idea. Still, I had no thoughts on what to do when it arrived.

After my first baby boy was born, I went through a time that I felt short changed. I never had any time to myself (really, my first born was so clingy for the first 7-8 months). I rarely got a shower when I wanted one. I scarfed down my food each time I ate so I could at least have something in my belly. We lived off of ridiculous,easy foods. I never got to have quality time with my husband anymore. We were so tired that when we had the chance we just slept! Going out to eat? Ha! That was a joke. Daniel did not like us to have any fun it seemed. I thought to myself more than once, this child has ruined my life. No romantic getaways, no long road trips, no nothing without interruptions. I was only being human. We are so selfish aren't we? I know I was and I still am, though God has worked on me a lot. Not sure when I realized it (I wrote about it on my first blog), but God opened my selfish eyes. I saw God trying to refine me and help me die to self. Once I figured that out, I surrendered and have been since then. It is not about me. I am to serve my children. Did Jesus not serve while he was on earth? My children need me to lead and guide them. There is a lot I could be doing instead of home every single day with my children, but I chose this path. It is surely not an easy one either. It's demanding, stressful, tiring, irritating, and you name it. It is also rewarding,joyful, sweet,worthwhile, and so much more.

I still struggle at times with the me syndrome. I deserve to have some time to make jewelry or I deserve a new blouse. Our world is expensive anyways, but you throw children in the mix and it's even more. We are a one income family, but God provides over what we need. Do we have everything we want? Why no. No one really does. We do have stability, love, and favor with God. I'm not saying I have to be at my children's beckon call, but they do come above me (not saying to not take care of yourself either). My husband is under God and my children are under my husband. They are my ministry, but not the only people I can minister too. We are definitely on a lone path. Thankfully, it's a beaten path where others have gone before us doing what we are doing now. It's not the normal in this day and time,but it is traditional. We have strong convictions about home,children, and marriage. That is what I want to pass on to my children. I don't think they will remember how well I made jewelry,but how well I loved and served God and them.

Just sharing some of my heart with ya. :)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Friday's Fave Five



I missed doing this last week. I was so busy that day with grocery shopping,then paying bills, and spend some time outside of the home with the boys. So here are my favorites from the week.


  1. Great worship time at church Sunday... I love being able to focus and just worship my Lord.
  2. Getting a hair trim... I could never find someone here in our city,so I go 40 minutes back to our hometown to an "Aunt" for my hair styling. I looooove my hair washed,cut,and fixed. It's like a spa day for me. I am trying to let it grow out,so just a trim was all I needed.
  3. Some quality time with my husband... I love being able to just sit with him or talk to him without interruption.
  4. A belated birthday gift... Daniel's bomber jacket we ordered arrived yesterday and he was in total shock! It has patches and he is adorable in it. I love seeing his face light up.
  5. Making love cards... The boys and I have been making valentine cards for the Grandparents and for my husband. It's been fun! I even made my husband a pop up card. I love doing homemade stuff!
Join us and link up with Susanne @ Living To Tell The Story for this meme. Have a blessed weekend!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Thankful Thursday


Join Iris@ Grace Alone and the rest of us to share what we are thankful for this week. I'm thankful for our home. My husband moved in our apartment a couple months before we got married. It's a small apartment in the city and it's not our ideal home at all. We would love a bigger place in a more rural area. BUT God has blessed us so much here. We have a roof over our head, a warm place to sleep,and somewhere to raise our children. We were blessed to be able to stay free of rent since my husband is a Law Enforcement Officer and is the courtesy officer on site. It's a small 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment that can be tight at times. We stay in a good bit because of different reasons unless my husband is home. I used to loath it, but God has been showing me that I am very blessed to have it. A home is where the heart is, where love is. We lived in a mobile home growing up and it was tight too. We were not wealthy,but were not poor by any means. We were middle class. I am so thankful my parents taught me that it wasn't what was in the home, it was who was in it. That is a lesson we are passing on to our boys. What are you thankful for this week?

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Am I On His Agenda?


The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  
                                                                            Luke 4:18-19

This was in our passage yesterday for our Good Morning Girls Bible study. I just read the post that Whitney wrote and wow. It really convicted me, the Spirit of God convicted me. While I was in college I was so in tune with others and their hurts. I have the gift of encouragement and used it wisely. I have always been an organizer and type A personality, but before kids I did not have to exhibit it as much. I was more flexible and obviously had more time on my hands. I sent out cards to the girls in our dorm randomly. We were all so close, they were like more sisters to me.

Now, that I have kids lists,organization,and scheduling is a must. BUT sometimes I let it get in the way of the work He wants to do. Training little ones can be stressful and tedious and time consuming and joyous all at the same time. It's so easy to just stay in your bubble. I have been guilty of this in the past several years. We were out of church for almost 2 years due to several different issues and I really forgot that I am called to help others, not just my family. My husband and children are my first ministry (hate to use the word obligation), but that doesn't mean I minister only to them. I had begun to believe that. Though I don't think I should put them out for someone else. They come first, of course after my Savior, but that doesn't mean I never minister to others when an opportunity arises. 

I have also forgotten that the work of the Lord isn't always clean, it gets messy. Those who need Jesus are not always clean cut and look just like me. The ones who are in need of a Savior are messy, just like I am at times. We too often go on appearances and I do too. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit convicting me and showing me it is about His agenda, not mine. I have to keep my spiritual eyes and ears open to hear what God wants to do in the lives of others,not just mine. 



Join us on our study of the first 8 chapters of Luke. God is opening my eyes to things and I'm so thankful!