Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for....

~ my husband being so loving to me and takes such good care of us. I did nothing (and I mean nothing...I had a weird sick feeling in the night, I think I was dehydrated) last Saturday till evening when I got ready for a wedding. He took such good care of me in the night when I woke up and then through Saturday too. Oh I love him!

~ my sweet boy playing tball this year. His last game is Thursday. I love how the team has made such progress through the season.

~ my Mom starting a blog! I have told her she should have a blog and I'm so glad she started one. I hope she loves it like I do. She's done great on her posts this week!

~ words of encouragement. Many times the past few days I've noticed how I think I am not sure how much more waiting I can handle and then I get some little bit of encouragement that lifts my spirits. It's been a verse, a song, a hug, and words from a friend. Just what I needed.

~ rain. It was so refreshing this week, and the breeze that came along with it was wonderful.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Walk by Faith"

I have heard so many songs the past few days that have been the right words I needed to hear. I wanted to share this one today by Jeremy Camp called "Walk by Faith." These lyrics are great!



This waiting and not knowing what is ahead is one of the hardest waits I've had. I know God's timing is perfect but the waiting on that is hard because I am so excited to see what He has for us next. So we wait and we have faith "EVEN WHEN I cannot see." We have been continually reminded of His faithfulness to us in the past and know this time is no exception.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #25: Growing Grateful Kids

I finished a book I've been reading on and off for a while called Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larson.

This is a book that gives ideas of ways for parents to teach their children to appreciate what they have even in the midst of our materialistic world. One of the important things I saw over and over is that "We can't impart something we do not possess." So if we want our children to be grateful, we have to be in check on our own attitudes and behaviors. The author shares stories from her sons' younger days to give examples of teaching gratefulness.

Each chapter begins with a verse and quotation. Then at the end of the chapters the author has a personal application, personal application and a prayer.

This is an enjoyable book to read and I found it helpful as a parent.

I received this book for being part of the Hearts at Home blogger program

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #24: The Mailbox

I have finished reading The Mailbox by Marybeth Whalen.

As a teenager on vacation, Lindsey started writing letters to the "Kindred Spirit" at the mailbox on Sunset Beach. It turned into a yearly tradition for her. Now 20 years later she is visiting Sunset Beach again for the first time since her husband left her and their kids. Lindsey's first love Campbell still lives at Sunset Beach and she encounters him on her vacation. She isn't sure she can trust him because of how he acted in the past, and he is working on building his relationship with his teenage daughter.

When I got the information about this new book, I thought it sounded interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Mailbox. It is a great book to read in the summer too since it is about summer vacations. This is a touching story of forgiveness and second chances. I like the book cover too!

Thank you to the Karen Davis at The B & B Media Group for sending me a review copy.

Have a day of blessings!

Welcome to the newest blogger!

I'd like to invite you to view a new blog created by my Mom, Bonnie. Hope you will visit her and welcome her to blogging! You can visit her blog here.

I will have a couple book reviews later today probably.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises #26

I have one more verse with the theme of trust this week and next week I'll change to a new theme for July.

Today's verse is Psalm 56:3--
"When I am afraid, I will trust in you."

These are the words of David as he was being pursued by his enemies. This is a short verse but offers much encouragement. What makes you afraid? We are all different and different things can cause us to be afraid at different times of our lives. The Lord wants us to trust in Him. Even in the unknown.

Thanks for visiting today for Spiritual Sundays. Hope you are having a happy day!

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

Things have been busy so I'm late in getting up my Flashback for this week but it looked like one that would be filled with memories for me so I wanted to still participate. This week's Flashback Friday is about our home.

My Flashback:
I lived in the same house my entire life until I moved away to go to college. We lived in the country on one acre of land. Our house had two huge "Christmas trees" in the front yard, which was surrounded in the front and on one side by a stone fence with a metal gate. I thought my older cousins were so cool to walk across the top of the gate from one side of the fence to the other; I was never so brave! Inside the fence was a sidewalk up to a cement porch. I played store, cheerleader, and the "roll the ball game" with my cousin many times on that sidewalk. We had a long driveway and I liked riding my bike up and down and around the circle. Along the pathway, we always found old rusty nails and pieces of glass. I guess it washed up when it rained. My Dad gave me a small bucket and had me pick up those little scraps and told me when I filled it he would give me five dollars. I don't remember if I ever filled up a bucket, maybe once!

The house was wooden with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. I always felt my room was big. For many years I had a chest freezer in my room. When we added on an addition to the back that freezer was taken out and replaced with an upright in the extra room. I loved being in my room and playing school and "officer" with my cousin. In junior high when I had a test my Mom and I would sit on my bed and she'd review the information with me on the night before the test. My bedroom was yellow and white when I was a baby. I remember it being pink for a while and then when I was older a mint green color. My Mom always made me a new afghan to match the new room colors (and still does today!).

My Dad had a couple of sheds out back where he kept his stuff. He would haul trash for the phone company in addition to his job as a machinist. So he had quite an accumulation and it was all sorted way out in the back. One area we used for a garden where we had tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, okra, and peppers. I remember one time going to pick cherry tomatoes and I filled up my entire doll carriage in one trip. Also in that garden area my cousin and I one time had a huge mud puddle. We always had a few animals, goats and calves mainly. We'd bottle feed the calves and at one time my Mom milked a goat.

So many memories of that home, special and tucked away in my heart.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

The weeks of summer are going by so quickly it seems! I am enjoying it too. This week for Thankful Thursday we are with Grace Alone (she's also doing a giveaway for the new Mercy Me CD "The Generous Mr. Lovewell").

Today I am thankful for . . .

~ my sweet husband and the way he is growing and learning more about God and the Word.

~ my sweet boy doing such a good job at his check-up at the dentist office.

~ having my Mom come for a visit, I like when she is on summer vacation!

~ power of God. I have had reminder after reminder of God's power. Wow! How many times do we underestimate what He can do? I've been pondering this a lot lately.

~ having people agree with me in prayer. It is nice to know I can ask and have people pray! Thank you!

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Miracle of the Moment" by Steven Curtis Chapman

There is a wonderful song that came on my iPod last week as I was driving. It is called "Miracle of the Moment" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I appreciated the lyrics and wanted to share them today.

We can't change the past and we can't look forward into the future. All we have is this moment and we need to live our moments to the fullest.Whether they are happy or sad moments, God gave us each one.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #25

It is Father's Day! I'm thankful for the wonderful husband I have who is such a wonderful Daddy. I'm glad Caleb has such a good role model. I'm also thankful for my own Dad. When I was writing his card, I thought of many childhood memories of him that make me laugh and smile. And of course I am thankful for Peepaw and the special place he has in our hearts.

Here is this week's verse. It is Romans 15:13--

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of Holy Spirit."

I'm going to be praying this verse this week and asking God to fill me with joy and peace because I do trust in Him and His power.

Today I am remembering the following in prayer and ask you to join me in praying for these.

~ those who are remembering and missing their Dads today, as well as Dads who are missing their children today.

~ clear direction from God this week for our family.

~ the oil spill....Caleb remembers this most every night in his prayers. I've shown him a few pictures from the newspaper and talked with him some about what happened, and it apparently made an impression on him.

Join us at Spiritual Sundays today.

Have a day of blessings!

Book giveaway winner

Congrats to Denise. Her number was chosen in the Random.org for the book giveaway. I will probably be having another giveaway soon! Thanks for all who entered.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week's Flashback Friday is about friends.

My Flashback:
Thinking about my friends from childhood, several girls come to mind. There were several classmates that started with me in Kindergarten, and we went through 12th grade together. One friend was Kelli. I remember the birthday parties at her house. She would have sleepovers, and we had such fine playing hide and seek in the house. We'd divide into teams and make clues to find the hidden girl. Her family moved away our 10th grade year I believe. I've kept in touch with her through the years, and she was able to come to our 10 year reunion a few years ago.

Another friend was Renee. We lived near each other so we rode the same bus. We often sat together on the bus ride. Renee was a sweet girl and a great athlete and gymnast. She invited me to go to "cheer camp" with her in the sumemrs (I was never any good at that!!), and she was one of our cheerleaders in middle school. Her family was moving, I believe it was the summer after our 7th grade year. At the end of June Renee was involved in an accident on a four wheeler. She was in a coma for a long time. She survived though, thankfully. We have always kept in touch through email, calls, and letters in the mail. She is a great encourager and such a happy person. Even with all she went through, she is always smiling and spreads joy to those around her.

Casey was one grade younger than me. We had a class together in elementary school. Then in high school one year I had a different lunch from my other friends so I sat with her. Those were fun times. When she graduated, she spent one year at another college but then came to ACU. We would meet every week to go eat lunch or supper together. I loved that so much! We continued that until we moved away after my husband finished school. She went on to become a lawyer. Whenever we would be in the area we'd meet for supper. I was so excited when she moved to my area about a year ago. She is about 30 minutes away, and we meet for lunch most weeks. She is my "forever friend."

I had several guy friends too all through school and appreciate those friendships as well. I felt like these guys respected me and were true friends. I enjoyed working with two of them in planning our 10 year reunion.

There were others who were friends from church. I had one friend named Deena. I remember when we found out her family was moving. I was so sad to lose this friend. But I thought it was so neat when I learned she was moving to Bethany, OK. In the beginning we kept in touch through letters but lost touch for some years. We have reconnected now on Facebook. Deena is in Russia with her husband at this time.

I've enjoyed remembering these friendship memories for this week's Flashback Friday.

Have a day of blessings!

Mountain Mover!

Today I am sharing over at Laced With Grace. I hope you will stop by to read my devotional entitled Mountain Mover.

Also, today is the last day to enter the giveaway I am doing for Kathy Herman's book.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: Let's Have a Daddy Day

Let's go on a Daddy Day, a time for me and you.
Today while you're still little, there're so many things to do!

If you are looking for an idea for a Father's Day gift, I'd like to share a book with you I have recently read. This children's book, Let's Have a Daddy Day, by Karen Kingsbury would make a great gift this Father's Day.

In this book the children get to have a special day with their Daddy doing all sorts of fun things together. The message of this book shows the value of quality time spent between a dad and his children.

The illustrations add to the enjoyment of this book as well with the realistic expressions on the faces of the children.

My son and I enjoyed this book together.

Thank you to Pam Mettler at Zondervan for sending me a review copy of this book.


Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

I had to smile when I saw Iris's topic of "Music" for Thankful Thursday today. I was going to write about some music that blessed my heart this week.

This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband taking off (even though he is really super busy right now at work) to have a day with Caleb while I go to a continuing education class.

~ my sweet boy singing songs. He wanted to lead a song last Sunday night at church for the service led by the youth. Everyone said he did a great job. He picked "Lord I Lift Your Name on High." This week he's been singing "Mighty to Save." This morning he was singing it in the car. I turned up the radio and it was on.

~ seeing a beautiful sunset. Caleb called me to come quick and showed me the sunset. That made my heart smile!

~ having my washing machine back! I did 9 loads I think Friday evening and Saturday. I guess I'm a little goofy, it was so exciting to have it back again! I'd missed doing laundry and hanging the clothes on the line.

~ God's faithfulness and answers to prayers.

Join us today for Thankful Thursday at Grace Alone.

Have a day of blessings!

45 Days of Character!

I have shared previously about Seeds Family Worship. My family loves listening to these songs of verses directly from God's Word. I am excited to find out they have a sixth CD coming out later this year, "Seeds of Character." I wanted to share with you an opportunity to help Seeds with this project....45 Days of Character. Over the next 45 days Seeds is hoping to raise the funds to get this next album produced. You can find out more information from the Seeds of Character site. Also I'll leave the widget in my sidebar so you can keep up with the status of the funds raised. If you are able to donate, they are offering some really great specials (free songs and CD) as well to go along with a donation, based on the amount you give.

From personal experience in my own family I know how wonderful these songs are and how they really do get stuck in your heart. My son wants to hear certain ones over and over, and he sings along with the CDs. It is important to hide God's Word in our hearts and these CDs are a great way to do that as a family.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "The Voice of Truth"

I wanted to share a song today that I have shared previously. It is probably familiar to you as well if you listen to Christian radio.


It is uplifting and encouraging to me and hope it is to you today as well. The lyrics are just so powerful.

From doing the Bible study Me, Myself & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild I realized that many times we believe the lies of the enemy instead of listening to truth. I have had to learn how to catch myself in listening to the lies and replace those lies with Truth.

Have a day of blessings!

Giveaway and My Other Blog

I previously posted a review for the third book in Kathy Herman's Sophie Trace Trilogy. I am hosting a giveaway for this book. Leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered for a chance to win this wonderful book. It would make a great read for your summer reading!


Also, I have another blog where I review children's books. It is called Have You Read With Your Child Today? I realized recently that I have not posted a review there in quite some time (last October actually!) and have read some good books with Caleb that I wanted to share. Hope you will visit there and become a follower. Thanks!



Remember to enter for your chance to win! Winner will be chosen at random and you will need to provide your mailing address so the book can be sent to you. Giveaway open to those in US. I will choose a winner the evening of Friday, June 18 and announce the winner after that.

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #24

This week's verse is another one from Psalms.

Psalm 91:2--
"I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

I did want to ask you to pray for these things this week:

~ A praise from Kristi's daughter, Rachel. You can read her great news here.

~ remember Denise and the struggles she has had recently.

~ Debra and her son Josh as he is at boot camp right now.

~ Our family and God's timing. I'll share our news this week (probably).

Join others today for Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #23: Never Say Never

I received a free copy of Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate from Bethany House Publishers for my review.

Donetta Bradford of Daily, Texas, along with her two closest girlfriends, are heading off for an adventure on a cruise ship. However, they are stopped while on their way by Hurricane Glorietta.

Kai Miller of Perdida works on a cruise ship. Due to the hurricane she ends up stranded with Donetta and her friends.

Never Say Never is the story of both Donetta and Kai....they learn about themselves during their ordeal. Donetta has gone through life just "settling" while Kai does not allow herself to put down roots or get close to anyway.

I enjoyed this story. I liked how it went back and forth in the chapters as Donetta and then Kai's point of view. When I finished I wondered if there will be a continuation so we can find out more about these characters. Another thing I liked was that since I'm a Texas girl, the names of the cities mentioned were familiar to me. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #22: Take Three

I have finished listening to Take Three from the Above the Line series by Karen Kingsbury. I borrowed this audio book from our local library.

Keith Ellison and Chase Ryan are working on making films that will change lives. They are at their prime for Jeremiah Productions. They've had a popular actor sign with their newest movie. Things change quickly though when Chase Ryan has to make a decision to leave Jeremiah Productions. At the same time Keith's college-aged daughter Andi faces a life-changing crisis. What price will Keith and Chase have to pay to see their dreams come true?

I enjoyed the continuation of this series and look forward to the final book Take Four that is coming out June 22.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week we are talking about our extended family for our Friday Flashback. I can see this is another one that could go on and on, but I'll try to keep it short!

My flashback:
I never had a real relationship with my paternal grandparents.

I was very close to my maternal grandparents. My Peepaw lived in the same town. I have so many memories of him I could write a book. He called me his Sweetheart. He waved at me with his pinkie and I'd wave back with mine every time we left. One time we went to his house and he fixed bbq chicken on the grill. I ate so many chicken legs. I can't remember the number know but it was a lot! Also, he made things (like wallets, purses, belts, and belt buckles) using rattlesnake skin. One time he had a big collection of rattlesnakes in the boxed area under his carport. He was skinning them that day and there were some "naked" snakes in a five gallon bucket. I remember how they flopped around in the bucket and how it scared me to see them flopping around! Another memory is when he'd pick up me and my cousin after school and we'd go get an ice cream cone. He died December 22, 2005. I miss him and his sayings and hugs so much.

Meemaw lived about 6 hours from us (they were divorced) in East Texas. We went to her house once or twice a year. I always looked forward to going and seeing my aunt and cousin that lived there too. Meemaw always liked banana splits so when we'd go we would go to DQ and share one. The funny thing was she did not like bananas so she always ordered a banana split without the bananas. (She likes them now!) When I was in high school she moved closer to us so I would see her more often and sometimes go spend the night with her. I still enjoy visiting her and sending her letters in the mail.

As far as the rest of the family, my aunts, uncles, and cousins all lived in the same area so we got together for holidays. Now that we are all grown up I don't see them very often. Facebook has been nice because I see pictures of them and their kids so it feels like we are still connected somewhat.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful to be joining in for Thankful Thursday today with so many encouraging bloggers.
Iris at Grace Alone shared a great post about a special gift God sent just when she needed it.

This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband, he looks so cute all dressed up in his suit and tie when he has to go for a special event for work. :)

~ the sweet sounds of my son being out of school for summer vacation......having him talk and laugh as we are driving, his talk as he plays and talking to me through the day. Oh how I missed all that when he was at school!!

~ beautiful rainy days. It was a soft, steady rain. I loved it!

~ my washing machine..... I am REALLY missing it right now because it has been in the shop for a repair. It made a whirring noise during a load and then wouldn't drain. My husband took it to the shop where it made the whirring noise again. Then the next day the repairman ran it through several cycles and it never did it again! But he did find a hose that needed replaced which he had to order. I had thought I'd have it back to do laundry all day Wednesday. Then Wednesday came and it was a rainy day so I couldn't have hung them out to dry on the line anyway, which I've also missed! We still have enough clothes too so I haven't had to go to the laundromat (yet).

~ encouragement God sends at just the right time in His Word or from a friend.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Think About It" Seeds Family Worship

I shared a song from Seeds Family Worship a couple weeks ago and wanted to share another one today. It's called "Think About It" from Philippians 4:8.



We need to watch out what things we are thinking about. If we aren't careful we'll be filling our mind with things that are not even truth but instead lies from the enemy. God does not want us dwelling on these things. He gave us some guidelines to things we should be thinking about....Whatever is

• True
• Noble
• Pure
• Right
• Lovely
• Admirable
• Excellent
• Praiseworthy

I don't see worry, what if's, negativity, or fear in the list. If we fill our mind with the things listed above, there won't be room for the other things that shouldn't be there anyway.

Play this video a few times and get this verse rolling around in your head to remind you of what you need to be thinking.

Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday: Our Honeymoon Memories

It's time once again! Our Marriage Monday community is meeting today at Chyrsalis. This month's topic is "Our Honeymoon Memories."

I'm late getting my post up today because earlier when I tried I could not get into blogger and tonight we had tball. Oh well!

Our wedding reception seemed to go so quickly and before we knew it we were told it was time to go change and leave on our honeymoon. I had packed my shoes so I left the reception barefoot! We drove away and made our first stop at what had been my apartment and where we were going to live. We cut the string of cans off the car and wiped off some of the shaving cream decorations before we continued on our way. We picked up supper at the drive through at KFC. I'm not sure why we picked that place. It makes us laugh now to think of because neither of us really love it! Since we were heading to South Padre Island, we stopped for the first night part way down the road and stayed the night at a Best Western. The next morning we left and continued to South Padre. We got stopped on the way by a police man too! He said the "Just Hitched" on our window blocked our view. We didn't get a ticket.

For our honeymoon we stayed at a nice bed and breakfast. It was a beautiful home on the bay. Our room was so cute too. I remember how small the bathroom felt too. The breakfasts were so yummy. I'm not typically someone to eat a big breakfast but it was really good there. One thing I remember was the tomato and cheese omelet.

We went to ride horses along the beach. It was a fun experience. I didn't know what I was doing on a horse! We went to Schiltterbahn one day. It had just recently opened there at South Padre. The other thing I remember is being sunburned! We both had really bad sunburns, it was rather miserable!

Our honeymoon was just right for us. We enjoyed being together and alone. It was a great start to our marriage (except the sunburn part).

I hope we can go back there some time too.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #23

For this week's verse we have Psalm 20:7:
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

There are many things in which we can place our trust. These things won't last though. Money will run out. We could lose our health. Our vehicle may quit running. Our friends may disappoint us. In all the things we can choose to put our trust, the Lord is the only One that will not ever fail. The people around us may be trusting their bank accounts, power, or possessions, but we must still make the choice to put our trust in the Lord.

Let me know if I can pray for you this week.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week for Flashback Friday we are talking about our families and specifically our siblings.

I am an only child. I enjoyed being an only child and never remember wishing I had siblings. The thing that did bug me is the stereotype that all onlies are spoiled. My Mom always said that if something is spoiled you throw it out and that I was just loved.

It seems people often think having only one child is in some way a bad thing. I don't see it that way at all. I have found with us it seems many people just expect you to have another child once you have one that is 2 or 3 years old. We are frequently asked if we are having more children...(don't get me on that soapbox cause I really don't think it is anyone else's business if we are or aren't!!)

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

This month for Thankful Thursday we are meeting at Grace Alone.

It has been a great week. With Monday being a holiday it has gone very fast. We've been very busy. I'm thankful for many things.

~ celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary with my sweet husband.

~ our sweet boy who is now a first grader. He's done great in kindergarten and has had a wonderful year.

~ summer vacation! It is a different feeling that we don't have to get up and get to school in the morning. :)

~ reminders from God to trust Him.

~ getting rid of some stuff at a garage sale last weekend. It was inside, the A/C was so nice. And we didn't bring home the leftovers either!

Have a day of blessings!

To my sweet Caleb as you finish kindergarten

I wrote to Caleb at the beginning of kindergarten so I thought I'd write to him at the end of kindergarten too!



Caleb,

Back on August 24, 2009, we started a new chapter of your life together as you began kindergarten. Now that first year of school is already coming to a close. Today is your last day of school and it's time for summer "veecation" as you say it!

My heart is bursting with happiness and pride for the wonderful boy you are. I prayed for many things for you the year before you went to school. One of those things was for it to be a smooth transition for you. It has been. I didn't know what it would be like for you after being at home with me for five years. But you did great! You have been a confident, happy boy. It makes my heart happy that you are so confident as you get out of the car each morning and head off into your day. I love that you will blow me a kiss or tell me have a good day or give the teacher at the door a greeting some mornings as you go inside.

Academically you are doing so well and have grown so much. It has been exciting and amazing for me to see your progress in your reading through the past few months. I love hearing you read and sound out new words and recognize more and more all the time.

I knew sending you to school that you would be exposed to things that we had protected you from for your first five years. I prayed that you would make good choices about your friends and be a good example and light to those around you. You have done that. You still give me that special look we share whenever you hear something you know Mommy doesn't like or a word we don't say. You share things with me about your day, and it is my prayer now that you will always do that.

I prayed that you would obey whoever you were with and you have done that too. I remember the first few weeks of school I'd check your folder first thing every day to see if you had a "color change." I haven't seen anything but green all year!

Last week you got the "pleasant & friendly" award at the awards program. That made me smile too!

I am looking forward to summer with you.....food pantry days, HEB trips, library summer reading program, stay home days, and just having fun as you say.

I'm so thankful for the year you have had in kindergarten. Daddy and I are so proud of you!

Love, Mommy



Have a day of blessings!

Happy Anniversary to my husband!

On this day nine years ago, I married my best friend, the special person God gave me to travel with down life's path. I remember how we were so in love on that day. I've looked back this week at my journal from those months and days leading up to our wedding and also taken out our wedding photographs. Such sweet memories! Oh how I cherish them.

I remember that people would ask us questions like where are you going to live, what are you going to do? At the time I was finishing college and looking for a teaching job. We were in a place where the school district was talking about shutting down schools. Not exactly the most promising outlook for a first year teacher who needed to stay in the area while her new husband finished college! I remember not knowing where I'd be teaching in the fall but just being so happy and in love that I just knew it would work out. I had several interviews and then was offered a job teaching 2nd grade (in the district that was closing schools!). Looking back on that time is so encouraging to me today. I love how God fits all the pieces together and does what He knows is best for us at just the right time.

I am so thankful for my husband and the 9 years of marriage we have had. Nine years! It has been such a wonderful nine years. Sometimes I stop and think, "Wow I'm in love with him." Then I'm amazed at just how deep our love has grown. God gave me such a blessing. I could never had dreamed or planned it all so perfectly what God did by bringing us together at ACU.

Happy Anniversary sweetie! I am so excited about what the coming year will hold for us.

I am so proud to be your wife. You're an amazing husband and father and I love being married to you, my best friend!

I may have shared this song here before, but it is a sweet song that I wanted to share today for our anniversary.



Have a day of blessings!

Book Review: Dad's Bible

I received the Dad's Bible from Thomas Nelson for my review. I previously reviewed the Mom's Bible and was happy to get this one when it became available.

From the publisher--

Dad's Bible: The Father's Plan is the perfect gift for fathers, fathers-to-be, and father figures of any age. The Dad's Bible is filled with challenging and helpful information designed to encourage and uplift fathers whose lives will be a priceless legacy for generations to come. Whether as a personal purchase, a Father's Day gift, or "just because," Dad's Bible is sure to draw the reader into quality personal time with our Heavenly Father

My thoughts--
I read through a couple books to get a feel for this Bible and it's notes and layouts. I appreciated the comments throughout and how it is set up. It seemed to me they would be very encouraging for a Dad to read as he leads his family. This would make a great gift for Father's Day or for any special Dad in your life. I asked my husband to share his thoughts as well.

His thoughts--
Dad’s Bible gives an interesting perpective of a father’s love, what it takes to be a dad and how much our heavenly father loves us.

I enjoyed reading the book introductions and I felt they gave an interesting perspective into the book’s content and the author of that particular book. I liked how the notes by Dr. Wolgemuth were centered around dads.

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”