Raindrops & Rainbows

Thankful Thursday

2012-02-02T11:14:00.004-06:00

We are meeting for Thankful Thursday in February over at Grace Alone with Iris.

Happy February to you! I always love this month and all the special memories that it holds for me. What are you thankful for today? I read this verse and wanted to include it on my post today.

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High." Psalm 7:17

Here is my thankful list for today:
~ My husband's "first day of February" surprise to me. He'd made a cd with the song "No Doubt About It" on it and put it in my car to play when I took Caleb to school.

~ My boy sleeping soundly this week. Which means Mommy is sleeping soundly too! Last week he got up several nights for various reasons so I have noticed sleep this week!

~ Taking a walk around our neighborhood in the pretty sunshine.

~ Having fun with our Valentine countdown! All 3 of us decorated mailboxes Tuesday night. We put little notes and surprises in them for each other until Valentine's Day. We know to check our mail when the flag is up. This is Caleb's box he made. The inside is decorated too. When I told him we were going to do this, he kept asking me what color his was. He said you didn't get me a pink one did you? As you can see, he is learning cursive!

Today Caleb's note said he had to wait for the surprise until after school and the clue was Mommy was making it today. It is over of the oven now, and I will frost it soon! (I hope he wants to share with me!)

~ the enjoyment I've had teaching the 4 year old class at our church on Sunday mornings. It is so exciting when I see they have remembered something from a previous week, like their memory verse or something from our Bible story. We've had several lessons on Hannah and Samuel; next we will have lessons on Elijah.
Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: 52 Things Wives Need from Their Husbands

2012-01-31T21:00:00.000-06:00

I listened to 52 Things Wives Need from Their Husbands by Jay Payleitner.

Each chapter is something different a husband can do for his wife. Some are serious while others are more lighthearted, yet all are valuable in the marriage relationship.

Even though it is written for men, I still enjoyed it. I believe any husband would benefit from this book. Many times I laughed while listening because the author was right on target in what he was saying wives need! The ideas were very practical and easy to put into practice. If you are a husband reading this review, try this book for some ideas you may have forgotten (or even some you've never thought of) to show love to your wife.

The book was read by the author. His voice was easy to hear. Having the author read his own work adds meaning to the text for me as a listener and gives it a more personal feel.

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers program for providing this audio book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Till The Storm Passes By"

2012-01-31T08:19:00.001-06:00

A couple weeks ago we sang this song at church called "Till the Storm Passes By." I was not familiar with it, most of the others did not seem to know it either. We all just loved it. I've been thinking about it since then and looked online to see if I could find it to share with you.

Here is a video of it that has the lyrics with it. It is a very pretty song. I hope it blesses you today in whatever storm you may be going through at this time.

Have a day of blessings!

Weekend!

2012-01-30T13:30:00.000-06:00

We had a nice weekend. Friday my husband was off due to a test he had done at noon. My Mom came to pick up Caleb after school because I did not know how long the test would take and did not want to be rushed or late getting over to the school. When they got home after school, Mom and Caleb made this Rocky Road Cookie Pizza and some yummy grapes mixed with topping.

(photo from Pillsbury website)

Caleb then played outside a while and showed Gramma his BB gun. He rode his bicycle and scooter a while also before we went to eat supper and to Academy. Caleb got a new bigger sized coat for next year as his other camouflage coat is getting too small for him. My husband got a light jacket too that he wants to get embroidered with his work logo.

Saturday my Mom made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and in the afternoon we did some shopping and to the library.

Sunday we ate a quick lunch after church and my Mom going home before going back to the flag football game with the church group. Caleb had such a fun time playing. He was one of the captains, the two youngest players were chosen for captains. We had fun watching them!

Now it is Monday again, the end of another month. I have many plans for February for a Valentine countdown with my boys plus getting things ready for Caleb's class Valentine party. I am also excited to get Caleb's Valentine's he made for family in the mail later this week. We got them all made last week one day after school. I remember when he was younger he'd put a sticker or two and write his name on one or two and be done. It would take us a week to get them finished! These turned out cute. I may share them here after they go in the mail (don't want to ruin the surprise for those who read the blog and will get one in the mail!!).

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a day of blessings!

A - Z Memory Verse Challenge

2012-01-30T08:29:00.001-06:00

C - Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-26T09:10:00.001-06:00

Join us today for Thankful Thursday at Women Taking a Stand.

Today I am thankful for....
~ my husband. He is just wonderful and I'm thankful for our love and friendship and how he makes me smile (even those times when I feel like I don't want to smile!).

~ my son sharing stories from school where he showed self-control in a situation. I was glad he made a good choice!

~ suppers that turn out tasting like my Mom's always make me smile! This week I made chicken fried steak and it looked and tasted like hers. Then last night we had chicken and rice. I've made it often and it is always a little something missing. Yesterday it was just right!

~ the rain as well as the sunshine after the rain.

~ having medical insurance. When I look at the benefits statements and see the costs of medication, doctor visits, and tests, I'm thankful we just have to pay the copay.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

Also, I'd like to invite you to read my review that was posted yesterday on the book Six Ways to Keep the "Good" in your Boy by Dannah Gresh if you have boys! EXCELLENT book!

Have a day of blessings!

Great book for parents of boys!

2012-01-25T13:15:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to share a book with my readers today. If you are a parent of a young boy, I highly recommend this book to you. It is called Six Ways to Keep the "Good" in Your Boy by Dannah Gresh. She has written other books, including Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl. Visit her website here.

From the publisher: When bestselling author Dannah Gresh was body-slammed by her 12-year-old son, she was hit with reality: raising a boy is a whole new ballgame!

A boy's relationship with his mom during the formative age between 8 and 12 is vital to his future well-being. So how can moms teach sons to be honest, confident, and respectful when the world and situations encourage them to make bad decisions and grow up too fast?

Dannah's practical experience and research, along with advice from her husband, Bob Gresh, provide a mom with six proactive ways to help her son:

honor his body in a healthy way
get outside to play unplugged
live out his faith

My thoughts:
This is a book that parents need to read as their sons are moving from little boy to teenager. It was very insightful and eye-opening to me as a Mom of a 7 year old boy. It showed me things I can do to help my son as he grows.

Part one of the book is "Becoming a Connecting Mom." It includes The Connection IQ Quiz to see how well you are currently doing at connecting with your son. Part two of the book is the six ways to keep the "good" in your boy.

I think the message of this book is one that Mom's need to read. Society is telling our boys one message about how to live and how to be a man. Does that message match up at all with what we want our boys to grow up to become? We need to educate ourselves as Mom's and make sure we are ready to help our sons navigate through the challenges of the teen years.

Before each chapter she includes a quote from a Mom related to the chapter's subject material. These were helpful to me to read the thoughts, struggles, and ideas of other Mom's of boys. I like the extra relevant resources (like websites or other books) included in the margins of the pages to provide further help.

I hope you will read this book for yourself and share it with others. I really cannot say how wonderful and helpful this book has been for me.

Thank you to Christianne with Harvest House Publishers for sending me a copy of this book for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Already There"

2012-01-24T05:30:00.000-06:00

I have another song by "Casting Crowns" for you today called "Already There." I loved the lyrics the first time I heard them and could relate to so much of what is said in this song from our move last year. I like the line of imagining looking back on life someday and seeing how all the pieces fit together.

We have some "unknowns" right now. It is comforting to know God already knows the answers.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-19T09:55:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Thankful Thursday! We are meeting at Women Taking a Stand this month. It has been a quick week for us because Monday both of my boys were home for the holiday. The week has been busy and fast. We have enjoyed the sunshine in the afternoons after chilly mornings.

Today I am thankful for...

~ my husband making waffles for me. I had recently said waffles sounded so good. Sunday morning he got up and surprised me with a plate of waffles. They were so yummy!

~ my little boy's silliness! He makes us laugh all the time with the cute things he says and does. I like to see how his mind works with the things he tells us! And I love to hear his sweet laugh when he is being silly.
~I shared here about the miracle we saw with Mrs. Pat. I am excited to share that she was able to go home this week! This is an answer to many prayers. God is so good!

~ the sunny days! We have not had too many cold days this winter. Lately we've had a lot of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Very nice!!

~ having so many appliances that make life easier.

Have a day of blessings!

Review: The Accidental Bride

2012-01-18T17:04:00.000-06:00

I would like to share with you a book I recently finished called The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter.

Shay Brandenberger has lived a hard life. She wants something different for her own daughter, Olivia, but she has a difficult time making ends meet as a single mom. She's fearful of losing her family's ranch, a ranch that has been in the family for three generations. Shay is asked to play the bride in her town's Founder's Day re-enactment. She doesn't realize until she walks down the aisle that the group is Travis McCoy, her old high school sweetheart who left her at the altar years ago. Shay makes it through the ceremony and thinks it will all be forgotten until she finds out that, due to a mistake by the preacher, the pretend ceremony was actually real. She is now married to Travis.

This was a cute book and easy to read. I enjoyed reading it, like the characters, and look forward to more books from this author. As I was reading, characters seemed familliar to me. I realized that this book is in the Big Sky Romance series. I have previously read A Cowboy's Touch and reviewed it here.

One part that has stuck with me after reading this book is how Shay was always worried about what others thought of her. Her friend reminded her of a verse from Galatians 1:10--"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." This was a great reminder for me personally as I think of what I do and why I do it.

This book was provided to me for my honest review by Audra Jennings and the B & B Media Group. Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Courageous"

2012-01-17T15:00:00.000-06:00

Today the movie "Courageous" releases on DVD. We went to Lifeway and purchased a "pre buy" ticket and will pick up our copy this week sometime. My husband and I saw it at the theater before Thanksgiving. What a great movie! Have you seen it? If not you really should rent it or buy it. It has a great message with so many lessons in it. We are in a war here and need to be courageous.

I hope you enjoy this Casting Crowns song called "Courageous." When we saw them in concert in December, this was the first song they sang.

Have a day of blessings!

A-Z Memory Verse Challenge

2012-01-17T09:28:00.000-06:00

Here is the "B" verse for the A-Z Memory Verse Challenge. You can still join in if you'd like! Click on the link above to sign up.
B - Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved... Acts 16:31
Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday

2012-01-16T13:28:00.002-06:00

Today for Marriage Monday our prompt from e-Mom is as follows: On Monday (Jan. 16, 2012), I thought it would be fun to get re-acquainted as women—without spilling any ink about our marriages. This time, boys are not allowed. The following prompts are designed to help us to get to know you as a unique daughter of God. Please complete the sentences, post your piece to your blog, and then click over here to Chrysalis to link up. Think of your post as a quick pencil sketch. The faster you write it the better!

Here are my answers:
I am a loved woman.
I want others around me to feel loved and accepted.
I have a wonderful loving husband.
I wish I knew what answers to fill in the blanks I left empty here!
I hate..well that one the first thing I thought of is I don't ever use the word hate. It's just not a word I use. So I'll leave it blank.
I miss my Peepaw.
I fear pain for my loved ones.
I feel safe and secure.
I hear the blowing wind and tinkling of my wind chimes.
I smell my sweaty little boy.
I crave Mexican food.
I search with google usually.
I wonder what 3rd grade will be like for my boy.
I regret not recording Peepaw telling stories of his past and childhood.
I love days with both my boys at home.
I ache when I hear of another woman having a miscarriage.
I care about those who are lonely.
I always buy chocolate chips when I go to Walmart.
I am not very crafty or creative.
I believe Jesus is my Savior and Friend.
I dance in the kitchen with my husband.
I sing in the car.
I cry when I hurt and share my tears with my husband or just alone.
I don’t always know the right answers as a Mom.
I fightfor what I believe in.
I write letters (real ones that you put in the mail with a stamp!) often.
I never ran a marathon.
I listen to my boy's creative ideas.
I need to go to the store.
I am happy in my life.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-12T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for...

~ my husband. I saw a post of a friend this week on Facebook that she was thankful her husband worked a job that could be stressful at times and she got to stay home with their son. It made me realize once again how thankful I am for my husband and his love and support of our family.

~ my sweet, funny boy. He is so much fun! I love our times together and cherish the time we have making memories. I love our routine and schedule and the comfort of that and those things we do together.

~ remembering nine years ago. I shared a post at Laced With Grace today. I invite you to go there and read it. God is good and I'm thankful for all He taught me.

~ having fun on Pinterest. I signed up over the Christmas holidays. It's been fun finding new ideas for all sorts of things from cooking to Christmas crafts! My friend Debbie (Heart Choices) invited me when I asked her about it after I saw her posting things on Facebook from the site.

~ electricity! Our power went out Monday morning for about 2 hours. It was fun for a short time but I was glad it came back on. We had a very different morning as we got ready for work/school in our dark house carrying candles with us. It made me appreciate electricity that I so easily take for granted.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Hold On"

2012-01-10T08:25:00.003-06:00

I heard this song last week when I had Pandora playing and knew I wanted to share it for my song this week. It is called "Hold On" by 33 Miles. I hope it will encourage you today and remind you to keep holding on and not give up, whatever you are going through right now.
Have a day of blessings!

Review: Lost December

2012-01-07T12:17:00.000-06:00

I saw this book at the library in the new section, thought I'd like to read it and checked it out It had a 7 day sticker on the front, meaning it would be due in a week.
Luke Crisp graduates with his M.B.A. and his father, the owner of successful Crisp's Copy Centers, is ready to give the business over to him. Luke refuses his father's offer because he is going to travel and "live the good life" with his group of college friends. He takes his trust fund and leaves his father and their close relationship. He lives extravagantly until the money runs out and the friends leave.

This is a touching modern-day telling of the story of the prodigal son in the Bible. I read this book very quickly and would recommend it to you.

Have a day of blessings!

Book: Live Reflectively

2012-01-06T20:47:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for a book to use in your devotional time at the start of this new year? I'd like to share one with you called Live Reflectively Lessons from the Watershed Moments of Moses by Lenya Heitzig.

I got an email about this book being available for review at the same time I was teaching lessons about Moses to my four year old class on Sunday mornings. I was excited to read and use this book during my daily quiet time. I really have enjoyed studying Moses and felt I learned a lot about him from this study. In the past I've requested devotional type books to review, and I have just read them instead of using them in my quiet time (not looking up the verses or answering all the questions). I gained a lot from this study because I read the book as well as took time to think about and answer the questions, making the study more meaningful for me.

The set-up of the lessons are easy to use and follow. They are divided into 10 weeks with five lessons per week. Each week begins with an overview of what is coming. Each days' lesson is divided into sections following an introductory thought: Lift Up is a short prayer. Look At is the full text for the day from the Bible and some questions about the text. Live Out includes application type questions to get you to think about the text in relation to your life. Listen To is a short quote to end the lesson. These lessons are designed to be completed in 20 minutes a day.

Oh and one more thing...the pretty purple cover makes me smile. : )

Thank you to Audra Jennings at The B & B Media Group for sending this book for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-05T01:30:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope that your 2012 is off to a happy start for you. We are getting back into the routine of school and work as of Tuesday.

This week i am thankful for...
~ my sweet husband taking care of me. I was rear ended before Christmas and the car is in the shop this week. He has been so helpful as we took my care to the repair shop and picked up the rental. He surprised me and pulled it out of the garage for me too this morning since it feels much bigger than I'm used to.

~ my sweet boy. I am thankful for getting to share his excitement in learning new things. This week he jumped in and told me they are beginning to learn to write in cursive. He is my sweet, caring, sensitive boy and I'm thankful for his sweet spirit.

~ having a productive morning. I went to the store and found some good buys, cleaned the bathrooms, did laundry, and ironed.

~ reading good books. I love having time to read....in a hot bath, waiting in car line.

~ Reading with my boy before bed. We've started reading together various books and this is something we both enjoy and look forward to doing together.

This month for Thankful Thursday we are meeting at Women Taking a Stand. Feel free to join us! Thank you for visiting today.

Have a day of blessings!

A special invitation for Moms!

2012-01-04T13:57:00.000-06:00

Back in 2009 I shared a review for the book Real Moms...Real Jesus by Jill Savage. You can see my review here.

This was a wonderful book I enjoyed very much. The book shows examples from Jesus' life that we as moms will be able to relate to. He understands what we go through as Mom's in our daily lives. I am excited to be able to reread this book and participate in an online book study with Hearts at Home beginning in January led by the author on Facebook in a private group.

Feel free to join us! You will be blessed! We start the discussion on January 9 so there is still time to pick up a copy of this book.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "The Well"

2012-01-03T04:16:00.000-06:00

I used to share more songs on my blog and I was thinking I wanted to do that again this year. I hope the songs I share will bless your day as you listen to the lyrics.

For today's song I'd like to share one from Casting Crowns' new album. It is called "The Well."

I think this is a great song to use at the start of the new year. If you are weary and ready for a fresh start, go to the well and be refreshed and satisfied. I thought of this song Sunday morning in church when the preacher was talking about what we needed to leave behind in 2011 as we begin 2012.

What do you need to leave behind?

Have a day of blessings!

A-Z Memory Verse Challenge 2012

2012-01-02T13:29:00.002-06:00

I wanted to do something different with the verses this year. Today I read a blog post by my blog friend Shortybear who is joining up with She Sparkles for the A-Z Memory Verse Challenge 2012.

What a great idea! Check it out at this link and join us if you'd like to learn new verses this year. I'm excited to join in with this challenge! I will plan to post the verse at the top of the blog again this year.

Have a day of blessings!

Looking ahead at 2012

2012-01-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

A new year feels like a nice clean fresh piece of paper waiting to be filled. What will the page look like on December 31, 2012? What will fill up your paper this year?

I've asked my husband to think about his goals for the coming year, and we have talked about these together.

As I think about the coming year I am thinking of the ways I want to be a better wife and Mom. I am thinking of what I can do to make a difference in the lives of the people God has put in my life. I am thinking of some books I want to read this year that are in my "to read" pile. I am thinking of blog posts I want to write regarding some topics that have been on my heart lately. Also, one thing I did realize that will happen this year is my boy will finish 2nd grade and move on to 3rd grade. That is weird for me (as a teacher and a Mom) to think of my boy being old enough to be a 3rd grader. Plus my boy will be at a new campus so that will be new and different for us too.

A couple things I want to do include:
~ scrapbooks... I have one school scrapbook for Caleb. I have the pictures printed and ready and just haven't put them in yet. I also want to make a scrapbook for my husband to keep all his articles in one place.

~ get some more continuing ed hours for my second set of 150 hours since graduation from college. I can get some hours through online courses or in the summer at the education service center or by reading a book. I'll probably do all of these!

~ The main thing I desire is to help my husband reach his goals. As we talked I knew there were several things I could do to help him achieve his goals so that is where I want to focus this year as his helper and wife.

~ I thought of one more....try making more things. I was excited to make a display board for our Christmas cards this year. It was easy and fun and would like to try making other creative things this year.
This morning our preacher read this passage-- Romans 13:11-14--"And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."

He asked us what we ned to leave behind as we move into 2012. He said we may not have a problem with the sins listed in this passage but what other things do we hold on to that need to be left behind....resentment, unforgiveneess, worry, fear, etc.

Whatever happens in this year, I pray God is honored with how I live and I find ways to serve Him.

Have a day of blessings!

2011

2011-12-31T21:31:00.001-06:00

I see so many blog posts in my list on my Reader tonight looking back at 2011. I've been thinking about what was on my goal list I made at the beginning of this year and had to go back and take a look. In the past I've revisited my goal list periodically through the year here on my blog but didn't do that this year for whatever reason.

So looking back at my goals, I see there wasn't that much on the list and most of it has been accomplished. I don't know that we are totally unpacked. There are still random boxes in the garage that need to find a new place. It is such random stuff and I'm not sure what to do with it so it's stayed in the tubs against the wall. As far as the SHE system, I started the cards but never got that complete. I've pretty much kept up with the basic ideas of it in my head. I don't have a set day that I clean the tubs but I do it regularly. I had forgotten the goal of finding new places to volunteer. It has been such a blessing to me to be able to volunteer at Caleb's school and have two areas where I am needed there.

This has been a blessed year for our family. We have faced many changes with our move and my husband's new job position. I feel we have learned a lot and enjoyed the changes that have happened. I am thankful for the new friends we have made here. I am thankful for the memories we made as a family, like our fun trip to Colorado. I am thankful for Caleb's school and the teachers he has had. I am thankful we have been healthy. I am thankful for the many answers to prayers we have seen this year both in our family and in the lives of friends/relatives.

As Caleb said tonight before bed Gooooooodbye 2011!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday (a day late)

2011-12-30T10:38:00.001-06:00

I meant to get up my Thankful Thursday post yesterday, but I've been a little off schedule this week and it just didn't happen.

This week I am thankful for...
~ the time off my husband has had from his work. I'm glad he had some vacation days to take, and we could be together.

~ my boy being healthy. I realized last week that he had perfect attendance so far this school year (as well as the spring semester of last year). This week he has started coughing and I feel so bad for him to not be able to make it stop. He's acted like he feels find, just coughing. Praying he will be normal soon!

~ being here in our home for a full year now. The 27th marked one year since we moved in. What a year of blessings it has been! I'm so thankful to be here and love our home.

~ being able to look back at the blessings of the past year and thinking ahead to the new year coming.

~ time with family over the Christmas holidays.

Have a day of blessings!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T19:58:00.002-06:00

We have been enjoying Christmas, and it seems to continue! Last week we went to visit my Mom. We opened our gifts when we arrived Tuesday night. Wednesday we spent the day enjoying our gifts mostly. I looked through my new cookbooks and some new sets of cards. This is one of the cookbooks I received. I love Taste of Home cookbooks. My Mom gets me a different one most years!

On Thursday morning we went to the cemetery to put out the Christmas tree at Peepaw's grave site as we do each year. In the afternoon we had a Christmas lunch with my Meemaw and later my cousin came over. We came home on Friday morning. The temperature dropped and we saw snow on Saturday. However, it was not very much and did not stick. It was still pretty to watch as it came down. Caleb managed to find some snow though to make some snowballs and throw them at the window.

Saturday night (Christmas Eve) we went out to have dessert. We have a tradition to go out to eat dessert and then look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. This year we went to Logan's and shared the HUGE brownie fudge sundae. Caleb opened one gift when we came home. It was a recorder for him to learn to play tunes.

Sunday morning we went to get Caleb out of bed and opened our stockings and gifts. Then we had biscuits and chocolate gravy for our breakfast before getting ready for church services. We came home to a nice meal (my Meemaw had given us a ham so we ate that with some leftover vegetables from my Mom's plus desserts!) and spent the rest of the day at home.

Daddy and Caleb worked a long time on this, K'Nex Rippin' Rocket 2 Coaster. It is a neat but took a long time to put together! Caleb has had fun with it.

Monday we put up the tree and decorations and then went to some sales. I got some decorations for next year.

Tuesday we had a visit from my Dad and his friend Jan. We had lunch, and I fixed him a birthday cake (his birthday is on the 1st) using a recipe from my new book called German Chocolate Cheesecake. They gave Caleb this fun game "UNO Roboto." We played it several times tonight and had a lot of fun playing and laughing.

We will continue the fun as we visit with more family over the weekend! I hope you are having a good week. I've loved having both of my boys home for a few days.

Have a day of blessings!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T03:45:00.000-06:00

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:16-20

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-21T17:34:00.001-06:00

Today for Thankful Thursday, I am so thankful for so many things.

~ my husband having days off from work. I'm glad we get to spend some times over the holidays with both my boys at home for a few days.

~ my sweet boy's laughter as he watches "Tom and Jerry" episodes. It is such a delightful sound! It makes us all smile and laugh to hear him laughing!

~ our Christmas vacation. I so enjoyed having a stay home day on Monday in our pajamas and then Tuesday having my helper boy with me as I ran errands.

~ yummy Christmas treats. There are so many good ones! I couldn't pick a favorite I don't think. I love that there are traditional things I know my Mom will make each year! Plus she likes to make whatever we may ask for special too (like the cheese ball my husband asked for this year).

~ and today is a special day in my heart. This day in 2005 was also a Thursday. In the morning we'd driven to the hospital to put up a few Christmas decorations in Peepaw's hospital room, including a tabletop Christmas tree. He passed away later that evening. I miss him so much, his hugs and phone calls. This year I'm so thankful for the memories I have of him and all the things we did together. We plan to take a mini Christmas tree to sit at his graveside as has been our tradition each year now that he is no longer with us.

Merry Christmas to you and your family! I hope you are enjoying this festive season, making special memories with those you love, and realizing the love of the Savior who come as a little Baby for each of us.
Have a day of blessings!

Our Jesse "tree"

2011-12-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

I've read about the Jesse tree on other blogs during past Christmas seasons. It was something I wanted us to do as a family and remembered in time this year to prepare.
The Jesse tree is a way to count down the days until Christmas by showing the lineage of Jesus. It is based on the verse Isaiah 11:1: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." Each day in December through Christmas you put on a new ornament that symbolizes a part of Christ's genealogy.

There are many different ways to make one. You can do a search for Jesse tree and find plenty of ideas and options. Another search I did was "free printable Jesse tree ornaments." Find something that works for you and your family to make it the most meaningful. It can be an actual tree or others I've read about make it into a calendar where you flip over one card each day.

Ann Voskamp has a free Jesse tree devotional book that is helpful. It has the verses, pictures and a devotional thought for each day.

This is what we did. First I found some free printable ornaments. This is the link for the ones I printed. Next I colored each one, wrote the number of the day on the corner of each, cut them out, and glued them to red and green scrapbooking paper before laminating them.

Each day we cut out a new square. We review the previous symbols and talk about how they are all linked and add the new symbol for the day.

We couldn't decide how to display our ornaments. I noticed this long section of our wall that was just the right width for our ornaments so we hang them there on a ribbon each night.

We have all enjoyed doing this and have learned from it as well. It has been a great way to count down the days until Christmas because we are reminded of Christ. He had a plan for us and all the pieces fit together in that plan through the years from Creation until His birth.

I would also say don't make this "one more thing" to add to your list of things to do during the Christmas season. It is a great way to get your focus on Christ in my opinion. Take some time and make it a memorable experience for your family if you choose to make your own Jesse tree.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-15T10:23:00.001-06:00

My heart is filled with so much gratitude today for all the blessings of the Lord. Join us for Thankful Thursday over at Grace Alone this month.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband. This morning I called to thank him for all he did last night. When he got home I was about to cut up the chicken for chicken fajitas. He got home just in time to do that part (that he knows I don't like very much but can do if I "have" to) and then cooked the meal too while I finished up some treat bags for his coworkers. It made me smile this morning to see he had also cleaned out a pan. I'd baked this week, and after dividing up the treats, some of the bars were stuck around the edges. He had cleaned all that off for me to make it so much easier to wash. So sweet!

~ my boy. I'm so thankful he's healthy and such a happy, loving, sensitive boy. The things he has told me this week touch my heart. We've told him about the baby that we have in Heaven, his big sister. This week he randomly started talking about her and it just touched me.

~ getting to be the "room Mom" in my boy's class. I love that the kids know me, and I appreciate their hugs when they see me. Today I got to go for the class party and help them make wreath ornaments.

~ surprises in the mail! I've received three different ones this week, besides all the fun Christmas cards we are getting. Monday night our doorbell rang, and we had a delivery from a friend. She sent us all three gifts, so thoughtful and unexpected! I got a caroling Christmas wall clock. Then in the mail Wednesday I had a fat envelope with a Precious Moments return address. I wasn't expecting anything. As a member of their collector's club they had sent some little gifts to commemorate their 30th anniversary. It made me smile and I had the thought that it felt like a little surprise from Peepaw as he was the one who got me started on Precious Moments. The gifts were a reusable bag, magnet, window cling, and pretty Christmas ornament.

~ the pretty lights decorating so many houses all over town. The white lights on the trees in the yard across the street look so pretty twinkling in our front door window and make me smile.

~ oh and one more I can't forget adding! I was so excited to see a friend in Michael's this week that I haven't seen in years! When I was in college I babysat her daughter after school and she was also the flower girl in our wedding. It was so nice to see he, see pictures of her grown up daughter and catch up.

Have a day of blessings!

Join me today at Laced with Grace!

2011-12-14T08:21:00.001-06:00

I have a question for you today as you are busy with holiday festivities. Join me over at Laced with Grace. Thank you!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-08T08:11:00.001-06:00

It's time to pause once again for Thankful Thursday. This month we are meeting at Grace Alone.

It feels like time is going to fast. Yesterday I was super busy running errands in town. My husband called to say he was going home. He had not been feeling well for a couple of days with allergies, and he decided to go home to rest. I had gone by the grocery store as my last stop to pick up a couple of items. I knew I wouldn't have time to take the milk home though before I went to pick up Caleb. So when he called me I asked if he'd stop and let me meet him to give him the milk to take home. I waited for him at a park. It was nice to just stop and be still for a few moments. I watched the ducks eat from the ground and then fly up and over to the pond. I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine as the snow from earlier in the week melted. It was a nice break in my day.

Today I'm thankful for...
~ time with my husband last weekend going to the Casting Crowns concert. We had such a great time!

~ making Christmas muffins with my boy. We had fun mixing them up together. It was a recipe I'd found on another blog earlier this year and printed to use this holiday season. I can't remember where I found it though!

~ waking up to a beautiful snowy morning earlier this week.

~ decorating our house for Christmas. We enjoyed choosing a tree and getting out our decorations. I'm so thankful to be here this year!

~ getting Christmas cards in the mail. We have received 4 so far. I am still working on writing ours to get them mailed out.

Have a day of blessings!

Happy December!

2011-12-06T08:32:00.001-06:00

December is off to a busy start. I always love this time of year and the memories associated with our traditions.

December 2 is the day my husband asked me to be his wife back in 2000. This year we were blessed to go to a Casting Crowns concert that night. I ordered our tickets back in October I think and found a free hotel room using some points I'd earned from taking online surveys! We loved the concert. I will share some of my favorite songs from the new "Come to the Well" CD here on my blog sometime.

Sunday afternoon after church we bought our Christmas tree. The boys got it in the stand and put the lights on. My husband went to put the star on top and was trimming a branch to make the star fit when he snipped a wire of the lights so the lights had to be replaced!

We woke up Monday morning to this....

Caleb was so excited and had a plan to throw snowballs at Daddy when he got out of his truck after work. There was some snow left after school so he threw a few at me. Then when it was close to time for Daddy to get home he went back out, and his plan worked. He really caught Daddy by surprise!

We got to finish decorating the tree Monday evening. I believe this was the first time I've ever decorated a Christmas tree when there was snow on the ground outside! Caleb and I also set out my Precious Moments Nativity. I love to see how he will place each piece.

I love taking all the ornaments out of the boxes and thinking about the special memories associated with each one...the people that have given them or why they were bought. We buy a family ornament each year to represent something from that year. It made me smile to find the one from last year I'd bought that said "God Bless Our New Home" with a slot for a picture of us. When I first saw it in the store I wasn't sure if we'd have our new home by Christmas so it was special to get to hang that on the tree this year. Our ornament from this year is one we bought in Colorado on our fun family vacation there this summer.

I have many things on my list that need to get done. This week I'm working on Christmas cards and our family letter. The things on my list honestly don't stress me out. I try to plan and set goals for what I can realistically accomplish in a day and work towards that. I like having the list written down and being able to cross things off the list as they get done. It also helps me see what needs to be done so I can space it out and not leave too much till I don't have time to accomplish anything!

One new thing we are doing this year is a Jesse tree. I will have to do another blog post about that sometime.

I hope you are enjoying the month of December! Make happy memories! Don't become consumed with things you think you have to get done instead of enjoying the season!

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #23

2011-12-01T22:00:00.000-06:00

I'm late getting up my new verse but here it is.

"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous." I John 3:7

Have a day of blessings!

Book Review: Softly & Tenderly

2011-12-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

I have read the book Softly & Tenderly by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck, published by Thomas Nelson.

Jade desires to begin a family with her husband Max; however, she is barren. The life she enjoys comes crashing down when she finds out about her in laws' secrets as well as a secret her husband has kept hidden through their marriage....a secret she is not sure she can handle. Max has an infant son. Add to this Jade's mother Beryl is dying of leukemia and wants to go home to die. Jade ends up taking Beryl back home to the farmhouse in Iowa, which brings back painful memories of her childhood and absent mother. This is a book about lies and trust, secrets, death, and forgiveness.

The book ends leaving the reader with many questions, which I assume will be answered in the next book. When I requested this book for review, I did not realize this was part of a series. I wasn't sure I liked the book as I got into it. Overall, it was an easy read, just not the best book I've ever read. Also, I disagreed with the comparison on the front of the book comparing this author to Karen Kingsbury. This did not have the same feel for me as a Karen Kingsbury book in my opinion.

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers 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.”

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-01T08:06:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited December is here (although November sure did fly by quickly). I love this time of year, remembering the special memories from previous years and making new memories together as a family. This year I'm particularly excited to be in our home and get to decorate! Last year we didn't move all our stuff in until December 27. We were actually here on Christmas morning (we'd moved our beds so we could wake up here on Christmas morning), but it will be our first year to decorate here. We have the tubs down from the attic, and I've looked through some of the decorations. I'm not sure when we will put it up yet!

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband asking me to marry him 11 years ago on December 2. ;)

~ my boy's excitement over his time at the deer lease last weekend. His Pawpaw gave him the bb gun he'd bought when Caleb was born. I loved taking pictures as he figured out how to use it and then tried it out. It was special for me to observe and to see his Daddy and uncles be part of the time too.

~ being able to volunteer at the school. I go to the library on Monday afternoons. This week I took down her Thanksgiving posters and book displays and put up Christmas decorations. It was fun for me.

~ all the family we got to see over Thanksgiving and safe travel while we were on the roads.

~ our warm coats. I was reminded this morning on the radio of how there are many who don't have warm coats to put on each morning.

Have a day of blessings!

Giving Thanks Challenge 2011

2011-11-30T08:44:00.000-06:00

I have enjoyed participating again this year in the Giving Thanks Challenge! Here is my full list from the month.

Today I am thankful for:
1. lunch dates with my husband 2. looking at thankful lists from previous years and realizing all that has happened since then! 3. pretty colors on the horizon this morning 4. sweet prayers of my boy and God's answers to those prayers 5. our ACU family, brothers and sisters in Christ coming together in a time of tragedy 6. singing songs of praise 7. the wonderful pricipal, teachers, faculty and staff at Caleb's school 8. seeing trees full of colorful leaves 9. getting to keep a baby girl for a couple of days 10. an electric bill with this month's paid plus a $42 credit 11. a day to remember our veterans 12. getting to spend a little bit of time with my "forever friend" 13. hearing my boy singing beside me this morning 14. my husband winning a pretty bag for me! 15. money to buy groceries 16. being able to volunteer at my son's school 17. blessing of being together, whatever we are doing 18. sound of laughter 19. getting to see Mrs. Pat tonight and her being awake and trying to talk. God is so good! 20. a nice Thanksgiving meal today with my husband's side of the family, safe travel, nice visit. 21. good report at my dentist appointment today for my check-up 22. the way my boy makes me laugh and smile every day 23. seeing the movie "Courageous" with my husband 24. having a home...This time last year we had our stuff in the moving truck. 25. time with my family I haven't seen lately. 26. enjoying the trip to the deer lease with my boys. Fun memories with my husband, son, father-in-law and two brothers-in-law! 27. seeing our neighbor Laura today, such a blessing to see all the progress she has made and the answers to prayers 28. feeling rested and ready for the week 29. song lyrics that inspire and encourage 30.excitement of the upcoming month and being able to decorate here for the first time.

Have a day of blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving from Laced with Grace!

2011-11-24T14:27:00.000-06:00

Please visit over at Laced With Grace today for a special Thanksgiving message from the Laced with Grace team!

Have a day of blessings!

Thanksgiving Thankful Thursday

2011-11-24T02:28:00.000-06:00

As another Thanksgiving comes, there is so much in my life for which I give thanks. Looking back over the past year, I realize that this time last year we didn't even have a home. All our belongings were sitting in front of my Mom's house in a moving truck which we moved into a rental on Friday. So this year I feel especially blessed with what has happened in the past year and how God's plan and timing has been perfect through it all. We could not figure out or have known how things would end up, and now looking back I am thankful over and over again for all the details that HE figured out for us....getting the wonderful house we have now, our son's teacher last year when we moved as well as this year's teacher, new friendships that we've made, our new church family and the ways we have been able to serve with this new church, my husband's job and the people he is influencing.

Today I am thankful for...
~ having a wonderful day with my husband on Wednesday, just the two of us. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then went to see the movie "Courageous." That is a wonderful movie and I highly recommend it!

~ my son and all the ways he makes me laugh and smile every day. He is so much fun. Also, he had a little injury Sunday. Part of his face was was scratched and bruised. I'm thankful it was not worse.

~ having Thanksgiving with my husband's side of the family. We got to go on Sunday, and I was thankful how it worked out for us to get together with his parents, brothers and family.

~ the miracle we got to witness last weekend. You can read about it in my previous post! God is amazing!

~ getting to enjoy days off with my boys! I'm glad for changes in our routine!
Have a day of blessings!

Thank you God for miracles!

2011-11-22T13:00:00.001-06:00

I wrote previously about the ACU bus crash that happened on November 4. One student died in the crash and others were seriously injured. When I look at the pictures, it is just shocking that anyone lived. One of the injured was Mrs. Pat. She had been unconscious since the accident in a hospital in San Angelo.
Saturday we received word by email that Mrs. Pat was being moved to an Abilene hospital's hospice care. Tests had shown no brain activity, and the family thought she was at the end of her life. Well Saturday afternoon she woke up and started asking her family questions!

Not knowing this yet, we went by to see her. The family was talking with the doctor, but the nurse told me I could go on in her room. I was so surprised to walk in her room and see her eyes open...not at all what I expected. Then she started moving her mouth trying to talk to me and pointed to her trach. I was just so amazed. I got my husband from the hall and we prayed with her. As we were leaving the nurse said we could talk to her family now. They were in a family room and all of them just had looks of shock on their faces. They said the doctors didn't know what happenened!

Everyone is so amazed and thanking God for this wonderful miracle! Please pray for her and her family in the days ahead.

To God be the glory!

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: A Wedding Invitation

2011-11-18T08:24:00.000-06:00

I'm happy to share with you my review of Alice Wisler's book A Wedding Invtation. This is my third book to read by this author (click to see my reviews of Hatteras Girl or How Sweet It Is).

In A Wedding Invitation Samantha Bravencourt lives near Washington, D.C. where she works at her mother's clothing shop. She receives a wedding invitation in the mail from an old friend, and the wedding ends up very differently than Samantha (or the reader) might expect! Samantha ends up coming into contact with Carson Brylie, who was a fellow teacher at a refuge camp years ago, and one of her former students from the camp named Lien.

As Carson and Samantha work together to help Lien, Samantha has flashbacks to the time she spent with Carson at the refuge camp as her emotions are stirred for the one who broke her heart.

I really enjoy the books this author has written, and this one is no exception. I like the feel of her books, the way she writes, her characters and settings, and how the books seem unique from other authors' writing styles.
And one more thing, I really like this cover a lot.

Thank you to Bethany House publishers for providing this book for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-17T01:30:00.000-06:00

We have so many blessings. Just look around a take a minute to appreciate the blessings in your life right now.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband's love and companionship. I love the comfortable feel of just being with him.

~ my son's health and how he is growing as he should. Even though it is hard to admit he is growing up, I'm thankful he IS and is healthy!

~ winning a pretty bag in a giveaway :) Here is a picture of it. My husband's name was drawn in a giveaway. When my husband saw the price tag, his mouth fell open. This isn't something we'd ever buy ourselves but.is so pretty and purple (my favorite color), and I just love bags! :)

~ listening to music on Pandora while I'm at home. I have enjoyed this so much recently.

~ money for our groceries. I went to the grocery store this week and was thankful for money to buy food plus get a few extras to donate for the local food drive.

Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: Courageous Living Dare to Take a Stand

2011-11-16T10:23:00.001-06:00

I have finished listening to a wonderful audio book called Courageous Living by Michael C. Catt.

From the site:
In the new film COURAGEOUS (from the makers of Fireproof), four police officers are confident and focused when it comes to facing danger on the job. But leading their families at home in a God-honoring way? That takes courage. Because it is important to take a faithful, fearless stand in so many areas of life, pastor and COURAGEOUS executive producer Michael Catt offers Courageous Living as a closer look at biblical themes and characters that inspired the greatly anticipated movie.

My thoughts:
I am so glad I downloaded this book. I found it to be very encouraging to me as a woman. I really enjoyed how the author chose various examples of courageous people from the Bible to make his points. People like Gideon, Ruth, Daniel, and Stephen are examples of what courage really looks like.

We need courageous leaders in our homes, churches, and workplaces. We need men to step up and lead their families as they are commanded to do in the Word. This book is a great way to encourage men and show them how to live as men of courage in a world where we do not see many men living courageously.

Although some of this book is directed to men, I highly recommend this book to both men and women. It will challenge and encourage you. It is not a long book and the chapters were less than 30 minutes each making them good for listening to on the drive to and from work. I think it would make a nice gift as well. The narrator, Maruice England, did a good job with this book and I enjoyed hearing him read.

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers program for providing this audio book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #22 and Laced with Grace devo

2011-11-14T21:37:00.001-06:00

I heard this verse yesterday and immediately knew I wanted it to be my new verse for SSMT. Here it is.

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” Psalm 119:37

Also, I have shared a devotional thought on this verse over at Laced With Grace today. Come visit me there!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-10T17:32:00.001-06:00

I'm late today with my thankful post but that's okay! I've had a busy week and full past couple of days as I've been keeping a little 7 month old girl. It was fun to have a baby here, and I'm glad I could help out this family while their regular babysitter was out of town.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband stopping by the store for me on his way home from work. I needed new lunch meat for a few days and also saw that they had cream cheese on sale for $.99 so I wanted some of that too!

~ my son's positive attitude. I have told him recently how nice it is for him to have his positive attitude about doing his spelling practice for homework.

~ getting our electric bill with at $42 credit!!!! Last month we thought it was WAY high (higher than the previous month which made no sense since the temperature was lower and we didn't use the A/C as much), but I kinda forgot about it and didn't call about it to check why. This month it was such a blessing to find the credit!

~ seeing the colors of fall. It makes me smile to see the leaves changing colors now.

~ reading all the thankful posts this month on Facebook. It is so nice to see all the thankfulness and read as others share their thankful hearts.
Have a day of blessings!

Shoe box time

2011-11-09T17:11:00.004-06:00

It's time again to get those shoe boxes ready for Operation Christmas Child. If you have never packed a shoe box before, I would encourage you to take the time to do so this year. It is a great project for your family and a nice way to think of others and make a difference to a child this Christmas.

You can get easy to follow step-by-step directions for packing a shoe box at Samaritan's Purse. Also, you can find a location where you can drop off your shoe box as well.

Have a day of blessings!

Coming together

2011-11-05T21:35:00.001-05:00

Friday afternoon I saw a Facebook status from a news station that there was a wreck involving a bus of students and faculty from ACU. It wasn't confirmed who it was, but my heart sank as I knew of a group from the department of agriculture heading to a children's home to do a weekend of service work. I checked a map and found the location of the wreck would have been on the path to the children's home so I waited to hear more. Soon it was confirmed that it was that group of students headed to the children's home. The driver had lost control and the bus flipped. The passengers were seriously injured and flown to area hospitals. One ACU student died.

I know some of these people personally. Just last Saturday I was speaking to one of the ladies about the trip. It just doesn't seem real that these same people are now injured and this same lady is in critical condition in ICU.

I am proud to be a graduate of ACU. It was a wonderful place and holds so many memories for me. Once word got out about the accident, people from all over were gathered around lifting everyone up in prayer. A prayer vigil was held on campus. I noticed at this time that when one part of the body suffers, we all hurt as brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a blessing too to be able to come together to encourage and lift each other up during hard times. You can read an article here about the ACU community from the ACU campus newspaper.

Please join me in praying for the ACU family and all those involved...the parents who had to receive such devastating news, friends, roommates, professors, the ag department, the driver of the bus.

My heart has been so saddened by this devastating tragedy. I have been reminded how life can change in an instant. We never know how much time we will be here. Make the most of your days. Enjoy your family and friends. Make happy memories. Do the things you enjoy. Live for Jesus.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-03T08:30:00.003-05:00

Time for a new month of Thankful Thursday this first Thursday of November. We are meeting this month at Women Taking a Stand. It has been nice to see all the thankful posts from many of my friends the past three days on Facebook statuses.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband working to provide for our family. He deals with many different challenges. A couple got resolved at the beginning of the week, which was a blessing for him.

~ my boy telling me after supper last night with a hug that he liked my food.

~ our warm beds and home and vehicles with heat on this chilly morning.

~ having a very productive day at home. I got a lot done yesterday and it felt good to get those things marked off my list. I'm hoping to have another productive day today.

~ the enjoyable time I had last weekend at a ladies retreat at our church. The topic was contentment. I enjoyed the time with the other ladies.

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #21

2011-11-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." --Psalms 68:19

Have a day of blessings!

Giving Thanks Challenge 2011

2011-11-01T08:44:00.001-05:00

It is time once again for the Giving Thanks Challenge which is hosted by South Breeze Farm. I've participated the past two years I believe and was looking forward to November and participating again this year.

I will be adding something I am thankful for every day this month at the top of my blog. Here are my lists from previous years: 2009 and 2010 It was fun for me to read the two lists and remember the times we were going through those years and think about how much has changed for us since then.

Visit South Breeze Farm to join in the giving of thanks every day this month!

Have a day of blessings!

Song: My Beloved

2011-10-31T09:25:00.002-05:00

This song came on as I was listening to Pandora this morning. I hope it encourages you today. You are beautiful and so very loved by our Heavenly Father.

Have a day of blessings!

Review: The Mercy

2011-10-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

I was happy to be able to review The Mercy by Beverly Lewis. I've been reading books by this author for many years! This is the third book in The Rose Trilogy. I have read all three books, I don't believe I posted reviews here though.

In this book we have several story lines. The main character, Rose, who is starting to feel she will be single all her life until she meets a boy from another district.

Rose's sister, Hen, is living back at home along with her Englisher husband and their daughter. They were separated because of differences they had encountered in their lives when Hen missed her Amish lifestyle, and then he came to live with Hen after he was in a car accident and lost his vision.

Another storyline of the book is Mamm and her impending surgery for her pain she's lived with for many years.

I enjoyed this book as I did the others in this series. However, I did feel it had an abrupt ending. Some of the story seemed to be so drawn out and then it just seemed to end too quickly.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday + 5 love languages!

2011-10-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

Brrrr! We woke up to a chilly morning outside. It is nice to feel fall in the air after our hot, hot summer.

I had a story to share with you today as part of my thankfulness. Are you familiar with the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman? The five languages include: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. The idea is that we each have a way that we feel most loved. There are quizzes you can do to determine which area is your main love language. It's very helpful in marriage and any relationship to know that you are showing love in a way that speaks with the other person. Otherwise they may be left feeling unloved just because you aren't showing them love in the way that means the most to them.

I tell you that to share this story of how my husband just filled up my love tank yesterday. He always does sweet little things for me, but I told him last night that he specifically showed me love in all five love languages. First thing in the morning when I was getting dressed I found a note on my nightstand thanking me for what I do and a twenty dollar bill (Receiving Gifts). He said he wanted me to spend it on a surprise on myself. It was a total surprise for me that he would do this, which I told him. Later he told me he knew I didn't like to spend money on myself, and he just wanted to give me a little and make me go buy something for myself. We had lunch together (Quality Time). As we were leaving I could just see his love for me as he shared from his heart about how beautiful I am to him (Words of Affirmation). He brushed my hair (Physical Touch)-- I had gotten a trim and love to have my hair brushed, it felt nice for him to do that. In the evening he helped fold some clothes (Acts of Service) and laid by me on the floor and talked a while about nothing in particular (more Quality Time). It just felt like such a wonderful day, and I am so thankful for all the ways my husband showered me with love. I told him he could have done one of those things and I would have felt loved! But for him to do all of them on the same day...just because (no special occasion or making up from a disagreement I mean)...made me feel so loved and special! I share this in hopes that you will find ways to show love in tangible, understandable ways to your spouse, children, and friends.

Also on my thankful list this week....

~ my husband (see above!).

~ my sweet boy and his wake-up snuggles he's been giving me each morning.

~ beauty of fall I've noticed....pumpkins, leaves, sunrises.

~ a new pair of house shoes to keep my toes warm!

~ answers to prayer this week.

Join us at Spiritually Unequal Marriage to link up for Thankful Thursday this week!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday!

2011-10-20T09:04:00.003-05:00

Join with us for Thankful Thursday this month at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

It's been another week, another week full of blessings. I've been reminded this week how quickly life can change. Our neighbor was involved in a serious car accident last Friday. She's had surgeries and is facing more in the coming days. She is making progress which is good and still has a long road of recovery. Pray for her and her family as they deal with all of this. This reminded me how life is a precious gift and to appreciate the ones in your life. The simple routine of seeing her in the mornings as she walks with her kids to school has changed, something that I didn't think much about until she's not out there walking each morning.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband getting home a few minutes early. Sometimes he can't leave right at "quitting time," so it feels like a special treat when he's home a few minutes earlier than I expect him.

~ my boy always making us laugh and smile with the funny things he says. After school yesterday he got in the car and said I wonder why all those teachers are wearing Texas Rangers tshirts today. I told him it was because the Rangers were in the World Series. Then later he asked me are the Rangers a football or baseball team? It made me laugh, we aren't big sports fans here!

~ being able to volunteer at the school. This week I got to help in the library and with picture day.

~ savings I've had in my shopping this week. I'm not one of those extreme couponers but I do like to save when I can. I had a couple of BOGO free coupons for shampoo. And I noticed bananas were a few cents cheaper this week. Not that it amounted to much savings but I still noticed because most prices are going up! Also, I love that our little local store has half-price meat first thing in the mornings. I like to go about once a week after I take my boy to school and buy a large pack, cook it, and freeze it so it's ready when I need it for meals.

~ the memories I have of Peepaw. I always miss him, but I've thought of him more this week. It seems lately everywhere there is a reminder of him. I did not think about how hard it would be to go back to the hospital where I saw him last. As I walked up to the big building, my heart was thinking of the memories of that day when I saw him for the last time. When I took my boy to Dairy Queen for an after-school ice cream, a teenage boy came in with his grandparents and it made me miss those ice cream treats with Peepaw.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: Spot the Puppy

2011-10-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

I received a copy of the children's book Spot the Puppy by Emily G. Simmons in the mail for my review. This is book one in a series about Spot.

In book 1 Spot faces a test to stand up for what is right in a hard situation. He's trying to make a new friend, but the new friend is doing things Spot knows are wrong. He learns a lesson about choices and friendship.

This is a good story with a good lesson, and I feel this will make a nice series to teach lessons on values to children. Since it is a children's book, I felt it could be more appealing to younger children with more illustrations and fewer words per page. Also I found several grammatical and typographical errors in this book which was distracting to me as a reader.

Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday

2011-10-17T04:48:00.000-05:00

I haven't participated with Marriage Monday lately but I thought I would this week. The topic is Infertility and the writing prompt I've chosen is: Did you suffer any miscarriages or have difficulty conceiving?

Those of you who know us or have read my blog know that we suffered a miscarriage in January 2003. This was our first pregnancy, and we were so excited to find out we were expecting, sharing the news with family members during the Christmas holidays. We were devastated when we lost our baby. We were surprised to be pregnant and then have that taken away so suddenly. Since I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), we wondered if we would be able to conceive again or have other miscarriages.

I remember several things about that time. Looking back I believe I was depressed during that time. When I went back to the classroom I did not feel I was as good of a teacher as I was prior to the miscarriage because something in me had changed. It is one of the most painful times of my life, yet I can honestly say now that God has used that pain to teach me and bring me closer to Him. Before the miscarriage I never knew the pain someone could feel over such a loss. One thing I learned is that everyone grieves differently with this kind of loss and that is okay. Another thing I learned is to be careful with my words when people are facing times of grief. Many people don't know what to say and often say hurtful things, I think often without realizing it probably. While I learned that words can hurt deeply, a third thing I learned in this time was the value of an encouraging word. I had many people who were supportive and praying for us, and it really meant a lot. Several people remembered me on my first Mother's Day and one friend sent me a special Mother's Day Precious Moments figurine.

When I hear of someone who has had a miscarriage now, my heart hurts for them as I remember my own pain. If you have a friend or family member who has faced a loss, remember their baby with them. Don't act like they were never pregnant. Ask how they are doing and show you care. Let them talk or cry if that is what they need. Remember special days like Mother's Day, Father's Day, and the baby's due date.

Thank you for visiting today for Marriage Monday. Visit Chrysalis and find others writing on a variety of themes related to infertility today.

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #20

2011-10-16T16:19:00.003-05:00

I realized I was off on my numbers so this one is really verse #20!

The verse I chose is I John 2:28:
"And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before hm at his coming."

Have a day of blessings!

Building Character: Creativity

2011-10-15T02:30:00.000-05:00

Our recent family lesson was on the character quality of creativity. I knew this would be another fun lesson for us, and I was right!
We have a poster board where we are keeping a list of all the character qualities we study. Caleb writes them with marker, however he wants, on the poster. He got down on the floor to start writing as I started spelling CREATIVITY. He was writing it in a pattern with the letters going backwards and forwards. I almost stopped him and then I thought "wait, what is the word he is writing?" and let him continue writing it in his own creative way!

For the lesson we talked about our Creator God and His creativity in creating us and our world. We talked about ways we could be creative at home and at work/school to do routine things in a new and fun way.

For an activity I gave each of us 15 sticks. We sat in different areas of the house, I set the timer, and we each had to create something. My creation was totally different from the other two. Daddy added stuff to his which was creative because we hadn't said you couldn't use anything else in your creation. It was a fun quick activity to show how we all think differently and come up with different things.

Daddy's little house with extra items for a roof.

Caleb's little building

I wrote a word with my sticks. I was going to write LOVE but didn't have enough sticks!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

This month we are joining over at Lynn's blog Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

This week I am thankful for...

~ the way my husband shows his love for me. This week it made me smile when I thought he was leaving for work, but I saw him in the garage instead. He was checking my tire and adding some air to it. It made me smile that he stopped to do this for me. I was able to go to the shop and have the leak fixed that same day.

~ snuggles from my boy in the morning. It makes me smile when he wakes me up with his sweet voice, smile, and snuggles.

~ finding some great deals for winter clothes for my boy at a consignment sale.

~ the nice three day weekend we had last weekend with my "boys" home from work/school on Monday. We enjoyed spending the day together. Sleeping late was nice too.

~ rain! We had a beautiful rainy weekend. We have desperately needed the rain and everyone seemed to be so thankful to have that answer to prayer.

Have a day of blessings!

A year ago...

2011-10-07T05:29:00.000-05:00

We were excited to sign the papers to close on our new house on October 11, 2010. We knew a couple of the rooms needed to be repainted....we did not want bright blue or purple bedrooms! Plus there were some other things we wanted to do before officially moving in. We had it all planned out to sign the papers and then be ready to move in by the end of the month.
Well if you followed my blog last year you know that nothing went as we had planned! On October 7, 2010, we got the unexpected news from our Realtor that we were not going to be able to sign the papers on Monday.  The hold-up was caused because the TX Attorney General put a hold on the sale of foreclosures in the state. I didn't understand all the legal jargon associated with this...it basically meant though that our plans were on hold because the house we were buying was a foreclosure property and the banks had to verify they were handling the paperwork correctly.  We did not have any idea when we'd be able to continue so we were in a waiting game.

My husband was starting his training for his new position. We were renting a duplex and had assumed we'd be out by the end of October.  The days went on and on, and it was a very frustrating time. I remember waiting to hear something, anything from our Realtor each day, hoping he'd have some sort of good news or date for us. We even got a lawyer involved to try to help us through the process of figuring out our options.  We went to look at other houses as well because it just didn't seem this one was going to work.

It was quite the roller coaster for us all. We didn't know what was going to happen from day to day really. It was just waiting and praying, trying to see what God would have us do next. Being the planner that I am I did not like not knowing what was coming. I did not like that all the plans I had made regarding the house and where we would live and not wanting to be separated from my husband and getting my son into a new school were not working out like I thought they should from my perspective. I wasn't angry during this time, I just didn't like not knowing.

So today I remember how this time last year our plans changed suddenly and without warning. I remember how God used this time to teach us some valuable lessons about Himself and His plan and timing during the period of unknowns and waiting.

I heard this song on the radio this week, and I was immediately taken back to that time. Because on October 7 and October 8 and 9 and 10 and on and on when I didn't know what was going to happen, I still held on to my faith that God had a plan for us. He had things to teach us and used the time to bring us closer to Him and closer to each other. We couldn't see the whole picture like He could.

Here is the song for you to hear. It has such great lyrics.

Looking back a year later, it is still crazy to me how it all worked out. I think I am still processing it all that we are actually here! The timing of everything fit together just beautifully. He knew that all along, even though I could only see what was happening in the day to day moment. Aren't you thankful that He has a bigger perspective than us?

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

Hope this has been a good week for you! I am glad it's time for another Thankful Thursday. Welcome! This month we are joining over at Lynn's blog Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband's safe travel this week. I'm especially glad he's home too!

~ my sweet boy and our relationship. I don't want to take this for granted. He is such a blessing and I love our talks when he tells me what he's thinking and feeling!

~ all that has happened for our family in the past year. Tomorrow I will share a reflection about one year ago.

~ the cooler temperatures we've had lately. After so many days with temperatures over 100 degrees, the cool mornings and evenings have been so nice. I really enjoy the breeze as I sit in car line to pick up my boy after school.

~finding good deals on meat at my local grocery store. :) It makes me happy to feel like I can find good deals and save us a few dollars.
Have a day of blessings!

Building Character: Courtesy

2011-10-04T14:17:00.004-05:00

Our recent Wednesday night family lesson was on the topic of courtesy. I found so many great ideas for this lesson and it turned out being very fun.

We talked about courtesy and what that looks like in our lives. We looked up some verses related to using courteous words and this verse in I John 3:18--"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." Another point we talked about was thinking before speaking to make sure what we say is appropriate and courteous.

For the activity we did an activity I found on the Kids of Integrity site.

I mixed up chocolate pudding and put it into two bags.

Then I cut a tiny hole in the bottom corner of each bag. I gave my husband and son both a bag and a plate and told them to decorate the plate with the pudding.

One of their creations

Once the pudding was out of the bag, I told them now they needed to put it back into their bag. My husband turned his bag inside out and using it as a glove tried to pick up the pudding so it would be in the bag. Then my son tried this too. It made quite the mess!

I made the point that it was easy and fun to squirt the pudding out of the bag and make designs and then quite difficult to get all the pudding back into the bag. It is the same with our words. If we say things without thinking, those words are out and we can't take them back again or "unsay" them. Once they are out they are out. Sometimes people will remember the words we say forever, long after they are spoken and maybe even forgotten by the speaker. We need to make sure our words are uplifting and courteous to others.

This was a fun lesson and serves as a great reminder to all of us to be courteous in our words and actions.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: False Pretenses

2011-10-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

I finished reading book #1 in the Secrets of Roux River Bayou series called False Pretenses by Kathy Herman. I have had this book sitting in my pile to read for several months. When I picked it up to read, I had a hard time putting it down! And I am excited that book #2 (Dangerous Mercy) just came out last week. I look forward to reading it as well.

In False Pretenses we meet Zoe Broussard who owns a Cajun eatery with her husband, Pierce. She loves her town and the people there including her neighbors Vanessa and Ethan (characters from the Sophie Trace Trilogy). When she starts getting anonymous notes in random places, she is afraid for her life, her business, and her marriage. She is scared that a secret she has hidden for years is going to end up causing danger for herself and those she loves.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Ethan want to begin work restoring the Langley Manor. They have a disturbing mystery of their own though.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a real page turner for me! I enjoyed the characters and the setting of Louisiana. This is an area I do not know anything about so it was interesting for me to read as it had some Cajun dialect thrown in here and there.

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #20

2011-10-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

Here is my new verse. It is 2 Corinthians 8:7--

"But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

I read this on a Facebook post one day and then the next week it was part of our Sunday morning sermon on stewardship.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-28T21:25:00.002-05:00

We are meeting for Thankful Thursday over at Grace Alone this month if you want to join us.

This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband's sweet ways, even when he is tired. He has had several very long days this week and still he is so sweet and loving to me. He makes me feel so special and loved.

~ my little boy's excitement and enthusiasm for life and simple things. When I walked to the mailbox earlier with the 3 year old I have been keeping he saw some sticks and picked them up. I told him to put them up by the door for Caleb because I knew Caleb would like them. When we got home from school, I told Caleb there were some sticks by the door for him. Sure enough, he was thrilled with them and has been playing with them since, tapping them together with various beats.

~ encouraging verses from God's Word.

~ fun family lessons on Wednesday nights. I plan to share more about this week's lesson in our "Building Character" theme.

~ seeing a bloom on my lantana. This plan looked dead this summer and I wasn't sure it would make it. I watered it and was excited to see green leaves again recently and then a little bloom as I was backing out of our driveway.

Have a day of blessings!

A little flashback

2011-09-27T14:24:00.002-05:00

I have had a little boy staying with me for a few hours a day last week and part of this week. His Mom is recoving from a surgery so while he's visiting the grandparents he's come over to my house during the day while the grandparents work. He turned three earlier in September and has been a lot of fun. He is a very sweet, smart little guy.

Having a 3 year old has made me think of my 7 year old and what he was like at 3. In some ways it seems so long ago that Caleb was 3 and others it seems like just yesterday. I've realized how grown up and independent my boy is now. It has reminded me of all the things I used to do for Caleb...fixing his drinks, putting on shoes, tying shoes, helping in the bathroom, holding him up to reach the sink to wash his hands, reading to him, singing to him before nap. I no longer do all these things for Caleb. I had kind of forgotten all the things I at one time did all the time for my boy.

I'm so proud of my boy and all the things he can do and continues to learn. I'm glad he still needs me and hope he always feels close to me and knows I'm always going to be here for him, however old he may be!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-22T07:11:00.000-05:00

Welcome! We've been meeting over at Grace Alone this month for Thankful Thursdays.

Today I am thankful for...

~ my husband knowing how to encourage and comfort me when I need it.

~ getting a positive report on my boy from his teacher regarding his reading from a recent assessment they did in class.

~ keeping a little 3 year old boy this week. He has been so fun and I've enjoyed having him. He is so smart and curious.

~ our fun time going to the ACU football game in Dallas over the weekend.

~ being able to pray anytime and know God is listening.

Have a day of blessings!

I can't wait until....

2011-09-21T13:12:00.000-05:00

Today I am sharing a devotional over at Laced With Grace called "I can't wait until..."

Please visit me there to read. Thanks!

Have a day of blessings!

Our weekend

2011-09-20T20:47:00.000-05:00

It has been our "tradition" the past few years to go to Dallas to the State Fair. This year we decided to do something a little different. We have a local fair that we attended (fun though it wasn't the same as the day at the State Fair of Texas) and we went to watch ACU play football at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

We drove to Dallas on Saturday afternoon. My great husband found a Don Pablo's restaurant for our lunch (with a stop at Chick Fil A for Caleb because he doesn't eat Mexican food). My friend introduced us to Don Pablo's several years ago when we'd meet her to eat and I love to go any time I get a chance. I love their chips and salsa! I had chicken enchiladas for my meal. Yummy!

Then we went to Garden Ridge and looked around, another store I enjoy browsing.

By then it was time to go to the stadium. Caleb was excited to drive by Six Flags and see the rides and told us we will need to go there some day for a vacation. My husband told me the stadium was big, but I couldn't have imagined how big.

We got in and it wasn't too crowded. They were having three games so the first game was finishing up and we waited for the ACU game to start at 4. As the fans of that game left we found seats pretty close to the field. We weren't sure we liked it at first but once everyone sat down it was okay. We enjoyed the game, even though ACU lost! Caleb liked watching and part of the time he'd draw on his tablet. He loves drawing and has gotten quite good in our opinion.

We stayed the night and then Sunday went to do a little shopping. We went to the Bass Pro Shop. Caleb had fun climbing on all the boats they had on clearance.

We also went to the Grapevine Mills mall. It was the busiest I'd ever seen it. I found some good deals. While we were there I felt my phone vibrate and had a message about babysitting this week. It was going to be last week but then the plans changed to this week. So this week for a few hours I've had a little 3 year old boy with me. He is so sweet and fun. He is so curious and wants to know why about everything.

Have a day of blessings!

Building Character! Carefulness

2011-09-18T09:03:00.002-05:00

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15, 16

The character quality was carefulness for a recent Wednesday night family lesson. As I was preparing this lesson, I was struck by all the different areas of life where we need to be careful. The children's song "Oh be careful little eyes what you see...." came to mind. We must be careful about the things we see, the words we listen to or read, the places we go. We must also be careful in how we spend our time and our money. There are times we need to be careful so that we will be physically safe. Being careful means making wise choices and thinking about the consequences before making choices.

Are you living carefully?

Have a day of blessings!

Book Review: Megan's Secrets

2011-09-16T16:30:00.003-05:00

Megan's Secrets by Mike Cope is a wonderful book I'd like to share with you today.

This is a touching book that will speak to your heart. Author Mike Cope shares the secrets he learned from Megan, his mentally disabled daughter. One thing that struck me was to read of the people who connected with Megan during her time here. Megan was on the earth for only 10 years, but he shares how in her short time on earth Megan touched countless lives. Now the reader of this book will be another of the many lives touched by Megan!

The writer has challenged me in my own life by sharing what he learned from his daughter. The end of this book was a great reminder to me that this life and the things that happen here are not the end. We have to keep looking forward to our eternal home.
You can just feel the love everyone felt for Megan as you read the stories of her life and thoughts shared by friends and family members. This is an inspring book that will be a blessing to the reader. I hope you will enjoy it as I did.

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The B & B Media Group, Inc. book bloggers 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."

SSMT #19

2011-09-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

My new verse is found in Romans 6:13. It says

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-15T07:24:00.000-05:00

It is such a blessing to participate in Thankful Thursdays. Meet us at Grace Alone this month. I have been doing this for many weeks and I'm glad to stop and give thanks every week.

This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband helping around the house. This week a couple different times he has picked up a few things in the living room for me. It was so nice of him. Also he got supper on the table to have it ready for us when we got home.

~ my son getting a "Bulldog Bone" at school. Last year he got a bunch of these and this year he hadn't received one. He was excited to tell me after school that he got one. It is a piece of paper where the teacher writes something the child did well. He gets to take it to the office and get a sticker, then put it in the giant plastic M & M character for a drawing on Friday out of all the children who received a Bulldog Bone. His teacher wrote on his: Always helps others and is very respectful. :)

~ the wonderful book I listened to this past week called A Marriage Carol. You can read my review of this thought-provoking book in the previous post. It is good for anyone to read and make you think about your life and the choices you make.

~ being able to volunteer at my boy's school. I have my schedule figured out and am able to work Monday afternoons in the library and Friday mornings doing things for 2nd grade teachers. It is so much fun!!

~ comfortable things....cozy bed, our new soft couch, favorite shoes, clothing, comfortable feeling of being with my husband either talking or just being quiet...such a good feeling.

Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: A Marriage Carol

2011-09-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

I received the audio version from christianaudio.com of a book called A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman. It is a wonderful story, and I'm very excited to share it with you.

On Christmas Eve Jake and Marlee Ebenezer are driving in a snow storm to sign divorce papers after 20 years of marriage. On the drive they have an accident due to the terrible storm. Marlee goes looking for her husband and ends up at the home of an elderly man named Jay. Marlee experiences

the ghosts of Marriage Past, Marriage Present, and Marriage Future (like from Dickens' A Christmas Carol). She learns some valuable lessons from the older gentleman, his wife, and the snow.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and highly recommend it to you. It will really make you think about the choices you make in marriage as well as in life in general. As I was listening I thought how valuable it would be if couples considering divorce would have an opportunity like Marlee had to remember and see the impact their choice will have. I think it is a good book for anyone because of the insight it provides on life, how our choices matter and the importance of remembering the past.

This audio version is read by one of the authors, Chris Fabry. He did a great job narrating the story.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this audiobook free from the christianaudio Reviewers 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.”

Have a day of blessings!

Building Character! Attentiveness

2011-09-09T07:16:00.000-05:00

(You can read about the purpose of these lessons in this previous post if you'd like.)

The character quality of one of our recent lessons was attentiveness.

Attentiveness is defined on our list (from Association of Christian Schools International) as "Listening with the ears, eyes, and heart."

The example of Jesus was the passage from Mark 10:46--52. This is the story of the blind man Bartimaeus sitting by the road begging. As Jesus is going by the blind man starts hollering for Jesus to have mercy on him. Everyone tells the man to be quiet. The beginning of verse 49 is what jumped out to me in this lesson. It's just two little words... "Jesus stopped."

I can just picture this scene in my mind....the big crowd leaving the city with Jesus and the disciples and then this blind man starts hollering for Jesus. Think of all the things that Jesus could have done. He could have continued on His way, He could have called back to the man and healed him with His spoken word. But He didn't do that. Instead He stopped.

Jesus cared enough about this man to stop what He was doing to see to this man's need.

The point of our family doing these lessons is for us to learn the character qualities of Jesus that we can emulate. We want to learn ways for us to be like Jesus. So how does this story apply to us?

In my life when someone needs me, do I stop? Do I give them my attention, my FULL attention? Am I attentive to the people around me and listen with my heart to their needs and concerns? This was a great reminder for me to be more attentive to the people in my life.

So many things can be seeking after our attention and if we aren't careful we can ignore the important ones who are calling to us. Do you need to STOP when people around you are calling your name?

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

This month for Thankful Thursday we are meeting at Grace Alone with Iris. Thank you Iris.

My heart has been sad to see all the pictures of the fires in Central Texas that have been posted and shared. I have been praying for the fire fighters and for the families who have lost everything and face such devastation.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband's safe travels as he has been doing a lot of driving this week in his area.

~ sharing some morning snuggles with my boy. I love his cheerful disposition in the mornings (once he's gotten awake!) and the cute things he shares with me.
~ Two times this week (once on the radio and once in a blog I read) I was reminded how as a body of believers when one person hurts, we all hurt together. I'm thankful for this body and the way we come together as a body when members are hurting.

~ the cooler temperatures. Over the Labor Day weekend we had a temperature drop. Our highs have been in the 80s this week and it is such a relief after all the days in the 100s.

~ having a productive week. I like it when I feel like I get things accomplished off of my to do list.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: My Heart's at Home

2011-09-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

During the summer I participated in a Facebook group book study on the book My Heart's at Home by Jill Savage. This is one of the books by this author I had not read yet so I was excited to get the book and read it.

In this book the author writes about the importance of home to a family. Using the analogy of building a house, she gives ideas of how to make your home a safe, welcome place for all the members of your family. Chapters include Home as a Rest Area, Home as a Playground, Home as a Church, Home as a School, and Home as a Trauma Unit to name a few. There are also chapters discussing the role of the children, Mom, Dad and the Mom and Dad as partners.

I gained so much from this book and think it would be beneficial for all mothers to read. It has very practical, real ideas to use in your home as well as stories from Jill and other Mom's that were inspirational to read.

Other wonderful books I recommend by this author include the following: Living With Less, Real Moms Real Jesus, and Professionalizing Motherhood. All of these are excellent resources I keep in my personal library. If you need encouragement as a Mom, any of these would be great!

Have a day of blessings!

Building Character!

2011-09-02T06:45:00.000-05:00

Since Caleb has been in school instead of attending to service at our local church on Wednesday nights during the school year, we have a family lesson time at home. I knew when he was in kindergarten that going would make a late night for him and many nights he was asleep by 7:45. This plan has worked well for us. The teacher in me likes planning the lessons. I have found many of the ideas online and I love putting the lessons together. The first year I did a different topic each month pretty much. Last year was different with our move, but I found some good lessons to do week by week on a website. We have done the Fruit of the Spirit, Creation, and Armor of God to name a few topics.
In the summer I read a book by Jill Savage called My Heart's at Home (which reminds me I need to do my book review on this great resource). In it she included a list of character qualities from the Bible, and the list is from the Association of Christian Schools International. It gives a character trait, definition, verse, and example story of Jesus showing that character quality.

I thought this would be great for our Wednesday night lessons this year as we have started a new school year. We have done two of these lessons so far. I have found it such a great way to learn from each other and thought I might share some of these lessons here on my blog from time to time, maybe on Fridays!

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #18

2011-09-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." I John 4:16

This is my new verse. As I type it and read it I am thinking how do I "live in love" in my daily life. Something to think about.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

I was thinking this morning how it seems there is a lot of bad news everywhere. When we hear all this negativity, it would be easy to just wallow in it and be miserable. I'd like to encourage you today that whatever is happening in your personal life or that you see happening in the world around you that there are many things for which you can be thankful. Take a minute to just stop and focus on the blessings. Focus on the things you don't normally take time to notice.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband working to provide for our family and his concern for us and our safety.

~ my boy having a fun time at an art lesson. Since he enjoyed art camp so much this summer, we decided to let him try the once a week art lessons offered locally at our library. He had a fun time with it and wants to go back! I'm glad he can find things he enjoys doing.

~ being able to volunteer at the school.

~ getting some of the yard mowed. With the recent little bit of rain we had some grass that started growing. I don't know if my husband has ever mowed here, maybe once or twice, since we have lived here because of the drought. I thought I would try and do a little of it. I learned we have a big yard! I mowed till it ran out of gas.

~ learning things together during our family lesson time.

This month we are at Grace Alone if you want to join us for Thankful Thursday.
Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 31

2011-08-31T06:00:00.001-05:00

Day 31: Let's pray for our children's relationship with God.

One of the most important things we can pray for our children is that they will have a personal relationship with God.

Pray for your child to be filled with love for God and that they will know God's real presence in his/her life. Pray for your child to seek a personal relationship with God. Pray that they will learn as they grow daily how much God loves him/her.

Have a day of blessings!

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 30

2011-08-30T04:50:00.002-05:00

Day 30: Let's pray for college students today.
I have several friends who have taken a child off to college this semester. These families have been on my heart and mind.

Pray for college students as they adjust to life away from home in a new setting. Pray for them to make friends. Pray for God to put mentors in their life as they are away from home who can look after them and be an encouragement to them in a personal way. Pray for them to find a new church home. Pray for them to be blessed financially as they seek a degree and that if they are looking that they will be able to find a job in their new city.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 29

2011-08-29T07:17:00.006-05:00

Day 29: Let's pray for protection for our children.

Pray for them to be safe as they travel to and from school. Pray for their physical safety as they are at school. Pray for them to feel safe so they will be able to learn. Pray for them to be protected from the lies of the enemy. Pray that God will watch over him/her, remembering how much He loves your child, even move than you do.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 28

2011-08-28T06:47:00.000-05:00

Day 28: Let's pray for our children to find and use their talents.

As parents we need to encourage our children to figure out what their talents are and find ways to use those talents. I do NOT think this means we need to sign our kids up for every event and lesson possible. Kids need time to be a kid. But we can encourage them in their interests and help them develop those skills.

Pray for your child to recognize their talents and the areas they excel. Pray that they realize it is okay to not be the "best" at every thing they do and that others will win sometimes. Pray that they will find ways to use their talents for God's glory.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: The First Gardener

2011-08-27T17:41:00.004-05:00

I'd like to share a book with you called The First Gardener by Denise Hildreth Jones. The cover is what first captured my attention with this book.

From the publisher:
Jeremiah Williams has been tending the gardens of the Tennessee governor’s mansion for over twenty-five years. And like most first families who have come and gone, this one has stolen his heart.
Mackenzie and her husband, Governor Gray London, have struggled for ten years to have a child and are now enjoying a sweet season of life—anticipating the coming reelection and sending their precious daughter, Maddie, off to kindergarten—when a tragedy tears their world apart. As the entire state mourns, Mackenzie falls into a grief that threatens to swallow her whole.

Though his heart is also broken, Jeremiah realizes that his gift of gardening is about far more than pulling weeds and planting flowers. It’s about tending hearts as well. As he uses the tools that have been placed in his hands, he gently begins to cultivate the hard soil of Mackenzie’s heart, hoping to help her realize what it took him years to discover.

A Southern tale of loss, love, and living, The First Gardner reminds us that all of life is a gift, but our heart is the most valuable gift of all.

My thoughts:
It has taken me a while to read this book honestly (probably because I had other books I was trying to finish as well), but it was a good book. I must warn you that it is sad though. The story is told from the perspectives of the loss faced by several main characters, each who offer something special to the book as a whole. These are all very interesting, well-developed characters, and I think the reader can learn so much from each of these. As I was reading I thought back to high school English class, character analyzing, and how some of the characters would be great for such.

The reader can take away so many lessons from this book in my opinion, even though it is sad. Some of the topics include death, depression, pride, forgiveness, and friendship. This is a good story and the author does a nice job weaving so many different aspects together.

And I don't know why this happened but I wanted to include it in my review: My book totally fell apart. The cover came off and the pages came out in two sections. I haven't treated this book any differently than I ever treat any book so I'm unsure why this happened. It made it difficult to read once it fell out of the cover!

This book was provided to me by Tyndale for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 27

2011-08-27T07:16:00.007-05:00

Day 27: Let's pray for our children to honor and respect their parents and teachers.

Pray for children to honor their parents. Pray they will obey the rules of the school and the home. Pray they will see the importance of honor and respect and want to obey.
Thank you for joining me in prayer this month!
Have a day of blessings!

Book review: The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional

2011-08-26T16:03:00.000-05:00

Are you familiar with author Stormie Omartian? She has written several books on prayer. I was given The Power of a Praying Wife before I got married. Now she has a new book called The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional which I would like to share with you today.

This is a book of 100 devotionals on a variety of topics related to marriage. Each one has a verse, a short writing, and then a prayer. They are about 2 pages each, so it does not take much time to read each one. There are prayers for the wife, the husband, and the couple. This is a book that you can pick up and read all the way through or choose certain prayers about a particular area that applies to your current life situation.

I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to you. There is power in prayer a,nd we need to be constantly praying about our marriages. This book is a great guide to help you do that in a new way and pray about areas you may not have considered previously.

Thank you to Harvest House publishers for providing me a review copy for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 26

2011-08-26T07:15:00.012-05:00

Day 26: Let's pray for our children to have a desire to learn.

Attitude can make a huge difference in the classroom (for both the teacher and the students).

Pray that your child will want to learn new things and be excited about school. Pray that the teacher will encourage this desire to learn and have high expectations for your child. Pray that your child will learn new things this year and be a clear mind and able to learn.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday!

2011-08-25T08:23:00.008-05:00

It is always fun for me to think of my blessings and to stop and think about what I want to share on Thankful Thursday each week. Join us at Women Taking a Stand.
This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband being my best friend. I love how he knows me soooooo well! And that he scoops ice cream for me :) something I don't like to do myself!

~ my boy having a good first week of school. He is enjoying 2nd grade and his teacher. Each day she has brought him to the car she has told me what a great kid he is. I so love hearing his stories about his day and the funny things he remembers!

~ having access to clean water to use daily.

~ the grass growing in our yard. Everything had been so dead and brown. The weeds weren't even growing. On Caleb's birthday weekend we got a nice rain. After that we noticed some grass growing around the house and it has continued to grow. The house looks so different when we drive up and their is green grass around it! I don't know how long it will last as the temperature continues to rise to 100 or more, we've watered some but we are on water restrictions too.

~ the song "Blessings" by Laura Story. I just love it and hearing it on the radio.
Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 25

2011-08-25T07:15:00.009-05:00

Day 25: Let's pray for our children to be a light in the darkness.

I have learned that in public schools our son will see and hear things he has not been exposed to at school and I'm sure this will continue as he is older.

Pray for your child to be different, to be a light amidst the darkness, to be bold and not afraid to stand for truth and doing what is right. Pray for others to notice something different about them in how they handle situations.

Have a day of blessings!

Giveaways

2011-08-24T14:53:00.002-05:00

I've come across a couple of giveaways this week I want to share with you.

The first is a wonderful interview with Laura Story over at Mocha With Linda. Linda is also giving away a copy of Laura Story's CD. Click over to leave a comment and be entered.

Another blog From the Heart of a Bookworm is giving away a $25 Walmart gift card. Click over to leave a comment to be entered for that one too!

Maybe you will win! It's always fun to win a blog giveaway!!

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 24

2011-08-24T05:03:00.010-05:00

Day 24: Let's pray for our children's health.

Pray for your child to make healthy choices and look for ways you can encourage healthy choices in activities and meals. Pray for your child to learn and practice healthy habits like teeth brushing, getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating healthy foods. Pray for your child to feel well and rested each morning to go to school so he/she can learn.

Have a day of blessings!

Join me at Laced With Grace

2011-08-23T12:18:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have a bad attitdue? I'm sure you do at some point if you are human! I have a devotional today over at Laced With Grace about a day I had a bad attitude. Join me there to read it. Thank you!

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 23

2011-08-23T04:02:00.008-05:00

Day 23: Let's pray for our children's friendships.

As we all know friends are such an important part of life. It is important to pray about this part of your child's life as well.

Pray for your child to have friendships with those who will be a good influence on them, who will have high standards and morals, who will be an encouragement to your child. Pray that your child will be a good friend and seek out friendships with the new students or lonely students.

Have a day of blessings!

To my second grader...

2011-08-22T08:07:00.005-05:00

To my Caleb,
As you told me a few weeks ago, it feels like summer went by in 2 seconds. It really did feel like it went fast this year for some reason. We did have a lot of fun together I think. I enjoyed our lazy mornings and how many mornings you'd say "Can we play Wii?" You'd start the game and then I'd come join you for a little Mario. You tried to teach me the truck racing game but I wasn't so good at that! You gave me so much help with laundry, carrying the dirty clothes from the hamper to the laundry room and folding the wash rags for me. I loved how you would sort them and stack them by color. We had our days to go to eat lunch with Daddy and go bowling and to the library storytime. We had our grocery shopping trips where you would mark things off my list for me and remind me to go by the bakery to get a cookie and donut!

It seems hard for me to think that you are going to be a second grader! Kindergarten was hard for me but 1st grade didn't seem as hard. You did so well with the transition to your new school. Now as I think about 2nd grade I have a little sadness, sort of like with kindergarten but not the same. Maybe it is because when I was student teaching, I did part of my time in a 2nd grade class. Now those kids are beginning college...I know how fast those years went between then and now and how soon you will be the college kid. My first year of teaching was 2nd grade and the year I was pregnant with you I taught 2nd grade. One of my favorite teachers was my own 2nd grade teacher. I have a lot of 2nd grade memories and now that time is here for you as well.
As I think of second grade, I guess I also think how what comes next is 3rd grade and TAKS test (or whatever they call it by then) and a new campus. This is our last year at the elementary campus, and it just reminds me that you are growing up. I have been wondering what things you will like in the coming year and how your interests will change as you get older.

I look forward to this year and pray you have a wonderful year as a 2nd grader! Daddy and I are very proud of you and thankful you are our boy!

Love,
Mommy

Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 22

2011-08-22T04:01:00.012-05:00

Day 22: Let's pray for our children on their first day of school.

Around here school is starting this week, today in fact! So let's pray for our children to have a smooth start to the new school year.

Pray for them to be peaceful as they enter a new classroom and have a new teacher, possibly even a new campus. Pray for those who are going to school for the first time, that it will be a fun experience for them and they will have a fun first day. Pray for the children to have a smooth transition from their summer activities to being back in the routine of school.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 21

2011-08-21T04:04:00.015-05:00

Day 21: Let's pray for our children to be blessed this school year.

As we begin praying for our children, let's pray they have a blessed school year. Pray for your child(ren) and grandchild(ren) by name asking God to bless their year with new things and that they will be successful.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 20

2011-08-20T04:03:00.006-05:00

Day 20: Let's pray for college professors.

I did not want to leave out college professors as we pray for our schools as these are important too!

Please join me today in saying a prayer for those who teach at the college level.

Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: The Stoning of Sally Kern

2011-08-19T19:57:00.000-05:00

I would like to share a book with you called The Stoning of Sally Kern by Sally Kern.

This is an eye-opening book, the story of Sally Kern. I was not familiar with her story prior to listening to this book. Let me give you a little background on what happened: Mrs. Kern, District 84 House of Representatives member from Oklahoma, was attacked by homosexuals after give a speech to a Republican club. Pieces of the speech were turned into a YouTube video. In this book she describes the hate mail she received and the attacks on her family because of this video. Many wanted her to apologize and change what she said. She was not going to apologize for speaking truth. She goes on to talk about how Christianity in America is under attack.

There was so much truth presented in this book and I found myself continually shaking my head in agreement. Christian Americans need to not be afraid to stand up as Mrs. Kern has done. But too often we do not because we don't want to hurt someone else's feelings.

As I was looking on a site where I will also post this review, this book has clearly angered many because Mrs. Kern has taken a stand against homosexuality. She is not mean or hateful in the way she does it either. One thing I noticed in the book was how she received all this hate mail and complaints for her supposed "hate" of homosexuals yet the things that were said to her where much more vile and hateful than anything she even said!

It's clear that our society is very much against those who stand up against the sin of homosexuality. If you go look at other review sites, those who speak out in favor of this book are criticized!

The narrator (Tamara Kaye Adams) did a good job with this reading. It took me a little bit to get used to her voice, but I thought she did a nice job.
Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing this audio book to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

31 days: Day 19

2011-08-19T04:03:00.013-05:00

Day 19: Let's pray for high school teachers.

Pray for them to make a difference in the lives of their students. Pray that they will be interested in their students' lives and that they care for them. Pray as they prepare lessons that they will think of things to reach all the learners in their classroom. Pray that they will take a personal interest in the lives of those students who don't have many friends or parental support.

Thank you for praying with me. Soon I'll be listing specific prayers for students.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

Today we are meeting at Women Taking a Stand. Come join us and share in giving thanks!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband being wise in his decisions. We are possibly selling his truck for one that gets better gas mileage since he drives quite a few miles every day to work.

~ my sweet boy and the fun times we've had this summer. Next week he starts school. We have had fun and are sad to see the end of summer but look forward to what this year holds too. He made me breakfast this morning. He said he just wanted me to know how special I was to him. :)

~ how well the birthday party went for our boy last weekend. It started storming here at about 5:30 in the morning. Then a steady rain was coming down and stopped by the time the party was starting. The boys had fun and the cooler temperatures were so nice. Then we had lunch at our house and that went well too.

~ friendships at our new church.

~ our comfortable bed.

Have a day of blessings!