Saturday Photo Hunt - New

This week's theme is new and I have several pictures today. I found a few that showed some new experiences in my life.
They are thumbnails. Click to view them larger.

(New brother)
When I was five, I became a big sister. Here I am showing off my little brother to my best friend, Abby.



(New city, friends, school)
When I was 21, I went away to college for the first time. It was an incredibly new experience. Here I am in my dorm room.



(New life)
My wedding day.....




(New accomplishment)
Sounds silly, but all my life I vowed to swim with dolphins one day. So, here I am doing just that.




(New family)
Yes, a right after delivery shot. Boy was I tired. Welcome to the world little miss.




(New little brother)
Only this time the big sister is my daughter

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve?
I am an old fart...so I don't really celebrate it anymore. Last year, we went to Dh's boss' house..and we may do that again this year too. We'll play it by ear. Right now, we are all sick. So, if we are feeling better, then we'll go out. But, right now, I'd prefer sleep.

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.
The amount of times I was able to visit Arizona this year and see friends and family.

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?
DH and I went to a marriage retreat up North and it was by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007?
I don't really make resolutions....but I do like to try to have goals....things I'd like to improve upon. And I'd like to spend more quiet time with the Lord.

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006.
Blessed, Growth, Happiness

Morning Prayer

So, I began the new Beth Moore David study. I really liked the prayer that followed yesterday's devotion, and I wanted to share it with you.

Thank You, Father, for shepherding me with Your pure heart, for guiding me with Your skillful hands (Ps. 78:72), for taking me from the sheepfolds of my life-the many places where I could have so easily been left behind forever-and transforming me day by day into someone with the potential to look more like Jesus, to be useful in Your kingdom.

Quick, Quick, Quick

I wanted to let you all know that we are home safe and sound from Arizona. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family. I will try to come on here later tonight to post some pictures for you. My sister-in-law is out visiting, so my blog posts may be sporadic this week.

Won't you fill my stocking?

Xmas Stocking

leave a gift for lilsongbird your username: your gift: (30 characters or less) get your stocking

Quick Pics

Here's the mister playing with his feet. He loves to play with them.
This was last week or around there. You can see some eczema patches on his arms and legs.





So precious, isn't he?




This is just to show you his face this morning. I think that it is looking a lot better. It's still red, but not nearly as bad.







I'm sorry I haven't blogged like usual this week doing the In Other Words and things like that. It's been busy around here. I spend nap time working on some homemade Christmas gifts and then there is a bunch of clutter upstairs to pick up before we head out because my SIL will be coming back with us and spending a week here. Last night, I went to bed at around 8:30 P.M. Can you believe it? I was so tired. It was wonderful getting rest. And when I got up at 1:00 A.M. to feed the mister, it wasn't so bad.

Christmas Meme

Well, hi there. Dinner is done and I have a cake cooling and homemade frosting just dying to be put on it. But I have to wait a little while longer. I was craving yellow cake and chocolate frosting. I had the cake mix but no icing. So, I made my own. And I must say it tastes rather yummy. Anyway, here's a Christmas meme to take up some time while I wait to devour my cake.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer to wrap presents in paper with bows and cute dangly things hanging also, but if I am short on time, I'll recycle a bag that I have from a previous Christmas.

2. Real tree or artificial? I do enjoy real trees, we had one last year. I also like how much cleaner fake ones are. So, really, I don't prefer one over the other. Although, a real one is pretty nice!

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually, right after Thanksgiving or so. This year, I was a lazy bum about it. It went up late, late, late....like 2 weeks ago.

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years

5. Do you like eggnog? Not one bit. I was even talked into sampling an all natural, right from the farm one at Wild Oats. And it wasn't bad...but I definitely didn't want more than one sip.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? In 6th grade, my dad had been laid off from his job and it was a tough year financially. My brother and I weren't expecting much for Christmas. In fact there were only like three gifts total for my brother and me under the tree. One, was a combined present and it was a Super Nintendo. I remember just being elated because I had wanted one, but wasn't expecting it AT all.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Of course!

8. Hardest person to buy for? I am actually pretty good at picking out gifts for people. It is something I truly enjoy. But, to be honest, unless I get a list, I have a hard time with a couple of DH's cousin's. This year we are low on funds and so I am making homemade gifts for 3 friends, DH's sister and his older cousins. What I am making is really cute. But I can't tell you what it is, because they might read this.

9. Easiest person to buy for? The miss, definitely!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail..but mine are still sitting on my counter. Isn't that horrible?!?!?!? They are all sealed and addressed. I just keep forgetting to buy stamps. I think you will all get them after Christmas. Sorry!!!!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Oh, my mom one year...I think it was back in 2000, we had friends visiting from Back East and my mom had me unwrap a box of tampons. That was my present under the tree. She was serious too, it wasn't a joke. She figured it was something I would need to use. She has multiple sclerosis and can be a bit silly at times.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? One Magic Christmas....LOVE IT!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually November...although each year I say I am going to start much earlier...it never happens. Plus I am bad about waiting until Christmas to give a gift. So, if I do it too soon. I end up giving it to the person before Christmas. Then, I have to go get something else.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I thought about it once, but no.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas??? Oh my...EVERYTHING....especially desserts!!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?? Be with family, whether they came to us or we travel to them.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel. I have had her for gosh years..now..she is fiber optic and her wings change colors. I like her.

21. Open the presents Christmas eve or morning? DH's family does presents Christmas Eve. I like that!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? My birthday is too close to Christmas. Do you know how many times I have gotten money or gift cards for my birthday and used them to get someone a Christmas present?????
My birthday is Dec. 21st.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Hallmark ornaments. I buy a new one for the family and then one for each member(immediate)...each year.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey and ham. Must have mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.

OKAY..time to frost the cake.

That's a big sister for ya

So, tonight we were getting ready for a Christmas party at DH's boss' house, and we left the miss unsupervised with the mister for a few minutes. And, well, she toilet papered her brother.

Invisible Children

As some of you may know, I have been yapping a lot about the Invisible Children. It is a documentary filmed by three young guys who discovered the atrocities taking place against the children in Northern Uganda. The story of the Invisible Children put the children of Uganda on my heart in a major way. I am going to go on a mission trip in June to Uganda to work with some orphans. I won't however be in Northern Uganda. But now that a cease fire has been issued, I may consider going to Northern Uganda a couple of years from now if the opportunity presents itself.

Anyway, I found a link that had the entire Invisible Children film on it. It is 55 minutes long. I have it posted here for you. It may take a few to load. Please don't be turned off by the first fifteen minutes or so of it. WATCH THE WHOLE THING!!!!
I feel that the last twenty minutes or so of it is the most moving. And everything before helps explain it all.



Again, there was a cease fire signed after 20 years of violence, death and atrocities toward the children in Northern Uganda. The U.N. as well as the Government of Uganda are working to find homes for all of the children as well as education and therapy. The children who were abducted and forced to join the LRA, were trained and brainwashed at a young age to kill. They were desensitized to it all by witnessing the brutal deaths of other abducted children. So, as you can imagine, these thousands upon thousands of children have a lot of emotional issues to deal with.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Northern Uganda, you can contact Far Reaching Ministries. 951-677-4474. Steve and I have sponsored a little Kenyan boy through them since 2001. I just received a letter today though that recently a young boy in the orphanage that Far Reaching Minsitries had worked at, had been abusing many of the young girls at the orphanage. The director was refusing FRM's help in finding him a new home and were going to continue keeping him there. FRM decided that the situation wasn't right for them and are now focusing on helping two orphanages in Northern Uganda. So, our sponsorship is going to switch over to a child in Northern Uganda. So, anyway, if you are interested, contact them.

I want an Oompa Loompa, NOW!

As a mom, one of the things I really want to strive to do over the years, is not let my children get caught up in the self-absorbed, impulsive, wasteful habits of so many Americans today. I want them to realize how blessed they are to live in a nice home, to have new clothes, to have three meals a day. I want them to be aware of just what it's really like in other parts of the world. I don't want them to take anything for granted and I want them to thank God for all that they have.

I am going to make sure that as soon as they are old enough, that we volunteer with the kids, maybe at a soup kitchen for instance, or delivering gifts to hospitalized children. I want them to grow up with a grasped concept on how important it is to spread kindness to many and to give to many.

I grew up in a wasteful home. I grew up not really appreciating all that my parents provided for me. I guess, I just grew up expecting that I'd go clothes shopping at the end of the summer and pick out hundreds of dollars worth of outfits. I grew up expecting that I'd have a brand new backpack each year and that at Christmastime mostly everything, if not all, the gifts I wanted, I would get.

My brother and I both didn't take good care of our things. And things got ruined rather quickly because of it. And then we'd just throw it away. I never really understood the value of all that I had. I don't want my children growing up the same way.

I do have some impulsive tendencies to this day, because of being raised that way. I find at times, I'll get fixated on a certain item and have to have it right then and there. And I don't mean big money items, because I am pretty realistic with what I can afford. But I do get caught up in having to have something...NOW!

We also struggle with handling our finances, with budgeting, with paying everything on time all of the time, and again, I feel a lot of that stems from watching how my parents handled their finances, which, well, they didn't.

In January, DH and I are going to attend a Crown Financial class for a month every Sunday night at our church, and I am hopeful that that will really start us off on the right foot for the new year.

A month ago, the miss saw the dancing princesses Barbie movie and then a day or so later saw a commercial on television for a Barbie dancing princess doll that spun around and had a skirt that lit up. "Wow, I want that, Mommy," she said to me while staring at the television set in complete awe. This was the first time she had seen something on television that she wanted to have. And like all parents, I enjoy making her happy. So, a few days later, I headed to Wal-Mart and purchased the $20 doll to give to her at Christmas. That weekend, DH and I were both not feeling well, and we spent most of the day laying down on the couch. We were letting the miss entertain herself with movies and her toys. I felt so bad for her though. So, I decided to give her her doll then. I thought it would make her happy and give her something new to play with for a bit.
So, I gave it to her. She recognized it right away and of course was happy.

But the bad thing, I think, is she remembered that that was the doll she saw on tv and that she had told me she wanted it. And since that time, anytime basically any toy commercial comes on television she yells out to me that she wants it. "I want that, Mommy.....I want that!" I feel I created something that I had wanted to avoid.

I think soon here, she'll be old enough to start with chores around the house and work to earn maybe coupons for instance that we can save up and later use to get a toy or maybe see a movie with. I want her to know that things are earned. I don't want her to get into the habit, especially at a young age, of thinking that her parents will give her everything she wants. And I don't want her to get into the habit of thinking that she'll get everything that she wants, NOW!

I also want my kids to realize the value of money as they get older and the importance of tithing. So, when they are at the age to understand money and all of that, I want to allow them the opportunity to earn, save and tithe with what they make. Of course I have some time to devise a plan of the best way to go about doing all of that.

We are so blessed that we live in the country that we do. We have so many opportunities to work, to make money, to purchase many things for ourselves. But with that also comes the ability to put ourselves in debt, to live way beyond our means and to pass those same habits on to our children. I don't want to raise children who go out and get a department store credit card on their 18th birthday, because they can, and max it out in one day, like I did. I want my kids to really, and truly understand the importance of saving and of credit.

So, I hope that little miss' requests of ..I want that...Mommy, will begin to die down through the years as she focuses on giving to others and on the importance of earning what she'd like to have.

Thursday Thirteen

So I have seen many of you do this theme lately and I thought, hey, why not. So, here are 13 of my favorite Christmas songs. Oh, and I apologize for the redundancy in my descriptions of the songs. I think I say I looove it under each one. It is very early in the morning, I am not awake yet, and my writing skills are lacking quite a bit at the moment.

1. O Holy Night. - This is my absolute favorite Christmas song. I love it. I love most renditions of it that I hear. Although, yesterday I heard a gal on the radio who just butchered the beautiful song. But, this is my favorite to listen to and to sing. I looooooooove it!

2. Silent Night - Such a beautiful song. I think of it as a lullaby. I love to listen to Jewel's version of this song. Having been in choirs most of my life, I have sung this song many, many times....even in German. I can still even remember the German translation......Stile Nacht.

3. Jesu Joy- So, this song wasn't written to be a Christmas song, but it is on many Christmas albums. I think we use the song more often in weddings. But I love performing this song and listening to it.

4. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear/Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem- Okay, so when I was a kid, I had a Cabbage Patch Kids Christmas album. On it was a version of It Came Upon A midnight Clear that would flow into Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem. It was my favorite song on the album and I think I would listen to it over and over and over again. To this day, I still looove listening to these two songs, just not by the Cabbage Patch Kids.

5. Breath Of Heaven - What a gorgeous song and it really beautifully captures how Mary felt. I love hearing the story from Mary's perspective. Amy Grant has the best version that I have heard thus far. I used to perform Breath Of Heaven every Christmas at my church. GREAT SONG!

6. Coventry Carol- I performed this song as a child while in The Phoenix Girls Chorus and I always loved it.

7. Candlelight Carol- I have heard a few versions of this song, but my favorite is on Neil Diamond's Christmas album which I purchased a few years ago specifically for this song. I had heard it on the radio and loved it so much. I love the melody and the lyrics. Beautiful. If you have never heard it or have never heard Neil Diamond's version, I suggest you do. It's BEAUTIFUL!

8. The Chipmunks Christmas song- So, I don't remember the name of this one right now off the top of my head. But I know you must know what I am talking about. It is the one where the Chipmunks sing about what they want for Christmas and for santa to not be late. It's a cute song. I also had this album as a kid and it was my FAVORITE album because of the cover.
On the cover, the calendar is opened to December 21st, which is my birthday, so I loved that my birthday was on the album. I used to listen to the Chipmunks sing tons of Christmas songs over and over again. It must have driven my parents crazy.

9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Such a beautiful song, especially when sung by Frank Sinatra. I was in the musical, Meet Me In St. Louis, which is where this song is from. So, it also has sentimental meaning.

10. All I want For Christmas Is You - Yes, the song by Mariah Carey. I hate to admit it, but it's fun to sing and I love how it starts out slow and then all of a sudden, you're jamming to it. It's got a great beat. I do think it is way too overplayed however.

11. Ave Maria - If sung by the right person, especially in a huge concert hall or church, this song is absolutely breathtaking.

12. Veni Veni Emmanuel - Another song I loved performing at Christmastime. I just really love it...don't know why.

13. I'll Be Home For Christmas - I love the lyrics...I love the melody. And I love that I will be home for Christmas this year. :o)


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun!!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

In Other Words

Once again, another great quote this week. I totally agree with it.

"I am the one holding the keys to the atmosphere in our home."
~ Terry Maxwell ~
Author of:
Homeschooling with a Meek
and Quiet Spirit


I am assuming most are going to mention the saying, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." And quite honestly, it is completely true. As the wife and mother, I really do hold the flow of the household in the palm of my hand. When I am calm, gentle, loving and peaceful, things seem to go well. The house is filled with smiles, laughter and tranquility. But, when I get stressed, frustrated, tired and even hungry, my emotions become contagious and pretty soon everyone is walking around the house with sighs of irritation.


Now, I know there are times I can start out peaceful and gentle and circumstances around me, or the behavior of my children may lead to a change of spirit, but that isn't an excuse. In fact, it is those times where I need to keep the calm the most.


Everyone loves it the most when their house is a happy place to be, I know I sure do. And I really do strive to keep it that way. And when I do boil over and explode, I usually catch myself pretty quickly, apologize and try to work on my approach to things for the rest of the day or evening.


Have any of you read the blog, Raising Five? It's a wonderful blog. There was one post I read on there recently, where she talked about how she has to constantly remind herself throughout the day to love and sacrifice around her house the way Christ loves and sacrificed for us. And it's really true. And it does take effort sometimes, especially when it's 9:30 P.M., you've barely had a moment to yourself, and both kids are still awake and screaming. But really, it is loving like Christ that keeps the peace and fills the home with warmth. So that is my goal each and everyday. Some days go more smoothly than others.


In one day, I can watch myself react to similar situations in two very, VERY different ways. For instance, my three-year old is at that age where she wants to be independent. She doesn't want to listen and she loves to say no. At one point in the day, she had been testing my patience for a good couple of hours and everything was a fight. She had just again achieved to make me question whether or not I was about to go insane. I was slowly losing my patience with her. She wasn't obeying me and she was whining and screaming. I sternly said her name, placed her face in my hands and gave her a kiss. And to be honest, it shocked her a bit, because I think she was expecting a warning, a spanking or a scolding. She immediately stopped fighting me, looked up at me and asked, "Mommy, you kissed me?" And I said yep. I sure did!


Later that night, however, I didn't respond to her as lovingly. We have been fighting her on using the potty. She completely understands having to go, she grasps the entire concept. She is just stubborn and refuses to sit on the potty. It was the afternoon and I wanted her to use the potty. She wouldn't even sit on it. She was screaming on the top of her lungs and began to work herself up quite a bit. I quietly and lovingly tried to get her to stop and listen to me. But she just grew louder and louder. Finally, I just let out a roar. Seriously, I went AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH on the top of my lungs.
Have you seen Monster's Inc.? Do you know the scene where boo accidentally walks in when Sully is showing the other monsters how to be scary and he screams. Do you remember the look on Boo's face? That's what my child did. She then said, "Mommy, you scared me. You were like a monster." Talk about putting me in my place.


I apologized and watched myself the rest of the day. Okay I think I totally went on a rant here. But basically, my job as a wife and mother is to take care of my household and the people in it. And emotions are contagious, attitudes are contagious and part of making a home welcoming, is the environment it keeps. I need to watch my thoughts and my actions continually to make sure that I make my home a loving and peaceful place to be. When they say, "there's no place like home", it's supposed to be a good thing. Not wow...Nowhere else is it as crazy and stressful and loud and unhappy as in my home.


Loving like Christ is the key.

There is a verse in the book of Psalms that I read the other day, that I really have tried to focus on lately, In regards to my actions, words and attitude. It is Psalm 4:4.. "Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still."


*UPDATE* I was just reading other contributions about today's quote and came across the post at A Measure Of Grace. It is a MUST READ!!!!!

Is it Sunday Already?

Well, we had a bit of a busy Saturday. I finally decided to take the time to put up the tree. The little miss was sooo excited. Last year, she wasn't quite old enough to get into everything Christmas. This year, she has been thrilled. She was dancing around singing, "Christmas Tree". And she couldn't wait to help daddy string the lights and mommy put on the ornaments. She also knows that we are flying to Arizona for Christmas and every day she asks if today we are going on an airplane.

Here she is decorating the tree and wearing the tree skirt as a cape.






Also I wanted to throw in a picture from a couple of nights ago when she was tickling daddy.

The Mister has been keeping us busy too. His eczema really flared up a couple of weeks ago and I haven't been able to get much control over it. His poor face looks just awful. All of the products that seemed to help Audrey when she had it as an infant aren't helping the little mister. So, yesterday after doing some research, I headed to Wild Oats for calandula lotion and vitamin E oil. I also found another baby lotion made specifically for dry and sensitive skin. He's been slathered and slathered all day and night and although he is still very red. He looks much better than he did just last night.
Here he is this morning


I'll keep you posted on how his face does.

Can I tell you, I love Wild Oats. It's just a couple minutes away from our house too. I just love going in there. And I love their food. I got Steve and myself sandwiches from there for lunch yesterday and it was mighty yummy. I also sampled and bought a yummy all natural orange passion fruit mango Italian soda. It was simply divine. Oh, how I wish I could afford to shop there all of the time. *Sigh* I do love that place.

Anyway, I am now off to get all of us ready for church. Then we will have lunch, clean the messy house and shop for groceries. Then, while The Miss naps, I need to fix the ornaments on the tree. They are all on the bottom with about three on each branch. I hadn't fixed it yet since Audrey hung it all up. Maybe if I do it while she naps, she won't notice.

Christmas Crafts For Kids

I wanted to share with you the Christmas crafts page from Danielle's Place. There are some GREAT Christmas crafts for the kiddos to make. So be sure to check it out. Please let me know if the page doesn't work for you. I am a member and have more access to the site than a visitor does. But the site remembers me. I am hoping that you will all be able to access the page. So, let me know if you can't.

Friday's Feast

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Which language would you like to learn and why?
Luganda. Besides English, it is a major language spoken in Uganda. And since I am headed there this summer, I'd like to know how to speak a bit of it.

Soup
What's the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week?
Honestly a clip from last week's Saturday Night Live.
I won't go into anymore detail. I'm not proud that I found it to be so humorous.

Salad
Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing?
Freedomland...although I think i did finish it...but I didn't want to.

Main Course
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name, what would the day be called?
Be there for someone day.

Dessert
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see.

Oh....there are a few. I will name them all. I want to take Audrey to see Charlotte's Web. It's a great story and I looooooooooove Dakota Fanning.
I want to see The Nativity Story.
And for my birthday, Steve and I are going to go see We Are Marshall. I can't Wait!!!!!!!!!!

"Look, Mommy...Christmas!"

So, Grandma, G.G. and Papa love it when new pictures of the kiddos are up. So for them, and the rest of you who love to look at pics, here you go.

Serving Your Husband

Do any of you visit the Virtuous Woman Proverbs 31 Site listed on my sidebar? You should if you don't. It's a great site.

There is an article on there this month in regards to having a servant heart toward your husband. It's funny, well actually it isn't...but there are so many afternoons when I think to myself, gosh I have had such a good and easy day today. I know my hubby has been so dreadfully busy at work and I know he doesn't feel well. When he gets home, I want the house to be calm for him. I want him to be able to rest. I want to cook dinner for him and feed him because I know he ate lunch at 11:00 and he is going to be hungry. I want him to relax until the kids are ready for bed and then I want the two of us to cuddle with a movie. Such good and well-meaning thoughts I have. But it very rarely ever goes that way.

Now, he usually does get to rest for a bit and he usually does get to spend some time doing his own thing. But it's usually not calm in the house until 9:00 P.M. when both kids are finally asleep. And sometimes I forget how much I wanted for him to take it easy...when while I am trying to prepare dinner, our three year old is getting into everything under the sun and our five month old is screaming on the top of his lungs. And then when the hubby doesn't respond to either child right away, as if he was waiting for me to, which is what I wanted for him to do anyway, I get angry with him. And my plans of serving my husband for the evening go down the drain.

Anyway, this article reminded me of where my heart is in the afternoon and how I want to serve my hubby and it encouraged me to really focus on the many ways in which I can serve my husband. Here is a snippet from the article.

"I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me." Matthew 25:35-36

You could say it this way: - My husband is hungry so I will give him good food to eat so that he is filled with warmth and love. - My husband is working hard in the yard so I will bring him a fresh glass of iced lemonade to refresh his body and spirit. - My husband is feeling alone so I will go to him and comfort him in ways that he will appreciate. - My husband needs clean clothes so I will sort them and wash them and fold them and hang them up so they are there when he needs them. - My husband is ill so I will comfort him and bring him food in bed and cleanse his face so he knows I care. - My husband is imprisoned by others actions and he feels discouraged and confused so I will go to him and pray with him and be there when he needs me.

When we serve our husbands we begin to grow softer spirits, more loving hearts. When we serve our husbands our marriage is renewed and nurtured. When we serve our husbands what we are really doing is serving Jesus. We will be blessed in ways we can hardly imagine!

I've been Nominated

I was reading over Laurel Wreath's blog and saw that she had been nominated by Christian Women Online for a couple of blog awards. As I read over the awards and nominees, I then saw something that surprised me. I am on the list with two other gals nominated for the Best Mommy Award. A mommy who joys in the job of raising little ones for the Lord.

I am very honored for the nomination.

Head on over and check out all of the other nominees. There are some great bloggers listed and you will definitely be encouraged by their posts.




While there, vote for your favorites. Voting ends on December 15.

In Other Words

What a GREAT quote today. When I was done reading it, I actually said, "Wow!"

"One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile; he was not opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his hands were full; his mind was preoccupied. This is the answer that millions are giving today. Like a Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room for Christ. All the accommodations in their hearts are already taken up by other crowding interests. Their response is not atheism. It is not defiance. It is preoccupation and the feeling of being able to get on reasonably well without Christianity."
~ Billy Graham ~

I must admit, I was quite convicted after reading Billy Graham's quote. I know that I can't go on reasonably well without Christ, yet I feel many times I give Jesus the same response as the innkeeper. How many times is my inn crowded? How many times are my hands too full; my mind too preoccupied? Honestly, almost everyday, I turn Christ away. I mean I still make Him a part of each day. I do pray before meals and in the evening. And a few days a week, the day care kids have a Bible lesson that correlates with the week's theme. But when I look at other things throughout the day that I allow to take up some of my time, I realize that I really could have devoted much more time for God. I am not making it the priority that I need to. I am well aware of that and really want to work on fixing that. This quote really helped because it made me compare myself to the innkeeper. And, goodness, I don't want to be the person saying, "Sorry, God. I just can't even pencil you in today. There is no room in my day right now for you." How much that must hurt Him. And how much I know it hurts me.

"Lord, God. I know that I am a busy bee most days, but I also know that I need you to be the focal point of my days. Please forgive me for not taking the time for you that I need. Please help me desire in such a way to sit at your feet. Please help me discipline myself to take that time to be in your word. I so need you. I need to start my day with you; to end my day with you. Thank you for loving me despite my distraction. I love you. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Ice Princess

Well we took The Miss ice skating last night. She was so excited to take to the ice and had expectations that she could just go out there and skate. What was neat at this rink was they had stacks of what looked like paint buckets...that you could put on the ice in front of you and hold onto....to keep your balance. So we started out having her use the buckets. Her favorite part was when I would stand behind her...hunched over her...hands under hers on the bucket also and I'd skate real fast. She could glide along with me and not fall. She laughed so hard.

But soon she began to realize that many were on the ice not using the buckets. She started to have a fit and push the bucket away from her. She wanted to skate by herself. I told her I wanted to hold her hand, but she pushed them away and said.."no hands, mommy." Of course, she started to fall, so I grabbed her. She is such an independent one. I tried to get her to skate with me holding my hands, but she wouldn't do it. Then she fell down a little bit and her hands touched the cold ice. She didn't like that one bit and decided that it was okay to use the buckets again. All in all, she did a great job and had a blast. She was so stinking cute on the ice. DH only was able to get a couple of pictures. He was up in the stands with the fussy mister.

Playing In The Snow

The Miss has been begging to play in the snow for days. But it's been sooooooo cold! Yesterday, I finally gave in, bundled her all up and let her play. She was only outside for 8 minutes or so, but she loved it. Here are some pics.







Tonight we are going to go ice skating at a rink in Memorial Park. Well, The miss and I will ice skate. The boys will just watch. This will be her first time on skates. So we'll see how she does.

"Look, I made snowflakes!"

So, it's been snowing all day today and the miss has been begging to play in it. It is waaay too cold however. It is supposed to feel like it is 9 degrees or so.

Anyway, I put the miss down for her nap this afternoon. Because her mommy and daddy have been lazy, the box that her train table came in is still in her room. In that box, a giant piece of styrofoam. She had been up in her room for about an hour and was quiet, but I started to hear her talking to herself. I decided to let her get up and play with the four-year old day care kiddo who was awake. When I went into her room, I couldn't believe the mess.

That large piece of styrofoam had been turned into a million little pieces and it was everywhere. The bulk of it was in her bed and all over her. She let me know that she made snowflakes. I don't know if you have tried to clean up styrofoam before or not, but it sticks to everything. Getting it all off of her was a nightmare.

Here she is....


The picture is a thumbnail. Click it to see it in full size.

In Other Words

"God has delivered us, He has parted waters for us, He has made water gush forth from rocks and sent us our own manna from heaven. He has brought us into our own Promised Land. Will I miss the opportunity to tell the story to our children?
~ Ann Voskamp ~

I must admit, I have been a chicken lately when it comes to doing these...In Other Words. I read the quote each week, become puzzled as to what on Earth I could possibly write and then decide to participate next week instead. Anyway, I think it has been over a month since I last took part in a Tuesday's In Other Words. I decided that I just need to do it. Read the quote and write. If I end up having nothing but rambling nonsense to share, then so be it.

I want to be sure to always share God with my children. I also want to be sure that they know the many ways in which He worked in my life.

Awhile back, I was introduced to faithbooking. It is using scrapbooking to commemorate God moments in your life. I want to make an incredible faithbook to pass on to my children someday. I have been toying with the idea of making it digital so that I will be able to order one for each child. In it, I will share my testimony, stories of times God worked in my life and in the lives of those around me. I will share favorite Bible verses. I will share about my relationship with my hubby. I will share some about special moments the family has shared.

The entire book though will be centered around God and how my life was shaped by Him.

Some resources on faithbooking for you to check out.

Bella Online
This page has various faithbook challenges, different themes. Also lots of great tips and ideas.


Faithbook Starters


Oh, and check out Digital Scrapbook Place
You have to register. But it's free and you get free papers and things to use in your digital scrapbook. I am saving up to buy the $40 digital scrapbook software that allows me to make awesome layouts using papers, embellishments and my own digital pictures. It will be fun. I will use it for my faithbook!

Exer Fun

The Weekend is flying by

Well, tommorrow is the last day of our wonderful four day weekend. It actually went faster than I thought it would. Sadly, I was sick for half of it. On Thanksgiving morning, I woke up feeling miserable. My head was pounding, I had a fever and I was throwing up. Faeryland mom and I were splitting Thanksgiving dinner preparations. We were hosting dinner at her house and had invitied some single guys at the Air Force Base who didn't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving. I was in charge of 2 pies, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, ham, veggie tray, and beverages. I called poor Faeryland Mom who was busy cooking the turkey and MANY other items to tell her that I just couldn't cook a thing. Her hubby drove by and picked up all of my ingredients. However, around 1:00, I was feeling better and my family headed to Tiff's. I was able to help her with a few things. But it was mainly Faeryland Mom who prepared Thanksgiving dinner. I only ate a tiny bit of it because I was still feeling a bit yucky. All of the food was YUMMY! Here are some pictures.


Faeryland Mom and her turkey. Her first turkey ever. A 16 pounder. She did an AMAZING job. It was delicious!



DH carving the turkey


Halo time while food digested


The Miss and her friend thought they were playing.



The mister



Me and Tired Faeryland Mom




Last night, I was feeling MUCH better, so DH and I had a date night. We went and saw the movie, Stranger Than Fiction, and we really liked it. We also saw a preview for a movie, We Are Marshall, that I want us to see for my birthday. It comes out the day after my b-day. It looks REALLY good.

Today, DH ran the fort at home with the kiddos while I went with some church members to the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center. I spent four hours in an assembly line of sorts. It was our job to look through the boxes to make sure there weren't any unallowable items. We were also able to add to the boxes if we desired to. They had many clothing items, toys and stuffed animals to add to each box. We then taped them up and handed them off to another group who packaged them up to be shipped out. It was an incredible experience. The warehouse had thousands upon thousands of boxes from all over the mid-west. The boxes in Aurora are going to be shipped out to children in South America. A child receiving one of the boxes will get items such as toys, clothes, toiletry items, books, puzzles, crayons, Bibles and a story book in their language sharing the Gospel message. I am so glad that I was able to be such a part of it this year. It was so neat getting to see what was in each box and thinking about the children that would be receiving the boxes.

So, that's been our weekend. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Quick Pics

These are from Sunday evening.
The miss and her friend


And...

The mister with his friend.
When I first put him up to her, he put his arms around her and hugged her. But by the time a picture was snapped, they were like this.....


It's still cute though!

Little list of thankfulness

So, the day care kiddos are going to make a Thanksgiving garland tomorrow and on it will be the things that they are thankful for. So, yesterday afternoon I explained to them what Thanksgiving is and also what things we have in our lives we could be thankful for. After the miss listened to E (my 4 yr. old day care kiddo) list off what he was thankful for, I asked her what she was thankful for. She smiled and said, "Mommy."

Me: You are thankful for Mommy?

Little Miss: Uh-huh. Yes.

Me: What else are you thankful for?

Little Miss: (Screaming on the top of her lungs with a huge smile) DURIN!!!!(Durin is one of her closest friends).

Me: Anyone else you are thankful for?

Little Miss: Ummm...Daddy! (Poor daddy came in third). :o(

Me: What about your brother?

E: Yeah, are you thankful for the mister?

Little Miss: (VERY Matter-of-factly) NO!

Spiritual Gifts

So for this week's Shape Of My Faith, I am exploring my spiritual gifts.

I took a Spiritual Gifts Assessment. , and here are my top two spiritual gifts:

Mercy
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to feel exceptional empathy and compassion for those who are suffering so that they devote large amounts of time and energy to alleviate it.

Faith
It is the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christians with extraordinary confidence in God's promises, power, and presence so that they can take heroic stands for their future of God's work in the church.

I really do strongly agree with both of these, however, I was surprised that I got such high marks for faith. I have always been one to really be at peace during hard times because I had the faith that everything would always work out and that God was in control. But, I feel that a couple of years ago, I wavered quite a bit in my faith. In fact, I even remember a friend of mine asking me at that point in time if I had faith in God, because I wasn't acting like it. And that remark really made an impact on me. Maybe she recognized I was lacking in faith because of the fact that usually my faith is very strong.

A lot of my thoughts and many actions are definitely run by mercy. I feel exceptional mercy though toward children. More so than I do for adults. But I agree 100% that mercy is one of my spiritual gifts. It is mercy that has put desires in my heart for such things as Compassion International and Mission Trips.

That was fun. YOU should take the test. What are YOUR gifts????

God's Thumbprints

For this week's Shape of my faith, we are to talk about God's thumbprints in our lives. What are those you ask? Well, here's the assignment....

We all have them. Whether it's a lost and found again stuffed bear, miraculous provision in the midst of circumstances, a calling, or even a definite pulling of strings by Him on your behalf you have something if you look hard enough. Some of us love to watch for those sorts of things (I do, in fact I even have a website just for my collection ) others have to try hard to recognize that there are divine moments that aren't just coincidences. You may have tons or just a few. We don't need the whole story or even all of them. I m hoping that each of you will take a moment, whether you write it or not, and remember at least one time when He did something wonderful, just for you.

In our house we call them God's thumb-prints or everyday miracles, others call them jewels, God hugs, miracles, God things. Whatever you call them, please share at least one and recognize that God does not often call us to hide them (though occasionally He does–as He once told a healed man to go follow the rules and show the priests instead of shouting it from a mountain top.) Often He will use them to bless others, to remind other Christians of His blessing and that He still does miracles today.

So, here goes.....

I have many, many examples of God's touches in my life. But the one that stands out the most to me occurred about two years ago. During this time, things in my marriage weren't good. I was dealing with a lot and I was confused as to how to handle it. My hubby was also overseas in Korea for the Air Force and I was worn out working full time and caring for our then one year old daughter. There was a wonderful gal in my life, Jeanne. I looked up to this woman like crazy. She was such a woman of God and she did in home daycare and watched my precious daughter for me. I liked chit chatting with her some nights when I'd pick up the miss, but since she had a family of her own and dinner cooking, we didn't talk often.

There was one particular evening after work, when I was just very distraught. I tried to hide it from others as much as possible. But things were very very VERY hard. She saw it. She knew I was down and heavy-laden. She knew a little bit about the problems DH and I were having at that point in time and a little bit about some of the struggles I was dealing with. She asked to pray for me. She asked if I would sit with her, let her hold my hands and let her pray for me.

Now, I have never been great at prayer. I long to be that person that has God right there with them as their best friend. That person that is constantly talking to God. That person, who when they pray things happen. But, I don't make the time for Him like I should. That is something that has been a recurring theme in many of my blog posts lately. Anyway, I had never really had someone hold onto me and pray for me before. At first I was a little uncomfy. But then she began to speak.

I knew that the words coming out of her mouth were from God. She again, only knew bits and pieces of my situation, but when she spoke, it was as if she knew every thought of mine. It was as if she had been walking with me for my entire journey over the past year or so. The tears streamed down as she prayed. And Jeanne held onto me and prayed for I'd have to say about twenty minutes.

What stuck out the most to me was the fact that near the end of her prayer, this TREMENDOUS peace rushed over me. It overtook me. It was as if all the pain, hurt, confusion that I had been feeling just a half hour ago, all of it was gone. It was incredible. I was just at peace. I left her house with this feeling that I had nothing to anguish over. God was with me. God was holding me. And God would make it all okay.

And that, my friend, I'd have to say was more than a thumbprint. That was an embrace. And it was amazing.

Tag:Faith

Theatrical Thursday Thirteen

header image by goofy girl

Here are 13 roles that I have either had or would like to have someday.

1. The bunny who didn't want to hop..in...the bunny who wouldn't hop (my first play ever in first grade).

2. Rosie in Really Rosie

3. Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis. That was actually a fun role. Although upset to be cast as the little girl my senior year in the high school play, she was a fun character.

4. Amaryllis in The Music Man. Again given the role of a kid in my High School production. I think it had to do with the fact that I am tiny.

5. Sandy in Grease. The role I for some reason always wanted to have. I had a blast doing it and worked with a great cast. A few of them have gone on to do so much more. One is doing Mama Mia on Broadway. Another has been in a couple of movies. And one gal has a couple of hit dance singles.

6. Hodel in Fiddler On The Roof. I actually didn't audition for this show. The gal who had that part, had to leave a few weeks before production. So, I was called, asked to do it and told that I had three weeks to prepare. I LOOVED playing Hodel though. It was a fun show.

7. Harem Girl in Sideshow

8. One of the fifty bagillion children in The King And I

9. Okay, if they ever come out with a musical version of Moulin Rouge, I would love to play Satine.

10. I have always wanted to play the part of Beth in Little Women.

11. Belle in Beauty and The Beast..on Broadway of course, would be a fun role.

12. And I would love to be Emma in Jekyll and Hyde

13. Finally, I think the narrator role in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat would be super fun!

Homeschool??????

I am seriously, SERIOUSLY considering homeschooling my children through elementary school. And when I say I am interested in it, I mean I have already begun to pick out various curriculums that I would like to use when the time comes.

For instance, I think I really like this Kindergarten Curriculum.

And I think THIS looks GREAT! Of course, I wouldn't get to that with the miss for a few more years. Did you happen to check out the Luggage for each chapter?

Anyway, Do you homeschool? Were you homeschooled? I'd appreciate your feedback.

The Miss' Birthday Party

The miss's birthday party was so much fun. She was excited for it alllllll morning long and she had a blast. She was so cute when she opened her presents. Each present received a... "WOW!"


She loved every single gift!


To save space, I turned the images into thumbprints. All you have to do is click on the picture to view it in full size.