I want you to know...

Several months ago Justin and I talked to our church about joining with 2 other couples and teaching a young married Sunday School class. One of the many thoughts that we all had was that it would be nice to have a group of people that are in our age group/walk of life to do life with.  

Little did I know that so soon after our group started meeting that we would be going through such a huge loss. On Monday, December 23rd, a young wife/mother lost her life. I am still in shock about this and I can only imagine what her husband is going through. 

The loss of this precious life has had me thinking. First of all I have been telling people how much I love them. If for some reason God wants to take me to heaven at a moments notice, I want everyone that I love to know that I loved them. 

Second, I have been thinking about salvation. There are people in my life that I am always praying for, that they will find the truth about God and his son Jesus. That they will realize that the only way to get to heaven is to have a relationship with God. I used to use the term "saved", and while that is still a valid term, I feel like it should be explained in a different way. For example I could say I was "saved" at age 14, then go on and live my life however I please, but of course I would say I am "saved" and that I know that I am going to heaven. I think that there are a lot of people who feel this way.

A good way to think about it is like this: Once I met the band News Boys (christian music band). I even got to drive them around town! That was when I was in high school. Currently I listen to some of their songs on the radio and of course I tell people about the time I got to drive them around town. So with that being said, does that mean I am friends with them? Do you think if I called them up they would verify that yes indeed they had met me back in my high school days? My guess is that they would not even remember. You see if I don't continue to have a relationship with them, why would they have any reason to remember meeting me? 

In my opinion, our relationship with God is the same way. If I am not building a relationship with him. Learning about him, telling others about him, talking to him through prayer, reading the Bible, then why should He remember me the time back in the day when I asked him to save me, to be my heavenly father? 

This is just something to ponder. If you haven't started a relationship with God then now is the time. You never know when your last breath will be, so make the most of each moment that you have. If you have any question about God, salvation or a relationship with God, please leave a comment and way to reach you. I would be happy to talk to you about it.

Till death do us part...

Today makes 7 years ago I said "I do" to an amazing man! I don't know what life would be like with out my wonderful husband Justin, but I do know that it would not be good.

I think so many people have such a distorted few of what marriage should be like. They see these romantic movies or read novels with amazingly written love stories in them and they think that is how their marriage should be. But the truth is that life is not a movie or a novel. We are all, by nature, selfish people.

Justin and I do not have a perfect marriage. We have had arguments, we have shed tears. I can even remember a time when I was so mad, I put Ian in the car and just drove for a while. I didn't know what I planned to do but I knew I didn't want to be in the same house as my husband. So, how did we get past these moments? Well here are the three things that I feel like have played the biggest part in keeping us together.

1. God. Justin and I both have a relationship with God and put God first. Knowing that the Bible only gives a few justified reasons for divorce, we have pushed through those hard times and have not given up.

2. The 5 Love Languages. This book has very much saved our marriage. I had no clue that there were different ways people show love until we read it. My love language is gifts and words of affirmation and Justin's is acts of service and quality time.  There are times when we are both right on top of it. I'm doing laundry, cleaning house and making dinner. Justin gets me flowers, leaves notes and tells me I'm beautiful. Then there are other times when we have just got used to the way things are going. Like recently, Justin has been doing the laundry and I just decided to let him. I hate laundry. But that is no excuse to stop filling Justin's love tank. We like to have a talk every now and then and ask each other how our "love tanks" are doing. I'm actually considering re-reading the book so I can get some more ideas on how to speak Justin's love language.

3. Communication. I think everyone can agree that this is a biggie! It is so difficult sometimes because I want Justin to just be able to read my mind and know what I want or know how I'm feeling. But he can not. And I can't read his either. They won't know what you don't tell them.

Now, you might be thinking that I have been focusing on the bad parts of marriage. But friends, these bad times, once worked through have led to the most beautiful of times, times where we lay on the bed and laugh, times where we cry. It really is wonderful and I couldn't imagine life with out my husband, good times and bad times. He is my earthly rock (God is my heavenly rock).

Here is a song we had sung at our wedding. I believe with all my heart that our story is the second greatest story ever told (the song says the greatest story, but we can't really compete with God loving us so much that he gave his son for us)! Happy Anniversary baby! I love you and respect you so much!

Snow days...

Ian's school was canceled both yesterday and today due to bad weather. I thought it pretty funny that it was canceled yesterday because there was nothing in the morning. But they closed it in preparation, so that was nice. It was super cold and I didn't want to get out anyways. :) 

It started yesterday, the sleet and freezing rain. But then this morning, well we woke up to a winder wonderland! The boys of course wanted to go outside. I didn't want to at first, but my friend Tara kind of talked me into it. We were out there all of 5 minutes before the boys got too cold and headed back inside! Which I was fine with. We came inside and Ian and I enjoyed some hot chocolate, which is new. They haven't wanted hot chocolate in the past! 

We were out there long enough to get some good pictures though! Enjoy our winter wonderland.

It's days like these...

For some reason today was a day that I wanted to drink a Diet Dr. Pepper. I will not though. I have gone with out one for 194 days. I am planning to celebrate when I hit 200 days. I will not celebrate by drinking one though ;) 

See what I mean? This was on my windshield this morning!

Days like these I also wish I could snuggle in bed for a few hours before having to get up. I don't like getting up on cold mornings. Well who am I kidding, I don't like getting out of bed on most mornings, I am not a morning person!

It's time...

I realized that at some point I have to stop saying "we just moved here". We have been in our "new" town for almost a year now. 10 1/2 months to be exact. At church on Sunday we met a couple who had their grand-kids visiting from Edmond! I'm pretty sure I said "cool we just moved here from there!".

I do love it here in our "new" town. I love our new house and our new neighbors. However, I can't help but still miss the way things were. I feel left out when I hear the news of a friend being pregnant, even though I am finding out with everyone else, for some reason being far away makes me feel left out. 

I feel far away and I can tell that my friendships are slipping away. Not in a we aren't friends kind of way, but in a we live far away so we don't see each other kind of way. It is a natural part of moving, I know. It is also one of the harder parts of moving. 

I am thankful for things like email, texting and Facebook, as it helps us stay connected more than if we didn't have those things. However, I sometimes wonder if not having those things would make it easier to part. You know because you wouldn't know about the things that are going on so you wouldn't miss it as much. Maybe not. 

Okay, I better get out of this slump. I have plenty to be thankful for and I need to think on those things.

Here's the story...

Wow, so much has been going on in the life our our little family! God is so good and I am so glad to be his child.

As most of you know, in December of 2012 God moved our family to a new place.  This was not all together unexpected, as my husband had been applying for new jobs for a while. Part of me was thrilled with the news of moving! I was so happy for my husband and so proud of him for getting this job. The other part of me was not that excited. I was going to be leaving my friends and my family and the town that I knew and loved.

From day one of my husband applying for jobs, God had this under his control. If he would have gotten this job when he first started applying I would never have met my friend Lindsey. Lindsey in turn introduced me to several other people and invited us to go to church, where we now call our church home. You see three years ago she was over seas doing mission work.

Moving on though to the most recent of God stories. Several months ago Lindsey messaged me that her parents were going to be selling the house her grandparents use to live in. They wanted to know if we would be interested in buying it. I was very excited, because not only was it in the school district we wanted to be in, but it was super close to Justin's work! So we decided we would take a look at it.

Now I should mention that we had been renting a duplex and had a 12 month lease agreement signed.  In order to leave in good standing we had to wait till 75% of our lease was up before breaking the lease. 

Okay, to continue with the story...

So Justin and I took a look at the house. It was really cute, but in the end we decided it was a little too small for us. We were kind of bummed because we would have loved to live so close to Justin's work and next door to our friends! During this time I really felt like God was telling us to wait till August to do anything about a house. At the time I thought August would have been the 75% mark, but really September was. 

So August 1st came around and I was back on zillow and realtor.com looking for houses. We got a realtor and set up times to go look at houses. I was SO excited. I was really ready to move into our forever home. 

One day in the midst of all of this we had to take our car into the shop to have the breaks replaced. So on that day I took Justin to work. I decided to drive through the neighborhood behind his work (the neighborhood that our friends house was) to get back home. That is when I saw it. This amazingly cute house. I knew that as soon as I got home I would have to look it up. 

And that is what I did, however the sign must have just been put up because there was no evidence of it online. All afternoon I would continue to look, then about 2 pm it finally appeared! I was in love! But the price was over the price we had told our realtor we wanted to spend. I decided I would show Justin anyway and see what he thought. 

To make a long story longer we decided to take a look at it in person. I fell in love even more. Thankfully I have a husband who is smart and thinks things through, because I would have put an offer on it right then and there. But we didn't. We went home, worked out a budget to make sure we could afford it and then after a week we put an offer down. 

They accepted!!! I was SO excited. I truly believe this is the house God had in mind for us when he told me to wait till August, when he had us get our breaks worked on so I had to take Justin to work and drive by it, when he had us turn down the house our friends were selling.  He knew we would end up being in the school district we wanted, be close to Justin's work and have those same friends as neighbors!

I can't wait to see how God is going to use this house to further his kingdom. We are excited to get the process started to become foster parents, we want to be able to host get togethers for church and birthday parties for the boys and host those who need a place to stay! I am just really excited (can you tell?)!!!!

So there you go. That is the story of the House That God Built. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!! Praise and glory to him forever and ever amen!!

Kansas City, Kansas City her I come...

Have I mentioned lately that I have an amazingly awesome husband? Well I do! This past weekend he let me drive up to Kansas City and visit one of my very dear friends and her family!  That means he spent 4 days taking care of the boys with out any help! I know, I am so blessed to have him. 

I had such a great time getting to visit with my friends the Irwin's. You have heard me talk about them before. Here is her blog. They are the ones who are adopting this sweet boy. 

They are also fostering another little baby boy, whom we will call J. Sorry you won't get to see pictures of him, but you can trust me when I say he is a cutie!

One of the funnest parts of our weekend was getting to go to a place called Country Club Plaza. We walked around, had lunch and shopped. Then Liesl and I got to stay in a hotel and have our Miss America watching party! We got dressed up in our wedding dresses in honor of the event. I know, you want to be as cool as us, but friends I just don't think it is possible. :) 

Drawing near to God...

Last night was an emotional night. I should back up to earlier in the day at soccer practice for Ian.

Ian did not do good during soccer practice. I'm not talking about his talent, but his attitude. He was just throwing fits right and left. Crying and screaming and fighting us on everything. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed. By the end of practice I finally just took him to the car to wait while Justin brought everything back to the car. 

On the way to the car Ian began to scream "my head, my head, I'm thirsty, my head hurts, I'm thirsty!" At this point I began to get worried about it. We got in the car and I looked to see if there was any water, of course the one time we need it we didn't leave any in the car. So I drive closer to where Justin and Owen are at. Justin brought some water (thankfully) so we got Ian to drinking water. He finally calmed down. Once at home I talked with him about what happened and he went to bed with out fighting us. 

I am thinking that Ian was dehydrated. This scared me to death! I felt horrible for not making sure my boy was drinking enough. We had played outside earlier in the day and he didn't drink much then either. By the time that Justin and I went to bed it was just too much. I began to cry and couldn't stop. I was so scared that God was going to take one of our boys away from us. It was unlike any feeling I have ever had. 

I got up and checked on Ian, took him to the bathroom to make sure he had enough in him to go, then I got back in bed and just kept crying. I think it scared Justin a little bit because at one point he got up and checked on Ian. He prayed with me and worked on calming me down. 

I just couldn't shake it. So I finally just got on the floor, on my knees, and began to cry out to God. I'm talking head on the floor, tears flowing down the face crying out to God kind of praying. I don't think I have ever done this with such strong emotions. 

I wish that my words could capture the intensity of last night. Sadly I am not that great of a writer. I do want to say that after about 20 minutes, well it at least felt like that long, it probably was like 5 minutes or something, I finally felt a peace from God. I laid down on the floor and began to relax and go to sleep. At some point I crawled back into bed and was able to sleep. Good sleep too. God was truly with us in this house last night. 

I don't know if anyone is reading this, but I really just wanted to post it so that someday I will be able to look back and remember this time. So that I can remember what God taught me, even though I can't seem to put that into words. I pray that God will remind me daily how I should rely on him as I did last night. 

Can I pray for you about anything? Comment and let me know.

First day of school 2013...

Floss, the gift of love...

Yesterday the boys and I were at the store getting our weekly groceries. We had got almost everything on the list when I said "Okay, we just need to go to the other side of the store and get some floss for daddy and I." Ian told me that he had plenty of floss that we could have, so I decided to go ahead and check out. 

Well last night as I was going to get my jammies on I noticed that Ian had placed a thing of floss on each one of our sides of the bed! He did this with out telling anyone about it. He didn't draw attention to himself. He simply left us a gift out of love. Or if he is like his daddy, that is just what made sense, because he had told me we could have some. Either way, it filled my Ian love tank and just made me appreciate him all the more! 

Sorry about the picture of my deodorant, I wanted to take the picture as he had left it :)

Owen's new rules...

Today while driving home from the store, Owen decided he wanted to share some new rules with us. They were so funny I thought I would share them with you! Be warned poop is involved. It pretty much always is involved when we are talking about Owen! 

Owen's 1st rule: No pooping in the house. My response was this "well where are we going to go poop then?" Ian's reply "well I guess we could go in the yard like a dog." Me "yeah, but then everyone would see us naked and I don't want to do that. So Owen I think we should keep the rule that we can poop in the house. Okay?" Owen "Okay, I have another rule."

Owen's 2nd rule: No walking in the street. My response "well okay, that is a good rule. But what happens when we go walking in a neighborhood that doesn't have sidewalks and we have to walk in the street? Maybe we should just say no walking on busy streets. Okay?" Owen "Okay."

So now we have our two official rules, 1. it is okay to poop in the house and 2. no walking on busy streets! 

This kid cracks me up! He makes me smile and laugh pretty much everyday!

Things I've learned...

1. Being a Stay at Home Mom isn't as wonderful as it sounds. Do I love my boys? Yes. Do I enjoy staying home with them? Most days. Just like any other job, you have good days and bad days. Embrace the good and forgive the bad. Remember why you do this job and getting through the day will become doable.

2. Loosing weight is hard. Putting it on is easy. Plain and simple.

3. Praying with out ceasing is something I want to be able to do, but with a 3 yo and 4 1/2 yo it is hard.

4. Impromptu silliness with your kids and husband is the best kind. When you plan things they can go wrong, but when it just happens, it is great and you have no expectations!

5. People change, including you. Are you the same person you were when you were 20? I know I'm not. So why do people expect their spouse to be the "same person they married"? Being married takes work, forgiveness and the ability to accept change, both in your circumstances and in your spouse.

6. Being addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper is not an easy addiction to break. Why? Because it technically isn't bad for you, so drinking it is okay.

7. When God tells you something, whether to wait or to do something, then obey. You will find much happiness in doing so. Even if it takes a while before that happiness comes, it will. Keep trusting in the one who is stronger and bigger than anything or anyone!

8. Trying new things can be scary and fun.

9. Cartoons are lame, yet I sometimes I find myself watching them just as intently as my kids do.

10. Friends are irreplaceable. You can make new ones, but the ones you have are each unique and special in their own way! Try not to take them for granted. 

Oh me, oh my...

Tomorrow is August 1st!!! I couldn't be more excited or more anxious of what is to come this month! 

First, Ian starts school. I'm talking back pack toting, school supplies getting school! Most of the time it doesn't phase me, but when he picked out his back pack a few weeks ago, I almost lost it right in the middle of Wal-Mart! At this point I think I will be fine on the first day, but there is really no telling how I will do. Also, I am excited to be able to do some home school stuff with Owen while Ian is at school! I'm not sure how he will do with me as his teacher, but I think it will be fun to try some things out like we did with Ian at this age!

Second, both boys will be playing soccer this fall! I'm really excited to see Owen playing soccer. I know that at his age we don't keep score (at least not officially), but I really think he will be good at sports. To make things even more exciting Justin will be coaching his Owen's team! Ian was really sad when we told him that daddy wouldn't be coaching his team, but he eventually calmed down and I think he is going to be okay. :) 

Third, the possibility of house hunting!  While I love the neighborhood we are in right now, I am ready to be in a house where I feel like I can unpack all of our boxes. I'm ready to feel settled. When you move to a place that is smaller than the place you lived before you have to accept the fact that there isn't room to unpack everything. 

Fourth, FALL!!!! I love fall, and while fall in Oklahoma is pretty much a two day event, I can't wait  to experience the nice weather. You know the kind where you wear shorts and a sweat shirt together. The apple spice candles and color changing leaves! It makes me happy just thinking about it!!! (for all of you technical people, yes I know the first day of fall isn't until September 22, but August makes me think of fall)

What are some things you are looking forward to in August? 

Stormy night...

Last night we had a pretty huge storm! The electricity went out, which means every time I thought about posting something on facebook I couldn't, because our WiFi was off. So here are the things I wanted to post last night! :) 

1. Either a strobe light is going on outside or there is lightning. And considering there is thunder and rain along with it I'm going with lightning :) 

2. I'm jealous of Justin. He can sleep through anything!

3. Wishing I would have taken a Tylenol PM. This storm is crazy!

4. Oh no, electricity is off, I hope it comes back on before I get so hot I can't sleep. Oh wait, I can't sleep anyways. 

I guess that is all that I would have said. :) It was a pretty crazy storm though. Glad we are okay and that the city of (insert town we live in) came and picked up our trash can from the field next to us!

Over comer...

Tonight I feel like crying. I don't know why, just feeling emotional. 

I got to go on a walk with my friends, and that was nice. I didn't push through this time. I quite early and just did the 3.3 miles. I did do the hill though. That was killer tonight. 

I don't like this feeling I have of not pushing through. I must keep going. I must not quite next time. I will be an over comer!

This is not how I am going to go out of this world. When God calls me home I want my kids to remember that I was a fighter. I better get to work on that. 

Next week I will be back her to tell you that I finished the 4.12 miles. I pinky swear. :)

Heck to the yeah...

Tonight was a big night for me! Why? Well I walked 4.12 miles and part of that included going up a hill. Not just any hill. You see I had made it my goal to go up the entire hill by the end of the summer. Here it is, July 1st and I already completed the goal!

The view from the top

Thank goodness for camera phones! Here is my victory look!

Another victory picture!

Yeah, I'm not perfect...

Today at lunch there were two ladies who were sitting in the booth behind me. They were just sitting there chatting and something they said caught my attention. The were talking about a pampered chef party! 

Now, I had just recently been to one, so I knew the recipe they were talking about. I was about to chime in and say something, but chose not too. I'm glad I didn't. After that I felt like the two, while putting on the face of being friends, were in a bragging contest. Talking about well the lady at the party cooked it in the microwave but I don't microwave cook. And it called for chicken, but of course I would use turkey. 

They continued on talking about just how healthy they ate. This struck me as funny seeing how we were at McDonald's! 

As the kids continued playing I began reading my book "Desperate: Hope For The Mom Who Needs To Breathe", by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. I was glad that I had that book because I realized that so many moms feel the need to one up the other moms. Here is something I read while listening to the bragging women: 

"I love that we mamas tend to follow formulas because it means we are trying to be intentional with our children. We care enough to discipline and teach them! ... But we've got to know that, ultimately, the most important thing is laying our children at the foot of the cross and praying that Jesus will call them to Him. He is the author of their souls, and He is the only one who can reign in a broken soul. So pray for your children and show them Jesus."

 Isn't that beautiful? It is good to be reminded that even when our plans don't turn out the way we had hoped that it is ultimately up to God to call them to Him! 

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has young children. 

*I am not getting paid by anyone to recommend this book I simply love it so much I feel that everyone should know about it!

Skin care (Works For Me Wednesday)...

I am so excited to introduce you all to my friend Jennifer, who is going to guest blog today! She is going to write today's post about what works for her! We are linking up to We Are THAT Family!

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Hi everyone!

I wanted to tell you all about something that was introduced to me a little over a month ago that is totally “working for me!” I am an RN but for the last year and a half have been blessed to be able to stay home with my precious son, Luke. I am SO thankful that God has provided my husband with a great job that allows us to be able to do this…but I found myself really missing “work” that didn’t consist of story-time, playing, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. and I really missed the adult interaction of working outside of our home. Can you relate? So, I started praying that God would open up an opportunity for me to be able to find a very part-time job close to home or that He would provide something that I could do from home a few hours a week. THAT is where Rodan + Fields dermatology comes in J and I am SO excited to tell you about it! 

My friend Samantha, who is also a nurse, started telling me about this amazing company…Dr. Rodan and Dr. Fields are the dermatologists that created ProActiv – a product that LOTS of us have used! Well, they have expanded their skin care lines and now offer products for wrinkle correction/prevention, sun damage, adult acne and post acne scars, dark spots, sensitivities (exema, roseacea, psoriasis, etc). These products do for all of those issues what ProActiv does for acne – the results are amazing and everything has a 60 day, empty bottle, money back guarantee to WORK for you…That by itself was enough for me to pause and listen because, like a lot of other people out there, I was having some skin issues…

Then she shared this with me: instead of marketing the products through tv ads like ProActiv has been marketed, the doctors decided to use direct sales – giving stay at home moms like me the chance to partner with these doctors and work from home! As a consultant, I could help people take care of their skin and make good money doing it! I JUMPED at this opportunity and I am SO glad I did…God has already used it to bless our family financially AND I am doing it all from HOME! No parties, no inventory, no evenings away from my husband and son and no 12 hour shifts at the hospital. I just talk & then direct people to my website – talk to my friends, my family, my neighbors, people I go to church with, other moms at the park, etc. I also post pictures of happy clients on facebook. What I am finding is a LOT of people are searching for products that WORK for skin issues and everyone has skin, so the market is huge! I’ve always been skeptical of direct sales – I am not a sales person. I’m a nurse, a wife, a mom – but this opportunity has blown me away and in just over a month I have already been able to earn a great check, meet lots of new people and have that adult interaction that I was missing so badly! God is so faithful and I am so thankful that my friend Sam introduced me to this business. If you are searching for something to help you take care of your skin or if you can relate to me and you are searching for something that you can do from home, I would LOVE to introduce you to Rodan + Fields! It’s working for me and I know it could work for you too! (To contact Jennifer you can go to her website https://jenrichards.myrandf.com/)

Pushing 4 miles...

I'm not kidding when I tell you guys that I hate exercise. It is my least favorite activity to plan. However, with that being said, I know it is important. I know that if I am going to ever loose this weight I will need to eat less and move more! 

Lately a group of my friends and I have been walking, at least once a week, a four mile walk! Let me tell you friends, the first time I complained a lot (this is not just coming from me, but from one of my friends on the walk)! I did not think I was going to make the walk and it wasn't the long walk either, it was more like 2.5 or 3 miles. 

The second time I walked it I did 4 miles and didn't complain (or at least not much). Again, this was noticed by one of my walking buddies! I was so sore and tired after this long walk. I came home laid on the couch. Had my husband get the ice pack for me and drank lots of water! 

This week, for some reason I was sore before I even started out. I wasn't sure I was going to complete the entire walk. I pushed through though. It wasn't easy. Twice I almost skipped the long way and went back to the house. I was ready to be home, to put my feet up and have the ice pack on. But then it occurred to me. What would make me more proud, to be able to say I completed 3 some miles or to be able to say I completed 4 miles? The answer to that was obvious...4 miles! Then I thought of how bad my feet hurt, I'm talking they were each one giant blister! But I thought to myself "are my feet going to hurt any less if I go back to the house now? Not really. Are they going to hurt any more if I complete the 4 miles? Not really. So that was my answer...Push through the pain and discomfort and finish strong! 

I'm not going to lie, I started to cry a couple of times and at some point I was quoting Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". 

My goal is to be able to walk (or perhaps crawl) up this big hill that is part of the walk. The hill actually makes the "trail" 4.1 miles. Last night I went a little farther up than before. Next time I plan to go half way up! 

Listening to God...

One of my friends posted this on Facebook today and I thought it was so good. Let me share it then tell you more...

What if YOUR plan B, is God's plan A?! Turn it over to God and TRUST Him to work ALL things out for your good! Let God lead you and watch how your plans become what His plans were all along! God is THAT good!

 Isn't that great?!?! And it is so applicable to everyone and pretty much every situation! 

Recently we have looked at a few houses around our new town and while they have all had good qualities we just didn't feel like they were what God wanted us to do. You see my plan A would be to just find a house now, get out of our lease a little early and find a place to call our permanent home. My plan B would be to just hang out in our duplex for a little longer until we find a house that has more of the things we want. But it turns out God's plan A is our plan B! Sometimes when you think God is providing something it could just be a way Satan is using to distract you from God's real provisions. 

Does this make sense? How has God provided for you lately? Have any of them been unexpected blessings?

Happy Father's Day...

You know that moment when you fall even more madly and deeply in love with your husband? You know like when he holds your child for the first time. When he is super duper overly protective over someone holding your newborn. Moments like these will bring out a whole other kind of love that you never knew you had. 

My husband, Justin, is an amazing dad. From the moment we found out we were pregnant and every day since! He makes me proud to be his wife and the mother of his kids. 

Here is an example of something that made my heart melt. Our oldest son, who is 4 1/2, asked me to help him out with a level of Angry Birds. When I saw the level I said "yeah, this is a difficult one." His response was this "don't give up, that's what my daddy says." 

I love that my husband is teaching our kids things like not to give up. Right now it may be for a video game, but later on knowing Owen it could be sports or knowing Ian computer club ;) No matter what they are a part of, I hope that they always remember what their daddy teaches them! 

Happy (early) Father's Day to my one and only, the man who I couldn't imagine being with out, to the greatest daddy in the entire world! I love you so much!

Hidden veggies, attempt #2...

I am loving this whole hidden veggie thing! Last night I shredded a yellow squash and added it to our mac n cheese! Ian ate almost his entire bowl and didn't say anything about taste or texture! Justin noticed the texture, but said it tasted fine. I actually liked it better than regular mac n cheese! Owen was sick and didn't eat. 

I need more ideas on how to hide veggies in our daily menu! Comment if you have any ideas! 

Oh and just an update on my weight progress...Since started Zeal (and counting my weight watcher points plus) I have lost 6.2 pounds! I had lost 7.2, but made some poor choices over Memorial day weekend. I have not had a Diet Dr. Pepper since May 3rd, that's 33 days! I'm pretty sure that is the longest I have gone with out one probably since I started drinking it! Most days I don't even have a desire for one. On the more stressful days I have found myself wanting one, but because I have made it this long I don't want to give in, so I usually just drink unsweetened tea! I can't wait to see what the results will be by my next doctor appointment in August! If you want to try the Zeal out then click on my friends link and order there. I think you can even contact her about getting samples. I really wasn't sure if this would help me or not, but friends I am here to tell you that it will! It has been just the jump start that I needed! I tell you what, I should be selling this stuff myself!

Protecting your marriage...(***updated***)

In this day and age I feel that we must take extra precautions to protect our marriages. With all of the technology out there, it is important to guard ourselves from Satan's attacks. 

One of the things my husband and I do is guard ourselves on Facebook. After 6 1/2 years of marriage I understand that fights are going to happen. I also realize that I don't always go to God first when I am angry. I know, that is a shocker! But let's be honest here, talking to our friends sometimes is easier, not right, but easier. 

Now, with that being said, Justin and I decided that we do not want to find ourselves going to friends of the opposite gender when we are mad at each other. That is, however, just what Satan wants you to do! We need to go to God and our spouses when there is something wrong, not our friends and especially not those who are of the opposite gender. 

Here is an example of another reason why we have instilled this rule: 

One day, one of your single guy friends, who let's just be frank has been blessed with good looks, posts a picture of himself with out a shirt on, at the lake or beach. Now in and of itself this is not wrong. He is simply showing people that he is at the beach or lake and having a good time. However, lets say that your husband has not filled your love tank lately. All of a sudden you find yourself day dreaming about how Joe Shmo wouldn't go this long with out speaking your love language. And that is when the sin starts. That is when Satan gets into your marriage. He feeds you lies. 

So there you go. This is why we guard ourselves on facebook. What are some ways you help protect your marriage? Let me encourage you, that if you are married, de-friend the friends that are the opposite gender. Don't let Satan fill your head with lies. If they get mad, let them. They are not the ones you are married too! 

*** I should update here that we allow family members that are the opposite gender to be our friends. I forgot to mention that.***

I am linking up to Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family. Go check it out!

Because every mom doesn't have a super power to get her kids to eat veggies...

Have you ever had trouble getting your kids to eat veggies? I do! My kids will randomly eat carrots, which is good. However, just as soon as I buy them they decide they don't want to eat them anymore. And while I like carrots I can't eat an entire bag before they go bad. 

So with that being said I have found a way to sneak those veggies in! So far I have only tried one veggie, but it worked in two different meals! 

The first meal I shredded some zucchini and put it in our pizza sauce! I mixed in some seasonings and it was SO yummy, you couldn't tell at all that there was shredded zucchini in it!

The second meal I shredded some zucchini, again, and mixed into our hamburger meat and made burgers! Again, you couldn't tell that it was in there! 

I have heard of people doing this before and just never thought I would be able to pull it off with my boys (including the hubs). I plan on trying out some other things soon. I will keep you updated on if it works!

Here is a website I found that has some free recipes. I will look through it and let you know if I try any of them! Happy sneaking everyone!

Feeling down...

I'm not sure why, but this week I have been feeling kind of down. I wish that I could pin point why, but I really don't know why. 

Here are a few of the things I miss:

1. a zoo that I don't have to drive an hour to go to.

2. my Edmond friends, especially when they are going through hard times. I hate not being able to be there with them to distract them or help them out.

3. my motivation. Yes, I miss my motivation. I have it for a few weeks then it goes away. 

Now with that being said I feel that I should list a few things that are great about being here in a new place:

1. I am making friends with other SAHM's! This has been such a blessing and I thank God for providing these friends. 

2. Apparently we live in a town that hasn't been hit by a tornado in at least 30 years if not longer or ever. 

3. I cook dinner at home a lot more these days, which is good for both the waist and the budget.

4. There are lots of splash parks in the town we live in, which is fun fun fun!

In light of recent events...

Most of you know that this week has been devastating in the lives of many Oklahoman's.  Tornado's hit our state in a horrible way. The towns of Moore and Shawnee seem to be the hardest hit, however other towns like Newcastle  and Edmond were hit as well. 

I am very grateful that the tornado's didn't end up in my town. However, I feel a strange feeling of wishing I was there with all of my friends. I know this probably sounds weird to most of you. But I have gone through so many tornado's, many of which were close by where I lived. It isn't so much that I want to be in the tornado's path, but that I want to be closer to help and comfort those that were. 

I saw this Bible verse today on Facebook, posted by Dayspring, For I am the Lord your God, Who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

I know that there are many organizations who are accepting donations, both cash or items that people and rescuers will need. I encourage you to find one and give to it if you can. If you can't then please pray for these families, especially those who have lost a loved one. It sounds like as of this morning (Tuesday morning) 7 children have been found dead. My heart is just broken for these families! 

If the recent evens have taught us anything it is to listen to God's voice. If he is telling you to talk to someone, give to someone or just tell someone thank you and job well done, then please PLEASE do it! For tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Make a difference in a life today!

The difference 2 weeks can make...

Two weeks ago I met a new friend. Her name is the most beautiful name in the world, it's Jessica. :) I met her at a book study that meets on Saturday mornings. We were the only two people to show up, which was nice because we got to know each other a little better. Since that day things have really gotten better for me here in our new town!  Below is my list of things that have happened over the last two weeks!

• met Jessica at book study
• Jessica invited me to join her at a pampered chef party.
• At said party I met several other moms, several of which are stay at home moms (SAHM).
• Jessica invited me to join the church softball team. Had the most fun I have had since moving here!
• One of my new stay at home mom friends invited us over for play date!
• met several of the other moms at the park to let the kids play and then walk.
• lost 4 pounds (this has nothing to do with the other stuff, but worth mentioning) :)
• poured out the last Diet Dr. Pepper in our fridge so that there wouldn't be any more temptation in the house. 
• Purchased a new mattress and bedding. (again, has nothing to do with meeting new people, but it was worth mentioning because I LOVE our new bedding, still adjusting to the new mattress though)
• Ian was invited to a birthday party for a kid that is in his Sunday School class! The whole family got to go and we got to swim, have cake and just enjoy our Saturday afternoon with a bunch of other little kiddos. 
• I already have another walk scheduled with one of the other SAHM friends for Wednesday!

I'm really excited to see what God is going to do next! He continually proves to me that this is the place where he wants us and that he will provide for us! 

I should also mention that I am SO proud of my husband. He is such a hard worker! I know that our marriage isn't perfect and that we have our rough moments, but I couldn't imagine going through all of that (all of this change) with anyone else! 

Diet Dr. Pepper, no thanks...

I haven't had a Diet Dr. Pepper in 11 days! Can you believe it? I know I can't. To top it off, I haven't even had a desire for one! There has been a Diet Dr. Pepper sitting in my fridge for the past two weeks! 

You may be asking yourself "how has she done it?". Here is the answer...Zeal Weight Management System! I really think the answer lies in the Zeal Wellness Drink. It tastes good and gives me some energy. I can't wait to see the long term effects that this has on me. I will keep you updated on how things are going with it! 

If you are interested in trying Zeal out then you can contact my friend Haley at her Zeal website!

Doc McStuffins song...

This was just too cute! I had to share Owen singing the I feel better song from Doc McStuffins. He is such a doll! At the end he says Tada!

Owl's and bags...

I decided to bake a practice cake for a baby shower I will be hosting soon. I saw this Owl cake in a magazine at walmart and decided to go ahead and buy it and do it like the instructions say, rather than making up my own rules. I have a tenancy to make up my own rules for things because the ones set are too hard or too long. ;)

Anyways, the cake turned out pretty good for the first try. There are some changes I will make for the next one, but over all I was happy with it. I sent it to work with Justin so I wouldn't be tempted to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because that if how I roll with cake in the house!

I also made a bag for the boys. I'm not sure why, mainly because I wanted to keep my newly learned skills at the front of my mind. I'm glad I did too, because at first I had issues, but with the help of my friends and husband I was able to get it figured out! Now the bag isn't that good. The pocket needs improvement as well as placed better. But for my first one I was proud of it. And it helps that Ian liked it and didn't seem to care about the fact that it needed improvement. In fact he already knows that he wants to put his crayon rolls in the bag for when we travel!

I just noticed that I put the pocket upside down. HA! Well someday I will get the hang of it.

Now if I could just learn how to grow my own garden and keep a clean house I could possibly win homemaker of the year! Odds aren't good though ;)

Apron...

Look what I made today! An OSU apron! My friend from college hosted a sewing class. It was a a fun time.

As far as the sewing went, it started off rough. I had my Mamaw's sewing machine table. It didn't work very well, so thankfully Courtney had an old one that worked and she let me use it. Once I got started on that machine things went a little smoother for me. Well a little smoother. I had to do a lot of seam ripping, but I got the hang of it by the end of the class. Let's hope I will be able to remember it when I try to sew something else!

I'm no professional, but I think I did pretty darn good for my first time sewing something other than a blanket!

Future rock stars...

A boy and his Pooh...

The other day I had a headache. It was on the border of tension headache and migraine headache. The bad thing was I was at weight watchers when it got really bad. I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to drive home when the meeting was over. Thankfully I was able to make it home, but as soon as I walked through the door I told Justin I needed to lay down with an ice pack on my head. 

My husband being the wonderful man that he is took the boys on a walk while I took a nap in the bedroom. Before they headed out though my sweet boy Owen brought me one of his Winnie the Pooh dolls so I could sleep with it. 

Now if you have kids, nieces or nephews or were a kid once too then you know that this was a huge deal. You see his Pooh bear is his "lovie". His item that he sleeps with, gets comfort from when he is hurt, sad or scared. Letting me sleep with one of his Pooh's was so special. I love that boy and apparently he loves me!

Owen loving on me at the azalea festival parade

Owen loving on his Pooh bears

What do you say...

I really don't know what to say in a time like this. 

So I will say this, God loves you. He loves you so much that his son, Jesus, died on a cross for you. To be sure of your salvation, your future after death, then you must know him, accept him to be your savior. Trust in his power and his will. 

If you have never trusted in God before, but want to then just pray to him and ask him to be the LORD of your life. I would also encourage you to contact a Bible believing church to help you learn and grow in your faith in God. 

I would love to hear your story, your testimony of how you came to know God. Whether you were 4 or 98, share with those who need to hear it!

Truely not my will...

I found myself thinking a lot last night about my friends Liesl and Steve and their situation with the adoption of their son. 

One thing I thought about was just how special they are. My boys call them Aunt Liesl and Uncle Steve and that isn't a title I just give out to anyone! Especially since I am an Aunt myself. I guess this is why I want so much for things to work out for them, they are like family I suppose. 

Any who, I realized last night as I was praying for them that I have been holding on. You know only giving it to God a little. The example I could think of was a basket. I have this basket full of prayers for them and I ask God to take it, but I only let him have one handle. I figure he needs help carrying it, right? Wrong! 

SO WRONG!

You would think that since this situation I am praying for doesn't directly involve me that it wouldn't matter if I fully gave it to God. However, I think it does.  So last night I pushed the basket to God, literally. I was laying in bed and I pushed my hands in front of me. Thankfully my husband was already asleep, so I didn't have to explain myself in the middle of the night ;) But really I felt so much better after that. 

What is it that you have been holding part of the basket of prayer on? Can you give it to god? Push it away with your hands, you will find that 1. it is hard to do. You will want to hold on, even though there is nothing to physically hold on to. 2. Once you do release it and give it fully to God you will find that you are really okay with His will and not just if it goes your way!

By the way, feel free to check out Liesl's blog to find out more about their story and how you can help by buying a puzzle piece!

Library...

Last week on facebook I saw that it was National Library Week. 

Light bulb on!

Since I am so addicted to cookie decorating I decided I would make cookies for the kids librarian. She is so sweet and works hard so that the kids have a good time each Wednesday for story and craft time. 

So after seeing this pin on Pinterest, I was inspired to write a little story to go along with the cookies. So here it is along with a picture of the box of cookies. Of course I totally forgot to take a picture of the cookies and then didn't remember to take a picture of the gift box till I was in the car. :) 

If you give a Librarian a cookie

If you give a librarian a cookie she will more than likely want a glass of milk to go with it.

On her way to get milk she will see a cart of books and remember she was to put them away.

As she finishes putting them away she will see the kids arrive for story time, which will remind her to get the crafts out.

After finishing story time and crafts she will sit down for a rest. She will see her cookie and more than likely she will want a glass of milk to go with it.

Trying to be positive...

Yesterday was a really, really, very, horribly rough day! I won't go into detail, but I will say in included a certain 4 year old screaming in the middle of the doctor office waiting room and a certain mom having to re-schedule her much needed doctor appointment because of it.

So because of yesterday's happenings I was very negative for most of the day. I decided that today I need to try and be positive.

Here are a few things I will say that are positive:

1. I love how my boys are so intent on saving their money and yet they spend it all the time. For example, Ian really wants to buy a bubble blower machine. It costs about $10. He had $6 last week. On Saturday he bought a soda, because I wasn't going to buy it for him. Today he bought a hot wheels car, because again I wasn't going to buy it for him. I reminded him that the more he spends the longer it will be before he has enough money to buy the bubble blower. His answer to this was "well I will just earn more money"! I love his attitude. And even though it isn't the choice I would make for him I am letting him learn on his own how spending and saving works. I will try to help guide him right now and hope that he will begin to see that saving for the things he really wants is a good idea. :)

2. I love it when Ian and Owen wrestle. They laugh and cry at the same time because it hurts but they are having a good time. I never thought I would be a good boy mom, but I am sure enjoying having boys!

3. I love that the boys imagination is getting bigger! They actually play with their toys in imaginative ways! I love it.

4. I love that when Justin comes home from work, he is happy.

5. I love when Justin laughs/smiles. He has the cutest natural smile!

6. I love that even though I am not a really talented cookie decorator Justin makes me feel like I could rule the world of cookie decorating :) He is such an encourager and I am so blessed to have him.