Birds in the attic, or not!?

Well, today has turned out to be an interesting day so far. I headed upstairs this morning to have my quiet time before being bombarded with my daily duties of a wife and mom. I was all nice and cozy on our little couch upstairs, with my Bibles and prayer journal next to me, and I heard some birds chirping. I didn't really think much of it, but then I heard it again and it sounded like there were birds in our house! It sounded like they were coming from our attic!

So downstairs I go to wake up my husband and tell him that I think we have birds in our attic. I woke James up and went back upstairs. A little while later he appears, with work gloves on, a hat on, a trash bag and a crowbar. He opened the windows in the room we were in and took the screens off (and our cat Bootsie tries to go out the window onto the roof, wouldn't that have been an adventure!). He goes into the attic and cannot find any signs of birds, and I can no longer hear them chirping. Now I feel real silly that I woke him up and everything and there was really nothing in the attic.

James then goes outside to look at our roof, and there next to the whirly bird (or whatever the real name for that thing on your roof is) is a little bird, chirping, just like I had heard earlier. I guess the whirly bird just transferred the sound and made it sound like it was inside the attic. James was really sweet and didn't even get mad or complain that I had woken him up, I then left to go for my morning walk.

Well, just a little while ago the boys were playing happily upstairs, when all of a sudden I hear David start screaming and I hear thud, thud, thud. David had fallen down the stairs while trying to carry his big crane truck down, and he did not let go of that truck the whole way down. Paul was really sweet and went and got David's favorite bear for him while I was holding him and checking for injuries. You will be glad to know we had no blood, no broken bones, and no holes or scratches on the wall. David's only complaint was that his face was hurting (it looked like he may have bitten the inside of his check). He has recovered quickly and he and Paul are now reading books to each other and to their animals! I am so blessed that they love each other and play so well together most of the time!

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful for the following:
1. Seeing the awesome sunrise during my morning prayer walk today!
2. A fun day spent with a friend! My mentee and I treated ourselves today to a pedicure and lunch and shopping (although we didn't buy anything, it was just lots of fun to look!)
3. The gorgeous day the Lord has blessed us with (after typing this post I plan to go out back, relax in a chair, and read a good book while my boys are napping!)
4. Having a washer and dryer that work!
5. Sweet tea!

So what are you thankful for today? I am off to my backyard!!!

Word-Filled Wednesday

Psalm 27:1-2, 4-5
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? ... One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me."


photograph taken from www.wallpaperdave.com

For more Word-filled Wednesday entries visit http://the160acrewoods.wordpress.com

Wordless Wednesday #9

God's Faithfulness & Unexpected Expenses

I want to share with all you in "blogland" how God has been so faithful to our family in 2008!

Earlier this year I read a book by Randy Alcorn, called the Treasure Principle. Our church gave this book out free to anyone who desired to read it. As I was typing this I was just reminded that the fact that I got a copy at all is also proof of God's faithfulness. The 1st Sunday they were given out I was reaching out to take the last available copy and someone snatched it right out from under me (yes, in church!). The next weekend they gave more out but I was serving in the preschool "Worship Care" during the service so I missed my chance again. Well, a few weeks later I went to our ladies leadership team meeting and there on the table was a copy with a sticky note with my name on it! Thanks DeeDee & Bro. Hal!

Anyway, I got a little sidetracked there. If you read my blog regularly you realize we have had a lot of sickness in our family this year, and along with sickness comes doctor visits and trips to the pharmacy. We are a single income family and we do live on a budget, but sometimes you just can't budget for everything. In January and February we spent an extra $600.00 on doctor visits and medicine (and we do have very good insurance). Also in January and February we had the "expected" big expenses of my life insurance, my professional dues (for speech-language pathology), homeowners dues, and James' car insurance! Talk about money stresses, we definitely had them!! And to top it off, a couple of weekends ago when the boys had the stomach virus and we really needed our washer and dryer to work, our dryer broke! James is really good at fixing things but he was unable to fix it this time (he did 2 years ago.) So we have parted with our washer and dryer of 12 years and now have new ones which were delivered today!! (We decided to go ahead and get a new washer too, since it was 12 years old and was probably going to break sometime soon anyway; but maybe we can sell it for a little bit of money).

Back to The Treasure Principle for a minute. After reading it I decided that we should tithe after each of James' paychecks rather than just tithing once a month like we normally did. Normally we would wait until he got his bonus check, since it is different every month, and then just tithe one check, since we knew what the other 2 checks would be. We have always tithed, but now we are doing it after each payday rather than just once a month. And I was also convicted of spending money on "extra" things that we or I really don't need, but would just like to have. So I am making a conscious effort to spend our money (James makes it and I spend it!!) more wisely and in a way that is honoring to the Lord. So all this to say that I think Satan has tried to attack our finances majorly since we are really making a conscious effort to use our money as the Lord would have us to.

However, God is so very faithful!!!! He has provided us with the means to pay for everything! He has provided for our every need, and even some extra for us to give to some friends who are going on a missions trip! We have even been able to pay the "extra" we like to pay on our mortgage every month, and have put some into savings. Now isn't that a great and awesome God! God knows our needs and will provide for them, all we have to do is to keep seeking Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:33

Happy Resurrection Day!! (one day late!)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Resurrection Day and that you were able to go and worship our Risen Savior! We had a nice day. Granny, Paw-paw, and Aunt Cristi were here to celebrate with us and we all went to our church. We had a very good worship service, with wonderful praise and worship and wonderful preaching of The Word!

After the service we came back to our house for a non-traditional Easter dinner. We grilled steaks and corn, had sweet potatoes and tossed salad, cranberry salad, and chocolate pie. We all enjoyed it and no one had to work too hard slaving away in the kitchen.

After our family left and we all had had a nap, we dyed Easter eggs and then hide eggs for the boys to find. I tried to download a video of us dying Easter eggs but it was taking an extremely long time so I canceled it. Maybe I will try again later.

There are no pictures of us as a family posted because I did not like any of them. Either someone has their eyes closed, we are all squinting, or the boys have their hands in the faces. So I have decided that another Sunday we will all wear the same clothes we wore for Easter and we will retake Easter pictures, after all, I have to have some good ones for my scrapbooks!!

Don't forget to continue to rejoice everyday that we serve a Risen Savior!!

Thankful Thursdays

This is another idea I got from the Ultimate Blog Party, so on Thursdays I will try to share something that I am thankful for.

Today I am thankful for a fun outing with my boys, and the blessing that they are. We went to the Montgomery Zoo today and had a really nice time. The weather was just right, the boys did not fight at all, and we all enjoyed ourselves. We even had a nice picnic outside on the grass.

I am thankful that I have the privilege of staying at home with my boys, and that my husband works so hard to provide for us so that I can stay home. I am thankful for our home, and for all the "extras" my husband has added to our home to make it extra nice (like our screened in back porch, my pantry and lower cabinets with pull-out shelves, etc). I am thankful the Lord blessed James with such great skills and excellent work ethic.

I am thankful for my family! And I am really thankful for naps, I am going to go join my boys and take one too! So, what are you thankful for today?

Word-Filled Wednesday

"There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:26-27

I found this idea of doing a Word-filled Wednesday on the Ultimate Blog Party and I just loved it! God and His Word have so changed my life that I just could not pass up posting some Word-filled Wednesday entries. I love the Word of God. It is amazing, life-changing, encouraging, comforting, it gives me guidance and direction, and most importantly, God uses it to change me and make me more like His Son, Jesus Christ.

Have you spent time in His Word today?

Wordless Wednesday #8

Recovering from more sickness...

Well, our household was once again hit with some sickness. David and Paul both had a stomach bug over the weekend, David's was worse than Paul's; but both have seemed to recover rather quickly from it compared to all the other sicknesses we have had this year. Thankfully James and I did not catch it.

Due to our sickness we had to cancel a visit from grandfather, (James' dad). Aunt Susan had already had to cancel, she called Friday and was sick; we told her not to come, we didn't want anymore sickness. Well, we got it anyway, but are glad they did not come and catch what we had. We also missed an Easter egg hunt with the Mother of Multiples, and had to miss church on Sunday.

Now we are taking it easy and really enjoying our week of having absolutely nothing planned to do. It has been really nice to just take the day as it comes and hang out and have fun with my boys not worrying about getting ready for this or that.

Nothing major to write about, I am going to implement some "new" blog formats that I have found to be encouraging and uplifting as I participated in the ultimate blog party. Check in tomorrow for the 1st change!

Wordless Wednesday #7

Ultimate Blog Party

My friend Darlene is participating in this blog party thing so I thought I would give it a try too. If I am successful at getting the little sidebar on my blog you should be able to click on it and find out more about the Ultimate Blog Party.

I started blogging because some of my friends from church were doing it and I thought it would be fun. I am really enjoying it and find that sometimes it can be rather addictive, especially reading other people's blogs.

Anyway, my blog is sort of like a journal of my family life and my walk with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I desire for all that I do to bring honor and glory to Him and to point others to Him. Jesus is my reason for living, and He alone is what enables me to make it through the rough, hard, and tiring days (lots of those when you have 4 year old twin boys!). Jesus is also my source of joy, peace, hope, and love. Without Him I am nothing but some stinky flesh!!

I am a stay at home mommy, with a degree in speech-language pathology. I love being home more than I loved my job, which I really did enjoy; but when you are doing what God created you and called you to do there is nothing more fulfilling.

Sweet times of prayer...

Last night I led my youth girls Bible study on prayer. We are doing the book, "A Young Woman's Call to Prayer" by Elizabeth George. We are basically through the "meat" of the book, and the remaining 4 chapters are really just some suggestions to help grow your prayer life. Since we didn't have lots of material to cover in the lesson, I thought we would spend a larger amount of our class time in prayer together.

After going over our lesson I explained to the girls that we were going to spend some extended time in prayer, and no one complained (as they did the first time I made them pray out loud.) I guess they have figured now that since it is a class on prayer they might as well do just that, and pray. Anyway, I explained that we were going to go around one by one, first doing praise and adoration prayers to God, then prayers of thankfulness, followed by prayers of petition for one another and ourselves. Before starting our prayers of praise and adoration, I told them to take some time to quietly confess their sins before the Lord, making sure their heart was clean so they would have unhindered fellowship with our Lord.

So our prayer time began, with some soft music playing quietly in the background. I just want you to know that my heart was so touched by hearing the heartfelt and sincere prayers of these young girls. That room was flooded with the presence of God and He moved among all of us last night. It was so precious to see and hear the Holy Spirit working and moving among us. There were some big hurts and fears in that room last night. One girl is experiencing a breakup with a boyfriend of over a year, one girl is facing some major surgery, one is trying to make a major decision, so wanting it to be a God-honoring one; one girl is dealing with the possibility that her grandfather may die, and another is dealing with tough situations at home. These girls opened up their hearts to God and to each other. They were able to give God thanks for some very tough things that have happened, and they all were desiring to seek God and His will and to know Him better. There were lots of tears, (and I had only one tissue!) but also lots of joy and peace.

It was a very sweet time in the presence of God, and my heart was so encouraged that these girls are obviously learning and desiring to pray. After praying together, it seemed our group was more bonded, closer, and more wanting to minister and care for one another. It was just a precious evening, one of those I don't think I will ever forget.

Please pray for these young girls, we have 3 more weeks together, and will have more times of prayer like we have last night. Pray that they will feel comfortable praying to our Heavenly Father, and that they would be drawn to a lifestyle of prayer. Thanks!

Weary & Tired...

I am feeling tired, weary, and in need of rest, physically as well as spiritually...

I thought things were going to slow down drastically in March, but that doesn't look like it will be happening now. Last week we really had no major things on our calendar for March and now it is quickly filling up, some things of which I can not say no to; so I will just have to ask the Lord to give me extra strength, energy, and endurance to do these things as He would have me to.

I feel I am overextended in the things I am committed to in my life right now. None of these things are bad things, they are all good things, "fruit bearing" things, but I truly feel they are taking me away from my family too much. My #1 calling in life at this time is to be a wife and a mother. I really feel right now that the Lord is telling me to look closely at the things at my life, to lay them all down before His feet, and allow Him to show me what I need to step back from. So I will be saying "No" to more "things" now and "yes" to more time for and with my family.

So that is what I am going to do, because I want so badly to be a Godly wife and mother, and for my family to get my best and not my leftovers. I want to focus on my calling at this season in my life, I want to bear fruit as a wife and a mommy, and I want to honor God by doing what He has called me to do.

Just my thoughts for today...

The Sickness Continues...

Well, I had to take David to the doctor today. He has been rather puny for the past couple of days. He has had a low-grade fever, has only wanted to lay on the couch, and has not wanted to eat anything. I had debated on whether or not to take him to the doctor since he didn't have any real specific symptoms, but I decided to take him today; and he has strept throat. They did test him for the flu and it was negative, so that was good. He got one really big shot for the strept and won't have to take oral antibiotics, so hopefully he will be well in a few days.

When I told David that I was going to take him to the doctor, he looked at me and said, "Mommy, I feel so bad that I don't even want a lollipop." Isn't that just pitiful, he didn't even want the lollipop they give the kids when they leave the doctor. However, he did change his mind when we were leaving, and he enjoyed his green lollipop!

Please pray that the rest of my family stays well, and that once David gets over this we will all stay well for a really long time!!!

Wordless Wednesday #6

Cleaning Out the Dirt!

I am almost embarrassed to share this but I will anyway...

Yesterday I was doing my normal Monday cleaning and was mopping my kitchen floor. As I was examining my work, I noticed that there was a buildup of dirt on the edge of one of the tiles. I scrubbed it and it came off rather easily. Well, then I started looking closer at the floor and I noticed that practically every tile had a build up of dirt around the edges, it had just built up in these little grooves. Well, in the past I think I thought it was just the color variation in the tile. You know how some tiles have different shades of colors. Well, ours in the kitchen and the laundry room is a light brown, so I had just mistakenly thought the "dirt" was a "color variation".

I was absolutely horrified to know that my kitchen floor was that dirty. I consider myself to be a clean person and I clean my house A LOT. Instead of watching TV I frequently clean. And I do some routine cleaning every Monday, including mopping the kitchen, laundry room, and the bathrooms; so I just could not believe how all that dirt got there without my noticing it!!

So I went to work. I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed that kitchen floor, every tile! And I am glad to say that the dirt is gone!! It really was not too hard, just a little elbow work and it went right away. After I scrubbed it on my hands and knees, I mopped it again, just to make sure I got all the dirt. And later when the boys went down for a nap, I got down on my hands and knees again and scrubbed the laundry room, and all the dirt is now gone from there too!! Next week I will tackle the bathroom floors...

Well, as I was scrubbing I began to hear God speak to me in that still, soft voice. I felt like He was saying, if all this dirt has accumulated on your floor over time without you really noticing it, even when you were "caring" for it, what about your heart? What has accumulated in your heart and mind that you are not really aware of? What is there that needs to be cleaned out by My Word and My Holy Spirit?

Often times we spend time in the Word and in prayer, we check our devotion or quiet time off of our to do list; but do we take the time to sit and soak in His presence, to let Him reveal to us things He wants to work on in our lives, and things He wants to do in and through us? I plan to spend extra time with My Lord, allowing Him to reveal things to me that are on His heart, and listening for that still small voice to give me direction and guidance. I am looking forward to times of refreshing found in His presence. How about you? Do you have some "buildup" in your life that you need to allow God to take care of?

Birthday Celebration!!

My birthday was Saturday. It was the best birthday I have had in a while, so I thought I would share how we spent the day. (The past few years I have been working the Mother of Multiples Consignment sale on my birthday, so there really was no celebrating).



















I wanted to do something fun as a family in the morning, and then later have a date night with James. So Saturday morning we decided to go bowling. The boys had never been before and I thought it would be lots of fun. When I told them what we were going to do they were so excited, they had seen Curious George go bowling, and wanted to know if we were going to do it like he had! So off we went to Oak Mountain Lanes. It was a very nice family environment and it was a non-smoking bowling alley! It has been quite a while since I have been bowling, everything is computerized now! We all had lots of fun, the boys are ready to go again! After bowling we went to lunch at one of my favorites, Panera Bread.

We all came home and took naps, and then James and I left around 5 for our date! We went to Cheesecake Factory, and had a wonderful meal and dessert! We then went to see a movie, Juno. It was good but did have lots of language and was a little edgy, so we don't really recommend it.

And I got some "girlie" gifts!! I got 2 rosebushes, planted and everything. I also got a really nice shirt & sweater and a dress! The only thing that was missing was a strawberry birthday cake from Edgars, but I am not complaining! I did buy myself a small birthday cake at Publix yesterday when I bought groceries. Then last night the boys put candles in it and sang to me! Is that bad?

The Happy Housewife

I was looking through my files for something I wanted to share with the girls in my Wednesday night Bible study when I came across this and just thought I would share it with all of you. It is titled "The Happy Housewife" by Elizabeth Baker

A woman who depends on outside decoration and eternal youth to satisfy her need for acceptance is on the wrong course. She should seek the spiritual beauty which cannot be erased by time and does not depend on financial status. To be spiritually beautiful is a command of God, and all the commands of God have one interesting thing in common. They all pay read dividends in one's physical life. When you take the time to let the Lord make you spiritually beautiful, your physical appearance takes one gigantic step forward.

To learn to depend on Jesus for tomorrow's needs can do more for a wrinkled complexion than facials.

To learn self-control or temperance can do more for the figure than a health spa.

To allow the quietness and meekness of Jesus to be expressed through one's own personality can do more than the most expensive charm course.

To let Jesus make your life an adventure can put a joy in your heart, a spring in your step, and a sparkle in your eye that all the doctors' pep pills and all the paint and pretty bottles from the ding-dong lady can't match.

1 Peter 3:3-4
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Wordless Wednesday #5

"Just Stick to the List"

Well, this is my "Just stick to the list" list. At our ladies Christmas party at church this past year we all made a "Just stick to the list" list. This is a list for those special people who buy you gifts on those special gift giving occasions. If for some reason you don't have your eye on that "thing" that you just really, really, really want and you can't think of any real specific hints for gifts, they can just stick to the list and they can't go wrong.

Well, I did not give the list to my dear, sweet husband around Christmas time, and I ended up with some not so "girlie" gifts for Christmas; 3 knives (a pocket knife, one to keep on my keychain, and a leatherman like tool), and a grill cover. Since I have a birthday coming up this weekend, and I am a girl who loves to get gifts, (it is one of my love languages) I thought I had better make sure that list was made and in the right hands!

So here is my "Just stick to the list" list:
1. Gift certificate for massage, pedicure, &/or manicure
2. Any new releases by Karen Kingsbury, Dee Henderson, or Francine Rivers
3. Anything from the Yankee Candle store
4. Jewelry
5. Any bath or spa stuff
6. A day at the spa!!
7. New pajamas
8. Clothes (James does have very good taste in clothes!)
9. A whole weekend at home by myself to do whatever I want!!
10. Pay for me to go on a scrapbooking retreat so I can get caught up on my scrapbooks!!

Anybody else out there have a "stick to the list" list with some good ideas! I can always add to mine!

More Sickness!!

Well, I have been to the doctor again today, but not for myself. Last night we were up with Paul almost all night. He was complaining of a really bad headache, and then later started complaining of an ear ache. So I promptly called the doctor as soon as they were opened and got a 9:30 appointment.

It just so happened that my wonderful friend Mrs. Sandra was off work today, and she graciously responded to my plea for help and kept David while I took Paul to the doctor. David loves to go to her house and had a great time playing there, he even took her a Valentine. Thanks so much Sandra, I greatly appreciate your friendship!

They tested Paul for the flu and it was negative, Praise the Lord! I was so scared that he had it. It turns out that he just has a bad ear infection, so they gave him an injection of rocephrin (?) and he starts a round of antibiotics tomorrow. Modern medicine is amazing, he is already feeling better and playing out back, and he was a very sick little boy this morning; if only I could have started feeling better that soon, oh well. I am just thankful that I am better now so I can take care of my little man!

Hopefully I will have more exciting things to blog about next week, we will see!

Happy Valentine's Day

Well, I am finally starting to feel a little bit better!! Praise the Lord! Being sick is not fun, especially when you have a family to take care of. James has been wonderful, the boys have been to work with him several days, and he entered the world of 3-k as he took them back and forth last week.

I actually went back to the doctor again yesterday afternoon, as I was not feeling any better at all. It ends up that I also had a bad sinus infection on top of the flu. The flu was pretty much cleared up but the sinus infection was just getting worse. So I got a shot, which the boys thought was hilarious, they wanted to see it and everything, but I did not oblige; and I am now on a round of antibiotics... so I am on the road to recovery.

One of my best Valentine's memories is from 2004. That is the day we got to bring Paul and David home from the hospital for the first time! They were born 8 weeks early and had to stay in the NICU for 3 weeks. During those 3 weeks, I recovered from a 2 1/2 week hospital stay, finished packing our home in Trussville, and moved to Calera! We had been in our new home exactly one week when we got to bring the boys home, we basically had the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms unpacked, the rest came slowly. But we were very excited to have our family home together!

On our drive home we stopped off at Driver's Way and let everyone there look at the boys through the car windows, we didn't want them exposed to any germs. Shortly after leaving there they started to get fussy, so we found a remote parking lot and I nursed both of them before we got home, how awkward was that for a new mom!!

But the best part of that Valentine's Day was that night when I went in the boys room to do their first middle of the night feeding. James had secretly left red roses in their nursery for me to just happen upon, and he left me the sweetest handmade card. On the front he had drawn roses in a vase, and had written "Happy Valentine's Day". When I opened the card on one side it read: "How beautiful you are my darling! O how beautiful!" The other side read: "It is a great honor and privilege to be able to call you my wife. It is with even greater gratitude that you are the mother of my children. Love, James"

I still have that card, in my scrapbook of course!

Today has been good. I am feeling better, the boys brought me flowers and a balloon this morning, James gave me a sweet card, and I got to go to the boys Valentine's Party at 3-k, which they keep referring to as a birthday party!! I hope to enjoy a nice relaxing evening with my man, snuggling and watching a girlie movie I picked up at the library, and I may just make him that chocolate cake he likes!

Sick with the flu...

I have been sick with the flu since last Tuesday night, and it is now Monday. I still feel horrible, and am quite ready to be well and healthy again. So far James and the boys have managed to dodge it, please pray that they will stay healthy and will not get sick. And by the way, I did have my flu shot!!

I will rejoin the world of blogging when I feel better.

Super Glue!

We have been to the doctor this afternoon, David had to get his head glued back together!

I was sitting in carpool line waiting to pick the boys up from 3-K this afternoon and their teacher called me on my cell phone. She said that David had hit his eye and I should probably come in; so... I parked the car and ran in. David was screaming and crying and blood was everywhere!

It ended up being a rather small cut but it looked a little deep so we decided I should take him to doctor to be checked out. So I called the doctor and told them we were coming and then called James to meet us there. (It is so nice that he works right down the road from their doctors office, he can usually always meet me there. Sometimes being at the doctor with 2 is really hard!)

We really didn't have to wait long at all, and we got to visit with some 16 year old twin boys in the well baby waiting room. I can't imagine my boys being that big, but they will be one day. One even had blond hair and the other brown!

Anyway, the doctor said the cut was very straight and went back together really well so he could just glue it instead of having to stitch it. That was fine with me! It took about 5 minutes and then we were out of there. David can't have a bath for 5 days!! I guess I will have to give him a sponge bath, I don't want any stinky boys in my house!!

We stopped at the library on the way home and we are all watching "Finding Nemo" right now, since we missed nap time today. Hopefully I can put them to bed early tonight and have a relaxing evening with James!

Wordless Wednesday #4

Wordless Wednesday #3

Paul & David, Our Double Portion Covenant Blessings!

Today is Paul & David's 4 year old birthday! We celebrated their birthday Saturday with a party and some snow! They still think it snowed just for their birthday party!! We started off their party with a tour of our local fire station and then came back to our house for presents, cake, and ice cream! James, in now his yearly tradition, created them a wonderful fire truck birthday cake. I baked it (4 rectangular cakes) and he did everything else; I think he did a wonderful job and the boys were absolutely thrilled with it! They were, however, very upset when he took the remainder of it to work yesterday; we just didn't need that much cake for the 4 of us.

On this their birthday, I wanted to share my story of Paul & David and the gift of their life, so here it goes:

When James and I were engaged, my first bridal shower was a blessing shower. Everyone that came brought a Bible verse to share with me to encourage me in being a wife, shared with me some Godly counsel, and prayed over me and our future marriage. My Bible study teacher at the time, Marisa Lewis, prayed over me that we would experience God's double portion covenant blessings (remember that!). On the day of our wedding there was a double rainbow over our church! All of that was in 2000.

Fast forward to 2003, we found out we were pregnant in July of 2003 (we did not know yet that we were having twins). We found out that we were pregnant the day after my granny died, and 3 months after my grandfather died. So in that horribly sad time we were able to give my parents some happy and good news to lift their spirits. After we had told them, I remember hearing my dad say "The Lord takes one but He gives another." Little did we know!

A few weeks after we found out we were pregnant, there was a double rainbow over our house. I remember thinking that it was a sign of God's promise that everything would be fine.

In September I went for my 3rd doctors appointment. James almost did not go with me but he changed his mind and met me there. I was having some really bad pains in my left side, and the doctor was a bit concerned because he thought it was a bit early to be experiencing pain from stretching ligaments; so he sent me to have an ultrasound to make sure I did not have an ovarian cyst. Well, the lady doing the test was very quiet the whole time, and then finally she said, "Here is your baby, and here is another one!" I said "What, there are 2?! But I didn't do fertility!!" She said, "That happens sometimes!" Then she called James back and told him, and all he could say was "ok". So we left the hospital that day very excited and slightly overwhelmed! I was so overwhelmed that I could not find my car in the parking deck and James had to drive me around until we found it!!

As I was driving home, it just struck me like a ton of bricks, these babies were God's "double portion covenant blessings." There was and is no doubt in my mind that Paul and David are our double blessings from the Lord, and what a joy and a blessing they are! God has been so gracious and so good to us, blessing us with healthy, happy children; even though they were 8 weeks early and stayed in the NICU for 3 weeks (they came home on Valentine's Day!). God's hand is mighty upon our family and I am so thankful for His presence, His protection, His guidance, His love, His grace, and His mercy. It is my desire that Paul and David grow up to love and serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and to bring Him honor and glory with their lives, and to know that I consider them my "double blessings" straight from God Himself.

Happy Birthday Paul & David!! Mommy loves you very, very, very much!!

It Snowed!!!

Well, we had snow on Saturday! The boys were very excited, not only because it snowed, but also because it snowed for their birthday party!! How cool is that, that you get to have snow at your birthday party when you live in Alabama. Here are a few pictures of them in the snow and of the snowman that we made. Check in tomorrow for more details about their birthday party. I will write about it tomorrow, on their actual birthday. They will be 4 years old, can you believe it?!

Ignore the piece of a picture on the side, I added it again so you could see it better, but could not get the part of one to delete, oh well.

Wordless Wednesday #2

We've Been Sick

Well, we have all been sick, except for Paul. We all had strep throat. David went to the doctor on Thursday, I went on Saturday, and James went on Sunday. Thank goodness Paul did not catch it and saved us from having to pay another $30 co-pay!! But thankfully we are all back into the land of the living now, and it feels wonderful to feel good again and to have energy. Today the boys went to 3-K, I came home and cleaned a little, then got my haircut, and met a friend for lunch! It was so good to do normal stuff!

I am such a pitiful sick person... James and the boys drove me to the doctor on Sat. morning because I was very weak and he didn't think I should drive, I did not complain. I had had fever and chills all night and didn't want to do anything but lay down. So they took me to the doctor, where I waited an hour and a half in the lobby before finally getting called to the back. After being checked out and finding out yes I did have strep throat, the doctor said he would order me a steriod shot and a round of antibiotics. So the nurse comes in to give me my shot, in my bottom!! Well, I don't do well with needles, never have, and after getting my shot I feel sick and light headed, almost ready to faint. The nurse notices and makes me lay back down on the bed and holds my feet up in the air. After a few minutes I think I am better and she walks me to the check out area, where once again I get light-headed and faint feeling. She makes me sit down, takes my prescription to the pharmacy for me, and calls James to come get me. She then walks me to the waiting area, gets me all situated with my feet up in a chair, and finally James arrives to rescue me!! Praise God for a wonderful husband who takes such good care of me.

Well, the "highlight" of my being sick was on Friday night. I had gone to bed right after dinner and James was taking care of the boys and getting them ready for bed. I heard someone walk into the room and walk over to my side of the bed, I opened my eyes and it was James and the boys, they had come to pray for me. Paul and David stood there so still beside James and listened quietly as he prayed for God to make mommy better, and then he helped each of them pray their own prayer for mommy. It was so precious, I had tears rolling down my cheeks but joy in my heart. I can't describe what it was like to hear my little ones saying their heartfelt prayers to God on behalf of their mommy, but it touched me and it is one of those memories that I will forever treasure in my heart.

A Prayer For Women

I came across this prayer for women by John Piper in a Revive Our Hearts newsletter as I was cleaning out my clutter pile in the kitchen. It is a wonderful prayer, one to read and ponder over, so I thought I would share it with all of you ladies who read my blog, but men are free to read it and pray it for those ladies in their lives! You can go to the revive our hearts website and download it if you like.

My earnest challenge and prayer for you is . . .

. . . That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

. . . That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

. . . That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in Heaven.

. . . That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching; that meditation on biblical truth be the source of hope and faith; that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

. . . That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God will be opened to you, and so the power of faith and holiness will descend upon you; that your spiritual influence may increase at home and at church and in the world.

. . . That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God which undergirds all these spiritual processes; and that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers of these things.

. . . That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific calling; that you not fritter away your time on soaps or women’s magazines or unimportant hobbies or shopping; that you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

. . . That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to God (the way Jesus and Paul and Mary Slessor and Amy Carmichael did) and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

. . . That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

. . . That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord—children who hope in the triumph of God—sharing with your husband the teaching and discipline they need, and giving them the special attention they crave from you, as well as that special nurturing touch and care that you alone are fitted to give.

. . . That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home, the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world; that you not only pose the question: career or full-time homemaker?, but that you ask just as seriously: full-time career or freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom—to work for someone who tells you what to do to make his or her business prosper, or to be God’s free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God’s business prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or upward lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the faith of the family and advance the cause of Christ.

. . . That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life’s ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God’s will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else’s chapter or whether it has in it what only another chapter will bring.

. . . That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might and maximizing your joy in ministry to people’s needs.

. . . That in all your relationships with men (not just in marriage) you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and provision and a pattern of initiative; that you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.

. . . That you see the biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women not as arbitrary constraints on freedom, but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God’s ideal of complementarity; that you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld, but by the countless roles offered; that you look to the loving God of Scripture and dream about the possibilities of your service to him. (For a detailed list of service possibilities, see the pdf titled, Opportunities for Ministry.)

Excerpted from Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism by Pastor John Piper.

A Trade for some Joy!

I thought I would share with all of you in blogland what the Lord spoke to me this morning in my prayer time with Him.

I got out of bed this morning while my whole house was sleeping and climbed the stairs to go up to meet with my Lord (I like to think I am climbing up to the mountain of the Lord, like in the scriptures). I had my quiet time, reading my Bible and my new devotion book I am working through; then changed into my outside clothes to go for a power walk with the Lord.

I like to walk and pray, and I like to be outside when I do. I am not distracted by things around the house, and I feel closer to the Lord when I can look up into the immense sky. Anyway, I was walking and praying, at times just not saying anything to the Lord, but listening in case He wanted to speak to me. I walked past a young boy and girl waiting for the school bus, told them "Good Morning," said a short prayer for them silently, and just kept on walking. Well, then I hear the boy start to sing, and at first I did not recognize the song, but then I did. Then they both started to sing, and to sing rather loudly. They were singing "I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my sickness, I'm trading my pain, I'm trading it all for the joy of the Lord, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, Lord, Amen" and on they kept singing.

And it was then that I felt the Lord was speaking to me, He asked me what did I need to trade for the joy of the Lord? And I answered. I told my Lord that the frustrations, the irritations, the stresses that come my way on a daily basis are what I want to trade for the joy of the Lord. So I am determined that when I feel that frustration begin to creep in, that irritability start to rise up, and that stress start to overtake me, I am going to say "Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord, Yes Yes Lord - I will trade all of that for the joy of the Lord!!"

So what about you? What do you need to trade for the joy of the Lord?

A Moment

We had a sweet and precious moment at breakfast this morning and I thought I would share it.

We were eating breakfast, all 4 of us. We get to do that since James doesn't have to leave for work until around 8:30. I was eating some really good strawberries that I got at Publix earlier this week, and offered some to the boys. They declined them, of course. But then I started telling them about how my Granny and Maw-Maw used to take me to pick strawberries when I was a little girl. They looked at me rather odd, and I explained to them that Mommy had a Granny and a Maw-maw, like they have a Granny and a Grandmother.

Then David looked at me and asked, "Where are they?" I replied, "They are in Heaven with Jesus." David asked me "why?" I wasn't quite sure what to say, I don't know that they understand death, we have never really talked about. I just looked at James, and he answered for me and just said that they had died. David asked again, "Why?" Oh, that famous question!! I told him that they had just gotten old and died, and that we all will die someday. Then David said, "Did Daddy die?" Now what prompted that, James was right there with us! I told him no, of course.

David sat there and thought for a few minutes, and then asked me, "Did they die on the cross?" Now I just thought that that was precious! You see, we have talked about death, the death of Jesus. They know that Jesus died on the cross and that He died for our sins, though they do not grasp the gravity of that right now, so they related the death of my grandmothers to the only death that they know about, the death of Jesus. I then shared with them that my Granny and Maw-maw did not have to die on the cross, because Jesus had done that for them so they could go to Heaven and be with Him. And that was the end of it, he just continued eating his waffle and then got down to go play.

Oh, to be a child! But you know what, I am! I am a child of the King!! And I love it!!

Wordless Wednesday #1

Plans for 2008!!!

This past Sunday our pastor talked about making plans, and planning in order to have an excellent spiritual life. Last year I actually set some spiritual goals for myself and have worked diligently towards them. The one I am most proud of is memorizing the whole book of Philippians. I have always had trouble with memorizing scripture and remembering the "address." So I thought, why not try to just memorize a whole book. Well, I actually did, almost. I still have about 10 verses to go but then I will have memorized all 4 chapters of Philippians, and I am very proud of myself. I think the Lord knew I needed to have my mind in and on these scriptures, because it seemed that whatever portion of scripture I was focusing on was exactly what I needed to implement in my life, isn't that just like our Lord!! And now I also feel like I have a much greater understanding and grasp of what Paul was trying to say to the Philippians since I have spent so much time with his words.

Anyway, with that said, I have once again set some goals for myself for 2008, and just thought I would share them:

1. I plan to memorize the book of 1 John.
2. I plan to read the Bible through in a year.
3. I plan to be more diligent and faithful in my prayer life.
4. I plan to be more diligent in keeping a journal of how the Lord is working in my life and what He is showing and teaching me. I was pretty good at this before marriage and kids!
5. I plan to take better care of the Temple of the Lord, my body. My eyes were opened this past year in the Beth Moore Bible study that I did (A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place) to the awesomeness of being God's Temple, and what it truly means. It is a mighty and glorious thing, and I feel one that is not to be taken lightly.
6. I started running in 2007, so I have set myself a goal of running a 5K sometime during 2008.
7. I plan to be more consistent in disciplining and teaching and training my boys.
8. I also plan to learn to do inductive Bible study. My sweet husband gave me an Inductive Study Bible for Christmas, and a book on learning how to study the Bible.
9. I plan to have more friends over for dinner and/or just times of fellowship.
10. I plan to continue my scrapbooking!!!

I think that is sufficient, I am getting tired just reading back over them! But it is good to plan and to have things to work towards. I know that God always blesses our efforts when we are seeking to do things that would draw us closer to Him. So what about you, do you have any plans for 2008?

If you did not read my Top 12 Memories of 2007, go back 1 post and check them out!

Top 12 Memories from 2007

In thinking back over this past year and all that we have done and all that has happened in our lives, I thought I would share my personal top 12 memories of the year, one from each month. Here they are:

1. Paul & David turning 3 years old! They absolutely loved their birthday party this year and thought it was so fun to open all their presents. It was a joy to watch them have so much fun!!

2. Having a picnic outside with my boys during some awesome springlike weather in February! Isn't it great to live in the South!

3. Going to see Mrs. Pattycake live has to be the highlight for March. Paul was in such awe that she was the real Mrs. Pattycake. His little face was just lit up with joy and excitement. And of course, I cried when he got out in the aisle and did the dance to the Resurrection song he had learned at church, and later, when he sat in my lap and sang so sweetly "Jesus Loves Me" along with Mrs. Pattycake. I am tearing up now as I type this, I am so terribly emotional!!

4. We have several great memories from April, it is hard to pick a favorite, so I will briefly share all. We all went to the Montgomery Zoo, (an absolutely wonderful zoo, if you have never been you should go, I think it is much better than the B'ham zoo); we went to pick strawberries, and we dyed Easter eggs.

5. The highlight of May was that we got to take a week long vacation to the beach! It was wonderful, the boys had a blast, we could actually relax on the beach and watch them, and they were potty-trained. Our 1st vacation without diapers, wonderful!!

6. Favorite memories from June are Paul & David moving to their toddler beds from their baby beds! I know, they probably needed to move into them much sooner than they did, but they never climbed out so why ruin a good thing, now they can get up whenever they want too! Also, they loved going swimming this summer, and David loved jumping off the diving board and going down the slide!

7. The highlight of July has to be our family outing to the American Village on the 4th of July. It was a long afternoon and evening, but we all had lots of fun.

8. The top memory of August has nothing to do with my children! I had a mini vacation away from it all. My sister and I went to Altanta to the Women of Faith conference, and to the preconference with Beth Moore. We had a really nice time and were really proud of ourselves for finding our way around and riding the Marta successfully! We really felt like a couple of country bumpkins!

9. I really have no favorite moments from September, it was a very stressful month for our family. Our anniversary outing was quite dampened with some unexpected family stress, during which James looked at me and said "This is one of those 'in worse' times." I am looking forward to our next anniversary and a much better celebration with my husband!

10. My favorite memory from October was going to Homecoming at the Marion United Methodist Church where I grew up. I got to see my youth pastor and my favorite pastor from my teenage years, and was able to express to them my gratitude for the things they had taught me and done for me during those tumultuous teenage years.

11. My favorite memory from November was watching my precious boys perform in their Thanksgiving program at 3-K. They were absolutely adorable and did a wonderful job.

12. My favorite memory from December has to be just the excitement on my boys faces and in their voices as they got ready for Christmas. It made my heart very happy to hear them talk about Jesus' birthday, to watch them build stables and mangers with their lincoln logs and blocks, and to see them draw pictures of the donkey that Mary rode. It makes me so glad to know that they are learning about Jesus, and that thoughts of the true Christmas story fill their hearts and minds.

There they are, my top 12 memories. I am so thankful for my life and for my family, the Lord has truly blessed me and those I love. I pray that my life is also a blessing to Him and to others!

Our Christmas!

I thought I would fill everyone in on how we celebrated our Christmas. We started by traveling to Gainesville, GA on Saturday the 22nd to visit with James' brother and his family, his sister, and his dad. We had a nice but very busy visit. After arriving and eating lunch, we all headed out to an interactive children's museum (we had opted on skipping nap and putting the boys to bed early, so they would have more time to play with their cousins during the day). Everyone had lots of fun, especially the little ones. Paul & David really enjoyed playing with their cousins, Katie, John, & Timothy. When the museum closed and we were ushered out the door we headed to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner. I was a little concerned about how the boys were going to react to the "cooking show", and even more concerned that I had forgotten food for my picky little eaters!! Well, they enjoyed everything except the BIG fire, and ate absolutely nothing!

After dinner off we went to look at some magnificent Christmas lights. It was getting close to the boys bedtime, but we thought we would be ok since they could just fall asleep in the car while we were driving if they got too tired. Little did we know that these were famous Christmas lights that everyone else in Georgia were also going to see! It took us about 45 minutes to get to the entrance to the lights, and we had already stopped once so the boys could go potty on the side of the road (thank goodness we have boys!!) Just as we get to the entrance David says, "I need to go poo-poo," and this nice aroma filled the car! James quickly gets out of the car and gets David to go find a bathroom, I get in the drivers seat and continue to go with the flow of the traffic, praying fervently that James will make it on time and that I will be able to find them again in all this madness. I call James a few times on his cell phone and he still hasn't found a bathroom, and he is having to carry David, who is barefooted, in the drizzling rain. We finally catch back up with each other after James has walked about a mile and a half, and they get back in car, not yet having found a bathroom. We drive a little further and finally see a sign for the bathroom, and quickly follow it. Well, at this point David was very stressed so he was unable to relax and go potty, so off we went to see the rest of the lights. They were absolutely gorgeous and we all enjoyed them after our ordeal was over. They even had a very nice live nativity that we were all able to enjoy. Paul & David finally fell asleep right as we were leaving the lights.

The next day we went to church with the Bill Schmid's, and then enjoyed a nice brunch buffet at a really nice restaurant. The kids then played all afternoon before we left for home.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent here at our house, my parents and sister came over Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with us. We went to the Christmas Eve communion service at our church and then came back to our house for soup and sandwiches, and just had a nice relaxing evening at home.

Christmas Day Paul & David slept late!! Can you believe it? I woke up at 7:30 and no one was awake yet, so I got up and made some apple cider, then went back to bed for a while. Closer to 8 I decided to get up and go ahead and put the quiche for breakfast in the oven, and not long after that Paul & David decided to get up. While everyone else was still asleep we sat on the couch and read the Christmas story and opened all the flaps on our Advent calendar. After waking everyone else up they were very anxious to have Jesus' birthday party and open all their presents. (We do not do Santa at our house, we just have a big birthday party for Jesus!) Their favorite gifts are their new big boy bicycles, and their big boy "measure" (a tape measure). They love to help their daddy work and now they have their own tape measures so Daddy can use his (thanks Aunt Cristi!).

We just played all morning and prepared lunch. I cooked my first ever standing rib roast and it was very yummy. After lunch we put candles on Jesus' birthday cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, with the boys blowing out the candles. It was a great Christmas and we made lots of good memories. I pray each of you had a wonderful Christmas also!

Wordless Wednesday #6

Merry Christmas!!!

Wordless Wednesday #5

fun with the boys!!

Christmas Baking!

Today the boys and I made chocolate covered pretzels for our friends in the neighborhood. They love to help me in the kitchen and were very excited that we were going to be cooking! Their favorite part was putting the colored sprinkles everywhere, not just on the pretzels. They really did pretty good and didn't make that big of a mess, but the fun they had makes up for any mess they did make.

As I was cleaning up the mess on our kitchen table, I was reminded that my table has seen lots and lots of memories and good times. You see, I have my grandmother's old kitchen table, my Maw-maw's. She was a wonderful grandmother and sometimes I miss her and my Granny terribly. How I wish they could have lived to see and know my precious boys, they would have been proud.

My Maw-maw was a wonderful cook and I have fond memories of sitting around that kitchen table with aunts, uncles, and cousins. I remember when I was little and would go stay with them, she and my Paw-paw would sit there and read the Bible after we were supposed to be in the bed. I remember helping her make cornbread and biscuits, and I remember drinking Tang at her kitchen table. Lots of memories, all of which I am so thankful for. And I am even more thankful that now I am making my own memories around that wonderful kitchen table.

Moments with family, that is what makes Christmas and everyday special! Enjoy your family, and make some lasting memories this holiday season!!

Christmas Blessings!

One of my favorite Christmas songs is found on Dennis Jernigan's Christmas album, and is entitled "The Blessing Song." I wanted to share the words to this song with all of you who read my blog. I wish I could play the song for each of you, to me it is very powerful and very moving. I pray these blessings over each of you this holiday season and throughout the years to come. May Jesus be your all in all, and may nothing in this world satisfy you except the love of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Blessing Song

The Blessing Song
by Dennis Jernigan

May the Lord answer you in the day of your troubles!
May the name of the Lord be your strong mighty tower!
May He grant you your heart's deepest dreams and desires!
May He answer each time you call!

May He pour out the blessing of heaven!
May you cast your cares on Him and daily fall!
May you live to see your children's children!
May Lord Jesus be your All in All!

May the Lord Jesus Christ satisfy beyond all measure!
May His Word light your path!
May His Peace guard your heart!
May your days be filled with gladness,
Joy and peace through any sadness
Filled with love that will not depart!

May your strength be renewed like the eagle!
As you run the race may joy flood every part!
May your memories all be sweet in each parting!
May the peace of Christ rule in your heart!

May His word be to you health and life, joy and treasure.
May your home be a light.
May the Lord guard your ways.
May the Lord be your Shepherd.
May His goodness and mercy follow after you all your days!

May His mercies be new every morning!
May His Grace and Holy Spirit help you stand!
May you live your life to die for the gospel!
May you hold to His unchanging hand!

May the Lord answer you in the day of your trouble!
May the name of the Lord be your strong mighty tower!

May He grant you your heart's deepest dreams and desires!
May He answer each time you call!
May He answer each time you call!

Wordless Wednesday #4

Paul & David Christmas 2006!!

Christmas Cards!!

I started getting Christmas cards today!!!!! One of my favorite things about Christmas is getting Christmas cards in the mail and hearing from people I haven't heard from in a long time. What other time of year can you look forward to getting your mail? I just love it when we have more cards than bills, aren't those just the greatest days! I usually get the mail while the boys are sleeping; so I love it when I get a handful of cards and can just relax in the chair and take them all in.

My favorite cards are the ones with pictures and letters or little notes. We do a Christmas letter every year, a little something we started doing our first Christmas together. It is fun to get together with James and reminisce about our year, picking our favorite and most memorable memories to relay to all who take the time to read our letter.

I think this year we are going to start a new tradition, this is one that I have "stolen" from my creative memories consultant! I am going to take all the cards that we get with pictures and make a simple little scrapbook to sit out on our coffee table year round. Every day or week (haven't decided yet which one) our family will pick another family to pray specifically for. Having the pictures will be nice reminders to us and especially to our boys of who we are praying for. I thought this was a wonderful idea and that it would be a great way to teach our boys the importance of praying for others and not just for our family and ourselves. So if you want us to be praying for you, send us your picture!!

So, what about you? What are some of your favorite things about Christmas, and do you have any traditions you can share with us?

Wordless Wednesday #3

My favorite 3 men!!!

Being Driven to God

I am reading a book called "Stepping Heavenward" by Elizabeth Prentiss from 1869. It is from the Lamplighter Rare Collector Series. It basically is the journal of a girl from her mid-teenage years on. I have found that I can relate to her on many things, specifically that she battles with being selfish rather than selfless, and often frustrates herself because she does those very things that she wishes she would not do (makes me think of the passage from Romans). Anyway, a couple of passages have really made me stop and ponder them and think about my life and I wanted to share them. Here they are:

This was advice to Kate from an older, godly lady who is very ill, regarding that fact that Kate's father-in-law & sister-in-law have come to live with her and her husband, and it seems that nothing she does pleases them, so that they are constantly criticizing her.

"We look at our fellow-men to much from the standpoint of our own prejudices. They may be wrong, they may have their faults and foibles, they may call out all that is meanest and most hateful in us. But they are not all wrong; they have their virtues, and when they excite our bad passions by their own, they may be as ashamed and as sorry as we are irritated. And I think some of the best, most contrite, most useful of men and women, whose prayers prevail with God, and bring down blessings into the homes in which they dwell, often possess unlovely traits that furnish them with the best discipline. The very fact that they are ashamed of themselves drives them to God; they feel safe in His presence, and while they lie in the very dust of self- confusion at His feet they are dear to Him and have power with Him."

More advice from the same lady, from a book she quoted, called "The Imitation of Christ".
"Four steps that lead to peace.
Be desirous of doing the will of another, rather than thine own.
Choose always to have less, rather than more.
Seek always the lowest place, and to be inferior to everyone.
Wish always, and pray, that the will of God may be wholly fulfilled in thee."

It has taken me reading these over and over, letting my mind and heart digest them, to get a "deep" understanding of what she is saying, if you know what I mean. As I think about myself and the things I do each day, there are frequently several things in my day that "drive me to God". Things that I don't want to do, and don't desire to do, but I often do them away; like getting frustrated and irritated with my children and husband, not responding in a loving manner, etc. And when they "drive me to God", and I pour my heart out before Him, He is so sweet to comfort me, encourage me, and overtake and empower me to be the mom & wife that He has called me to be. For any good that I do do, is only the result of a mighty God working in and through me by His mighty Spirit.

So, what things in your life "drive you to God"?

A Yummy Recipe!!

I tried a new recipe last week that was really a hit and thought I would share it with all of you. It is a great one to make if you like to give baked goods for gifts at Christmas. I first tried it out on my "Heart Friends" group, (an accountability group I am in), and they loved it; so I took some to our wonderful hair stylist on Friday when the boys and I went to get our hair cut. They thought it was absolutely delicious!! James also took some to work on Friday and said it was a huge hit!!

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies

1 16 oz package of nutter butters
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
5 (1.5 oz) packages of reese cups
2 (2.1 oz) butterfingers
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Combine crushed cookies and butter in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture into bottom of a greased 13" X 9" pan. Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes

Combine condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth.

Sprinkle chopped candy bars, chocolate morsels, peanuts, and coconut over crust. Drizzle condensed milk mixture over coconut.

Bake at 350 for 27 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool before cutting.

This recipe is from my "Christmas with Southern Living 2007" cookbook. If you have it, this recipe is on page 93.

So, does anyone else have any good recipes you would like to share?