Update and Announcement

We have been very busy around here the last week. The kiddies and I took a trip to my parents about 3 hours away to visit them and the other family that came in for the holidays. We had a great time visiting. We were able to see many friends and family. It was a great time of catching up, but we are very glad to be back at home. Although we have lots of organizing to get done with all the new toys the kids recieved.

Now for announcement time:



We are EXPECTING !!!! We are very happy and excited about our new blessing. I am just over 7 weeks along, so still have a ways to go, and the symptoms are starting to kick in pretty good. Over all I am feeling very well, just ready to move out of the first trimester.

Gingerbread House

(Disclaimer: This is NOT our gingerbread house. I borrowed the picture off photobucket :)

Have you ever tried making one of these? I got one thinking it would be an easy project for me to do with the kids. Boy was I wrong. I will spare you any of the grotesque pictures of ours. We did not even finish it, we started eating the candy. I could not get the icing to work and the house was a bit lopsided. If there are any tips to making this easier to accomplish I may give it another try, but if not then I will be giving up any hope of building Gingerbread Houses in the future.

One Life to Love by 33 miles

God has really been dealing with me lately on what it means to pour my life into the lives of my kids and husband and others around me. This song just touches me so much, I cry just about every time I hear it. The chorus is so true, we only have one time around, one shot at making the most out of the life God has given us.

I think it has been hitting me harder lately since the pastor at my old church just passed away and I have read recently on a board about a family that is loosing their 6 year old daughter to brain cancer.

I want my life to make an eternal difference and only the Lord can help me do it.

Santa and Christmas thoughts....

I have to vent just a little here. We do not and will not tell our children that Santa is real. We decided this long before we got married. Our kids will know that he is a part of the Christmas traditions, but is not real. They will know the gifts they receive are from us. Here comes the venting. Why does this matter to people. On a forum I post on, we were talking about Santa and I told them this. You would think that we were abusing our children. They went on and on about how they felt so bad for my children and sad for them and it was crazy not to let them believe in Santa. Thank God we do not base our parenting choices on peoples opinions.

One thing that irks me the most about Santa is how parents use him and the story of him to try and make kids behave. I hate hearing this statement: "If you are not good, Santa will not bring you anything this year". One it is a total lie on the parents part, because you know they are going to give the gifts anyway. Two, kids should behave because they are being obedient and it is the right thing to do, not because they might miss out on some present. Ok, vent over with.

Next I want to pass along a link to the history channel for videos they are doing on the origin of Christmas. There are a few different ones you can click on and watch, they are pretty interesting.

The History Channel Christmas series.

Just for those who have no clue, Christmas started as a pagan holiday that the church adapted to gain favor from converts. The puritans who came to America way back when would not celebrate this holiday for that very reason. Christmas did not come back into mainstream American until the 1840's and it was a totally secular holiday until the church adapted it again to get members involved.

I don't have a problem with celebrating the holiday, but I think Christians should know how the holiday begin and has evolved over time. I think we see a lot of good happen at this time and I think people should continue to give (of course not only at this time of year but all year). You also see alot of bad qualities and selfishness arise in people this time of year. For our family this is a secular holiday that never had anything to do with the birth of Christ. We use this time to give to those less fortunate and to those in our family, and of course to enjoy cookies and good eating.

The way kids can make you laugh and cry...

Yesterday, Baby Girl got into my cabinets and was playing with pots and such. Well I walked into the kitchen and this is what I see:



She made me giggle.


Then last night we went to a local light village that had Christmas lights up and small rides for the kids. Here is a moment that made me very teary:



It was a moment that I realized that my Boog is growing up. He was riding all alone and so very proud. It was also a moment that I realized that they grow up fast. I pray that God gives us the grace and mercy to raise them unto Him.

Through these moments, I know I am very blessed even when they make me cry.

"Honey, how do you get snow off the car?"

This is the comment that woke me up this morning. I replied "Snow?", Gus said "yes, snow". Snow is s huge thing when it happens way down here in the south. I got the kids up a little bit later and let them play. Baby girl was just cold and Boog played and played until his fingers were hurting from the cold. Here are a few pics.

Finally a new post.:)

I just realized it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Everything is going well. We had a very nice Thanksgiving with family and friends. (It is my favorite holiday). We are getting ready for Christmas and Baby Girl's 2nd birthday and my mothers graduation from college. We will be busy the next few weeks.

I have had many thoughts running through my head lately, but nothing is being cohesive enough to write out. I hope to get more posts going before to long.

I wanted to pass along a great series I have been listening to online. It is by Alistair Begg on of my favs to listen to. He has recently been preaching on the 10 commandments. If you want to listen you will have to click on the link that says "show past 30 broadcasts". The first one is from November 17 called "who takes first place?" then just click Nov 18th to hear the rest of that sermon and so on until you get to today. Each commandment is broken into 2 sessions so if you listen to all of them it will be a total of 20 sessions I believe. Each session is only about 20 minutes long.

Here is the link: Truth for Life

Hope you enjoy! :)

Why we have chosen Home Education

I have been thinking about the reasons more and more, since people are asking where Boog is going to school. He turned 4 in the summer, so with many friends and family and co-workers we have had to “come out of the closet”. :)

Gus and I discussed prior to marriage and in early marriage what sort of education we wanted for our kids and had settled on public school. We both made it through pretty much unscathed and Gus even had a really good time at school. I did not really care for school while there and have none of those dreams, some have, of going back and doing it again. I did not have a hard time, but I think I was bored. In the end neither of us really learned much, education wise.

One day when Boog was about 2years old (and I was pregnant with Baby Girl) I saw a 20/20 episode done by John Stossel about public education. In the end they talked a bit about home education and my interest was piqued. I had never thought or really knew about this form of education, but was really enjoying having Boog at home with us. They gave the title of the book “So Your Thinking About Homeschooling” by Lisa Whelchel (the lady who played Blair on the Facts of Life). I went to the library soon after and found it there. It is a simple book that tells about her family and 14 other families venture with home education. It was really good and gave a book list in the back to read if you wanted to know even more about homeschooling. I started reading all I could on the subject.

As my research went on I started dropping information I was learning to Gus. He was not totally sold on the idea. I started praying about it and told God if this was the path he wanted us to take in education for our kids to give Gus the answer. Over time he just started telling people who asked that we were going to educate our children this way. We knew we had our answer.

Now onto the reasons.

First, we feel that God has lead us in this educational choice.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7-- 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Proverbs 22:6--Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I do not believe that sending your kids to public school or Christian school is wrong, but I think educating them at home makes these commands above easier to accomplish. It just allows you more time with them.


Luke 6:40--A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

We want to be the biggest influence and guidance in our children’s lives, we feel this can be done with home education. We remember school being a time of friends being the biggest influence. Their opinions mattered more than those of my parents and sometimes did things to make sure I kept their friendship, that I knew was wrong.

Second reason is the freedom it allows. We will be able to get done with all schooling in a short amount of time, compared to regular school. We get to make our own hours and there will not be hours of homework in the afternoons. We can travel in down times or anytime we want for that matter and not be constrained by school hours.

This freedom also includes that we can learn what we want, when we want. If the kids are interested in a certain subject we can learn about it until they move on to something else. If there are things we don’t find necessary we can cut those things out.

Third reason is the changes it is going to make in ourselves. There is no where to hide our bad days or bad and wrong behavior from the children. I feel through this journey God is going to have to change me in many ways. I am not built for this in and of myself. I am not a patient person, I am not organized and lack in many ways. I know that through this God has already started changing me and in the end cannot wait to see how it all turns out.

Changes...

I just wanted to say that I did not get rid of my followers or links on purpose.  When I changed my layout they disappeared on me.  After I finalize everything I will add those back on.  :)

Fear of the Lord...

Since learning the way to find true contentment is to fear the Lord, I have been trying to learn all I can about having reverence for the Lord. So far I have learned that having fear of the Lord, only brings good and great things into your life. Here are a few scriptures about the subject.

Psalm 111:10--The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Proverbs 14:26-- He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Isaiah 33:6-- He will be the sure foundation for your times, rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Psalm 112:1-2-- Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Of course there are many more scriptures that speak of having the fear of the Lord. These above speak of gaining wisdom, security, foundation, salvation, knowledge, blessing, and multigenerational faithfulness when we truly learn how to FEAR the LORD.

I also looked up what fear of the Lord meant from Easton's Bible Dictonary:

is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety(reverence for God). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial(befitting a son or daughter, having a relation of a child to a parent) reverence.

Lord, as your daughter I pray that you would show me how to fear and reverence you with all I am and in all I do.

Contentment.....

This is something I have such trouble finding.  Not so much in monetary or financial means, but in the what ifs?  I always wonder what would be if we had done this or done that.  I am always wondering what it would be like to live elsewhere or knowing different people.  I don't think that overall that this is a bad thing, but I do think it can cause discontentment in my heart.  

Today I was studing this verse.  

Proverbs 19:23(NIV)--  The fear of the Lord leads to life:  Then one rests content, untouched by trouble  

(JKV)--The fear of the Lord tendeth to life:  and he that hath it shall abide satisfied, he shall not be visited by evil.

From Strongs Concordance:

Fear--respect, reverence

Lord--Jehovah

Abide- to lodge, dwell

Satisfied-- Sated

Evil--unhappiness, misery

"The reverence of Jehovah tendeth to life:  and he that hath it shall dwell sated, he shall not be visited by unhappiness or misery" 

Here are some words taken from Matthew Henry's Comentary:

See what those that get by it that live in the fear of God, and always make conscience of their duty to him. 1. Safety: They shall not be visited with evil; they may be visited with sickness or other afflictions, but there shall be no evil in them, nothing to hurt them, because nothing to separate them from the love of God, or hurt to the soul. 2. Satisfaction: They shall abide satisfied; they shall have those comforts which are satisfying, and shall have a constant contentment and complacency in them. It is a satisfaction which will abide, whereas all the satisfactions of sense are transient and soon gone.

Serious godliness has a direct tendency to life; to all good, to eternal life; it is the sure and ready way to it; there is something in the nature of it fitting men for heaven and so leading them to it.

It seems that the fear and reverence of my Jehovah God is what leads us to contentment.  Is that knowing that our lives are His and just allowing ourselves to rest under His yoke of the hear and now?  To know that this is the time and place He has called me to and with that understanding do everything I do unto the Lord?  

I pray that Jehovah will lead me into a greater fear and reverence, so that according to this Word, I will abide satisfied and not visited by unhappiness.  

Newsboys songs

I am Free

I just love this song. Everytime I hear it, I just cry.

I think in part, because I take my freedom in 

Christ for granted. Secondly, becuase of the joy

that wells up in my heart to know the freedom that 

Christ has given me. When this song comes on the 

kids and I just dance and jump and sing it as loud as

we can. I love being able to do that with them. I am

very blessed that we have the choice to teach and show

our children the freedom that comes with accepting and serving God.

He Reigns

This is another one of their songs I just really like. This is my favorite verse:

"And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word"

Nothing can drown out our praises to God, he hears them all. 

We should be praising God in all we do, everyday and in everyway.

Psalm 146: 1-2

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord

all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

The No Eating out Challenge...

Well we are at day 30 and it has been really nice overall, not leaning towards eating out so much. We did not make it the whole 30 days not eating out, but did tons better than the months before. There was the one date night with Gus and I, then we had fast food about 3 times. I really think our goal of eating out once a week or less is attainable. We totally want to keep the positive we have seen in the pocket book and we also want our kids to see eating out as a treat not a way of life.

Expelled

This was a great documentary.  Very eye opening into some of the reasons why Intelligent Design is not allowed to be discussed or researched, especially in the scientific comunity.  It interviews people who have lost jobs, because of just mentioning Intelligent Design.   It also goes into how the fight between evolution and Intelligent Design could very well be a war of relgion, between those who believe in a higher power and athiests.  It also looks a little into Hiltler, who took Darwins ideals and theories and put them into action through the holocaust.  

We just rented this, it was at our local blockbuster.  I totally recommend watching it.  If you have any great documentaries that you think I would like, let me know about them.  Gus and I love, love, love documentaries. 

Prudence

I have recently learned the real meaning of this word.  Let me tell you, I really do want to become a PRUDE.  I never thought I would say that or want to relate myself to that term.  In my old understanding that is a "bad" word, someone who is a "stick in the mud" or no fun.  Well let me tell you what it means if you don't already know.

These are from Websters dictonary.

Prudence:  the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason, sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs, skill and good judgment in the use of resources, caution or circumspection as to danger or risk.

Prude:  a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty

This one came from Eastons Bible dictonary.

Prudence:  Wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality.

So being a Prude is a great thing.  

Proverbs 1:1-3--- The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:  for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.

Provers 13:16-- Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.

Proverbs 14:15-- A simple man believes anything,but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

Proverbs 15:5--A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Proverbs 19:14-- Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

To sum it up to be prudent is to be wise.  That is something we all should want for ourselves. 

 

What we learned this week...

I found this such a big deal. My boog learned how to spell his name. I wondered about putting this up here, since it will reveal his real name, but I figured it will be alright.

Being a Keeper of your Heart

Last night I went to a ladies meeting at my pastors house. My pastors wife had a little study prepared for us. It was really good, I just wanted to share. She had recently been studying Proverbs 4:23--
"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

She then told us the meanings she looked up for the key words in the concordance.

Keep--to guard, protect, maintain, obey
Heart--feelings, will, intellect(which is our soul)
Diligence--to guard, watch, to attend to, to save from those who lie in wait
Issues-- boundaries and borders, deliverance

We also went to Jeremiah 17:9-10--"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. "

Our soul is self centered and can bend towards our redeemed spirit or the worldly flesh. I think this is why the above verse is so important. We must "guard, protect and maintain our soul with persevering painstaking effort because out of it our boundaries and borders are set and deliverance is made."

I think that the verse from Jeremiah ties into this, because we must maintain those boundaries around our heart to not only keep things out, but also to keep self centered ugliness reined in.

We went into deeper discussion about these verses and it was a good time of sharpening each other. I always find God's word so amazing when you really get in there and start digging. He is so full of mercy, grace and justice.

How can I be a helpful wife.....

with out being a pushy wife. One of the things I tend to do it over analyze and over organize the way things could be in my mind. (This would be good if I would put that organizing to practical use) This gets me into trouble, because it can leave me feeling discontent with our life.
Gus has many things he talks about doing or would like to do in the future. Sometimes I take those ideas and try to put them into action. Like when he is talking about getting another job, I will start looking for him. I am not sure if this is being helpful or being pushy since he does not directly ask me to look for him?? Or, there are things I would like for us to do together as a family and Gus does not see the need for it. I have to fight down the urge to think that I am more spiritual than my husband. I don't nag, I have seen far more results with submission and prayer for God to lead Gus. These are two of the things I struggle with most as a wife right now. Trying to get Gus's dreams or ideas going for him and keeping my pride in check by making sure I am not sticking my big ole' head out from under my leader and covering.
So back to the original thought, how do I become this wife?

Proverbs 31:10-12-- A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies: Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life.

Some days I feel like I am headed full force in that direction and other days like I have no idea what I am doing.

Just a funny story...

Today Boog was leaning over my legs, we are still in pajamas this morning. He proceeds to tell me "mama move, your legs have spikes". I laughed so hard. I guess that means I need to go pull out the razor and get rid of the "spikes" that are poking my children.

Book Review

Since Boog turned 4 this summer I have been thinking I needed to learn more about vaccinations. It is time for his boosters. Boog was fully vaxed except for flu up until now. Baby girl got everything that they recommend except: Hep A, Rotovirus, Flu and Chicken Pox. I found this book very informative and not from either extreme. She is a doctor that has a Family practice for over 20 years, in Baton Rouge. She is not anti vax, but has concerns over the way they are made and how so many are given at once. She also shows concern for how they become government mandated after not having lots of research, the companies not having to continue research on safety and the government instituting laws that help protect the manufactures from lawsuits. She also goes into those who are "approving" the vaccines for use having a conflict of interest, because many times the people who are approving them have money to be made off of them.

Anyway, I am not extreme either way. Gus and I have decided to selectively vax, Boog and Baby Girl will not be getting any more any time soon. When we are blessed with more children we are going to be very selective in which vaccinations we choose and probably follow a differet time table than the one mandated by the government.

I have a few other vaccination books I am going to be reading. I want to gather as much information as I can on the subject.

We are now 2 weeks into...

our no eating out challenge.  We accomplished another week, with the exception of last night.  Gus wanted to take me on a date, so we did go eat at a resturant.  My mom offered to watch the kids, so we took the chance to get out alone.  That does not happen often, so we decided it would be worth it to break our challenge for that purpose.

I have to say however, that it was harder this week than last to withstand the temptation of eating out.  I swear you must have to detox from the stuff.  It is pretty neat though, because I have been making the things we would usually pick up at home.  Hamburgers last week and pizza is on the menu today.  The only thing I don't really know how to make that we would usually eat is Chianese food.  I guess I need to do a google search for some recipes.  

Making meals stretch

I am always trying to find ways to stretch the meat I buy for our meals.  Meat can be the more expensive part of the meal and if I can find ways to make it into two meals, I am very pleased.  So far I have found left over chicken the easiest to reuse.  One of the things I do is buy a whole cut up chicken and bake it in the oven or in my crock pot.  We usually have a good bit left over, so I will take that out the next night and either cook rice, scrambled eggs, and broccoli then add the left over deboned chicken to it and sort of stir fry it into fried rice.  Or I cook spiral multi-colored noodles, broccoli and add a sundried tomato with pesto sauce to it with the left over chicken and you have pasta.  Both of these are very easy to do and pretty inexpensive.

Recently I tried a new meal.  I bought a whole roasting chicken, cut off all the skin I could, took out all the insides and got it ready to cook in the crockpot.  I made a concoction of one can of cream of mushroom soup and one bag of onion soup mix.  I mixed those two together with around one cup of water.  I just poured over the chicken and cooked it on high for 6 hours.  Well the wings and legs cooked so tender the meat was totally off the bone.  I did not want to waste all that meat in the soupy broth, so I came up with an idea.  After it had cooled completely, I went througth the mixture and took out all the bones and gristle and fat and added any left over meat we had from that night.  The next night all I had to do was make a veggie and some rice and we ate the mixture over rice and it was really good.  So now I have a new way to use my left over chicken.  

If you have any ways you have learned to stretch a meal, please share! :)

The True Blessings from our Children...

Children are a blessing from God, there is no doubt in my mind about that.  Recently I read somewhere that through raising and training them up, they help to sancify us.  That they truely help us work out our salvation daily.  Later I was talking with Gus about this and wondered if I could take that thought a bit farther.  I know that the things that I see in my children that bother or concern me the most are the exact same things I know I need to work out in my own life.  I also know that the best way to teach these things to my children is to be a living example.  So I was thinking that God must have really hand picked my children for me, with certain personalities and charater traits.  He knew before hand who and what I would need to deal with to help get certain dross out of my life.  

I have no scriptural backing for this, they are purely thoughts accumulated in my head.  If they are true, children are the biggest blessings that the Lord could ever give to me.  What an amazing thought to know that these wonderful children have been put here specifically with me and Gus to help us continuly grow in God's grace, mercy and salvation.  

Baby Girl is keeping me on my toes...

This was about 2 weeks ago.  I left her playing in the bedroom to quickly go potty, right next door.  She comes in, I swear, not a minute later and this is what her hair looked like.  She had put globs and globs of vaseline in her hair.  I said "what have you done?", she just raised her shoulders and said "don't know".  I just giggled at her.  Let me tell you that it is no easy feat to get that stuff out of hair.  Mulitple washings and cornstarch and 4 days later it was mostly out.  Of course she did this just days before we were to get pictutes made.  What could I do but laugh at her.  

Then there was today.  We were taking baths before going to a pumpkin patch get together with other homescoolers.  Well I let her out with just a towel while I was getting some clothes on. This is something I do all the time, but should know better since she is not potty trained at all.  I am there standing in my room and she comes and tells me "mama poo poo".  I am thinking no, please no, let this not be true.  There in the middle of the the kids bedroom floor was a big ol' poop. All I have to say is that I am so very thinkful it was not runny.  So in another note to self, no more letting Baby Girl run around naked after bath time.

Psalms 37

I was reading a post over on Generation Cedar that said to go and read Psalms 37.  Well I finally got around to it today.  It is such great scripture to read when you may be wondering about things or things to come.  I tend to worry about a lot of things, it is my nature, a part of me that God deals with on a daily basis.  With all the economic talk and wonder if we may really go into a depression, it is hard not to think of what may happen.  This is a word that we can go and trust in when we are having those worried thoughts.  Here are a few of the ones that stuck out to me.  

37:3-- Trust in the Lord and do good: dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

37:7-- Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their evil schemes.

37:11-13-- But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.  The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

37:18-19 -- The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever.  In times of disaster they will not wither; in the days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

37: 23-26--  If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.  I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.  They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

37: 39-40--  The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.  The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

The whole passage is really good.  If you are having trouble with worry over what the future may hold, read this and meditate on it.  

Burnt Beans and a ruined pot...

Here is what happens when you forget you are cooking supper, while eating a snack with your kids.  The kids and I were enjoying a snack and Gus gets in from work.  I say "you sure do smell like coffee", he says "how did you know I drank coffee at work?".  I said "I could smell you as soon as you came in".  This should have been the first sign that I had forgotten supper, but no still no clue.  Gus and I had a short converstation and he heads up stairs to change.  The burnt coffee smell is just getting stronger and stronger.  That is when it hits me, I jump up and run into kitchen to see my beans burnt and stuck to the pot.  The pot had no hope, I soaked and soaked it but to no avail.  I had to trash it, good thing it was one of my old ones.

Gus was such a sweetheart and made me feel a little better by saying "it is not like you do this all the time". Which is true this is my very first burnt meal and we have been married for 6 years now.  Lesson learned, don't forget cooking beans on the stove while enjoying a snack with your kids.  

The no eating out challenge

Well we have gotten through the first week.  Today starts week two.  I am excited about this.  All I have to say is boy do those advertisments work, everytime I see one I think I want something from that resturant.  So here's to week two and getting through the next 7 days.

Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God

That is the title of the book I finished up last night. It is by Dr. Voodie Baucham. My rating would be 5 out of 5 stars. He nails it right on with scriptural backing on how a Christian family should look and raise (disciple) their children. It stepped all over my feet at times, but I am very glad to have read this truth while our children are still young. I wish I could get Gus to read it, but I got the next best thing. There is a 2 disc dvd set out there that has two of Dr. Baucham's teaching on it, called Children of Caesar. The first has a teaching on educating your children and the other on how a Christian family should run the home. We sat down with a friend this past Friday night and watched those. They go over the main points that are in the book, the book just has more details. I love that he gives it to you straight with out any apologies.
If you are interested in hearing what he has to say you can Google him there are a few places that have his teaching available to listen online. If any of my local friends would like to borrow this or any other books I review, please let me know.

The no eating out challenge....

Gus and I were talking about cutting the amount we eat out for some time. I have come up with the idea to do a 30 day challenge. I want to see if we can go 30 days with out spending to eat out. I know to change bad habits you have to form new ones. I added up this past months eating out when our bank statement came in and I was shocked. It was way more than I would have thought and that did not include the 9 days the kids and I were on vacation with my aunt. We are going to do this week by week. We think it will be more feasible with short term goals to get to the big one.
The biggest challenge will be when the kids and I are out doing errands around lunch time. We usually just swing by a fast food place and pick something up, so I will have to make sure we get to swing by the house or get everything done before lunch. We started on Saturday, so we can mark off the first 3 days.

By doing this, I hope it can be another way for me to show Gus that I can be responsible with our income and his hard work.

CVS and Walgreens..

I have not done a CVS and Walgreens run in about a month.  I spent a bit more than I would have liked, out of pocket today, but I got back just about all of it.  I spent around $46 oop, got back $20 in CVS bucks to spend sometime this month and will be getting a Walgreen's rebate card with around $24 on it.  In the end only $2 for all the above.  If I would not have used up all my CVS bucks last month, my oop total would have been lower.  I used this week to start my CVS love back up and running.  Now I have $20 to play around with.  

The best deal of the day was the Crest toothpaste and Oral B toothbrush.  If you have the P&G coupons for this month go do this deal now.  They are both on sale for $1.99 this week, then there is a $1 off coupon for each of them in the montly Walgreens coupon booklet.  That brings them both down to $.99 each.  Well the P&G has a $1.00 off Crest toothpaste bringing that to $-.01 total and it also has an Oral B one for $.75 bringing that total to $.24.  So you can get a big tube of toothpaste and toothbrush for around 25 cents.   Just make sure you pick up the correct ones that are on sale.  My Walgreens had them marked.  The toliet paper I picked up was a good price as well.  It is on sale this week at Walgreens for $4.00 then in the monthly Walgreens booklete there is a $1.00 off, making that double 6 pack $3.00.  

Sorry I have been MIA.....

The kids and I went on vacation with an aunt of mine to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  We had a great time, staying in a great little cabin and spend most of our time in the Smokey Mounatian National Forest.  There is not too much going on now.  Mainly trying to get back into the swing of preschool with Boog and going on lots of outings now that the weather is tolerable.  

The things you find in diapers....

Well this morning not long after rousing, Baby Girl had done her buisness as usual. Well I was pretty amazed to find sweet peas in there. Why might you ask, because we did not have sweet peas with dinner last night. However, I then remembered that I had thrown some out yesterday when cleaning out the fridge. So my precious Baby Girl apparently was sneaking sweet peas out of the trash yesterday. It is all very funny and a bit sickening to me all at the same time. :)

Please share funny, weird things you have found in your little ones diaper. ;)

Walgreens and CVS deals!!

Great deals for the day! I spent a grand total of $3.48 for the items above. I am really loving the Walgreens rebate items. I got the Pantene, lip gloss, Chemistry hair product and water filter for nothing. I just rolled over my rebate from last months items. So here in a few weeks I will be getting money back for those items on my gift card. Thank you very much Jennifer for hooking me up with that strategy.

The wipe refills I got at CVS using coupons on top of coupons. Made me feel good to get such great deals today.

There is nothing like running with kids in the rain...

It is such simple things that bring joy to my heart. Today when I needed to go and check the mail it was raining and Boog asked to go with me. I started to say "no" but then thought "what will it hurt?". We held hands and ran across the drive to the mail box. Our feet got wet and the rest got some sprinkles. We jumped across a few puddles all the while laughing and giggling. Joy filled my heart to share such a simple experience with my son. I wonder if he will remember it one day? I hope that when he looks back these same simple things will bring a smile to his heart.

Book Review

I just finished up this book last night:




















I have to say it was excellent. These ladies presented the true meaning of being a homekeeper, using scriptural backing. I think they did it in a awesomely gentle way. I am pretty sure that this would step on some toes, even some Christian ladies toes. This book gave me a lot of insight, a lot to think about and tons of encouragement. I know that my number one calling is to be a homekeeper, I pray every day that God builds me up and gives the the grace to get it done in a Christ like manner.

I also wanted to share a bit of what I am struggling with. When Gus does not comment or validate the "things" I have done around the house, I get hard feelings toward him at times. I want my work to be validated. God has been pointing these feelings out to me when they happen and I praise Him for that. I know that all I do, I should do unto the Lord and not expect praise. I guess I just wonder if there are any practical ways to overcome this feeling. Or will it continue to resolve as I let God correct me and then redirect my thinking?

Good deal this week...

Everything you see above I got for a totoal of $5.27. I love, love it when I work a deal out correctly. This was from CVS and Walgreens, using coupons and I will be getting a refund on the pert plus shampoo.


Not much else has been going on this way. I had a great morning visiting with a friend and her 3 children. We chatted about homemaking and figuring out how to get the best deals, we also discussed getting started with our homeschooling. She has gotten started with her oldest, who is the same age as Boog. She gave me some great ideas that I need to put to use and start planning.

Gus is picking up an application for another job today. It will still be with the city, but a different department. Please pray that if it is the direction God wants him to take that he will open the door for that job.

Other than that not to much is going on. I need to get to reading on 1 of the 4 books I am working on right now. I will give reviews once I get done.

There is hope, did you know?

I was listening to a sermon yesterday and really don't remember what the whole thing was about. The statement I do remember is: "There is HOPE". It really just clicked with me. I tend to worry and think only about the things that may go wrong. I think about my children's future and wonder what the world will be like for them to grow up in. I even think about my grandchildren and wonder the same. God was giving me a little wake up call. He is my hope, the hope of my future gengerations and even the world's hope. He is here dwelling with us, which means hope is all around. I thank God he opened my eyes and I pray that I am able to keep the HOPE alive in my heart and mind.

Psalm 31:24---Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Psalm 71:14---But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

Jeremiah 17:7---Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.


2 Thessalonians 2:16-17----16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Sick kids...Peace, Contentment and Patience--Oh My!

Well my weekend off was unexpectedly hindered by a sick baby. Baby Girl woke up with fever, Saturday morning. I treated it, then Boog and I took off to his friends birthday party. He had a blast with his friends, we spent a few hours there playing and visiting. Baby girl stayed sick and the next day I took her to a clinic where they said she had a infected throat. All was fine as long as she kept drinking. That night she started with a ulcer like sore on her tongue. When we woke up the next morning she had a few more on her lips, so off to the doctor again. Well another doctor bill later, we are told it will run its course. AAAHHH!!! I hate spending money to be told something I already knew. When will I learn to just wait it out a little longer?? Anyhoo, Baby Girl started feeling better by Tuesday then guess who gets sick, yep, you guessed it Boog. He ran high fever for about 24 hours, then was totally fine. Not really sure if they had the same thing, or if Boog's was just milder. It really sucks that a good friend of mine is in this week with her kids from Utah visiting and we cannot get together. We hope to get some time in tomorrow, before they leave on Saturday morning.

As for the rest of my post, I am just really dealing with being content and learning to have patience. I am ready to move on in a certain area of our lives and Gus is waiting. I am submiting to him, but it is really hard. I desire to follow God's authority and headship in this and all areas of my life, but being patient sure is hard. I know the desires God has set in my heart and that He will fullfill them in His good timing. I also know that God has placed Gus as my head and that I trust his decsions. So, I am praying for patience and peace during this time, that I may become a nobel wife who loves and fears the Lord.

Proverbs 31: 10-12, 26-30

10 ^[c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Staying friends with non-belivers... thoughts and a little vent.

I have been having such internal conflicts with this recently. I am part of an online board that is a break off from a miscarriage support forum. There are about 40 of us that post very regularly. We are very diverse, Christian, Athiests, Agnositic, Catholic, Wiccan and so on. We are very close and have learned a lot about and from each other of the last few years we have been together. I am very close to many of these ladies, but some times posts get going that bash my personal beliefs. I usually just stay away from them and just discuss other things with these ladies. I really do not expect anything different from non-believers. However, at times there are a few of them that like to try and entice us(Christians) into a debate when there is no reason to enter. The sole reason is to try and show how our christian beliefs are wrong or twisted.

I really like to know how these friends are doing, but sometimes I feel the need to walk away. So I don't know if I need to just take a break, keep on going and try to show the love of Christ to these ladies when opportunity presents itself or just break away completely??

I always go back to the argument that Jesus spent time among the sinners, to show himself to them. I do not want to be the type of Christian who hides among those who only believe the same way I do. I just really don't know what to do.

My baby boy Boog is 4 today

I cannot believe that 4 years have passed since giving birth to my first baby. He is turning into such a little boy. He makes me smile and laugh everyday and keeps me on my toes just about every waking moment. I love him so much and know that God has given us a wonderful person to raise. God gave Boog to us on a very important day. Exactly one year before on July 13, 2003 we lost our first baby at 13 weeks. When I found out I was pregnant again and that my due date was July 20th, God told me that my baby would be born on July 13th. God is so very good, in that on the very same day I had to experience a terrible loss, he blessed me with life one year later. I love Boog and cannot wait to see how he grows and matures into a young man.

Boog and Baby Girl today














Boog and me today.

Some of my favorite songs

Divine Romance by Phil Wickham





Hold Me Now by Jennifer Knapp--- I could put up many of her songs, this one is older, but I love it:





There are others that I like, but these two were on my heart today. There are times that I have a hard time accepting God's grace and love. I feel totally undeserving. It is at those moments that He reminds me that I am his daughter and he loves me no matter what. Just as I love my children unconditionally. They may not always do the right thing, but I help them and love them just the same. God has an even greater love for us. Praise be to you my Father God!

The weeks have just flown by...

Sorry, I have not blogged in such a long time. We have finally moved from our apartment. We had lived in that apartment since getting married 6 years ago. Gus had lived there even longer, 7 1/2 years this month. We moved just across town into a townhouse. We have been here 2 weeks now and have been busy getting everything organized. We are hoping that this is a one year temporary stop between our apartment and buying a home. This was a good move, we have nice landlords and we have been able to purchase our very first washer and dryer. We also have a nice private patio out the back door. We are very happy with this move.

I have had some bittersweet moments since moving. Although I was ready to move out of the apartment, it was the place I moved into with Gus and the place where we brought our children home. I will miss it just a little for the memories that our family made there. Moving has also given us the opportunity to move the children into their own room. For those who do not know we have slept with the children in our room and the plan was to move them out once Baby Girl was old enough to go into a room with Boog. Well that time has come and I was so nervous. I am happy to have them sleeping in a room of their own, but I really miss their presence in our room. They have transitioned wonderfully and have been sleeping great with out skipping a beat. It was a much harder transition for mama than my babies.

I am hoping to be posting more often soon and to get some photos of the new place up as well.

Exciting Morning

I got a jump start on excitement this morning. After the kids and I roused from the bed, we were doing the regular stuff. I changed Baby Girls diaper and sent Boog to change his pull up and put on some undies. As Baby Girl and I were walking to the living room, Boog comes running and screaming down the hall "A BUG, A BUG, A BUG, mama!!!!". He is crying, so I am like WHAT kind of bug did he see? He usually likes bugs and likes to sit and watch what they do. So I am a bit afraid to go and see what bug he had seen. Anyway I build up my confidence and head to the bathroom. I did not see it at first, then Boog starts screaming again, "There it is mama, the BUG!!" I jump back to make sure that it does not have a chance to touch me, then I see it. A huge, gross cockroach!!!!! It is on the bathroom door and decides to fly to the ground (note: the flying thing is one of the reasons I am afraid of this creature). I tell Boog to get back, then Baby Girl dashes in and is trying to catch it. "NO, don't touch it!" I yell, then scoop her up and put her back in the crib. I go and grab the weapon of choice, a shoe, then head back to exterminate. Of course, the thing has moved and now I have to find it again. All I can keep thinking is that it was going to fly on me, but I kept pressing on. Just seconds later it is all over with, the bug is dead and flushed down the toilet.

Now, I want to know where in the mothering hand book, it warns of you having to be an exterminator before having your morning coffee?

CVS deals of the week

I have learned through some friends of mine, how to CVS. It is a wonderful thing, that helps me get household things cheap with money gained back. Here is my deals from today. I usually do about 2 deals a week, today I did 3 different transactions to get what you see in my picture.















So I got:

7 boxes of cereal (it was suppose to be only 6, but I messed up my first deal)
1 Huggies 232 count wipes refill
1 Huggies Jumbo size 4 diapers
1 Gas-x
3 boxes of band aids


I spent right at $15 out of pocket
Used $19.98 in ECB's
Use Q's on the cereal, wipes, diapers, and gas-x
Then got a gain of $21 in ECB's back to use next week.

I love CVS and how much it helps my grocery/household budget. I have to give a big Shout Out to Carlie over from Why Ask Why and Teresa at A Life at Home. With out them I would have never known that this kind of thing existed. Thank you ladies so much, for introducing me to coupons and CVS!!

Triming Down the Budget

I have been trying to think of ways to trim down our spending. I feel I have been doing pretty well with menu planning and doing CVS deals. One of the huge hurdles that we/I need to overcome is the eating out syndrome.

I have been planning the menu and making sure we have everything we need for meals, but on lazy days I will still run out and pick us up something to eat. This is not only extra money spent, but less healthy than home cooking.

So I wonder, is there any practical ways to get this done? Or is this going to just take plain ol' self control? I have asked Gus to tell me "no" when I ask to go pick up food, but he is just as bad as me and loves to have Micky D's or Cane's pretty often. So, we are really no help to each other. I think we are just going to have to buckle down and make eating out a special treat, instead of being a regular meal.

As you can see I need help, if you have had the eating out syndrome before and overcame it please let me know how you accomplished that! :)

Blueberry Picking

Last Thursday we went and picked blueberries. The kids love them and this is a easy and cheap way to stock up on them. Only costs us $1.50 a pound and a little sweat. The kids had a great time and I got to visit a little with some lady friends, which is always nice. We plan on going again before the season is out, to stock up a little more.

So what I do need is a few recipes to use my blueberries in. If you have any great ones that you would share, please let me know about it.

I've gotten my first tag: Getting to Know Me!

Carlie over at Why Ask Why has tagged me. This is my first tag, so here you go get to know me a bit more.

4 Things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Finishing up my first year of college
2. Getting back from my first mission trip to Mexico
3. Looking for a summer job while home between semesters
4. Not knowing that in about 4 months I would meet my future husband.


4 Things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Had just found out we were expecting our first baby (sadly we lost him)
2. Was just about to make my first anniversary of marriage
3. Working full time as a RN in the Emergency Room ( I still do this but only part time)
4. Was enjoying blissful ignorance of thinking every pregnancy ended with baby


4 Things I did yesterday:

1. Went blueberry picking
2. Visited with friends
3. Had my teeth cleaned
4. Found out that we officially were approved to move into the townhouse!


4 Shows I like to watch:

1. Naruto
2. Criminal Minds
3. LOST
4. Antiques Roadshow


4 Things I love to do:

1. Talk with hubby
2. Listen to my kids laugh
3. Visit with friends and family
4. Read

My adventure in making Bread

I have been wanting to give bread baking a try and finally got a recipe from my friend's blog A Life at Home. She got it from here Tammy's Recipes. So here is a little picture tour of my bread making. It was really easy and turned out better than I thought it would.
Here are all the ingredients I started with:













Here are all the ingredients once they were in the bread machine. I used the bread machine to do the kneading for me!













Here is what the dough looked liked once the kneading was done.













Here is the dough once I pressed it into my loaf pan, then I had to wait for it to rise.













Here is the dough once it had risen, about 30 or 40 minutes.













Here is the finished product! It was really easy and tasted great. Hubby did not like it that much, which disappointed me a little. However, the kids ate it up!

How to feel beautiful?

This is a emotion that I struggle with often. I do not feel beautiful many days and have often pondered on the why and the what. Why do I have this dreadful feeling and What can I do about it? I know that this has everything to do with how I see myself internally. I know that if things do not change on the inside, no matter what outside changes I make, I would still not see beauty. So these pondering have lead me to these verses.

Proverbs 31:30---Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

1 Peter 3: 1-6 ---1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

I need to remember that outward beauty is: fleeting, vain, not about clothing or jewerly.

But that real beauty is: FEAR of the LORD, chaste conduct, a gentle and quiet spirit, submitting to my husband, is hidden in the heart and being holy before God.

I pray that God will really help me have a full understanding of this and learn to know that my true beauty lies deep within and comes with being a daughter to the KING.

Evacuated from Home

This past Saturday we had to up and leave our home. A train had derailed and spilled some toxic chemicals and we were in the area that had to evacuate our home. It was not scary, but a bit inconvenient b/c I had to go to work that night and Sunday night. As I sit and thought on this, I had to chastise myself for being so angry about it. Thoughts of China and Burma kept popping into my head. Of all those people who have no home to go back to and who have lost loved ones. I am thankful for what I have and the blessings that have been given to me and my family. I hate that there is tragedy in the world. I am happy that God loves me enough to scruff me up a bit from time to time and see what is really important and to put things in perspective.

We are now back at home safe and sound. My heart and prayers are with all those people who have experienced real tragedy all across the globe.

I did not sign up for this!

While watching a news program today they were interviewing a lady who is trying out for the Olympics. Anyhoo, one of the topics they touched on was her 5 year old autistic son. She talked about how she would pray and pray to God for a cure. Finally she went to her Pastor and told him "I did not sign up for this!". He told her "Yes, you did". She said from that day on she quit praying for a cure and started praying for the strength to be the best she could be for her son. (I am ad-libbing a bit). I just started crying. This is one of the first times I have cried at something random being on the television.
I think it just hit my mommy heart. There are so many days that I say to God or to myself that I did not sign up for this. Then through that moment my eyes are opened and I see that God has given me these children and hand chose them for me. They test me and help mold me on a daily basis. I know I am such a different person than I was 4 years ago before Boog and Baby Girl came along. I am looking forward to the day that I look back and do not recognize that old person and can rejoice in the person God molds me into through the help of my wonderful blessings.

Am I doing Enough?

This is the question that plaques me daily. I know in my heart of hearts that God has called me to be at home and to minister to my husband and children, however this question nags me all the time. I always get the feeling that I am not "doing enough" for God. That I should be involved in more "things" or helping in different ways. I can never tell if this is just guilt(which I know is not from the Lord) or a actual stirring to do something.
I don't want anything to take me away or take my focus from my top calling. Is that how I should determine if this nagging feeling is of God or of man? If it were to interfere with what I absolutely know I should be doing, then it is probably a guilt feeling and trying to interfere with my true calling?

I hate that I question these things. I know my calling and I have peace about it, why can't it just be that easy?

Starting off here....

I have been contemplating blogging for some time now. I have many random thoughts that I release to my hubby and he just laughs at me. Not in a bad way. He says I think on things too much. He is right, I am a worrier by nature. God had been working trust and patience in me over the last few years. It is not as bad as it use to be, but I have a good stretch of road ahead of me. With that all said I hope in some way that blogging will help me to get some of these thoughts out and maybe get feedback from others. Now I just have to figure out what topic to start blogging about. :)