In The Lord's Path~

DO NOT JUDGE

2012-02-03T09:06:00.003-05:00

This was floating around facebook, and I thought it was too good not to share....

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call ASAP, changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block.
He found the boy’s father going and coming in the hall waiting for the doctor. Once seeing him, the dad yelled:
“Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have the sense of responsibility?”

The doctor smiled and said:
“I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came the fastest I could after receiving the call…… And now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work”

“Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??” said the father angrily

The doctor smiled again and replied: “I will say what Job said in the Holy Bible “From dust we came and to dust we return, blessed be the name of God”. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God’s grace”

“Giving advice when we’re not concerned is so easy” Murmured the father.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, “Thank God! Your son is saved!”

And without waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running. “If you have any question, ask the nurse!!”

“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state” Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial.”

NEVER JUDGE ANYONE because you never know how their life is and as to what is happening or what they’re going through.

Weekly Weigh-in

2012-02-03T00:04:00.001-05:00

Well.... :( I managed to lose a whopping .2 pounds this week. I'm so frustrated with seeing the same 3 numbers over and over and OVER again. :/ I did better at being more consistent with exercise, but not in the first two days of the week, and I didn't eat well either. So I spent the rest of the week playing catch-up and now I just want to throw the scale out the window and get a new one...as if it will tell me anything better! :P Still, when you work so hard and see no change, it does begin to seem like it's defective. As upset as I want to be though, I really can't be. A skirt that was too tight to really wear two weeks ago, now hangs an inch and a half below my belly button, so good things are happening! :) I don't know if I'm just retaining water because I've been intaking too much sodium, or if I had a spring of muscle here lately. People blaming no weight loss on muscle gain has always been a pet pieve of mine. It takes a whole month to even start building enough muscle to make a difference in weight, and there should still be enough fat loss to make up the difference. However, I have been building muscle for three months now, and a few weeks ago, I really stepped up how much toning I've been doing, so who knows. What I do know, is that even though the scale hasn't changed much since before Christmas, my body really has! My waist is MUCH smaller, and I have lots of muscle that I've really noticed lately! I can flex my arms, and you can SEE and FEEL biceps and triceps! :) My legs are so much smaller too. It's really encouraging. When you work so hard, and don't see the numbers change much, it really causes you to look for other signs of progress. I'm glad I found a lot! lol! I can honestly say that for the first time in years, I feel comfortable in my own skin! Even though I have a ways to go still, I am proud of my physical self for the first time in a REALLY long time! Praise God for that!! So no matter what happens this week, and no matter what I weigh on my birthday next Thursday; I am proud of myself, and comfortable living in my body!

I did go to Walmart today though, and bought $266 worth of healthy groceries for all of us! Not a single junk item made it into the cart, with the exeption of some crackers that I had already promised the kids. The rest is lean beef and turkey, chicken breasts, frozen and fresh veggies, fruits, yogurt, low fat natural cheeses, and so forth! So I am praying for a wonderful week for all of us. I am really surprised how cooperative the kids were. They didn't complain about the things I past up, and didn't get impatient with my label reading. They are really starting to take an interest in the health of their food items too. That's a real blessing, because that is something good I'm doing that can be passed on, and benefit others! :) My goal is to keep adding more grocery money to the budget so that we can all eat healthy. I'm tired of feeding them junk, and I'm tired of the temptations being around the house.

I have to throw this in there... reading labels is SO INCREDIBLY important! Have you ever read the ingredient list for the boxed brocolli in cheese sause?!? All it is, is brocolli and cheese, but the ingredient list takes up a quarter of the back panel. As I was reading down the list, I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or get mad...so I did a little of each. lol. I HATE wasting food, but I'm throwing out the 3 boxes in my freezer. Now that I know about what these things do to our bodies, I just can't stand to feed it to any of us. Steamed fresh or frozen brocolli with low fat natural shredded cheese on top, is WAY healthier, and actually tastes better, IMO.

Until next week!

Weekly Weigh-in; Almost there

2012-01-26T12:28:00.001-05:00

Well, I made my goal for the week. I lost exactly 2 pounds this week! It's an exciting little benchmark, because that puts me up to 35.1 total pounds lost; and I got to put up another badge on my left sidebar! :) The really exciting part, is that I have two weeks left until my birthday, and if I keep up the 2 pounds a week until then, I will be at the halfway mark on my birthday! Halfway to my ultimate and final weight loss goal of 77.7 pounds! I'm feeling good, and am confident in my reaching that halfway mark! So, we're almost there....2 more weeks. During these two weeks, I am going to focus on two specific things; getting in more water, and getting in more exercise.

I've noticed that now that I've gone 7 months only drinking water, that I don't focus as much on how much I'm actally intaking. In the beginning, I was so focused and structured about measuring how much I was drinking, and drinking glasses at certain times each day. I had to be. I hated water, and had to force myself to drink enough. I would reward myself with tea and milk, and 100% juice. Now that I LOVE water, and only have a cup of hot decaffinated tea on a really cold day, I don't focus on it. That has lead me to not get enough in, I think. I'm finding that I'm thirsty shortly before bedtime, and I can't drink that close to bedtime. So, I'm going to focus on consuming more in the day, and see if that helps!

Then there's the exercise thing. I've been really bad since Christmas and company, on getting it in everyday. Another thing I was GREAT about before. 6 days a week, without fail. Now I find myself getting in 2-4. Not good. I don't want to lose the muscle I've gained, I want to keep it and build MORE so I'll be keeping that metabolism high! Plus, I really notice a difference in my waist. Even though I've lost weight, my waist hasn't changed much. Not good either. The first thing I noticed when I exercised faithfully everyday, was how drastically my waist was decreasing! Got to get back to that...otherwise, how will I fit into those beautiful skirts I'm stocking my closet with! ;) (Thank you Mission Thrift Store) lol!

Thanks for being with me on this journey! It's so incredibly hard for me to lose the weight slowly. I want those numbers to fall fast, and to be honest, it's been a struggle barely seeing the scale move each week. I was really hard in October and November to increase my calories when I was losing too fast. I wanted to rejoice and take the big loses. But I can see why my doctors said to do it this way. It does make for lasting change! It makes for a happy, healthy body that has time to adjust to the changes too! Even though there are times I mentally break, and eat something I shouldn't, because I know it won't change the meager numbers I see each week, it's much easier to go back to eating the right way the next meal. It's easier because you know it's a managable lifestlye. It's not a cruel, depriving diet that seems impossible to keep up, so the desire to quit isn't really there.

I see so many of you reading that don't comment, and that's okay! It's encouraging to know you are reading, and that I'm not alone in this. My prayer is that something I say or share honestly, will help you in your own journey as well! Til next week...

Weekly Weigh-in; New Goals

2012-01-19T10:51:00.003-05:00

Well, I decided I just had to find the time to post this morning. Hopefully, it won't be my workout that gets cut out to make the time! ;) My weight was up and down and up and down all week. It was beginning to be really frustrating, because in my own mind, there was no reason for it. I was eating great, exercising, drinking plenty of water, and to not get the results I thought I would get, was just SO disturbing to me. In the end, I weighed in at 189.6 this morning. That's a loss of 1.4 pounds. Not the great numbers I was expecting. However, what it did do, was remind me that this journey isn't all about the numbers. It's about the choices. The numbers are just a small reflective of those choices. What I am really wanting, is to better my health by leaps and bounds, and to completely change my lifestyle. The weight loss is a mere benefit of those things. I am still going down, which means I am still going in the right direction. I know those numbers will eventually show the wonderful choices I am making!

I am extrememly excited to be in the 180's again, and I am looking forward to staying in them this time...at least for a few weeks until I hit the 170's! ;) lol! It does bring me to face the reality of my birthday goal though. There is no safe way to reach the goal that I had set, at this point. I'm not going to jeapordize health for that goal, because the goal was made to better health, not harm it. So, instead of just writing it off, I have decided to alter it, and make a new one! I have lost 16 pounds since I made my 30 by 30 goal. If you add that to the 17.1 pounds I had already lost, that means that I am actually down 33.1 pounds so far!! VERY proud of that! Instead of insanely trying to lose 14 pounds in 3 weeks, I am making a new goal of losing 2 more pounds each week until my birthday! That will put me at a total loss of just about 40 pounds, and will put me in the low 180's by my birthday. I think that is a reasonable goal, and one still worth celebrating on such a monumental birthday!! :)

I have finally decided on my final goal as well. I have decided that I am not going to be happy with just getting down to a reasonable weight. I want to go ALL THE WAY! So, my final goal will be to hit 145 on or before July 1st! July 1st is when this journey began, and so I would like to be at my final goal weight within a year! 145 pounds for me, is a size 8, and that's what I'm going to shoot for. Not a 12, not a 10, but an 8! That's as small as my bone structure will allow me to get, and I'm looking forward to getting there!

I really have to get moving now, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you this morning, and do my official weigh-in! I'm going to keep making the next right choice, and hopefully I will see you next week, with a 2 pounds loss to report! Won't you make the next right choice with me??!!

Update

2012-01-18T00:17:00.000-05:00

I just had to take a minute to let you know that I may not be able to do my Weekly Weigh-in Post on Thursday. This week has turned into a crazy week. I don't know how, but all of our appointments, commitments and major errands landed on this week. I'll try to get it in, but if I don't, it may be the next week before I post. I will report though, that I have lost weight so far this week, and I am fully back on track with my healthy lifestyle! YAY! :) My Shaklee vitamins have been great so far, and I already have an increase in energy from them! SO happy about that! Now I'm just waiting to get some for the kids. They really need better vitamins to get them through this cold and flu season! We haven't been sick yet, but the stuff sure is going around, it's only a matter of time!

Weekly Weigh-in; Too little Too late...?

2012-01-12T11:28:00.002-05:00

I have been dreading having to type up this post. I don't think it was too little, but it was definitely too late. I had the HARDEST time getting back off those sugars, and back to the foods I need to be eating. I put off really doing it until Monday, and when I stepped on the scale that day, I knew it was too late. I had gained 2.6 pounds from Thursday to Monday. :( So, even though I went back to exercising everyday, doing my 4-5 mile walking videos, and eating healthy foods again; I am still looking at a one pound gain this morning. :'( Seeing 191 again, is so disheartning, when I want to be 183 right now.

I have to tell you though, I'm still super glad that I have my 30x30 birthday goal. I am the kind of person that NEEDS a goal, and something to strive for, or I feel like I'm just aimlessly floating in space. We have goals for our daily schoolwork, and housework. We have weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and yearly financial goals. We have all kinds of goals! I need them, and so does my husband. So even though I am now 7.2 lbs behind on my goal, it motivates me to push forward. Without that goal, I'm afraid I wouldn't strive so hard to keep going. Whether I actually make it or not, it's keeping me moving in the right direction!

This leads me to share the brutally honest truth with you, for my own benefit, and maybe someone out there reading will benefit too. Lysa TerKeurst said in a Webcast session a couple nights ago, that if we aren't brutally honest with others, we can't be honest with ourselves. So, the truth is...I have learned that I have a true sugar addiction. It's not just that I enjoy eating sweets, or they make me happy, or that I just LOVE food. No, I have extremely unhealthy all out CRAVINGS for sugar. Mental and physical. I am also an emotional eater. I would eat when I was happy, eat when I was sad, eat when I was frustrated, mad, lonely, board, etc. Food was my comfort. And that food was always sugar based. I've never ran to a salad to ease my frustration! lol!

When I started this journey in July, I made the commitment to cut out all sugar and caffeine for 30 days. I spend the first 3 days on the couch, unable to participate in life. It took a week to really fully come around. That says something! Those first three weeks were the hardest weeks of my life. I was constantly battling cravings for soda, sweets, and pizza! There were times that I had to go to bed at 7:30 because I was miserable over not being able to fulfill those desires, and I coudn't stand being awake to bear it anymore. After that first month was over, it got much easier. Medical science now shows that there is a true chemical addiction, and MRI's show the reactions in the brain. It takes weeks to months to rewire our brains to have our pleasure sensors function as they should, but it only takes 1 week of eating poorly to rewire them back. :(

When I went to Tahoe for my cousin's wedding, I had no choice but to eat some sugars and unhealthy foods, or starve. There was no menu, there was eat this, or go hungry. That's all it took to throw me off. I had a 25 pound weight loss when I went, and by the time I had been home for 3 weeks, I had gained 5 of that back. I could not get back to eating right. I couldn't give up that sugar. That's when I started my 30 x 30 goal to get me back on track. 30 more pounds off by my 30th birthday. Today, I am still 14.6 pounds into that goal, and I'm proud of that!! The fact that I have still managed to go 6 months without a single soda of coffee, gives me great assurance in myself, that I can do this for the rest of my life! I just have to stay away from sugar. For me, it's not something that can be in my life.

All it took was 5 days of my parents being here for Christmas, and all of us eating cookies and such, to throw me off again. I was actually ahead of schedule on my 30x30 goal when they got here, and now I am 7.2 pounds behind. All because once I have sugar, I can't let go of it. I will say though, that even though it was still hard, this time was easier than the previous times, so I think my body is really making progress. My mind too. Instead of gaining all the weight back, or 5 pounds back, I've only gained 1. For me, sugar is a big no no. I can't have one brownie and be okay. Just like an alcoholic can't have one drink and be okay. Everybody's journey is different.

God has been teaching me that so much of this journey is about submission to Him, and not just losing weight. I've lost lots of weight in the past, just eating to lose weight, not eating to be healthy, and not eating to please Him. It's never been the way to go. Each choice I make with my food an exercise is about submitting to God's will for my life, and putting my body and mind in a position where it is fit to serve Him. What has really helped me since Monday, is praying before EVERYTHING I eat. When I thank God for the food I'm about to eat, and ask Him to help it to nourish me to good health, and fuel my body to serve Him, and my family....well you can just imagine what though runs through the mind if I am praying this over a cookie! ;) I hand it to one of the kids and I grab something else. I have forgotten a couple times. It's hard to remember when just grabbing a string cheese out of the fridge, but I think with repitition, it will become a lifelong habbit. I am learning to look at food as fuel. Fuel to help me carry out God's will for my life. Not as comfort, not as pleasure. God is our comfort, our family is our pleasure! :)

I am looking forward to EXCELLENT numbers next week! Pray for me! I got in my Shaklee vitamins yesterday, and I am SO INCREDIBLY excited to finally be taking them! I've wanted them for over 2 years. Ever since I tried their cleaning products, and fell in love with them. I just couldn't see spending that kind of money on vitamins when I wasn't putting much effort towards eating healthy or exercising. So, please come back next week, and I will have GOOD results for you!!!

Please Take The Time To Watch This...

2012-01-10T10:31:00.000-05:00

I found this years ago, and I watch it every now and then to keep a good perspective on life. It gives me goosebumps and tears everytime. We will never know what some people have suffered in their life. Our "trials" are so trivial sometimes, and we focus on what we don't have far too often. Sometimes our trials are big, and come with a very heavy burden. What we are sure of, is that no matter where we are at in life, God is there, and if our focus is on Him, we will get through, and be better servants to Him because of it! Praise be to God!

Weekly Weigh-in

2012-01-05T14:18:00.001-05:00

Well, believe it or not, I am HAPPY to report no weight loss this week. I had a hold this week. Yes, I am happy about that, in a sense, because it should have been a gain with how the week went. I didn't get exercise in every day, and I ate just horribly. :( I think the only thing that saved me from a gain, is that I did exercise portion control. I can't stress how important that is. If you are going to allow yourself a treat, DON'T OVERINDULDGE!!! That way, you are left without the regrets afterward.

This week was a real challenge, mentally. As much as we focus on the right foods, and exercises, it's amazing how much of weight loss is actually mental. Half way through the week, when I was a pound heavier than last Thursday, I just wanted to give up in that moment and eat the whole box of donuts that we had in the house. I was so focused on the fact that I was now almost 5 pounds from where I wanted to be at that point, that I felt all was lost, and hopeless. I kept thinking of how hard it was going to be to reach my birthday goal now that I had fallen so far behind. I didn't eat the whole box, but I allowed myself one. The next morning, I got up and was making hubby's lunch to send him off with, when I had an overwhelming realization.... I weigh 190 pounds. I haven't weighed that in 3-4 years, and I didn't even stay there for very long then. For the majority of the last 8 years, I have been well over 200 pounds. Why am I not happy that I am where I am? Being 190 pounds is a great thing for me, and should be celebrated! So, I decided to focus on how far I've come, instead of where I wish I were. Will I make my birthday goal or not?! I don't know. What I do know though, is that I have lost 32.7 pounds and feel better than I have in years! I know that my journey isn't over, and that if I keep my positive attitude, I will one day see the numbers that I want to see! It wasn't food or exercise that made or broke me this week, it was my own mind.

So, this morning is a great morning! I haven't done any damage to what I have accomplished, I haven't taken away from the weight I have lost. This morning I push forward, and expect a super fantastic week! I knew that the kids had already planned on having donuts for breakfast and pizza for lunch. (We treat them once a month, whatever they want for a day...within reason.) Knowing full well, that I wasn't going to turn down pizza, I made sure I got the long workout in, and I walked right past the donuts to the bananas!! ;) I also did my secret trick. The worst hinderance to a healthy eating routine, is hunger. Once we get hungry, we make the WORST food choices, because we are starving (we think) and so we grab the most convienient filling food, and we all know it's junk. So my trick is to always have healthy snacks on hand ready to go. Depending on where you are, and what you are doing, decides which snacks are best. Some of my favorites are, yogurt (portable and great for the digestive system) nuts (full of protein and very filling, but watch your portion size) multigrain granolla bars (without artificial ingredients and esp without artificial sweetners) string cheese (mozz. made with at lest partial skim milk..Weight Wathers are my favorite..sold at Walmart.) trail mix (homemade without cereal and m&ms.) and my FAVORITE, a veggie tray. Veggies are best for you raw, and in their natural state. Once you cook them, you instantly lose vitamins and change the makeup of the nutrients in them. They can actually turn toxic to the body once cooked. It takes time to cut up raw veggies though, and when we are hungry, let's face it, it's not what we are going to go for. So, I like to cut up mine first thing in the morning when I am making breakfast. Then, I have them all ready to go in the fridge for when I get hungry, or have a craving. The best thing about chosing raw veggies for a snack, is that they don't have sugars in them, so they will stabolize your blood sugar, and keep further cravings from coming on. Here's my tray...

You'll notice there isn't any veggie dip in the middle. NOT a good idea to have that. There's no quicker way to ruin a healthy veggie snack than to load up on all the calories and artificial ingredients in dip. If you absolutely can't eat them plain, which I used to not be able to, then use a yogurt ranch dressing, or a vinaigrette. My favorite is Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, and I've never liked any dressing but ranch my whole life. Barely use any though, or you are adding up calories quick. If you work outside the home, you can take these and put them in a small cooler to have on hand, or in a shared fridge if available. Nuts, trailmix, and granolla bars can go just about anywhere. I always have some in my purse. I don't ever like getting caught out somewhere, and being hungry. I will make awful choices, or if I make it home, I will overeat during the next meal.

This was me just a few days before Chrismas. I am celebrating how far I've come, and keeping hope for how far I will go! :)

Weekly Weigh-in

2011-12-29T13:07:00.002-05:00

So this week wasn't very kind to me...or maybe I wasn't very kind to this week! My parents were here the whole week, so it made it hard to do anything I would normally do. I couldn't weigh-in first thing in the morning, because they were in my room, with my scale. Our meals were off, because as a host, you want to cook your guests what they want, right?!! I managed to get in one workout, and that was it. It's hard to ask everyone to go do something else, so that you can exercise in front of the t.v. for an hour. Oh, and then there's that giant 5lb tin of irresistable Dannish cookies that Grandma sent! Oh my! Haha.
All in all, I'm really pleased with the week though. There are going to be times when everything is chaotic, and the normal schedules and routines are thrown off. How do we handle it? That's the thing. I watched portion control, I said no to really bad foods, and most of all, I enjoyed myself, and my company! So even though I needed to be 188.2 today to stay on track for my birthday goal, and I'm not...I'm still happy about the week! I weighed in at 190 this morning. A loss of .4 over Christmas is pretty good, I'd say! That brings my total loss to 32.7 pounds! I made my goal last week, even though I didn't get here to post about it, so I just have a little more of a challenge this week, is all! Instead of losing 2.2 pounds, I need to lose 4 pounds if I want to catch up to where I should be. I'm not sure if I will or not. I'm not supposed to lose more than 2 pounds in a week per doctors request, so we'll see. I may have to make it 3 pounds this week, and 3 pounds the next.

We had a marvelous Christmas!! Probably the best one in years, I would say! My hubby and daddy surprised me with the one and only thing I wanted, and I hope to upload a picture of it for you soon! The kids were thrilled with their gifts, my parents were thrilled with theirs, and it was just a blessing that only the Lord Himself could provide!! Thank you Jesus, thank you Father!!

Until next time...

Weigh-In Wednesday...Do you even remember me?!! lol!

2011-12-15T20:22:00.001-05:00

Well, I figured now was as good of time as any, to let you in on what I've been up to. After seeing my pictures from Easter 2011, I decided it was time to try and lose some weight again. It wasn't just the pictures, it was how awful I felt all the time too. I wasn't convinced that losing weight would make my Fibromyalgia any better, but I was convinced that what kinds of foods I ate, just might. Well, I gradually lost about 5 pounds over 2 months. I know, big effort, right?!! lol! Well, in July, I got serious. I could no longer get done what I needed to each day. The house was suffering, the kids' schoolwork was suffering...I was suffering. So I said goodbye to soda once and for all.

I didn't think I would really actually do it, I mean I've tried cutting out soda so many times, and always failed. So I took a shot at one month without it. I figured while I was at it, we'd go the distance, and cut out all soda, caffeine and sugar for a whole month. Guess what? I lost 20 pounds in that one month! I went to my cousins wedding at Lake Tahoe towards the end of August, celebrating my 25 pound loss! I tried to make good choices, and watch my portions, but it threw me off track. Not to incredibly long after being back home, I realized I was eating a lot of sugars again. I was even having caffeine in some sweet teas from McDonalds. The headaches came back again, and so did 7 pounds as well.

I didn't want this to be like every other time I've attempted to lose weight, where I just gain it all back, so I decided I needed a new goal to get back on track. I think the face that I stuck to my no soda rule gave me the confidence I needed to continue on. I had actually accomplished something I thought was impossible, so surely this was not like everyother time I tried to lose weight. I could do this! So, now only having a 17 pound weight loss, I decided to start a 30 by 30 goal. A goal to lose 30 more pounds by my 30th birthday!

I told my doctor about it, and he wasn't thrilled. He didn't want me to lose more than 1 pound a week. He said the only way to lose it and keep it off in a healthy way, was to lose it really slow. Well, I counted up the weeks, and I had plenty to do it in, so it was only going to be about 1.5 pounds a week. Well, it took me a few weeks to actually commit to getting back on track, so I found myself down to about only 12. But still, it was between 2 and 2.2 pounds a week. I decided that was slow enough, since I was already going against my whole nature, and the way I've always lost weight. As hard as it has been to lose it slowly, and not want to kick it into overdrive and watch those pounds fall off fast, I'm glad I'm doing it this way.

I am 7 weeks into my goal, and I am right on track! This morning I weighed in at 192.7! That's a total of 30 pounds lost, and only 17 left to go on my 30 by 30 goal! I have kept to a 2 pound average every single week for the last 7 weeks! It feels so good to reach each milestone! I'm trying so hard not to focus on where I want to be, but how far I've come, and each milestone I pass. The most exciting one so far, has been getting back into the 100's! It's so helpful mentally, to not have to say two hundred something! Today's milestone of 30 total pounds lost was pretty exciting too. My next milestone is actually in just 2 more pounds. I've never lost more than 31 pounds, so I feel like once I hit 32, it will be a reassurance that this time is the real deal. I'm not going to put it all back on like I always have. It's not just a diet this time, but a true lifestyle change that I will keep forever! It has been 5 and a half months since I've had soda or coffee! SO proud of that!!

So, I know I haven't blogged much for a long time now. Things are just so busy around here, I don't know where to get the time. But I will attempt to keep coming back every Thursday to weigh in. I know it's supposed to be Weigh-in Wednesday, but since my birthday is on a Thursday this year, and that's the last day for my 30 by 30 goal, I'm weighin in on Thursdays.

Visual Latin Giveaway

2011-12-03T14:17:00.001-05:00

Well Planned Day is having a free giveaway of the wonderful Vision Latin Curriculum!! Check it out!
http://www.wellplannedday.com/contest01.php

C28 Giveaway by Home Educating Family!!

2011-11-07T11:26:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share this giveaway for a $100 gift certificate for Clothing from the C28 Christian Clothing store! Click here to enter the contest.. http://www.wellplannedday.com/contest01.php

They have some wonderful and cute items with great sayings, so enter today, I did!!!

Move It Monday

2011-10-17T09:21:00.002-04:00

Well, my boys were baptized last night!!! Praise the LORD!!! What a special occasion it was. One set of grandparents were able to be there, and their grandma was crying tears of joy! I praise God for orchestrating the whole thing. It was just perfect that we were back in Kansas, and the boys were baptized at a church where she could be there to witness it! They got presents and certificates, and had wonderful fellowship with the rest of the church family! I can't quit putting exclamation points up, can you tell how much joy is in this Momma's heart?!!

Well, now it's Monday again, and I have much work to do. About a month ago, we decided to switch our off days to Mondays, instead of Fridays. There is just so much to do on Mondays, that it makes it hard to get any school work done, and I don't like homeschooling in a bind. It makes for frustrated students, and a frustrated teacher...not a good learning atmosphere at all!! So, this has been working out well.

I have a whole house to clean today. Saturday's are usually spent doing big family projects, or going somewhere as a family, or something of that nature, and Sunday's are our church and extended family days. So, needless to day, nothing gets cleaned on the weekend, but plenty gets messed up! lol! So, Monday is the fix it all up day, and I also spend an hour or more in the afternoon, getting things lined up for the next 4 days of school. Since I posted last, we have taught our oldest child how to do laundry, so he has taken that over, and that's one less burden I have. So wonderful! Today I need to...

*Wash Dishes
*Sweep and Mop Kitchen Floor
*Clean Counters
*Sweep Living Room Floor
*Organize Desks
*Make Meal Plan for the Week
*Make Copies for History
*Fill out School Planners

Our temps have dropped dramatically finally, after an amazing fall!! We even still have some high 60's and low 70's in the 10 day forecast still. Nevertheless, we had our last house painting day this past Saturday. I can't wait to show you before and after pictures of the house!! It's absolutely amazing! We got pretty much finished, although we may wind up washing the house in the spring, and touching up anything that just didn't get enough coats on it. I pray you all have a wonderful and productive week!!

Learn His Voice

2011-10-14T16:47:00.002-04:00

I climbed one day to a mountaintop,
To a place apart and high,
And I said, "My Lord is with me here.
I can find Him if I try."

I called "Lord" for I had declared,
Like Peter did that day,
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of God,
The Light, the Truth, the Way!"

This I believed, or thought I did.
Yet others could not see
What He is like or how He loves
By knowing Him through me.

As on this hill I climbed with Him,
Transfigured He became!
His face did shine bright as the sun
And I--was clothed in shame.

"It is good to be here," I did cry.
"I'll prove my love for You."
Frantically I tried to think
Of something I could do.

"I'll build a tabernacle to Thy name."
My deeds would draw me near Him.
But then I heard the voice of God:"
"This is my Son, oh, hear Him."

The tabernacles I have built!
The shallow life I live,
Checking off my works, my jobs,
Proud of what I give!

And all the time I've missed the point,
Like Peter on that hill.
I've tried to do before I've heard,
Before I've listened, still.

"This is my Son, please hear Him now."
Listen, listen, you--

And after you have learned His voice

Then be, and know, and do.

Tabernacles that I build! Tabernacles that crumble and fall, all because I did not stop and listen, because I did not seek His will, or know His purpose, or ask His use of my energy, my abilities, my efforts, to build for Him-not a tabernacle, but a life of joyous faith and love and righteousness in the Kingdom of God. Right here, right now, I would like to remind you of those very common tabernacles that I have built. Maybe you build them too. They are not useless, crumbling things in themselves-no, not at all. They become useless to the Master simple because we do not truly hear Him in our frantic feverish efforts to built. ~Mary Lou Lacy..."a Woman wants God."

An Absolute

2011-10-10T10:58:00.005-04:00

When God is all you have....

You'll find He is all you need.

Are You Worthy?

2011-09-29T17:38:00.009-04:00

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.

And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of Me.

He who finds his life will lose it,
and he who loses his life for My sake, will find it."
Matthew 10:37-39 NKJV

It's easy to say that we love God more than anything or anyone. It even rolls off the tongue smoothly, to say that we put Jesus above all else. But is that really the case? What do your actions say? Do you put more effort into gaining your parents approval, than Jesus'? Is more of your time, effort, energy, and thoughts devoted to your children, than to God? Do you put their wants and "earthy happiness" above what you know God's will is for their lives, and yours? Our actions are directly related to our hearts. Everyday is a balance of current events, and keeping our eyes on our eternal home, and destination. If we seek a life full of earthy things, we will have lived that life for nothing. If we give up those earthly desires, and seek first the Kingdom of God, we will gain a life full of peace and joy that words cannot describe. Not only that, but God can use us to save other lives, for His honor and glory!

Project Organized Home~Ottoman repair!

2011-07-08T12:01:00.004-04:00

Well, here it is Friday again! I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend, and I hope this weekend will be a great one for you as well! I didn't get around to those throw pillows yet this week, but I did find a use for some more of that fabric I got such a great deal on! I had an ottoman that the kids had just destroyed the top on. Not only was it ripped in several places, but since it's microfiber and virtually impossible to clean, there was a lot of stains from spills on it. I didn't want to junk it, because it's a storage ottoman, and the inside is pristine! Plus, it cost me $100 when we bought it, and I want to keep it around for as long as possible! So, this was a perfect chance to combine frugality and decorating. Now I have a new ottoman again, and it matches my curtains, so it's really tying the room together!

I should have smoothed the microfiber out before I took the picture...the bottom isn't dirty, it's just the way the fibers are laying. :) It's just so nice to have a beautiful colorful ottoman! It's much prettier than it was brand new! I just took the top off, which wasn't easy, since it has not only the hinges, but shocks, so little fingers don't get pinched when opening and shutting the top. And then I went right over the fabric that was already there. I do that whenever possible to make recovering as easy as possible! ;)

I moved all our front room furniture around, and now I have my favorite chairs in front of the window. There is a coffee table, then the burgundy couch is facing the chairs. The ottoman sits behind the couch, in the dining room space; so it ties both rooms together since it matches the curtains! I will be smiling so big when I finally get the throw pillows made! I have so many projects I am trying to finish up before we start the new homeschooling year next month! Hopefully, with God's strength and grace, I can get a good part of them done!

Project Organized Home

2011-06-30T23:42:00.003-04:00

Well, I was recently blessed on another trip to our local Mission Center Thrift Store! I got over 7 yards of high quality interior decor fabric for only $2! I wasn't even real sure what I would use it for, I just knew it was too good of a deal to pass up. When I got home, I realized just HOW good of a deal it was. Even though it is YEARS old, the tag was still on it, and it originally sold for $24 a yard! It's got Scotchguard on it, and it's so thick and shiny. It's really nice stuff! I've really been wanting to make some new curtains for the front room, but I had been looking for some quilty looking fabric. I decided that this would work well though, because it's so bright and cheerful! I really need that in the front room with it's dismal paneling. Since my husband wasn't too thrilled about the floral pattern, and preferred to keep our burgundy curtains up, I decided to compromise and have both! :) .....It works really well too, because our couch and two swivel chairs are burgundy as well. So I am going to make throw pillows out of this same floral fabric for them. It will tie the whole room together, and brighten it up at the same time! I'm excited to have it all done! Pictures just don't do justice, but this fabric is so shiny and expensive looking!...all for $2, because I even had matching thread on hand! Thank you Lord! :0)

Now, on to throw pillows! That shouldn't cost too much either, because I have the pillows from the bench in our house in Georgia that I made still. They don't match anything here, and I contemplated giving them away. I can just open them up, and rob the clusterfill out of them!! YAY!

Women In The Word Wednesday~The Vine

2011-05-18T00:05:00.003-04:00

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

Mid Spring Pics!

2011-05-17T17:10:00.012-04:00

Do you remember that picture I showed you, of my peonies starting to pop up out of the ground?! Well, just look at them now!!

I love this one, you can see a wasp and an ant crawling on the bloom. Peonies are loved by many people and insects!!
Just gorgeous blooms, aren't they?!

The color of these are striking! There are actually 3 bushes with this dark pink color!

I love the contrast to the VERY blue skies!

Here's some pictures of just a few of the pots I have planted. This one has purple heart, begonias and more!

Geraniums and begonias!

Impatients, double impatients and vinca vine!

We are going to make a neat little seating area here inventually. So far, all I've gotten accomplished, is some weeding, two hostas planted, and the bench painted. One step at a time! We will either have mulch, or rock here in the future, along with a border of some kind.

My morning glories are starting to grow really well! I didn't want to go through the hassle of starting them inside, so instead, I soaked them in water and paper towels for two days, and then planted them in the ground. I can't wait till they are all over the fence, and opening their "glory" every morning!!! These are some of my favorite annuals!

What fun spring can be! I can't wait to show you some more pictures as more things fill out!

eBook Giveway!

2011-05-16T23:06:00.003-04:00

I read this today, and just had to share! Click HERE to read about it and if you want, enter the giveaway yourself. I love the book so much, I will probably buy it as soon as I can even if I don't win the giveaway. I love my children so much, and give my all everyday to raise them the best I can, and to train them according to God's principals. One of the most important things to do for them, is to pray for them! I have to admit that I am NOT completely faithful in this area. I don't pray for them nearly as often and as deeply and sincerely as I should. This book brings new compassion and new ideas for how to pray for your children, and I can't wait to read the whole thing! I pray I will be able to do a better job at praying for my sons, and my daughters....it's so important that I do!

Move It Monday

2011-05-16T16:57:00.002-04:00

Hello! It's good to know some of you are still stopping by, in the midst of my completely sporadic posting! ;) It's amazing how a move across the country can change so many things. I find myself different physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from this journey. Some good, some not so good. It's been almost 6 months, and I still don't feel completely settled in to our new home and environment. Maybe one day..

Well, despite how awful I feel today physically, I am still hoping to get a few things done. At least two loads of laundry, some more organization in the laundry room, and vacuum the floor in there too. Tomorrow, I'd like to get my desk, and the kid's school desk cleared off and organized better too. I have a lot of organization plans for July. It looks like that will be our only month off of school this year. It took us while to catch up from the 2 1/2 months we took off for the move. We see the finish line though, and it's exciting! Have a great week!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-07T23:50:00.002-04:00

To all you precious mothers out there, thank you for your countless daily sacrifices and endless unconditional love for your children! The hand that rocks the cradle, truly rules the world! One diaper at a time, one dish, one meal, one load of laundry, one bedtime story, one ponytail, one shoelace, and one heart to heart talk at a time; you are changing the lives of your little blessings forever! You are molding them into beautiful hearts and creative minds that will change our world, and hopefully, have children of their own one day! Their is no greater gift given by God, and their isn't a more important job in this world, than being a mother!

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stop to kiss
That precious smile!

Thank you God, for giving me the blessing of being a mother!! :)

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Project Organized Home~Inspirational Frame Art~

2011-04-30T13:57:00.003-04:00

I wish I had gotten a better picture, but I am loving these! I found the frames at a thrift store for $2. They are solid ceramic, and so pretty! I used a simple computer program and made the artwork to go in them. It says J O Y and each has it's own meaning. To have true joy, we must have our priorities in order! J for Jesus first, O for Others second, and Y for Yourself last. I also put a scripture verse that coincides with each thought. They add so much spring color to the room, and are a great reminder of our priorities! If I keep my eyes open, there are always cheap ways to organize, decorate, and make the home a brighter happier place! :)

Fun With Our Lilac Bush!

2011-04-29T23:36:00.006-04:00

Spring Has Sprung!!!

2011-04-09T15:22:00.010-04:00

Project Organized Home~ Exterior Painting

2011-04-08T23:18:00.004-04:00

Well, you may have noticed my lack of posting, but let me explain why! We have been so busy trying to make this new house a home. That's harder to do when you are renting, but we have a wonderful landlord! He and his wife, have really been giving us a lot of freedom to make changes to suit our family. He has been paying for paint (of my color choice) on the inside of the house, and just recently, he bought us a bunch of paint for the outside. He let me chose my color here too, and I am just thrilled as I see the color going up on the house! This is how bad it was looking before we started scraping and painting... You can see that it's quite the change, from looking at the bit of blue that we had done in the photo! And below is how it looks currently! Amazing transformation, isn't it?! We have only just begun too. We still have the top trim to do, some caulking to put on, and then another coat of paint. We haven't touched the east and north sides yet either. But pulling up to this, is really encouraging us to keep going! I can just imagine how beautiful it will be when we are done, and I have flowers blooming all over, in the ground and in my pots and baskets!!! YAY!

Move It Monday

2011-03-21T09:26:00.004-04:00

Good Monday morning to you! It's an overcast, sleepy Monday here, but we are pushing through, none-the-less! There is much on the agenda today, and it won the coin toss over crawling back into bed! lol! I am getting ready to have some cranberry juice, and some cinnamom raisin bagels with butter. I am NOT a bagel person, but for some reason, if you put some butter on a cinnamon raisin bagel, and microwave it for 30 seconds, I am in love! ;)

Today I need to get most of my list accomplished. I am behind on things again (no surprise) and need to catch up so I have time for flower planting next month! YAY! I hope to:

*Wash a load of laundry-DONE

*Vacuum front room floors-DONE

*Wash dishes-DONE

*Put away clean clothes from yesterday-SOME

*Wash second load of laundry-DONE

*Tests with A.M./Write out this weeks assignments-DONE

*Third load of laundry-DONE

*Schoolwork with A.J.

As you can see, I have my work cut out for me, so I better get to it! I'm already late with my breakfast, and I'm starving! (or so I think :P) I pray you all have a wonderful day, and a wonderful week!

Women In The Word Wednesdays~03/16/11

2011-03-16T15:46:00.004-04:00

(Click on the button above for more WITWW posts!)

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain"; wheras you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that." James 4:13-15 RSV

Now, I don't think it means we can't make plans, or try and prepare for the future. I just think we need to be in constant awareness, that the future belongs to God. We can make those plans, but should be prepared for the Lord to change them if He wills, and not go into a fit over it, or be caught off guard and have the wrong attitude or response.

I used to pray every morning, when we lived in Georgia, for God to guide my day. For Him to lead me, and rebuke satan, that I would stay in His path for my life. I would ask that He help me make all my decisions and be with me every time that I spoke, so that I would speak His words, and not my own. I also asked that He hold my tongue when I should not speak so that I might not sin against Him. (I'm very bad in that area) It's been a few months now, that I haven't been praying this every morning, and God has definitely told me that it's time to return to doing so. I am a planner. I feel much more comfortable having a firm plan in place for everything, but this leads me to great disappointment when it doesn't work out, and sometimes I have even looked like a fool, saying I know somethings going to happen, and then it doesn't!

We do not know what tomorrow will bring. It only makes sense to lean on the One who does, and include Him in our plans!!! An elder woman in the church in Georgia, who really was a Titus 2 woman for me, always said, "Lord willing." She said it so much, that I really pondered it, and if it was necessary. But as time went along, I realized how much everything really was, "Lord willing!" Something as simple as driving to the post office, can be delayed with a suddenly bad starter, or keys being locked in the car! She taught me to always remember that the future is in God's hands, and all I can do is live each day for Him, and see where that takes me! :)

Project Organized Home~Chair Recovering

2011-03-11T10:53:00.013-05:00

Today, I thought I'd share with you what I did this past week! So many people are afraid to tackle this project, and they shouldn't be...it's not that complicated! :) I'll show you how to do it!

For the longest time I had just plain wood dinning room chairs, but when we bought our first new set ever, when we moved to Georgia, I was so excited to get wood chairs with a fabric covered padded seat! Well guess what? I have 4 young children, and within months they were nasty looking. :( I decided to recover them with curtain fabric so that they would match the curtains in the room, and I covered the new fabric with clear vinyl so that they could be wiped down, and protect the fabric! Well, they made it almost 4 years, and the kids have finally ripped the vinyl. So, it was time to recover them again. And if you know me at all, you know that I wouldn't dare go another 4 years with the same fabric color! Hehe! So I headed to the local fabric store and picked out one I thought would go great with our rental house!

The first step is to take off the old fabric. Now if you have a new chair, there might be a nice neat covering on the bottom, don't be afraid, just cut or rip it off, and underneath will be the seat fabric stapled on, looking like this in the picture below. There should be screws holding the cushion onto the chair, you'll need to find them, and unscrew them. Now, you can decide...sometimes it's better to leave the fabric and just cover over it, while other times it needs to be taken off, so it's not to bulky. If you are using a thick fabric, plus vinyl, you'll want to start fresh with the wood and batting or foam. Since I had two layers already, I had to take one off. I just use a flat head screwdriver, and pull up the staples...

Once that fabric is removed, I am ready to put on my new fabric! Just place the cushion on the table or floor, over your fabric. Cut it with enough extra fabric to go up and around the cushion, and room to staple it in place. Now this can be done so many ways, but I would highly suggest you staple all sides first, and then tackle the corners. If you have a patterned material, make sure it is centered on the cushion before you staple it! Pull the fabric nice and tight, and staple in place. Keep it as straight as possible, so you don't have pulls or wrinkles in the fabric up the sides. With these cushions, the back is pretty curvy, so I staple the front, then the back, to hold the fabric in place, then I go to the sides.

Now for the corners. There are so many ways to do it. You may have to do trial and error to see how you like them! I just pull a little section at a time, layering it over each other to make a cute little layered corner. I start off with this...

and just keep layering and folding over, until I'm left with this, and I staple it in place...

Once I'm done stapling the corner, I cut off the extra fabric, so it's not too bulky. If the corners are too bulky, they will show space between the chair and the cushion when you try to put it back on.

Finally, when done with the fabric, you can move on to vinyl, if you wish. Same thing. Lay the cushion over the vinyl and cut it to size. Staple it all around, using the same method.

Cut off any excess material once you are done, and you should be left with this!..

Now all you have to do, is place it back on the chair, get your screwdriver, and tighten the screws back into the wood on the bottom of the cushion! I recovered 4 chairs for $30. I am also covering the top of the bench behind this chair in the same fabric, and it only cost me an extra $10. Oh, I just LOVE them! The new fabric just matches this front room so well!!!! It's amazing how such little changes can make such a big difference!

FYI-For 4 chairs, I buy 2 yards of fabric, and 2 yard of vinyl. It just depends on the size of the fabric. They are always cut by 36" yards one way, but they all vary the other way. They could be 43", 24", or any dimension. You should usually always be safe with 2 yards for 4 chairs. It's better to buy more than not enough! You can use the extra to make matching
place mats, a table runner, or other projects for the room!

Women in the Word Wednesday

2011-03-09T05:14:00.003-05:00

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

James 4:7-8

If you find yourself feeling down, angry, frustrated, sad, or just not yourself, do a spiritual check up! Ask God to show you what you are doing, or are NOT doing that has pulled you away from Him. He will be faithful and just to show you, so that you may restore your peace with Him!

Our God is a loving God, but he is also a jealous God! He has every right to be too! He created us, and only wants the best for us. Having our loyalties divided between the world and God, will only bring bad things for us. Our eyes need to be set on God above, and He needs to be our #1 priority all the time. As a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, etc, I know how hard it can be. It's a daily struggle for me as well. The blessings are so great though, when God is put in His deserving place! My joy is great, and my cup overfloweth, even through the bad times, when I am close to God!

I pray that today, you will pull that one foot out of the world, and place them both in the Lord's path. I pray you find that same comfort and joy that comes from walking in the Spirit, side by side with our merciful, patient, and loving God!

Move It Monday

2011-03-07T05:22:00.000-05:00

Good Monday morning! I do hope that this weeks brings many wonderful things to all of you! I am starting out slow this morning. I am still trying to recover from the shock and pain from losing my dear Natasha this weekend. Some people think it's so silly to get so worked up over an animal, but anyone who's had pets, especially dogs, knows just how personable they are, and just how sad it is when you have to say goodbye. I miss my Tasha so much. I keep thinking my tear ducts have to be empty, but then more tears come out. I know time will heal, and though we can't ever replace her, my husband and friend are already trying to find the kids and I a new friend. They feel it will help us heal. I'm sure it will. We've always gotten a new dog shortly after we've lost one, and it does help. She was my favorite out of all the many dogs we've had over the last 20 years though, and I'm taking it pretty hard...I just don't know if I want another dog right now. The loss is so hard. I can't see us not always having two though, so I guess I'll comply with the process! Harley is pretty lonely too. (our lab) Love you Tash!

Well, on from that. I am trying to stay busy today and not think about my losses. Not think about GA, my old home, or my Tasha. I am focusing on our rental house here, and getting more things organized. Lots of laundry today, and keeping up with schoolwork. We are still behind for the year because of the move, but we are doing good at keeping up with our schedule here lately! I am also going to start getting in more exercise. I am going to keep walking Harley daily, and I am going to start with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike a friend gave me. I will hopefully work my way up to 40 minutes a day. I want to lose 15 pounds to ease the burden on my lower back. I'll need to lose more later, but for now, I think that's a reasonable, and much needed task that I can do in the next couple months! This winter, being back in Kansas, it was just too cold to expect my body to do much physical exercise without majorly increasing the pain from my Fibromyalgia. Hopefully, these slightly warmer temps we are getting now will easily accommodate some exercise!

You all have a wonderful day, and a wonderful week!

Move It Monday

2011-02-21T11:35:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm not moving it very quickly or gracefully today. :( Somehow though, with a lower back that's out, and a lingering cold, I have to find a way to go to parent teacher conferences for my oldest, homeschool with my younger 3, meet my cousin in Sabetha, while she's still in the state, and pick up a swingset from Walmart! Hmmm.. Definitely going to need the Lord's grace and strength today..... and maybe even a small miracle?! :o) My spirits are high though, despite my discomfort! I have my first pair of glasses, and I can see SO WELL! Plus, how can you NOT wake up happy when you have another day to spend with your children, and have been blessed with 12 years of marriage with a wonderful husband!?! I pray you all have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week!

Thankful Thursday

2011-02-17T10:49:00.004-05:00

Oh, goodness...where does one even begin?! I am so thankful for God's mercy. I am thankful that even though I battle my flesh so much, and succom to tempation from the world, God stays with me. He never gives up on me, and He speaks do the depths of my heart. He gives me the chance to repent and learn from His word, that I might not sin against Him again!

I am so thankful for His provision! I just can't hardly grasp the fact that 4 months ago, hubby's company shut down, and we were without income, and our lives changed forever. It was such a deep, dark place at that moment, and God has brought us through, and is leading us back up the mountain again. Even though we lost our house, and had to move back to Kansas, God was with us, every step of the way. We never felt alone, and God orchestrated it all just perfectly! We were never without food, shelter, or warmth. We were only without each other for a short time, while hubby worked his new job, and the kids and I packed the house. What we now lack, being in a different home, and state, God has made up for with new blessings, that we didn't have before!

I have had to go through many valleys in my life, between standing on the mountain tops, and they have made me a better person. I am a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, neighbor, and most importantly, Christian! Without the valleys, I know that wouldn't be the case. God has used them to shape and mold me into who He wants me to be. I know I'm still not there yet, and will need many, many more valleys, but I know God will always be with me, and will be there on the mountain tops with me too, to rejoice with me! He has blessed me in the hard times, just as much as in the good. I thank God today, and everyday for who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to continue to do!

All the Bible studies I have done and am doing lately, all have one main theme...keeping my eyes upon the LORD. I am so thankful today, that I have a LORD worth keeping my eyes upon! Thank you God, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit! My life would be nothing without You!

Thankful Thursday is Hosted at Women Taking a Stand this month!

Women In The Word Wednesday

2011-02-16T09:33:00.009-05:00

Don't forget to go to the Good Morning Girls site to read more of what God's children are learning from Him!

Good Wednesday morning to you all! Well, I tell you what, this study in James has really been a doosy so far! If you aren't even the slightest bit convicted by the words in James, you need a serious spiritual check-up! James is so blunt, and to the point! (In a good way of course!) But he leaves no room for excuses and loopholes here! It's black and white, and my toes have been stepped on for sure!

I consider myself to be a very compassionate, kind, and caring person...but I definitely show respect of persons, and James makes it clear, that it's a sin! :( I've been reading out of my Life Application Bible, and the foot notes are just wonderful! They really help you to apply the scriptures to your daily life, and understand them on a deeper level. If you've never looked at one, I would recommend you do. They print it in several translations...KJV, NKJV, NIV, and others! One thing I learned last week and wasn't able to post about for time reasons, was that respect of persons and favoritism is actually a selfish act. When you really think about it, what are your motivations for showing favoritism? Most instances of favoritism or respect of persons, is the rich vs the poor. There are others of course, but I think this is why James focuses so much on the rich/poor aspect. This is out of my footnotes....

"To have "respect of persons" means to show favoritism to some people over others. Often we treat a well-dressed, impressive looking person better than someone who looks poor. We do this because we would rather identify with successful people than with apparent failures. The irony, as James reminds us, is that the supposed winners may have gained their impressive lifestyle at our expense. In addition, the rich find it hard to identify with the Lord Jesus who came as a humble servant. Are you easily impressed by status, wealth, or fame? Are you partial to the "haves" while ignoring the "have nots"? This attitude is sin. God views all people as equals......

......By honoring someone just because he dresses well, we are making his appearance more important than his character. We sometimes do this because (1) poverty makes us uncomfortable; we don't want to face our responsibilities to those who have less than we do; (2) we too want to be wealthy, and we hope to use the rich person as a means to that end; (3) we want the rich person to join our church and help support it financially. All these motives are selfish; they view neither the rich nor the poor person as a human being in need of fellowship. If we say Christ is Lord of our lives, then we must live as he requires, showing no favoritism and loving all people regardless of their circumstances."

What about you? Do you have times of favoritism? Are there people you treat better than others for any reason? Family members that get better treatment than other family members? Co-workers that you favor over other co-workers? Sometimes just our personalities clash, and therefore we treat people less than desirably. The thing is, those you shun see your actions, and feel the hurt you cause them. If you claim to be a Christian, and treat people this way, they will NOT see the love of Christ in you. All favoritism stems from selfishness on our part. This has been so convicting for me, and I pray God will help me to overcome my respect of persons. Won't you join me in this prayer today?

God, help me to see people like you see them. Help me to look past the appearance, move past the personalities, and gaze upon the heart. Help me to remember that you created all men, and you created them equally in your sight. Help me to LOVE like you LOVE! Help me to not focus on myself, and my wants and needs, but on You, and on others! Please guard my heart, and may your Spirit speak to me loudly, that I might not sin against you, and cause hurt to others. I want to set the standards of this world aside, and remember that the true goal of this life, is entering your kingdom, and bringing as many with us as possible! In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Move It Monday

2011-02-14T10:42:00.007-05:00

Today is not just any Monday, but VALENTINES DAY Monday! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and find a special way to show those you love, just how much you love them! I surprised my dear hubby with a card and a chocolate fish! I snuck out of the house while he was getting ready, and put them on the steering wheel of the van, so he would see them when he left to go to work! I just loved the fish, it said, "I'm deffinately not throwing you back!" I found the perfect card too, that said all the right words! I watched him from the window, and he looked so happy! My husband isn't a smooshy sensitive guy, but he LOVES being appreciated by his wife, and when I take the time to do something extra special for him! We also have Valentines presents for the kids. This year, just like last year, it's Webkinz! They love them, and it's a perfect gift!

I am busy today, per usual. I woke up pretty grogy, but I have a decent energy level, praise the Lord! So I am trying to take full advantage it! I am resuming all my supplements now, and hoping that they will not interfere with my Fibromyaliga medicine. I want so bad, to get back to the good health I was enjoying in July, and I know the supplements will really help! I think if I can add the benefit of better sleep, and less pain that I get with the FM medicine, with the energy that I get from the suppliments, I will feel the best that I have felt in years! My goal is to feel good enough to exercise again, and resume a cardio healthy lifestyle! You all pray for me!

Today, I need to:

*Wash Dishes-DONE

*Load of Hubby's Laundry-DONE

*Mop Kitchen Floor-DONE

*Load of My Laundry-DONE

*Clean Front Rooms

*Load of A.B.'s Laundry-DONE

We also are having gorgeous weather this week, so I fully intend on getting some outdoor time in, even if it's just siting on the bench and drinking a glass of tea! Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Move It Monday

2011-02-07T11:52:00.006-05:00

Well, I'm not moving it very well today. :( I don't know why, but I woke up sleepy and unmotivated today. I have MUCH to do, so I hope I can find some higher gears before the day is up! I have a couple things that must get done today, whether in high gear or low...

*Laundry-DONE

*Dishes

*Store return-DONE

*Clean off sewing table-DONE

*Pull out fabric and get it ready

*BUY A SNOW SHOVEL!-DONE

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week!!!

Project Organized Home~Kitchen Makeover!

2011-02-04T12:09:00.007-05:00

Well, it's been so long since I've done a Friday post, that I felt I owed you a proper one! lol! So, I thought I would share the before and after photos of the kitchen in our new rental house. God really blessed me here... it was so hard to leave the gorgeous kitchen that we had in our home in Georgia...so hard. Then, to see what this kitchen looked like, well it almost brought me to tears. But the landlord here, has been great, and had no problems with me painting whatever I wanted, to make it feel more like our home! :) You just can't beat that when you've owned your own home for so many years! So, I took full advantage of it, and really had fun in this tiny kitchen!

The before.....

The after....

It's still not done, and a little messy, but you get the idea of the transformation!

You can't see it, but I still have the other cabinet that's identical to the one on the left. It's to the right of the fridge, so when you are standing in front of it, it's all symetrical. It all fit just perfectly!

This weekend, we will be moving the microwave to above the oven, where it belongs! It's an over the range microwave, so it's taking up WAY too much of the little counter space I have available!

It's been so fun, and I love walking in there now! I will really be pleased when we move the microwave, and finish the rooster border on the stove wall. I have been searching thrift stores for more tea pots and roosters too, to finish decorating the shelves above the sink. The trick in these old houses, is finding the neat features they have hidden in them, and really exploiting them! Like the shelves, and the cove behind the fridge! Have a great weekend everyone!

Women In The Word Wendesday~2/2/11

2011-02-02T00:59:00.000-05:00

Oh, what a wonderful study James is! There is sooo much good, good stuff in here! Convicting, yes...I think the best of God's Word is! If we didn't get our toes stepped on, we wouldn't know what to change, or have the desire to change it! Surrender to the Holy Spirit, is one of the best feelings we will ever have here on this earth!

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." James 1: 22-24

Here's that phrase again..."be ye doers of the word!" You know something is pretty important to God when He repeats it in His Word! He wants to make sure we get it, just in case we skimmed over it the first time! :) Oh how true this passage is! If you read a book about how to ride a bike, are you going to be able to ride one perfectly? If you read a book about how to play the piano, will you be ready for a recital? NO! Of course not. It takes practice! Without actually "doing" it, you cannot have success. Not only will you not have success, but you will eventually forget what you even read.

God's word is that way too, only more so. There is an enemy out there who has had thousands of years of practice doing what...? Everything He can to make you forget God's word, disobey God's word, avoid God's word, etc. James tells us that if we only listen to God's word, and don't obey it, and act upon it as well, we will be deceiving our own selves. Worse yet, we will forget what kind of person we ought to be. Have you ever seen someone really living in sin, and you say to yourself, or someone else, "I don't even know who they are anymore." Well, if we aren't doers of God's word, we will be saying that about ourselves one day too.

Listening to God's word is good! Very good! But what profit it is, to know it, if we aren't going to do anything about it?! Hypocrisy is born this way too. The number one reason I hear from people as to why they don't want to go to church, is that they feel the church is filled with hypocrites. Why is this? Because too many Christians are talking the talk, and not walking the walk! Unsaved people, and even saved people, are going to be more affected by our actions, than by our words, and our "knowledge." Actions speak louder than words! If we say we are different, if we say God has changed us, but we aren't living any different lives, that's hypocrisy. Such a stumbling block that is, for non-believers, and ourselves.

I've seen Christians who are definitely deceiving their selves. They've got so much head knowledge of God's word, but aren't living it in their lives. They put off this "I am so godly" attitude, but then turn around and make filthy jokes, or show judgement to another brethren. Doesn't that just hurt your spirit when you see that? I know I have been guilty of it before, and I just pray I didn't hurt anyones spirit. That is NOT the kind of Christian I want to be. I want to be a "doer of the word and not a hearer only!" God help us to strive to be a great doer of His word, and have it all be for His honor, and His glory!

Feel free to read other posts about what God is teaching the Good Morning Girls in this study of James!

Move It Monday

2011-01-31T09:35:00.004-05:00

Good Monday morning, all! It's an interesting Monday for us! We were surprised to find out that they closed school this morning! Thank goodness the only who has to get ready is my oldest! I would of been a little upset if I had to get all 4 kids ready to go, just to find out they weren't going anywhere! I love homeschooling. We have an unexpected layer of ice all over the roads. Hubby barely got to work two blocks from here. I really hope they are doing in-town jobs today. I don't want to see anyone trying to drive down the highways. They are forecasting more freezing rain today, and then a blizzard tomorrow with up to a foot of snow! YIKES! It's going to be treacherous getting anywhere this week! I'm so thankful I got groceries yesterday.

I will be moving it today, in my nice warm, ice free house! There is still so much left to do. I have a few boxes still unpacked, and so many clothes to wash and organize. I had them all clean before we left, but they got thrown everywhere when they helped us load the truck. So now, I have to go through them all again, and wash them, just to be sure. I also have some dishes left from last night. My hands just won't wash them all at once. Hubby has been helping, as much as he hates to, but he knows hand washing is really hard on my hands, and he's such a sweet hubby! Perhaps the Lord will bless us with a way to install a dishwasher here someday. I never took mine for granted, but I didn't realize just how hard hand washing would be for me. The Fibromyalgia medicine helps so much of my symptoms, but it's done little for the pain in my hands.

On the bright side of things!!!! The bunk beds are done! :0) We are sooo happy with them! Thank you for your hard work honey!

I am SO DONE painting for a little while! I think I'll wait a bit before I start on the master bedroom! Painting isn't easy on my hands either. Brushing isn't too bad, but rolling is difficult for me now.

The finished product! I love them so much! Plenty of head room, so they can still play on their beds, even on the bottom bunk. A full on the bottom, so I can read the girls bedtime stories together, and the girls can sleep together when they want to. Since we made it ourselves, it's even sturdy enough to hold adults! I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! :)

Have a good Monday, and a great week, everyone!

Had to show you!

2011-01-29T20:55:00.003-05:00

The day I received these, I was feeling so down, and so sad about being in Kansas. I was really missing my home in Georgia. What a surprise when I opened these HUGE packages and found what was inside!

Isn't she beautiful?! She is the newest in my collection. My Grandmother sent her to me in December, along with two of her friends, and this beautiful white wicker furniture!
I'll have to get a picture of all of them together and show you. I love dolls, and these are so special! I love my Grandma so much, and to have something so beautiful, that came from her home, that I enjoy so much....well that's just a precious gift from God!!! So, I just had to share with you!

Women In The Word Wednesday~01/26/11

2011-01-26T14:59:00.003-05:00

This has been a good week in James so far! I'm just thoroughly enjoying this book! I've read if before, heard so many sermons based on scripture from it, but there is nothing like doing the S.O.A.P. method of study. Verse by verse, observations and applications of these precious Words of God!

So far this week, James 1:12-15

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, when it is finished, it bringeth forth death."

First, we observe that there is a reward for enduring trials and temptations. Not only do we get the immediate benefits of refining, but we have a crown of life that awaits us!

Next, we observe that God himself cannot be tempted. Temptation comes from evil, and God has no evil in His heart. He is completely righteous. Therefore, he never tempts man. When we are faced with temptation, it is NEVER from God. It is God's will that we be righteous as He is, and He would not tempt, or provoke us into evil. He may allow satan to tempt us, but it is our own lusts in our own hearts that draw us away from God.

Lastly, we observe that lust leads to sin, and sin leads to death. The very reason Jesus had to be sent here to die. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Without Jesus, we would all be dead in our sins, eternally separated from God.

Next, we come to the application of these observations. The first thing that really spoke to me, is that there is a definite separation of trials and temptations. Trials come from God, and are for our own good. They bring us closer to God, by realizing our weaknesses, and inabilities to handle things on our own. They shape and mold us to be more like Christ, and the Father that sent Him. We've all heard the analogy of silver, and it's refining through heat.

Temptations, are not of God. God wants us to be pure, and righteous as He. He always provides a way of escape for us, when the temptation is allowed. Notice I say "allowed" not "given!" "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 In the King James, suffer, means allow. So, God will not allow a temptation that He knows is more than we can bear. A temptation that is to great for us to turn away from. That would be leading us into sin, and God won't do that. The reason we can be tempted, and He can't is because He has no evil in His heart. We do. We have the fleshly lusts that draw us away from God and into sin.

We are rewarded for enduring both trials, and temptations. Not only do we have the immediate rewards, of joy and closeness to God, but we have a crown of life waiting for us! As said earlier in this book, we are to count it all joy, when faced with temptations. I know, at the time, it is so hard to do. We like to be comfortable, and happy all the time. We pay big money for "easy living." But our goal here on this earth, is to further God's Kingdom, and to bring Him glory in everything! Trials, and temptations, can bring those things to pass, so we ought to look at it from God's perspective, and not our own.

That leads me to the last point that God is dealing on my heart about through these verses. I want to be able to not only withstand temptations, and have victory over them, but I want to limit the number of times I'm tempted in the first place. The fewer times I'm tempted, the less chances I have of falling to temptation. So, how do I accomplish this? Well, I look at why God can't be tempted, and what causes my temptations. God can't be tempted, because He has no evil in His heart, and lust is what leads to temptation for me. The answer here is simple. Follow through may not be so easy, but the answer is.

My eyes need to be on God. I need to remember that my goal in life is not to please myself, but to please Him, and bring Him glory. Seeing things as God sees them. Being thankful, for all that God provides, and finding happiness in Godly things, not earthly things. If I am focused on God, and fulfilled in Him, I have no desires for anything else, and therefore no lusts. If I have no lusts, I cannot fall to temptation and be led astray from God. Lust is the root of this horrible cycle, and it has to be stopped there...better yet, before it gets there!

Just because I have accepted Christ as my savior, and I am in the book of life, doesn't mean the journey has ended. I am of no use to God if I am walking in the flesh and fulfilling the lusts thereof. I won't have done anything to glorify God or further His kingdom, if that's the life I chose to live. I may be saved from spiritual death, but I still await physical death. God has given me time beforehand to fulfill a very important calling. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a neighbor, a member of the community, and a member of the body of Christ, the church. I can use that sphere of influence for good, or I can squander it. If I intend to use it for good, I must keep my eyes on God, and strive everyday to be more like Him. Reading His Word, and asking that He help me to see ALL things as He does. I know His ways are above my own, but He has also promised to give me the wisdom I need to do His will, if I just ask! (James 1:5)

For more thoughts on James, head over to the Good Morning Girls site, and see what God is teaching other ladies!

Move It Monday

2011-01-24T11:54:00.004-05:00

Good Monday morning! I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying nicer weather than we are! lol! It's still in the single digits, and our roads are covered in ice and snow. We had to go to a church in town yesterday, because it's all we could do to slip and slide that far. There's no way we could of safely driven 25 miles to the church we usually go to. We had to accelerate around every turn. If you tried to break, or do nothing, you just kept sliding straight. Then, when we got out of the van to walk into the church, two of my kids fell, and hubby and I almost did. It's just solid ice out there. :( Good thing the kids think it's funny to fall. I wouldn't of been laughing if it was me!

Well, I have much to do today. Many dishes to wash. (really missing the dishwasher since we moved here) Laundry to do. Cleaning and organizing. Plus, I HAVE to start school up again with my little princess. We put my oldest, now in 5th grade, into public school, but the other 3 will remain at home for now. It's so nice to be in a very small town, and be able to trust the teachers, and faculty to provide a safe, wholesome place for our children to learn! My son is enjoying it so much, and has decided to take up playing the saxophone in band! I'm happy for him!

As for the rest of us, we have homeschooling to do today, and are going to try and finish up the girl's room this week. Hubby and I made them some bunk beds, and I'm finishing up the painting. They are so beautiful! He is so talented, and did such a great job! I just assisted with holding wood while he cut it, and assembling some of it. I do love my power drill! There's just something so neat about building things with your own hands! :)

You all have a great day, and a great week! I need to get back to being busy!

Women In The Word Wednesday~01/19/11

2011-01-19T22:51:00.004-05:00

I am doing a bible study in James with the Good Morning Girls. Every Wednesday, I will do my best to post about what the Lord is teaching me and I link it up to their site. I realize I haven't posted here in quite some time. We are settling in here, and doing well. God is good!

James 1:5,6

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

There's a lot to be taken out of this verse. I'll just point out a couple things. One, we need to seek God for our answers. So often, (myself included...at the top of the list!) when trials come our way, we search ourselves, our co-workers, magazines, books, friends, "the world," for answers to fix our problems and situations. We must FIRST seek God, who has abundant wisdom to give to us! It's so sad when a Christian waits until all efforts have failed, to turn to God. I struggle with this so much, and I pray that God will continue to help me to turn to Him first...always.

Second, when we seek God for wisdom, He will give it to us. It's not questionable. There's no stipulations on this. He doesn't have to be in a giving mood, or require that we do all these steps first. God clearly tell us here in verse 4, that it shall be given to us! Praise God!

Thirdly, we must trust in the wisdom and the answers that God gives us. It's so easy to doubt God's ways, because they are above our own understanding sometimes. We still think ourselves and our own wisdom to be so great. I've heard the saying, that it's often not that we don't trust God will answer our prayers, but that we don't know if He will answer our prayers the way WE want Him to answer them! I find this to be so true! We must trust Him though, and know that He will ALWAYS say and do the right things. We can trust the Holy Spirit's leading, and when God gives us an answer, or wisdom about a situation, we need to stick to that, and not waiver in our faith. Wavering gives room for Satan to do real damage.

I leave you with one more passage. I find it no coincidence that both these verses (above in James, and here below in Proverbs), though many years and pages apart, are both verses 5 and 6.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

Update

2010-12-27T21:50:00.003-05:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was so wonderful, and I thank God for His love and care for us! We are now in Kansas, and trying to settle in our new home. It was very hard for me at first, but God is giving me the grace I need to move forward and quit looking backwards! There are so many nice things about being here again! We are in a different town then before and hubby's new work is only two blocks from our house. It's been so nice to have him come home for lunch most days! He is really enjoying the country setting and not driving in Atlanta traffic every day anymore! I am enjoying the snow! :-)

Thank you for your prayers, and we will always be grateful for more. I am going to try this week, to get into my old doctor and take her all my recent tests and medical records. I am hoping she will help me find a way to get my medicine cheaper, as I have had to quit taking it because of cost. My pain has gotten dramatically worse since doing so, and I am hoping to find a way to get better again. I will also need to have another pelvic ultrasound in a couple weeks to check on the left ovarian cyst that they found several weeks ago.

I will continue to be without internet for at least two more weeks, so while I am missing you all greatly, I pray you will have a Happy New Year, and hope to be able to communicate more often, soon!

Music For My Soul On a Sad Day

2010-12-10T08:51:00.005-05:00

I am sad today. Happy to be picking up Hubby at the airport tomorrow, but oh, so very sad to be leaving my home, and the wonderful state of Georgia. I soothe my soul with prayer, bible reading, and beautiful music!

Don't forget to turn my music player off first!

I AM Wednesday

2010-12-08T10:04:00.002-05:00

I AM...

...tired of packing.

...a puzzle master, making all these items fit neatly and tightly into boxes!

...a mother to 4 beautiful and precious children!

...a wife to a loving, hard working husband, who will do whatever it takes to take care of his family!

...a daughter to the strongest, most inspirational mother a girl could ever have; and who never seems to run out of unconditional love!

...so very thankful for all the prayers said on my behalf!

...in pain right now, but thankful to be alive!

...looking forward to our "new" life in Kansas.

...sad to leave our life here in Georgia.

...praising God that home is where the heart is!

...trying to remember that my eternal home isn't in Kansas or Georgia. My eyes are to be kept on things above!

Move It Monday

2010-12-06T20:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I think it goes without saying that I have been moving it today! lol! As the days get fewer, I feel the crunch to get things done! I wanted to be so much further along than I am right now, but I've had to take care of my body too. It was soooo stressed last week. I took it really easy this weekend, and I don't regret it at all. I've already had to go back on the strong Ibuprofen and have been icing my back, neck, shoulders and legs. I can't allow myself to get any worse. I felt pretty good this morning, and kept a nice easy pace today. I'm sure I'll have to pick it up a little the next couple of days, but my goal is to NOT push way too hard like I did the last two weeks. It's just not worth it. I'd rather leave things behind, than put myself in that situation again.

I went through papers today, emptied two desks, packed up one computer, some books, and did more organizing. I also started packing up the tools and painting supplies in our floor to ceiling cabinet. Tomorrow, I hope to pack up all the small appliances in the kitchen. I think I can pack up the rest of the bake ware too. I'll need to keep some cookie sheets and pans out, since we still have a few days left that we need to cook food. The kids are supposed to be cleaning their rooms so I can pack up their toys, but I hear a lot of noise up there, and none of it sounds like cleaning noises! lol! :-)

It was a good Monday, and we are all really getting excited about seeing Daddy again in a few days! Please pray for his safe air travel on Saturday! Have a great week everyone!

Project Organized Home~Serenity Frame

2010-12-03T12:17:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I know it's been a l-o-n-g while since I did one of these posts, and I'm sorry. But what do you post about, when you are tearing apart your home to move it?! lol! I did find something to share with you today though. Something that I will be able to enjoy at my new home!

My Grandma Sheila gave me this beautiful frame and print last year. I love it so much! However, sometimes you just want a change. I was going to pack it the other day, when I decided I should change it up a little bit before I do so. I know I won't have time to do anything with it for a while after we move, so it's kinda now or never. Well, today was my chance! My back needed another break from packing, and luckily, I hadn't put up my scrapbooking stuff yet. With a little creativity, a few supplies, a computer and printer, I came up with this...

Now I get to enjoy one of my favorite prayers, with one of my favorite gifts! I just love it, and I can't wait to unpack it and hang it on the wall in our new house! It will be like a brand new item, because it got packed 5 minutes after I finished making it. :-) I just LOVE making these types of things. This is my 7th now, and I don't think it will ever get old. You don't have to open a book to enjoy them, you can make them for all kinds of occasions and people, and they make a home feel personal, and loved!

Hopefully, when we are settled in our new home, I will be able to post more about projects that make our home more organized and beautiful! Have a great weekend everyone!

Encouragement for the Spiritual Head of the Home

2010-11-30T08:21:00.007-05:00

I know that many women struggle with feeling like their husband is not being the "spiritual head of the home" that they desire him to be. They wonder how they can fix it, or make him take on that roll. The fact is, that you can't MAKE him fill that role the way YOU want him to. God must change your husband from within, and you must remember that all men were created with different personalities and characteristics. Just because your husband doesn't do the things that "so and so" does, doesn't mean he's not spiritual. How would you like to be compared to someone else's wife? The last thing I want is for my husband to dwell all day about how I don't cook, clean, dress, act, etc., like "so and so's" wife. God gave you to each other....remember to pray for one another, love and accept one another for who God created you to be, not for who you think they ought to be.

With that being said, I read a great post lately that has tips on how you can ENCOURAGE your husband to be the spiritual leader in your home. There is nothing un-biblical about encouraging one another. I highly suggest you go check it out. Traci is a wonderful, godly woman with many encouraging things to share. Read her post *here*!

Move It Monday

2010-11-29T07:08:00.004-05:00

Monday came too soon for me this week...I am soooo sleepy! :) Never-the-less, it is here, and things must go on! So, I will start the coffee pot and see if we can get a little kick start to the day.

I have been getting more boxes packed in the last few days. The laundry is done, dishes are done, most of the cleaning and organizing is done as well. It took so much time to do all that, and didn't seem like we were making any progress in getting packed. With only 12 days left, I'm hoping this week will show some real visual progress! It should, as most of the wall decor is packed now, a lot of the fragile items, many kitchen dishes as well. Today I will start with our photo albums and books, and when those bookshelves are empty, it will be noticeable! We are really missing daddy now, so I'm hoping the busyness of the week will help us to not dwell on that too much.

My pelvic ultrasound and brain MRI are tomorrow, so pray with me about those. One of my kids is sick, so I am also praying that they will be better by tomorrow, and the others won't get sick. I can't miss these tests. It's my last chance to get them before we move. They will take all afternoon, so I really need to get a lot accomplished today, tired or not! I guess I had better make an egg and sausage breakfast sandwich too. It will give me energy, and make me happy too...yummm!!

You all have a great Monday, and a great week! If you have any shopping left to do, hit those websites...they have some GREAT deals on this Cyber Monday! I love a good deal, and even though I don't have money for gifts this year, I've still been checking those deals out. There are some great ones! JC Penny's has a leather sofa on sale today.....regularly $1799, on sale through their website today for $799! What a deal!

A little of this and that~11/26/10

2010-11-26T23:46:00.006-05:00

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was such a special day, and I can't thank the Lord enough for it! The kids had a great day, I had a great day, it was G-R-E-A-T!! The kid's little Christmas trees look so nice, even though we didn't put very much on them. I didn't want to have to take all the ornaments back off them in two weeks, just to put them up again when we get to Kansas! lol! What a wonderful time of year...I look forward to it each and every year, and it never lasts long enough! I am so excited that it looks like we will be able to move and get settled before Christmas! Hubby has been gone for 15 days, and we have 15 more days to go, until he will fly here to help us load the moving truck! (and drive it...I wouldn't even attempt it!) It looks like he found us a rental house and it's in walking distance from his work! YAY! It will be temporary, but I'm happy. We will be together as a family again, and I will be able to be there for the process of finding a more permanent home...VERY IMPORTANT!! Hehe! =)

For those of you who have access to our family blog, I have all the pictures of Thanksgiving up, go check them out!!!!

Move It Monday

2010-11-22T13:44:00.008-05:00

Well, once again, I am LATE getting my post up! I am pleased to say that it is because I have been moving it today, and it's not because I have been lazy! =)

First thing this morning, I had to get everyone breakfast and get them ready to head out the door. We went to the clinic to get my lab slip and check on my test results from the last round of blood work. My thyroid tests came back normal, so now they want to do a pelvic ultrasound to try and figure out why I have issues with regularity and frequency of cycles.

All my inflammation tests were really elevated, so they are repeating the CRP test, and also testing specifically for RA and one other test, that I can't remember the name of. So much going on, but after 3 years of no doctors, weird health issues, and no where to turn, I am just so, so thankful to be getting all this done! I was so blessed to get a hold of the PA, and she took the time to go over my chart with me. She brought me back into a room, and discussed all the tests I've already had done, what their results mean, what further testing they want to do, and why. She also got me scheduled for a brain MRI next Tuesday. I am SOOOOOO thankful for this. My mom and I just weren't comfortable not having one. With her having MS, I have a 50/50 chance of having it too. We weren't comfortable with just labeling my symptoms as being from fibroymyalgia, and not having an MRI to check for MS. This test should bring us some peace, no matter what the results are! Please continue to pray with me about all this! Many symptoms have been greatly helped by the fibromyalgia medicine I've been on for over a month now, but there are still many that haven't improved.

So, for the rest of today, I am going through the last of the 30 loads of clothes I washed. I got rid of soooo many things, and it felt incredible! Now, we are packing up what we don't need right now, and deciding if there's any thing else we can get rid of. Soon, I will have my table back for Thanksgiving dinner!

I have decided to cook for just me and the kids. I am going to make it special for them, even though it will just be us. We were invited to eat with several different families, but I felt it should just be us. We have so much that our family is going through right now, and God has given us so much to be thankful for in the midst of all of it. I want the kids and I to have a special time to reflect on all that! We will also pull out the little Christmas tree, and decorate it after we eat! I just can't break the tradition, I just can't! =) We'll leave the big tree for Kansas, Lord willing, and for Daddy to do it with us! But the kids need their little tree!

Have a great week everyone, and thanks again for visiting me on this wonderful Monday! :-)

Thanksgiving Play

2010-11-19T22:27:00.001-05:00

The kids put on an excellent Thanksgiving play tonight! I am so, very proud of them! For all of you with access to my private blog, go check out the pictures! They are super cute!

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-18T07:10:00.006-05:00

Today I am thankful for Jesus! Of course I am every day, but today I read something that renewed my thankfulness for Him, and one of the many reasons why. I want to share with you what I posted today on my bible reading blog....

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." John 7: 37

This was one of the first verses I was shown when being convicted by the Holy Spirit about salvation. What's so neat, is that today, it means something completely different. I am already saved, I already have that living water, Praise God! But there are so many times that I still thirst. I thirst for peace when I am troubled. I thirst for understanding when I'm lost and confused. I search for grace when I am broken. I search for mercy when I am convicted and burdened with sin. This verse speaks to me, and shows me exactly where I can go, no matter what I am thirsting for. I can come to Jesus, and drink and gain all these things that I search for. He is my best friend, my comforter, my intercessor. Praise God for giving us His Son, and the constant living well, that I have to draw from!

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What are you thankful for today? To read more Thankful Thursday post, or link up one of your own, head over to "Women Taking A Stand!"

A Psalm of David

2010-11-16T12:16:00.002-05:00

Praise For Answered Prayer

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which though hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered......
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
Be pleased O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it: let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." Psalm 40

The Simple Woman's Daybook~11/16/10

2010-11-16T08:05:00.007-05:00

To read more daybook posts, or link up on of your own, go over to Peggy's blog, "The Simple Woman's Daybook!"

For Today~ November 16th, 2010

Outside my window~ The fall colors are at their peak! Because of the weird weather, we lost a lot of leaves before we reached this point, but what's left is just beautiful! It's kind of neat though, because it makes the ground just as colorful as the trees, with all those brightly colored leaves on the ground.

On my mind~ my hubby. Today is his first day of work on the new job. I pray he has a good one!

I am wearing~ you guessed it, pj's! The colder it gets outside, the harder it is to want to put daytime clothes on!

I am going~ hopefully no where today. We have a busy week this week, and today is the ONLY day that I don't have something scheduled. Definitely hoping to take advantage of that and stay home.

I am thankful for~ all the food we bought yesterday. The kids are so happy to have yogurt, cookies, fruit and cereal again! Thank you Lord!

I am hoping~ that the kids keep sleeping in this morning. It's been so nice having quiet time so far today! I love my little blessings, but with no hubby now to relieve me for a while, my nerves are on edge. :)

I am praying~ that God will find us a house in Kansas soon. I am also praying that we will find another wonderful piano teacher for my oldest son. She and I cried last night at his last practice. What a blessing that God gave us such a wonderful teacher for my son!

From the learning rooms~ we have un-enrolled my oldest from his online school, and I will have him continue with his Switched On Schoolhouse that he started at the beginning of the year. Mr. Pure at Heart is plugging away at his ACE paces.

From the kitchen~ I think hot dogs and beans for lunch, and I'm still debating about dinner. Probably going to let the kids vote!

Around the house~ more laundry, dishes, and packing, packing, packing!

A few plans for the rest of the week~ we have church tomorrow night, dress rehearsal on Thursday night, and then the actual Thanksgiving play in Friday night. I am really looking forward to that! Otherwise, we will be....you guessed it...packing!

From my picture journal~

This is my Kousa Dogwood in the front yard. It's a lot bigger than it looks in this picture. I'm standing way up on the front deck and our yard sloped down. Man, I wish I could take it with me!

This is the view out my front door. I'm so thankful the Lord let me see all these colors one more time before we move!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Move It Monday

2010-11-15T07:58:00.003-05:00

Monday Monday,

So good to me.

Monday Monday,

It was all, I thought it would be!

I don't know why that song came in my head this morning, but it did! I don't even know the whole song. Our high school music teacher had us sing it in choir. We thought he was such a strange fellow. He had us do a whole concert once, of nothing but oldies songs. I guess he though the parents would like it?? I don't know...what I do know, is that we all thought it was ridiculous! But, here we are 13 years later, and I still have the song pop up in my head! lol!

This Monday is so good to me though...hubby got the job in Kansas! He starts work tomorrow! So, I now have the task of packing up this whole house. Needless to say, it will be move it Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday, and so on for me! We are very excited though, because we really felt that this was the Lord's will. It is an excellent family orientated company that I think will suit our needs perfectly! I am also excited to have my kids back in a safe community where they can ride their bikes down the street, without me having to worry about their safety! I will cry when we leave Georgia. I love it here, I really do. It's so beautiful and will always have a very special place in my heart. But, I know from experience, that when you follow the Lord's will, it always brings ultimate peace and happiness!

So, my goal for today is to come up with a packing plan. I'll need to make sure that I pack things we won't need right away separate from those things that we will need. Just in case we have to move to a temporary rental house or apartment. We want to get the kids and myself there as soon as we can, and if that means moving again when we find our home, home..that's what we'll do. I'm going to organize and pack things that I need to pack, first. That way, if someone does offer to come help me, they can pack the things that I don't need to go through first! Pray for me, as this will be quite a job for me! I better get moving now!

Thank You Lord

2010-11-11T13:13:00.002-05:00

Make sure you scroll down and pause my music player at the bottom of the page. This song is so touching to me, especially right now. I am thankful for God's voice, His comfort, and His leading! Hubby is already in Illinois and Lord willing, will be in Kansas late tonight! Thank you for your prayers for my family and I!

The Simple Woman's Daybook~11/9/10

2010-11-09T09:25:00.008-05:00

To read more Daybook posts, or link up one of your own, go over to Peggy's Blog!

For Today~November 9th, 2010

Outside my window~ the sun is shinning brightly again. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful not to be freezing, but this 90 degrees, 35 degrees, 70 degrees thing is driving me crazy! Make up your mind weather! lol!

On my mind~ my brother. It's his 22nd birthday today! He is so special to me. He was just a precious little brother, the best any sis could ever have. Now as he grows in maturity, he's only neater, and more dear to my heart. I do pray that we can be closer in distance one day, so that I can see him more. I'm so proud of him for what he's accomplished and overcome in his life so far. He's got such a pure heart, and it shows in everything he does! Happy birthday little brother!

I am going~ to church tonight. The kids are putting on a Thanksgiving play, and tonight is their first "official" rehearsal. I'm hoping hubby will be able to watch, since he will most likely miss the play.

I am thankful for~ you know it would take me all day to rattle off this list! God is so good, I just don't have the words! I will so though, that today I am especially thankful that He gave us the means to get our Suburban running finally! I just can't believe it's fixed. I want to climb up on top of a mountain and shout praises to my Heavenly Father!

I am hoping~ that hubby passes all 4 sections of his EPA exam this morning. I'm also hoping (and praying) that the Suburban stays running well. It will make me feel better about him driving it across the country this week!

I am wearing~ my pj's still. It is cold enough though, that I have my soft, pink zip up robe on as well.

From the learning rooms~ major decisions have to be made here in the next few days. Please pray with us for God's wisdom!

From the kitchen~ Chicken or Steak?...I haven't decided yet. We've been so blessed with people giving us food over the last few weeks, we have not gone without!

Around the house~ laundry, laundry and more laundry! I have pulled out every piece of clothing we have in the house. I'm washing it all, going through it, deciding what to get rid of, what to pack, and what to keep in the closets for a while. It's such an overwhelming task, but we need to get it done!

A few plans for the rest of the week~ I'll be packing hubby's bags today. He plans on leaving Thursday. We'll have to pack him enough stuff to stay for a month, in case he does get this job. He'll be going through his tools, and deciding what to take with him. I need to think if there's anything else I need him to do for me before he leaves. Once he's gone, we'll be cleaning and organizing. I am hoping he will be able to tell me by Saturday if he got the job or not, and then if he does get it, we'll be packing, packing, packing!

From my picture journal~

Words cannot express how much I will miss Georgia if we have to leave. I love this place, and it will always be in my heart!

Move It Monday

2010-11-08T10:05:00.009-05:00

I woke up at 6:30 this morning, with energy and a sense of urgency. That almost never happens, so I decided I'd better take advantage of it! I made coffee for both hubby and myself, got a load going in the dishwasher, and cleaned up the kitchen a bit, right off the bat. I've folded the laundry I washed this weekend, and put it away. Got another load going in the washer right now. I've given up on helping hubby with the Suburban. He's just getting mad now! I've got too much in the house that I'm behind on. He has a good friend from church that has offered to come help him later today, if he needs it. Between the two of them, I'm praying they can get it going. He's got his EPA test to take tomorrow, and he hopes to leave for Kansas, maybe Thursday. While my energy levels are high, I plan to:

*Finish cleaning the living room-DONE

*Wash the rest of the dishes

*Sweep and mop the kitchen floor

*Wash 4 more loads of laundry-DONE

*Pack the books in the dinning room-decided spending time with hubby was more important!

*Clean the dinning room-DONE

If I can manage to get anything else done, I'll list it too. We'll see what unexpected things pop up as the day goes on! I hope you all have a fantastic Monday and get lots accomplished!

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-04T08:20:00.004-04:00

This month, Thankful Thursday's are being hosted by, Laurie, at Women Taking A Stand!

What a wonderful day today! I am certainly in a thankful mood, there's no way I couldn't be. The love, compassion and kindness that we have be shown in the last 3 weeks is just amazing! I have been brought to tears several times in the last few weeks, from the willingness to give by the people around us. We have had gift cards given to us, food, money, prayers, cards, compassion. We've had strangers stop what they were doing when they heard our recent story, and try all they could do to find jobs, or think of something they could offer to help us. You just don't find that anywhere you go. People who have little for themselves, have given to us, to help. You can't help but be humbled by God's grace and provision, and the love that many people have. I am so thankful for them, and I pray that I will be faithful enough to pay it forward when God allows that opportunity!

What God has done in such a short amount of time for us, is just amazing. We were in such a dark, confusing place, with no answers of any kind...just many, many questions. God has taught us patience, trust, humility, thankfulness, love, and how to be completely surrendered to His will and timing. From the moment hubby lost his job, I have been amazed at how well he has handled it, and how quickly he turned the situation over to God. It's just not his personality type AT ALL! He prays, and he seeks God's will, but he's so quick to take blame and responsibility and try to fix things in his own strength. I am truly blown away by how fast he handed this situation over to God, and well he's done at leaving it in God's hands, and not tried to manipulate things. I have done my best to do the same thing, and God is really showing us His infinite capabilities to handle anything and everything in perfect order!

All of our needs have been met. Our hearts have been touched like never before. Our spirits are soaring and we are definitely closer to the Lord. God has moved in ways that are truly above our ways and understanding. He has revealed His plans for us in His timing, and opened doors that He wants us to walk through. He has kept doors closed that He doesn't want us to walk through! I just can't even put into words how beautifully and perfectly He has timed each detail of our lives in the last 3 weeks. Money is certainly in tight order, and it's very important that what money we do have, is spent in the right place. God has seen to it, that we didn't have any money until we knew where He wanted us to spend it. He has not allowed us to waste a single dollar!

I am so thankful today and I look forward to the rest of this journey. I know it won't be easy, but I know we are safe in God's hands! Pray with us today, as we get the parts to fix the motor in our Suburban. I pray that what God has provided us with, is exactly what it takes to fix it!

The Simple Woman's Daybook~11/2/10

2010-11-02T12:54:00.006-04:00

Visit Peggy's blog to read more daybook posts, or link up one of your own!

For Today~ November 2nd, 2010

Outside my window~ more leaves are falling to the ground. There's a breeze today, and it's quite cool for Georgia in November. I think our high today is only in the 50's. My boys are playing badminton with the neighbor boy from next door. It's a nice moment to watch!

On my mind~ oh, it would take me all day to tell you everything that's on my mind. My mind is currently on Kansas though, and I keep thinking about what it would be like to live there again.

I am hoping~ that hubby will have his final interview tonight with the company in Kansas, and we will get some much awaited answers about the near future!

I am wearing~ hubby's navy blue sweatpants, and my favorite winter top. It's navy blue, baby blue and white striped, with a navy blue hood on it. I don't ever use the hood, but it sure makes the shirt warmer! I'd be doing even better if I'd get some socks on my feet...my toes are frozen!

I am going~ nowhere today! I am finally starting to feel better. I've been coughing up all this junk out of my lungs and going out in the cold would be a horrible idea!

I am creating~ ideas. At this point, that's all I can create! lol! My house is a mess, and we are not starting any projects until we know which state we are going to live in!

From the learning rooms~ we are kind of on hold right now. I've been so sick, we haven't done any schoolwork with the younger one's. My oldest is doing about half of his work, but if we are going to move, we will have to change his curriculum again. Poor guy. Good thing we've kept the curriculum he started with this year. He likes it, and he can pick right back up where he left off a month ago!

I am praying~ that I will get completely over the flu, so I can get the other two blood draws that the doctor wants. No more answers on that front, until they get done and the results come in.

From the kitchen~ lots of deer! We've had deer steaks, deer sloppy joes, deer burgers, on an on! I'm so thankful that hubby has gotten two deer already, and we are able to use that meat when money is so scarce right now!

One of my favorite things~ hot chocolate, a warm blanket and a great football game! I love Sunday's in November! Our favorite NFL teams are doing really good this year too...makes it even better!

Around the house~ it's pretty quiet today with the boys outside and the girls watching cartoons. Lunch is about ready, and then we'll focus on laundry!

A few plans for the rest of the week~ haha. I don't have any now. I thought I did, but the Lord showed me that He truly holds tomorrow in His hands! lol! After the rescheduled interview last night, this is the first verse I read in my bible today...

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Proverbs 27:1

I just had to laugh. I've never read that verse before, and I couldn't believe that's what God lead me to first thing today! :-) He certainly was precise wasn't He?! I hope we will have answers tonight, but I am truly surrendered to the Lord on this matter now, and I will take things one day at a time..doing what I can each day.

From my picture journal~

My mother made me this beautiful jewlrey set. There's earings, a bracelet and two necklaces. I absolutely love them! Thanks Mom!

Move It Monday

2010-11-01T05:41:00.002-04:00

Here we are, Monday already! What I'm still trying to wrap my mind around, is that it's November 1st! Where did this year go?! Next time I go into Walmart, they'll probably already have the Christmas decorations up, and items on the shelves. Thanksgiving is so near! I don't think my life has ever been more unstable around the Holiday's than it is right now. I don't know how people do it without God. I would be a wreck without Him to turn to and lean on! Even though I have no idea where my family will be, or what we will be doing on Thanksgiving, I am still looking forward to it!

Today will be another busy day. I got lots of rest yesterday, and I think it really helped me. Even though I'm up at 5 o'clock this morning, which never happens, I feel pretty good. For those of you who don't know, I have been VERY sick for the last week, and am really hoping I am coming out of it now. We managed to pull off the garage sale on Saturday, and made some money while getting rid of stuff we really need to get out of here! I am now going to focus on getting all this laundry done and getting rid of any clothes we don't need. I am NOT going to take all these clothes to whatever house we move to! I am going to do myself a favor, and get rid of as much as I can. I'll probably make a trip to a couple stores today too, and try to find some boxes. I'm dreading the thought of having to pack up this house. Moving is NOT something I enjoy doing. I love to unpack and decorate a new home, but packing up the old one is torture for me.

Please pray with us today, we have one more big decision we will need to make this evening! I'll try to keep you better updated this week. I hope you all have a fantastic Monday!

Move It Monday

2010-10-25T07:53:00.006-04:00

Well, today will certainly be a busy day. It just started pouring down rain. I'm hoping that will quit before we need to leave this morning. My husband and I have a meeting at 10:30 so the morning is kind of shot for getting anything done. We have lots planned for the afternoon though. We will be going through the whole house this week, and pulling things out for a garage sale. I'm actually going to move my bed into the girl's rooms so we have a whole room to put stuff in that we want to sell. Since we will more than likely be moving in the very near future, we need to get rid of as much as we can. Hopefully, we can sell most of it, that will really be a help right now!

My new Fibromyaliga medicine has really helped with my pain. It's made my days a little easier to get through. It hasn't helped my fatigue at all, but I'll take what improvement I can get! I'm still waiting on the lab results of the 6 blood tests they did. I'm hoping I'll be able to accomplish more now that I'm not in as much pain throughout the day. Today we hope to:

*Get to our appointment on time-DONE

*Call about another job-DONE

*Clean out the upstairs closets-DONE

*Go through the boy's toys-DONE

*Get the upstairs hallway cleared-DONE

If you saw our upstairs, you would understand how tall of an order this is for one day! It may have to be finished tomorrow. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and the rest of the week!

Job Loss

2010-10-25T07:49:00.002-04:00

For those of you who faithfully follow my blog, I'm sorry I haven't posted lately. My husband lost his job 10 days ago, and it's been a difficult time for us. His self-respect has taken a big hit. It's not his fault, the company shut down. He was one of only 3 employees who were the last to go. We are facing losing our house and having to move to who knows where. Please pray for our family. We are trusting in God, and we know He will take care of us. We just want to stay in His will, and not impatiently do anything or make any decisions to step outside of His will for our lives. Thanks!

Health-Wise Wednesday

2010-10-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

Well, I lost one pound this week. Not great, but I'll take it. I did finally make it to the gym for the first time in 2 months! I used to go 3 times a week... it's so hard to believe that I allowed that much time before I went again. That trip messed up my routine so much, and I just couldn't get back on track. Well, I'm hoping to be able to make it twice a week now, and see how it goes. I had a hard time getting through my workout Monday. I don't know if it's because I was coming down with a cold, or if it was because my possibly Fibromyalgia symptoms were so bad over the last several days.

Well, that brings me to my second point. I got to see a doctor last night! Whoo hoo! It was so nice. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. 3 years is such a long time to go without entering a doctors office. It's hard to get too much out of just one visit, but he does think it's Fibromyalgia. So much so, that he's put me on a fibromyalgia medication. He's also asked for several lab tests to be done, to check for other things. Arthritis, Thyroid, Epstin Barr Viral, and two others. Please pray with me that the Hospital will work with me on payment for these tests. I can't go back to the doctor, until I have these done. I'm so thankful for what God has done for me already, and last night was truly a miracle orchestrated by God. I was able to get treatment, and God used me to witness to several of the staff members and they said they were really touched by my testimony. I just cried. It was so emotional, that God would use little, unworthy me to speak to His other children. I pray that I will continue to be faithful to Him, and walk with the Spirit; so that I may be used by Him again!

My goal for this week, is to eat wonderful, healthy foods, and exercise when I can. This medicine is a lot for by body to get used to. It put me out shortly after I took it last night. I got hot flashes, and nausea, so I'm hoping this morning will go a little better, and will keep getting better each time. I'm told it will take 2 months to get it's full effects, so that will give time to see what benefit it will do for me before the lab results come in, and I see the doctor again. Oh, he's also put me on 800mg of ibuprofen twice a day, so that's quite something for my body to handle, when I don't even take Tylenol for pain or headaches most of the time. I'm just not one for taking medicine. I always tough it out. He said it's time for me to stop toughing it out, and do something to make my life better! :-) I'll give it a shot!

Move It Monday

2010-10-11T11:31:00.002-04:00

Here we are again, another great start to another great week! I am hopeful for this week. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, a baby shower on Thursday..possibly a play date on Wednesday, and Lord willing, some time at the gym tonight! Today is Columbus day, so my oldest doesn't have to do school work, so we won't do schoolwork with any of the kids today. I plan to use the extra time to go through more stuff and pull more out for the garage sale this weekend.

A side note...I've always thought this Holiday was so silly. We take a whole day off to recognize someone who found the wrong country, and "discovered" a land, that already had people inhabiting it! I mean, people can't discover something that other people have already discovered! ;P. No, I get it, I do..don't get mad at me. I've just always seen it from a silly point of view!

So anyway, today I hope to get a lot accomplished even though I am very stiff and have been in more pain the last two days. I did get a lot done Saturday, and am so thankful for that. I went through all of the girl's stuff in their rooms and pulled out a bunch of things to sell! They should have a better time keeping that room clean now! :-) Today I want to get done:

3 loads of laundry

Go through movies

Go through hall closet

Move table into my room

Organize my bedroom corner of crafts (this could take a few days)

Work on hubby's afghan (this could take until next hunting season.) I haven't attempted an afghan for over two years because of the pain in my hands. I'm just going to take little by little, no rush. He loves it when I make him blankets though, and he wants a camouflage afghan. So, I'll give it my best shot! I hope you all have a wonderful Columbus Day!...or two...depending on what day you recognize it!

Weight Loss/Health-Wise Wednesday

2010-10-06T08:50:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! Good Wednesday morning to you! Well, I have lost 2 pounds this week, and I am grateful for that! It's definitely in the right direction! With that being said though, I think I am going to change my posts for Wednesdays.

The good news...I am now going to be able to see a doctor for the first time in 3 years! Praise the Lord! God is so good! I am so thankful for this opportunity. I am praying that I will finally get a diagnosis and a plan for moving forward! So, depending upon what the diagnosis is, some medicines I may have to take will actually cause increased appetite and/or weight gain. So, I don't want to focus on what I weigh. I still want to lose weight, but I want to do it by focusing on health...eating good foods and exercising, not on weight alone. My dear friend Arlene has been posting on Wednesdays for quite some time, and she calls her posts, Health-Wise Wednesdays. I think that's great, and I think that's what I'm going to do. I'm also going to switch gears a little and focus more on being healthy and all that it involves, rather than just on losing weight.

Part of my health issues is extreme fatigue at night. It makes it very hard to cook good dinners some nights. Another friend of mine, Ann, gave me a recipe for the crockpot yesterday. I already had everything on hand, and it turned out great! I even threw the chicken in the pot frozen, and it was still done on time! I used:

1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast,
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken variety (dark and light meat)
3/4 jar of barbecue sauce (I think she said the ideal is 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp mustard (I just squirted in some honey mustard..quite a bit for some spice)
tsp Worcestershire sauce

I cooked it on low for 7 hours and they were more than done! I could of stopped it sooner had I been home, but the chicken was still tender and juicy! If you leave the skin on, I think your supposed to broil it first, but I don't ever leave the skin on, skin is unhealthy. I poured a little bit of water in it too, since I didn't have enough barbecue sauce. It was sooo good! Normally, I would wake cornbread with it, but since I was so late getting home, we just heated up some frozen rolls in the microwave. We will definitely have this one again! Thanks Ann!

Simple Woman's Daybook~10/5/10

2010-10-05T11:21:00.005-04:00

Head over to Peggy's blog to read more Daybook posts, or link up one of your own!

For Today~ October 5th, 2010

Outside my window~it's cool! It's finally cool outside. I'm so happy. I had to grab my sweater to sit on the porch with my coffee and bible. I love that....I've missed that throughout this long, hot summer!

On my mind~ my appointment with the Mercy Clinic administration today. I'm praying, really praying that we will meet their income guidelines. I am more than ready to see a doctor for the first official time in over 3 years. I want this diagnosis, but may the Lord's will be done!

I am wearing~ my favorite pj's that pass off for clothes. Black with tiny white polka dots. The top has a wide strip of white lace at the bottom, and the straps are white lace with black ribbon strung through them. So cute!

I am going~ to the clinic late this afternoon. I'm also picking up the new Karate Kyd movie from Redbox. We're excited, we've been waiting a long time to rent it for $1! Sure beats theatre prices doesn't it?!

From the learning rooms~ we are doing great with the new curriculum! It's a controversial curriculum, but I think it's absolutely awesome and I feel like it was made just for us! It's a lot more work, but we are loving it, and finding ways to still get everything else done!

I am creating~ a spectacular creation for my friends baby shower, and I can't wait to show you pictures after the shower is over!

I am reading~ just my bible right now. I'm fixin to start reading Dave Ramsey's books though.

From the kitchen~ menu plans again. I need to make them to stay on budget with the groceries, and remember what's in the cabinets and deep freeze! Sometimes I buy stuff for meals, and forget it's there, so I buy more groceries when I don't need to.

Around the house~ cartoons, schoolwork, washer & dryer going. Typical day!

A few plans for the rest of the week~ cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and organizing! I feel like it's a lifelong process that will never truly be complete. As long as we're headed in the right direction, I guess that's what counts. I really need to finish painting the hallway too. I stopped half way up the stairs because I don't know how I'm going to reach. We need to find a solution and finish! Hubby says I'm the Queen of half finished projects...sad but true. There is just so much going on and so much to do!

From my picture journal~

A glimpse of our day Saturday at the free "Faith Fest!" Our local Methodist Church does everything they can to make as much of it free to the public as possible. I'm so thankful for that! The kids had an absolute blast, and I needed the day away from the house, and all the responibilities and stress. These bounce houses were HUGE and it was so fun to watch the kids play all day!

Move It Monday

2010-10-04T11:13:00.009-04:00

It's Monday again, isn't it?! Boy, this weekend went by fast! We spend Saturday at a local faith festival, and the kids had a blast! I will be posting pictures on my private blog, as soon as I get the chance. Of course Sunday, was full of church, lunch, choir practice, more church and fellowship! I did get to sneak in part of the SF vs Falcons football game, though! Man, what an awesome game! Our Falcons were victorious in the last 7 seconds of the game...Hooray!

So anyhow, here it is Monday, and I accomplished little to nothing over the weekend. Lots to do this week! I will be continuing to find a good schedule and routine for us, now that we are doing this new school curriculum. Today, I just want to get through the day and feel like I've accomplished something! :-) Today I plan to:

*Wash Dishes-DONE

*Start a load of laundry-DONE

*Clean dinning room floor

*Start second load of laundry-DONE

*Make a menu plan for the next few days

*Start a third load of laundry-DONE

*Clean all countertops and front of cabinets-DONE

*Make sure all clean laundry is put away!

We'll see how much I actually get done. I'd rather have more to do, and not finish, than not plan enough, and waste time! Have a great Monday everyone!

Move It Monday

2010-09-27T06:37:00.000-04:00

Good Monday Morning! I am going to be so busy today, and moving it so much, that I actually started this post last night, because I knew there would be no way I'd have time to post it all this morning! We start our new curriculum for Mr. Know it All today, regular A.C.E. and Horizon's for Mr. Pure at Heart (who is now 7 years old!) and kindergarten with my princess. I'm sure my little tornado will sit with us and color the whole time, and be a good little girl! NOT! So, I'll have whatever mess she makes to deal with later. I also have piano lessons for Mr. Know it All, a bank run, library run, and lots of organizing and dishes to do. I don't know where I'm supposed to find the time or energy for all this, but we'll do our best!

I don't even want to make a list today, because I have no idea how long I'll have to spend on the new curriculum this morning. I know we'll be doing at least 5 hours a day after we get going, but they won't start all his classes right away. However, there is a two hour online conference starting at 10:30am...hmmm...what to do with the tornado...wish me luck! Better yet, just pray for me, because if it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all! :-) I'm really excited to get started with this though, so I hope it will be a great day! Happy Monday to you! Keep it moving!

Weight Loss Wednesday

2010-09-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it's warming up to be another hot day here. On the news last night, they were saying that we have had 17 days so far in September that have been over 90 degrees! Yesterday we were 10 degrees above average, and we are going to be about the same today. Record setting temperatures. Bummer. Went you want fall to arrive so badly, it's no fun when it's taking it's dear sweet time. They were joking about us having to rake leaves at Christmas! I didn't find it so funny.. :-<>

Okay, enough whining! So, some of you might have been wondering where my weight loss Wednesday posts have gone. I just couldn't get back to it after getting home from our trip. So much has happened since we got home, it's just been a whirlwind. It would take me all day to write it out, and you don't have all day to read it, so we'll not get into it all! (you can thank me later!) But I will say, that my health took a turn for the worse. A really bad turn, down a long hill. Weight loss has been the last thing on my mind. Just getting through the day is the goal. I am starting to feel better though, and I have good news! It looks like I might be able to see new doctors on the 12th of October to begin the process of getting an official diagnosis! Wouldn't that be great?! Like my husband said, "just knowing what you're up against, is half the battle!" So, please pray with me about getting the testing and treatment that I need. It looks like we are looking at a MS, or Fibromyalgia diagnosis, but they will probably test for a couple other things as well. I just want the Lord's will, whatever it may be! No matter what my ailment, I need to be eating healthy and losing weight! So, I will press on.

I've gained some weight back since the trip, and I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I'm thankful and praising God that I didn't gain it all back! So, we will start from where I'm at and press forward! I've already lost a couple pounds over the last few days, so I'm off to a good start! Part of losing weight and being healthy, is learning how to deal with slip ups and getting back on track! So, that's exactly what I see this as, is a learning opportunity. Not a defeat like it's been in the past!

I will try next week to get some recipes back up! I am trying out some new one's and loving how much better I feel when I eat good foods, verses how weighed down and sluggish I feel when I eat bad, highly processed foods and too many simple sugars (bad carbohydrates) I have also made a commitment to take my supplements everyday! They really help my symptoms. I take a multi-vitamin, B-Complex, Probiotic Pearl, Omega 3-6-9, and heart healthy acidophilus. On the days that I don't eat enough natural fiber, I take a fiber chew as well. It's a lot to keep up with, but I can really tell a difference when I faithfully take them!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-09-21T08:07:00.006-04:00

If you would like to read more Daybook posts, or link up one of your own, head over to Peggy's Blog!

For today~September 21, 2010

Outside my window~It is still cool and almost crisp! Fall for us, is just around the corner. The grass is wet with dew and the birds are having a heyday!

On my mind~ There was no work for hubby to do today. Praying the Lord will provide. My oldest is going to spend the day with his dad and another man, building a shed at the hunting property that we have a free lease to. Hopefully, that will distract hubby from being worried about not working.

I am going~ to go get some paper towels and tp today. Maybe some milk too, if I have enough for it. Other than that, I hope it will be a quiet day at home!

From the kitchen~ If the lettuce is still good, I'm going to make homemade tacos tonight! That's one of our favorite meals. It's hard to make a meal that 6 people all love, but tacos will do it!

I am reading~ Intimate Issues. Thank God for people who are willing to talk about what so many won't! It's a real help!

I am wearing~ pj's still. The cooler it gets outside in the morning, the harder it is for me to crawl out of jammies! After I finish my coffee, I'll go find a skirt and shirt and officially start the day!

I am thankful for~ a God who cares and answers prayers! Part of the blessing of saying a prayer, is knowing that we serve a God who has the power to answer them!

I am creating~ a new workspace for myself and a new study place for my oldest son. He is starting a new curriculum that is very involved, so we have to get ourselves and our space ready!

From the learning rooms~ They are a complete mess right now. Like I said, we have been moving desks and adding storage, and organizing, all while trying to keep doing school work with the younger kids! AAAHHH! This too shall pass... :-)

I am hearing~ my little one's playing peacefully upstairs. They get along so much better when the oldest is gone. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm treasuring the moment!

Around the house~ so quiet...very unusual! Soon, the dishwasher will be going, the washer and dryer will be running, the cartoons will be playing and Mr. Pure at Heart and I, will be learning!

A few plans for the rest of the week~ *Try and finish the school areas and the dinning room itself. *Catch up on laundry. *Sell something on eBay to help with income for the week. *Put out the rest of the fall decor. *Type up testimony for bible study group.

From my picture journal~

My new "mums the word" flower bed! I'm so happy with it! I can't believe how well my 50% off mums are looking! They should come back large and in charge next year! On the other side of the bed, is the neighbors property and house. On this side of them, we will eventually have pavers and gravel, for a little sitting area next to our house. I love it!

Move It Monday

2010-09-20T09:58:00.004-04:00

It's Monday again! Hubby is back to work and we are back to our normal weekly routines. Only this week isn't quite so normal! My oldest isn't doing schoolwork right now, because he's waiting on his new curriculum and start date of September 27th. We should be getting the curriculum today...all 57 pounds of it! Yikes...can't wait to go through it and see what we have though! We have two kids with a strange little rash that I'm hoping is poison ivy, because at least I know how to get rid of that! LOL! Our house is still a little out of sorts from moving two rooms and I am not at the top of my game. So, our routine will be a little messed up this week, but I hope it will still be a good one!

I don't know why my "condition" (it will be nice to have a name for it one day) is so much worse right now, but it is. My head is still in a fog all day long, and I just shut down around 4:30. I get really tired to the point of sheer exhaustion, both mentally and physically. The later it gets, the worse I get. I've had dizziness, nausea, headaches and just weird feelings every night for the last 4 days. If I eat too much too late, my nausea gets even worse! The pain in my hips, back and below my glutes is getting extreme. I woke up so stiff this morning, all over my body, that I didn't know how I'd get up and moving around! But, we are moving, slowly but surely.

That's enough bad for now, let's focus on the good! God is good! He is still in charge, He is still watching over me and blessing me and my family every day! I woke up this morning! I have 4 beautiful children who are laughing and smiling, and cheering up the house as we speak! The sun is shining brightly and it looks to be a beautiful day weather wise! I will probably be sitting out there and enjoying it for a good little while sometime today. I have already sat out there to do my morning bible reading, and a sweet little humming bird came over to greet me!

With the Lord's help, today I plan to:

*Wash dishes-DONE

*4 loads of laundry-3 done

*Organize Clutter on desks in dinning room

*Get mulch in new flowerbed-DONE

*Clean up the living room and vacuum-DONE

I don't dare schedule any more than that! But I really want to get that done. Hubby is so worried about me, and in the morning when I feel my best, I want to get a good amount done to show him that things are going to be okay! I love Mondays and that love will get me through this day! Have a wonderful Monday everyone and start off the week on the right foot!! :-) !!

Project Organized Home~A Fall Tour

2010-09-17T16:57:00.014-04:00

Okay, so here you are standing on my front deck, and looking into my home through the front door. Sorry, no one else is here to take pictures for me, or else I would be standing in the doorway welcoming you in! Anyway, what you see is this...a wall! I like it though, because it helps us keep our privacy!...

Then you would come in and turn to the left to enter our living room. Before we proceed though, I have to show you the entrance way from the inside view! I love it. Our wedding flowers that my mother made for us, don't match any room in the house, so I put them here in the entryway. They are still so beautiful, almost 12 years later!...

This is my view from the sofa. I love it when I finally get to sit down on the sofa and rest. So much light comes into the house through this door and the adjacent window, I just love it! The picture shows it much darker, because of how much light there is....

Okay, this is one view of the "new" living room. This used to be the dinning room before we moved things this past week. To the left of the window is the front door you just walked in! It was no small task for Mike, bringing that entertainment center in here..it's sooo heavy! Solid cherry wood! Now, I still have a few things to move around, but this is just about what it will look like all fall season. It's a little tight, but very cozy!...

Here's another view. I left the last supper in there for now, because the colors match so well with all the other decor. Mike loves this wall, and requested that I not change it right now! He's not very outspoken about the decor, so when he says something, I try to listen! This picture isn't completely up to date, because after I took it, I moved my vases over to where that orange thing is next to the lamp. The vases match much better, you can see that in the previous picture!...

I put this where my vases used to be. My Grandma gave me this metal basket when we were in Colorado, and I bought some flowers last week from Walmart to make an arrangement for it. I just love how dark and beautiful they are..I wish the picture wouldn't distort it so much. This will be a special decoration for a very long time, since I got part of it from my Grandma!...

The "new" dinning room isn't done yet, so I can't show you too many pictures, but I wanted to show you this! I got this cute set last year. It's a napkin holder and salt and pepper shaker! This will be my first year to enjoy them, because I bought them from the thrift store just before Christmas last year and had to put them right into storage. They should look really nice with some fall napkins!

Now, if I can just figure out what to do with this gorgeous fabric that I bought from JoAnns last year. I used them as curtains in the dinning room (which is now the living room) last year. I'm not sure what to make out of it this year. It's not going to match the sofa, so curtains are out! LOL!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-09-14T13:25:00.006-04:00

To read more daybook posts, or link up one of your own, head over to Peggy's blog!

For Today~ September 14, 2010

Outside my window~ The sun is shining with all it's might, and I LOVE IT! Sun shining days make for happy and productive days for me! The boys have been outside racing their remote control trucks in the driveway.

From the learning rooms~ We took a late and relaxed approach today. My oldest doesn't have too much to do, since we will be switching his curriculum very soon. I am so excited about soon having a central school location for everyone in the dinning room!

I am thinking~ about how great God is a working things out and bringing things together! His ways are truly above ours!

I am going~ to go pick up a movie later. I love reserving $1 movies online through Redbox, and then going and picking them up at the machine of my choice! So cheap, so easy!

I am wearing~ My pj's that I can get away with wearing as clothes! My next door neighbor commented on them last week, and told me how cute my outfit was..it took me a minute to decide to disclose the truth about them! Hehe :)

From the kitchen~ probably Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie if I can remember to get the chicken out and thaw it. I finally got the dishes done. I'm glad I waited until this morning to do them, my back is better, and I think it would have been worse if I stood crouched over at the sink last night.

I am reading~ Intimate Issues by Linda and Lorraine. One of the best books I've ever read so far!

I am hoping~ To get a whole lot more laundry done today! I got 4 loads instead of 3 loads done yesterday, so that makes me very happy!

Around the house~ Laundry, of course. More moving and organizing in the dinning room. I got some inside fall decor out yesterday, and was smiling when I remembered how pretty it all was! I was worried about the fall colors working in the now living room since I put the burgundy and green couch in there, but it's working, and I'm happy!!!!!

From my picture journal~

Decorating Tip From Better Homes and Gardens...

Look for a variety of interesting shapes and colors of gourds. When you have collected a diverse assortment, fill a wooden tray with your unique finds and place it on an outdoor table for an easy fall display.
*For the full article and more tips, click HERE!*

Move It Monday

2010-09-13T10:11:00.009-04:00

Well, the weekend sure went by fast, didn't it? Here we are facing another Monday morning. I am tired, and hurting. I fell in the laundry room yesterday and hurt my lower back. (where I already have issues) I was up late last night watching Dallas beat themselves with penalties and icing my poor back. Despite all this, I am going to read my bible... I'm in proverbs right now... and make the decision to have a good attitude about the day, and start of my week on the right foot! I am going make some delicious coffee and some whole wheat toast and head out onto my deck right now. A little late, yes..but I had to have enough sleep or I would NOT have been able to make it today.

When I come back in all refreshed and full of the spirit, I am going to enlist my oldest son's help and finish moving furniture and other things around. Yesterday, we made a BIG change and moved the living room into the dinning room, and the dinning room into the living room. It was a hard decision to make because I was soooo happy with the design and decor of both rooms! However, I felt it was a necessary change. Now, I can keep a closer eye on my little "Taz!" I can see her better when she's supposed to be watching cartoons, and she can be with me in the new dinning room/school room. There will be enough room in the new dinning room, for her to have a little play corner where she can play quietly, or read. And when it's time for her sister to do school work at the table, she can join in and color and listen. I love that my couch is back on carpet now! I love that my table is OFF the carpet! So hard to keep clean with 4 kids...and it's a light colored carpet! We also are making a big change in my oldest's curriculum, so he'll need a better place to spend 5 hours a day on the computer. I'm very happy with the change and can't wait to finish, so I can show you pictures! All the school and arts/crafts for both them, and my hobbies, will all be in one room now, and I love that! No more chasing around wondering where I put something! So, today I need to:

*Start load of laundry-DONE

*Clean inside of toilets-DONE

*Wash dishes-DONE

*Move textbooks-DONE

*Move shoe rack-DONE

*Move deep freeze-Decided not to!

*Organize clutter on desks

*Design dinning room floor plan-DONE

*Finish the day with 3 loads of laundry washed and put away-DONE

I don't know, it's a tall task isn't it? Plus, I have to get my oldest to piano practice at 5. Thank goodness it's not a gym night! I think I'll get enough exercise though, don't you?! I just have to be careful with my back. I'll be stopping a lot to ice it. That fall was so scary. I knew about a half a second into it, that there was no stopping it. It's been a LONG time since I fell like that. Hopefully it will be another long while before it happens again! Have a great Monday everyone!

Please Pray..

2010-09-11T14:35:00.002-04:00

I just got a call this morning, that will drastically change things in our household if we proceed. It has to do with my oldest son and our curriculum/school choices for him. Please pray very hard that God will give my husband and I wisdom and peace and not allow us to make the wrong decisions. I feel a drastic change coming about in our lives, and neither of us do well with change. So, pray with us and for us, that God's will be done! Thanks

Thankful Thursday

2010-09-09T10:14:00.008-04:00

This morning I am thankful for God's provisions. Not that I'm not thankful all the time, but today I want to share about His most recent provision for us! It tickles my heart, that God knows what we need before we even need it. More than that, I really get touched when God shows His desire for us to have wants, and not just needs. It's amazing how when I focus on the needs, and try to forget about the wants, and put it all in the Lord's hands, where they belong...He shows once again, that He is better at finances than we are! (Why must I constantly forget this, and think that I can do better?!)

Hubby came home with an unexpected $400 on Tuesday. Praise God! That was the day that I was doing so lousy and couldn't even get the strength and energy to cook dinner. So, we went out to dinner. He had to drive, because I couldn't even focus enough to feel safe behind the wheel. We had a wonderful meal, and I was beginning to get some energy back after we ate. (I think my blood pressure was really low amongst other things, so salt picked it back up a bit) Anyhow, then we went to Walmart since I was feeling a bit better, and he picked out a few things he needed for deer season which opens this weekend. I looked around while I was waiting for him, and look what the Lord took me to...

Sorry about the fuzzy picture, I had to take it from behind the front door glass to get it all in the picture! These chairs were marked down on clearance, plus you got an extra 25% off at the register. Same thing with the table. I asked hubby if it was okay if I got them, and he said, "YES, absolutely!" So, they were originally $85 for the set and I got them for $42.75! I just knew the Lord brought them to me because they serve a very special purpose. Do you know what that is?

My quiet bible time with the Lord in the morning! Due to my health, I just can't wake up before the kids. We are all night owls, and can't to sleep early. I can't go to bed before hubby and the kids, I've tried. I have to get a good amount of sleep, or it makes my condition worse. So, finding quiet time to read God's Word in the morning, has been such a struggle! And we all know what happens when we don't read daily, it leaves us unprepared for the trials and events of the day. It lets the enemy in to do even more damage in our christian walk and testimony to others. So now, the kids quietly watch cartoons and I go out onto the porch and drink my coffee or juice and meditate on God's Holy, special Word! It is so quiet out there in the morning, and so beautiful! It's been such a blessing these past two days to be out there!

Thank you, God. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making a place for us to meet one on one!

Now if that isn't enough...hubby and I decided to leave the rest in the account for extra groceries, or whatever. We just didn't feel comfortable spending it. Thankfully, we listened to the Holy Spirit's leading, because I found out last night, that somehow, a bill got overlooked, which has NEVER happened to me before, and it was for $98. So, I had the money left over to pay it right away, no damage done! God is so good. He knew. He knew our needs before we even did, and He met them!

So, how did we get the money? It was so unexpected. The Pastor in Wichita that hubby did the install for on our trip, found out that the install didn't cost as much as he was quoted, and he wanted hubby to have the difference! Praise God! Completely unexpected. God used one of His children...a shepherd none-the-less, to bless and answer the unknown need of another child! God is so wonderful, and His ways are truly above our own! May He have all the honor and glory!

This month, Thankful Thursday is being held at Grace Alone. Please take a moment, and link up a post. We have so much to be thankful for. If we don't share, we don't do our part in giving God the glory He deserves!

Bubbles, bubbles, and then there were bubbles!

2010-09-08T00:39:00.004-04:00

You are not going to believe what we found at Walmart last night! Well, I'm sure you'll believe what we found, but you won't believe the price!

Every single thing in this picture was bought for $1 each! The kids had been asking for bubbles all summer long, but I wouldn't cave. They are not cheap to buy for 4 kids, and a little girl who spills half the bottle every time. But, we went to Walmart last night for some allergy medicine, and found all this, on clearance. I couldn't believe the price! This is over $40 worth of bubbles and bubble blowers that we got for only $10! Needless to day, the girls are VERY happy and we have been having fun this morning! Praise God for caring about even the little things!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-09-07T09:11:00.006-04:00

For Today~ September 7th, 2010

Outside my window~ there is a little ground squirrel reeking havoc in the neighbors tree. He is upsetting all the birds and having a marvelous time doing it! It's so quiet outside in the morning, I love it! It's the only time you can notice little things like this!

On my mind~ the yard. We are still trying to decide which side of the house to park vehicles, and which side to make a sitting/playing area.

I am going~ nowhere today, I hope! I have a lot I want to get accomplished inside the house now!

I am thankful for~ the cooler temperatures we are having. It still hasn't been below 80 during the day, but that's a big improvement. Plus, it's finally cooling off considerably at night, so the mornings are getting better. I LOVE sitting on the porch with my coffee in the crisp, cool morning. I'm so ready to do that again!

I am reading~ Intimate Issues. A book on how God intended married women to be godly and sensuous all at the same time. We are not supposed to be divided in this. I think it's a great book and covers all the questions that we have, which a lot of pastors and older women won't touch.

Right now I'm reading Proverbs in the mornings for daily devotion.

From the kitchen~ I think today I will make Chicken and Cornbread Pie. It just sounds good to me this morning. We got the white chocolate covered pretzels done yesterday, but today we need to the chocolate ones.

Around the house~ Laundry, schoolwork, trash, toilets and tidying up a bit!

From my picture journal~

Some of my mother's beautiful handmade jewlery! Well, that's it for today. Short and sweet. I figured it was better than no daybook post again this week! If you would like to read more or link up one of your own, head over to The Simple Woman's Daybook!

Move It Monday

2010-09-06T19:13:00.003-04:00

Well, sorry I'm just now getting a post up. I forgot it was Monday! Holiday's always throw me off. I have been moving it though. We FINALLY are having some reasonable temperatures, so I've been outside for two days doing yard work! So far today, I have:

*Mowed the yard

*Pulled weeds

*Cleaned up stuff laying around the yard

*Moved pavers

*Moved bricks

*Started making a layout for how we want to design the yard

We have too many vehicles for our narrow driveway, so we have been parking in the grass. Well, the grass has turned to mud, and we need to figure out just where we want permanent parking so we can start slowly moving in gravel as we can afford it. I also want to extend the fence next year so that we have the front yard fenced in as well, and not just the back...well, at least part of the front yard. So much that I want to do...we'll see how much I can actually budget in next year. For now, I just want what we have to look kept-up and nice! Happy Labor Day everyone!

Project Organized Home~Shiny Sink

2010-09-03T22:29:00.005-04:00

Sorry today's post is so late....oh, let's be honest, we're lucky I'm getting a post up at all! I'm not exactly know for my faithful blogging, especially of Fridays! However, today's post is about a new goal I am setting for myself and my home. If you asked me what the one thing I'm always procrastinating on when it comes to cleaning my home, I'd have to tell you this..."There's two things I'm always procrastinating on, dishes and laundry!" I am perfectly equally bad about both. So, I have already taken baby steps to be better about getting both done. Today I am adding a new step and making a goal for myself. The worst part of my procrastination with dishes, is the sink. I leave it full of stuff that won't go into the dishwasher. I'll rinse all the dishes, and I'll even get everything I can get in the dishwasher washed on some days, but I rinse and leave pots, pans, sippy cups, water bottles, anything that won't go in the dishwasher. I don't have a drain rack, because I don't want anything else in my sink or counter, and I just despise having to wash...quit...dry...wash...quit...dry to get those items cleaned and put away. Sometimes, I'm afraid, it would be a week or more before I washed them and got them out of my sink. So, every night before I went to bed, this is what I would see....

Pretty bad huh? Those plastics on the left side...been there for days. I know, it's horrible! My bedroom just happens to be right off the kitchen. You have to walk through it in fact, to get to my room. There is no other way in or out. So, the last thing I see before I go to bed, and the first thing I see when I get up (other than IN my room) is this sink! So, my new goal is to have a shiny sink every night before I go to bed! That means, all dishes washed! I'm still not breaking down and getting a drain rack, but I will lay out my towel on the counter, and use it for my drain rack. I'll hang it up to dry when I'm done or throw it in the washer first thing in the morning. I've also found a place for storing my soap, rags and scrubbers too, so my sink will be shiny and clear of stuff every night when I go to bed, and every morning when I wake up! I am such a perfectionist, and looking at this mess all the time, really bothers me and puts me in a not-so-hot mood, so this goal should of been set a long time ago, but....baby steps! So, here's my sink now and forever more!!!...

May the Lord give me the strength and discipline to do this every night!

Thankful Thursday

2010-09-02T11:11:00.004-04:00

Today, I am thankful for my husband! I know, I post about that a lot...but he gives me so much to be thankful for! He got home late last night from his two day install in Alabama. I know he was tired, and I was getting his dinner heated up for him. He instantly read his girls one of their library books they checked out that day and gave them lots of hugs and kisses! After scarfing down his BBQ chicken sandwich, he was off to the laundry room to try and get my dryer going again. He did it too! It was just like we thought..it wasn't the dryer, it was the outlet. He checked the breaker first, tested the amps in it, but it was fine, so he then tore into the outlet. What he found was that a spiders nest has fried the wires in the outlet. I smelled something burning in the living room the other day, but he said he couldn't smell it. Now, he says it was probably that web in the outlet. He was able to repair it, and I have a working dryer today! Yay! I was about ready to go to a coin laundry, so I am so, so thankful! We have way to many clothes around here to dry them inside, and because of all of our allergies, I can't dry them outside either. I'm once again finding myself so thankful that God gave me a husband who is EXTREMELY handy around the house, garage, car, etc!

This month, Thankful Thursday is being held at Grace Alone. Head over to read more thankful posts, or link up one of your own!

Get Ready...

2010-09-01T19:27:00.002-04:00

This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen in my life! I'm still wiping tears from my eyes! Don't forget to turn off the music on the purple player at the bottom of my blog! Please excuse how big this is, but I don't know how to make it any different!

P.L.A...

2010-08-31T12:29:00.004-04:00

Back when I used to watch the tv show Friends, one of my favorite episodes was when Pheobe, Rachel and Monica talked about not having a plan, and Pheobe said, "I don't even have a pla!" I feel like that's where I'm at. I figured up a great schedule for how our day should run, but didn't come up with how I was going to follow through with it! What's a PLAN without follow-through? It's a P.L.A.... So, I will be working on my steps for successful follow through for the next two days! Hubby is out of town doing a two day install in Alabama. I'm going to do some cleaning and organizing while he's gone, and some really good reading since I'll be alone at night after the kids go to bed. I have no schedule for the next two days..we're just going to wing-it and enjoy each other until Daddy comes back home. But, I will in the back of my mind, be coming up with a P.L.A...N! for how we will make our new schedule work when he returns!

Oh, and FYI, please pray for us...the dryer isn't working for some reason. There's only 110 volts going into my 210 outlet, so it's not enough power to run the dryer. I really needed to do laundry today. (sniff, sniff) May the Lord provide the answer and solution we need when hubby returns!

Move It Monday

2010-08-30T09:30:00.002-04:00

Here it is Monday again! I have to admit, I had great plans for today, and most of them aren't going to followed through. Hubby couldn't sleep last night, so we stayed up late playing that Frontier game of facebook! How silly! So, I didn't get up on time, and I'm already really behind in the new schedule I layed out. Here's what it was supposed to look like:

7:00am-wake up, start coffee and breakfast
bible reading and prayer time

8:00-8:30-kids breakfast

9:00-Mr. Pure at Heart starts school
Girls watch cartoons
Mr. Know it All starts SOS subjects
Mommy takes shower

11:00-girls start school
Mr. Know it All starts Paces

12:30-lunch

1:00-finish all schoolwork

?-4:00-freetime w/ snack time at 3:00

4:05-cleanup and chores

6:00-dinner

I can't schedule anything after that, because there's no telling what hubby will want to do every night, and I never be able to stick a schedule. That would just frustrate us all, I think! But, since how I didn't wake up until 9:00!(I guess I really needed my sleep) my day is going to have to be adjusted! Plus, hubby just scared my half to death while I was in the middle of this post...he's still home! His work van wouldn't start, so he's at home working on it today. Praise God, he'll get paid for it. But with him home, who knows what my day will really look like?! All I can say is that I will try to keep it moving and have a productive day none-the-less! I wish a wonderful start of the week to you!

Facebook

2010-08-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I've never been a fan of facebook. I just feel like they have way too many open doors and am so scared of the lack of privacy. However, I am going to be joining a bible study accountability group, and will need to be on Facebook. So, I am creating my account, and if any of you are already on and want to link up as friends, let me know! It's going to take me a while to figure out how it all works, but I'm hoping it will go smoothly!

Project Organized Home-A Little Help For Autumn

2010-08-27T11:39:00.008-04:00

Well, today's post is all about how I'm trying to encourage autumn to make it's way here! Now, I know full well that since we are in the south, we aren't going to enjoy true autumn for a couple more months, but it has been sooooo hot here (and most of the country) this summer. We are ready for a break in these temperatures! I do see some signs of cooler weather on the horizon...

My Kousa Dogwood has beautiful orange fruit now ripening and dropping to the ground! When we came home from our trip, most of my outdoor flowers had died since we weren't there to water them twice a day. They had to be cut down or pulled out completely, so I felt it was time to go ahead and put out the fall flowers!

Every year I put out fake fall flowers in place of where my annuals were. It adds beautiful autumn color that needs no maintenance. They usually last 3-4 years depending upon how much sun they are exposed to. A great investment, really. This year, I'm just putting them out a little early in hopes that I can encourage autumn temperatures to follow!

Every time I take a picture of this area, I realize how badly I need to clean up that brick mailbox! I have done a great job of keeping it weeded though, and it's one of my favorite parts of the yard. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing my color-changing solar lights until we came home and saw them again. They are so beautiful!

This ivy will live through the winter again...it's about 3 years old now. I think next year, I may have to transplant it, instead of just cutting it back. I love it in this pot though. I've had an amber colored solar light in it for a few months, and I just LOVE IT! Now, we have some fall color in it, instead of a spring dogeared begonia!

These sunflowers were left over, so they went at the corner of the ivy bed! It needed some color. One day, I hope to dig up all this ivy and have a nice flower bed here. This is the round brick bed next to the porch. I know it's really going to be a task though to kill all the ivy and keep it from coming back. Well, that was this weeks project for a more beautiful and organized home! Have a great weekend!

Summit Pictures

2010-08-26T10:00:00.010-04:00

So, we finally reach the summit of Rocky Mountain National Park and we climb up the tundra trail, and this is what we see!...

The female elk were just sitting there, 20 ft from us at the top of the mountains...just amazing!

It was cold too! I was the only one who was comfortable up there in a short sleeve shirt. Everyone else was freezing or had coats on! I'm thankful that God allowed me to not be cold, and enjoy the experience. I think I got so overheated in Kansas, that nothing was going to make me cold! Plus, I did spend over half my life hiking in these mountains!

It's so cool seeing giant rock formations come out of nowhere at the top of a mountain! They were HUGE too! You know, sometimes when you remember things as a child as being big, when you see them again as an adult, you're a little disappointed, but that sure isn't the case with these rock formations and the mountains as a whole!

There are no trees up this high, just rocks and grass...

This is the closeup picture below...

And here's the one from a distance to give you scale. Can you see the lake in the middle of the picture? Just beautiful to see a little lake just sitting on the side of a mountain! I don't care how beautiful it is, I wouldn't get in it even if you could access it. Do you know how cold that water hast to be? There is still snow on most of these mountains! They just recently opened the road to the summit. It was impassable before.

One last picture for you. People in Southern climates are just amazed that all the snow still isn't melted off in the middle of August up here. The elevation is just so high. This particular mountain was even taller than us, so it stands at least 13,000ft tall! I believe the highest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park is over 14,000ft tall. God's beauty is found everywhere and it's all just spectacular, but I will always be partial to the mountains. My mother and I both, just feel so close to God when we are up here! The beauty of His creation in these mountains is absolutely breathtaking and leaves you speechless for a while...just standing there enjoying it, and trying to take it all in!

I also ended up with three beautiful panoramic pictures that won't load onto here, but they turned out great, and will be on my bedroom wall! I was able to get 5 mountains in one panoramic picture! Thank you for looking and letting me share my homecoming with you!

More Mountain Pics

2010-08-25T17:54:00.006-04:00

After the picnic, we drove through Estes Park.

I love seeing all the shops there, and watching the wide range of people there!
This fella was standing outside an Indian shop. I don't know if he's a real Indian, or just trying to make more sales, but it was funny to watch him interact with everyone!

************
Then we went on to the Rocky Mountain National Park. These two pictures are from about half way up the mountains. I love the shadows from the clouds!

I really had to zoom in to get the detail on this little river from so high up. I love how curvy it is!

Summit pictures next!

Move It Monday

2010-08-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm supposed to me moving it today, but we're a little on the slow side. My back just isn't holding up well to all the hotel beds, and all the time we spent sitting in the van. I accomplished so much yesterday, and I am very thankful for that! Hubby told me to take it easy today though. We don't want to have to pay for a chiropractor visit right now!

I've almost got all our laundry done from the trip, and I've emptied all the suitcases. I just need to put them back in the closets now. All 6 of us tackled the girl's bedroom on Saturday and got it looking great again! They are both finally sleeping back in their own beds now. And of course, with the room looking neat and organized, they are actually playing in there again as well! I thoroughly cleaned the dinning room yesterday but didn't get all the dishes done. I would have, but my darling little 3 year old spilled a whole jug of coffee creamer on the kitchen floor, so I spent that time trying to clean that up...not very fun. So, today I think I'll keep it light and between times of icing my back, I will:

Wash Dishes

Write up boy's school schedule for the week

Schedule Bills

Mop Kitchen Floor Again

Put Away All Clean Clothes

That's all I'm going to try and accomplish. I have some more yard work I want to do. I only got a few weeds pulled yesterday, but that is soooo hard on my lower back. It will have to wait at least a few days. It would be nice to wait for some cooler weather as well! I have a lot of fall landscaping projects that I'd like to do this year. We'll just see if we can get the money for them all! Have a wonderful week everyone!

Mountain Picnic

2010-08-22T21:33:00.008-04:00

On Saturday, the whole family got together for a picnic at the base of the mountains. This park is maintained by the city of Loveland and is a great historical park. It used to be a power plant but was ruined by a flood. It now has picnic tables, playground equipment, walking paths over bridges and so much more! They have two spots that you can reserve for things to, but we were just doing the "FREE" casual thing! The picture above is the view up the mountain from the park, and below is the sign placed in front of the old generators.
These are the old generators which they have left here in the park. I think it's cool to look at them and think of what was once here. It's amazing what kind of damage water can do...especially when it's running down the mountains at great speed!

This is a neat little nature building. Inside they have glass covered shelves that show local wildlife, insects, trees and etc. They also teach the differences between the North and South facing slopes. Pretty cool stuff!

And, my favorite part of the park is the Big Thompson River that flows right through it! The sound of the water rushing through is so beautiful! If that was right out my bedroom window, I would sleep like a baby every night! The water is so crystal clear and beautiful! Our picnic table was just above this spot on the river, and it was such a lovely lunch!

I can't tell you how hard it was to leave the park, but we were going up to Estes Park and the Summit of the Rocky Mountain National Park, so I was looking forward to that. Those pictures will come soon!

Rocky Mountain Wildlife

2010-08-22T21:21:00.006-04:00

We saw loads and loads of elk while we were in the national park. They love being there, because they can't be hunted within the park. I love it because they will get close enough to you to get some great shots with the camera! These bulls were obviously distracted by something, but we had a whole group of cows (female elk) that were sitting 20 ft from us and were staring right at us! It was great.
My husband obviously missed the sign that says "don't feed the wildlife" but apparently so did a lot of other people since these little critters ate right of his hand! They won't do this on a first time encounter! It was pretty neat though, I must say.

These birds didn't like all the attention the squirrels and chipmunks were getting and they pushed their way in! They were really beautiful though, and to see them up close was great! The kids could of stayed there all day, but the sun wasn't going to stay with us!

Fields of Yellow

2010-08-22T01:16:00.006-04:00

Remember those fields of sunflowers I told you I was looking forward to seeing? Well, I wasn't disappointed and now I get to share them with you! I'm going to blow up one of these pictures to a 16x20 and hang it on my bedroom wall. I'm going to do that with some of my mountain pictures as well.

God's beauty never ceases to stop me in my tracks! I think having all these beautiful pictures on my wall will help me to get through the cold winter that will be here before you know it!

Garden Spider

2010-08-22T01:05:00.004-04:00

How would you like to go to turn on the hose spicket and find these two fellas in your way?! After freaking out a little bit, I realized they would make for some good pictures. As far as I know, garden spiders are the only ones who make that zig-zag pattern in the middle of the web. They are bigger than a silver dollar and so beautiful as far as colors go. I'm EXTREMELY afraid of spiders though, so I had to use the zoom to take the pictures from a safe distance! Hubby had to turn on the spicket so I could rinse out some buckets..I wasn't going any closer!

Rain Rain Go Away

2010-08-22T00:52:00.005-04:00

We got home at 6:00am Friday morning and it had already starting raining. It hasn't stopped for long since. The flooding is getting bad in the low areas of town. Our local Goodwill, Rite Aid, Rent-A-Center and other stores in this shopping center, got covered in a foot of water and they had to close down. The fire trucks and police were there to make sure everyone got out safe and that no electrical fires started from the water rushing in the stores. You can see in the picture below where the water line was before the water receded to where it's at now. I hope we don't get too much more rain in the next couple days.
Some of the workers in the stores had their cars get stuck in the water before they even realized it. So unfortunate.

This is another low part of town. At least they got the guys out of the truck, when I drove by the first time, they were both still in it. I'm glad the police came to block the road of because some foolish people were still trying to cross the road.

So, tonight I will be praying for the rain to stop for a while!

Hand In Hand

2010-08-11T10:43:00.004-04:00

This is my 5 year old daughter on the left, and her 5 year old cousin on the right. They are so cute together! I'll put a front picture on my other blog. Those of you who regularly make comments, and don't have access, please e-mail me or leave a comment with your e-mail address and I won't publish it. I'd love for you to be able to see all the other pictures as well!

The shipping company delivered all of the HVAC supplies to the wrong place, so hubby won't be able to install them in South Kansas today. It messes up our plans a little bit, but it will give us two extra days with his family, so that was a real blessing! We won't have to split up the girls yet. No matter what, we have to leave Friday morning to head for Colorado, so I guess he'll have to install the heating and air conditioners on our way back from Colorado. That will put us back home later than thought, but I know the Lord does everything for a reason, and right now we are thankful that we will be with family again today instead of in South Kansas!

My back is still giving me trouble, so I'm off to the pool again to loosen it up for the day! My 3 year old woke up with her neck hurting yesterday...so bad that she would scream and cry every time she moved it wrong. I took her to her old doctors office, and they thought it was just a pulled muscle or something like that. I get it all the time from sleeping wrong, but you don't hear it in 3 year olds. We gave her ibuprofen all day and night, and kept one of those thermawraps on it, and she seems much better today so far. I praise God for that! Please keep her in your prayers. If she can't go swimming again soon, she'll be one very unhappy little girl. It was hard yesterday seeing her not able to play with all the other kids at the park. She wants all the time with her cousins that she can get too!

4 Days In

2010-08-10T09:05:00.002-04:00

Well, we are now 4 days into our trip and we are having such a wonderful time! I can't get over how beautiful my 5 little nieces are! Two of the girls have LONG, curly hair just like my girls have. My sister in law and I were always pregnant at the same time, so 3 of our kids are the same age..just a couple months apart. It is soooo cute to see the girls together. They just love playing with someone their own age. I will show pictures on my other blog later of my 5 year old and her five year old together. It just melted my heart. They are the same age, same height, same long curly hair, walking hand in hand everywhere they go! Today is our last day here with them, and it is going to break my heart to split them up. We have been so busy from the moment we got here, and very little time to breathe. We've been swimming and playing at the lake, eating dinner with friends, swimming at the motel, driving around town and seeing what's changed...so fun. We are late for meeting hubby's brother again, so I had better get off of here! More soon!