My Family

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

we have another winner!

my newest friend, alisa @faith imagined, is the winner of my 200th post giveaway! i am so excited to give my little angel away so that she can bless alisa's yard, landscape, or garden with a little beauty. so, if you will e-mail me your mailing address, i will get her to you right away. enjoy!!!


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

i'm home, a winner, and another giveaway!

i'm home! i had a great weekend away filling myself up with Truth. it is always such a wonderful opportunity to get away from the everyday routine of life, feed on the Word of God and enjoy some "girl" time. i will be sharing some of the details from my weekend here a little later on in the week. but, i thought i would share a few pictures today.
small group talk; i think this time was enjoyed by everyone. we took time to talk about what God had shown us in each session. it was a great time to open up and let the Lord minister to our hearts together. everyone seems to be intently listening to my mom talk about something important here. :) some of you may know daveda from grace talk with daveda. she is my sweet in real life friend, as well as a blogging friend too. she is sitting on the far left. i enjoyed my time with her this weekend so much.

my sister, connie, was our group leader.


this is my sister, my mom, my sister's daughter in law who announced this weekend that she was going to be having another baby this fall, and me. look at all of those blonds! LOL we really did all have a wonderful time!

well, while i was away, my little blog celebrated our one year blogoversary without me. we promised a giveaway to celebrate and the winner was kim @homesteaders heart. i have some wonderful gifts to send your way from the retreat. so, please send me your mailing address and i will send your gifts your way.

and guess what? today is my 200th post. so, i am going to have another giveaway. i thought since spring is quickly approaching and we are all going to be spending more of our time outside soon, it was time to spruce up our landscaping or gardens. i purchased this adorable angel yard ornament for this purpose. so, if you are interested in winning this gift from me to celebrate 200 posts, leave me a comment and let me know. i will enter you into the drawing that will be held tomorrow evening before we all go to bed.


Saturday, March 27, 2010

happy blogoversary to me!

today is the one year blogoversary for my little blog. i can not believe that i have been blogging for an entire year. it has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me. i have enjoyed everything about it, from learning more about myself, to recording so many of the things that have happened in my family's life, to meeting so many wonderful people and making some wonderful friends here in the blogging community. so, to celebrate, i am going to have a giveaway. i am not totally sure what i am going to give away yet. i think i just might pick up a few things while i am away this weekend for the special occasion. so, if you are interested in helping me celebrate and winning a little something something from me, leave me a comment. i will pick a random winner on tuesday morning after i return home.

happy blogoversary to me!! 


Thursday, March 25, 2010

daddy daughter date night

last night was our annual daddy daughter date night that our church has for all of the daddies to take our their daughters for a night of undivided attention and a little pampering. aaron took all of our girls out on their date.



and of course, i went out with my daddy too!


we had a wonderful italian dinner. we had fun talking and playing bingo.

here the girls are being silly and taking some more photos of the night.


it was a wonderful evening!




i am heading out of town in the morning for the weekend. i am going to a ladies retreat in tulsa, ok. i will not be back until monday morning. but while i am gone, my blog will be celebrating its one year blogoversary. i can not believe that i have been blogging for an entire year. so come back by on saturday and help me celebrate, i have a special giveaway planned to post for the special occasion.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

dying to self (updated)

dying to self...

...when you are forgotten,neglected, or deliberately ignored and you don't sting and hurt with the insult, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ

...when people speak evil of your good, cross your desires, disregard your advice, ridicule your opinions and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence

...when you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance, and when you stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensitivity, and you endure it as Jesus endured

...when you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any clothing, any interruption by the will of God

...when you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or to record your own good words, or to have people take notice of what you say, or to itch after commendations, it is when you can truly love to be unknown

...when you receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart.

Are you a dead person?

In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross, that we might utter with Paul, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death."

- author unknown

i found this poem on someones's blog recently and saved it in a draft. i thought it really was a great asset as to what the Lord has been showing me lately. God has really been revealing some things to me in the last year.  He has birthed some things in my heart that He has been maturing there since then. and i feel like a woman past due for delivering her baby who is so uncomfortable and doesn't feel like she can make it one more day with this baby inside of her. But just like the natural process, as a mother, there is no way that you can make a baby come until that baby is ready. the only hope a mother has is that she knows that she will not carry that baby around inside of her forever, knowing death would eventually come to her baby if she did.

this God planted stirring in me is kicking and squirming and making itself known inside of me and i want to show it to the world that i live in but it feels as if my world isn't ready to receive it and i am having a hard time with that. there is little recognition that i am even carrying a God-birthed revelation in me and i can see from this poem that obviously i have not mastered the "dying to self" process. i want to shout, "there is a Life-giving revelation in me that is dying to come out and shine light in our lives! i have been showing signs of its Life in me for some time now and know one seems to even notice." but, i know that all the screaming and hollering a woman does will not cause her baby to come any more quickly. so, i sit. sad, lonely, uncomfortable, and wondering if this Life in me will be birthed or will just die inside of me.

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it was just a few short minutes after i published this that i headed over to facebook to check up on my friends and i found this "note of confirmation from the Lord" on one of my friend's status posts. i cried as i read it as i felt so loved by Him at that moment, i knew i needed to come back and add this to my post today.



Your Appointed Time - Tim Hutton

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time…though it tarries, wait for it"
(Habakkuk 2:3, KJV))

God has an appointed time to fulfill the visions, dreams, and desires in your heart. Just because it has taken a long time or because you've tried and failed doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Don't give up on those dreams! Don't be complacent about pursuing what God has placed in your heart. Our God is a faithful God. No matter how long it's been, no matter how impossible things look, if you'll stay in faith, your set time is coming.

Remember, every dream that's in your heart, every promise that has taken root, God put it there. Not only that, but He has every intention of bringing it to pass. Hold on to that vision today. Declare by faith, "My time is coming. God is working behind the scenes on my behalf. I will fulfill my destiny!" As you continue to hold on to that vision and speak life over your dreams, it won't be long before you see them begin to take shape. You'll see your faith grow, you'll see your hope strengthen, and you'll see yourself step into the destiny God has prepared for you!

Father in heaven, I receive Your Word which is life and health to me today. I ask that You ignite my heart with Your holy fire so that I can pursue Your perfect plan for my life. Make my thoughts and words agreeable to Your will. In Jesus' Name, Amen.


Sunday, March 21, 2010

"the seussification of romeo & juliet"

this weekend, olivia performed in her junior high school play as juliet in "the seussification of romeo & juliet"
here she is in full costume.

she really does look like she belongs in a dr. seuss book, doesn't she?











 she did a fabulous job! we are so proud of her!


















this comedy is a whimsical reinvention of shakespeare's tragic love story of "romeo and juliet." complete with rhymed couplets, creative wordplay and fantastical machines. it is similar to something dr. seuss might have come up with if he ever had his way with the script! i invite you to join and watch a few of her scenes as she interprets "romeo and juliet," dr. suess style. each scene is just a little over a minute long, except for the last one that lasts a couple of minutes, so please take a program and enjoy the show!


ten seconds until the show begins. please take your seats.

without further adieu, "the suessification of romeo and juliet......."

they all did a great job!

after the show we got some pictures of her with some of the cast and crew.

the stars of the show....romeo and juliet!!
juliet and her mom, lady capitulate, who is also one of her best friends

juliet and her director, hannah lambert

olivia got roses from her daddy after the show! she posed here with them and her baby brother.
before we all left for the evening, we gathered her youth pastors and all of the kids from the youth group who came and supported them in the production for one last picture.

it was a wonderful weekend. i am a very proud momma!


Thursday, March 18, 2010

drumroll please..........

did you participate in the pay it forward giveaway this week? thank you for all of you who were willing to take a chance to win a gift from me and were willing to pay forward a gift to someone else. paying it forward! isn't that what life should be all about? i wrote all of the names of everyone who mentioned that they would be interested in participating and put them in a basket. tonight before amanda went up to bed, she drew the name......."elaine." she is one of my wonderful friends that i have come to know and enjoy visiting frequently because of her depth of insight into the Word of God and her beautifully talented way of putting her heart in print. you would be greatly blessed to stop by her place @peace for the journey and glean from her giftedness to the body of Christ.

congratulations elaine! if you will e-mail me your mailing address, i will get your package in the mail right away. i hope you enjoy it! i am sending you the book captivating along with some of the most wonderful things that i love as well.




Wednesday, March 17, 2010

captivating in a giveaway

some time ago, i won a pay it forward giveaway that my sweet friend jenilee @the goodwin family was having. and this is what i won; the book, captivating by john and stasi eldredge and a super cute journal.


little did i know that winning this book was going to open up so much understanding to me that my heart had been searching for.  i honestly have received more than i ever thought was possible from any book other than  the Bible in a very long time. it has truly been a blessing to me. i would encourage any woman who has not read it to seek it out and read it from cover to cover. within it are some amazing insights into understanding our hearts as women. or, you could just leave a comment on this post because i am going to pay it forward in a giveaway myself along with some other of my very favorite things. if you are interested in winning a package of some of my favorite things, including this book, captivating, and you are willing to pay it forward by having a giveaway of your own if you win, then leave me a comment and I will enter you into this giveaway. you can still participate if you have won a pay it forward giveaway before. this is my second opportunity in winning a pay it forward giveaway and i feel privileged to be able to continue paying it forward.


so if you are interesting in participating and winning, you need to be willing to...
• give me your mailing address so I can send a package your way.
• write your own Pay It Forward post after you receive your gift telling about it, and in that post link back  to my blog.
• come up with something to send out and bless YOUR winner.

sound okay? if you can follow those rules, then leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to be entered! winners will be chosen randomly... out of a basket...by my youngest daughter amanda on thursday evening before she goes to bed at about 9:30 p.m.



Sunday, March 14, 2010

deep thoughts.....is there a time and place for everything?




there is a time and a place for everything!

is there?

time?

what is that anyway?

24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute

we schedule our lives by it! but why?

is there really a time for everything?

is there really a place for everything?

is it all decided for us?

or do we decide?

it seems we are in fast forward motion trying to figure it all out!

how do we know it is the time or the place?

everything that happens can be second guessed if there is truly only one time or one place for everything

what if it passes us by?

if we miss that time or place, do we just miss that experience?

or is there another time and place to arrive later?

if so then there really isn't a time and place for everything.

or are we given a liftime of opportunities that come our way and we get to decide the ride we take?

is there a time and place for everything?

deep thoughts......




Thursday, March 11, 2010

i can't believe my baby is two (updated)

two years ago today, we were welcoming a new baby into our family. we had been a family of six for nearly nine years and we were all excited to become a family of seven. everyone finally got their baby brother. i can not imagine our life as a family without jacob. he has been such a joy to us all. we laugh and laugh more than ever because of his cute ways. we had a little party for him tonight with just us and his grandparents. i think he had a great time being the center of attention, because that is never the way it is around here normally, and opening his presents and, of course, eating cake. here is jacob's 2nd birthday in pictures with a little video to share too.

happy 2nd birthday my sweet boy

first thing this morning grandma judy came by to be the first to wish you a happy birthday! she brought you your own little personal cake and lit your candles so you could blow them out! you thought that was pretty cool.
then later on that evening we celebrated your birthday with your whole family. mommy made this cake for you. i am not the best cake decorator but i think you liked it. you are not that hard to please yet. so, i was not under too much pressure.

mommy loves you so much even though you would not smile and were being so silly for our picture together!

i think that you enjoyed every part of your birthday! you are quite a two year old! you make my life so fun!!



I think you know by now that all the boys in this family play baseball and everyone is pretty excited that you seem to love it too already.

you wore out every bicep at the party tonight swinging you in your new swing.

and you were just a little excited about getting your diego bike! i think that you loved turning two!!
i always want to remember what you were like when you were two because you are a pretty fantastic two year old!
take a peek of his day is action





i can't believe that my baby is two!